Chapter 144: Allen's Choice
Allen glanced at Alice, wanting to say something but ultimately remained silent, setting down his coffee.
*This isn't just about not adding sugar...*
Allen stared at Alice's innocent expression, trying to find any flaw in it.
However, Alice was well-versed in maintaining her composure after doing something mischievous. After a while, Allen had to abandon his plan.
But, after taking a sip of the strangely made coffee, Allen's initial fear dissipated significantly. He calmly asked:
"Ma'am, I want to know, does true mysticism exist in this world?"
"Aren't you here to ask about Will Auceptin?" Alice asked, puzzled.
"I..." Allen hesitated, unsure where to start.
How could he explain? That he suspected the child was the one his wife conceived? Such an outlandish idea, no one would believe it, right?
Unless... unless true mysticism exists in this world.
Sherlock was right; if true mysticism exists, the best place to seek help is the church. But if you want to uncover the truth...
Allen carefully chose his words while looking at Alice.
Alice held her cup, patiently waiting for Allen to speak first.
"I had a dream," Allen finally decided to start with his dream, "In the dream, I climbed a tall, dark spire..."
Alice frowned, put down her cup, and her demeanor became serious.
Alice's change in attitude gave Allen confidence, and he continued:
"At the top of the spire, I saw two giant white snakes, one large and one small. The smaller one seemed a bit worried about me..."
White snakes... the "Mercury Serpent"! But why one large and one small? Is the other one the entity that has been hunting Will Auceptin? Could it be...
Alice recalled a name.
In her memory, a male voice, suspected to be Will Auceptin, had mentioned someone—an angel of fate, "Ouroboros."
The other snake... could it be him, no, could it be Him?
Unconsciously, Alice curled up on the sofa, her fingers tapping the armrest, her brow furrowing.
Indeed, she knew the symbolism of this dream... Allen continued to narrate his dream while deducing:
"I passed between them to a hidden dark corner, where I saw... I saw Vilma, my wife, lying in a pool of blood.
"I saw a girl kneeling beside Vilma, turning to look at me, and she said...
"'See, I told you, that child would bring disaster to you and your family. Why didn't you believe me?'"
Allen mimicked the girl's tone from the dream, causing Alice to fall into deep thought.
No, this... why does it sound like something she would say?
Alice blinked blankly and confirmed, "Do you remember what the girl looked like?"
"Golden hair, blue eyes, looked young, with an innocent smile..." Allen tried to describe the face he saw, but Alice's next action left him frozen.
He watched Alice take off an exceptionally exquisite necklace from her neck. His gaze was drawn to the necklace until Alice placed it on the coffee table, the sound of it hitting the glass snapping him out of his daze.
Instinctively, he looked up, and the girl before him had transformed into the golden-haired girl from his dream.
He saw Alice tilt her head, showing a pure smile, and asked in an innocent tone, "Was it me you saw in your dream?"
Alice gleaned the answer from Allen's rapidly contracting pupils and trembling body. Her brow twitched as she tried to capture more information from Allen's description.
—This is a revelation.
Two coiling giant snakes, one is Ouroboros, the other is Will Auceptin. They confront each other, and she...
The hidden dark corner.
That is the domain of the goddess, belonging to the power of secrecy...
But what does the goddess want from her?
After a moment of contemplation, Alice suddenly chuckled, made the sign of the Crimson Moon on her chest, and sincerely said, "Praise the goddess."
—After all, she already owed so much, a little more wouldn't matter. Might as well praise the goddess first.
Alice shook her head, looked at the confused Allen, and sighed, "Should I say you're lucky or unlucky?"
Allen realized he might hear something significant, but Alice didn't seem inclined to explain proactively. After struggling for a while, he asked:
"You said... that the child would bring disaster to me and my family. What did you mean by that?"
Was it a threat?
Allen didn't dare to ask directly, but Alice shrugged and chuckled, "It was a warning back then, now... it's probably a threat."
Allen's body stiffened.
"So?" Alice blinked, "Who will you choose? Your child, Will Auceptin, or me?"
Before Allen could answer, she seemed to remember something and said:
"Oh right... actually, you have another option. After all, there was another 'Mercury Serpent' in that dream."
"'Mercury Serpent'?" Allen repeated the term in confusion.
"You have to choose one before I can tell you." Alice blinked.
"...Do I even have a choice?" Allen asked, bewildered.
Alice took a sip of orange juice and muttered, "Maybe you have virtues I don't understand? Like risking your life to protect your child or something..."
"No," Allen corrected Alice, "If that child is Will Auceptin, he's not my child. He's just someone who took my child's identity..."
Allen couldn't find a sufficiently aggressive term.
Alice clapped for this perspective she hadn't considered and praised, "So it can be thought of that way!"
Allen hesitated, suddenly doubting if the girl before him and the girl in his dream were the same person.
Alice didn't care about his thoughts, leaned back, and said while sipping orange juice:
"Anyway, since you've made your choice... hmm, it seems a bit too much. How about you ask yourself? Is there anything you want to know?"