Chapter 1270: Chapter 1018: Unmasking the True Identity
Ruosha extended her hands and let two cores of Star Devourers fall into her palms, stroking them gently as if they were kittens, saying, "I don’t really have a deep understanding of Kela particles, just like we all know water can turn into steam or ice. But Brother Long knows that if you separate the tiny single water molecules into two types of gases, and when mixed together they can explode back into water. What I mean is, Kela particles might also have their unique properties, perhaps letting the cores of Star Devourers distinguish between foe and friend."
Isrile nodded and said, "I don’t have your kind of Kela particles, but luckily, my powers of observation are pretty good. I noticed something, those so-called ageless and immortal First-generation Apostles aren’t actually as old as they boast."
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Ruosha asked.
"Because I saw a tattoo on the neck of the Sixth Apostle, and that tattoo design only appeared ten years ago," Isrile said.
"Ah?"
"Yes, the tattoo artist who designed that pattern is on my ship; he was once a pirate, but now he’s with me," Isrile said.
"In other words, those so-called First-generation Apostles are fake!" Ruosha exclaimed.
"It’s hard to say for sure, but I feel that this place is full of lies and deceit. Especially when we offered to help him solve his problem, did you see the look on the Sixth Apostle’s face? He wasn’t surprised or distrustful, but nervous!" Isrile said.
"This means they don’t actually want the Star Devourers to fully awaken at all!" Ruosha stated.
"Or perhaps, the so-called complete awakening of the Star Devourers is also fake, the Star Devourers have always been awake, but..."
"They’ve been trapped!"
Ruosha’s eyes widened, she immediately recalled the message that the Star Devourers had sent them. At that time, neither Isrile nor Ruosha had any idea what being ’trapped’ really meant, but now everything seemed to be coming together.
"If things are truly as we suspect, then maybe even the greatest fears of the Balance Church about the Star Devourers might find their answers here," Isrile said.
"And what worries me the most is, if things really are this way, our mission this time might also be coming to an end," Ruosha said.
"Exactly, if we’ve really hit his nerve, he might retaliate. And if we’re not lucky, a big battle is inevitable," Isrile said.
"What would my man do?" Ruosha suddenly asked.
"Your man? Long Yi? Him? He’d definitely charge in and knock everyone out with two punches, then say something cool before striding off," Isrile said.
"No, if it were him, he’d definitely find a way to turn the current passive situation around, he would..."
"Strike first!"
Isrile and Ruosha said in unison.
Even though the Apostle was curious about the details of this matter, his request to meet with the First-generation Apostles was rejected without any reason given. This unusual behavior made the Apostle very curious. Had the two young girls really angered them that much? However, the Apostle didn’t pay too much attention to their rejection, as in his view, the First-generation Apostles were very tolerant; perhaps they were just momentarily upset by the children’s defiance, and all would be well in a few days. So, he did not continue to apply and went off to take care of other things.
All the Apostles knew that Isrile and Ruosha had been summoned by the First-generation Apostles, even those who had suspicions and discontent towards the two women were filled with envy. But when they returned, something seemed off, as they hadn’t said anything. Zuo La secretly approached Zemir to inquire, and Zemir told Zuo La that the two came back fuming, and occasionally they would mutter things like, ’selfish bastards’ and ’not really wanting to awaken the Star Devourers’.
With just that information, Zuo La could more or less understand that these two young girls must have taken their hot tempers to the First-generation Apostles. As for the conflict that had erupted between them, he didn’t know the details but figured anger on both sides was inevitable.
This was getting interesting.
Zuo La decided to personally visit these two naive young girls to clarify crucial matters. In the presence of the supremely high First-generation Apostles, they must bow their heads.
However, when he had prepared a bellyful of reasons and arrived in front of the residence of the two young girls, he discovered that they were no longer there. Moreover, Zemir was tied up in knots at the door.
Zuo La hurried over to untie Zemir, "Who did this! Who plans to harm them?" Zuo La’s anger flared up.
However, Zemir just gave a bitter smile and said, "It was Lily and Sasa. They tied me up here and then went to the core research institute with banners and slogans."
"Banners? Slogans? What is that?" Zuo La was utterly confused.
"You’ll understand once you take a look. I find it really hard to describe. Essentially, it seems we’re staging a revolt?" Zemir said.
A revolt? What kind of revolt? Against whom? The First-generation Apostle?
