Four Split Personalities

Motan immediately asked at high speed, "So in the end, what happened...?"

"Wait a second."

Xia Lian shook her head, interrupting him, and then took out a glittering scroll from her pocket, into which she infused a little magic power.

The next second, several invisible strands of divine power spread out, sealing the entire prayer room tightly within moments, isolating all kinds of breath inside.

Clearly, this was a kind of divine arts scroll with barrier-like properties, one that could block eavesdropping and perception.

"Don’t be nervous, I just wanted to take this opportunity to have you clarify things."

Xia Lian smiled at Motan, who seemed slightly confused, and plopped down into the chair opposite him with a shrug. "Although I don’t know the specifics, judging by your behavior during the past period, it seems like it’s not something suitable for most people to know."

Motan nodded slightly and said in a soft voice, "No problem, I was planning to have Yu Chen find time to talk to you anyway, but before that, can you tell me..."

"What happened in the Small Tribunal?"

Xia Lian raised her eyebrows and gently shook her slender index finger twice. "There’s no problem telling you, but before that, could you explain the connection you have with the creature in that prison cell?"

Motan’s heart skipped a beat. Then, he asked with a bitter expression, "Does that mean, not long ago, that cloud of mist finally appeared in another form?"

"Exactly, and it looks a lot like you."

Cordova, with his arms crossed, leaned against the wall opposite Motan and rubbed his forehead with a troubled expression: "What the hell is going on, buddy?"

Sitting next to Motan, Yu Chen pulled at the former’s sleeve and whispered, "If it’s inconvenient, it’s okay not to say anything. We’re just curious..."

Motan warmed inside and, while making his brain work at high speed, gently shook his head. "There’s nothing I can’t say, but before that, could you first tell me exactly what happened?"

"Heh, that’s fine."

Xia Lian whistled, then gestured to Cordova with a ’please’ motion: "You start then, since you were the one present at the very beginning."

Cordova nodded and said to Motan in a deep voice, "After you guys left, I stayed in front of the cell on the third basement level without moving. Then, at about eleven twenty or so, the black mist in there suddenly reacted. In the blink of an eye, the constantly swirling mist took on a human shape and began violently striking against the divine power seals on the bars, and..."

Motan still remembered when he was ’Mor,’ under the influence of the ’Premonition’ talent, he was the first to open the system panel when he sensed something wrong. The time on it was—Game Time, 11:17:53 AM, almost exactly the same as what Cordova had just mentioned.

For a moment, his heart was filled with mixed feelings, unsure whether to feel relieved or horrified.

A few seconds later, Motan, mustering up his energy, slowly nodded and asked quietly, "And what?"

"And that guy does look very much like you, although the features are a bit blurred. However, the physique and the silhouette are as if they were cast from the same mold as you, even the hairstyle is very similar, though... I can’t be one hundred percent certain."

Cordova rubbed his forehead a bit harder, also a little confused.

"About ninety percent similarity, I’d say."

Xia Lian added from the side, spreading her hands. "When I arrived on the scene, my first reaction was ’how did Hei Fan get locked up in there,’ and Wang Yu felt the same, right?"

Yu Chen hesitated for a moment, then suddenly received a message from Motan, ’It’s okay~ just tell the truth.’ He then slowly nodded, "Mhm."

"I understand..."

Motan managed a weak smile. "Continue."

"His power wasn’t very strong; after all, he couldn’t even break through those not so powerful seals."

Cordova squinted and recalled softly, "And he was frenzied, utterly uncommunicative, as if he held hostility toward everything. I tried speaking to him twice (yo ho, dare to scare your bro Yu/hehehe~), but got no response, and then... I had a sudden idea and made an attempt."

Motan furrowed his brows, "An attempt?"

"Do you remember the Revelation Crystal from back in Misha County that I used on Yu Chen?" Cordova’s face was grave as he spread open his right hand, revealing a small pile of black powder: "When that Revelation Crystal sensed Yu Chen, it exploded into a golden pillar of light on the spot, but this time... it turned pitch-black at first, then the minor tribunal exploded with a black column of light that pierced the sky and earth, alarming many."

Xia Lian nodded gently, "I was one of those disturbed, along with His Holiness..."

"Hold on!" Motan stared dumbfounded at the pile of powder in Cordova’s hand, shocked: "Don’t tell me that’s the mission you mentioned before..."

"Yes, that’s the one Sky Pillar Mountain gave me, to find the two lights and two shadows from the prophecy." Cordova confirmed with a nod, speaking solemnly: "I hadn’t expected to find them so quickly—the two lights are a friend of mine and Yu Chen, and the two shadows are a noble from a country in the Southwestern Continent and... the monster that was locked up on the third level below the minor tribunal."

Motan was utterly bewildered at the moment.

"Alright, Hei Fan, we’ve told you pretty much everything."

Xia Lian tapped the desk lightly, her gaze full of interest as she looked at Motan: "Since His Holiness and I reacted quickly, the monster was captured by our Church of the Dawn, so this matter is still under wraps. Though other sects have attempted to inquire in a short amount of time, we’ve managed to give them the runaround. We’ve publicly claimed it to be a monster that underwent some mutation. We’ve already transferred the creature to the underground of the Great Cathedral in the central district. Although I’m not sure if you should feel relieved about this, aside from me, Cordova, His Holiness, and Wang Yu, no one else has seen what that monster looks like."

"Uhm..."

"So, aren’t you going to say something now?"

Xia Lian’s gaze burned into Motan as she spoke slowly: "Don’t tell me you just happen to bear a striking resemblance to that monster by coincidence. As far as I know, you’ve been particularly concerned about that entity, especially this morning when you specifically inquired about many related matters."

After a silence that wasn’t overly long, Motan nodded gently: "Okay, but before that, I intend to give a simple explanation of the specific situation of ’our kind of people’. Cordova and Yu Chen, please help explain as well."

"Explain what?"

Cordova was utterly confused.

Yu Chen, on the other hand, instantly understood and nodded vigorously: "Okay."

"So..."

Motan cleared his throat and said to Xia Lian solemnly: "To the Innocent Continent, we can be considered as a kind of being from a Different Dimension, possessing two layers of identities—Otherworlders. One of them is the ’Hei Fan’, ’Morning Forgotten Language’, ’Feather Song’, or ’Cordova’ that you know. The other is the Motan, Yu Chen... that you might hear us mention."

In the time that followed, Motan explained the basic nature of the existence of players to Xia Lian, with Yu Chen and an especially bewildered Cordova supplementing quite a bit, and they finally managed to clarify this setting.

"So... it’s like this..."

As someone from a high-magic fantasy world, Xia Lian quickly accepted this setting and muttered thoughtfully: "I see, no wonder I always felt something was off with you, no wonder you can communicate over long distances, no wonder some people’s strengths increase at an inexplicably rapid pace... Goddess, what in the name of all that’s holy is this all about!"

In the end, she let out a hysterical roar.

Motan/Yu Chen/Cordova: "..."

"Cough cough, in any case, I think I understand."

Xia Lian caught her breath after a slight frenzy, then glanced at Motan: "But what does this have to do with that Apocalypse Shadow who looks almost exactly like you?"

"Of course, there’s a connection."

Motan smiled wryly...

"That fellow is one of my ’hidden missions.’"

Chapter 522: The End