Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 332: Chapter 332 Fool’s Cage (26)_1
 

So, what is the reason after all!

Within the tower, Fu Qian walked forward, letting his thoughts wander, while Su Gao quietly followed by his side.

If the guess just now is true, then it means this girl has received special treatment here.

There must be a reason for this, and compared to myself, where does Su Gao differ?

If I remember correctly, Mr. Luo from Heaven Country once said that dolls are a special form of existence that naturally attract the attention of high-ranking powers.

My own task at the time also confirmed that Madam Madeline was the legendary perfect doll, and at the end of the task, she even merged and shattered with Su Gao.

It’s not surprising that Su Gao thereby gained some of the doll’s characteristics; this basically marked the beginning of her Transcendent path.

If her subsequent power advancement was influenced by high-ranking beings, then her rapid progress in strength would also be explained.

You should know we’ve only met three times, and each time, her advancement was simply unreasonable.

From this perspective, there is a possibility that some sort of high-ranking power exists in this region, affecting her.

The question then is, why haven’t I felt anything? Bear in mind, I’m also known as the Whiteboard Demigod.

Fu Qian’s understanding of this was that such things might require alignment with one’s specialty.

Although I truly never solidified into a demigod form, my foundation is after all from evolving from a Thug, which leans more towards an escalation of flesh and blood strength.

Given that the basic nature is set, it’s possible not all high-ranking existences would be interested in me, just like a science student can’t choose liberal arts.

“Did you deliberately suppress your strength back in the Old City?”

Thinking of this, Fu Qian casually posed the question to Su Gao.

“It’s not quite suppression…”

Clearly not expecting Fu Qian to ask this, Su Gao paused for a while before honestly answering his question.

Although they were supposedly continuing to pursue their target, after the previous trap, that fleeing brother left no trace again.

This wasn’t surprising, considering the visual impact of being called the Spider-Man of the photographs.

“At that time, I was in a state that’s hard to describe, where power advancement became very easy, yet there was a confusing discomfort.”

“So subconsciously, I somewhat resisted it, constantly suppressing the growth of my power.”

Su Gao recalled with some difficulty.

“But in the Old City… that’s when I realized how naive I was! If it hadn’t been for your help, Mr. Fu, it’s hard to imagine how things might have turned out!”

Resist upgrading?

I haven’t misjudged; this girl indeed has character.

Fu Qian nodded.

“So after the Old City, you let go of the suppression?”

From barely Middle Tier at the start, by the second time I met her, she had almost firmly reached Fourth Phase standards, an upgrade efficiency that could be described as faster than the speed of light.

“Yes, after that incident, I realized that only power could combat evil.”

Su Gao spoke with exceptional seriousness.

“Oh?”

Fu Qian responded reflexively, suddenly stopping in his tracks and reaching out to press against Su Gao’s waist.

…

This odd gesture obviously puzzled Su Gao, but still, she subconsciously offered no resistance.

The next moment, Fu Qian grasped the hilt of her knife and naturally drew it out.

He held the clear, autumn-water-like blade in front of Su Gao so she could see her reflection on it.

“Even if this power comes with a cost?”

“…Yes, even if there is a cost.”

Looking at the reflection of his face on the blade, Fu Qian could hardly find a trace of human skin, and his voice couldn’t help but deepen, but it still remained firm.

“It’s commendable to have courage, but the price may be higher than you imagine.”

Mr. Fu wasn’t surprised by the response and simply made a remark before sheathing the sword again.

Based on Su Gao’s description, he had almost confirmed that her transformation into a puppet was related to the infusion of power.

What Su Gao possessed was something Mr. Luo had longed for in his dreams.

Theoretically, with the traits of the puppet part, she naturally attracted the attention of higher beings, and enhancing her power was as easy as drinking water, but the cost was a certain impact on her mind.

However, from Mr. Luo’s condition at the time, this impact wasn’t so severe that it was intolerable.

But there was a problem. Su Gao’s fusion with the puppet had been forcibly completed with the sap of the Fool’s Tree.

Not to mention the fragility, her mind was also damaged at the time, so her reaction to such impacts was particularly intense.

The last time he encountered her, she was still barely able to maintain her balance.

But after arriving in this special place and coming into close contact with higher beings, her power grew further, and she was on the verge of breaking through to demigod status. This rapid enhancement pulled her already fragile mind thin as paper.

If that wasn’t fatal… the subsequent illusions caused by this impact made her mistakenly believe they were mental interferences from the target, and she decisively activated the Hidden Thread for self-preservation—five times!

What a misfortune-stricken child!

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and Fu Qian couldn’t help shaking his head as he looked at Su Gao.

Under the current circumstances, the easiest way for him to complete the task would be to kill her with a slap.

Another method would be to take Su Gao away from this area and remove the dice, stopping her self-harming behavior.

But whether that would definitely stop the puppet transformation wasn’t certain, and even if it did, living on with her fractured psyche, would only be slightly better than being a living dead.

Was there a better way?

To help her rebuild her souls and spirits?

Although he was a professional consultant, he seemed to specialize only in shattering people’s world views.

Molding a person, this kind of skillful work, had never been his strong suit.

And he probably didn’t have much time left.

From the area covered by white porcelain, it was clear that she was just a step away from becoming a true puppet, her spirit on the verge of collapse, hanging on by a mere thread of determination to complete her mission.

Even her current attempt to climb the Abyss with him might well include the intent of seeking professional guidance.

“Have you ever considered that even if you catch up with the target, you might not be able to defeat it, and your mission might not be completed at all?”

They say to break and then rebuild; Mr. Fu decided to fight poison with poison.

For example, by breaking down this pillar of her spirit first.

…

His question plunged Su Gao into prolonged silence.

Just as Mr. Fu began to wonder if the effect of the medicine was too strong, Su Gao finally spoke up.

“I will give it my all, even if it means risking my life—”

“What if you give it your all and still can’t win?”

Mr. Fu cut her off directly.

…

“This isn’t a fairy tale where the ending is always the demon king being defeated and the prince living happily ever after with the prince.”

“I don’t seem to have heard of such fairy tales… But if in the end, after giving it my all, I still don’t succeed, then I can only blame my own inadequacy—”

“Inadequacy?”

Interrupted x2, Mr. Fu looked stern and serious.

“Is this how you treat the tasks given to you? Are you just finding excuses for failure? Do you live up to the organization’s nurturing of you?”