That last sentence was the real point.
So he was angry because he couldn't eat ice cream. Anyone who didn't know better might think Ouroboros had bullied him terribly, given the way Will was tearfully accusing him.
"Is it that hard to shake him off?"
"That stupid snake is dead set on dragging things out with me in Backlund this time. So annoying. I really want to find a pot and stew Him into snake soup."
Even as Will fumed, an ice cream appeared in his right hand, and he happily licked it a few times.
Look at how badly the kid was craving it. He could only satisfy his tiny wish of eating ice cream inside a dream.Hastur found it amusing. "How do you want me to help you?"
"Find something to trick Him into leaving. He's not very smart. You just need to give Him a suitable reason, and He'll leave Backlund."
"How about a divine descent?"
"..." Will's eyes widened. After a while, he muttered softly, "It's a little risky, but it's not impossible."
"Will, just for a bite of ice cream, you'd rather trigger a divine descent?"
"You're the one who suggested it." Will guiltily turned his body aside.
After teasing Will, Hastur already had an idea of how to lure Ouroboros away.
For Ouroboros, aside from devouring Will, a competitor from the same pathway, the thing He cared most about was the True Creator.
He only needed to stir up a little trouble around the True Creator to draw His attention away from Backlund.
The Vessel of the Stars was the most suitable choice for accomplishing this.
Still, going through so much trouble just for a bite of ice cream somehow didn't feel worth it.
Perhaps sensing Hastur's thoughts, Will put on a solemn expression and declared, "That's not just a bite of ice cream. It's nourishment for my spirit, my second life. Right now, my life is under threat. Isn't that worth you taking action to save?"
"Are all you Snakes of Mercury gluttons?"
"Nonsense. Haven't you heard the term 'gluttonous snake'?" Will replied with complete confidence, even sounding a little proud. He was only missing putting both hands on his hips.
"I'll try to help you lure Ouroboros away." Hastur felt that giving up on discussing this issue with Will was the wiser choice. "I also have a question I'd like to ask you..."
After listening to Hastur's explanation, Will circled him twice before asking curiously, "Who said the place where your soul belongs has to be your homeland?"
"Some people leave the hometown where they were born and raised like wild horses freed from their reins, running as fast as they can and wishing they could get as far away from home as possible."
"Some people devote themselves entirely to money and power. The place where their souls belong is stacks of gold pounds or crowns."
Will seriously discussed the question of where one's soul belonged with Hastur. In his view, the specific meaning of a soul's place of belonging should be the place one yearned for most deeply in one's heart, rather than simply referring to one's homeland.
Hearing this, Hastur also came to a realization.
The Lost One did not refer to someone who had lost their homeland, but someone who had lost the place where their soul belonged, someone with nowhere to entrust their heart.
It was as if the most important piece of your soul had been dug away.
Once people grew old, they easily began reminiscing about the past.
The older one became, the harder it was to leave one's homeland. The closer one came to death, the more one missed the place of one's birth.
But for Hastur himself, that was not necessarily the case.
After all, he had not been in this world for very long. It was like a worker who had gone away from home to work for a year or so. Though he missed his home, he was not yet that deeply attached to it.
"This is a question you need to find the answer to yourself. Other people can only give you a little advice. They can't truly help you."
As Will spoke, he stood on tiptoe and patted Hastur on the shoulder with an earnest, experienced air.
"Then is ice cream the place where your soul belongs?"
"..." Will's expression froze. Thinking about it carefully, that really did seem to be the case.
But having ice cream as the place where his soul belonged... sounded way too childish!
"There's no need to feel ashamed. After all, you've always been this kind of person."
"..." Will silently turned around. After reminding Hastur one last time that he absolutely had to lure Ouroboros away, he slipped off.
"Where is the place where my soul belongs? Could it be the place where I first arrived in this world? Or is it the Hall of Stars?"
Hastur once again sank into contemplation. This question had something of a philosophical flavor to it. It was easy to overthink it and end up with nothing but a pile of pointless sentimentality.
...
Backlund.
Ouroboros, who had continued wandering around Backlund and refused to leave, was currently walking down the street in the appearance of an ordinary person.
Fate attracted fate, especially at Their level. The instinct of convergence constantly drew Them toward one another.
Although this attraction could be blocked, as time passed, doing so became increasingly difficult.
