Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 404: Chapter 21: Bai Wu’s Simultaneous Bluff and Deterrence

Classic life questions: Who am I, where do I come from?

Bai Yuan taught Bai Wu the principle of speaking human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts, and Bai Wu practiced it thoroughly.

In the end, he had shown off to both humans and ghosts.

Perhaps there was a great disparity in strength between the parties, but as long as there was asymmetry in information, wasn’t it up to him to fill in the gaps as he wished?

Bai Wu calmed down.

He didn’t know whether this monster or Jing Si, capable of creating the Inverted Well, was more powerful.

But this monster had already subtly changed the logic of some things, meaning, it existed on a rule-changing level.

The sixth level was very bizarre, with many scenes yet unexplored. Bai Wu also believed that there must still be treasures.

However, this monster was very vigilant and left behind the language of Sequences on this essential tree.

Once the language was deciphered, one could link to it.

Although the monster’s power had been thoroughly weakened, especially after the weakening through the levels,

neither Bai Yuan nor Prayle’s Eye could withstand this kind of spiritual invasion.

A powerful, indescribable sense of oppression appeared in his sea of consciousness, which could not be dispelled.

But neither could it penetrate any deeper.

"Take advantage of the information gap, widen the information gap, feed false information to the other party, and obtain their true information, thereby better understanding the sixth level and improving search efficiency," he thought.

With this thought, Bai Wu suddenly knelt down. He knelt down in his consciousness, and his physical body also suddenly knelt down.

At this moment, Bai Wu recalled how the followers of the Tower God Society did it.

Forget it, start with a deep bow and worship. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

"Great Lord! I have finally felt Your presence!"

Although consciousness and body had been separated by the power from the seventh level, Bai Wu was now gradually mastering it.

And at this moment, Cain suddenly stopped.

What was Bai Wu doing?

Was such a posture something that a person with Bai Wu’s style would do?

Why was he worshipping? Was it this tree he was worshipping?

No, that’s not right!

Cain suddenly realized something!

He had originally planned to exploit Bai Wu’s confusion to cast the Three Souls Transmigration on him.

But at this instant, he dared not make a move.

"Could it be that this kid... actually saw that monster?"

Cain had never for a moment forgotten the fear he felt under that monster’s dominion centuries ago.

The overwhelming sense of fear came back again, the outline of a super powerful monster against whom one could not resist, nor even muster the will to fight, surfaced once more in Cain’s memory.

This was also why Cain chose to bring Bai Wu along—if they truly encountered that monster, perhaps he could even offer Bai Wu as a sacrifice.

But the current situation was different.

Had Bai Wu known that monster all along? Was everything he’d done previously just an act? Was he leading me into a trap?

Or could it be that Bai Wu has been controlled by that monster? freёweɓnovel.com

Fear can lead to misjudgment; even Cain is no exception. Facing the formidable creatures outside the tower, he often reveled in the thrill of deception, experiencing fear and excitement simultaneously.

But only the monster inside the High Tower failed to excite him because, as mighty as Three Souls Transmigration was, there was no escape from its clutches.

If a Sequence were a "program," each with its own functions, then the monster on the sixth level was someone who could fundamentally destroy the program itself.

Not an ’Equality of All Beings’ term as with Travelers, but a more fundamental alteration to the underlying logic of the Sequence itself.

Cain looked at Bai Wu in worship and could almost picture Bai Wu’s devout and fervent expression.

He knew Bai Wu somewhat, but he had never seen how Bai Wu trolled others online.

He had no idea that the person before him, devoid of the Deceiver Sequence, was a more accomplished liar than himself.

In any case, Bai Wu’s confusing act had utterly baffled Cain.

And all this was within Bai Wu’s expectation.

He had never let his guard down against Cain. When he had looked back earlier, he considered the possibility that Cain might be up to something.

But he also knew that having told tall tales and created a fake persona in front of Cain, now that his persona had suddenly collapsed, Cain would inevitably think of the monster on the seventh level.

As expected, Cain became motionless.

He decided to observe further.

As for Bai Wu, with a world-destroying monster above and a swindler who could expose him behind, his situation should have been extremely dangerous.

But at that moment, he was excited—an excitement he cleverly packaged to resemble the thrill of witnessing a divine revelation.

Just like a child of the Tower God Society seeing the true God of the High Tower!

Bai Wu felt the oppressive sensation in his consciousness and, far from resisting, he worshipped even more deeply.

