Chapter 2883: It’s the Wrong Deity

Aragorn’s smile stiffened. “Why? Are you not interested in being an elder of the Conglomerate?”

The atmosphere grew heavy. The crowd exchanged subtle looks. They knew better than to say anything in a situation like this.

Zu An replied, “Uncle, you've misunderstood me. I'm just used to being carefree. I wasn’t an Order worshiper before, and I’m not a Protection worshiper now, either. It might be inappropriate for me to become a Conglomerate elder.”

Isabella also spoke up for Zu An, “Daddy, big brother Zu is still too young. His qualifications might not be enough to silence the naysayers. Furthermore, he has other responsibilities on his hands. Becoming a Conglomerate elder might be overstretching him.”

Aragorn laughed. “That’s easy. Ah Zu, you can be our honorary elder. You don’t have to take on any responsibilities within the Conglomerate, and you’re free to do as you please. If you’re going to turn down even that, I’d have to wonder if you truly want to be with Isabella.”

Zu An couldn’t turn down Aragorn when he was already going this far. “Thank you for your generosity, uncle.”

Only then did Aragorn’s face brighten up. He adeptly smoothened the situation over, and the banquet regained its earlier vibrancy.

After the banquet concluded, Zu An returned to his room and chatted with Chu Chuyan. Just then, they heard knocks on the door.

Zu An opened the door and saw a slightly nervous Isabella outside.

Chu Chuyan stood up and said, “I’ll return to my room. You two talk.”

Isabella hurriedly waved her hands. “You don’t need to leave, big sister Chu.”

“What’s wrong, Bella?”

Sensing that Isabella had something to say, Chu Chuyan grabbed Isabella’s hands and guided her into the room. The two of them had taken care of each other for many years in the Order Ceremony, so they were no longer as awkward as they were when they first met.

Isabella looked at Zu An and asked, “Big brother Zu, why did you turn down my father?”

Zu An was hesitant to speak.

Isabella interjected, “Do you suspect that my father knew everything from the start?”

Zu An looked at Isabella in surprise.

Isabella replied sorrowfully, “In the decades I spent in the Order Ceremony, I've faced my brethren’s death, my nation’s collapse, and the despair of having to fight in a hopeless situation. There’s no way I wouldn’t have grown from that.”

Time flowed faster in the Order Ceremony. It was similar to how Zu An had previously spent decades with Pei Mianman in a dungeon, but only a short time had passed in real life.

“Indeed. Looking back at it now, the Order Ceremony feels like an elaborate ploy,” Zu An replied. “You shouldn’t blame your father. This Order Ceremony was a fight among the universal deities; we were all just pieces on their chessboard.”

Isabella’s eyes reddened. “But I still feel depressed. My uncles put on a united front for so many years, but it turned out that they'd been scheming to betray one another in the Order Ceremony all this time. Many Conglomerate members, who were kept in the dark, fought hard for Order till their dying breath, but it seems as if their sacrifice was meaningless right from the start.”

The thought of her dying comrades made tears trickle down her face.

“You’re a kind lady.” Chu Chuyan rubbed her shoulders to console her.

Zu An fell silent.

The universal deities were only concerned about the powerhouses who were worthy to serve as their chess pieces. In contrast, those who upheld their faith to their dying breath didn’t mean a thing to them at all.

Under Chu Chuyan’s consolation, Isabella recovered slightly and asked, “Big brother Zu, what do you plan to do next?”

“Someone promised to provide me with an answer. I hope I’ll get some good news.” Zu An recalled how Meng had told him to witness the Order Ceremony, and in return, she would tell him the method to find the Goddess of Wu Mountain. He suddenly felt nervous. What if her answer isn't something I’m looking for?

“You should stay in the Conglomerate longer. I still haven’t hosted you properly yet,” Isabella said with expectant eyes. Despite having spent decades in the Order Ceremony, they had spent more time separated than together.

Chu Chuyan teased, “Ah Zu, you should also settle your marriage with Bella while you’re at it.”

Isabella’s face turned as red as an apple. “That’s not what I mean. Big sister Chu, you’re terrible...”

Zu An looked at the two ladies with a warm smile.

Suddenly, there was a flicker, and the surrounding space distorted. Before he knew it, he had been transported into another dimension.

Sensing the unique aura of a universal deity, his heart swelled in excitement, knowing that he might acquire the method to save the Goddess of Wu Mountain soon. “O great Deity of Mem...”

“I see you miss that fellow more than me. I must have come at an inconvenient time.” The constellations in the sky distorted.

Sweat immediately rained from Zu An’s head. “O great Deity of Chaos and Enigma, I didn’t receive a response from you in your Divine Palace and was worried about you, which is why I sought information about you from the Deity of Memory. I’m glad that you’re safe and sound!”

“Hah. You’re as cunning as ever. I didn’t think you would be able to smooth that over,” Mi Li teased.

Zu An secretly wiped off his cold sweat. “It’d be for naught if not for your magnanimity. I heard from the Deity of Memory that you had your hands full dealing with some trouble. Is the matter resolved now?”

“It’s not completely resolved, but it’s much better than before. It’s all thanks to you.” Mi Li’s voice suggested that they were in a good mood.

Zu An immediately put the two together. He should have entered the Order Ceremony as a Mirror Scribe, but for some reason, he ended up as Hong Chengchou. “Is it because of you that I transmigrated into Hong Chengchou’s body?”

“Of course. I did it on the spur of the moment, but I didn’t expect you to pull off such a stunt. I was right about you. You are a natural Time Scribe.”

Zu An wasn’t happy about her compliment. “Next time, can you give me a heads-up first before doing anything? I won’t be that lucky every time.”

He didn’t want to experience the feeling of treading on thin ice too often.

“Many things can’t be revealed prematurely. Besides, how else could I force out your potential?”

Zu An felt his anger bubbling, but he dared not to let it show. He could only ask, “I've foiled Annihilation’s plans several times now. Will I randomly face divine retribution from them while walking on the streets?”

“You’re under my protection; they won’t be able to make a move on you directly. At most, they will send Annihilation worshipers after you.”

Zu An hesitantly pointed out, “But you had your hands full not too long ago.”

“Don’t you still have Meng?”

“...” Zu An took a deep breath and asked once more, “Where did my companions go after the Order Ceremony concluded?”

“They returned to their respective Divine Palaces. Don’t worry, I have checked on your behalf. They are safe.”

Zu An’s mind was put at ease. He mustered his courage and asked, “O great Deity of Chaos and Enigma, I offered my tremendous feat in the Order Ceremony to you. May I know if there is any reward for my accomplishment?”

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