I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

“He’s convinced I planted a bomb on the way here.” W chuckled, dipped his finger into his coffee, and then drew a shallow, damp line on the map.

“The Chernobog military and police training base, administrative offices, the Ursus school area, and retirement homes for retired employees... this road includes one-third of Chernobog’s central hub.”

Noticing Talulah's gaze, Sarkaz smirked and slumped back into his armchair, raising his hands in surrender: "I swear I never had the idea of ​​blowing up Ursus. It's just a professional habit. I would never choose such a method unless absolutely necessary."

“My method was so subtle, yet he was so certain I was well-prepared. Talulah, do you know what he said back then?”

Talulah placed her fist, interlacing her fingers, on the table and staring directly at W: "What did he say?"

“He said to execute Plan B, to blow up a third of the road we’d come from. I guarantee he wasn’t laughing then; that certainty sent chills down everyone’s spine.” Sarkaz slammed his fist on the table. “I’m more worried about him than the Doctor now. Do you know how he almost blew us all up with grenades in front of the White Coffin?!”

“He’s a madman—I always thought I was crazy, but he’s a hundred or a thousand times crazier than I thought! You can win over the Doctor with trust and warmth, but you could never control Li Lin with this kind of method!”

Once Sarkaz had calmed down, the dragon girl released her grip again: "I'll think about this carefully, but where did the grenade in the mentor's hand come from?"

"I gave it to her..." After noticing Talulah's gaze, W pouted, "Okay, it was my mistake."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Li Lin should no longer have access to any flammable or explosive materials.

"I'll keep that in mind." Talulah rubbed her temples. "And what identity did you give the Doctor?"

“I can’t be bothered with him. Li Lin fooled me by saying that he was the command center of the Reunification Movement, with a status equivalent to that of the Patriots. Several years ago, you sent people to put him in the white coffin.”

Draco said somewhat helplessly, "Alright... let's leave it at that for now."

After resolving the issues with the doctor and Li Lin, they returned to discussing whether to launch the uprising ahead of schedule.

"Actually, it's not impossible to start an uprising early. According to the King Killer, the next natural disaster is just around the corner. Even without your riot tonight, the whole city is secretly stirring."

This is one of the few pieces of good news for the Reunion Movement.

"Natural disasters can be an opportunity for us."

In Terra, natural disasters are quite common. They are caused by the crystallization of Originium. The more concentrated and abundant the Originium, the greater its attraction to other Originium crystals. Eventually, when the Originium content in an area exceeds the upper limit, a series of chain reactions will cause a natural disaster.

This is why cities in Terra are more prone to natural disasters, because compared to natural Originium veins, cities not only have all the Originium crystals used on the surface, but are also closer to Originium crystal particles in other fluid environments.

This is why mobile city-states are so popular in Arknights: as long as you avoid natural disasters, the resulting Originium veins can bring a lot of profit resources to the city.

The regicide killed Sergei on the eve of the catastrophe, which actually eliminated a competitor for the carnivores of Chernobog, a win-win situation.

"Then what is the specific time?" W no longer showed any objection. "You must give me a specific time. I will not go to a deadly situation where I am sure to die."

"At 2 PM six days from now, the nascent form of the Cataclysm will take shape near Chernobog. About an hour later, the Cataclysm will come into contact with the mines here, creating a large-scale Originium storm."

Talulah paused slightly, then lowered her voice and said to W, "So our action is imminent. Chernobog has been gradually dividing up its territory for half a month or even longer. Their final destination should be east of Saint-Germain, in the heart of the Ursus Empire."

".......I see."

She tilted her head back and drank the now-cold coffee in one gulp, then got up and pushed open the door to leave. It was almost dawn, and she could still catch up on some sleep if she went to bed now.

Talulah stared at the flickering candlelight before her, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"My headache is getting worse."

Draco tried to recall his first meeting with the woman who claimed to be from that year, when she seemed to have said something to him, but now Talulah couldn't remember anything.

It seemed to be a very pleasant and harmonious conversation?

“Yes, it was indeed a pleasant and harmonious conversation.” Someone smiled gently behind her.

"Is that so?" Talulah nodded and turned around without the slightest doubt.

The silver-haired duke leaned against the wall, the campfire casting his shadow, which flickered like a snake or a moth about to emerge from its cocoon.

"I see." Talulah nodded, took out a wrinkled book from her waist pocket, and began to read as usual.

Gulu...

The surrounding darkness seemed to surge like a viscous liquid.

"Do you still want to continue reading this book? It's very damaging to your sanity," the Duke gently advised.

Talulah didn't take her eyes off the book in her hands; she instinctively didn't want to.

"If you continue to neglect your health like this, I'm afraid I won't be able to stay with you for much longer."