This was definitely a self-breakthrough in his acting career, as that sense of excitement wasn’t feigned but naturally arisen.

This action also caused the monster on the seventh level to harbor some doubts. It had been too long since it had been aware of the outside world’s changes.

Though it had absorbed a few human souls and half the soul of a peculiar human, gaining plenty of information, that information... was long outdated.

[You have drunk Well Water... you carry my scent. State your origin.]

"Yes, a great one granted me Well Water. That great one instructed me... to attempt reaching the sixth level... to approach You!"

The tremors and panic in his voice, the fervor and excitement in his eyes—if Cain could see Bai Wu’s expression, he would have marveled again, truly a worthy rival destined in my fate! This is the skill and face of a qualified liar!

Cain, although knowing what Bai Wu was saying, had no idea what the voice Bai Wu heard was saying.

He could make educated guesses, but doing so would mean falling into Bai Wu’s trap.

Because once he started to deduce, he would discover that Bai Wu seemed to truly know the monster, and that his so-called first trip to the sixth level was a total fabrication; the earnest inquiries about the sixth level before were all part of a deceptive setup, and he, himself, could very well be the clown.

[Describe his appearance to me.]

The monster on the seventh level did not completely trust Bai Wu. Bai Wu was aware that his performance was on point, but more information was needed.

"That great one wore Buddha Beads, his form resembling that of a monk among humans. He lived nearest to the Well, possessing a compassionate heart. Yet for anything threatening the Well, he could destroy without hesitation."

"For seven hundred years, he has guarded the Well without once forgetting his quest for the High Tower! The grand mission You entrusted him with, he has never neglected! He is a man of faith, unlike the other great ones who are developing their own forces outside the tower; only he has always remembered to seek You!"

"The Buddha’s light cleared my inner self, and his faith became my faith! He enlightened me about this world and the existence of a greater purpose!"

He praised Jing Er while subtly denigrating Jing Wu, who expanded their influence outside.

Bai Wu’s words were actually quite learned.

The kindness and compassion of Jing Er might just stem from the sense of superiority held by those higher in rank over those below.

But Bai Wu had to say, Jing Er wasn’t as repulsive as Jing Wu.

Especially since people like Jing Er have beliefs, and for seven hundred years, the High Tower has always remained elusive. Bai Wu thought about it, if the farm owner is Jing Yi, then the mummified guardian on the death flight must be for Jing San.

Jing Yi’s thoughts were unpredictable, but unlike others seeking the High Tower.

Jing Er was tasked with guarding the Well. The First Generation Traveler had said it originated from the Well and was always seeking the High Tower.

This meant that, objectively speaking, among the six people, only Jing Er was truly in search of the High Tower.

Jing San was a real layabout, lying immobile on a flight for seven hundred years to the extent that both Huangquan Island and Black Gold Island were coveting his body, probably wanting to take away Jing San’s power.

Jing Si and Jing Wu were fools.

Jing Liu was also currently considered a fool, with an unknown stance.

So although Bai Wu didn’t know much about the six Jing Family members, he had met all of them except for Jing San.

Based on the information from "having seen" them, he made a bold deduction, confident that only Jing Er was the most suitable.

Indeed, as soon as he heard about the monk-like appearance, as soon as he heard about guarding the Well... Bai Wu felt the oppressive feeling in his mind greatly diminish.

He had no doubt that even if he was the host who had drunk the Well Water, if he encountered this creature without the High Tower level’s weakening, he feared that just one glance from the other party would cause his head to explode from the powerful spiritual force.

But now, having received positive feedback, Bai Wu knew that the Grim Reaper’s scythe had moved away from his neck.

Cain was shocked.

If Bai Wu wasn’t just acting in a one-man play to deceive himself, then from Bai Wu’s very specific descriptions, he really must have encountered an entity resembling a human monk.

Guarding the Well...

What were all these?

How could he know so much information?

If I forcibly applied Three Souls Transmigration, would it enrage the monster on the seventh floor?

With Cain’s fear of the seventh floor creature, and relying on the information gap, Bai Wu was conning both parties at once.

For the creature of the seventh floor, which was very likely to be closely related to the Well, even more closely than the Well Level entities were to the Well, Bai Wu was purely bluffing.

But to Cain, it was both a bluff and a deterrence.

[Jing Er, so it seems, he has already found the location of the Well? It’s not surprising... in seven hundred years, there would always be one or two instances, in the distortion, of reaching that space.]

