Monster - Chapter 92
Chapter 92: Pie's Advice
Lin Sandie returned from the future Little Fool's mental world to the Tower World of Aztec. She was still in the manor's garden, snowflakes drifting down before her eyes. It looked no different from when she had left.
"Well done," Pie's voice sounded in Lin Sandie's ear.
Lin Sandie took a moment to sort through the chaotic thoughts in her mind before asking, "Pie, can you make me jump to any point in time?"
"It depends," Pie gave an answer that left Lin Sandie exasperated yet helpless.
"The Little Fool from the future didn't seem very happy."
"That is the price she must pay."
"Why?"
"The price for surviving."
"I don't understand."
"Then that's your problem." Pie's style was rather arbitrary, which made the entity easy to talk to when friendly, but also cold and impersonal when indifferent.
But Lin Sandie wasn't one to back down so easily. Unfazed by Pie's coldness, she pressed on, "How many people have used the code name 'Lou'?"
"Two."
Lin Sandie hadn't expected Pie to actually answer. Surprised, she raised her gaze to the void, as if Pie were lingering there.
But she saw nothing. Before her was still a vast expanse of white. The snow fell heavier, the sky grew darker, and it must have been afternoon by now.
"The Lou you know is the second one," Pie added.
"Why are you telling me this?" Lin Sandie's non-existent heart pounded. She had a feeling Pie was about to tell her something extraordinary.
"Because the current situation has reached a point where I have no choice but to tell you." Pie's voice remained devoid of emotion, yet the words sent a thrill of alarm through Lin Sandie. She realized that perhaps she was special to Pie in some way.
Pie continued, "You've heard of the first person to use the code name 'Lou.' It was Tree. He's a demigod now."
"He betrayed you?" With the first successor deposed, Lin Sandie's mind naturally concocted a dramatic tale of love and hate between master and disciple. She imagined a once-promising Tree who, after committing some grave error, was personally stripped of his status as successor by Pie, leading him down a path to villainy.
"He didn't want to be my successor. He wanted to be my partner, and from that, he became bedeviled."
"..." So he went mad from unrequited love, Lin Sandie thought, nodding to herself.
"He was originally a divine official, already a demigod, who wielded a portion of my authority. But after becoming bedeviled, he left the Main World and went into hiding. He then traveled to another time period, entered Leviathan, and shaped it into what it is today."
Lin Sandie let her thoughts wander. She didn't ask Pie why the entity hadn't just eliminated Tree from the start; she knew that a fugitive who could manipulate time would be incredibly difficult to hunt down.
"You mentioned the current situation. What is it?" After getting a general idea of Tree's background, Lin Sandie focused on the main point, as this concerned both Lou and herself.
"Lou's prolonged state of being bedeviled has made her lose her necessary vigilance. Tree has already targeted her."
"This is also why I don't want you to take too many memories from Aztec back to Leviathan. Tree monitors everything there and can even perceive people's thoughts with ease."
Lin Sandie fell into thought again at Pie's words. The revelation was rather sudden.
"After Lou killed Yan Ting, I discovered I could no longer contact her or Miu in Leviathan. They are effectively isolated there. Miu should realize this soon, but they probably won't imagine that even a god from the Main World could be cut off."
Taking a deep breath, Lin Sandie asked after a long silence, "Am I to understand that the situation has developed beyond your control? Lou herself said her condition is declining. Are you also unwell?"
"You're very perceptive. That's correct. My power is not what it once was."
"But you must have foreseen this to some extent. Why did you still send Lou to Leviathan?"
"Because it was necessary," Pie replied with a light chuckle, treating the heavy question with casual ease.
Lin Sandie forcibly suppressed her dissatisfaction. Her own ordeal, and what Lou might face next, filled her with intense frustration—a frustration she wanted to unleash on Pie, the being who held their fates in its hands.
But rational as she was, Lin Sandie knew that venting wouldn't solve anything; it would only be undignified.
"To what extent is Lou being monitored by Tree, and what is her current situation?"
"When Lou was in the Main World, she would often call out to me. In the relatively uncontrollable Tower Worlds, she generally wouldn't. But being bedeviled has made her vulnerable. Perhaps she has called for me in a Tower World before."
"And Tree would hear it?"
"Yes. Tree has two very special abilities: 'Backtracking' and 'Trojan Horse.'"
