Chapter 842: Wonderful Coincidence

“What comes first: chicken or egg?” Gao Yang had guessed War Tiger’s question.

“Yes!” War Tiger laughed a little belatedly. "No wonder you said carrying the Rune Circuit for a long time might have subtly facilitated their reaching level 8."

"Indeed." Gao Yang paused, organizing his thoughts.

"Consider this: Upon arriving in the Mist World, we humans may or may not awaken. Once awakened, we strive to uncover the truth of this world, gradually forming a conviction in the process. If we're determined enough, we'll try to fulfill that conviction, growing stronger and seeking the most suitable method—the path to carrying out our conviction."

"If we happen to comprehend a powerful Talent with the corresponding Rune Circuit in our possession, wouldn't we, over time, subconsciously try to fulfill our conviction through the Talent's level 8 ability?"

"Of course we would!" War Tiger nodded, an analogy forming in his mind. "Suppose I'm trying to kill a powerful enemy, and I happen to have a good blade. I'll devote myself to mastering swordsmanship. If I have a good gun instead, I'll train in marksmanship."

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Looking at the process, whether I kill the enemy with a blade or a gun depends solely on what I possess. Yet, looking at the result, using a blade or a gun can lead to vastly different fates."

"Exactly." Gao Yang's eyes sharpened with focus. "It's said that great power comes with great responsibility, but it's often overlooked that different powers come with different responsibilities."

His gaze was determined, but his tone turned pessimistic. "I've come to believe that it's not the awakeners who comprehend Talents, but the Talents—or the Heavenly Way governing them—that choose the awakeners."

Gao Yang continued, "The twelve Rune Circuits are like radios the Heavenly Way placed in the Mist World. The lucky ones possess these radios and receive long-term signals from the other end, naturally setting them on a certain path. Is that truly their choice? Perhaps. Or maybe the Heavenly Way wants them to believe they're making the choice."

"Ultimately," Gao Yang looked at War Tiger, "do humans really have free will?"

A gust of wind hit them from behind. War Tiger shuddered and hissed, "It's suddenly getting a bit chilly."

He took out another cigarette, popping it into his mouth without thinking. "Let's not digress. We should focus on the present."

"Right," Gao Yang agreed, dropping the issue. "To summarize, for the top twelve Talents to reach level 8, the method can be unbelievably simple. It is..."

He paused briefly before voicing the hint from the diary: "Wait patiently."

Yes, wait patiently.

Wait for a certain conviction, a clear path to carry it out, and the concrete ability granted by the level 8 Talent to align. Then one could merge with the Rune Circuit and reach level 8. Conversely, if these three elements initially misaligned, one might never reach level 8.

"We can't wait!" War Tiger exploded. "We can't afford to wait! Given what you're saying, Qilin will be the first to reach level 8 Puppeteer. And that old fox will soon hit level 8 with her Prophet, too. We can't wait for Dragon to wake up."

And even once Dragon wakes up, he may not win without level 8 Overlord.

War Tiger left that thought unspoken.

Gao Yang knew this, of course. He had also considered that if Qilin was going to comprehend another top Talent, it should have been Azure Dragon's Limitless Evolution.

It seemed that the close bond between people influenced the allocation of Talents, yet Qilin had acquired Puppeteer, whose previous owner had little connection to him.

Perhaps the allocation of Talents was affected not only by interpersonal relationships but also by Qilin's beliefs and the fact that he had been carrying the Summon Rune Circuit with him for some time.

Regardless of Qilin's ultimate ambition, he was the type to rule with an iron fist, preferring to exploit rather than be exploited, judging by his past actions. The level 8 Puppeteer and its ability would better match the path to fulfill Qilin's conviction.

Gao Yang paused, extending his hand to War Tiger. "Then we've reached an agreement. The Nine Scions need the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and the Twelve Zodiac Signs need the Nine Scions."

War Tiger was slightly surprised.