[But he didn’t dare to drink from the Well Water himself, instead letting you, a human, drink it?]

Before the creature could ask this question, Bai Wu had already thought of an answer:

"You are not aware, but one personage went mad from contact with the Well Water... and furthermore, that personage... show extreme disrespect towards a great being like yourself!"

[Hmph! Jing Si... an overreaching fellow, an existence that should not have been born, a mistake I made. He thought he could suppress the distortion, yet was ultimately consumed by it.]

From Jing Yi to Jing Liu, Bai Wu found that these names were very similar to mechanical language.

It was like some program naming certain things with traits as surnames, and numbers as given names.

Human names themselves carry sentiment, but names purely with numbers lack this sentiment.

Perhaps it also implies that, for the creature, from Jing Yi to Jing Liu, they were merely six programs to free itself.

Among them, Program One created a farm, the significance of which is unclear, but the purpose seems to relate to the world beyond the fog.

Program Three did not respond, Program Four was invaded by a virus.

Between Six and Two, only Two can be relied upon.

Bai Wu continued to speak,

"Lord Jing Er has never forgotten to search for you, but with the benefit of hindsight, he dared not use the Well Water. For seven hundred years, Lord Jing Er didn’t want to miss the one and only chance to get close to the Well. Thus, he... stored some Well Water."

In fact, Bai Wu didn’t know whether the Well and what humans believe to be the Well shared any conceptual similarities.

So here, he could only fabricate.

But it doesn’t matter, even if he’s exposed, it’s inconsequential, as humans inherently cannot get close to the Well.

He can explain very well.

"The High Tower cannot be found, and only humans can enter the High Tower. Lord Jing Er very much hopes for your revelation, but the only one who can do this is a human. Hence, the Well Water was used on me."

"I had never believed there existed a being greater than Lord Jing Er in this world, but after drinking the Well Water, my companions died one after another, and after I luckily survived, I finally felt that there are even greater miracles in this world!"

"Oh great master... please bestow your divine revelation upon us."

As long as he could get some information that only this monster from the seventh level knew, he could use this information to deceive the beings of the Well Level when he encountered Jing Er or others from the Well Level next time.

And by leveraging the information from the beings of the Well Level, he could gain the trust of this monster from the seventh level even deeper.

Outside the tower, inside the tower, outside the fog—as long as he possessed enough information, he could carve out a realm of his own in the gamble between the farm owner and Jing Liu!

Thinking this, Bai Wu’s gaze became even more devout.

Now that he had gained initial trust, it was time to start the next plan.

Commonly known as, clinging to a powerful supporter.

The monster from the seventh level was well-versed in human nature. It heard the worship in the human’s words and realized that this was an opportunity for itself. It snorted coldly,

"The Jing Er you speak of, including Jing Yi through Jing Liu, were all created by me. But they are not perfect; they all have the appearance of humans, but in essence, they are still Evil Fallen.

I originally thought this was perfect, but now it seems there is a vast difference between the Evil Fallen and humans, such that, although they possess the strength to command all beings, they have never been able to enter the High Tower."

"Jing Er has indeed thought things through thoroughly, I do need a human servant."

Success.

Next comes his favorite part—the task assignment.

If you want me to work for you, naturally, you have to offer me benefits.

Bai Wu looked forward to seeing what this monster from the seventh level would have him do. Anyway, it had already waited for seven hundred years; he could indefinitely delay the task as long as he didn’t approach the sixth level.

It was like in his previous life, when Bai Wu would accept a beginner’s village side quest at the start of some games, only to hand in that quest when he was about to reach the grand finale. He relished this wicked sense of humor.

Thus, Bai Wu bowed deeply once again, his voice cracking with excitement, his eyes quivering erratically with thrill.

Cain also perceived Bai Wu’s emotions at the moment, Bai Wu’s entire persona had collapsed in his view.

However, what he didn’t know was that this guy had no persona to begin with, the so-called collapse was just starting.

"For me, Lord Jing Er is a rare miracle in this world, and you are indeed the greatest existence in this world, but we humans also have a saying, ’no greatness is instantaneous.’"

"But to witness your descent is both my honor and mission! I am willing to be driven by you. Please bestow your revelation upon me!"

(Crossdressing is out of the question, are you thinking of peaches? I definitely have a second update coming, just wait, I’m about to write it out! And not the kind where four thousand words are split into two updates; a Chapter will not have less than four thousand words.)