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"Go ahead, what is it?" Azik's expression had returned to calm, and he spoke gently, having adjusted his emotions during the preceding moments.
"I want to incorporate the Numinous Episcopate, and I hope to cooperate with you, Azik." Lin Ruo was very direct, knowing that for someone like Azik, a straightforward request was the best approach.
As for persuasion, that could come later.
Azik was clearly stunned, evidently not expecting Lin Ruo to be so ambitious. He was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Why do you want to do this? How do you want me to help you?"
"Why do I want to do this? Actually, there are many reasons. To put it broadly, I want to change this society, but I'm very short on people, so I want to make the Numinous Episcopate mine." Lin Ruo picked up his black tea, took a sip, and said unhurriedly.
"Change this society?" Azik frowned slightly, a bit puzzled. "What do you plan to do?"
"Mr. Azik, do you think the current Loen is good?" Lin Ruo didn't directly answer Azik's question but instead asked with a smile. However, before Azik could answer, he continued:
"I don't think it's very good."
"Too many people die for no good reason. Hunger and cold claim countless lives every year. They work so hard to live, yet they're still like straw, easily blown away by a little wind. I don't think this is good, so I want to change it."
Lin Ruo didn't say too much. He paused, then smiled at Azik again and said, "Of course, this has nothing to do with you, Azik. It's just a naive and insignificant idea of mine."
"I don't think this idea is naive, nor do I think it's insignificant. Sympathizing with the weak and wanting to change this world is a very good thing." Azik retorted, though he hadn't heard the term 'insignificant' before, he could roughly understand its meaning.
"I'm very pleased..." Lin Ruo's smile brightened a bit, but he didn't intend to dwell on this. He knew Azik might also be interested in the new order, but under the current circumstances, there was no need to elaborate.
He simply continued:
"To put it in a smaller context, the Numinous Episcopate have been getting increasingly insane recently for their Artificial Death plan. According to the intelligence I've obtained, they even plan to hold a large-scale sacrifice ceremony in Backlund, using the deaths of at least several million people to awaken the Artificial Death..."
"What!" Azik was suddenly startled. While Lin Ruo's earlier talk of changing the world had piqued his interest, it was too vague and grand to feel real. Now, hearing that the Numinous Episcopate actually planned such a massive event in Backlund, the reality instantly hit him.
Even if Azik Eggers never considered himself particularly kind, he couldn't stand by and watch millions of deaths unfold before his eyes.
However, he quickly reacted, looking at Lin Ruo and saying, "Since you've already received the news in advance, the Church of the Evernight Goddess..."
"I haven't told the Church of the Evernight Goddess yet, but I will later. I won't let the Numinous Episcopate' insane plan succeed." Lin Ruo said, seeing Azik visibly relax, he couldn't help but smile. Then he restrained his smile and said, "But I can stop it once, but not a second or third time... As long as those guys in the Numinous Episcopate don't give up, such things won't stop. Perhaps one day, they really will create an Artificial Death, and such a Death, it's obvious, will only bring more disaster to this world as an evil god."
"Even..." Lin Ruo paused, looked at Azik, and sighed, "Considering your connection to the uniqueness, Azik, and the contingency Salinger set up within you, perhaps the day the Numinous Episcopate' plan succeeds will be the day Salinger returns through you."
Azik said nothing, but his slightly grave expression said it all.
"So I want to incorporate the Numinous Episcopate, to solve the problem from its source."
Lin Ruo continued. He picked up his black tea, took a sip, and looked at Azik.
"I hope to cooperate with you, Azik. The Numinous Episcopate are composed of the descendants of the former Balam Empire royal family and survivors of the Church of Death. And you are the son of the Death of that time. If you return to the Numinous Episcopate, you will inherently gain a certain degree of recognition from its members, an advantage outsiders don't have."
"At the same time, Klein, Medici, and I will also help you gain control of the Numinous Episcopate' authority. Medici was once the War Angel; with His help, your safety will be guaranteed, and the pressure of seizing power won't be too great. The day you fully control the Numinous Episcopate will be the time we complete the incorporation and cleansing of the Numinous Episcopate."
Lin Ruo looked at Azik, his calm words seemingly carrying an unparalleled power of persuasion:
"By then, these Numinous Episcopate members will also be your subordinates, your anchors. We can share everything of the Numinous Episcopate. And with me, I can guarantee that the Orthodox Churches will no longer trouble the cleansed Numinous Episcopate; it will be an officially recognized organization."
"You can use this to advance further, becoming a Sequence 1. Your lost memories, besides being able to search the Numinous Episcopate' collected data, can also be sought out by the members of the Numinous Episcopate for you. Even if your current state cannot be resolved, having the Numinous Episcopate as an anchor is always better than your repeated Reincarnation like a headless fly. If you have offspring again, you can also entrust them to the people of the Numinous Episcopate."
"Azik..." Lin Ruo suddenly called out, his tone still unhurried. "I know you want a stable life and don't like adventure, but you also clearly understand that with your current situation, a truly stable life is impossible."
"But if the Numinous Episcopate successfully launders itself, I can guarantee that you can freely choose your life, whether stable or adventurous, entirely up to you."
"This is a win-win cooperation."
Azik fell silent, clearly deep in thought. After a long while, he looked up at Lin Ruo:
"...Very generous terms. I don't seem to have any reason to refuse."
Azik indeed found no reason to refuse. Although he wasn't overly eager for power, the various things Lin Ruo proposed, whether it was to avoid being resurrected by the Death, to recover his memories, or to have an anchor and stable times, all made him unable to resist being tempted.
"So, are you willing to cooperate, Azik?" Lin Ruo put down his teacup, his smile as gentle as ever, as if the persuasion just now hadn't come from his mouth at all.
Azik looked at the young man still wearing a gentle smile before him. For some reason, in a trance, he suddenly recalled the "teacher" from his memories. Lin Ruo, in the past, seemed to have also sat before him like this, smiling and saying something to him.
He said... no, He said...
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