VIP Chapter 553: “Qishi” Departs (3k)
“Do you think—”
Bright holy light shone on Daisianwei, as if it could dispel the decay on her that was fit for a coffin.
But she seemed to have just awakened from a spring. Not only was her body dripping with water, but clear droplets of spring water fell from her, one by one.
She sat at the table, bathed in the radiant holy light.
The water on her body dried quickly. With each drop that fell, and each shallow water stain that formed, her pale skin, which resembled a “corpse,” regained a touch of warmth.
Especially under such light, a light that “vampires” would normally avoid, Daisianwei seemed to have broken through her divine nature.
The Death Hall, named “Death,” had its final floor brilliantly lit, as if it had reached a fulfilling and blissful “grand finale.”
If only she hadn’t asked that question—
“Is the world we are in right now ‘dying’?”
She threw the question to Li Wei’qi, who stood across the table.
Li Wei’qi’s long, golden hair shone even more brilliantly than Daisianwei’s silver hair under the holy light.
Too bad she wore an eye patch, a look that made her seem forever at odds with “light.”
Li Wei’qi, with her eyes covered, hugged her arms and did not answer immediately. Instead, she silently pushed a letter onto the table.
“Lord Daisianwei, please approve this first, then we can discuss other matters.”
On the smooth table, the seal of the letter was tight, and the two imprinted characters were red and striking.
Leave Slip.
Merely a leave slip, yet the two characters, as red as blood, seemed to hint at a “farewell unto death.”
“Sigh…”
The “divinity” on Daisianwei’s body was peeling away bit by bit. Especially as she reached out to pick up the “leave slip,” a long sigh escaped her, as if a boss trying to retain an excellent employee.
“What if I said I wouldn’t approve it if you don’t answer my question?”
She intentionally revealed a hint of playfulness, tapping the red characters on the leave slip with a finger and sliding the letter towards her chest, coincidentally becoming the tangent of the semicircle formed by her chest against the table.
“Mmm, Lord Daisianwei…”
Li Wei’qi smiled helplessly, with a tone of coaxing a child.
“First, we should define ‘dying’.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Is a person ‘dying’ when, like in the Death Hall now, there’s a chance of revival after death?”
Li Wei’qi smiled, as if planning to give Daisianwei a “playful” answer.
“Or is it clinging to life, gasping for breath but still holding onto a single, eternal breath that can never be exhaled, that is ‘dying’?”
“…”
Daisianwei’s finger twitched slightly, and she fell silent for a moment.
“Or, perhaps, at the very end… like a ‘story’ that is about to reach its ‘ending,’ but the characters on stage continue to appear one after another, and the audience refuses to leave, that is ‘dying’?”
After hearing the last example, which seemed vastly different from the first two, Daisianwei pinched the letter between two fingers.
“Alright then, I accept your leave slip. You may go.”
“Huh?”
Daisianwei’s reaction was too “normal,” showing no signs of difficulty. Especially at this “critical juncture,” the departure of a key member like Li Wei’qi only elicited such a response from Daisianwei.
Li Wei’qi was somewhat disbelieving.
“Thank you for your magnanimity. Don’t you… want to see the reason for my leave on the slip? After all… even I know that leaving at this time is not a good thing.”
The more Daisianwei acted like this, the more “fearful” Li Wei’qi became.
Daisianwei’s temper was difficult to gauge, not just for the newcomer Shuna, but even for Li Wei’qi, who had been here for many years.
She couldn’t tell if Daisianwei was angry or genuinely happy with her words.
“Mmm…”
Daisianwei made a thoughtful sound, propped her chin on her hand, and stared at Li Wei’qi for a long time. Then, she stood up, held the letter, and slowly walked step by step towards Li Wei’qi, who was standing rooted to the spot.
“Listen closely. ‘Qishi’.”
Her tone became a little “serious,” like a “leader” speaking to a “loyal” subordinate of many years—
“You came to my side when the Death Hall was just established. You never left me during the most difficult pioneering days from the zero to the hundredth floor of the Death Hall…”
She summarized.
“From the hundredth to the two-hundredth floor, when various powerful individuals were most needed, you helped me a great deal.”
She smiled as she walked up to Li Wei’qi. Being slightly shorter than Li Wei’qi, she raised her head.
“Mmm, so…”
In this atmosphere, if she were a true “leader,” she would say something like “You are my most trusted subordinate,” “You are my most trusted partner,” “Therefore, I trust whatever you do”…
But…
She was Daisianwei.
In an instant, her voice no longer came from the front but from behind Li Wei’qi’s ear.
As if teleporting, she took a step and hovered in mid-air, her hand reaching towards Li Wei’qi’s ear.
Then, she spoke slowly—
“So, I actually discovered it from the beginning. You have been secretly… controlling the emperors of other dungeons and opposing me… haven’t you?”
“…”
Li Wei’qi took a deep breath, but did not show too much “surprise.”
