Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 659 - 610 The Outer One

The Pact-Maker, a mystical Guardian, can be said not as a type of mystic Spellcaster, but rather as a human vessel that maintains the secretive mechanisms of mysticism. They sign a contract with the concept of "Mysticism" and become puppets of the rules.

"Pact-Makers are quite useful tools," said Serio, taking advantage of the rules that Pact-Makers must keep secrets, which prevented the journalist from divulging Serio’s infiltration into the Andrei Academy. It should be said that the moment journalists lost their own secrets, they no longer had any advantage over Serio. The scattered blond hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and the leaves of the ivy on the wall seemed to become a bit more vibrant under this golden light. Serio, backlit by the sun, looked at the journalist with a gaze similar to that of compassion and pity.

As a member of the Literary Society, which had long been prone to accidents, the journalist had the habit of adjusting his mindset in the face of crises. He took three deep breaths like a human being, lifted the tablecloth off his head, and in his pale skull, a ghastly soul flame burned.

"First, I must congratulate you on your successful infiltration into Andrei, esteemed Mr. Impostor. Andrei is a treasury of knowledge, but you will soon realize that the Liches guarding the treasure are much more terrifying than dragons. At Andrei, you will gain nothing."

Serio’s smile didn’t change because of the provocation, even though he was sure that what the journalist said was true. But Serio had taken the risk to come here not for the destructive knowledge that could overturn the world.

"There are only two reasons I came to Andrei."

"The first is to find a Pact-Maker, which I have accomplished."

"The second is to trade secrets with the Pact-Maker."

Deep blue tentacles crawled out from behind Serio, and the surging shadows engulfed everything around like a curtain of water. The power of the Evil God converged here, and the chaotic energy of confusion eradicated all attempts at probing.

"You will help me, Mr. Journalist, because Pact-Makers are handy tools," Serio stated.

Mr. Journalist tilted his head, looking relieved, and got up from the ground.

"Ah, so you are looking for me. In that case, there’s no problem. You know, trading secrets requires following the principle of equivalent exchange, and you... Mr. Serio, you don’t appear to have anything of value to trade." The journalist pinched his chin, pacing back and forth around Serio, "A mad human who has stolen the power of an Evil God. After you caused panic in the City of Wandering, I began an investigation on you, Serio Hamlet, a pathetic mortal... You twisted yourself into a Lyle’s doppelganger, blindly pursuing the most supreme being. Your past was so hollow, devoid of any valuable mysticism."

"Serio Morningstar, that is my true name," Serio’s smile vanished, and he showed a ferocious expression like an enraged beast. His relation with Hamlet was like an ugly scar, and the journalist was looking for this very effect.

"Regardless, a person’s past largely determines their worth. I don’t believe the Hamlet Family holds any mystic secrets yet to be uncovered. As for now, you are a doppelganger of Lyle, and before Lyle left, he already traded with me a series of secrets concerning the Deep Sea Omen and knowledge of the Evil God." The journalist acted like a mercenary merchant: hunched back, nose upturned, glancing sidelong at Serio, "Do you have any secrets worth exchanging?"

The journalist was well aware of his capabilities. As a questioning machine set by the world, any secret obtained from the Pact-Maker had to be paid with a secret of equivalent mystic value. The world had its standards for measuring these values, ensuring satisfaction in the trade. Everyone who traded secrets received the information they desired.

Serio had once been a human, a noble with hues of arcane lore. It wasn’t to belittle him, but in an era where the Mystic Side was oppressed by holy light, those nobles who once studied magic had all retracted their feathers, and the truly powerful had hidden away just like the City of Wandering. Serio’s past likely held few weighty secrets. Afterward, he turned himself into another Lyle, a shadow of another person, which, to the journalist, seemed like a particularly foolish act.

"Perhaps you gained Lyle’s memories and learned my identity, but becoming another person’s shadow means losing yourself. A shadow has no secrets of its own.

"Before the Secret Pact, you are valueless."

Serio laughed, his fair and flawless cheeks tinted with the rosy flush of melting early snow, the corners of his mouth drawn by an artist’s delicate brush just touching the edge of that crimson glow. Serio’s smile revealed a charm that even the Liches would find astonishing.

"Mr. Journalist, you are just like all the others in this foolish era, focusing only on birth and lineage—the family is the most powerful, the bloodline is the most noble. To be honest, I’m somewhat disappointed, but fortunately, you are not a Pact-Maker; you are merely its puppet."

"It was I who unearthed your past, it was I who usurped the power of the Evil God, whether it be the plan for the City of Wandering to fall, or the submission of Loshutar. All of these, I have been manipulating. You have overlooked the power of the individual, even though you are right here in this academy of distinct personalities."

The power struggle between Serio and the journalist reversed once again, with the smiling Divine Corpse pressing forward step by step against the indifferent Lich.

"I know everything about Lyle, so I also know that he would never lay out all of his secrets on the table. You don’t need too many chips in your hand, a single ace is enough to decide the winner."

"Lyle’s secrets?"

"Correct, your beloved Plague Doctor Mr. Lyle, has a secret that none of you know, and this secret..."

Anxious breaths spread through the corner, with the journalist looking eagerly towards the corridor, hoping the delay would see someone come by.

"Though I cannot create a completely independent realm like the Pact-Maker, the power of the Evil God still helps us to create a relatively quiet environment. I have blocked perception, this space has been moved to the Deepwater Zone by the Deep Sea Omen."

"Come then, let’s begin our secret exchange, Mr. Journalist."

"To exchange the ultimate secret that Lyle has always hidden?" The journalist felt a bit nervous and a bit tempted, after all, regardless of the aspect, the Pact-Maker was somewhat helpless.

"No, I won’t exchange."

"Eh?" You talked all this time, using that sort of rhetoric and pressure against me, and now you say you won’t exchange, are you playing with me?!

"The secret of Lyle, its value might still not be enough, so let’s trade another one. A personal secret of mine, Serio, the existence behind me..."

"The infant form of the Evil God returning to the Evil God, this is already a consensus, your existence in the backdrop is the Sleeper Triton, the mystery of this information is high, but consensus is not a secret. Don’t even think you can deceive me or obfuscate the truth in some other way."

Serio smiled and said, "The existence that grants me power, is..."

"[The Outer One]"

[The trade... is made.]