In the Fifth Epoch, Cattleya was "pushing the accelerator to the floor," eager to send the two guests to the route of the mermaids that very night. Meanwhile, in the Second Epoch, Lynn had finally fully digested the Sage potion. He had also prepared the ritual for his promotion to Knowledge Emperor and was ready to officially consume the potion and advance to Sequence 1.
In the grand hall, Lynn raised the potion in his hand. Its main color was pale gold, appearing as if it held countless secrets and knowledge within. With a slight frown of distaste, he muttered, "It looks like it would be hard to swallow. Why can't the potions for the Mystery Pryer pathway taste as good as the ones from the Spectator pathway?"
He suddenly remembered a mention in the original text that the potions for the Spectator pathway were supposedly not bad.
"So, the Spectator pathway is really unfair. It's already versatile and powerful, but even the potions taste good! I guess it's time to nerf them!" Lynn muttered in a low voice, making a joke only he would understand.
"Are you some kind of princess who feels a pea under her mattress? Dragging your feet even when it comes to drinking a potion? Want me to get you some candy?" Medici, who was lazily leaning against the wall in a corner of the hall, looked up at his finicky brother, teasing him with a smirk.
As for the "princess" remark, that was from a fairy tale Lynn used to tell the young Medici.
"If you need candy, I actually have some." Standing silently in another corner, Sasrir spoke up, even going so far as to dig into his pocket and pull out a variety of flavored candies.
"Hahaha!" Medici couldn't help but laugh out loud at this, "So, Lynn, you're really a three-year-old baby, huh? Want me to sing you a lullaby too?"
Lynn smiled and glanced at him, devoid of any killing intent, but his gaze clearly conveyed the message, "I'll deal with you later."
After warning his troublesome little brother, Lynn turned to Sasrir, accepting the candy without any hesitation. He didn't eat it right away but asked curiously, "Why do you carry candy with you, Sasrir?"
"He's been busy settling the people we rescued from the dragons and giants. I imagine the candy is to comfort the children…" Medici, still lounging, clearly had a good grasp of many details.
Lynn suddenly understood. He glanced at Sasrir's increasingly dark eye circles, then said, "I know you're busy with important matters, but take care of yourself. It's not worth pushing your body too far."
"It's fine, this level of fatigue is nothing to me." Sasrir shook his head, showing a gentle smile. "Besides, I believe everything will soon come to an end. Peace isn't too far away."
They were about to launch an operation against the Giant King right after Lynn's promotion.
And once the Giant King fell, dealing with the dragons would be much simpler.
Victory was within their grasp.
"Isn't it possible that the end of the war might just mean more work for you?" Lynn didn't refute Sasrir's words about the impending peace, but instead, he raised an eyebrow and presented another possibility.
He also believed that the Ancient Sun God faction's victory was only a matter of time. But the key issue was that even if they won, Sasrir would still be stuck in his role—managing the expanding divine kingdom wouldn't stop.
After all, besides Sasrir, there wasn't really anyone else who could shoulder the burden of running the vast divine kingdom. Even though many capable individuals had been cultivated, there would still be a significant shortage of talent as their territories expanded after the war.
While the gaps would eventually be filled, until then, Sasrir was bound to be overworked!
Sasrir's smile froze momentarily, clearly realizing this as well. He exhaled and said, "When that time comes, I might consider taking a long vacation and having the Lord cover for me for a while."
Lynn's eyes lit up immediately, looking at Sasrir as if to say, "You've finally figured it out."
Then he burst out laughing, his smile bright and hopeful, showing off a perfect set of eight white teeth. "Don't worry. When that day comes, I'll personally help you push the Sun God into the office chair."
Medici had been silently watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but shake his head. He'd realized that this once reliable servant of the Lord, Sasrir, had been thoroughly corrupted by Lynn. There was no saving him now. The Lord probably wouldn't even want him back.
Of course, the same applied to Medici himself.
Unconcerned with what his little brother was thinking, Lynn felt relieved to see Sasrir's change in attitude. Then, he finally remembered the task at hand. He glanced back at the golden potion, took a deep breath, and downed it.
Medici had been lazily reclining, immediately stood up straight, his eyes sharpening with seriousness.
Sasrir, too, focused intently on Lynn.
The reason they were present at Lynn's promotion to Knowledge Emperor wasn't merely to watch; they were also there to prevent any accidents. If something went wrong, they were responsible for rescuing Lynn to avoid irreversible consequences.
Their caution was understandable. In a world where madness and distortion governed the underlying rules, the risks of advancing from Sequence 2 to Sequence 1 were immense. Even though Lynn had theoretically perfectly digested the Sage potion and had prepared the promotion ritual to the Knowledge Emperor beyond expectations, the risk of losing control still loomed.
Fortunately, Lynn was no ordinary Beyonder. For someone who had already mastered Sequence 0 abilities before advancing to Sequence 1, the challenge of going from Sage to Knowledge Emperor was hardly an obstacle.
Soon enough, Lynn opened his eyes, having flawlessly absorbed the Characteristics of the Knowledge Emperor. His body, which had been in an information state, reformed into a human shape. He blinked a few times, then thoughtfully said.
"Huh, why did my Knowledge Emperor potion melt in my mouth?"
Yes, despite just advancing to Knowledge Emperor, Lynn noticed that his potion had completely dissolved upon contact with his tongue. In theory, given his current state, as long as he completed the Sequence 0 ritual, he could immediately drink the potion and ascend to godhood.
'But why did it happen like this? Although the Eye of Secrets had indeed influenced many things, almost ruling the divine kingdom's educational sector and making me a well-known authority over knowledge… hmm, when you think about it, it wasn't that surprising after all?'
Lynn thought of Klein from the original story and how his potion for the Seer pathway had also dissolved instantly. Suddenly, Lynn felt that his potion's behavior was perfectly normal.
'Maybe it wasn't entirely the Eye of Secrets. It could also be related to all the knowledge I've mastered, or even…' Lynn pondered the nature of his True Self. While the Mystery Pryer pathway might not be directly connected to his true self, unlike the relationships between Lord of Mysteries and God Almighty pathways, there was no denying that his true self had control over knowledge.
Even as a mere avatar of his True Self, it made sense that he would share certain characteristics of knowledge.
(End of Chapter)
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