Chapter 118

Chapter 118

The Prophet looked up at Kerry in disbelief, and Kerry met his gaze with a self-righteous expression.

"I'm not yours anymore," the cat meowed, as if Kerry's face spoke the answer. "I have a new home now."

Lane nearly lost his composure, but he could tell that Kerry actually knew the Prophet.

Noticing Lane's gaze, Kerry reluctantly explained, "Before I joined the Audit Bureau, I was part of another organization – the Prophet's 'Order of Omniscience.'"

With that, he removed the flesh-colored glove from his right hand, revealing an identical familiar black tattoo on his wrist - the image of an open book.

Lane glanced at the tattoo on the Prophet's paw, and the cat gave him an ingratiating smile.

"So you were a spy from the Order of Omniscience planted in the Audit Bureau?"

Kerry wore a look of astonishment. "What? No, of course not! I'm completely unsuitable for being a spy! I left the Order of Omniscience because it no longer had anything to offer me."

Lan looked at the Prophet, who explained with self-awareness, "The Order of Omniscience is my organization, primarily focused on collecting knowledge and various books throughout the ages to prevent their loss. Its members are all bibliophiles."

Kerry interjected, "In simpler terms, they're bookworms, well-versed ones at that. They have plenty of books but are quite poor, unable to provide me with a laboratory or equipment for research. That's why I joined the Bureau of Investigation."

Lan gave the Prophet another glance, who wore an innocent expression.

"The Order of Omniscience is a free organization; it doesn't prohibit membership from other groups nor hinder members from leaving."

Naturally, Lan didn't believe that a monster who had lived for thousands of years would lack wealth. He felt that the Prophet had ulterior motives. Sensing that Lane's already thin trust in him was dwindling, Kerry immediately revealed a secret: "The Prophet's true form isn't this man before you. Look closely, his true form should be a book."

Prophet: "? Kerry?"

A thought struck Lan, and the vines binding the Prophet immediately retreated into his embrace. From within, he pulled out a book. The Prophet struggled fiercely, seemingly genuinely anxious about his book. Under his struggles, the black-bound book, without any title on its cover, flew up from the man's hand and landed at Archie's feet.

Archie instinctively picked up the book, but as soon as his hand touched it, faint silver lines began to emerge on the black leather cover.

The Prophet's struggling ceased. He scanned between Kerry and Archie in disbelief, finally focusing on Archie with a complicated expression, "So it was you..."

In that instant when the black book started to glow, Lane swiftly used the plants to separate the book from Archy, watching the Prophet warily. The vines obeyed his will, coiling around the thin man's limbs, ready to sever his head at any moment.

After the incident with Fate, Lane was now overly cautious, fearing that some old monster might covet his followers again.

However, before the vines could act, the thin man slumped unconscious, and the black book lying on the ground began to turn its pages automatically. Words appeared on the white pages.

Cyrus cautiously glanced at Lane, noticing the lack of resistance on his face. He picked up the book and, after reading its contents, looked astonishedly at Archy. "You're a descendant of the Prophet?"

Lane also turned to look at Archy, a realization dawning on his face. He had heard Sphinx mention this before; Archy possessed the bloodline of the Prophet.

But wait, so what's the deal with the Prophet now? Is he a book? But if he's a book, how did he leave behind a bloodline?

Lane reached out to Cyrus, who obediently handed over the Prophet – oh, no, the book – to Lane. Lane lowered his head to read the paper, where lines of ink-written words continuously emerged.

'Archie Hayes, oh my, I remember now. This indeed seems to be one of my descendants, though I never expected it. I assumed that Cyrus would awaken a new prophetic gift, but...'

"You'd better explain exactly what is going on here," Lane said expressionlessly.

The text paused for a second, then gradually continued with 'Oh, of course...'

With the Seer's clarification, Len finally grasped the entire context. Firstly, one of the Seer's purposes for coming to this city was indeed to meet his old friend, Destiny. Secondly, it was to seek out a newly awakened Seer. Originally, he thought that Kley was the newly awakened Seer, since Kley also possessed the Seer's bloodline – this was why the Seer had been so lenient with him. Moreover, it was the Seer who had initially introduced Kley to the Order of Omniscience.

As for why the Seer was embodied as a book and how a book could propagate a bloodline...

"I am a Seer, but I'm not," the Seer said. "Are you thinking that I've lived for over a thousand years? That's not true. Not everyone is as monstrous as Destiny. The true Seer, or rather, my true master, passed away a thousand years ago."

"I am actually the origin ability 'Seer' that he left behind. Therefore, calling me a Seer isn't wrong." The Seer looked at Archie. "I believe, now that you've awakened, you should understand what I'm saying."

Archie nodded, his expression complicated. At that moment, the Sphinx appeared behind him, sauntering over to the book with curiosity. It sized up the book. "How peculiar. This is the first time I've seen someone of the same kind."

A smudge of ink emerged on the book. 'I never expected that, after a thousand years, there would really be a new Seer born. I always thought that the Seer's last words were just casual remarks. I'd already given up hope after a thousand years. Why have you only appeared now?'

Archie didn't know how to respond and could only remain silent. The Seer didn't mind his attitude. 'Speaking like this is exhausting. Excuse me, can you pass me to anyone? Ideally, Kley or that man from earlier.'

Archie glanced at Len. Seeing no objection, he placed the book back into the thin man's arms.

The thin man finally opened his eyes. "That's much more comfortable. Oh, don't worry, he won't be harmed. At most, he'll feel weak for a while."

This time, the Prophet's attitude had undergone a complete one hundred eighty-degree turnaround. If before he was clearly wary of Lane and unwilling to divulge much information, now it seemed as if he had put aside some inner conflict, addressing Lane: "If you have any questions, just ask."

Lane: "Your change of heart is quite swift."

Prophet: "The new Prophets are on your side. You'll learn what you seek sooner or later."

He appeared to have a deep understanding of the abilities of a Prophet. Lane narrowed his eyes. "What state are you in? A Sealed Artifact? A Contaminant?"

There was a pause in the Prophet's tone, followed by a bitter smile. "If I were to force a label, I'd say I'm a Sealed Artifact. I am the genuine Prophet from over a thousand years ago, who made a pact with fate. The two great sages, in their efforts to protect humanity as much as possible, one passed on their powers before their death, creating this Sealed Artifact, while the other, through unknown means, preserved their body and has survived until now, albeit periodically falling into slumber."

"I possess parts of the Prophet's memories and almost all of the Prophet's abilities, barely managing to survive in this form for so long."

Cyril murmured, "No wonder the All-Knowing Society's emblem is a book."

Lane: "You mentioned that you parted ways hundreds of years ago. Why was that?"

The Prophet's voice carried a tinge of nostalgia. "…Due to differing beliefs." He continued, "Do you know that before the ancient era, humans had it much worse than they do now? Back then, Earth wasn't inhabited by just one human race."