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

"Si Suixu, neglecting his duties due to his lack of knowledge of etiquette, being negligent and inattentive, failing to exercise respect, and failing in his supervisory responsibilities, has thus failed in his post! He is hereby stripped of his official rank and demoted to the post of guard of Yumen Pass!"

"The accompanying Celestial Master Li was ignorant of the laws and regulations, lacked proper cultivation, schemed for official positions, and failed in his supervisory duties, thus dereliction of duty! He is hereby punished by being stripped of his Celestial Master status and his Taoist registration is revoked, to be observed for future conduct!"

"General Zheng, the Minister of the Imperial Household, neglected his military duties, deceived the emperor, formed cliques for personal gain, and wreaked havoc in the court. He is hereby stripped of his post and exiled to the city of Qi in Jiang for twenty years!"

As imperial edicts were issued, officials' hats were removed, and heads rolled, a heavy stench of blood permeated the area inside and outside the Imperial Household Department.

The Grand Tutor opened his eyes, turned around, and pulled a bright yellow silk book from his sleeve.

"The Imperial Edict of the True Dragon reads: The messenger of the Great Yan court, the Left-Handed Candle Bearer of the Year's Terrace, has been diligent and conscientious in his duties, virtuous and capable, and has made great contributions. He is meticulous and insightful, truly a tiger cub from a military family and an advisor to the imperial court. His illustrious achievements are evident to all. I, the Emperor, remembering his merits, have submitted a petition that bypassed his rank, which is truly commendable! Therefore, I hereby promote you to the position of Travelling Official of the Great Yan, granting you an imperial retinue to inspect the three regions of Gouwu, Shangshu, and Longmen. If you encounter any injustice, you shall execute first and report later! Respectfully yours!"

"Left Musician of the Imperial Household Department, come forward to receive the imperial decree."

The Grand Tutor handed the imperial edict to the young man before him and said in a low voice, "It is an imperial decree: depart immediately without delay."

The boy named Zuo Le took the silk scroll, bowed his head, and touched his forehead to the cold ground: "Your subject Zuo Le obeys the decree."

.......

At the foot of Huiqi Mountain.

Deep within the courtyard, hidden by layers of paintings, the figure in the painting, who had sat for a hundred years, closed her eyes. After a moment, she drew the long sword from her waist and slowly stroked it across a blank painting.

A vibrant, fiery red dot leaps off the paper, and Nian, holding a folding fan, is laughing so hard in the painting that he's bent over backwards. The hot pot on the table is steaming with spicy heat, making everything around him indistinct.

It seemed like a long time later, a sigh of melancholy escaped from the mouth of the person in the painting.

"elder sister."

......

Shangshu has three mountains and seventeen peaks, but few people know about the existence of the eighteenth peak.

At the summit of Zhejiang Peak, the carefree traveler awoke from her dream, gazing drowsily at the distant sky. She sat calmly by the pavilion, swirling the wine jug in her hand.

A moment later, she raised the wine jug and drank deeply, then slumped back onto the chair in the pavilion, muttering to herself.

"The sunset before the mountain is filled with sorrow, worldly ties cannot restore the old pavilions, the clouds and sun beyond the sky cannot be grasped, I wonder if an old friend has come to visit me in my dream."

"My dream is broken, my soul is gone, the flute's sound fades into the distance; the spring breeze ripples the moon over the spring river. I am forever drunk, clutching the river peak; autumn comes, and sorrow fills the world."

End of volume remarks

It's all good, brothers! I've finished writing this volume! Well, I've gained some experience in creating interesting stories (seriously). I'm much better at writing stories than with the last one. I haven't strayed from the outline from beginning to end. Overall, it's very much to my liking. It's just that my drafts ran out a bit too quickly. I'm out of drafts for this volume (annoying).

Some people might find Li Lin to be a strange person, sometimes acting like an idiot and sometimes displaying exceptional intelligence. This has actually been explained in the main text and will be revealed step by step later.

If there's any major highlight, it's probably Koschei. In the Arknights arc, I spent more time and effort on Koschei than on Nian. After all, Nian is the main heroine and can be developed gradually later, but the chance to torment Koschei is only once.

Compared to the Black Serpent in the game, I actually had a slightly worse experience with my personal projects. For example, I played a small character within a grand narrative. While grand narratives are certainly beautiful, those who carry firewood for the masses should not freeze to death in the wind and snow. Some people we remember, and then slowly forget. Some people we don't even know their names. There are too many such nameless people who silently sacrifice themselves. But what are some people thinking?

