My setting is above yours!

Chapter 96 [The Mask of Deception], Elvis and Harvey's Masks of Life! (5k6)

"A hero with a heart full of justice?"

Idrisla was slightly bewildered, but seeing Ron's extremely solemn and serious expression, her face immediately became serious as well.

Although Idrila didn't know why Ron would call someone a hero, it sounded like something out of a fairy tale...

But could there be an event in the world more like a "fairy tale" than the sudden appearance of an angel's chosen one who saves her from chaos?
Like a hero straight out of a fairy tale, he has accepted a commission from another hero... In Idrila's eyes, Ron is exactly that kind of figure now.

"Then he must be... well, he must be a righteous person like the heroes in fairy tales."

She responded earnestly, unaware that a subtle smile was playing on Ron's lips.

That's right...

Sure enough, Idrisla is easier to fool.

As the chosen protagonist of the play "Dragon Quest," Idrila is good in every way, except that she is too righteous and too trusting of others, rarely harboring malicious intent.

So, even though Ron's words were pure, offhand lies, Idrila didn't question his meaning. Instead, she preferred to believe him, to believe in something that seemed like a fairy tale...

But this is only the first step.

The concept of "another hero" was implanted into Idrila's consciousness, making her subconsciously accept that a hero was watching over Evening Bell City, preparing to cleanse it of evil and uphold justice...

So, at the moment the Silver Knight appeared, even if the Silver Knight had no idea that he was the protagonist, if Ron could guide him, the Silver Knight would be recognized as a hero by Idrila.

Of course... Idrila's approval alone is definitely not enough.

After all, this was just foreshadowing, and the least important foreshadowing at that—

It's merely a matter of conscious acceptance. How can something as easily altered as this kind of discourse change the current "script" of Evening Bell City in a mystical sense?

Ron still has many important scenes to film, and he also needs to lay the groundwork for new plot developments within them...

Just as Ron was pondering this, he suddenly heard Idrila's somewhat flustered voice:

"Oops!"

She looked out the window, suddenly noticed something, and her face turned anxious:
"I was careless and forgot about the time... Today's morning prayers have already passed!"
"My inexplicable absence from morning prayers must have alerted the Fire Chasers to something!"
“Sur must know too. He’s controlling me, trying to sacrifice so many people to complete the Fire Chasing Ritual. He’ll probably be here soon…”

As she spoke, her face was slightly pale, but she remained relatively calm, though a hint of heaviness appeared in her eyes as she looked at Ron:
“Mr. Ron, perhaps we should run away…”

'Oh, is it time for Father Sul to return to the Scorched Earth Sanctuary?'

Ron looked out the window and saw the Fire Knights, cloaked and clad, stepping firmly into the sanctuary, surrounding an old priest who was wearing a gilded silver mask.

'Looks like it's time to go... Now is not the time to confront Father Sue.'

'This dragon, designated by the script, should be left to the Silver Knight…'

Ron thought to himself, but simply nodded slightly, not denying Idrila's words:

"We really should run away... No, no, no, not really on foot. What are you running for?"

He stopped Idrila from making a quick getaway, gently extending his hand and saying:
"Come, take my hand."

Hold hands?
Idris was a little confused, unsure of Ron's intentions, but she still took his hand—

The next moment, she heard Ron's voice in her ear:
"The so-called favored ones of angels... of course they must fly!"

In an instant, [Vector Manipulation] was activated at full power, the glass on the top floor of the tower shattered, and Ron, dragging Idrila, was lifted into the air, plummeting towards the city gate of Evening Bell City like a shooting star.

Upon seeing the tower of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary suddenly shatter and two figures fly out, Father Sue was immediately terrified. He hurriedly prepared to put on his mask, only to find that his power was far from sufficient to pursue Ron and Idrila.

He is too fast!

Of course, going too fast has its downsides.

“Mr. Ron… um…”

As soon as she landed, Idrila staggered a couple of steps, her face pale. She uttered a few words in a broken voice before immediately covering her mouth, her stomach churning violently.

