Chapter 3: Not a Good Person

Tap tap tap

Adryan tapped his chin a few more times before softly chuckling.

'If it's really one of his hands, I should say that his moves are definitely bold and daring~

'It's obvious he's doing it on purpose. He wants me to see them.'

Was it likely? Maybe it wasn't.

Was it a possibility? Oh, no doubt.

'I know the Rapper knows well enough about my existence, and I don't have to be a genius to know that the Paranoid must know about it too.

'The Rapper has already shown early on his knowledge of me. Finally, he revealed himself in the fiasco of a few days ago by handing me the Card of Blasphemy. I doubt the Paranoid is as up front as his twin, he's more detailed in that area.

'Little things here and there, in plain sight and easily overlooked if you're not paying attention. That's his way of playing poker.'

Adryan was sure it was only a matter of time before the two met. And from the looks of things, the time was approaching rather quickly, much more than he was comfortable with.

'Unlike the Rapper, who is pure Humanity, the Paranoid is pure divinity. He is not driven by emotions or anything like that. Everything he does is for a reason and to gain as much advantage as possible...

'I'll take it as a given that all the Gods know I'm an Alien. But just because they know I'm an alien doesn't mean they know I'm a transmigrator or that I came down from the City of Calamity.'

A soft, gentle chuckle escaped his lips.

'Sure, how could I forget my major aces? While everyone knows about the former, I'm sure hardly anyone knows about the latter. Maybe the only ones who know about it are KND, the Rapper, and the Paranoid... but who am I kidding? I'm not that lucky; the number is surely higher!'

The redhead was sure that the twins knew that he had the City of Calamities and was another 'transmigrator' like them. If not, why else would they be so willing to invest in him?

'Haha... invest... the more correct thing to call it would be to get me fat!'

The Three Flavour Soup had, at one point, been one of their most loyal Allies. It wouldn't be crazy to think that they are preparing a welcome cake with him as the cherry!

'Most likely, they want to fill me up with juices and spices, slow cook me tenderly so that when I am thrown into the Three Flavour Soup, it can more easily regain its strength!'

He was now just a steak—an extremely juicy one, rich in fat and flavor—an ingredient of such quality that it would assure the soup of its place on the podium.

"Fufufu... I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be another ingredient~" A dark laugh came from deep within his fragmented soul, his eyes glowing at the lamps and the air turning hot.

He planned to eat that soup, take every last drop, and make it his own!

The ingredient would become the customer who would eat the main course!

'And after that soup will come the ribs~' licking his lips, his smile sharpened.

'Sure, that would be in case he never finds out that the one who betrayed him and caused his death was none other than his much loved Lord~ I wonder how loud he would scream upon discovering that? Would he cry, demand a reason? Or would he just turn his back? What will be, what will be...' 

Sighing, Adryan shook his head as he lightly bit his oatmeal biscuit. His gaze lost its darkness but kept its edge.

'I am still too weak to think of such things; only when I become a 'He' will I be able to put weight to my words, which are now nothing more than the cries of a bird that has just hatched.'

'Leaving that aside, it seems my idea worked. Judging by the feedback from my potion, many hidden existences bought into the trick... Of course, that's for the lower ones who were the ones it was mostly aimed at...'

The Great Existences would easily see through his little trick and know what he wanted to do...

And that was exactly what he wanted! 

Let them see everything! Let them see and think that he is showing it all!

Let their arrogance be their blindfold. They think they know it all but fail to see the big screen!

'Always when they think they know it all is when they are the blindest~' Adryan laughed darkly in his mind.

He learned it from experience, after all.

'And what will make them more sure of that is my new Honorific Name~'

<The Scarlet Monarch who burns Depravity; The Calamity forgotten by Time; Stranger comes from the Unknown>'

'With that kind of Name, if any had any doubt as to whether or not I was an alien, it was settled by it. But of course, there's the real conspiracy!

'A trick hidden in another trick hidden in another trick!'

'For those in the know, that three-line name only confirmed what it was. And cemented that very thing~'

Depending on the level of information each existence had, the conclusions would be considerably different but would remain essentially the same.

Adryan knew that he could easily have placed his connection to the City of Calamities in his Honorific Name as Klein had done. But why do it?

'If I did that, the price on my head would not only have been greater than those of the Sea Kings but also the intensity with which other organizations and churches seek me out!'

It was more than certain that he would have an army of angels following at his heels!

'It is better to hide the truth in the truth that acts as a lie. That way, I'll be able to keep this hidden until I'm stronger...'

Sigh

Shaking his head, Adryan lowered his now empty coffee cup and looked around him.

Around him was his current team, which already had a decent number. 

Sitting at the same table as him was Pugilist Sasha, Melee Scholar Charlotte, Planter Opera, Half-Spectator Jerry, and the still-normal Serena who had a tired expression on her face.

