Chapter 149: The Boat of Creation 23

Chapter 149: The Boat of Creation 23

"Lie?" Miss NPC Jasmine was taken aback. "How do you plan to lie?"

To her surprise, Qin Fei shook his head upon hearing this.

"That's not right."

His tone was light and cheerful, as if they weren't discussing a matter of life and death but were instead sharing some amusing joke.

"It's not about how 'I' plan to lie."

"It's about how 'you' will."

Miss Jasmine was even more stunned. "Me?"

Qin Fei placed both hands on the table, slowly stood up, and walked over to the NPC. "First, let's prepare the props we'll need for the deception."

He took out two slips of paper from his suit pocket, containing the two aphorisms from the deity.

"And yours," Qin Fei reminded her. "All wickedness will eventually be repaid. This one."

Jasmine was confused but followed the advice and took it out.

"Take them with you and find the Snake Man, Gerard." Qin Fei handed all three slips to the Deerman. "Then, just do as I told you."

...

Thirty minutes later.

The third-floor corridor was empty; the guests at the observation deck had returned to rest on the second floor.

Deerman Jasmine walked alone down the long corridor.

She tightly held the three aphorisms in her hand, mentally rehearsing the lines Qin Fei had told her.

As an heir of the herbivorous family who had been raised with integrity and holiness, Jasmine rarely had the chance to engage in such activities as "lying." She found this quite novel.

At the same time, she harbored a hidden concern.

Would things really unfold as Mr. Griffith had predicted?

Would it go that smoothly?

If this method didn't work, would they truly be doomed?

Jasmine hurried down the stairs.

The second floor was also quiet.

The fugitive hadn't been caught yet, and almost all the guests had returned to their bedrooms.

Jasmine moved unhindered through the second floor. The waiters who passed by were unaware of the power struggle within the cabinet and naturally didn't dare to stop her.

Following Mr. Griffith's instructions, the Deerman first circled the second floor but didn't spot any Snake Men. Then, she entered the deserted banquet hall.

The dance party in the banquet hall had long ended.

The lights were off inside, and Jasmine moved in the dark past rows of tables and chairs, silently approaching the golden private room.

As she drew closer to the door of the private room, she indeed heard faint voices coming from within.

—Mr. Griffith was right!

Jasmine's eyes widened in surprise.

After asking Jasmine about the overall structure of the cruise ship's second level, Qin Fei had asserted that Snake Man Gerard was either in the golden private room or outside Pig Man Hadsay's office.

Jasmine quietly opened a small gap in the door of the golden private room.

...

Snake Man Gerard sat in the unlit golden private room, surrounded by Coyote and Lion.

Gerard was currently seething with anger.

As the former governor, Gerard had been deeply dissatisfied since being removed from his position by the deity.

With both the deity and Pig Man Hadsay.

And Hadsay's complete disregard for him during the meeting on the third floor earlier only fueled Gerard's rage further.

"This guy is getting more and more arrogant!" Gerard angrily pounded the table.

The deity had revoked the Snake Family's governing authority based on some unfounded charges.

But from the moment Pig Man Hadsay took office, he had tightly grasped all the power in his own hands.

Especially excluding the Gerard family from the center of power.

Now, the Snake Man merely appeared prosperous on the surface, but in reality, his influence in cabinet decisions wasn't much stronger than that of Deerman Jasmine.

Gerard couldn't imagine how the Pig Man would treat them, the cabinet ministers, once they arrived at the new world's island.

Would he become nothing more than a puppet under Hadsay's control?

The new world was like a blank sheet of paper. In the scramble for power, once the boat docked, all families would inevitably face a major purge.

At that time, could the Gerald family still sit stably in the cabinet?

The fists of the snake-man Gerald, placed on his thighs, gradually tightened.

In fact, the same hidden worry was also lingering in the minds of the coyote and the lion at that moment.

But even though everyone was in the same whirlpool, they did not dare to truly open up to each other.

The three animal nobles each had their own plans in mind.

The golden box was silent.

Just then.

With a creak, the door of the box was pushed open slightly.

A slender figure walked into the room against the light.

"Who is it?!" Gerald stood up abruptly, and the chair beneath him dragged across the floor with a grating sound.

Click. The newcomer raised his hand and turned on the light by the door.

The entire room was suddenly exposed to clear illumination, and the three people who had been sitting in the dark for a long time were instantly blinded, unable to see anything.

Gerald nearly shed tears, raising his hand to cover his eyes.

After several seconds, when the vision finally cleared, Gerald couldn't help but be greatly alarmed.

