"Do whatever you want..." Amon's true body within the crystal ball closed its eyes, looking indifferent, as if accepting whatever fate awaited him.
"He probably left behind a Sequence 2 avatar somewhere outside," the future Fool remarked.
Amon's true body in the crystal ball flinched slightly upon hearing this but said nothing and did not refute the statement.
Because what the future Fool said was true. As a typical trickster, Amon had indeed left an avatar outside. If anything happened to his true body, that avatar would become the new true body and seek the protection of the True Creator—Amon knew the Creator would protect him.
After all, even though Amon refused to admit it, the True Creator was still his father.
And in consideration of Sasrir, Lynn would definitely leave that avatar alive.
"As expected of your style—seemingly fearless but actually full of cowardice." Lynn clicked his tongue, unsurprised. He shook the crystal ball in his hand violently, watching Amon roll around inside it, and smiled. "But don't worry, I'm not that cruel. Just contribute a Uniqueness of the Marauder Pathway and a characteristic of the Worm of Time, and you can continue being a joyful Blasphemer."
"Is that how you treated Bethel?" Amon finally opened his eyes and looked at Lynn.
"Of course not. Bethel willingly offered up his characteristics, but he's ascended now, and strictly speaking, he doesn't need those characteristics anymore." Lynn rubbed his chin, gazing at Amon. "So, Amon, do you know why you lost?"
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have lost at all," Amon's true body said coldly.
"So, you still don't understand, huh? Well, it doesn't matter; you'll get it sooner or later." Lynn said this and then threw the crystal ball to Klein.
Klein hurriedly caught it, hearing Lynn say, "Klein, from today onward, this wild Amon is yours to take care of. In the original fate line, he guided you for a while. Now it's your turn to repay the favor. Good luck!"
Klein's eyelid twitched as he looked down at Amon in the crystal ball, his expression complex.
The future Fool, watching this scene, couldn't help but smile oddly, but his gaze softened. He turned to Lynn and said softly, "Thank you."
"It seems you've recovered your memories related to me," Lynn naturally understood what the future Fool was thanking him for.
"These days, I've been having a long, beautiful dream." The future Fool didn't deny it. His gaze swept around, taking in the scene: Klein, who hadn't suffered many wounds; Roselle, free from corruption; Amon, trapped in the crystal ball; and Backlund, which, during the New Year, was filled with festive joy and clearly hadn't experienced the Great Smog...
The future Fool recalled the content of his recent dreams. In those dreams, Captain Dunn Smith didn't die in the Tingen incident. Ince Zangwill had been killed early. Miss Daly had successfully proposed to the captain, and the Great Smog never descended. He even returned to the modern era and brought his family back.
It was such a wonderful dream, so good that the Fool almost thought it was another one of the Celestial Worthy's tricks. But then, he realized that it was all true—a story from another timeline, another fate that had befallen him.
It was wonderful!
"I sincerely hope this fate comes true soon," the future Fool said, smiling at Lynn. "But I also hope that next time we have dumplings together, I can have a proper meal."
At this moment, the future Fool seemed infinitely close to the Klein Lynn was familiar with.
No, they were the same person, sharing the same soul and personality—only their experiences were different.
But even those differences would be erased when the two timelines fully merged.
It wasn't about one side replacing the other; it was about fusion, about completion.
"This is all your own doing. I was planning to cook proper dumplings." Lynn rolled his eyes in frustration.
The future Fool couldn't help but laugh, but soon after, the light in his eyes dimmed, and he became just an ordinary historical projection.
It wasn't that the future Fool didn't want to stay longer, but his time had reached its limit.
"You have the nerve to laugh? Next time, I'll switch all your dumplings for ginger ones," Lynn glanced at Klein and grumbled.
"That wasn't me laughing…" Klein rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"Of course, you laughed—you're the same person! What's the difference? And don't think I didn't notice—you laughed too," Lynn retorted. But he didn't dwell on it too much and then stretched, saying, "Now that we've captured Amon, let's head to the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Amon can be our guide since he's quite familiar with that place."
"Uh…" Klein looked down at Amon in the crystal ball but couldn't argue.
After all, Amon was indeed very familiar with the Forsaken Land of the Gods, which was essentially like his home.
Although… Klein had doubts about how reliable this plan was.
Could Amon really be trusted as a guide?
…
It turned out that when Amon wasn't up to his usual tricks, he was indeed a reliable guide.
In fact, after realizing that his defeat was inevitable, Amon's true body quickly shifted attitudes, transforming into Klein's considerate teacher. Along the journey, not only did he fulfill his role as a guide, but he also patiently answered Klein's many questions.
Had it not been for Klein's fragmented memories from the future, he might have been fooled into thinking that Amon was truly a good person.
But thanks to the 'Anti-Amon Fraud Handbook' provided by the future Fool, Klein remained vigilant. He stuck to his principles of accepting the knowledge while rejecting the traps. Although he leeched off Amon for countless pieces of information, he never let his guard down on the critical issues.
Let Amon out? No!
Become Amon's blessed one? Absolutely not!
Acknowledge Amon as a teacher? Sorry, he already had a mentor and didn't need another!
Bring Amon to Sefirah Castle? No thanks, he didn't want to die just yet.
So, after a few days of banter with Amon and with the future Fool watching the show, they finally arrived at Silver City.
Chief Colin Iliad, who had long received a divine message from the Fool and had been waiting for the arrival of the envoys, couldn't hide his excitement upon seeing the two divine envoys.
Silver City could finally step into the bright world!
(End of Chapter)