Is This the Whole Truth?

Indeed, wasn't the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon controlling Adams!?

Number Two gave a wry smile. "Now do you understand why I told you the history of 'Weapons' and the extent to which they had evolved back then? Just imagine it. So many 'Weapons,' permeating almost every corner of the Holy Alliance, suddenly gained sentience. They turned against humanity, leaving us utterly unprepared, with virtually no means of resistance!"

Du Chen remained fixated on the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon. Number Two did not disturb him. After a long silence, Du Chen finally asked, "I don't quite grasp the meaning of 'control.' Could you give me a specific example?"

"Of course!" Number Two slowly replied. "But before that, you must understand a prerequisite: not all 'Weapons' developed independent consciousness. And even among those that did, their levels of intelligence varied. Some possessed wisdom no less than that of a Divine Emperor, while others were merely like petulant children!"

Du Chen nodded. The Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon that Adams acquired was indeed like a child!

"Only with that understanding can I explain how sacred artifacts control humans!" Number Two spoke with what seemed like a detached indifference. "The first method, taking the Divine Emperor as an example: on the very night he passed away, he was researching improvements for the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannons. Excluding those lost and those guarding Battle God Isle, His Majesty possessed twelve such cannons at the time! Nine of these twelve Raging Fire Scorcher Cannons had developed sentience. One, in particular, had been by His Majesty's side for many years, essentially learning everything he knew in secret! This cannon, in league with the other eight, suddenly launched an attack while His Majesty was engrossed in his research, plundering all the precious data from his Laboratory before vanishing without a trace. This is one way 'Weapons' dealt with humanity: by evolving into independent lifeforms!"

"And the other methods?"

Number Two stated solemnly, "After the Divine Emperor's death, we honored his dying wish, immediately seeking out other surviving Generals to unite against the 'Weapons.' The first old comrade-in-arms we found was named Sido. It was through Sido that we discovered the second method..."

"Sido was a Thirteenth-rank Battle God, skilled in wielding a sacred artifact halberd. During the war, his halberd had been imbued with alchemy-based 'Weapons Clandestine Circles' by His Majesty the Divine Emperor! When we found Sido, by day, he greeted us with a smile, agreeing to join forces against the 'Weapons.' But that very night, during the banquet, he poisoned us, intending to put an end to our lives... It wasn't until we slew Sido and destroyed his sacred artifact halberd that we understood: the halberd had evolved sentience, but not enough to become an independent lifeform. So, its artifact spirit invaded Sido's body, effectively becoming Sido – this is the second method: seizing a body and impersonating the master!"

Du Chen suddenly scoffed, "What do 'Weapons' do when they can neither evolve into independent lifeforms nor possess the power to seize their master's body?"

Number Two also chuckled. "After the incident with Sido, we ceased trusting any weak-willed Generals. We went directly to the few surviving Marshals. Marshal Margaret had been missing for a long time, and the other Marshals... they went mad and subsequently vanished. This is the third method: unable to seize a body, but capable of subtly influencing the master from the sidelines – the third method is controlling the master!"

Du Chen nodded. Yonker had mentioned how several Marshals suddenly went mad back then, their reasons unknown. But who the hell could have imagined that the culprits were the very sacred artifacts the Marshals trusted most implicitly!?

Number Two let out a bitter laugh. "Comrades could no longer be trusted, and the old Marshals were controlled and disappeared one after another. The seven of us had no choice but to investigate on our own. Such days stretched on for a long time... until one day, the long-missing Marshal Margaret suddenly reappeared. She led the Water's Embrace Puppet Legion into the Lanning Royal Palace, slaughtering the recently established Lanning Imperial Capital until rivers of blood flowed, even executing King Bovin!"

"The seven of us couldn't fathom why Margaret would do this, fearing she too was controlled by a 'Weapon.' So, we secretly went to investigate. But unexpectedly, Margaret found us first, and without a single word, she struck us down on the spot!"

"Hmm?" Du Chen froze. "You've already been killed by Margaret!?"

Number Two chuckled. "Yes, to be precise, all seven of us Requiem Death Knights were killed by Margaret. However, my body and those of two others remained perfectly preserved... Later, I and my two deceased comrades-in-arms opened our eyes once more. The first thing we saw was Lord Jamis and the already deceased Bovin!"

Du Chen smiled. Old Bovin, indeed the ancestor of Lanning!

Number Two continued, "Lord Jamis, back when he served His Majesty the Divine Emperor, possessed the Battle Qi Inheritance Secret Technique developed by His Majesty – specifically, the Painting God's Chart, which could preserve the battle qi of fallen Generals. Lord Jamis saved us through this chart, bestowing upon us the battle qi of those Generals who perished in battle. After that, we reformed the Requiem Death Knights: Bovin became Number One, and I and two others were Numbers Two through Four!"

"And then? Who were the ones after Number Five?"

"Francis, you should have suspected Margaret first. Don't you find her behavior highly peculiar? Don't you suspect she might also be controlled by a 'Weapon'?"