"How did you get here?!" Gerald questioned.

But soon he understood: "Were you released by those few slaves?"

The animals in the cabinet all assumed that Qin Fei and the others had managed to escape successfully due to Jasmine.

The innocent Miss Jasmine didn't understand what the snake-man was talking about.

After Qin Fei ran away, she was locked in her bedroom by Hadsay and his men.

Miss Jasmine didn't know that any slaves had escaped.

Naturally, she didn't associate the sudden appearance of Mr. Griffith with those few slaves.

The snake-man Gerald frowned as he looked at Jasmine: "What do you want?"

Miss Jasmine approached Gerald step by step, her mind echoing with Mr. Griffith's instructions.

— "You must remain calm, from the moment you appear before them."

— "To convince others, you must first convince yourself. You must believe that everything you say is true."

— "Sometimes, an arrogant attitude can be a good disguise. I know humility is a virtue, but not everyone possesses the admirable quality of respecting virtue. Occasional arrogance might bring unexpected gains."

Jasmine walked to the round table and stood between the snake-man Gerald and the coyote.

"Excuse me, Mr. Nord," the deer-person lifted her chin slightly, commanding the coyote from above, "I have important matters to discuss with Mr. Gerald."

She emphasized the words "important" and "discuss."

This assertive demeanor stunned the coyote for a moment.

After all, the deer-person had always presented herself as an elegant, gentle, and somewhat timid noble lady. The term 'bossy' had never applied to her.

Now, she should have been locked in her bedroom, yet she not only snuck out but also showed no signs of guilt.

This led the coyote to believe Miss Jasmine's words.

Surely, she must have something important to discuss with the snake-man.

But what could it be?

Curious, the coyote silently moved aside.

Jasmine's jawline was taut as she took a seat beside the snake-man Gerald.

Although Mr. Griffith hadn't accompanied the deer-person Jasmine to the golden box, he had already rehearsed every scene and conversation that would occur inside.

Now, Jasmine heard Mr. Griffith's voice in her ear again:

"You need to seize the initiative as much as possible. Only by seizing the initiative and controlling the situation can you control the rhythm and catch the other party off guard."

Before Gerald could speak, the deer-person Jasmine preemptively said,

"Mr. Gerald, I came to talk to you about the fate of all members of our cabinet in the future."

This sentence had been carefully considered and finalized in the third-floor bedroom.

Starting with a grand statement to immediately stun the other party was one of Qin Fei's negotiation suggestions.

Gerald was indeed stunned: "What do you mean?"

Jasmine inwardly sighed in relief.

When Gerald asked this question seriously instead of dismissing every word she said as he used to.

It already indicated that he was starting to follow her lead.

Jasmine remained silent.

Mr. Griffith had said that the party holding the initiative needed to maintain an air of mystery.

To maintain mystery, one must not talk too much.

It's about providing appropriate information to guide the other party into guessing your intentions—now that is the skill of the superior.

Not like a chatterbox spilling everything, which is demeaning and easily leads to being looked down upon.

Miss Jasmine didn't have a well-practiced technique for feigning profundity, so she chose the simplest approach.

She remained silent and directly pulled out two slips of paper, slowly pushing them towards the snake man with two fingers.

"See for yourself, Mr. Gerard," Jasmine said coldly.

Snake man Gerard received the notes with uncertainty.

"These are... proverbs from the divine? What do you mean by showing me these?"

Gerard scrutinized the Deerman.

"You're not trying to persuade me to submit to the divine along with you, are you?"

The snake man felt he had seen through the Deerman's intentions.

He scoffed and casually crumpled the two proverbs into a ball.

"I don't know whether to call you naive or foolish, Miss Jasmine."

"Do you really think that when Hadsay found these, he didn't consult with the rest of our cabinet?"

Where there is light, there are the eyes of the divine.

All sins will eventually be repaid.

These are warnings from the divine, warnings to their disrespectful children.

But even with such warnings, the choice to listen still lies with the animals themselves.

"I know what you want to say, Jasmine. Are you going to tell me that if we continue this way, there will be no good outcome and we'll be finished once our actions are exposed?"

Gerard removed his human mask.

The triangular head of the viper was exposed to the air.

Its ruby-like eyes, gleaming as if infused with venom, flashed with a sinister light.

"We know, we've known all along."

"Do you really think we make decisions without any thought, using only the limited righteousness in our small heads as our sole judgment, Miss Jasmine?"

The nobles were well aware that if the truth came to light, the divine would never let them go unpunished.

