Chapter 87

“Lynn, you must survive.”

Pleasing you?

Lynn froze for a few seconds, shaking his head internally.

He wasn’t some joke machine; his style was all about being a ruthless, decisive warrior. There was no way he’d ever stoop to that shameless act of trying to make someone laugh.

Besides, compared to trying to please that emotionally cold Witch Miss, he thought that making Ivyst fall for him had a way better shot.

Sure, that crazy woman didn’t understand love and just saw him as a toy or pet, but hey, it was definitely better than the nihilistic vibes of the Witch Miss.

Lynn didn’t think he could leave an unforgettable impression in the heart of a god who’d lived for a hundred thousand years.

As if sensing his confusion, the Witch Miss turned around from her elevated position.

Watching her lift her dress slightly, Lynn fell silent.

It was the only moment he felt a hint of elegance from her, instead of the aloofness of divinity.

It was as if the noble villainess had momentarily returned to her former self.

“When I said ‘please me,’ I didn’t mean the current me,” the red-eyed Witch Miss looked down with superiority, “but the ‘me’ from your time.”

Ah, now it made sense.

But then Lynn felt a bit puzzled.

Isn’t that exactly what he was already doing every day?

It sort of felt constricting, but strictly speaking, that was the truth.

To earn her unprecedented trust, become her most relied-upon subordinate, and gain maximum freedom and power, everything Lynn had been doing was aimed at this goal.

Building strength in secret while looking for ways to run away.

He honestly didn’t know how else to please that crazy woman Ivyst.

So, Lynn, looking a bit confused, asked, “What’s the purpose of this trial?”

He really didn’t get it.

Why would the Witch Miss suddenly want him to win over her past self?

This didn’t seem like something a god would do.

Upon hearing this, the Sorceress of the End wore a blank face: “You’ve always wanted to escape from the past me, right?”

Lynn awkwardly smiled but didn’t answer.

“On the last day before returning, ‘I’ will receive a temporary task.” The Witch Miss adjusted her skirt and sat down on the steps, “This task will take a long time to complete, so aside from those responsible for combat, everyone else will be sent ahead to the Imperial Capital.”

There’s a task?

A glimmer of light shone in Lynn’s eyes.

It was like seeing a beacon of hope; the freedom he longed for was within reach.

From Ivyst and the others’ perspective, he was currently a Transcendent who believed in the “Holy Knowledge” and had no combat abilities, so the chances of being kept around were practically nonexistent.

If that’s the case…

“Let’s save the wild fantasies for after we leave here,” the Sorceress of the End seemed to sense his inner thoughts and coldly interrupted, “Do you think that past me would let you escape so easily?”

Lynn felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him, his expression falling.

Well, that was true.

With how suspicious that woman was, knowing he wanted to run away not long ago, how could she possibly let him go that easily?

Moreover, Ivyst knew that someone like him would likely be recruited by other princes as soon as he returned to the Imperial Capital.

There was even a chance he might catch the eye of that mortal enemy, Cyrilina.

Considering such possibilities, the odds of escaping her were nearly zero.

Because according to her character, she’d rather destroy something she coveted than let it fall into someone else’s hands.

“So, you need to use every means at your disposal to please her before she executes her temporary task and leave her with a precious memory.”

“Only then might you have the chance to capture the one moment in my life where I’m soft-hearted.”

“I see, I understand.”

After a long silence, Lynn nodded.

The person who knows Ivyst best must be her.

So since the Witch Miss said so, he had to follow through.

Although Lynn vaguely felt that there was some key information she hadn’t revealed in her statement.

Moreover, it was strange that a cold person like the Witch Miss would show such concern for his escape plan today, even offering suggestions.

Lynn didn’t get it; he could only chalk it up to divine scheming.

Besides, just because he asked didn’t mean she would answer.

In the end, he’d just be digging his own grave.

As long as he could gain freedom from that woman, the outcome was what mattered. The process? Who cares.

“So, how do I please you?”

Lynn pondered for a moment and asked again.

“That’s none of my business.”

The Witch Miss said coldly.

Heh.

She told him to win over her past self, and yet she acts like a tsundere, claiming it’s not her concern.

Lynn scoffed internally.

In no time, an awkward silence fell between the two.

Lynn thought that according to her character, after running out of things to say, she’d kick him out of the Temple of the Gods.

Surprisingly, after a long period of silence, she spoke again.

“There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“If you get the chance, please thank Afia and the others for me.”

For some reason, there was a fleeting look of surprise in the Sorceress of the End’s eyes.

As if she were remembering something from a time long gone.

“Okay, I’ll definitely pass it on.”

Lynn nodded.

It seemed that even beings with such a long lifespan could feel bittersweet nostalgia when recalling the past.

The Sorceress of the End fell silent again.

She waved her hand, watching the rifts in space gradually shatter behind Lynn.

Feeling the familiar pull, Lynn didn’t resist, letting his consciousness be pulled into the passage.

The grand scene of the Temple of the Gods slowly faded away.

The white-haired woman in the black dress slowly turned away, no longer looking at him.

After a moment, the entire hall once again returned to silence.

Only the faint sounds of the order chains echoed as the Sorceress of the End walked.

She gently raised her slender wrist, as if sketching something in the air.

After a moment, images began to appear before the Sorceress of the End.

If Lynn were still there, he would immediately recognize these people.

The images included Afia, Milani, Morris, and others, even Rhine, Greya, and those from Augusta Manor were not left out.

Looking at these cold silhouettes, a hint of indescribable emotion appeared in the Sorceress of the End’s eyes.

“Sorry.” She spoke softly to these false images, “He’s too weak and came too late.”

“In the end… it’s impossible to stop everything that happens afterwards.”

It was as if she were murmuring to herself or addressing these phantoms.

Sadly, they had no life; they stood like stone statues, frozen in place.

After a long silence, the Sorceress of the End waved her hand, dispersing the phantoms.

Then she slowly lifted her head, gazing through the dome of the Temple of the Gods at the massive Damocles Sword that loomed in the high heavens.

“The past cannot be relived, but the future can be changed. That’s what you told me.”

“Although I don’t know why you possess the power to shift the course of fate, you are indeed a key figure who can change the events of a hundred thousand years later.”

“So you mustn’t die.”

“Even if including the me from that time, no one can escape the worst of outcomes, at the very least… you need to leave Orlen City.”

“Lynn Bartleon, you must survive.”