Chapter 572: Chapter 51: Soul Interrogation_2

“I know this sounds strange, but…”

Gongsun Ce overcame the impulse and continued to be entangled in reality, “I feel like there’s a contradiction between my way of survival and my personal desires.”

Mo Yuankai and Shiyu Lianyi sat beside him, one on each side, patting his shoulder and back.

“We all understand, Ah Ce.” Mo Yuankai said seriously, “You indeed have some issues. Do any of us superpower users not have big issues deep inside?”

“It’s still better than how I was back then.” Shiyu Lianyi consoled.

Gongsun Ce sighed, “So, what should I do now?”

Shiyu Lianyi gave him an unexpected reply.

“I think you need to practice the Divine Communication Skill now.”

“How is that related to practicing the Impermanence Skill?”

“The cultivation of the Impermanence Skill is the process of understanding one’s inner self. Everyone gains a whole new understanding of themselves after Divine Communication,” Shiyu Lianyi pondered, “Based on your situation, Gongsun… If you can adopt the mindset of the Divine Communication Skill, it means you have found a direction to solve the problem to a certain extent.”

Gongsun Ce stared expressionlessly at his close friend, “Your brilliant plan is just encouraging me to practice.”

Shiyu Lianyi responded with a gentle smile.

Gongsun Ce turned his head, “So, big brother, what do you think about Qin Qianbai—”

Mo Yuankai cut him off decisively, “You first figure out whether you like her or not, then we can talk about this.”

·

Since Gongsun Ce could not come up with an answer no matter what, Mr. Shiyu, who was specially invited as a consultant, could only regretfully leave.

Gongsun Ce listlessly drank some milk tea and asked the elder beside him, “By the way, where did Yan Qi go?”

“Mr. Yan had something to attend to and left earlier, instructing you to focus on your training and not to overthink.”

Indeed, it was another swift departure.

But Gongsun Ce didn’t utter any complaints. Yan Qi would not do things without meaning; his departure was probably related to his feud with Mr. Lan. The matters involving their level were not something he could intervene in at the moment.

Gongsun Ce felt he truly needed to become stronger. Whether for his own life or for some greater scheme he vaguely sensed, cultivating the Impermanence Skill seemed to have become very important… Unfortunately, this cultivation method was a difficult practice that couldn’t be rushed but had to be approached slowly.

“That free-spirited fellow.” Gongsun Ce scratched his head, recalling scenes from a dream, feeling inspired.

“By the way, big brother.” He probed indirectly, “I just remembered, right after we came back from the Country… you seemed to talk to yourself occasionally?”

Mo Yuankai glared, “You remember this?”

“I have a good memory.”

“It’s not a big deal. The shock I received back then was somewhat big; I vaguely kept seeing illusions,” Mo Yuankai explained, “Every time I closed my eyes, I felt like I was still in the Country, with Orianna and the others right beside me… as if I was still chatting with everyone.”

Mo Yuankai’s words brought him back to that summer in his dreams. Gongsun Ce dismissed the thought of probing further; understanding the situation all too well, he didn’t want to rip open the wounds deeply embedded in his heart.

“I understand, I understand.” Gongsun Ce quickly changed the topic, “Also, I don’t know if you remember about the Wing of Death incident. I reviewed the past in my dream this time, and I feel there are a lot of suspicions about the Budman matter…”

Mo Yuankai raised his eyebrows, “What a coincidence? John came over a couple of days ago and also talked to me about this.”

“The skeleton left the jail?”

“After being quiet for a while, he changed a lot. We compared the information we had, and I went to check for him again. Although I didn’t get the specific files, I developed a rather far-fetched speculation…”

Mo Yuankai shared his speculation.

After listening, Gongsun Ce said with mixed emotions, “…Then it really is just between those two.”

At that moment, Gongsun Ce remembered the last part of the Clarity Dream. The conversation between Aorus and the Rainbow Winged Lord, the betrayal of Budman by the skeleton… Mr. Lan’s dream did not elaborate on their inner thoughts, but from the standpoint of an observer who knew the causes and consequences, Gongsun Ce could easily infer the reason for Budman’s betrayal.

“Big brother, I have a guess.” Gongsun Ce said, “Budman probably never intended to truly betray the skeleton in the end.”

“Do you mean there is more to it?”

“Don’t ask how I know this; he signed a contract of Impermanence Skill with Aorus.” Gongsun Ce couldn’t think of a better excuse and simply revealed everything, “I guess there was a detailed confidentiality agreement in that contract, but his brain didn’t consider this layer. In the end, their plan failed, and because of the agreement’s power, Budman couldn’t explain the truth to the skeleton and simply chose to defect instead.”

Mo Yuankai opened his mouth in amazement, “Can that even happen? Hey, a gag order isn’t supposed to be unsolvable, how did he manage to go to such an extreme?”

“I have no idea? Don’t you think his choices are always terribly wrong?” Gongsun Ce shrugged, “Some people see every difficulty as a binary choice, as if there’s no other way out without making a choice. If only he’d discuss it with someone…”

“He actually did consult someone. He consulted Aorus.” Mo Yuankai pointed out the key issue.

“Then he deserved it.” Gongsun Ce spread his hands, “Speaking of which, big brother, do you know what a contract of Impermanence Skill is?”

Mo Yuankai indeed knew.

“Orianna mentioned it to me during a casual chat once; this thing is a side job for Calamity Mages because the contract can be considered a deal, trading the curses they’ll receive in the future for the stability promised at present. The power of the contract depends on the maker’s Realm strength; generally… some Divine Communication Realm Calamity Mages can create a contract with the cooperation of Void Phase Mages, and those with stronger effects typically require the assistance of Manifestation Mages.”