Chapter 851: The Path of Aries
Neither Zhang Qiang nor I dared to speak. We could only silently watch the Aries before us.
"First, I must compliment the two of you," Aries said. "I was randomly assigned to this room. Although I can choose my 'Zodiac' teammates, I cannot choose the 'participants.' Whether there are 'smart people in the room' is crucial to me. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed."
"We... are smart people?" Zhang Qiang asked tentatively. "But we haven't done anything."
"A person's greatest virtue is self-awareness—knowing one's own limits and acting accordingly," Aries said. "This game of 'The Liar' reveals a lot. The first thing people need to learn after growing up is when to shut their mouths."
Hearing his words confirmed my earlier suspicions. Aries was formidable.
His strength lay not in his physical prowess or stamina, but in his mind and consciousness.
"There are always people in this world who love to express their opinions and do everything in their power to make others act according to their will," Aries continued. "The seven people who disappeared before you were all like that. Even if you two could identify who 'The Liar' was, it wouldn't have mattered. They didn't understand you, so they weren't going to trust you. They would try to convince those around them in a very short time to side with them. Unfortunately, everyone thought the same way, so no one succeeded."
At this point, I finally spoke up. I really wanted a chance to talk with Aries.
"But according to what you're saying... a truly capable person should be able to persuade the others to cast their votes for them..."
"That can't be done alone," Aries said. "It also depends on the other people in the room. After you realized these people were difficult to communicate with, you gradually gave up trying. I would have made the same choice."
"I see..."
"Now, an opportunity presents itself, but I need your cooperation," Aries interrupted our train of thought. "I need to make this room empty."
Zhang Qiang and I paused, sensing something was off.
"Empty..." I raised my head and stared into his eyes. "Does that mean... you want the two of us to disappear too?"
"No," Aries shook his head. "I know you won't disappear on your own, so I've prepared a 'path of ascension' for you as well."
"Ascension...?"
"That's right," Aries confirmed. "Every time you two drew your 'Identity Cards,' I left you a note. Through many experiments, I've ensured you steadily acquired the 'Echo.' This was the first ascension. Now comes the second."
Zhang Qiang cleared his throat and said, "So you deliberately passed that information to us?"
"Yes. Only the two of you," Aries said, looking at Zhang Qiang with approval. "I only needed to observe one round to determine the candidates. I then used notes to guide you step by step until you obtained the 'Echo.' Add in the 'death threats' from these two cycles, and now you can freely manipulate the 'Echo.' You're among the top few powerhouses in the 'Land of Finality.'"
We were both a little stunned, because we knew our own strength. How could it be so easy to become among the top?
"And what does the 'second ascension' mean...?" Zhang Qiang asked again.
"I have prepared two paths for you," Aries said. "One is the 'absolutely safe path of a participant,' and the other is the 'absolutely safe path of a Zodiac.' If you accept this proposal, I will begin making arrangements."
"Absolutely safe...?"
That claim was both strange and absurd. Zhang Qiang and I hesitated simultaneously.
Because I knew there was no such thing as absolute in this world. So why was Aries so confident...?
"The 'Zodiac path'...?" I paused. "What kind of path would a 'Zodiac' have?"
"Oh, that's my fault," Aries nodded. "Based on my guess about the two of you, even if you got out, you probably wouldn't participate in the game, so it's hard for you to understand why 'Zodiacs' exist. That's reasonable. I'll briefly explain the situation here."
What Aries said next far exceeded our expectations.
He said that every 'Zodiac' here had once been a 'participant.' In theory, if you obtained another's mask, you could become any 'Zodiac.'
This was also, aside from obtaining the 'Dao,' one of the reasons why some 'participants' were willing to risk their lives in duels with 'Zodiacs.'
One of the two paths Aries offered us was to become a 'Zodiac.' He would directly provide the masks, saving us a lot of trouble.
"Even if what you say is true..." Zhang Qiang looked up and asked, "The 'Zodiac' path couldn't be absolutely safe. Whether we become 'Human-level' or 'Earth-level,' we could still be challenged in a life-and-death duel and die in the game."
"That's where the 'Zodiac' promotion rules come in," Aries said. "In theory, after becoming 'Human-level,' if you earn three thousand six hundred 'Dao' for your teacher, your teacher will apply for a 'Zodiac Ascension Bet Contract' to bring you to the interview room. Then you have to figure out how to make everyone in the room disappear. After three cycles, you become 'Earth-level.' And legend has it that once an 'Earth-level' kills three thousand six hundred people, they become 'Heavenly.'"
"Heavenly...?"
Zhang Qiang and I thought 'Heavenly-level Zodiac' was just a concept. We didn't expect that 'Heaven' actually existed here.
"But there's always a stronger opponent..." Zhang Qiang said. "Even the strongest 'Heavenly-level' would probably still face a situation where they're challenged to a life-or-death duel, right?"
"Yes, most of a Zodiac's life is spent walking on thin ice. Although they appear stronger than all the 'participants,' they are ultimately in a passive role," Aries continued patiently. "They are forever stuck in one place, and every day brings unknown events."
"That's roughly what I thought," I nodded. "In that case... there's no such thing as an 'absolutely safe Zodiac,' right?"
"No, there is one exception." Aries turned to look at me. "I said that a Zodiac walks on thin ice most of the time. The only time they don't is right now."
"Now...?"
"Correct." Aries glanced at the sheep beside him, then turned back to me. "Only during the 'interview room' stage is a 'Zodiac' absolutely safe."
"But that doesn't seem right..." Zhang Qiang thought for a moment and asked, "Even in the 'interview room,' everyone in this 'Zodiac' room could still disappear, allowing the 'Zodiac' to be promoted to 'Earth-level,' right? That still involves danger."
"No, rest assured," Aries said to Zhang Qiang. "The 'interview room' I've arranged for you two will never be promoted."