But soon, her physical constitution as a [War] sequence superhuman allowed her to recover from the dizziness, though a hint of resentment lingered in her eyes as she looked at Ron:
“Mr. Ron… if there’s a next time, uh…”

After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but bring it up:
"It would be best if you told me first, so I can be mentally prepared..."

Or rather, it's a magical preparation.

Flying out like that, and only pulling on one arm—Idrila was practically turned into a tattered kite in the air just now!

If there really is a next time, Idrila feels she must make some preparations and use some general magic to prevent her brains from being shaken apart during high-speed flight and shaking...

'I completely forgot about this…'

Seeing the helplessness and resentment in Idris's eyes, Ron felt somewhat embarrassed.

Because he had speedrunned [Flash of Light and Shadow] too many times before, Ron hadn't erased the effects Idrila had suffered each time in order to save [Illusion Dissolve].

However, when running away, because [Vector Manipulation] had low durability consumption and was the fastest and safest way to escape, Ron managed to drag Idrira, who was still affected by the [Trickery] Seed, flying several times...

At the time, Idrila did not give any feedback, leading Ron to subconsciously believe that Idrila was not actually uncomfortable at all. He did not expect that she was just being shielded by the [Trick] Seed.

Ron coughed lightly: "It won't happen again next time..."

'These details can't be done too carelessly... This time, we're aiming to anchor the world line!'

'Next time, just hold the aircraft and fly it, using [Vector Control] to reflect drag; there shouldn't be any problems...'

With these thoughts in mind, he followed the expected "script" and pulled Idris back to the [Society of Truth] in Evening Bell City.

This time, because Ron no longer needed Idrila's help to find the potion recipe to advance to Sequence Seven, many things didn't proceed as they had the first time, but rather followed the original script written in [7]...

For example, shortly after Ron and Idrila returned, President Elvis rushed back to the [Society of Truth].

Upon hearing that the messenger from Kurt had been illegally imprisoned by Father Sull, he was enraged, shouting "Outrageous!" and attempted to take Idrila with him to the Scorched Sanctuary to confront Father Sull and demand an explanation.

Then Idrisla immediately rejected him, her face turning pale.

"President, you can't go! You really can't go!"

With a serious expression, Idrila, unaffected by the [Trickery] spark, certainly wouldn't stand idly by and watch President Elvis inexplicably go to his death.

It's important to understand that Father Suer's Sequence 4 containment object is far beyond what Chairman Elvis could handle. Anyone with half a brain would sit idly by and watch Father Suer slap his head off...

"The containment object that Suer possesses comes from a Sequence Four demigod of the [Trickery] type. This kind of power is far beyond our capabilities. The most important thing for the guild leader to do right now is to quickly write a report and send it to Fog City to request assistance..."

"Should we go to Chongqing for reinforcements...?"

President Elvis's expression showed a slight struggle, and the gray mist vortex at the bottom of his pupils was trembling. Clearly, [7] he was now thinking about how to get the script back on track.

He couldn't possibly let Guild Master Elvis go to the Fog City... These rulers of Evening Bell City must all die in Evening Bell City, die in the [Dragon Quest], for the Silver Knight's ascension ceremony to truly take effect.

Only when the ritual takes effect can he transform into a masked dancer and attract the attention of Puppet Town.

[7] After a moment of thought, Charles quietly picked up his quill pen, preparing to take out the [Trick] Seed and write a scene for Idrila, urging her to quickly give up on stopping Chairman Elvis...

But He had only just begun when his hand suddenly stopped.

At this moment, Ron stepped forward and said seriously:

"Why must we go to Chongqing for help?"

As Ron spoke, he pointed to the cold, black-clad man who was hunched over inside the Elvis Bookstore, leaning against the cast-iron radiator:
"Is there no other reinforcement in our Evening Bell City?"

"Other reinforcements? You mean other churches?"

Idrila was taken aback. Just then, the man in black by the radiator looked up at them, and then, as if he knew everything, stepped forward:
"I heard you mention other churches... Are you looking for me?"