Talulah paused her reading and quietly reflected: her own health was important, but the care of her loved ones was also invaluable.

“Perhaps you can try a different approach.” The Duke looked at Talulah gently. “You can slow down the pace of this reading and gradually adapt to it. This is much better than forcing yourself to understand forbidden knowledge, isn’t it?”

Is that right?

Talulah's thoughts were a little hazy, but what the Duke said made sense, and she nodded hesitantly.

The Duke was his friend. After he escaped from the territory of Kosiché, the Duke was seriously injured. It was only after Li Lin provided him with this book that the Duke gradually woke up and began to talk to him.

This is not easy.

Seeing that Talulah was no longer insistent, the Duke smiled gently.

"Take good care of yourself," he advised, just like any close friend.

“I will,” Talulah nodded.

The campfire crackled and popped as the sky gradually brightened, and the surrounding darkness receded like a tide.

Strangely, the Duke's figure was also gradually fading away.

"Who are you?" Talulah suddenly frowned, feeling that her memories were somewhat... fragmented and unclear.

The Duke did not answer until his figure shattered into a patchwork of light and shadow, the heavy black outline forming an upward arc.

Someone is laughing.

"Koschche!" Talulah clutched the book in her hand. She woke up in despair from the chair, covered in cold sweat. The candle in front of her had burned the candle into a grotesque shape, the map was wrinkled, and the room was filled with a bitter smell.

Sweat beaded on her face.

Talulah's memories of this period were slipping away like sand through her mind.

She quickly regained her composure, and the headache that had been bothering her was gone and would not return for quite some time.

Talulah took a deep breath, put the book back in her pocket, and the eastern sky was already bright.

......

Li Lin opened his eyes in bed and found himself all alone.

Li Lin narrowed his dark eyes slightly, a resentful expression on his face: "Damn it, I'll definitely take down Nian Ma next time. But she's just a mere Longevity cultivator. Once I ask Si Chen to put some drugs in her medicine, I'll take her down sooner or later."

Putting aside the strange act of putting drugs in medicine, and whether Si Chen would agree to it, Li Lin, who had not learned his lesson from last night's failure, was completely unaware of the consequences.

The dark green desktop slowly opened in front of Li Lin.

After the merger of the Integration Movement and the Mutual Aid Society, the daily affairs of the cult did not actually require Li Lin's personal attention and could be operated normally. However, Li Lin, who loved to cause trouble, would not miss any opportunity to make a mess.

What came into view was naturally Li Lin's own card. The newly created Cult Leader casually glanced over the others and then stopped on Talulah.

【Fighter Talulah】

[Sexual Aspect: Blade]

[Current Stage: First Imprint]

Flames rise from the desolate land, and the resolute warrior grips her longsword. Talulah always goes where the flames burn the brightest; her skills are full of power.

Beside her, four gray-black, semi-transparent temporary cards had appeared out of nowhere.

On the rectangular card back, gray and black colors outline the dark night falling outside the window, and beneath the night, a figure on the bed stares at the darkness and moonlight with despair.

When Li Lin curiously picked up the temporary card, new text appeared before his eyes.

【fear】

[A certain influence triggered despair.]

I've seen too much. An unknown fear is gnawing at my hope with its sharp teeth; a fear of existence itself.

During a special time in the Cult Simulator, just three Fear cards can kill someone, and now Talulah has four Fear cards around her.

How come this guy is still alive?

While marveling at the sight, Li Lin tirelessly surrounded Talulah with four cards of Fear, sometimes overlapping, sometimes intertwining, sometimes covering each other... Before long, Talulah's card began to gradually turn gray, and a new symbol appeared in the lower right corner.

Madness: Nightmare of Terror

I always wake up in the middle of the night. My palms and face are covered in sweat. When I lie down, something seems to be lurking under the bed, like a spider web in the corner of the room.

[The first mark of madness has been triggered! The current madness must be dispelled, and the necessary conditions must be met to hold an advancement ceremony!]

The current madness will transform at a special time, and you will permanently lose this believer!

"This is so much fun!" Li Lin seemed to have discovered a new way to play, so he temporarily let Talulah go and started messing with other acquaintances.

30. It's been said that Master Li is petty.

when--

Not far away, the cathedral in the Chernobog mining district began to ring its bells, three times in total, repeating this cycle to announce the arrival of daylight.

For some reason, when the King Killer woke up today, he felt like he was hallucinating, with moths fluttering around his ears, but Lyudmila didn't pay any attention to it.

After all, he had a one-shot kill with the Ursus last night, so it's normal to experience tinnitus and auditory hallucinations due to overexertion and exhaustion.

When she got up, the Kingslayer almost twisted her ankle. She yawned and suddenly felt an itch on her back, like something was crawling on it.