He truly could not find any trace of the other Snake of Mercury, but a voice in His heart told Him that He was already very close.
Unless the other party suddenly left Backlund, if He continued wandering around, He would eventually catch that loach who was so good at playing hide-and-seek.
As for divine descent in Backlund, the only true god who was probably still watching this place was the God of Steam and Machinery, and He was precisely the one true god Ouroboros least needed to worry about.
As He continued strolling down the street, He suddenly sensed that someone was attempting to enter the Lord's resting place.
Ouroboros frowned slightly, seemingly weighing His options. In the end, He let out a soft sigh and chose to leave Backlund.
Backlund remained as usual, with nothing different about it.
Three days later, Ouroboros appeared in Backlund once again and carefully searched for Will, but still found nothing.
During this period, He had remained hidden in the shadows, hoping to use the opportunity to lure Will out, but gained nothing.
He wandered around Backlund for another few days before finally leaving and returning to the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Inside an ordinary rented house, Will lazily reclined on a sofa, comfortably enjoying his long-lost companion, ice cream.
The thoughts of that stupid snake Ouroboros were extremely easy to see through. With that level of intelligence, He had basically bid farewell to any possibility of using wisdom.
By Will's estimate, Ouroboros probably wouldn't return to Backlund for another week.
During this time, he could finally enjoy as much ice cream as he wanted.
...
"Has the help still not arrived?" Leonard Augustus asked weakly as he lay on his sickbed.
This time, the reason for his illness was not an accident or coincidence, but the accumulation of prolonged sickness.
After a succession of accidents and coincidences, his body had already been drained. Even without accidents serving as the final push, he might have collapsed on his own.
"The latest message says that you should wait a little longer."
"Heh, wait a little longer? Wait until they can come collect my urn?"
Leonard waved his hand in disgust, signaling for them to leave.
Could it be that the first thing his elder brother planned to do after ascending the throne was use his life to pave the way forward?
At the thought, he couldn't help shivering.
Outside the sickroom, Alfred remained silent for a long time before eventually choosing to leave again.
After being harshly berated by Audrey, he had wanted to resign from Prince Leonard's service and leave. But seeing Prince Leonard's pitiful state as he remained bedridden, Alfred could not bring himself to abandon him and could only continue handling matters on his behalf.
Two days later, Leonard, the newly appointed Duke of Southville County, died of illness in his bed at his own villa after falling sick from prolonged depression.
"Prince Leonard is dead?!"
Alfred was stunned when he received the news and hurried to the villa, only arriving in time to see Prince Leonard's corpse covered beneath a white cloth.
"We must report this to the King and have him avenge Prince Leonard!"
"Prince Leonard absolutely did not die naturally! Someone secretly murdered him!"
"Poor Prince Leonard wasn't even thirty years old!"
Alfred stood to the side, listening to Prince Leonard's confidants angrily denounce the situation. In particular, they repeatedly mentioned the name of Count Hastur Campbell.
He knew that another great storm was about to sweep across Southville County.
...
At Puning Harbor, Hastur also received the news within a few hours of Leonard Augustus's death.
Inside the study, Caius stood to the side, his body trembling slightly. This was the first time he had ever botched a task.
"Tell me. How did he die?" Hastur rubbed his brow, feeling a headache coming on.
Recently, he had been busy preparing to advance to Sequence 4 The Lost One and had no time to pay attention to what was happening outside.
In his original plan, the accidents and coincidences targeting Leonard Augustus were only meant to conceal the blank period during which he had traveled to Intis.
Once he returned, he had intended to have Caius suspend the operation. He had not expected Prince Leonard to die so quickly.
This would undoubtedly draw Backlund's attention toward him.
In such a short span of time, two successive Dukes of Southville had died. He was the prime suspect, and the matter truly would not withstand much investigation.
"He died naturally. His body was probably too weak, combined with the effects of falling ill from prolonged anxiety."
"It wasn't because you failed to control the extent of it?"
"We always followed your arrangements and never intended to take his life." At this point, Caius's expression turned ugly. "But we can't rule out the possibility that it was a chain reaction."
Hastur thought for a while before telling Caius to leave and investigate the matter.
"Backlund must be quite lively right now."
Hastur murmured softly before his thoughts once again drifted toward his advancement to Sequence 4 The Lost One.
As for this matter, it was only a minor complication. He simply disliked trouble that fell outside his plans.