"'Backtracking' refers to tracing a target's past habits. The more familiar Tree is with the target, the more accurate the trace. Tree can become anyone—not just in appearance or speech, but his mimicry of their personality and habits can be indistinguishable from the real thing. He can even deduce plausible developments based on specific scenarios to mislead others. Even a perceptive Sentinel might not notice. For instance, if Lou were to call for me, Tree could appear in my place. He can backtrack all the context necessary for a plausible conversation and express himself in a way that aligns with all my logical patterns. This means Lou might tell him many things she shouldn't."
Lin Sandie was shocked as she listened. The ability seemed impossible to defend against. Could even someone as powerful as Lou be deceived?
What if it happened to her? What if one day, Tree suddenly appeared by her side, pretending to be Lou? And she couldn't tell the difference, treating him as the person she knew...
"'Trojan Horse' is his other ability. Tree can disguise himself, dismantle a target's mental defenses step by step, and then take complete control, even replacing them entirely."
Lin Sandie's mind reeled with questions—how could they possibly deal with such an overpowered enemy? Was Lou in grave danger? Finally, she singled out one question for Pie. "What can I do?"
"Tree's target is me, and he will most likely try to reach me through Lou. You must place yourself in a low-profile position, one where you won't attract attention but can still help her. From now on in Aztec, I will have you undergo extensive mental training. Only when the time is right will I allow you to return to Leviathan with your memories of this place."
"I understand." Powerless to control her own destiny, Lin Sandie agreed to Pie's proposed deal. At least she was certain that, unlike Tree, Pie would not truly harm Lou, its own successor. And she, in turn, would gain abilities related to mental power, allowing her to work toward becoming Lou's Guide.
"Lou's condition is declining. If she were to replace you as the Main God, would her condition improve?"
"It would. But forget the idea of her dealing with Tree after she replaces me as the Main God." Pie cut off Lin Sandie's fanciful notion, which was tantamount to wishing for the entity's swift demise.
"I understand. We will have to face Tree eventually. As you said, it's a necessity. But what I'm truly concerned about is whether Lou's future will always be haunted by these specters from her past."
Pie chuckled again, not deigning to answer Lin Sandie's somewhat presumptuous question.
Lin Sandie waited a moment. When Pie ignored her question, she continued, "From all the information I've gathered, I'm just an assistant you've placed by Lou's side. A pawn, right?"
"That depends on what value you can provide. Just because you think of yourself as a pawn doesn't mean you're qualified to be one."
This time, it was Lin Sandie's turn to laugh. She didn't mind Pie's mockery of her overconfidence in the slightest. Having witnessed even a fraction of Lou's combat prowess, she knew that catching up to her and becoming a valuable pawn would be no simple task.
"I'll work on that. But before this little adventure begins, I have one more question for you." Lin Sandie knew she had no choice, but she still wanted to understand her place in Pie's grand design. She had no desire to finally get together with Lou only to be subjected to some cliché drama where a third party tries to break them up.
"Why me, Pie?"
"Why did you have Little Fool bind with me? Don't tell me it was a coincidence. Thinking back now, in that Aztec forest, at that specific time and place... even if it was a trash heap, even if there were outsiders, it's impossible for a rabbit doll to have just appeared there. You arranged it," Lin Sandie said, many things clicking into place now that she fully understood Pie's ability to manipulate time and space. She pressed on, "Why have I had so many life-threatening accidents this year? Why did Lou show up at that exact moment? Why did she just happen to save me?"
"You chose me to come to Aztec for training, and you chose me to stay by Lou's side. Why?"
"I have told you enough, Lin Sandie."
"..."
"Be patient." After saying this, Pie spoke no more. Lin Sandie didn't ask again; she could feel that the entity was gone.
In a burst of anger, she slammed her hand against a nearby tree trunk. The snow piled on its branches fell at once, passing through the black fog of the void. Lin Sandie struck it again, hard enough to make the fir tree tremble. She could now relate to the feeling of powerless rage Little Fool had directed at her.
In the end, it all came down to the fact that she was still too weak.
After silently throwing a tantrum where no one could see, Lin Sandie calmed down slightly. Then it suddenly dawned on her that she had forgotten to ask Pie: Why did she feel the adolescent Little Fool resembled Lou?
Why was that?
Lin Sandie's heart began to pound wildly at the question, but she could only wait for Pie's next appearance to seek an answer.
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