" Do I have to eat all of this, Miss Opera? My stomach is full..." Serena still couldn't believe she could say the last thing, but the woman couldn't think much about it because of Planter's burning gaze.

"I'm sorry, miss, but no. Your weight is way below average, and you must put on weight if you plan to stay here. These meals I prepare for you will do exactly that, they are high in calories and nutrients."

Letting out a tired sigh, Serena gave a weak nod, spooned the soup into her mouth, and continued eating. 

Jerry was asleep with her head in Sasha's lap, who was calmly stroking her brown hair. 

The redhead's eyes then moved to another table, where Arbiter Xio and Trickmaster Fors were seated. Both were rereading for who knows how long the sheet of paper he left them with the formulas.

Turning from the couple's table, he looked at the table where Zombie Maric and Wraith Sharron were sitting. Both were silent and calmly sipping their own cups of tea.

His eyes moved back to Serena, Opera, and the sleeping Jerry. His gaze was calm, but his mind was something else.

'Serena Williams, while she has some determination and a desire to improve herself, is illiterate; she can't count and can barely read. Not only that... She is 'sick' and her body will take time for her to recover...'

Under Opera's care, treatments normally take years of physiotherapy and intense dieting would be reduced to a few days or weeks at most.

'Her body won't take long to recover and have the strength and weight of a normal woman... The problem will be the mind...'

'As far as I understand. There are only 5 paths that increase the brain in terms of intelligence in low sequences.'

Those are Apprentice, Machine, Savant, Mystery Prier, and Reader.

'I have the formula for three but not the other two... It wouldn't hurt to have 2 Apprentices, but those would be two Blood Moons I have to worry about...'

Having 2 Travelers would be quite useful and prove to be a very good investment. However, the sheer difficulty of obtaining the materials would make that difficult. Fors was lucky because she would have the support of an Angel family from that path, this time Adryan didn't know if it would also happen so it was better to avoid future problems.

'Mystery Prier is out of the question. Serena does not yet have the mental fortitudes to resist the direct injection of knowledge and will die as soon as she hears the first whispers...'

While he could protect her from those whispers, he doubted he'd be able to stay vigilant all day long enough to keep her from dying from it. If he got caught again like the Rose School did before, then she would be as good as dead if the whispering had started.

'Unlike the rest, Machine is Sequence 8. Serena would have to go through Monster if I want her to get the brain from a machine... That makes me have to get 2 formulas and a set of materials. 

'Not only do I have to worry about her digesting the potion in time but the Monster Path is for lucky people and Serena doesn't have much of that, I could even say her whole life is a misfortune... If I make Serena take that potion, it would only doom her to stay in a low sequence her whole life...'

'Reader, I may get it in Lenburg or even from Teacher, and I'm sure it can help, but while that path has great potential, Serena's lack of education will make bringing out that potential almost impossible. Even if the potion increases her intelligence, it cannot create miracles...'

Sure, he could always give her a potion that would increase her strength, but without a brain, that great strength meant nothing!

'That only leaves the last option...

' If I do it wrong, it will be a much more dangerous method than Mystery Prier, but if I do it right, it will be many times safer!'

'Secrets Supplicant has similarities to Mystery Prier in that they both receive information through Great Existences whispering things to them... The main difference would be that in Secret Supliant, you can choose who whispers to you!'

If Serena kept continuously praying to the Scarlet Monarch, Adryan could get information to her safely and quickly without fear of hurting her and endangering her life!

'Plus, I have the entire Sequence of that path resting in my wardrobe... Having a Shepper on my side would certainly be an advantage I can't ignore!'

He took all that into account before he took Serena. He didn't take her under his wing out of the goodness of his heart. While he wasn't evil, he wasn't a guardian angel either.

'When she knelt down and begged me to take her, I could see it... The fanaticism, the way she sees me... I am her Idol, she said so herself.'

The modern man inside him saw the enormous advantage this could bring; he had seen how far these kinds of people could go. Defending the indefensible and always protecting their idols.

What more loyal form is there than a crazed fan?

'Serena becoming a Secret Supplicant would just be the icing on the cake.'

The same was true of Opera and Jerry. To him, they made no difference in that sense.

He was their idol, and he would use that to his advantage.

Of course, because of his distrust of what the pathway she was on meant. Adryan would have an extra eye on Opera for anything.

'Sorry, girls, but I'm not a savior. I never was.' Adryan thought calmly as he ate the food prepared by the planter.

'But don't worry. I promise that just as I will use you, I will raise you so high that you too will become idols to those who look up to you.' Smiling, Adryan closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them mischievously.

'After all, I'm just a Bastard. Not a Piece of Shit~'