Zuo La just casually speculated, and already felt overwhelmed. He hurried to the core research institute, entered the laboratory, and found all the researchers had stopped working. Instead, they were gathered around a high platform where Isrile and Ruosha stood, with two cores of the Star Devourers suspended mid-air, a few meters in diameter. Between the two cores of the Star Devourers, a rope was stretched, hanging banners from it.
"Expose the True Face of the First-generation Apostle!"
"Our faith is strong, we all must become Apostles!"
"We want to awaken the Star Devourers!"
"Free Lord Star Devourer, never let Lord Star Devourer be imprisoned by the First-generation Apostle!"
"The First-generation Apostle only cares for being Emperor, he has no real intention to awaken the Star Devourers!"
Just by looking at those banners, Zuo La started to feel his scalp tingle.
Then, he heard Isrile’s voice, amplified by magic, coming from the front.
"Comrades! We are all from various planes, united by a common belief! We are here to contribute our strength towards awakening Lord Star Devourer! Even if it costs us our lives, it is worth it! However, here we tirelessly research yet the First-generation Apostle does not esteem our findings at all!"
Zuo La reached the back of the crowd, at this moment everyone’s attention was drawn to Isrile, and nobody noticed Zuo La’s arrival.
"You must have heard that my sister and I were summoned by the First-generation Apostle to go deep within the planet to meet them," Isrile continued, the researchers below instantly nodded, as such news was too sensational not to have heard.
"But what did we discuss? I’ll tell you—nothing worthwhile! They didn’t ask us any questions, showed us no majestic presence of Lord Star Devourer, but simply played a petty trick!" Saying this, Isrile cast a spell, which exactly recreated that moment’s scene. This was where Isrile was cunning, she had recorded that entire scene using magic, and it was stored in her eyes, unknown to outsiders.
Leaves shattered, then the air fell to the ground as everyone watched quietly.
"Kela Particles, have you heard of them? Yes, you all certainly have. They prove the First-generation Apostle’s power, a gift from Lord Star Devourer to them, but we possess them too! Because we are Apostles personally chosen by the core of Star Devourer! But you would never guess what happens next!"
By this time, everyone’s attention was completely captivated. Although they were core researchers, almost none of them had ever seen a First-generation Apostle. Everyone was keen on understanding what exactly that place was like, and leveraging this curiosity, Isrile successfully played out the entire imagery.
"Sixth Apostle! Remember my words! I will definitely awaken the Star Devourer to show you!" Ruosha shouted loudly in the image.
Then, the image vanished.
"Did you all see that? Such a conceited bunch, they even dismissed me without any interest in how I planned to solve the problem! Look at his nervous face!"
The image reappeared, then zoomed in on the face of the Sixth Apostle.
"When they heard we could solve the problem, the reaction of the First-generation Apostle, purportedly keen to awaken the Star Devourer, wasn’t ecstasy or excitement, nor was it doubt about my capabilities, but nervousness? Why are you nervous as a First-generation Apostle? Do you have some unspeakable secret? Or have you, as First-generation Apostles, enjoyed life as an Emperor for too long, and you never really intend to awaken the great Lord Star Devourer?"
As soon as these words left her mouth, Zuo La knew trouble was brewing. Although these researchers had been brainwashed, to prevent accidents, their indoctrination was only concerning their faith. These researchers intensely believed in the Star Devourer, willing to sacrifice their lives to awaken it. But if they believed someone was preventing the awakening of the Star Devourer, their faith would certainly waver—after all, it wasn’t the First-generation Apostle they revered.
Indeed, the crowd instantly became tumultuous. Some believed her right away, while others thought the First-generation Apostle merely distrusted the two naive girls.
A heated debate erupted among them.
"Perhaps you can disbelieve my words, but I ask you to consider—why has progress been so slow while we have been researching here for centuries? The things we’re tasked to research are all assigned by the First-generation Apostle, but have you pondered the outcomes of these efforts? Can your research truly awaken Lord Star Devourer?"
These questions were spot-on, relying on loyalty to the Star Devourer, these researchers had been diligently working, but they hadn’t really considered such specific issues. Any research has to have results, but where are the results? Only the First-generation Apostles know, yet they don’t.
"I am just asking one question, what if what we’ve been researching for so many years is wrong?" Ruosha timidly asked.
Suddenly, the entire place exploded into chaos.
(To be continued. If you enjoy this piece, I invite you to vote and support on qidian.com. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com. Your support fuels my motivation.)
