Divine Cody.
Ming Po had heard of the organization this na referred to before.
Miss Naless had ntioned the intelligence during their eting—the Deceivers, led by the Host Ling Bo Prison, ford an organization called Divine Cody.
The previous owner of his Bacchus Shrine was none other than Ling Bo Prison. The Title of Frankenstein had also been given to Chang Ning by Ling Bo Prison. However...
'Why would Ling Bo Prison give the Bacchus Shrine to ?'
He harbored these doubts but kept them hidden from his face.
Ming Po had a brief exchange with his teammates and found that neither Ai Shiping nor Gao Fan had any intention of leaving early.
Gao Fan was relatively trusting of Divine Cody, while Ai Shiping was simply curious.
Since they both agreed to talk with Divine Cody...
Then they would talk.
They had co out to eat outside of normal al tis, so the restaurant was empty save for them.
Ten minutes later, the wind chi rang right on schedule.
Ding-ling~
The door creaked open, and a woman walked in.
She didn't carry a bag. Her left hand held only a blue folder containing a few docunts, and her right hand held a gel pen.
She looked much younger than Ming Po had expected.
Although her voice over the phone had been gentle, mature, and composed, she appeared even younger than the Red Queen. Judging purely by her youthful features, she looked like a college student who had yet to graduate.
Her hairstyle looked sowhat dangerous—a milk-tea-colored side ponytail draped over her left shoulder. Her eye makeup gave off a soft, gentle vibe, and her clothing consisted of a cozy turtleneck sweater without a coat.
Ming Po narrowed his eyes.
It was obvious.
Her attire and presentation were both unnatural.
Going out without a bag or a coat was rather strange. It was autumn heading into winter, and the weather outside was quite chilly. From her appearance, it was as if she had just stepped out of a car right at the door. Yet, when Ming Po entered the restaurant, he had taken a seat with a clear view of the windows... and there were absolutely no cars parked outside.
In other words, she had appeared directly at the door.
Because she didn't need to walk outside, she didn't need a bag or a coat.
"Hello," she spoke softly, sitting down next to Gao Fan and placing the blue folder beside her. "Nice to et you. I am Virgil."
The mont the na "Virgil" was spoken, a brief silence fell over the table.
"...A sowhat unexpected Title."
Ming Po said frankly, "I thought you would be Beatrice."
After all, Beatrice was the Guide who succeeded Virgil in the Divine Cody.
The woman rely let out a laugh like chiming wind bells, her eyes crinkling into beautiful crescents. "If I manage to promote to the Golden Rank, perhaps I might change to that Title."
This unexpected statent made Ming Po widen his eyes even further.
The implication was that she was currently a Silver of Moon as well?
"...Big shots who were hard to catch a glimpse of in the past, and now we run into two in a row."
Beside her, Gao Fan laughed at himself. "I've really made it."
"I also thought..." Ai Shiping's words were a bit hesitant. "...that it would be so subordinate running errands who ca to talk to us. Why is the big boss showing up right away..."
"There are no Deceivers below the Silver of Moon within the core group of Divine Cody. From that perspective, I'm not really any sort of boss." Virgil's voice was gentle. "It wouldn't be strange to say I'm running errands... After all, I am a Guide."
"Could it be... the acting thod?"
Ming Po, who had read widely, imdiately drew a bizarre connection.
Because Virgil was Dante's guide through Hell and Purgatory in the Divine Cody, did this "Virgil" also need to mimic his deeds to guide others?
"You could understand it that way."
Unexpectedly, Virgil didn't refute him. She clearly knew what Ming Po was talking about and seamlessly continued the conversation. "Although there is no power in a Title that needs to be digested before it can be absorbed... following the instinctive urges brought by your Title can effectively prevent a Skew from occurring.
"Once a Skew happens, you might acquire lower-level Titles from other Domains, leading to a degradation of your power. It also increases the likelihood of corruption."
Seeing the atmosphere at the table grow slightly serious, she smiled to break the silence. "Actually, as long as you comply in your actions, it's fine!
"You see, I didn't do anything that 'only Virgil would do,' right? While I wouldn't go so far as to say acting is required for digestion, as long as you don't actively resist it, everything is fine."
She blinked her right eye, her smile gentle.
"Ms. Virgil... may I call you that?" Ming Po asked.
"Just calling Virgil is fine."
Virgil's voice was soft. "We do not have a [Leader]. Everyone is equal to one another. Therefore, apart from Lord Ling Bo Prison, there is no one else who requires an honorific."
"Then, Virgil..."
Ming Po didn't insist, smoothly adapting. "You just ntioned that you ca here to help us solve so... rather thorny troubles?"
"Yes."
Virgil placed her hands on the table, fingers interlaced, and leaned forward slightly.
Underneath her soft sweater, the curves of her chest were subtly accentuated by the support of her arms. Ming Po's gaze subconsciously averted for a fraction of a second. She seed entirely oblivious, rely speaking in a slow, gentle voice. "Soone on our end monitored that you had an interaction with the Red Queen."
"...Skynet?" Ai Shiping blurted out. "Are there surveillance caras in this shop too?"
"Sothing similar," Virgil stated plainly. "An AI system that calculates via big data."
Ai Shiping couldn't help but comnt, "You suddenly dropping such high-tech terms makes feel a bit out of place..."
Virgil discussing big data and the like...
"Why out of place?"
Virgil smiled. "After all, even this technology itself ca from Deceivers."
"...Are you saying," beside her, Gao Fan grew more serious, tilting his head slightly, "technology brought from the future to the past?"
"This kind of technology is collectively known as Paradoxical Technology. Theoretically, it should be born in the past, optimized generation by generation, and enter the application stage in the future.
"But its technology was brought back from the future by soone, directly entering the application stage in the present or the past. As a result, the possibility of this technology being developed from scratch is gone... In other words, it is a 'technology that shouldn't exist'."
Virgil's expression grew more serious. "You should have heard of its existence, Escapee. The company you worked for in life was defeated by the Paradoxical Technology of your competitors."
"...So that's how it is."
Gao Fan muttered softly, sinking into deep thought.
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