Chapter 859: Deducing the Cause from the Effect
"What? Danger?" She looked at me curiously. "Are you about to confess your feelings to me?"
"I..." I let out a helpless sigh, then continued, "You've always wanted to know what I've been working on, haven't you? Now I'll tell you."
"Oh...?" She pulled up a stool and sat down, then looked at me with eager anticipation. "Spill it."
Right now, I really needed a trustworthy teammate, and Jiang Ruoxue was a good candidate.
Even though I didn't know exactly what the Echo of "Cause and Effect" could do, at least now I had someone to discuss strategies with.
Jiang Ruoxue's way of thinking was completely opposite to mine, so maybe she could come up with some ingenious plan.
So, I briefed her on what had happened to me. I told her that I had been chosen by a Zodiac to be a teammate, and that the ultimate goal of that Zodiac was to overthrow the "Apex" of this place.
Then, I took out the note and showed her the three challenges Aries had left for me.
"Any ideas?" I asked.
Jiang Ruoxue held the note and studied the three lines, her expression no different from mine.
These three tasks were impossible for me alone, or even for the two of us.
"Do these three things absolutely have to be done?" she murmured softly to herself. "Is this why I ended up here?"
"For me, they have to be done, but not for you." I shook my head. "If you have any thoughts, feel free to share. If not, that's fine too. Or if you think I'm too dangerous now and want to leave, I won't object."
"Who taught you to talk like that?" Jiang Ruoxue asked, exasperated. "Even if I had ideas, you'd make me lose them."
"I..." I lowered my head in silence. "Sorry. I really haven't communicated much with people before, so I tend to lay out all the unpleasant possibilities upfront."
"Change that when you talk to me from now on." Jiang Ruoxue glanced at the note and waved her hand dismissively. "As for your problem... I do have a way of thinking about it."
"What way?" My eyebrows shot up instantly. "Tell me."
"Beg me."
"Huh...?"
Jiang Ruoxue shot me a mischievous grin. "See? This is how good sisters talk to each other. From now on, use that formal tone with anyone else, but never with me."
"Alright... fine." I smoothed my hair awkwardly. "Then hurry up and tell me."
"Aren't you going to beg me?" Jiang Ruoxue pretended to be profound, staring at the ceiling. "If you won't beg, you can call me 'Daddy' instead."
"You..." I couldn't take it anymore, so I swung my palm and smacked her arm. Unexpectedly, that made her laugh.
"Haha! That's more like it!" Jiang Ruoxue said. "If you use too many clever techniques and negotiation tactics when talking to me, you might lose me as a friend. In front of me, say whatever you want, do whatever you want. That's not disrespect—it's showing intimacy."
Only then did I understand what Jiang Ruoxue meant. Yes—I had always been overly cautious with everyone, even those willing to open their hearts to me.
I thought I had learned so much knowledge, yet I never realized that even the simplest interpersonal interactions needed Jiang Ruoxue to teach me.
"Zhichun." Jiang Ruoxue pointed at the note in front of her, her expression turning serious. "You always say I can't figure out logical relationships. Now, try thinking in my way."
"Your way of thinking...?" I lowered my head, pondering. "You mean 'deducing the cause from the effect'?"
"That's right." Jiang Ruoxue nodded. "You've been racking your brains over these three problems for so long without finding the 'cause,' so why not try starting from the 'effect'?"
"I... don't quite get it."
I shook my head. To me, Jiang Ruoxue's thought process was too abstract. I couldn't use it fluently in such a short time.
"Think about it this way..." Jiang Ruoxue paused for a few seconds, then slowly spoke. "Suppose a few years from now, in the 'Land of the End,' there's a team. They go around obstructing others from collecting 'Paths.' They do all sorts of insane things to make people despair, and every single member is an 'Echo' powerhouse... Why would that be?"
"Ah...?"
So this was "deducing the cause from the effect"...?
But Jiang Ruoxue's suggestion did give me a novel perspective. Yes—if such a team existed in the "Land of the End," what would be the reason?
What would be their motivation?
"That's not quite right." I frowned. "There's another condition..."
"What?"
"Since what we're doing is dangerous, these people need a way to avoid being ganged up on and eliminated by other factions." I thought for a moment, then said, "So these people should operate 'individually'... They might not even know each other. That's absolute safety. Even if one of them gets caught, beaten to death, he wouldn't know where the other teammates are."
"I see. That's even more thorough." Jiang Ruoxue nodded, then looked up and asked, "Then think about it... What's the purpose of this team?"
Following Jiang Ruoxue's line of thought, I rapidly pondered. Yes—since this team couldn't cooperate, what they needed wasn't team spirit...
It was something else, something abstract. They needed...
Faith.
A "faith" implanted deep in their hearts, sufficient for individual operations, without needing to cooperate with others.
Just like ancient emperors, who were ordinary people but called themselves "Sons of Heaven."
Thus, everyone who met the "Son of Heaven" would shout "Long live," and at critical moments, they would risk their lives for the "Son of Heaven."
Even if they had never seen the "Son of Heaven" in person.
That was the power of faith.
As long as you fabricate a lie for them to believe, you could logically make these people sacrifice themselves everywhere.
But what lie should I fabricate...?
"Wait..." I lightly pressed my forehead, feeling my line of thought was a bit narrow. "I don't need a lie at all... What I need to tell them is 'the truth'..."
"Ah?" Jiang Ruoxue turned her head to look at me. "Have you figured it out? The 'cause' of this matter."
"Thanks to you..." I nodded. "I've thought of it. This is the path that suits me best. I don't need to build a team. Instead, whenever I meet a strong person, I need to tell them the 'truth' of this place... Once 3,600 'Paths' are collected, everything will start over. Naturally, they'll fall into despair! And for that reason, they'll take the initiative to interfere with those collecting 'Paths.' At some point in the future, when I gather all the people who share this same goal... then they will be the strongest 'team.'"