Chapter 153: The Ultimate Goal
“So this… is what it feels like to glimpse into the hidden truths?”
Xu Zhi was slightly dazed. Even though the terrifying sensation had already faded, she still felt lingering fear in her heart.
[Yes. That’s why you must learn to speak with caution when approaching certain topics that might touch upon hidden truths.]
“Alright then.” The girl sighed, finally understanding why the Narrator was always so cryptic and enigmatic.
Xu Zhi organized the information she had so far in her mind: the supreme being of the [Cup] attribute was already beginning to awaken. It had laid down some form of plan long ago, which led to the mist gathering around Cloud City. That midnight rift was very likely a part of that plan—except it had been destroyed by her.
Moreover, for some reason—possibly due to the plan or due to certain limitations—the Archbishops that had appeared so far were all defective versions.
Whether Xu Zhi killed these defective products or stole their fabricated “Paths,” both actions disrupted the plan.
Which also meant that Xu Zhi had formed an even deeper enmity with It.
“…Tch. If It ever regains full freedom, I’ll be the first one It kills.”
[Exactly. That’s why I said—things have gotten worse.]
[No matter the reason behind these defective Archbishops, they are undoubtedly Its work. And their existence only proves that Its ambition is enormous.]
[Even for that goal, this level of planning is excessive.]
“What goal?” Xu Zhi poked her head forward, curious.
[Shhh.]
“Speak with caution, I know I know. But can’t you at least give me a hint?” Xu Zhi refused to give up.
After a moment of silence, the Narrator offered her a clue.
[For living beings, survival is merely the most basic need.]
“Oh, I get it.”
Once basic survival is secured, beings begin to pursue higher-level needs.
The supreme being of the [Cup] attribute was also pursuing a goal—one that was even harder than resurrection.
But what kind of goal could that possibly be?
Becoming an entity nearly equal to a god was already the peak, wasn’t it?
Given the Narrator’s previous pessimism that made it sound like the world was on the verge of destruction, could it be that the [Cup] attribute supreme being was truly that insane—so bored It found joy in ending the world?
Or perhaps Its higher pursuit required the world’s destruction in order to succeed.
“…That’s just pure villain behavior!”
Xu Zhi took a sip of water with discomfort. Perhaps it was because she’d just acquired [Curse Speech], but she still couldn’t ignore the strange sensation in her throat—constantly wondering if she could somehow swallow down whatever was stuck there.
[Yes, villain behavior. The [Cup] attribute has always been perceived as mad and dangerous by those with common sense.]
[Anyway, when I said things had gotten worse, I meant the grudge between you and It has grown far too deep. You must obtain the power to protect yourself against It as soon as possible. Moreover, the thing It wants to do may be even worse than I initially expected. So, if you want to survive that scenario—you must accelerate your pace.]
“Alright, got it.” Xu Zhi sighed and nodded seriously, then realized she’d been sighing quite a lot today.
She was clearly still so young—she really shouldn’t be sighing like this all the time.
“I’ve decided—after a half-day of rest, I’m heading out to arrest Lust!”
She had originally planned to wait until her body recovered more, but the current situation seemed too urgent. She had no choice but to push herself to move faster.
*
Meanwhile, in the outside world — the Federation.
After the three survivors returned from Cloud City, they were immediately met with relentless rounds of “inquiries.” Of course, these so-called “inquiries” were essentially interrogations, just carried out in a more gentle and humane way.
Even though all three were Transcendental beings—and two of them were quite powerful—in front of the entire Federation, they were still nothing. So, despite their extreme exhaustion, they had to force themselves to stay alert and answer question after question.
After yet another round of “inquiries,” Lin Zizhen’s direct superior—the person in charge of the Capital—approached him, handed him a cup of coffee, and patted him on the shoulder.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Lin Zizhen shook his head but was too tired to even respond.
Seeing this, his superior understood that Lin Zizhen probably wasn’t in the mood for small talk. He took out a document envelope and said, “Technically, your clearance level isn’t high enough to access this. But given your contribution this time, higher-ups made a special exception. Rest up first—then take a look.”
Handing over the envelope, he left, leaving Lin Zizhen alone, frowning at the sealed file in his hands.
He could faintly sense traces of transcendental power emanating from the envelope. Recently, the Federation had developed new security methods—such as carving basic formation arrays onto files. When the file was opened, it would record the opener’s location—or even contain offensive enchantments that would explode if the wrong person tried to access it.
In short, with the rise of transcendental energy, many things had become far more magical. Lin Zizhen was still slowly adapting to this rapidly changing world.
*
On the way home, he had a private car escort him. Thanks to Xu Zhi, his current status had reached unprecedented heights.
Whenever he thought of Xu Zhi, Lin Zizhen would feel a kind of religious fear—like a worshipper before a god. It was a mixture of reverence and awe, without a trace of any wish to become her friend or even get closer. His only thought was to avoid making a single mistake in front of her—don’t say the wrong word, don’t take the wrong action.
Perhaps… it was because the gap between them was just too vast.
To the Federation, she had defeated an enemy they couldn’t deal with—alone. In this era, such power—what difference did it have from that of a divine being?
Sometimes, Lin Zizhen would even have bold thoughts:
Instead of working for the Federation… maybe working for Xu Zhi was actually the better path?
The only problem was, he could tell Xu Zhi didn’t regard him highly. She looked at him like she’d look at a stray cat or dog by the road. Even if he wanted to “switch sides,” she might not even accept him.
But Xu Zhi said she had matters to discuss with the Federation. Maybe… that would be his chance?
Lin Zizhen was undeniably one of the more successful young politicians of his generation. His instincts were sharp. The moment he realized Xu Zhi had gained the strength to stand toe-to-toe with the Federation, he immediately saw that joining her could be the faster path to promotion.
More importantly, if he successfully joined her side… maybe he could even permanently live in Cloud City!
Yes—Lin Zizhen had already realized: though Cloud City seemed to still belong to the Federation, in reality, it was already in the hands of an 18-year-old girl.
Sooner or later, anyone who wanted to enter or leave Cloud City… would have to get her permission.