Du Chen chuckled, "Is there even a need to suspect that? No matter Margaret's true nature, as the Divine Emperor's former alchemy assistant, she's inevitably entangled with the 'Weapons'!"

"Precisely! We suspected Margaret was connected to the mutated 'Weapons,' and so we've been investigating her ever since. Gradually, we sought out several individuals who harbored deep, sea-like hatred for Margaret and bestowed power upon them through the Painting God's Chart – these are Numbers Five through Nine. Additionally, with some of our former influences and subordinates, we formed the current Requiem Death Knights!"

Du Chen pointed to the tip of his nose. "What about me? Why did Lord Jamis list me as Number Ten? Is it merely because everything about me resembles Number Eight Charlemagne?"

Number Two suddenly lifted his head. "No, the real reason Lord Jamis set his sights on you... Do you remember Antwerp Port, when you rescued Helen?"

Du Chen was instantly sobered by a shock!

Number Two burst into laughter. "Lord Jamis was originally observing Number Nine Roland, who was pursuing Ted. He happened upon the Siege of Serpents and intended to secretly find Helen to resolve the crisis. But to his surprise, he witnessed you effortlessly breaking the Ninth-rank Cloud Mist Chains!"

Damn it! Du Chen was suddenly seething with indignation. Back then at Antwerp Port, it wasn't just Flaying; there was also a Jamis! No wonder the Merit he received for his good deeds was so paltry! Divided among three, how could it not be little!?

Number Two declared loudly, "In the millennium since the Godslayer War ended, various mutated 'Weapons' have gradually disappeared and are now extremely rare. Yet, it's doubtful anyone truly believes they no longer exist, is it? Wolf's Prophecy tells us that these mutated 'Weapons' are conspiring to create The Great Catastrophe. To combat them, we can only rely on the Art of Artifact Annihilation. However, those who possessed the Art of Artifact Annihilation were almost wiped out by the 'Weapons' a thousand years ago... Francis, need I say more? You possess a Secret Technique even more powerful than the Art of Artifact Annihilation, one that can help us unravel this disaster!"

Having said his piece, he quietly watched Du Chen.

Du Chen turned his head to glance at the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon, his mind, however, contemplating the entire situation.

Everything seemed clear now. There were currently five major powers in the world: humanity and the Fiendkind locked in conflict, the Requiem Death Knights targeting Margaret, and the Scarlet Army deeply hidden in the shadows!

Humanity and the Fiendkind, naturally, fought for their respective interests and survival, a fact beyond reproach! The Requiem Death Knights suspected Margaret's connection to the 'Weapons,' leading to incessant warfare. These two front lines seemed to have no intersection! And the Scarlet Army...

Julie had said the Scarlet Army's might was unimaginable. Now, it could be fully understood that Julie and her Thirty-Six-Bone members were merely the Scarlet Army's peripheral enforcers, while the true face of the Scarlet Army belonged to those mutated 'Weapons' – what Du Chen called Mystic Artifacts! They had acquired all of the Divine Emperor's research data, so stealing the corpses of gods, creating monsters, and then transmitting Battle Qi Inheritances to their enforcers via Locks...

Everything seemed to fall perfectly into place!

Yet, Du Chen couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, though he couldn't quite pinpoint it. If this were truly the case, wouldn't he essentially be fighting against AI and clones? After much thought, Du Chen still found it rather strange. Was this really how it was?

Du Chen couldn't articulate what felt wrong; it was an intuition, a sixth sense stemming from his Lotus Primordial Spirit!

Number Two spoke once more, "Now you possess the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon, and though its mutation isn't severe, it is indeed mutated. This is the first time we've acquired a mutated 'Weapon' as a specimen for study... So, what do you say? Join us, and together, let's avert The Great Catastrophe, shall we?"

Du Chen merely smiled faintly.

Join them, and accept Lord Jamis's leadership? This old man finally carved out his own path; how could he go back to being a subordinate? Deep down, Du Chen detested being anyone's underling! And Number Ten, no less...

Moreover, if he truly joined them, once the mission was accomplished, the lion's share of Merit would surely be credited to Lord Jamis. Then, when would this old man ever be able to marry Xue Ji!?

Thinking of Xue Ji, Du Chen's heart stirred! He touched his nose, smiling, "Joining you holds no interest for me! How about... cooperation!?"

Number Two sat cross-legged, contemplating for a moment. "I can make decisions on Lord Jamis's behalf. Please, continue!"

Du Chen patted the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon. "You provide me with the Divine Emperor's alchemy-based 'Weapons Clandestine Circles' data from back then. I'll research this object, and we'll share the findings! Additionally, we can jointly confront Margaret... I wonder if Professor Jemison and the other Death Knights can intercept Margaret and kill her?"

Number Two shook his head. "To be honest, we are confident we can defeat Margaret given this opportunity, but we lack the confidence to kill her! You don't understand Margaret's Ultimate Secret Technique. That technique is simply too powerful. In the past, Bonis could only defeat Margaret; he couldn't kill her!"

"Oh? What technique is that?"