NOVEL NEXT Chapter 361: Sincerity
"How about you give me Earth, lovely ancestor?" Noah asked, his tone dangerously soft and inviting.
The words that came out of his mouth stunned Evadam for a moment, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Noah didn't know it yet, but what he had just done was something worthy of a title. He had said something shocking enough to make even a progenitor falter.
But he wasn't sure whether Evadam was surprised that he had asked for a world so casually, like Virgo asking for candy, or if it was the audacity of daring to request a progenitor's main world.
Maybe both.
"Did I hear you correctly?" Evadam asked, tilting his head slightly, as if that angle might help him hear better.
Noah's composure didn't waver. Still fixing his pale white eyes on Evadam's deep brown ones, he repeated,
"Earth. Give it to me, please."
Evadam's expression began to darken, as though a veil of shadow had been poured over him, but Noah continued calmly,
"Tell me what you want, and I'll make sure you obtain it."
He proposed it without malice — polite, even gentle — though both of them knew this wouldn't end easily. If Noah had already understood the specialty and uniqueness of Earth, then Evadam certainly did as well.
"Do you really think I'll give it to you just because you ask nicely?" Evadam scoffed. "That's not how things work here, Third Abomination."
He didn't use Noah's name this time. He used his title. He was pissed.
"This is the problem with you abominations," Evadam sighed, dragging a hand down his face in visible exasperation. "You always think everything in this universe belongs to you. That we all exist as your whetstones, tools for you to sharpen yourselves on, to climb higher. That because the Records favor you, and sometimes even protect you, you think you can do whatever you want."
His brown eyes shifted, becoming cold, devoid of light or warmth. Lifeless.
Inside the room, light turned to darkness, and the air itself froze then sharpened, like the edge of a drawn blade.
At that moment, Noah felt it — the glimpse, the edge of power belonging to a Progenitor — and only then did he realize that since the very beginning, Evadam had been restraining his presence, as if afraid he might hurt him or Virgo by accident.
But now Noah could see. And what he saw unconsciously made his heart tighten, as if wrenching claws were scratching at him from the inside. He finally understood why Echidna had said he would die if he ever tried to attack Hell.
He hadn't believed her at the time. A part of him had still thought that if he truly wished to, he could conquer Hell with his current power. Maybe with difficulty and setbacks, but eventually, as always, he would prevail.
But here, standing before a Progenitor, he realized…
'They are the peak of this universe for a reason.'
Virgo, at his side, stopped daydreaming as well. The relaxed and playful tension from before had melted away completely, leaving behind only one thick enough to choke the air from her lungs.
She clenched her fist tightly, her knuckles whitening. Her crimson eyes hardened, like an ocean of blood frozen in time.
She was ready to act the moment it became necessary.
Evadam noticed, and if he cared, he didn't show it. His apathetic eyes remained locked on Noah as he parted his lips once again.
"I said you would answer some questions after my story," he began, and with every word, the pressure in the room swelled, coiling tighter, like a serpent ready to strike its prey.
"Tell me, Third Abomination. How do you know of Earth… and the way to reach it?"
It sounded like a question, but it wasn't. It was an order.
Evadam could feel the deep and focused scrutiny of the Records at that moment. They clearly didn't approve of this development, but Evadam couldn't simply let this one pass.
Everyone had a limit, a boundary you should never cross if you wished to remain on good terms with someone.
And for him, it was clearly Earth.
Noah listened to Evadam's question, his outward expression calm and collected, yet inside his mind, countless possibilities were unfolding…different paths, different ways to solve this problem while keeping everyone satisfied.
So… a negotiation, then.
For a successful negotiation, Noah first needed to understand what Evadam wanted, something he desired enough to make him willingly relinquish control over Earth.
It was a good opportunity to try, now that Evadam had clearly shown both his dissatisfaction and his refusal to part with the world.
That was perfect.
Now that he had received a no, he simply needed to turn that no into a yes.
As Evadam had already expressed himself and shown his discontent, that meant he would be more open to listen now.
But first, Noah needed to show sincerity. And by that, he meant answering Evadam's question.
"How do I know Earth and the way towards it?" Noah echoed, then added softly, "I didn't want to tell you, but it seems I have no other choice."
He sighed ruefully, as though it pained him deeply to confess. And with Noah's acting skills, even a Progenitor could be deceived.
He paused, inhaled slowly, and continued.
"You've already seen a glimpse of my power," he said calmly. "In your opinion, what type of power do I hold?"
Evadam frowned, not particularly fond of being asked questions when he was the one doing the asking, but he let it slide and replied anyway.
"Fate, destiny, and causality," he answered easily.
Noah nodded in acknowledgment. "Indeed, that's my power. So tell me, wouldn't it be simple for someone like me to know the origin of a place, and the path toward it, if I already held something from that place?"
He asked with a confident grin.
Evadam's eyes narrowed slightly as realization dawned. It was indeed possible. Even without the power over threads, he himself could have done the same under certain circumstances, so there was no doubt Noah could.
But something was off. How could Noah have obtained something from Earth? And what exactly did he obtain?
He wanted to ask, but he didn't need to, the confusion was already written across his face.
And Noah, noticing, answered before he could speak.
"Yes," he said smoothly. "I hold something from Earth. I'm talking about the Earth before its destruction."
Evadam's frown deepened. Virgo's interest sharpened, her gaze turning focused and unreadable.
Noah continued,
"I wasn't sure before, wondering if it was truly this, but now I am certain."
He paused, letting his words settle in the heavy air, allowing the tension to thicken before cutting through it with his descending voice…calm, measured, absolute.
"I have with me the life your children created with nothing but scraps in a world devoid of mana."
Evadam's eyes widened. He parted his lips to speak, but before he could, Noah's voice sliced in first.
"You know I'm not lying," Noah said, a faint smile edging across his mouth. "You can see through lies, after all. So now you know I have no ill intentions toward Earth."
"I came here only to see, to witness where a being without emotions was born."
Evadam tilted his head slightly. "Without emotions?"
Noah shrugged lightly. "They were mortal in the end. They were flawed. And something flawed cannot create perfection."
"The being they created, now called Lucie, is one without an ounce of emotion in her existence. To her, life is simply life…no joy, no pain, no anticipation of the future, no dread of it."
"She is hollow."
Evadam went still at those words, his gaze locking onto Noah's with an intensity that could cut through stars.
Noah smiled.
And Evadam cursed inwardly.
'He got me,' Evadam thought.
Now he wanted to see her, to see the being his children had created.
He had never had the opportunity to retrieve her in the past. For some reason, the moment Earth was destroyed, she vanished with it.
And not wanting that past tragedy to repeat, he had ordered only half of Earth's technological development restored, ensuring the same mistake could never happen again…but also making her irretrievable.
Yet now… curiosity burned within him. No, it was more than curiosity. It was need.
And Noah knew it.
He knew he had Evadam's attention now and something the Progenitor wanted from him. Compared to before, when Evadam couldn't have cared less, Noah now held the thread of power in his own hands.
And so…
Noah's smile widened.
"Shall we begin the negotiation now, lovely ancestor?"
—End of Chapter 361—
A/N:
Sorry for the late update! I finished class late yesterday and didn't have full time to edit it.
Thanks for reading!