Sir! Don't close the net!

Upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that Shub is simply too out of place in Guo Weiton. If Guo Weiton had such a sister, he would have known long ago. What is it that prevented him from reaching this conclusion?

It might be because of fear, or it might be because of... a guilty conscience.

"Oh—my dear [Mother] Black Goat, have you come to save me?"

Shub means black goat.

Although he failed to successfully betray the cadre he was supposed to stab, he actually gave Shub, a cadre who had strayed from the old center of power, a great gift.

Li Yili lowered her finger and waved in the direction of Shub.

“Just kidding—they’re not lying. I not only confessed, but I also reported the fire elf and the black goat’s cub.”

There's a saying that goes around: when the Black Goat appears before you, kneel down and wait to die, at least you can die a little more peacefully. He used to complain that if it were him, he would definitely sprint at full speed. But now that Shub is standing at the door, he has nowhere else to escape.

Come to think of it, how many times has he seen Shub?

Why didn't you kill me the first time we were in the warehouse?

Li Yili was too lazy to ask this kind of question anymore.

Faced with Li Yili's self-destruction, Shub didn't make a move at all. Her dark green eyes were as calm and gentle as a lake. This was probably what was called a gentle gaze.

But Li Yili couldn't associate such a look with gentleness at all; in fact, she found it nauseating.

Of course, this is not Li Yili's discrimination against former cadres. Now, no matter who it is, even if they are willing to give everything for him, their admiring gaze will only make him feel disgusted. It is not mental disgust, but physical resistance.

"They now seem to be calling you the King in Yellow."

Li Yili was taken aback. Shub's voice was unexpectedly ethereal. The fact that someone who had been silently conveying their thoughts through notes suddenly spoke should have been a major development, but he couldn't muster any enthusiasm. Or rather, he couldn't muster any enthusiasm for anything that happened right now, including, but not limited to...

Shub took off her clothes in front of him.

"The King in Yellow? Ha...that's quite an exaggeration."

Li Yili rubbed her fingers together.

Bishops of Asawi's righteous judgments are directly linked to religious propaganda. The judgments are secondary; self-promotion is paramount. Therefore, bishops of Asawi often demonize those being judged, portraying them as possessors of demons or lackeys of evil gods. They do whatever it takes to instill fear and anger in the masses.

Those demonized by them all share a common characteristic: they are covered in yellow raincoats that obscure their form and wear masks that obscure their faces. The patterns on these masks are quite interesting; it is said that they were drawn by prisoners in their fear of death.

Once the trial is over, the names of those executed will be completely unrelated to them. In short, they will be stigmatized and infamous for eternity. As for why yellow raincoats were chosen uniformly, it may be for the purpose of categorization. After all, Bishop Azaveta believes in one God, and one God must have a great enemy, otherwise how can others rely on Him?

Hell, demons, Satan, blah blah blah.

And now Bishop Azavet is actually "generously" calling this ordinary man the King in Yellow, without even worrying about breaking the established storyline.

However, this is no longer his concern. He might become a corpse right now, and the King in Yellow would be declared a failure in his debut.

"You seem...unwell?"

Li Yili, who was imagining how she would die, was stunned. Before she could react, she felt a void behind her, and a familiar, soft touch, like a black hole, came over her.

Shub gently embraced Li Yili, like a mother comforting her child, and patted the back of Li Yili's head with her right hand.

Li Yili opened her eyes slightly, let out a long breath, and was too lazy to resist anymore.

No wonder people say that if you encounter a black goat, it's best to kneel down and wait to die; being killed by a chest attack can indeed lead to a peaceful death.

Time passed slowly, and Li Yili's lips twitched slightly. It seemed that he was just being... held.

How many times has this happened?

The black goat showed him leniency.

Chapter 169 In 2012, the world will be destroyed.

Normally, Li Yili would probably be annoyed as to why the Black Goat would give him a break, since he was just an ordinary person with no strength to even kill a chicken.

Although Jeff diagnosed him as a typical mental patient, Jeff also concluded that his mental illness did not affect his life.

