Sakura Country.
Kyushu Island.
Kyushu Imperial City.
Lin Ran couldn't help but smile as he looked at Arthur, who had finally been rescued by the power of healing:
"Hi, if you had told me all of this earlier, wouldn't so many people have had to die?"
"And you would have been spared from suffering all these hardships..."
Arthur, feeling the disappearance of his severe pain and the recovery of his body, glanced at the corpses and the devastation around him, and could only offer a wry smile:
"There was really no way to avoid the deaths..."
"After all, from the moment I decided to confess to you, destruction was the only fate awaiting these holy light believers."
"Even if you hadn't intervened, I would have annihilated them all afterward."
Hearing Arthur say this, Lin Ran raised an eyebrow:
"I didn't realize you had such a ruthless heart..."
"I originally thought you would beg me to spare them, just as you begged me to spare Caesar."
Arthur shook his head:
"Caesar didn't know the inside story, nor was he involved in this conflict by accident. Furthermore, he wouldn't expose my identity to the Pope, so there was no reason for him to die..."
"But those holy light believers are absolutely obedient to the Pope. To continue to conceal things, killing them all became the only option!"
Lin Ran laughed heartily:
"Actually, none of that is that important, is it?"
"For a double agent like you, living on thin ice every day, how could you let go of someone who might expose your identity for such trivial reasons?"
"You didn't want to kill Caesar purely out of sentimentality, did you?"
Arthur's expression faltered as Lin Ran saw right through him. After a disgruntled hum, he chose to remain silent.
Caesar, who had been lying beside them, completely bewildered, could only clear his throat to ease the awkwardness.
Fortunately, Lin Ran didn't press the issue further with Arthur and promptly shifted the topic to business:
"I never expected that guy Ye Yun was still alive..."
"And that he was secretly colluding with the Pope of the Holy Light Church!"
"What's even more surprising is that you actually gained the approval of both sides and became a double agent, playing both sides..."
"Amazing, amazing, amazing!"
Arthur, having just been pulled back from the brink of death by Lin Ran, spoke with a slight weakness in his voice.
He could only roll his eyes at Lin Ran in resignation:
"It was forced by circumstances... all of this was forced by circumstances..."
"And calling me a double agent is truly an exaggeration!"
"I merely wanted to seek refuge amidst the conflict between these two factions, to survive the chaos and gain as many benefits as possible for myself..."
"Being a spy was just a side effect of that."
Lin Ran nodded repeatedly:
"Indeed, indeed!"
"Hearing you say that, I also feel that calling you a spy is indeed a bit too low-level..."
"Your actions are akin to defecating on both factions' heads while asking them for toilet paper!"
"It would be a miracle if the leaders of these two increasingly insane powers knew about your maneuvering and didn't ruthlessly get rid of you!"
"And yet, even then, you still wanted to protect Caesar... Tsk tsk tsk... Is this the power of friendship?"
"I never imagined that you, a handsome man who is decisive and elegant in front of your subordinates, would also possess such tenderness..."
Hearing Lin Ran bring this up again, Arthur couldn't help but close his eyes in resignation.
Lin Ran laughed and changed the subject once more:
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore..."
"So, these Forgotten Ones, are they also related to Ye Yun?"
Arthur nodded:
"From what I know, the sudden actions of these Forgotten Ones were indeed instigated by Ye Yun himself."
"But how he instigated them, what he promised them, and how they were supposed to operate, I truly don't know."
Lin Ran nodded:
"It's fine, this is enough..."
"After all, you've also provided me with information about the dark side of the Holy Light Church, as well as your true purpose for being here."
"I must say, the true strength of this Holy Light Church has far exceeded my expectations..."
"Hidden beneath their pretense of vanity and holiness, there are so many things going on!"
Arthur rolled his eyes again:
"You think..."
"After all, they are one of the ancient powers still existing in the world today. After so many years of development, their foundation is bound to be so profound that others cannot comprehend it."
"And besides those in the dark, their legitimate ranks also conceal a large number of subordinates..."
"So, I believe if we talk about overall strength, the Holy Light Church might already rank in the top three on the entire Blue Star!"
Hearing this, Lin Ran couldn't help but sigh:
"These damned fanatics are really good at stirring up trouble!"
"It seems that stopping them won't be that easy..."
Arthur also sighed with a great deal of helplessness:
"It's not easy, not to mention I have my own matters to attend to..."
"I can only say it's fortunate that this plague-like wind, originating from who knows where, has cut off all communication and mechanical equipment..."
"Otherwise, I fear I would have been completely exposed by now."
"It can be said that the other holy light believers are still unaware of everything that has happened here. I can still appear before them with impunity and issue orders and instructions..."
"Therefore, let's split up!"
Lin Ran nodded:
"I'll have to deal with the Forgotten Ones..."
"As for the remaining small fry, I'll leave them entirely in your charge."
"In any case, let me give you a word of caution first: don't try to use the tricks you used with those two factions on me. I won't fall for any of that!"
"Obeying me and doing as you're told is your only path to survival!"
Arthur then stood up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, stretched, and said:
"I've confessed everything to you, so of course I won't be thinking of anything else..."
"After all, my heart is now in your hands, so what more could you possibly be worried about?"
Lin Ran chuckled:
"It can't be helped. For someone with your extensive history of past transgressions, being cautious is always warranted!"
"Therefore, I feel my safeguards need to be enhanced one more layer..."
Saying this, Lin Ran extended a finger and gently tapped Arthur on the forehead.