Guernica
"It?"
Chen Ling was stunned and his gaze once again looked towards that blank Picture Frame hanging above the door.
The next moment, lines were outlined on the blank paper one after another, intersecting into meaningless triangles, rectangles, ovals, and some other geometric figures, filling the blank paper. At first glance, it looked like an elementary school student's exercise on white paper using various drawing tools.
The Second Hall... is a painting?
Let alone the problem of species, even if it was a painting, it should at least have a human outline... These messy geometric figures looked way too abstract.
As if hearing Chen Ling's thoughts, these geometric figures automatically pieced together. The oval stood up like a long face, the trapezoid was placed at the nose position, the rectangle lay horizontally like a mouth. One circle and one triangle were placed on the left and right sides of the nose, like a pair of eyes of different sizes and unequal heights.
"[Six of Hearts] Chen Ling." A low voice came from the picture frame. "In the past hundred years, you are the second Dusk Society member to come here."
Chen Ling raised his brows slightly. Although he already had the answer in his heart, he still played dumb and asked:
"The first one is the shame of our Floating Life Painting." The voice of the Second Hall was extremely calm. "Now, he is locked in 'Guernica', unable to escape his cage for eternity."
The "first one" the Second Hall mentioned naturally referred to that Azure Spirit Path genius known by the Nine Great Realms, the former Ninth Hall, and the current Dusk Society's [Eight of Clubs].
Chen Ling and the others had long known that Eight of Clubs was imprisoned by Floating Life Painting. One of the reasons they racked their brains to find the Red Dust Base was to rescue him from the hands of Floating Life Painting.
However... what was "Guernica"?
"So, will I end up with the same fate as him?" Chen Ling asked in return.
"Perhaps worse." The Second Hall said lightly. "That depends on your own attitude."
"My attitude is very good. Along the way, I smiled at everyone I met."
Yang Muquan next to him rolled his eyes.
The Second Hall also seemed too lazy to bicker with Chen Ling, and went straight to the point:
"You said earlier that you know the mastermind behind this attack? And also about the crisis of the Red Dust Domain?"
"To be exact, I know a part of it."
"Tell me."
"What can I get?"
"Get what?" The voice of the Second Hall grew colder. "As a Dusk Society member, being able to still stand here alive is already the greatest mercy... It's not us negotiating terms with you now. It's you who needs to show your value to us."
Chen Ling had long expected this rhetoric.
With his current identity, and being in the lair of Floating Life Painting, these Hall Masters definitely wouldn't negotiate any terms with him, let alone let him leave. This wasn't what Chen Ling wanted either... His purpose was merely to find the Red Dust Base as an vanguard, paving the way for Jack of Clubs and the others behind.
But if Chen Ling didn't ask, it would conversely make him look very suspicious. How could a Dusk Society member cooperate so frankly with Floating Life Painting?
In order to not let the Hall Masters get suspicious, Chen Ling had to put on an appearance of being coerced, striving hard to fight for his own interests. Only this was the most natural, and could buy time for the other Dusk Society members.
"I can tell you everything I know." Chen Ling spoke calmly. "But at least, I need a guarantee that after I finish speaking, I will still be alive."
"Okay."
Only after receiving this answer did Chen Ling pretend to hesitate for a long time, and slowly said:
"The one who planned this attack is the Wuji Domain."
Hearing the four words Wuji Domain, Yang Muquan raised his brows slightly, while the Second Hall seemed to have no reaction. He still hung quietly on the Grand Relief Gate, as if waiting for more information.
"On the second floor of the Great World Cabaret, I once heard a conversation between two Wuji Domain Special Envoys..."
Chen Ling recounted all the intelligence he knew about the Wuji Domain. At first, Yang Muquan was half-believing and half-doubting, but after hearing that they colluded with the Beidou Consortium and even restored Mu Chunsheng's health, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
The teleportation formation on the second floor of the Great World Cabaret, the items used for Sacrifice, the suddenly recovered Mu Chunsheng, and the massive amount of Scarlet Heaven Cultists that suddenly drilled out from underground at the Big Dipper Manor during this attack... All the clues connected together. Every clue known by Floating Life Painting could be corroborated with Chen Ling's description.
After listening, Yang Muquan's gaze returned to the picture frame on the Grand Relief Gate.
The Second Hall had long started suspecting the Wuji Domain, and even sent two Hall Masters to investigate the Wuji Domain not long ago. But Chen Ling's words undoubtedly corroborated this thought. Who knew what the Second Hall was thinking now...
The Second Hall remained silent for a long time before slowly opening his mouth:
"Is there anything else?"
"That's all I can think of for now."
Before Chen Ling's voice fell, a blinding white light suddenly erupted from the picture frame on the Grand Relief Gate. A huge palm formed from a pile of various geometric figures suddenly extended out, completely enveloping Chen Ling's figure within!
The next moment, these geometric figures gradually dissipated in the air, and that Great Crimson Theatrical Robe also disappeared without a trace.
Seeing this, Yang Muquan couldn't help but ask:
"Are you really not going to kill him?"
"I said I would let him live, I never break my word." From the picture frame, that square face formed of geometric figures spoke calmly. "Being locked in 'Guernica', he's no different from being dead... Even, it will be more tormenting than death."
"...Then what do you think about the Wuji Domain matter?"
The Second Hall didn't respond. Those two geometric eyes, one big and one small, silently watched a certain direction in the distance. After an unknown amount of time, he finally said slowly:
"Wait for them to return."
...
Wuji Domain.
Two figures stepped across puddles emitting a faint smell of rust, traversing the dim streets.
One of them was a woman with black hair draped over her shoulders, and the other was a middle-aged man with a palette hanging from his waist. Both were wearing brightly colored clothes with distinct Red Dust Domain characteristics, walking slowly along the road.
Sixth Hall, Seventh Hall.
Their appearance immediately attracted some gazes... But the source of these gazes wasn't the street, but the narrow and cramped windows in those dim rooms. The dim sunlight shone into these rooms, and almost no light was reflected out. Only behind these windows could one vaguely see timid and hunched figures.
The two Hall Masters' gazes swept over the surroundings, their brows furrowing tighter and tighter...
They walked straight towards that massive Church under the setting sun. The sunset dragged the shadow of the Church on the ground, enveloping the two within, like a ferocious and dark demon.