Simply put, in other people's eyes he was a casual

Ordinary people that can be seen everywhere.

Ordinary people, who are everywhere, are not worth the repeated leniency shown to them by the former cadres and officials.

Li Yili narrowed her eyes slightly.

The first meeting at the warehouse was definitely not a coincidence. Black Goat knew that the pollutants were hidden in the warehouse, which is why he went there. As suspicious as Black Goat was, he had ample reason to solve the problem at that time.

But the black goat did not do that.

He also brought along the Black Goat when he wanted to go to the Temple of Gowwitton to set up a trap to kill that sycophant, Jeroboam.

The more Li Yili thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. Unfortunately, she just learned about his abnormality. The black goat's magnanimous behavior made her uncontrollably connect it with his abnormality. Her rationality made her angrily push Shub away, but her body couldn't help but relax. The sense of peace kept eroding her tense nerves.

"To become the King in Yellow."

By the time Li Yili realized what was happening, Black Goat Shub had vanished without a trace, as if she had never been there. But the lingering fragrance in the air kept reminding him to get up close and personal with the most mysterious and dangerous cadre from his past.

Li Yili was startled. Her clenched left fist slowly loosened, revealing the prank item that should have been on her thumb lying in her palm. Li Yili subconsciously leaned forward and opened her mouth.

Cold water droplets dripped down the crack and landed on Li Yili's neck. Li Yili snapped to attention, clenched her fist, and put Lorkis's prank back on her thumb.

To become the King in Yellow... or something like that...

"Can't understand."

“I haven’t said anything yet, Mr. Sovereign.”

Abel, standing in front of the dungeon door, spread his hands, looked around, sighed, and sat down on the ground, leaning on the door frame.

"Aren't you going to call me the King in Yellow? Mr. Promising Future?" Li Yili raised her middle finger.

“You don’t seem to really like this title, but unfortunately, it’s settled,” Abel said, flicking his wrist. A pristine white mask flew out from the brightly lit corridor, its shadow stretching to meet the shadows of the dungeon even before it reached Li Yili.

"This is a mask, Mr. Sole Ruler. Think carefully about what mark you should leave on this mask. That will be what people think of when they mention your name in the future."

The white mask fell to the ground at Li Yili's feet with a thud.

"I thought you'd bail me out because of our relationship, but you have to apologize to me first."

Li Yili bent down and picked up the mask, played with it for a moment, shifted her position to face Abel sitting in the light, and pointed to her left eye.

"You look like you've been dragged into this mess; you've certainly gained quite a bit."

Abel paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. He raised his hand to lift the white hair covering his left eye, revealing a cloudy eye amidst the white strands.

That was the only part of the Thorn King's body that hadn't dried up.

“You’re right, I should apologize to you, or rather… repent, but this is just the beginning. Let me think… By the way, have you ever heard of a story about the legacy of the ancient gods?”

"Beyond the unknown variables lies a chain reaction where one leads to two. Since Zeta is called the legacy containing the most powerful force of the ancient gods, why are there two more levels above it?"

“Who cares?” Li Yili rested her chin on her left hand and gently flicked the edge of her mask with her right. “I’m just an ordinary person. What do the concerns of the chosen ones have to do with me?”

"As expected of the One and Only Ruler, but you must know this: when the most powerful force leaves the throne, the revelry begins, and the revelry brings chaos. After that, it is both the end and the beginning of everything."

Abel's somber tone made Li Yili feel uncomfortable, and she turned her face away.

“To put it simply… I’m sorry, the Guo Weiton incident was planned,” Abel smiled helplessly. “The process doesn’t matter, as long as Valhae Rei throws the Gungnir in her hand, that’s enough. Then, before the Gungnir hits, the target is eliminated, creating the phenomenon that the spear, which is bound to hit, misses.”

Li Yili's fingers tightened slightly as she held the mask, but quickly relaxed again.

"So, Gungnir, who threw the arrow, pointed out the location of this eye?"

“I thought you would rush over and grab my collar, roaring angrily,” Abel said, spreading his hands. “Mr. Sovereign, you seem to have changed a lot.”