This kid's resembling Dragon more and more.

He took Gao Yang's hand in a firm grip. "Alright! Pleasure working with you!"

"Pleasure working with you," Gao Yang replied.

They released hands and simultaneously turned to the wooden cow pen before them. Most of the cows inside were lying on their sides, oblivious to the approaching strangers. Only a few remained standing, their eyes dull.

"What's your plan?" War Tiger asked.

Gao Yang stared at the cows. "The longer we wait, the lower our odds. We have to take the initiative."

"Damn!" War Tiger took a dramatic step back. "How are you getting more reckless than I am? You've learned from the best and surpassed me."

"Feel free to suggest if you have a better idea."

War Tiger inhaled the smoke and exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "I have none."

"I plan to end the civil war in two steps," Gao Yang outlined his rough plan. "First, we initiate an attack on two fronts."

"Haha, that's your style." War Tiger recalled the Nine Scions' revenge operation against the Ocean River Union.

"Openly, we gather everyone to attack the Ocean River Union. Ideally, we defeat them. Even if we can't, we uncover all their cards in preparation for the ultimate future battle."

"In secret, we capture Dr. Jia."

War Tiger grinned. "On that, I agree. We must find that genius. Who knows what other terrifying things he might invent? He's too great a threat."

"We need to locate his hiding place first. Then I'll grab him," Gao Yang said. "I have experience in that."

"It's better we take him alive," Gao Yang countered. "If we kill him, Genius is more likely to fall into the Ocean River Union's hands, given their greater numbers. Dr. Jia is at least a neutral party, and Qilin can't always control him. If Genius ends up with someone loyal to Qilin, we'll face more trouble."

"Wait, why can't we grab Dr. Jia first, then attack the Ocean River Union?"

"That's one approach, but I'm concerned that once we take Dr. Jia, the Union will retreat and avoid conflict. They know best what that genius can create. Time isn't on our side. The longer we wait, the higher the chance Puppeteer and Prophet reach level 8, further reducing our odds. It's best to work both angles simultaneously, giving them less time to react."

"Makes sense." War Tiger nodded. "But do you know where Dr. Jia's hidden?"

"Somewhere beneath the Feiyang District, accessible by the hyperloop system. Nainai once hid on Dr. Jia, went to the Qilin Guild, then snuck out."

“We’ll look for it,” said War Tiger.

"It's not that simple. There are alarms and sensors everywhere. Nainai only got out because Dr. Jia found an excuse to visit the Walled City of Ten Dragons. If we comb through the place, we'll alert the Union."

"Then what?"

"There's a way," Gao Yang glanced at War Tiger. "Some time ago, Chen Ying acquired Sensory."

War Tiger wasn't surprised that Little Tian's Talent would be "passed down" to Chen Ying. "Alright. I'll lend her the Psyche Rune Circuit now."

Gao Yang hesitated before admitting, "It's okay. Her Sensory is already level 6."

"Huh?" War Tiger was shocked. "We have the Psyche Rune Circuit. How did she reach level 6?"

Gao Yang explained simply, "She said she had a dream about Little Tian. When she woke up, she had Sensory at level 6."

War Tiger gaped. "That can happen?"

"I've never heard of it before either."

War Tiger clicked his tongue. "Is the Heavenly Way growing senile or something?"

"Let's not dwell on that now," Gao Yang refocused. "With level 6 Sensory, Chen Ying can narrow down the search area. Then we'll send someone underground to map the route, avoiding sensors and alarms. Once we're at war with the Union, there'll be less security on Dr. Jia. That's when I'll kidnap him."

"That could work," War Tiger stroked his stubbled chin. "So we just need someone who can easily infiltrate underground."

"Yeah," Gao Yang sighed softly. "Intangibility would be ideal, but unfortunately, Herb Snail died at the Starcatching Pavilion."

"Well! What a wonderful coincidence!" War Tiger beamed.