“You discovered it from the beginning? Then why did you let me…”
“You seem to have misunderstood something. Because of Shuna, because of the matter with little ‘Pourxin,’ you thought I would be extremely cruel to traitors?”
Daisianwei’s feet gently touched the ground, and she raised her head.
“No. I have always considered you a part of our mutually beneficial cooperation. I was curious about what you were bringing, like this…”
Daisianwei casually took a green stone from a nearby servant.
A stone with an unusually strange light.
For a long time, it could grant certain monsters in the dungeon “amplification,” making them suddenly very strong, resisting the “peaceful adventurer alliance” that Daisianwei and the Adventurer’s Guild were trying to create.
It caused their plan to build an organization that explored dungeons more quickly and efficiently to be repeatedly delayed.
Daisianwei had asked Carver, but he had no idea about the origin of this item.
“And, this…”
Daisianwei pointed to herself.
—As Carver had once said, on his “vertical axis,” the emperor of the previous “Death Hall” was not a child like Daisianwei.
“Alright. Perhaps I was mistaken. If you were truly Daisianwei, you would likely care very much, but… you are still mixed with a considerable amount of…”
Her “eyes” beneath the bandage seemed to be looking at Daisianwei.
“A component of that Goddess, Reviers.”
Daisianwei stood there, blending perfectly with the “shadow” of the strange idol behind her.
Beneath the shadow of the idol, fabricated from the melting identities of countless Reviers, Daisianwei seemed to have “crawled” out of the shadow.
She looked and sounded different from the imagined “Reviers,” yet she could never be separated from Reviers.
“You guessed right. Reviers does not let go of ‘more possibilities’ that appear under her rule. That’s why I kept you.”
“Then now, you’re letting go… You know what I want to do, so why are you letting me leave?”
“Because it’s just an uninteresting ‘possibility,’ its end can be seen at a glance, and it has not brought about fundamental change…”
Daisianwei’s hand clenched fiercely, crushing the Green Ghost Stone in her hand.
“Such a boring thing.”
This was not a harmless “shattering” caused by some magic, but a crude “physical” breakage.
Therefore, her palm was pierced by the stone.
Black, viscous, and not fresh blood flowed from her palm.
“Moreover, I don’t care. Because for you to complete that plan, it requires me to lose. But… I don’t think I will.”
Daisianwei was exceptionally confident.
Li Wei’qi remained silent.
“Now, you can leave—through here. This is where Carver often came. If you want to realize your ideas, feel free to do so.”
Finally, Daisianwei broke the silence. She extended her hand towards another exit on the final floor, with an expression of “Please leave.”
Li Wei’qi no longer dwelled on Daisianwei’s “strange” and unpredictable personality.
She turned around.
“Then… I must still thank you for your favor over the years. For allowing me to ‘die’ and live in the most dangerous place under the gaze of the gods for so many years.”
“However, before you leave, there is indeed something I have that you won’t see after you leave. Your… eyes.”
Upon hearing Li Wei’qi’s last words, Daisianwei seemed to recall something and suddenly spoke.
As casually as humming a song one thought of on the street.
“Mmm?”
“You are not blind; you can see everything. Then, there’s only one reason to cover your eyes with a bandage—you don’t want others to see your eyes. So, what’s underneath?”
“Ahaha… this question…”
Li Wei’qi smiled. Since she was permitted to leave, she felt more equal to Daisianwei now.
“I need to exchange it for three questions.”
“Agreed. Ask.”
“Three questions addressed to Reviers, not you.”
“…Agreed.”
Daisianwei hesitated slightly, but her answer was decisive.
“First, how does She view everything in this world? Gods are always indifferent and emotionless, with no thoughts about the world, no ‘personas’…”
“Fully sensory and emotional towards this world, encompassing all thoughts of this world, containing all personas of this world—answer complete.”
“…”
Seeming to have received a different answer, Li Wei’qi was silent for a moment.
“Second, does She believe this world is already ‘dead’?”
“No.”
“Third, does She wish for this world to continue to ‘clinging to life’?”
“No.”
“…Alright.”
After receiving her answers, Li Wei’qi removed her eye patch.
“…?!”
Daisianwei, or rather Reviers, showed an expression of wide-eyed surprise.
Immediately after, her hearty laughter filled the entire final floor of the Death Hall.
“Hahahaha… So, so that’s what your eyes look like.”
Her laughter became the background as Daisianwei continued, “No wonder… no wonder you carried that stone, no wonder you pursued the deepest part, and no wonder you are like this…”
She was laughing heartily. At least now, Li Wei’qi confirmed, she was truly happy.
“A very interesting thing, something with great ‘possibility,’ I can allow you one more question.”
As Li Wei’qi silently rewrapped her bandage, she asked the final question, which Daisianwei had tacitly permitted.
“What then, is the final question…”
She raised her head and took a deep breath.
“How do I become Her?”
“Unsolvable.”
Daisianwei answered, then silently watched Li Wei’qi’s retreating back disappear behind the door.
