Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1325: Chapter 1323: Discussion of the Conclusion

“I’ve brought them.”

In Fu Qian’s observation room, the Lady of the Holy Hall had already called out toward the ruins of the small chapel.

The response was intense. Several individuals dressed identically to her almost simultaneously lifted their heads, clearly having anticipated this for a long time.

“Pleased to meet you.”

Unperturbed, Fu Qian smiled amiably and greeted them, his gaze sweeping over the structure that was now little more than a foundation.

It couldn’t have been more different from the scenes in his nightmare—far beyond the category of age-induced collapse; it was as though Godzilla had stomped through twice.

It was difficult to resist imagining what might have happened here.

“Which one is Lord Praut?”

That thought, however, didn’t dampen Fu Qian’s eager curiosity. He turned to Amila the next moment and asked.

“…The one seated.”

Though the top members of The Sect remained silent, considering they had summoned him here expressly to converse with Lord Praut, there seemed little need to conceal his identity.

Amila hesitated briefly before quietly offering the answer.

Without a doubt.

Fu Qian turned unhurriedly toward the depths of the chapel.

…

Praut was the only one seated and wearing a long robe.

He wore the same elegant mantle as the others. His tall stature was apparent, his beard thick and well-groomed, yet his complexion betrayed a sickly pallor impossible to disguise.

He was also the only member of the Sanctuary who was not scrutinizing Fu Qian.

His eyes remained tightly shut, and his expression was somewhat contorted. His condition was evidently poor.

Of course, he wasn’t the sole individual seated.

Around the plaza’s perimeter, more than a few figures silently sat in varying postures.

Fu Qian could easily locate Harriet, the man whose neck had been bitten, and several other familiar faces among them.

Sure enough, he wasn’t the only contamination source from the nightmare.

Though he was undoubtedly the one who caused the most trouble.

Fu Qian was convinced that Lord Praut’s current state stemmed from his excessive provocation.

That was probably also why the expressions of the Sanctuary members weren’t friendly.

“Anke… Seventh Apostle…”

The interaction with Amila had clearly caught the attention of those watching. Soon, one of the eldest figures in the Sanctuary finally spoke, his gaze imposingly penetrating.

“May I ask you, what exactly is the Dark Moon that grants you guidance?”

“Are you sure? Didn’t I already explain this previously?”

Regrettably, Fu Qian was clearly unimpressed. He furrowed his brow and responded with a rhetorical question, as though advising them to review their notes.

“Or are you trying to tell me that you weren’t able to hear what I’ve already said here?”

Naturally, Fu Qian referred to his earlier Q&A with the blind elderly woman inside the chapel.

In fact, as he spoke, he scanned all the other participants gathered around, but couldn’t find her among them.

Reginald’s earlier words had proven true—there was no chance of harmonious cooperation between him and The Sect at this point.

Thus, despite answering their summons to engage, Fu Qian had little interest in wasting time on pointless questions.

“I must say, your response doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

The elder who had posed the question didn’t show anger at Fu Qian’s reply; instead, he nodded slightly.

“We did hear you, and you truly don’t value this opportunity to demonstrate sincerity.”

“Feivel, Lord Feivel!”

Clearly, a conversation this antagonistic was unexpected. Amila’s urgency revealed itself as she interjected.

Though events had long spiraled out of her control, in her view, the other party, while perhaps mentally unwell, had shown no signs of aggression and, to some extent, complied with The Sect’s demands.

Thus, as the case’s original handler, she had never abandoned hopes for a peaceful resolution.

“You’ve done well.”

The elder, called Feivel, didn’t mind her interruption. He even nodded appreciatively.

“Not merely just now, but throughout the matter overall. In fact, I believe this may very well be one of the reasons Mr. An Ke considers us still worthy of guidance.”

Amila had no time to play modest; Feivel turned his attention back to Fu Qian and continued.

“I must admit, Mr. An Ke has delivered one surprise after another.”

“Yet you persist in your delusions.”

Fu Qian, however, had no plans to be modest, sighing with a tone of regret in his voice.

Ha.

The Lady of the Holy Hall, who had escorted them, responded with a series of cold chuckles.

“Then what must we do to stop being deluded—convert to the Dark Moon?”

“That’s unnecessary.”

Faced with such obvious sarcasm, Fu Qian answered with dead seriousness.

“He merely dispatches his Envoys to deliver truth; you simply need to wake up.”

…

Ah, the invincibility of madmen—Fu Qian’s seemingly enlightened answer was even more exasperating than a direct rebuttal.

The Lady of the Holy Hall took a deep breath and ultimately abandoned the pursuit of meaningless mockery.

“Understood.”

Feivel’s composure ran deeper, his attitude undisturbed as he even offered an apology.

“Firstly, we must apologize to you. We made some arrangements for testing without your permission.”

“You guessed correctly. That was indeed a nightmare just now. The original town has long been banished by the sands of time.”

“To be honest, the nightmare’s purpose wasn’t directed at you—or at them.”

Feivel gestured toward the individuals scattered around the plaza.

“The mist-shrouded truth inevitably needs to be revealed to the public. Before that, we hoped to gather more knowledge about forsaken subjects, thus constructing this hazardous passage.”

As expected.

Feivel’s words clearly validated several prior speculations, such as Fu Qian’s role here being a last-minute addition.

Effort indeed begets opportunity—fortune favors the diligent.

For a moment, Fu Qian’s every breath seemed infused with motivational slogans.

“Actually, this nightmare isn’t the first in recent days, though it’s certainly the most eventful.”

Feivel motioned slightly toward Praut with his gaze.

“Mr. An Ke has brought us impacts exceeding imagination. Lord Praut invested tremendous energy to keep the nightmare intact and prevent too early a collapse…”

“As it turns out, his efforts proved worthwhile—even if only for that final scene.”

Fixing his gaze on Fu Qian, Feivel finally voiced his query.

“How exactly did you accomplish it?”

“What exactly is it you wish me to say?”

Though Feivel’s demeanor was impeccable, Fu Qian still shook his head and let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

“Did I infiltrate the nightmare under your control, wield a special blessing to conjure illusions of the Dark Moon towering over the Stars Association, and even steal daylight itself?”

“Do you truly not know the answer, or is it impatience to await Lord Praut’s recovery to ask him? Or do you need an advance explanation from me to counteract whatever conclusions Lord Praut might provide later?”

…

Faced with Fu Qian’s questioning, even the unflappable Feivel momentarily froze.

“You already know the scene in the sky was real. You just refuse to believe it.”

Fu Qian showed no intention of letting them off the hook, sighing again as he delved further.

“Why presume I would help you deceive yourselves?”