It was Father Harvey!

[7] He wouldn't let go of the way Ron gave him. In fact, it would be perfect for him if he could send Chairman Elvis and Father Harvey to their deaths together!
As long as the protagonist of the "script" agrees to allow this matter to exist reasonably within the "Dragon Quest" storyline, it will not disrupt the Silver Knight's promotion ceremony and will not have any negative impact on him.

"You are... Father Harvey?"

“Yes, it’s me.” Father Harvey looked at Idrila, and this time there was no inexplicable hostility towards her. Instead, he immediately started chatting enthusiastically with President Elvis.

Like a double act, President Elvis seemed to be recounting some prior information, and in just a few words, he thoroughly explained Father Suer's sins, expressing with deep sorrow that Father Suer's sins were countless and intolerable...

Father Harvey didn't doubt the truth of the matter. He immediately spoke in a stern and righteous tone, declaring that Father Suer was no ordinary thug and that he had to be dealt a heavy blow. Today, he would contribute his strength to Evening Bell City and go with everyone to the Scorched Earth Sanctuary to punish the villain!

Hearing all this almost burned out Idrila's brain processor.

Idris was extremely confused, her mind a jumbled mess.

She couldn't understand why this suddenly became so "natural," and why these wise and powerful superhumans in her memory had become so impulsive and irritable...

Why?

Shouldn't such dangerous matters be planned carefully before taking action?

What's more... before even having a judge in the tribunal to convict him, they're already targeting a priest from the Scorched Earth Sanctuary... Do President Elvis and Father Harvey not want to advance their careers within the church?

This is a major stain on your resume!

Idrisla may be kind-hearted, but she's not stupid...

This time, completely unaffected by the [trickery] spark, [7] and because of Ron's "help," she went all out and wrote such a rigid script, which made Idrila realize that something was wrong.

'Could it be... that Chairman Elvis and Father Harvey, like Sue, have suddenly undergone a drastic personality change and are no longer the same as before?'

'Are they being controlled, or...'

Idrila felt a chill run down her spine and immediately lowered her head, not daring to show her suspicion openly.

But when Ron saw Idrila's furrowed brow and the doubt in her eyes, he couldn't help but smile.

'I didn't expect such a pleasant surprise. Idrisla herself noticed something was wrong, saving me the risk of telling her...'

'So, even the originally planned protagonist has doubts about the script, so replacing him with a new protagonist is perfectly reasonable, even from a mystical perspective…'

Ron seemed lost in thought, but he didn't forget his true goal. While agreeing with Chairman Elvis and Father Harvey's plan to eliminate the thief, he pondered his next move.

Then, after Chairman Elvis and Father Harvey finished their rounds and, having determined that the plan to eliminate the thieves could not be delayed and that they would leave that day, Ron suddenly said:

"No... the two of you alone are not enough."

Ron spoke earnestly, as if he were doing it for everyone's good:
"Why not bring along all the superhumans we can...? The Church of the Lost should also have some superhumans remaining behind, right?"

As Ron spoke, he turned to look at "Charles," who was holding a quill pen, and smiled:

"Mr. Charles, why don't you join us?"

His tone sounded extremely serious and righteous, as if he were truly doing it for everyone's good, and he casually lied without batting an eye:

"To kill a formidable enemy like Father Suer, we must go all out... Only then will we have a chance to defeat him!"

"With so many people helping us, we're sure to beat Father Suer!"

Upon hearing this, regardless of what others thought, [7] immediately perked up.

OK, OK!

So, the gentleman's opinion on the script was that it was too slow?

In His moment, the script should be sped up, all the supporting characters should be killed off, and the game should be fast-forwarded to the ending, so that "Puppet Town" can be brought down directly?
Isn't this exactly what he's aiming for?
It’s a double happiness!

With that person's help, the arrival of [Puppet Town] is practically a done deal...

Just do it!