Li Yili remained silent, and Abel, understanding the situation, continued speaking from where he left off.

“At that time, I was really startled. I thought you knew about this too, after all… you were a traitor to Gungnir,” Abel raised his hand and tapped his left eye socket. “This eye, Sigma, one of the symbols of revelry, the eye of a fool who tries to see the thread of fate, the eye of folly.”

“The…thread of fate…Nibelungen…” Li Yili murmured, then her eyes widened. “Back then—”

Because fate is not a modifier, but a real thing; each of us is a thread spun by the wheel of fate.

“Do you know why you absolutely cannot let Gungnir miss? Because Gungnir represents Zeta, the strongest power of the ancient gods. Throwing it means deciding fate, and if it misses… what does that mean?” Abel's hands hung between his legs, his face a blend of gold and red.

The light in his eyes was incredibly dim.

"Fate has become scattered lines, no longer certain. The most powerful forces can no longer determine the course of events, and the carnival has begun."

“You… no, Bishop Azavet… want to rewrite fate,” Li Yili said with great difficulty, uttering her speculation.

He remembered that Abel had taken away a golden spindle at that time.

Abel did not answer Li Yili's question directly, but instead touched his left eye and continued speaking.

"But this is ultimately just the eye of a fool trying to see the threads of fate. Only by offering up another eye before the Fountain of Wisdom under the World Tree can this eye be transformed and truly see the scattered threads of fate caused by the missed shot of the Spear of Fate."

“The World Tree…” Li Yili straightened up but then collapsed again. “Bishop Azawi and the Galar Horn have cooperated. Why?”

"Because...the world will be destroyed in 2012."

Chapter 170 Giving You a Suggestion

The world will end in 2012.

What a familiar saying.

As an Earthling, Li Yili had heard the phrase "the world will end in 2012" so many times that she was practically sick of it. This statement seemed to be interpreted as a prophecy left behind on some ancient civilization's ruins. People tirelessly discussed what kind of doomsday humanity would face in 2012, and it even spawned a number of works.

Tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, meteorites, plagues, alien invasions, mysterious rays—humanity has exhausted its imagination to devise how it will perish.

Of course, nothing happened in 2012.

But hearing it from Abel sent chills down Li Yili's spine. It didn't seem to be some kind of hype or a genuine prophecy.

Otherwise, Bishop Azavet wouldn't have collaborated with the Galar Horn to stage such a drama of rewriting destiny.

Seeing Li Yili's astonishment, Abel couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"Sir, the One and Only Ruler, are you truly a person of this world?"

Even though he was startled and jumped when he heard the news, Li Yili was only surprised.

“I am living right in front of you now,” Li Yili said, waving her hand with a flicker in her eyes.

“That’s true…” Abel sighed deeply, resting his chin on his hand. “By the way, the date 2012 was predicted by the Cult of Steam and Steel using a Sigma-level legacy prophecy algorithm, and it’s absolutely accurate.”

“And Bishop Azavet and the Galar Horn… no, to be precise, Bishop Azavet intends to avoid the 2012 apocalypse by rewriting fate,” Li Yili glanced sideways, “this is a righteous act to save the world, so whatever happens in the process is unavoidable and must be endured.”

After a long silence, Abel tilted his head as if he had already answered Li Yili's question and was about to move on to the next one. He said, "Then there's the personal issue. Actually, I've always been using a kind of weapon called Sin Armor. Unlike the legacies of those ancient gods that were excavated from temples or ruins, they have always existed. To put it simply, they are... human sins, greed, anger, pride, and so on. And to activate Sin Armor, you need the existence of a sinner."

"Ha... So you've raised a bunch of... no, so you've legally become sinners yourselves?" Li Yili immediately understood Abel's meaning and sneered, "You commit crimes, you forgive yourselves, and the so-called righteousness... is nothing more than for your own purposes. You've really gone around in circles."

“Being too smart isn’t a good thing,” Abel said, raising his hand to tap the Eye of Fool that had replaced his left eye. “Perhaps, it’s a happy thing to be a fool who can’t see anything.”