Thankfully, it wasn't me who was sacrificed.

I'm sorry, I sometimes have that mindset too, and I feel deeply ashamed of having such thoughts.

But reality is often powerless; some things are beyond our control, and we have no choice but to compromise. As a social worker, I've seen many cases and numerous examples of burnout. I feel both empathy and relief when I see them; it's a tragedy, you could say.

So I said some things through Kosic's words. In essence, many people are prisoners trapped in a cycle of limited perspectives and times. Kosic is like that, and so am I. It's just that we have seen what the light looks like.

We have seen the sun, so we will not gently walk into the long night.

Returning to Koschke, he was a thorough Machiavellian, a creature driven by the will to power. Machiavellianism is not exactly respectable in society, and even in Western countries, it is not very popular.

Because he was too sharp and acerbic, much like Malthus's "An Essay on the Principle of Population," which called for actively reducing population growth through methods such as late marriage, celibacy, war, and famine, these thinkers, in a certain sense, unveiled the veil of warmth and tenderness in the whole society.

Machiavelli completely tore away the fig leaf of monarchs and the ruling class, believing that any means are justified in achieving one's goals. Thus, he became synonymous with power politics and strategy. Machiavelliism is usually divided into high Machiavellianism and low Machiavellianism.

Individuals with high Machiavellianism prioritize practical results, maintain emotional distance, and believe that outcomes justify means. Individuals with low Machiavellianism are easily influenced by the opinions of others and lack persuasiveness when presenting facts.

High Machiavellians are more willing to manipulate others, gain more benefits, and are less easily persuaded than low Machiavellians; they are more likely to persuade others, but these outcomes are also moderated by situational factors.

Košice was a Machiavellian who went from high to low.

After writing the previous chapter, I discussed with others in the group how to deal with Koschei. Our Night Watchmen gave three options: either learn from Patriot, who will crush you no matter what you say; or learn from the old lynx, who will give you even more profound riddles; or learn from the Doctor, who will point out a clearer new path for you.

After thinking about it, I believe that Master Li possesses all three qualities.

He's an even more insane madman than Black Serpent, stemming from his naturally open soul, and his sole purpose is to utterly destroy Black Serpent. The more you say, the more ruthless I'll become.

He handed over everything from Desheng to Talulah, and at that moment the Reunification Movement was no longer a mob organization, but could be regarded as Bolsheviks.

His knowledge far surpasses that of the Black Serpent's Originium Arts, something even more difficult to unravel than a riddle.

This is also my answer to all my previous questions: Screw you, why all the sentimentality? Just do it.

A pragmatist's answer is always action. That's what Master Li did, and that's what everyone does. Those who only desire but don't act are harmful to the world.

That's all for my thoughts on this volume. Also, the story of Arknights isn't over yet. As Flint's backup plan and Li Lin's initial world, it will have a far more profound impact.

As for Master Li's personal life and future, more will be revealed in the next volume of the Secret Cult Master World. I will try my best to maintain this lighthearted and pleasant writing style, which will become serious at crucial moments. I hope you will enjoy it.

47. The proliferation of evil reputation

Vienna, once known as the "White City," is now called "Red Vienna."

Before the first war that spanned the world, it served as the capital of four countries, with the Danube River flowing through it, making it shine like a jewel.

Vienna comprises 23 districts. The eastern and western parts of the city are residential areas, the northern part is the industrial area, and the southern part is Vienna's political, cultural, and exchange center. The city is further divided into three parts—the inner city, the outer city, and the suburbs—by the Danube River.

All sorts of people live here, and smoke lingers in the streets and alleys. The city is currently experiencing the pains of war, and an atmosphere of unease and strife permeates its interior.

Before the war, Vienna had a population of nearly two million, making it the fifth largest city in the world after London, New York, the Imperial City, and Paris. After the war, a quarter of the population left the city, causing the once crowded streets to become deserted.

This winter is much colder than usual, and these German-speaking people always frequent cafes and pubs, exchanging greetings in their fierce accents.

In a small tavern in the outer city, a heated argument was taking place, with people arguing over a trivial matter.

The two argued heatedly, and soon rolled up their sleeves and left the table and chairs. Fueled by alcohol, they demanded that the owner make room for them to duel. Unfortunately, the owner firmly refused to allow them to use firearms, so the two had no choice but to start free fighting.

The rather thin drunkard swayed as he lifted a chair, attempting to smash it over his opponent's head. However, the double vision made it difficult for him to see the direction clearly, and he ended up crashing into the counter.

