Chapter 172: Longinus, the Only Honest Man

Chapter 172 The Only Honest Man in Longinus

After witnessing the birth of Calamity's shadow, Elius followed the timeline forward, observing the leader wandering alone through vast dimensions, without home or roots.

She saw the shadow attempting to interact with various lives, yet memories of him always faded instantly. Friends newly met the day before would gradually forget him by the next, until exhausted from desperately clinging to connections, all ties severed, as if they had never existed.

She saw him accidentally encounter the "Deconstruction Society," consorting with those deranged, unethical scientists. Page after page of written experimental records seemed to become the only lasting traces he could leave in the world, and he lost himself in them.

She saw him, after the collapse of the Deconstruction Society, go into hiding with Hekate and other continuationists, searching for untouched land to resume experiments—until his gaze settled on Longinus, whose Founder had just died.

She saw him seduce Longinus' heir into worshiping him, blindly offering everything—body, soul, and worldly identity—usurping the position of "Second Leader" and single-handedly establishing a second Deconstruction Society.

Standing on the far shore of the River of Fate, Elius watched the leader stumble through time, wandering and stumbling, committing many sins along the way...

And in those long, lonely years where no one remembered or relied on him, his personality was similarly warped.

Though he rarely appeared in physical form, Elius could sense from his actions that he was becoming increasingly erratic, obstinate, and extreme.

In his world, there existed no intimate relationships built on mutual trust—only his tight control, terrifying intimidation, and grand achievements could brand traces of fear into the hearts of his insignificant subordinates. Only the burning pain that even oblivion couldn’t erase could prove he truly existed.

Perhaps when the shadow was first born, there was still hope for him to grow a heart of flesh and blood, to become a true living creature.

But he had strayed too far down the wrong path, transforming himself into something cold, selfish, cruel, and monstrous—a creature steeped in blood debt.

Elius sighed and prepared to observe how the leader had created that lead-gray cell toxin.

Generally, mutations under the rules of the Life Domain could only affect living or non-living entities in the material world, not abstract concepts like Fate.

Thus, Elius doubted the lead-gray particles were entirely the leader’s creation—their source material might have come from him, but they couldn’t have been his work alone.

After all, if the leader were truly capable of applying mutative forces to abstract concepts, why would he still be holed up in Longinus?

Wouldn’t he have already slain Calamity Apostle, or even ascended through deicide?

Elius suspected the leader had at least one accomplice who helped modify his cells and create the lead-gray suspension.

Yet, as she continued observing the leader’s fate, everything before her suddenly cut off—without warning, like a plug being yanked from its socket. Some crucial information had been deliberately obscured by an unknown force.

Elius frowned, truly surprised.

This shouldn’t have happened...

The River of Fate was like a private garden to the Yi Fengchus—every ripple and wave should have been visible to Them, with nothing escaping Their notice.

"...Could it be that this incarnation lacks sufficient authority?"

Elius muttered, returning her consciousness to reality and storing the gray substance.

Though puzzled, she couldn’t risk praying to her main body under Longinus’ watchful eyes, lest she alert unseen observers. She had no choice but to set the matter aside for now.

Idle in her office, Elius even began rummaging through Hekate’s remaining possessions to pass the time.

Unnoticed, time passed quickly.

Tick, tock...

The clock’s hands moved steadily onward, gradually entering the dark hours of night.

Late at night.

Artists of the "Eternal Canvas" base left their stations in small groups, the workspace engulfed in silent darkness.

Only the occasional member emerged from a painting, hurriedly crossing the gallery before vanishing into another canvas. The sparse footsteps were like pebbles dropped into still water—fleeting ripples that quickly vanished.

Only Elius remained in her office, with no intention of resting.

In the script written by Fate, the Ill Fate Witch’s soul was a specter from ancient history, her body a puppet carved and polished by a master craftsman. To maintain these roles, Elius barely rested or ate, making her the most austere and unnatural of all incarnations.

Resting her chin on one hand, Elius absentmindedly flipped through Hekate’s diary.

Thank you, Hekate, for leaving behind a diary to kill time!

What a thoughtful prey, keeping a diary!

