CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER 207: THE SUN AND SHADOWS_2

All the God worshipers felt the urgency of time and believed they should immediately head to the mage tower to unite everyone’s power to battle the projection of the Old Gods to the death.

Except for Kadela.

His heart rejected the Silver Fox’s viewpoint at the first moment.

Even if Ethan truly came for this, it was destined to be in vain because... he had already inherited all the knowledge from there, the God of Trickery had resurrected in him.

The celestial chamber was already empty.

"Is it really so?"

The puppet on the witness stand seemed to see through Kadela’s heart, stirring a long-lost horror within him. The puppet clearly faced the others on the circular seats, yet Kadela felt it was questioning him.

He had seen Ethan’s capabilities, just with a scholarly conversation, she had found a way to tread the path he had personally closed.

Would such a person really undertake futile efforts?

Kadela’s heart instantly churned like roaring waves; the Silver Fox’s earlier words had awakened him.

After the failure of the imperial action, he was eager to shove the blame onto Ethan, thereby overlooking many issues that were right in front of him, such as Ethan’s purpose for visiting the mage tower at this time, and even further back, why he had that conversation with the scholar before Kadela went to Ophira?

Was it to inspire the scholar?

For no reason, without expecting anything in return?

Kadela certainly wouldn’t do such a thing; every word he spoke and every action he took had his consideration. He had once found the knowledge left by the God of Trickery in the celestial chamber and had no intention of sharing it with anyone.

Just as he had said to Palansi, the God of Trickery’s followers were all enemies.

Although the scholar was extraordinarily gifted... her ambition was far from enough, just wanting to cross that final threshold to be satisfied.

So, Ethan used her—just like he used himself!

Kadela suddenly felt a chill.

The projection of the Old Gods was a lie he fabricated because it seemed the most reasonable explanation for the moment and the one most likely to alert the God worshipers.

But what if...

What if all of this was true?

Using that conversation to guide the scholar to uncover the hidden secrets within the celestial chamber, at an opportune moment, to harvest those secrets—only he happened to kill the scholar a step ahead!

Kadela realized he never truly understood Ethan; there was so much he had to consider that he had neither the energy nor the interest to understand this outsider who had appeared out of nowhere two years ago.

Perhaps...

There were other treasures within the celestial chamber that he hadn’t detected!

Ethan realized this and came for it.

The God worshipers in the circular audience reminded Kadela he had gained much knowledge, but he had never approached the opportunity left by the God of Trickery; the details of the seal remained a mystery. He had deceived the Great Mages in the mage tower, deceived the scholar, and even the entire world.

However, Kadela ultimately had to confront his true heart.

Did he really inherit all the legacy?

He had deceived his own heart until the puppet on the witness stand brought this sharp question to the surface.

"We all overlooked a detail."

The puppet on the witness stand spoke again, still facing the circular seats, his gaze never lingering on Kadela for a moment, "Everyone knows Ethan is an Elemental Shaper, not a follower of the God of Trickery. Even if he found the God of Trickery’s secret treasure, he couldn’t use it."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Kadela was somewhat impatient; now he just wanted to open the Silver Fox’s mind and see all his thoughts in one instant.

It had been a long time since he had felt this restless.

"A true follower of the God of Trickery would never expose themselves openly."

Ethan had heard many rumors about the God of Trickery from Old An. Before the ultimate war arrived, He had always hidden in the shadows, like a shadow spying on this world. He felt that whether the presiding puppet was truly Him or an impostor, they had perfectly inherited the God of Trickery’s way of operating.

This statement had an unprecedented impact on Kadela; the more he thought, the more chaotic his mind became.

For a moment, he saw countless broken clues scattered everywhere in a thoroughly jumbled manner.

"When Ethan appeared, all eyes focused on him, thereby ignoring the shadow veiled by the sun."

The puppet on the witness stand uncovered another secret, "I mean Rowena."

"Rowena?"

For the God worshipers, this was a name unfamiliar to them, until a particularly good-memory puppet reminded them, making them recall this serious offender who had killed her mentor years ago and fled the Empire.

But in the course of civilization evolution, such facts were too common, and there was no need to remember this name.

"When Pope Julius launched the rebellion, I was in the imperial capital. Then only one person disappeared."

The circular seats fell into silence.

After several months, they all had come to understand the details of the day of the rebellion.

Ethan, the Other Shore, the Lindong Witch, and Saint Mary, who was summoned by Turzan using the Divine Descent Technique. People also mentioned the divine bird bathed in golden brilliance, with only one name missing.

That day, no one saw Rowena, nor did they know where she went.

In this crucial battle determining the Empire’s future trajectory, she was absent, yet there were many signs suggesting she was closely related to Ethan and others, this time going together with Ethan to the mage tower.