Chapter 89: The God of Deception and Trickery
You immediately stood up as well, cautiously saying, "Isn't this too dangerous?"
"Don't worry." Aglaea looked at you all. "I will help you acquire the flame seed. This is already part of the Journey of Chasing the Flame."
Cipher scratched her head, her cat ears twitching uneasily. "But... I thought this kind of thing would have to wait a long time..."
"The spread of the Black Tide is faster than expected," Tribbie said softly. "We need to gather the flame seeds as quickly as possible to strengthen the Chrysos Heir's power."
Cipher was silent for a moment, then finally sighed. "Alright, alright, it has to be done sooner or later anyway. So how do we do it? We can't just go challenge that Zagrez to a duel, can we?"
Trinnon spoke. "Legend says Zagrez is attracted to schemes, especially on Ghost Day—that's when he's most likely to appear."
"So?"
"So we need a scheme grand enough," Aglaea said, "grand enough to make the Rogue God appear in person."
"How exactly do we do it?" you asked.
"A grand scheme? I get it..." Cipher answered first. "There are highly skilled Rogues all over Amphoreus. If we can get them to perform their boldest schemes on the same day, plus mine..." "That'll definitely cause a huge stir!" Her eyes lit up.
Aglaea smiled. "Indeed, coming to you was the right choice."
"But..." Cipher then frowned. "How can I get so many Rogues to listen to me?"
"That's where you'll need to persuade them yourself," Aglaea smiled. "After all, you're the youngest yet most famous among them."
"Me? Famous?" Cipher pointed at herself.
"'Lying Cat Cipher,' 'Swift-Footed Cifera,' these titles are well-known in Rogue circles."
"Alright, alright, who told me I was so amazing? With great power comes great responsibility... Hehe."
You immediately stepped forward. "I'll go with you."
"Of course!" Cipher looked at you with a smile. "Without my Little Cat, I wouldn't dare run around everywhere."
And so, you began your journey to find Rogues. The first stop was a neighboring city-state. Within a month, you found over twenty Rogues. Some were excited and agreed as soon as they heard about the Deceiving God plan. "Deceiving a Titan? Interesting! Count me in!" Others required Cipher to use all her persuasive powers. "I've already retired, and you want me to come out of retirement?" "Just once! One last time! Think about it, this is a monumental event that could go down in history!"
Three months later, nearly a hundred Rogues had agreed to participate. But you still needed more Rogues... those scattered in various places, some living in seclusion in the mountains, some imprisoned.
"This old man lives on a snow mountain?" Cipher looked at the intelligence in her hand. "He really knows how to pick a place." So you embarked on the journey to the snow mountain. Persuading the reclusive Rogues was harder than imagined.
"Little girl, I haven't been involved in worldly affairs for many years," the white-haired old Rogue shook his head.
"Senior, this is a great deed of deceiving a Titan! Didn't you enjoy challenging difficult tasks when you were young?"
"Those are all things of the past..."
Cipher's eyes darted. "I heard you once had a wish to steal a sacred artifact from the Arcadia Temple?"
The old man's eyes lit up. "How did you know?"
"If you help us, I'll tell you how to do it."
In the end, the old Rogue was persuaded.
20 years old. And so, one by one, it took a whole year for you to travel through most of Amphoreus. During this time, you also had to rescue Rogues who were imprisoned.
"This person is going to be executed the day after tomorrow," you said, frowning at the intelligence.
"Then we'll break him out of jail tonight!" Cipher said without hesitation.
The hardest part was finding the missing Rogues. Some had changed their names and lived as ordinary people, while others had moved far away and were never heard from again. But Cipher didn't give up; she believed every Rogue was necessary.
"Why do we have to gather three hundred?" you asked.
"My intuition tells me that the number three hundred is very important," Cipher said with a smile.
Finally, at the end of the year, the last Rogue was found. "Counting you and me, that's exactly three hundred and one schemes," Cipher counted the list. "Perfect!"
There was one month left until Ghost Day. All the Rogues gathered in Dolos one after another. You watched Cipher's busy figure, feeling a strange unease in your heart. The Titan of Schemes... if anything went wrong...
"Little cat, don't overthink it." Cipher saw your worry. "With Tailor Woman and Sister Tribbie helping, and you by my side, I'm not afraid of any Titan!"
The night before Ghost Day, Dolos City. Three hundred and two Rogues gathered together, and the scene was exceptionally lively.
"Everyone!" Cipher stood on a platform made of wooden boxes, and you stood beside her. "Tomorrow is the day we make history!"
Scattered applause broke out below the stage, but there was more whispering.
"Little girl, are you really sure this plan will succeed?" a One-Eyed Rogue asked loudly.
"Of course!" Cipher was full of confidence. "As long as everyone performs their best scheme at the same time, the commotion will surely alarm Zagrez!"
You added, "Remember, three hundred Rogues, three hundred schemes. And we—"
"Are the three hundred and first!" Cipher and you said in unison.
An old Rogue thoughtfully said, "You two count as one?"
"That's right!" Cipher hooked your shoulder. "We're the best partners! Two people working together can achieve the strongest scheme!"
"How exactly do we do it?" someone asked.
"Every Rogue must perform a scheme in a different city-state, and then..."
After you and Cipher explained the plan, everyone praised it.
Ghost Day. The Rogues left one after another through the Gate of a Hundred Realms. "Remember! Use your wildest schemes!" You and Cipher saw off everyone at the gate.
In the afternoon, you began your "performance." The location was the central square of Dolos City.
"Are you ready, Little cat?" Cipher asked.
"Ready to start anytime," you nodded.
You performed a brilliant two-person act—Cipher was responsible for attracting attention, "stealing" the new king's scepter in broad daylight, while you used your ability to replicate the scepter, making it appear as if it was still in its original place. By the time the king discovered that what was in his hand was fake, you were already in the center of the square, waving the real scepter.
"Come and catch us!" Cipher shouted provocatively.
The city guards swarmed in. Just as you were about to counterattack, Cipher held your hand. "Little cat, stick to the plan."
You gave up resistance and were locked in the deepest cell of the prison. Throughout the afternoon, other Rogues were successively escorted in due to their failed schemes. But the prison was filled with laughter.
"You guys got caught too?"
"Of course, it's part of the plan!"