*"The leader gave me an S-grade artifact, the 'Life Crucible.' Is he hinting at something? Like... I can start experimenting with god-making myself?"*

*"After years of forging, a body capable of bearing and containing divine power has been born! She’s so lovely—she’ll be my masterpiece!"*

*"Eli will understand her mother. I’ve made her one of the most noble and powerful beings across countless worlds. In return, she should grant me the glory of being the 'Mother of Gods'..."*

Skimming through Hekate’s self-congratulatory, twisted thoughts, Elius suppressed a yawn and turned the page.

Then she paused.

This entry was different from the earlier triumphant, narcissistic ramblings—like an ebbing tide finally exposing sharp, jagged rocks on the shore.

Drawing on the Conspiracy Domain’s subtle understanding of human hearts, Hekate wrote uneasily:

*"Looking back on these years, though Longinus expands relentlessly and achieves the impossible, something feels... wrong."*

*"As if behind Longinus’ growth looms another vast, invisible shadow, silently influencing our every move—even fleeting thoughts—driving us toward some unknown end..."*

*"The technique resembles our Conspiracy Domain, yet differs. 'It' seems to affect not just emotions and thoughts, but more—possibility? Probability?"*

*"The Fate Domain?"*

The line was heavily underlined, suggesting the writer had paused here in contemplation.

*"Does the leader know? Or am I just being paranoid? Lately, I’ve frequently experienced palpitations and nightmares—dreams of something invisible devouring me bite by bite, as if my instincts scream danger."*

*"Powerful dreams often carry crucial messages... Fine. Once this unease passes, I’ll raise it in a meeting."*

This was Hekate’s final diary entry.

Here, the diary ended—burying both her vague realization and her unspoken suspicions.

Elius pondered.

Hekate’s palpitations and nightmares were likely omens of approaching death, Fate’s final warning before claiming her life.

Yet, the "shadow influencing everyone" Hekate sensed aligned with Elius’ own suspicions about the plague toxin—both pointing to one possibility:

Behind the leader lurked an even more powerful, concealed will.

And this entity, too, belonged to the Fate Domain—capable of interfering with her observation of specific fate fragments...

Who could it possibly be?

Who else could it be besides the fallen old gods?

Her brow twitched suddenly, Elius abruptly buried her face in her hands, dark laughter reverberated through the office.

No wonder then... When the Original designed the character "Elius," in a flash of inspiration, it borrowed the background of the Fate Black Goat...

It turned out, in the shadows, there truly was an existence closely tied to the old gods that had awakened!

If given enough time, lurking behind Longinus and pulling strings, it might indeed unleash a plague upon the river of fate, dealing significant blows to Yi Fengchu.

Unfortunately, Elius arrived here, discovering beforehand the sinister presence lurking in the shadows—one that might threaten the Original.

Every coincidence surrounding Yi Fengchu was a divine sign.

From the birth of Elius's detailed design to her replacing Hekate's identity and entering Longinus, everything was orchestrated by fate's invisible hand—

Fate was preparing to present the true "banquet" on a platter, presenting it before its master!

Closing the diary, Elius hummed a dark melody, already looking forward to tearing away the enemy's veil and dismantling their plans.

Just then, she felt an unfamiliar force extend toward her, lightly brushing against her mental world.

It was the power of the "Nightmare" domain.

After a moment's hesitation, Elius leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and instantly plunged into the subconscious connected to dreams.

Sure enough, she saw a figure wrapped in yellowed grave wrappings—Shadow of the Mind hovered at the periphery of Elius's consciousness, silently waiting.

Upon seeing Elius, the grave wrappings nodded politely and spoke in a low, hoarse voice:

"The leader asked me to peer into your dreams and mind, to see if you harbor any ill intentions toward Longinus."

"...You just say it outright like that?" Elius paused briefly before asking, "And what did you find?"

Despite Shadow of the Mind's appearance and aura exuding an inhuman, eerie terror, she inexplicably gave Elius a sense of naive sincerity.

She asked bluntly, "So, do you intend to betray us?"

"Of course not," Elius flashed a plastic-perfect smile. "You're all my friends, aren't you?"

"Good."

Shadow of the Mind nodded, then turned and stepped into the vast, labyrinthine dreamscape.

"My inquiry is complete. Since you have no intention of betrayal, I'll go patrol the remaining dreamscapes now."

Elius: "?"

And this is the vaunted Inspection Division?