Thinking of this, President Elvis, Father Harvey, and the doorman Charles all spoke in unison, their voices extremely stiff:
"Lord Ron is right!"

"No need to hesitate, let's go now!"

After they finished speaking, they immediately pushed open the door and walked out. Opening the door of Elvis Bookstore, they saw that the extraordinary individuals from the [Church of the Lost], who were also somewhat inexplicably dull, had somehow walked over through the [Path of the Undertaker] and were waiting outside.

Upon seeing this, Idrila shuddered, her horror and fear reaching their peak.

That's so inhuman!

The way President Elvis and his group just acted was like that of crude marionettes; even their voices sounded distorted and similar...

It was terrifying that the words spoken by three people sounded like they were spoken by one person!
But at this moment, Ron was prepared. He patted Idrila's shoulder reassuringly and whispered in her ear:
"Don't be afraid... things will be resolved, but not now."

"Go underground, go back to your room, and pray normally to [war]—you are afraid, and it is only right to do so."

"You shouldn't get involved in this matter."

After Ron finished speaking, he immediately shut his mouth and stopped talking.

Under the effect of the [Mask of Deception], his little actions are as if they don't exist to others, and they are completely indistinguishable.

Even [7], while manipulating so many puppets to perform, he failed to notice Ron's subtle movements and was unaware of his instructions to Idrila.

The moment Idrila heard Ron say that, she immediately realized that this was definitely not something that could be discussed openly—

Otherwise, why would Ron, a favorite of angels, adopt such a cautious demeanor and whisper such gentle instructions in her ear?

Thinking of this, Idrila shook her head, not daring to think any further. She simply looked at Ron with grateful eyes and nodded slightly before fleeing back to her room in the underground academy, where she began chanting the prayer for "war."

There have been so many strange occurrences today; she really should pray to the war to calm her nerves...

Having settled Idrila in, Ron wasn't really afraid. He simply followed the bandit-hunting force led by Guild Master Elvis, and together they marched towards the [Scorched Earth Sanctuary]—

However, this time, perhaps because Idrila, the main character, was not present, [7] they were too lazy to even act and simply let this group of useless superhumans line up in rows, and had Father Suer put on a mask and walk forward...

Then they each slapped someone's head off.

Seeing this extremely bloody yet slightly comical scene, Ron was at a loss for words.

It can only be said that [7] once it was determined that the script had been anchored to a certain moment in time, the mindset of striving for perfection in the script had been lost.

But how can that be allowed?
Ron watched as Father Sue ignored him as if he didn't even see him, returning to the Scorched Earth Sanctuary before finally smirking and walking over to the other superhumans...

Then he bent down and listened to their fragmented last words, which were broken because they had already died.

At this moment, on the light screen of the Dimensional Update Manual, the setting of [Mask of Deception] is shining brightly!

Help, help me...

[Prevent...the dead...]

[New paper...]

【…】

The fragmented last words provided Ron with no information, but as Ron looked at Chairman Elvis's flying head, he still closed his eyes for him.

Then, in the act of closing his eyelids, he casually pulled out a shattered, pure white mask that only he could see!

Not only President Elvis, but also Father Harvey standing to the side... and even others, all of these extraordinary individuals who had been instigated by Ron with a single sentence to come and attack Father Suer, left behind a shattered pure white mask!

'As expected... even though their souls had long since been broken into those translucent threads, under the influence of [7], they were still barely alive!'

'So, as long as they live, as long as they are deceived by me, as long as they die because of deception... then they will leave behind their last words, becoming masks for life!'

He gently placed the shattered white mask on his face, and the mask instantly merged into Ron's features like water. His spirit shifted in an instant, suddenly twisting—

The next moment, it transformed into the appearance of Chairman Elvis...

Even the magic flowing in the blood itself has been "fake" and "disguised" as the magic of the [Truth] sequence.

At this moment, in terms of mystical concepts, Ron was already worthy of being regarded as President Elvis—he had taken over his identity!
Ron couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Now, we have the most important tool for changing the script!

(End of this chapter)