Cthulhu America, I can see the kill line.

Farah collapsed to the ground, his eyes vacant and lifeless.

He felt as if all the bones in his body had been removed, collapsing limply to the ground like a lump of mud that had lost its support.

It's unclear whether it was the intense fear that overwhelmed the Purple Light Cult Leader, or the despair that surged after his imagined future proved to be nothing but a mirage, leaving him utterly powerless.

His vision was blurred, his ears were ringing, and his pupils were staring straight at the church's sharp, towering ceiling.

The whole world seemed to collapse at that moment, leaving only boundless coldness and despair that completely swallowed him up.

"The control over time is fake... The forbidden magic I risked my life to steal from the Clock Tower was a lie... Heh... Hahaha..."

Farah laughed, a laugh tinged with madness and desolation, and a few crystal tears slowly slid down his cheeks.

He had lost even the strength to stand up again.

Until a hand appeared in front of him.

Kong Jiu bent down, looked at him coldly, and extended his hand.

Farah stared at the hand, stunned for nearly half a minute, before finally grasping it and being helped to her feet.

"I'm not sure if it's true or not. But it's highly likely it wasn't achieved through subspace."

Kong Jiu said expressionlessly.

Farah didn't reply, but instead began to seriously examine the young man for the first time.

He had an East Asian face, black hair and black eyes, a towering 1.9-meter frame, and an extremely cold yet resolute gaze.

Despite being completely different from her younger self as a British gentleman, Farah always felt that Congo resembled her in her youth.

"Perhaps you are right, Kong. When I insisted on combining psionic energy and magic, I should have considered that the warp might not be the inherent temporal barrier recorded in the spells..."

Farah touched her forehead and smiled sadly.

"I was too eager to prove myself, too eager to refute the idea that bloodline doesn't determine everything about a magician..."

Kong Jiu remained silent and simply sat down on the steps.

He knew that he absolutely could not disturb Farah, whose worldview was collapsing, at this moment. What if Farah lost control of her emotions and slapped him to death?

"You know, Kong, when we were young, Oscar and I spent a lot of time doing good deeds in the Lower City. We did charity work during the day, studied magic and psychic powers at night, and also helped maintain order in the community. The neighbors even gave me the nickname 'The Pale Knight' because I came from Great Britain and had fair skin..."

Farah also sat down on the pale marble steps.

"After Oscar's wife became pregnant, we focused on our family. Not long after, I married a woman who was also from Britain. Her name was Jenny, and her eyes were as clear as emeralds, always reminding me of the lakes of my hometown. Although she was just an ordinary person, we were very happy."

Farah continued talking to himself, and Kong Jiu did not dare to interrupt, but just listened quietly to his rambling.

"That must have been the happiest time of my and Oscar's lives, right? He was about to have a child, and Jenny and I started a family. Although the research and development progress was sometimes slow, everything was slowly getting better. If only time could have stopped at that moment..."

"Until Oscar's wife accidentally became addicted to the enhancement drug, and after an overdose, she passed away, taking her unborn child with her."

Kong Jiu's eyelids twitched slightly; he had seen this on Oscar's body report before.

"Poor Oscar, it took him more than half a year to get over it... I couldn't bear it, so I made him the godfather of my newborn son..."

"Life was alright. I worked as a cashier during the day and occasionally helped out at church in the evenings. Come to think of it, back then, Sof was just a young man following the priest around..."

"If only Jenny hadn't taken my little John and tried to force her way back to Britain through the Iron Curtain..."

"A terrible day can drive you crazy."

Farah stood up, as if she had said enough.

"Kong, I committed a heinous crime for the sake of a fictitious future. You must not follow in the footsteps of me and Oscar, you must not."

"Don't worry, I definitely won't."

Kong Jiu wanted to answer like that, but he swallowed the words back.

However, it's estimated that these words have already been perceived by mind readers.

"I regret that I am not in a position to judge you, but the fact that you realize your sins are unforgivable means that there is still a chance for redemption."

Kong Jiu stood up and turned to ask, "The path to shaping the future is blocked. What do you plan to do now?"

Farah forced a pale smile.

"Then I'll use my personal magic to hold on until the very last moment, so that at least those who are already inside can have one last beautiful dream."

"Do you still want to lead the Purple Light Cult into war against the Great Vortex?"

"It's not a matter of whether I want to or not, it's that I have to fight."

Farah shook his head.

"When we borrowed troops from King Squich, it was destined that we would help him destroy the Iron Curtain, that damned Iron Curtain."

"You've met King Squich?" Kong Jiu asked in surprise.

It seems that the ratmen aid from the Purple Light Cult may not have been forcibly captured by Farah, but may have been sent by Squich.

"I've only seen him once by chance. A long, sloping jaw, teeth gleaming with a cold light, eyes that glow green—no wonder he's a living god... What kind of expression is that?"

Farah stopped describing King Squiche and noticed the complicated expression on Conjur's face.

"Do we know the same King Squich?"

"Otherwise what?" Farah looked at Kong Jiu with a puzzled expression. "Besides that rat god who protects the weak, who else would allow a dimensional stone to appear on the surface?"

"Why don't you try mind reading and see what King Squich is like through my eyes?"

Upon hearing Kong Jiu's words, Farah waved his hand with a look of lingering fear.

"No, after a few vague whispers flashed through your mind, it triggered that terrifying panic. I dare not try to read your mind again."

A few whispers?

Kong Jiu's eyebrows were furrowed.

Why can't Farah read that it owns a system?

"I come from another world. Did you see me when you read minds?" he asked tentatively.

"Does this even require mind reading?" Farah was even more confused. "You look like an Asian; anyone can tell."

Kong Jiu's brows furrowed even more.

Farah is completely unaware of any information related to the system?

Could it be that there's a barrier in my mind preventing Farah from getting a glimpse of this information?

Or is it that, even if certain people, things, and events that Farah knows are discovered, they are merely whispers that Farah cannot comprehend?

Something's wrong, something's very wrong!

Kong Jiu considered a possibility.

The jade pendant's effect distorts and obscures the psychological burden one would feel when looking at a corpse.

Is it possible that I have actually been kept in the dark all along?

Could some seemingly normal people and events not be their true selves under the system's so-called "spiritual vision correction"?

Could it be that something terrifying, something even a D-level psionicist like Farah couldn't look directly at, has been subtly obscured and become some kind of ordinary existence?

A terrifying thought flashed through Kong Jiu's mind.

Think about it, Kong Jiu.

Think about it, what have you encountered that still seems abnormal even after being beautified by the system?

Li Yingying's antique shop? The prophet Neos who appeared out of nowhere? Or the ferocious King Squich from Farah's words?

What is the true nature of the world?

An unease, the most intense and terrifying unease about the unknown, spreads rapidly in Kong Jiu's heart after a little thought. Despite the forced calming effect of the jade pendant, it raged within him.

"What's wrong, Kong?"

Until Farah called out her own name.

"I'm fine, please continue."

Kong Jiu shook his head, pulling himself out of this chilling, self-inflicted reverie, and gestured for Farah to continue with his next plan.

The Purple Light Cult Leader nodded and spoke again:

"Not only me, but the Great Vortex War Gang also sought help from the Rat God. If the Rat God wants my Purple Light Cult to clash with the Great Vortex, then those bastards from the Great Vortex are probably already at the port adjusting the angle of their ship cannons."

Naval guns?

Kong Jiu's heart, which had just calmed down, was startled and slowed down again.

"Did those veterans from the Great Whirlpool really have destroyers?"

Farah gave him a meaningful look: "Why do you think they don't have it? The Chaos that King Squich wants is coming soon."