Chapter 978: The History Correction Meeting |
Reality. A museum in some unknown province and city.
That's right — the museum you're thinking of. The director's conference room here was where the History School's senior leadership held their History Correction Meetings.
Despite the School's leader repeatedly insisting that this was her rest area and no one was allowed to dirty the conference room, nobody believed her. They tossed books everywhere, cluttering the place with paper and screens until it was a complete mess.
Here, the History School's executives compiled historical records into volumes and proofread page after page into polished chapters. This was arguably the largest player-organized intelligence hub in the game. Every attendee present held the rank of Vice President.
At this moment, Sun Miao sat at the first seat on the left side of the long table, scribbling furiously. The other six seats — aside from the President's center position at the head — were equally busy.
No one would have guessed this was how the most serious History School meetings were conducted. They seized every second to record history, only pausing to consult others when discussion was needed.
After the room had been silent for a long while, Sun Miao set down his pen, raised his nostrils, and looked toward Zhen Xin:
"I've recently catalogued a new piece of intelligence regarding Them. I recommend a 4S classification. Sharing at this meeting requires the President's approval. So, esteemed Madam President, do you approve of my seeking further details on this intelligence?"
Zhen Xin leaned back in her chair, fingers tapping the table, regarding Sun Miao with an amused smile:
But since you're so eager, go ahead. I'm sure the others would like to hear it too."
The moment she finished, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at that pair of conspicuous nostrils.
Sun Miao paid no mind to Zhen Xin's teasing. At his usual measured pace, he shared his discovery.
"I've received word of a new Servant God. He belongs to [Void], calls himself Yu Xi, and is—"
"[Deceit]'s Envoy." Before Sun Miao could finish, an old man at the far end coughed twice and completed his sentence. He tossed a notebook onto the center of the long table. "I've also been hearing a great deal about Him lately. I was hoping to verify with everyone."
"I've heard too."
"Same here."
"Count me in."
"+1."
In an instant, five booklets landed in a pile. The six Vice Presidents exchanged meaningful glances, then simultaneously turned to look at the President at the head of the table. Seeing Zhen Xin's delighted smile, they suspected she'd known about this for quite some time.
Zhen Xin didn't hide it. She selectively shared some of what she knew, then tapped the table and outlined her plan:
"Yu Xi's existence may become one of our windows into [Void]. As you all know, the gods descended in a certain order. From [Life] to [Chaos], traces of the four paths' faiths are scattered all across the Land of Hope.
But starting from [Existence], those traces diminish significantly — though they still exist.
[Void], however... even as a [Void] walker myself, I know precious little about Their faith history. But given the ongoing Faith Game, I'm inclined to believe [Void] is currently creating history.
As for what kind of history They intend to create, gods probably don't bother explaining to mortals. So we can only search for clues through Yu Xi.
I've learned through reliable channels that Yu Xi is undergoing a 'rebirth.' He's searching for His mask. This is critical information. If we can find information about the mask — or even collect fragments of it — we may be able to obtain truths about [Void] from this Servant God through the principle of exchange.
So I propose that our next priority target be [Void]. Thoughts?"
"None to spare."
"I disagree."
Before Zhen Xin had even finished, voices of opposition arose.
The History School had grown to this scale not because of Zhen Xin's absolute authority, but because of her skill in forming alliances. As stated before, she was exceptional at cooperation. She'd gathered a group of history-obsessed experts under one roof. They shared the same intellectual goals, but that didn't make the School a monolith. Each Vice President at this table had their own particular area of interest.
A sharp-voiced Vice President snorted with a laugh and shook his head:
"I suggest the esteemed President drop those [Deceit] parlor tricks. Not everyone is interested in [Void].
How can I be sure you're not using 'researching [Void]' as a cover to curry favor with this so-called 'Yu Xi'?
Yes, I admit the discovery of a new Servant God is enticing. But He isn't a Servant God of my [Existence]. Compared to chasing meaningless [Void], I believe pursuing more [Existence] knowledge would benefit the History School far more.
After all, history is the History School's foundation. Divine authority... is merely a byproduct of studying history."
The tone was unfriendly, but Zhen Xin seemed accustomed to it. She smiled at the [Existence] believer and tilted her head: "Terms?"
"Ha! Don't assume everyone's so transactional. Surely those of us who sit here must have a genuine love for history?"
At this, snickers rippled through the room. They'd known each other long enough to see through everyone's nature. This Vice President's lengthy speech was simply adding bargaining chips.
Zhen Xin's smile faded as she nodded, weighing what to offer in exchange for his support. But while she deliberated, Sun Miao suddenly raised his nostrils and snorted:
"I have new information about That Dream My Nightmare."
"?"
The room froze.
The normally first-ranked Vice President never spoke in support of their beloved President. In fact, he was the person at this table who contradicted the President the most.
Of course, the wise man wasn't targeting Zhen Xin specifically. He targeted everyone.
The sharp-voiced Vice President straightened immediately at Sun Miao's words, eyes gleaming: "How novel. When did the great wise man start running with [Void]? Fine, you've got my vote. I hope your intelligence lives up to it."
He smiled, rapped the table, and scrawled his signature on a blank sheet, then slid it to Zhen Xin. This meant that in the upcoming vote, he would unconditionally support the President's allocation of resources to investigate Yu Xi.
With Sun Miao's vote added, the proposal needed just one more to pass.
But the moment the other three — who hadn't previously opposed the measure — saw this, they collectively reversed course, proclaiming the matter required more careful consideration.
As for how much more careful, well, that depended on how much leverage the President and the wise man were willing to put on the table.
Zhen Xin tapped the table, her gaze sweeping across everyone present, finally resting on the silent, eyes-closed Sun Miao. After a moment's thought, she smiled:
"Could it be that the wise man recently met our Vice President candidate?
If so, may I take this to mean your preliminary review of him went smoothly?"
"?"
At the previous meeting, Zhen Xin had raised a motion to add a seat to this table. The preposterously out-of-protocol proposal had been voted down 1:6. But now it seemed... there might be a chance?
All eyes turned to Sun Miao, who merely snorted: "No objections."
"Oh—!"
He'd been the fiercest opponent last time. How had he come around now?
The sharp-voiced Vice President's expression cooled immediately. He snatched his signed paper back.
"Lopsided exchanges are always disappointing. Wise man, did that Fate Weaver get some leverage over you?
Tell us. Perhaps we can help."
Sun Miao didn't so much as twitch an eyelid. He simply raised his nostrils slightly and uttered: "He killed Lin Xi."
"???"
The room erupted in shock.
Zhen Xin raised an eyebrow, amused: "You saw it with your own eyes?"
'With my own eyes?'
'Of course not.'
'But does something not happening just because I didn't personally witness it?'
'Killing Lin Xi. Killing Xiao Qi. Even driving off an Envoy, Yu Go... if I revealed all of that, wouldn't you all think I folded out of cowardice?'
So Sun Miao said nothing more, simply adding in a quiet murmur: "I've already mentioned all of your names to him."
The instant those words fell, the signed paper found its way back to Zhen Xin.
A certain Vice President's shrill voice seemed to have softened considerably.
"This table is long enough that someone ought to fill it. Staring at the same sour faces gets tiresome. We could use some fresh blood. I hear Li Jingming didn't oathbreak but rather merged, so [Existence] and [Void] aren't necessarily enemies.
What do you all think, esteemed Vice Presidents?"
"..."
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