The strong drunkard hadn't realized his opponent was already on the ground. He threw a left front kick, a right roundhouse kick, and a left jab, all of which hit the pillar, breaking his own bones with a snap.

The tavern erupted in laughter, and the owner would laugh along whenever this happened. He would then signal to the tavern's staff to put coats on the drunkards and throw them outside to sober up.

Vienna's winters are much warmer than other places; you could sleep right on the street and not freeze to death.

The not-so-tall waiter struggled to help the two drunkards out of the tavern. The biting cold wind blew against their faces, seeped into their collars, and flowed out of their sleeves.

By this time, the thin, drunkard had sobered up. He mumbled as he pushed away the waiter's help, "I told you, that person is still alive—there's no way a snake that big could exist! I bet it was just a, hiccup, rope..."

"You wretched wretch, the gin has already gotten your head all drunk!" the burly drunkard shouted as he swayed to his feet. "I saw a huge snake crawl into that poor wretch's house with my own eyes. He's definitely dead, I swear to Jesus!"

“Don’t say that, Joffrey,” the skinny drunkard waved his hand angrily. “I won’t believe it unless I see it with my own eyes.”

“Then go ahead and go, go ahead and go, Benjamin. You know the way.” Joffrey hiccuped as he bumped his head into a lamppost. The waiter quickly pulled him back, because Joffrey clearly mistook the lamppost for Benjamin, and he was pointing at it.

“Yes, I’ll go see it, and I’ll whip you across the face with that rope.” Benjamin leaned against the wall and began to vomit violently, then staggered two blocks away to a uniquely shaped house with a loft that rose high like a chimney.

The "Hunter" lived there, a well-known eccentric figure in the neighborhood.

......

A storm suddenly arose in the room filled with the smell of burning. Li Lin appeared out of thin air and plopped down on the young girl's head.

The giant snake angrily raised its head, and Li Lin, making a lot of noise, slid down its scales from the attic, pulling out a crowbar from his crotch as he slid down while making a series of "bang bang bang" sounds at the younger sister.

A stunning sight!

The little girl couldn't even scream. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably as if she had been electrocuted. The huge snake head raised and flicked out a tongue as thick as a human shoulder. Her eyelidless eyes were slightly white, and she had obviously lost consciousness. With a huge roar, the little girl, who was big enough to occupy the entire house, went limp, like a frozen river.

"You laughed, and that's it?"

Li Lin started spouting trash talk and continued climbing the stairs using both hands and feet. The little girl's weight made the stairs sway precariously. Li Lin, who loved to court death, would sometimes hop on both feet and sometimes on one foot.

The younger sister's body was dragged from the attic to the floor of the first floor. Li Lin spent a few minutes crossing the smashed floorboards again to return to the attic. The younger sister's enormous head was large enough to swallow a person whole, but now it was emitting a whimpering moan.

The pain from the crowbar made the younger sister realize that the person in front of her was not someone to be trifled with, and that his scent was quite familiar.

The giant snake lowered its head toward Li Lin, its eyes glistening with moisture, as if it were weeping.

Li Lin scratched his head, put away the crowbar, placed his hand on the younger sister's head, paused briefly, and then raised his palm instantly.

Dust rose, and the enormous, indescribable serpent suddenly transformed into a dim, bluish-purple stream of light, surging towards Li Lin's raised finger. The air vibrated incessantly, and the entire building swayed precariously.

The dark green desktop in front of him rose silently. Li Lin casually tossed the card in his hand onto the desktop. After the Arknights world, the system finally unlocked new functions.

Li Lin can now turn other things into cards and place them on the table, which naturally includes his younger sister who has lost the ability to resist and willingly submitted.

It was a card with a blue-purple background, slightly larger than Secret and Influence cards. Shadows covered most of the card, and on top of that, a ferocious cobra stretched out its body, revealing sharp fangs and flicking its tongue.

[Summoned creature: Little Sister]

[Sexual Nature: Revelation]

[Current Stage: First Imprint.]

One of the Divine Beasts was born among a swarm of snakes. He had many younger sisters.

The giant serpent had eyes like gas lamps, a mouth like a blood basin, teeth like stalagmites, a body like a river, and scales like black jade; its power was unstoppable.

The dark green desktop is much emptier than before. Almost all the influence disappeared as a consequence of the Chernobog explosion. With Li Lin's choice to return, all his acquaintances in the Arknights world were lost, and only a few traces of the Arknights world remain.

The names [Follower Lyudmila] and [Fighter Talulah] remain on the desktop, perhaps indicating that Li Lin can still contact them through some means.