Chapter 1216: The Stick Insect of the Sacred Night Capital (22)

As for how Blazing Rainbow had twisted this stretch of history, the first thing that came to Fu Qian's mind was the red, white, and blue from that mission.

Having seen the final mission summary, Fu Qian naturally knew the trap hidden behind that seemingly vivid rotation of colors.

Whether it was blue or red, the colors upon the second entry were no longer the same as the first.

Yet everyone, himself included, had been completely unable to recognize the difference.

Wasn't that a distortion of the underlying rules?

Aside from his initial complaint about things being 'too bright,' an even more insane change had likely already taken place within the night's gorgeous colors.

This was exactly why Fu Qian had chosen to display an artificial rainbow.

As for why he specifically went through the trouble of having Su Gao look at it, the reason was simple—the automatic defensive effect of her Echo ability.

Since it twisted the very essence of the world, it likely wouldn't be so easy to detect.

Facts had proven that even he couldn't spot any issues when looking at that rainbow.

The color sequence perfectly matched his established cognition.

But that undoubtedly didn't prove it was safe. After all, hadn't he also failed to spot the difference in the Abyss?

Along with the shift in the underlying rules, Cognitive Misalignment had already occurred without anyone noticing, unless someone could mount a resistance completely unconsciously.

...

"But the notebook's reaction clearly proved that my judgment was wrong."

Sensing that he wasn't in a rush and wasn't avoiding the topic of what had just happened, Su Gao did not hold back her thoughts.

Satisfying her curiosity was one thing, but if she could understand more, she might have a better chance to help.

"Imagine for a moment that there's a very special place."

Fu Qian shook his head, looking completely unhurried as he gestured for Su Gao to continue their walk.

"The sky in that place is purple, but everyone tells you that color is called blue. Meanwhile, eggplants are naturally blue, but they call that purple."

"Then one day, an outsider suddenly arrives in this world. What would his reaction be?"

"That the sky is purple and the eggplants are blue."

Su Gao answered very quickly.

"Exactly. But in this place, even if you found the most impartial judge, he would tell you that you're wrong."

"I think I'm starting to understand. So, I'm that outsider?"

Su Gao's lovely brows furrowed slightly.

"Spot on. Now, imagine you were knocked out the moment you arrived. You wake up with your common sense intact, but you've completely forgotten which name corresponds to which color. What happens then?"

"Then I would blend in perfectly... I wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary."

Su Gao drew in a breath, seemingly grasping the sheer eeriness of the situation.

"In the Sacred Night Capital right now, you might just be the only outsider who didn't suffer that concussion..."

Fu Qian pointed to his head with a smile.

"Thanks to Echo's fully automatic defenses, you didn't forget quite as thoroughly as the rest of us."

...

Back when they were facing Nepheli on Ye Island, Su Gao had already proven just how wondrous her ability was.

Even though she had been completely unaware of Nepheli's presence, she had still mounted a defensive response.

This was exactly what Fu Qian was banking on this time.

Judging by his ability to summon Levin just a moment ago, even if Blazing Rainbow had achieved Dislocation, it must have happened very recently.

That meant if Su Gao's ability had subconsciously resisted the Dislocation, it might still retain a sliver of effect.

So, theoretically speaking, there was a chance Su Gao could perceive that the world's colors had been distorted.

In contrast, he was just like the concussed outsider in the story. He wouldn't sense anything abnormal about the sky being blue.

...

To maximize the chance of Su Gao spotting the anomaly, Fu Qian had chosen a Lucid Dream as the testing ground.

Since it was a dream generated by this world, the distortion would undoubtedly be mirrored within it; he didn't expect any special exceptions there.

But as a Sovereign within it, he could eliminate outside interference to the greatest possible extent.

As it turned out, Su Gao didn't disappoint. Her observations had indeed revealed an anomaly.

She firmly believed that the sky was supposed to be purple, and she had even used the Abyss Notes to verify that conviction.

Although, truthfully, it wasn't a particularly comforting result.

With such a thorough Dislocation of colors, the probability that Blazing Rainbow had already completed its operation and had everything under control was greatly increased.

The only silver lining was that, along with this, the probability of the previous mission having been completed had also increased. Unfortunately, it was highly likely that the Warehouse could no longer recognize it.

...

"We're about to enter an area patrolled by others. We could be spotted at any moment."

Having stayed quiet at his side so as not to interrupt his thoughts, Su Gao offered a gentle warning.

"The opposition is a Divine Emissary. I can't guarantee I'll spot them in time to evade."

"It's fine."

Fu Qian didn't seem to care at all; he didn't even break his stride.

"...Should I try to lure that Tier 1 over?"

Seeing his reaction, Su Gao considered for a moment before offering a completely opposite suggestion.

Their earlier exchange had been brief, but she could clearly grasp that things were far from simple.

What kind of entity could orchestrate such a hidden change—one that was terrifying upon deeper reflection—truly challenged the imagination.

And if it was targeting Mr. Fu, drawing in the Night Watchers hiding up ahead might not be a bad choice under these circumstances.

'Truly a natural-born hunter. Her battlefield instincts are razor-sharp!'

Fu Qian shot her an appreciative look.

"You can try."

"Mm."

Although she sensed a bizarre undertone to his words, Su Gao didn't pry.

She had just drawn her Curved Sword when she seemed to realize something, snapping her head up to gaze at the sky.

Against the already brightly lit night sky, a magma-like arc suddenly appeared, rapidly extending toward both sides.

In the blink of an eye, the arc connected again, forming a scorching ring with a dark red center.

At a glance, it looked like the sun during a solar eclipse.

Not only was its sudden appearance completely out of place, but it also offered no sense of illumination whatsoever.

Instead, its glow only made the entire night sky feel all the more oppressive and bleak.

"It's in the direction of the Central City District. But isn't it too close? It looks like it's about to crash into the ground—"

Facing this sudden change, Su Gao paused her actions and looked at Fu Qian with an inquiring gaze.

Before she could finish speaking, she froze again.

"I just received a message. Everyone is ordered to head over there."

"Go," Fu Qian said.

He wasn't the least bit surprised by this sudden change, though he let out a long, silent sigh in his heart.

'Have they really taken complete control of the situation?'

Not only was there no need to draw people in to cause trouble for him, but they were actually doing a reverse diversion to lead everyone away from him.

There was reason to believe that with the appearance of the bizarre solar ring, the Night Watchers wouldn't have much interest in him no matter what Su Gao did.

"Remember to act together with everyone else, and you have never seen me."

"Okay."

'It's not a coincidence. This change has something to do with what I was just about to do?'

Speaking of which, that Divine Emissary still hadn't noticed the two of them. It was a bizarre kind of sluggishness, almost as if someone was helping to conceal them...

Su Gao didn't ask any further questions, merely giving a soft hum of acknowledgment.

"Actually, I don't live too far from here."

Fu Qian thought for a moment before casually giving Chief Yuan's address and waving goodbye.

"Mm."

Su Gao clearly listened closely, and in the next moment, she vanished into the vast night.