Lin Ruo's mood was undeniably complicated at the moment, because when discussing Sasrir with the True Creator, the True Creator showed him a message, one that the Ancient Sun God had left deep within his own humanity—
"Lin Ruo, by the time you hear this message, I have probably already fallen."
"To be honest, this is quite surprising, but since it has happened, both you and I can only accept this fact."
"Life must go on. I hope that even without me, your doctor, you won't give up on treatment. Maintaining your humanity and your self is what you need to do most."
"After my fall, the Heavenly Kingdom must have also fallen apart. Fortunately, the era of the Mutants has ended. Even without me, and even if the Heavenly Kingdom is gone, humanity will still be the Dominator of this world. I only hope that the future rulers will treat the Mortals of this world kindly."
"If my contingency plan hasn't completely failed, you will probably meet another me. Of course, I know you won't acknowledge them, just as you never considered Sasrir and me to be the same person."
"Sometimes I get a headache because of this perception of yours. Sasrir and I share the same origin; even if our personalities are different, how can we be considered two separate people? But occasionally, I also feel that you are right. People with different personalities, even if their Souls are the same, cannot truly be considered one person."
"But for now, let's set aside these unanswerable questions and talk about serious matters."
"I know about the contingency you left on Sasrir, and I know it can preserve his personality when I reclaim Sasrir. I have to say, your abilities sometimes truly exceed my expectations."
"And regarding your contingency, I actually made a small modification, one I originally thought I wouldn't need. With it, if an accident truly occurs, and my contingency plan truly takes effect, Sasrir can, after I disappear, undergo Fusion with the existence that was originally born with him as its main body, becoming the new Hanged Man, a Hanged Man led by him."
"Don't worry about the issue of madness. The gift you left him, after my modification, is enough to suppress this issue for a period of time. As long as enough anchors are prepared within this period, or if he undergoes Fusion with the divinity I left behind, this issue will be resolved."
"This can also be considered a contingency I left through your hands. Even if I truly disappear in the end, Sasrir can still survive, which is equivalent to me surviving."
"This is also my last gift to this world. Compared to the existence left after my fall, which shares my Soul but has an unknown personality, I actually trust Sasrir more. He is me, and yet not entirely me, but he loves humanity just as I do. He will do what I wanted to do and protect this world."
"Don't miss me, Lin Ruo. You have many people around you. You don't need to miss someone who can never return."
"Finally, to be honest, compared to 'Brother,' I still hoped you would call me 'Father.'"
The message ended there. There was no lengthy discourse, nor was it overly sentimental, very much in line with the Ancient Sun God's characteristics from Lin Ruo's few memories.
But its content, it must be said, was quite surprising to Lin Ruo.
"But I don't want to call you Father. After all, I'm always the one being called 'Dad' by others..." Lin Ruo said, as if complaining. He looked at the ashes in the copper basin, his tone suddenly calming down, and said:
"So what do you think?"
The words formed by ashes in the copper basin moved without wind, and the ashes changed again, forming a new answer:
"Everything should be like this. We are one."
Lin Ruo looked at the words, silent for a long time. He suddenly curved his lips into a smile, reached out, picked up the cup next to him, poured himself a cup of black tea, and drank it in one gulp.
"Sometimes I also wonder what you truly are. Are you his mad humanity, Sasrir's severed personality, or something else?"
Lin Ruo's expression was rarely bewildered. No matter how clear-headed and rational he was, Lin Ruo was still a "Mortal." Of course, there were times when he felt lost.
He could treat Adam, who had no emotions but insisted on acting, with indifference, because Lin Ruo knew that all the emotions Adam displayed were fake. The other party was merely carrying out the order to "guard" him. All the truth beneath the warmth was only to stabilize him, to be able to detect his abnormality at the first sign. If Adam were given a chance, he would absolutely resolve the trouble that was Lin Ruo without hesitation.
The True Creator and Adam were actually different. He was mad, evil, a complete Evil God. He had killed many people, and most of his followers had blood on their hands. He was an existence Lin Ruo could never accept.
Yet, it was on such an Evil God that Lin Ruo had more than once felt a familiar indulgence.
This indulgence made Lin Ruo confused and wavering, unable to face the True Creator with the attitude of an Evil God, yet he would be sobered by the bloody reality, regaining his rationality and firming his original intention.
So I'm really a scoundrel... Lin Ruo thought, pulling at the corner of his mouth and saying:
"But that doesn't seem important anymore."
He shook his head, put down the cup, blinked, and then smiled, saying: "Since this is your decision, let's talk about the details. First, to ensure that you won't leave me with a messy fellow after your Fusion, the first step we need to take is to find enough anchors for your future selves."
"For this, I have some humble ideas, such as first reorganizing your Aurora Order, and then perhaps creating a new identity for you. Of course, these are just minor methods, after all, the bulk of the world's faith has already been devoured by the Seven Gods. To truly solve the anchor point problem, we still have to start from the root..."
Lin Ruo gestured with his fingers, explaining some of his ideas. His smile was gentle and brilliant, as if he had reverted to the Lin, the social butterfly, who wouldn't waver or feel lost, who could infuriate others within three sentences, and also make people's favorability rise rapidly within three sentences.
...In a temple of the True Creator in the Forsaken Land of the Gods—
In front of the giant Hanged Man statue, Sasrir sat meticulously, holding a book and studying it. On the ground beside him lay a pile of books half a person's height, many drafts with scribbles, and filled notebooks.
During this period, in addition to studying various external knowledge, Sasrir also provided many valuable suggestions for the ventures Lin Ruo was undertaking, such as the development of the Sea God Sect.
It could be said that he was truly working hard.
Suddenly, Sasrir's action of turning a page paused. He looked at the giant statue behind him as if sensing something, seemingly communicating with the other party. After about ten seconds, he said: "Are you truly decided?"
"..." The other side seemed to respond.
"That's right, we are one. You are the mad me, and I am the sober you." Sasrir nodded slightly, then heard something else and smiled, saying: "As expected of him, only he would dare to think and do such a thing."
"..." The True Creator seemed to say something else.
Sasrir's expression suddenly stiffened. He then looked at the pile of books beside him and said resignedly: "What's the difference? Before, I was working for the main body, and now I'm still working."
"I'm used to it." His smile carried a hint of resignation mixed with indulgence.