But so what?

If they didn't seize the ship, an equally grim fate awaited them.

If they followed the divine will and supported the slaves' rise to power,

Once the cruise ship docked on the island, they would face an even more miserable fate than the current slaves.

"Betrayal may lead to death, but not betraying will certainly lead to death."

Gerard narrowed his eyes.

"What choice do we have, Jasmine? Must we accept our fate?"

Everyone wanted a good life.

The nobles especially so.

Their lives began at the pinnacle from birth.

They enjoyed rights that others could hardly obtain in a lifetime.

Having indulged in such luxury, how could they tolerate becoming lowly slaves?

"It's not like that."

A glint of compassion flashed in Deerman Jasmine's eyes.

She took out a third slip of paper from her pocket.

"101 pigeons fell into the water and turned into 101 bloodthirsty vicious fish."

This was evidence Jasmine obtained from Qin Fei, confirming that the divine truly knew all their sins.

Now, she shared this evidence with snake man Gerard.

"You're wrong, Gerard. Not betraying doesn't necessarily lead to death, but betrayal will condemn us to eternal damnation," the Deerman murmured.

The moment Gerard took the note, his expression changed: "This... This is also from the pigeon."

"The divine has known everything all along," he muttered to himself.

If that was the case, what was the point of their concealment?

When the cruise ship docked, punishment would surely follow.

Gerard no longer appeared as calm as before.

His fingers trembled slightly.

Though no players were present in this scene, the replica ensured it was synchronized to the livestream for the sake of narrative completeness.

In the livestreams of the four players—Qin Fei, Monkey, Duck, and Mi Yang—the audience gathered before the luminous screens, arms crossed, chatting animatedly.

Earlier, in Jasmine's bedroom, as Qin Fei’s teaching plan neared its conclusion,

Perhaps due to concerns about eavesdropping, the NPC and player spoke softer and softer, their voices whisper-quiet, leaving the audience clueless.

Now, all the spirits were scratching their heads in curiosity.

"Darn it, I really want to know what the Deerman is going to say next?!"

"She should be taking out that last note, the one that says 'return the dove to the dove, return the ship to the ship.'"

"And then? Use that to convince Snakeman Gerard to cooperate? But didn’t the streamer say they had to trick him? What kind of trick is this?!"

It was an open and honest appeal.

"Damn, this is killing me. I think the sound cut out in the bedroom on purpose, it must have been the system playing tricks."

If the system wanted the audience to hear, even if the streamer whispered like a mosquito, the livestream would capture every word clearly.

The system was deliberately keeping them in suspense!

"I still think the Deerman won’t try to persuade directly. There’s no way Gerard can be convinced so easily."

These animal nobles aboard the ship deserved punishment.

Even if they hadn’t done anything on the cruise, the best outcome after landing would be enslavement.

Now, driven by selfish desires, they’d committed heinous acts, plucking the dove bare and attempting to deceive the deity.

Even if they repented, and the deity forgave them, there would still be consequences.

Waiting for them would be a fate worse than slavery.

Nobles with rebellious hearts wouldn’t tolerate being reduced to prisoners.

"I’m certain," one spirit declared, "Snakeman Gerard would rather perish alongside the deity than humbly seek forgiveness."

Such people, accustomed to privilege and excess, had ingrained habits of arrogance and taking shortcuts. Changing their ways was harder than climbing to the heavens.

Qin Fei thought the same.

Thus, when Deerman Jasmine proposed having an earnest conversation with Snakeman Gerard, Qin Fei firmly rejected her suggestion.

This wasn't merely Jasmine's realm; it was a life-or-death scenario for the players.

Qin Fei wouldn’t entrust his fate and points to the uncertain, perhaps nonexistent, conscience of Gerard.

"No," Mr. Griffith denied outright, "you shouldn’t say any unnecessary words like that."

Qin Fei’s eyes flickered. "As for what you should say, I’ve already thought it through for you."

...

"Don’t worry, Mr. Gerard."

Deerman Jasmine sat at the round table in the golden booth, tapping her fingers lightly on the surface. "I’ve already figured out what we should do."

"In fact, I’ve thought it through for all of us."

Since entering the room, Jasmine saw Snakemen, Coyotes, and Lions with her eyes, but her mind conjured the calm and wise image of Mr. Griffith.

Unconsciously, her speech took on a hint of the man’s characteristic languidness and tranquility, soothing the agitated spirits listening in.

Snakeman nodded dismissively.

Despite Jasmine’s bold claims, Snakeman didn’t expect much from her.

