Chapter 107: The Omniscient One
After selectively sharing information about the archbishop and the ritual formation, Xu Zhi traded three hundred high-grade attribute cores and some black fruit with the Federation. She also agreed to share any future experimental results related to the fruit. With that settled, she set off to meet the so-called Omniscient One.
Xu Zhi figured the questions they asked today weren’t the original ones intended—or at least only part of them. The unexpected appearance of the archbishop likely pushed some of the planned inquiries aside. After all, the Federation probably didn’t have enough high-tier cores in stock to pay for everything all at once.
Still, she had already gained quite a bit today.
Even the most generous fleece only had so much wool.
Even though she was getting high-grade cores, the number of [Cup] attribute cores far exceeded the others. Not surprising.
For Xu Zhi right now, that was a good thing.
Though the Federation was definitely puzzled about why she wanted so many [Cup] attribute cores, they likely guessed she wouldn’t be willing to answer that—at least not cheaply. So they didn’t ask, at least for now.
Soon, the car returned to the Capital Special Investigation HQ. Lin Zizhen led Xu Zhi into the meeting room for important guests. Thanks to his “handover” role, he was permitted to join this meeting.
Normally, someone of his rank wouldn’t even be allowed to listen in.
Though he hadn’t met the Omniscient One in person before, he certainly knew of her.
She was a woman nearing fifty, previously a professor in the archaeology department at the Capital University before the upheaval. Born into a scholarly family of teachers, her household was well-known for its upright values and intellectual tradition. In many ways, she was the epitome of what it meant to be a learned person.
Many believed it was only natural that she awakened the [Lamp] attribute and became an Omniscient One.
There was no attribute that could suit her better.
When Lin Zizhen entered the room and finally saw her in person, just making eye contact gave him a strange sense of warmth, as if he were meeting a beloved elder. Her gentle expression seemed to say she already knew him, which greatly eased his nerves.
The Omniscient One had a peaceful, even kindly presence. Even Xu Zhi, at first glance, instinctively felt this woman seemed easy to get along with.
In some ways, she reminded Xu Zhi of Zhong Lingfan—though less stern and more benevolent.
Either way, she gave off that immediate impression of someone who couldn’t possibly be a bad person.
It made her realize how outwardly expressive the [Lamp] attribute really was.
Truthfully, Xu Zhi wasn’t thrilled about this meeting. Even though she had negotiated a hundred attribute cores for it, an inexplicable irritability had been nagging at her the entire time. Seeing the Omniscient One did ease that a little.
“Please, have a seat,” the Omniscient One said with a smile, gesturing to the chair beside her.
Xu Zhi nodded politely and sat down.
“Did you want to ask me something?” Xu Zhi asked. Considering their age difference, she figured she should be polite.
The Omniscient One smiled and shook her head. “I don’t have any particular questions. I simply wanted to meet you.”
“Well, now you have,” Xu Zhi replied.
Under normal circumstances, Xu Zhi would have immediately seen through a line like that—it was obviously a lie—and she would have been curious. But right now, she just didn’t care.
“Yes, I can see that you’re troubled,” the Omniscient One said, her eyes full of concern, like an elder looking at a distressed child.
Xu Zhi nodded honestly. “Yes. So, do you have any solutions?”
The Omniscient One looked slightly surprised at the straightforward question, then smiled. “I didn’t think you’d ask me that.”
Based on surveillance recordings, the Omniscient One had assumed Xu Zhi to be cautious, guarded, and fond of controlling the pace of interactions. She expected Xu Zhi to deflect the question, not lean into it.
But then again, Xu Zhi did sometimes show unexpected behavior.
Of course Xu Zhi knew something was off. But she couldn’t fix it.
She was in a strange state—she knew she was being affected by something, likely the scarlet staircase from the ritual, yet she didn’t feel uncomfortable. Everything she felt, no matter how strange or wrong, felt normal.
In other words, her emotions and perceptions seemed exactly as they “should” be, even if she knew rationally that they weren’t.
She could understand that her lack of interest and irritability were unusual—but it also seemed totally natural. And she couldn’t suppress these feelings, no matter how hard she tried.
Is it even possible to force yourself to feel excited about something boring?
Sure, she could fake enthusiasm—pretend to be invested and smile through it. But deep down, the boredom and irritability would remain unchanged.
Xu Zhi didn’t care for faking positivity. So when the Omniscient One accurately said she seemed troubled, her only real reaction was, Huh, she actually noticed. Impressive.
It felt like all her positive emotions had faded. Only the negative ones remained vivid.
If she wanted to feel “alive” again, she probably needed to trigger her anger—maybe through rage or fury.
Xu Zhi lowered her gaze slightly. This is bad, she thought.
“So, do you have a way to fix this?” she asked again.
But she didn’t expect an answer. Even the narrator had been stumped, offering only the city center as a lead. She doubted anyone from the Federation had a better solution.
Sure enough, the Omniscient One shook her head.
“Through this body, I can’t see much.”
Xu Zhi nodded listlessly, as if to say, Of course.
She figured even if she met this woman in person, it wouldn’t help. There was no fix.
Glancing at the time, Xu Zhi said, “Well, if that’s all, I’ll be going.”
The Omniscient One smiled and nodded.
That only confirmed for Xu Zhi that the woman had gotten whatever she came for from this brief exchange.
And Xu Zhi did need to leave.
As Xu Zhi’s body dissolved into ash and vanished, a figure stepped out from a side chamber. He looked at the Omniscient One and asked, “How is it?”
The Omniscient One’s previously gentle expression grew solemn.
She shook her head. “Not good.”
“Her soul is far stronger than mine. I can’t see much. But the aura of [Cup] has already attached itself to her soul.”
“She’s being corrupted.”
