Chapter 39 Arrangements
Treat his injuries? Ning Lu frowned, a flicker of doubt surfacing in his mind; he didn't think Mr. Z could know he'd been wounded.
After all, in Mr. Z's perception he had skipped these three days—before that he'd spent only one afternoon in this Aurora Order safe-house, then fallen peacefully asleep.
"I heard the Lord's voice."
Mr. Z's tone was frenzied, exulting with utmost piety toward Ning Lu. "Have you heard His voice? How serene, how tranquil it is—I saw the Lord's gentle gaze; He hangs upside-down at the world's end, watching our every existence…"
Mr. Z's unbroken stream of praise rang on, and Ning Lu let him finish, while a theory quickly took shape in his mind:
This had to be an after-effect left by Adam.
He carried protection of the highest order; only Adam, who controlled the stage of "Cordu Village's dream," could notice the shadow in the tale that no one could observe or behold—seizing the moment, He had granted that shadow a blessing.
Afterwards, he had used the power of the Sefirah Castle to hide Adam's gaze.
Yet the future Grisha Adam would wield both the Visionary and the Hanged Man authorities, and the Hanged Man aspect would be taken by the mad True Creator as a "favor" left by Himself.
But why would the True Creator value him so? Suspicion flashed through Ning Lu's mind; after turning it over he saw only one reason: the attention Adam left on him was of the highest calibre.
[But you never meant to accept Adam's gift.]
Heavenly Lord said leisurely:
[A quasi-pillar's gaze—could it pierce my Sefirah Castle and see our faces? It is a fortress forged from the Original Creator's legacy and your own authority, a stronghold closest to the Origin.]
Ning Lu arched a brow and replied silently in his heart:
"So?"
This time Heavenly Lord did not refuse; he answered quite candidly:
[Put simply, He must take you for my heir—perhaps the Fool, perhaps someone else. Who cares? As long as my aura clings to you, He must treat you with matching weight.]
"Could it be," Ning Lu mused, wondering if his blind guess might hit the mark, "that Adam has mistaken me for Amon?"
Heavenly Lord: […]
Heavenly Lord: […It's not impossible.]
With that puzzle solved, Ning Lu gave a slow nod, reached out and said to Mr. Z:
"Let's begin."
Mr. Z lowered his head, abandoning his former fervor; like a silent Doctor he used shadow and flesh-magic to mend the scorched black marks on Ning Lu's body.
A while later, when every last bit of char had been repaired, Mr. Z inclined his head and left Ning Lu's room.
Once Mr. Z's figure vanished from the room, Heavenly Lord's form coalesced opposite Ning Lu, who half-reclined on the bed and looked at him:
"Something on your mind?"
"Just now the Sefirah Castle was assailed by the True Creator," Heavenly Lord said bluntly. "Or rather, He only spoke a sentence to the Castle; we hid well—He didn't even realize He was talking to the Sefirah Castle itself."
"What did He say?"
Seeing Heavenly Lord being cryptic again, Ning Lu merely asked calmly:
"What were the words?"
"He said, 'Well done.'" A meaningful smile curved Heavenly Lord's lips: "Seems the Fallen God truly is mad, and God Almighty gave Him a fierce dose. Most of God's will to erode must be focused on Him; thinking that way, we should support Him even more."
"After all, if our enemy opposes Him, He must be doing something right?" Ning Lu added casually, pulled the warm quilt over himself and comfortably closed his eyes…
Next morning Ning Lu gave himself a quick wash, shed the special garments hidden beneath his robe, and changed into a close-fitting suit.
In his office Mr. Z dutifully reported the information the faithful had gathered these two days—item by item Ning Lu listened, feeling his blood pressure steadily rise:
"With our resources so thin, why is your first thought to hunt other Beyonders—and still wear that signature black robe?"
"—the Lord's scripture says if you wish men to believe you, dress in splendour so they heed your authority… What, the canon claims only Devils dress in finery? Then you misread; we bear the sins of all mankind—are we not Devils in their eyes?"
"Why rely on assassination and blackmail to control the factory-owners in the outskirts? Crudest method—why not spread the Lord's glory to them? No church Beyonder protects them! Though every church now hunts the Lord's faith, that only makes the quality of faith more vital."
Ning Lu exhaled softly, concluding that Mr. Z's operational skills left much to be desired. Still, he tempered his tone:
"…I know we lost almost all our accumulated Beyonder items and operating funds in that mishap. Henceforth we must devote most of our strength to the Lord's Divine Descent. Suspend plans to recruit new lambs; focus every effort on cultivating a few sheep who can supply us with funds."
Mr. Z nodded in silence.
"Next, the matter of the Marauder-Path Beyonder Lanerlus whom Cyril has recruited."
Ning Lu tapped the desk and continued, shifting the topic to Lanerlus:
"For the coming period your task is to watch Lanerlus personally."
Meeting Mr. Z's puzzled look, Ning Lu added:
"He is tied to the Lord's Divine Descent—for good or ill."
Mr. Z's gaze turned grave: "I will fulfil the Lord's mission!"