What could this girl possibly suggest?

Most likely, it would be the usual.

Confess to the deity, make amends, and trust in the deity’s magnanimity to forgive them.

Just empty words.

Snakeman felt he could guess her plan using only his knee.

But soon, Snakeman was proven wrong.

"Mr. Gerard, I believe we should find a scapegoat."

Miss Jasmine said softly.

"Huh? What did you say?!" Snakeman doubted his own ears.

He looked up sharply at the opposite side of the table.

"I said, we should find a scapegoat."

Miss Jasmine repeated.

"We harmed the dove, stole the slaves’ right to board the ship, and took the ship itself. These are undeniable facts."

Deerman Molly recalled every word Mr. Griffith had said.

She mimicked him, replicating the scene perfectly.

"But there's still plenty of room for maneuver."

"Was the rebellion planned by all the animals on the ship? Or by the ten members of the cabinet? Or—"

Molly paused, blinking meaningfully as she continued,

"Or was it one member of the cabinet, acting out of self-interest, hiding the truth from everyone and making these terrible decisions alone?"

Snake-man Gerald's heart pounded fiercely.

"To convince someone, mere 'persuasion' isn't enough."

Thirty minutes ago, Mr. Griffith had taught Miss Molly this.

"People make mistakes because they're tempted, and if you want to set them back on the right path, you need to offer them an even greater temptation, one they can't resist."

The nobles couldn't resist the temptation to maintain their status, which is why they concocted this deception against the deity.

But what was more tempting than that?

"Mr. Gerald, in fact, I believe the deity made a wrong decision; he shouldn't have revoked your position as governor."

Molly sighed softly.

She looked up at Snake-man Gerald with bright, earnest eyes. "I think you're better suited for the role than Mr. Hadsay."

These words had echoed countless times in Gerald's mind over the past few months, through over a hundred days and nights.

Now, Deerman Molly spoke them clearly.

"Go on," Snake-man Gerald's voice was hoarse.

Molly sighed. "The damage has been done, and the deity won't forgive us easily. I think we need to find a way to minimize the losses."

"As long as we pin everything on Mr. Hadsay."

Molly recalled Mr. Griffith's demeanor when he'd said these words.

That gentle, coaxing tone, like a whisper from the devil, was terrifying yet irresistible.

"It was all Mr. Hadsay's doing, wasn't it? We had nothing to do with it, we knew nothing."

"Hadsay, worried about losing his newly acquired governorship, planned everything alone."

"We didn't know the Chosen One was imprisoned. Hadsay told us he was being well-fed and accommodated in the cruise ship's guest rooms."

"We didn't know why we had to wear masks. That was Hadsay's demand. As for the lower decks, we knew even less. Hadsay never allowed us below deck."

"You must understand, Gerald, the storm has already flooded the world."

Miss Molly increased her stakes silently.

"The slaves the deity valued are dead. Now, there are only hundreds of senseless, useless livestock and over a hundred normal slaves on board."

"And there are more than ten times as many animal nobles."

"In this situation, once we reach land, the deity won't possibly let the slaves take power. They can't shoulder the responsibility of building a new world, so the deity must rely on us."

"Mr. Gerald, if we cooperate and get rid of Hadsay, then you'll be the rightful governor, and you can reclaim your authority!"

The deer-woman assured him solemnly.

"You're innocent, I am too, we all are."

"The only guilty one is Hadsay."

"He's a deranged man who removed the Chosen One's heart and bones to create that secret chamber."

Miss Molly smiled, gradually closing in on Snake-man Gerald, breaking down his psychological defenses.

"We were always deceived by Hadsay. Until one day, we accidentally discovered his strange behavior, followed him to the secret chamber, caught him in the act, and uncovered this shocking conspiracy."

"We angrily questioned him, but he attacked us. During the argument, the flock of pigeons turned into fish and attacked the ship again, causing it to shake. Hadsay's head hit the corner of the cabinet where the hearts were stored, and blood spilled everywhere!"

Deerman Molly's voice trailed off.

Snake-man Gerald gripped his collar tightly, his breathing rapid. He seemed captivated by the image Molly had painted, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Molly changed tack. "Earlier in the hallway, I ran into Mr. Hadsay, and I arranged to meet him at the secret chamber upstairs."

"What do you think of my plan, Mr. Gerald? Want to work with me? Let's go upstairs together and turn that secret chamber into Hadsay's grave."

"And the beginning of our beautiful new life."

A perfect smile curved at the corner of Deerman Molly's mouth.