Morning light filtered through the cracked glass window, bathing the girl's near-flawless form in a warm glow. The cozy sensation teased her body, lulling her deeper into her morning slumber.
But the serene, almost artistic scene didn't last. A faint noise jolted the sleeping girl upright, her liquid eyes fixed on the window. Only when she saw the black cat did she relax slightly.
"While I appreciate the eye candy, I'm not paying extra for it," the black cat quipped, shattering the moment's charm. Triss grabbed a shirt from the bed, draping it over herself, her tone cold.
"I thought you weren't coming."
"No way. I'm always serious about deals." The cat hopped onto her bed, waving a paw with mock solemnity. The cute gesture only irritated Triss further.
"The stuff's here. Where's the intel?" Trissy pulled two tin boxes and several packets of herbal powder from under the bed. The cat inspected them, then nodded.
"Egor Einhorn, Feysac Empire Navy Admiral, also a Sequence 4 Iron-Blooded Knight. By the way, the Hunter pathway is controlled by the Einhorn and Sauron families. If you plan to hunt an Iron-Blooded Knight and Yegor's already dead, target those families. I'd recommend Sauron, though—Einhorn's tied to Feysac's imperial family."
"You're giving me an Einhorn demigod…" Trissy was unimpressed. She wasn't desperate enough to chase demigod intel just yet.
What she cared about more was—
"You mentioned intel tied to me. Why is the Demoness Sect so keen on turning men into Demoness?"
"Simple. They want to get closer to the Primordial… er, can't just toss around a god's name. Point is, the true god of the Assassin pathway ascended from male to female. As the pinnacle of this sequence, They naturally influence it from the top down. Women consuming Assassin potions face higher digestion difficulty and loss-of-control risks than men."
The cat paced as it spoke. Trissy froze, not just from the explanation but from the bombshell it implied—
"True gods take sequence potions too?"
"Of course! Don't you know the true god rank is called Sequence 0? Ever wonder why pathways with a true god rarely have Sequence 1s? Because a true god's potion requires three Sequence 1 characteristics!"
The cat dropped the revelation without hesitation, leaving Triss momentarily dazed. She forced down her shock at such esoteric knowledge and refocused.
"So, you said I'm the Demoness Sect's prized 'project.' What does that mean?"
"Who climbs sequences the fastest?" The cat didn't answer directly, posing a question instead.
"Those suited to the pathway's acting principles?" Trissy, uninterested in games but knowing the cat would answer, gave a plausible response.
"Close, but that's just one sequence." The cat shook its head, one paw resting on the box of materials. "The fastest climbers are those resembling the pathway's apex. Every sequence is influenced top-down by its highest existence. Like I said, the Primordial's influence makes men digest Assassin potions easier. The closer you are to the true god's nature, the easier it is to digest potions."
"So, you're saying… I'm like the Primordial?" Trissy said softly, her brow furrowing. "What's the problem with that?"
"Exactly. You're still rational—good." The cat flashed a satisfied look, extending its claws. "What's the core principle of the Acting Method?"
"…"
Triss didn't answer. She didn't know.
"They didn't tell you?" The cat grinned, baring a faintly eerie smile. "Let me educate you, then. The core of the Acting Method is one sentence: You are only acting!"
"I'm… only acting?" Trissy vaguely recalled the cat saying this when critiquing her Demoness acting. Had it been a warning all along?
But…
"What's the connection?" she asked, sensing something but needing clarity.
"If you get too immersed in the role, you're not digesting the potion—it's digesting you. Your personality shifts closer to the role you're playing, and then…"
"You merge with the true god?" Trissy interjected, her scalp tingling. "That's why you said those resembling the true god digest potions faster and climb sequences easier?"
The idea of her personality being warped was terrifying enough. If she hadn't known this principle, would she have sunk too deep into her role, influenced by the potion, and fully embraced being a woman?
"That's the gist." The cat nodded, waving its paw before its tone turned chillingly sinister. "But more importantly, when you resemble the true god too closely, you become the perfect vessel for Their descent into reality."
Boom!
Trissy felt her mind explode.
A vessel for a god's descent?
That was the Demoness Sect's goal for her?
She didn't need to imagine the consequences. Even a Sequence 9 potion's mental imprint could drive a Beyonder to lose control. A true god's mind descending into her? There was no good outcome.
Taking two steps forward, she glared at the cat, ready to speak. But the cat, ruining the moment, quipped, "What? Deal's done, and now you want to take it back?"
"Who's taking anything?!" Trissy took a deep breath, trying to recapture the shattered tension but failing. Resigned, she asked directly, "Why are you telling me this? Everything you've said today far exceeds the value of a Sequence 9 potion."
"I'm always serious about deals," the cat replied solemnly. Trissy frowned.
"I don't think selling gold at the price of stone is 'serious.'"
"No, I mean this intel isn't worth more than a Sequence 9 potion."
(End of Chapter)