Chapter 631: Schiller is Truly a Good Person (Patreon)

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Constantine and Lucifer Morningstar both fixed their gaze on Schiller. From their expressions, Schiller could discern what they were thinking, which boiled down to, "You're really brave."

In reality, he felt the same way about the original Schiller's actions. He was genuinely courageous.

Setting aside everything else, the fact that young Schiller's initial reaction upon encountering an Angel in front of him was not to scream and run away or to pray, but instead to rush up and pluck a feather from the Angel, what kind of thought process was that?

"At the time, when he successfully plucked one of my feathers, I was extremely surprised. It made me realize that my disguise wasn't perfect, but what shocked me even more was that the feather Schiller pulled out left a wound on my wing. It became a flaw in my disguise among humans," Lucifer Morningstar explained.

Constantine was even more puzzled. He asked, "You said earlier that you weren't injured, so why mention that the plucked feather left a wound?"

"The reason for the injury wasn't the absence of the feather itself but rather my perception that I was missing a feather. When I believed that my disguise was incomplete, it truly became so," Lucifer Morningstar clarified.

Constantine sighed, beginning to understand. The world of mysticism was an exceedingly idealistic one, where concepts and ideas had the power to shape reality, and this was not uncommon.

Lucifer Morningstar, being such a formidable being, possessed the ability to alter reality with his cognition. His power was akin to that of a game administrator, capable of modifying reality from a higher plane than everything else.

However, due to this elevated authority, he also held the sharpest spear and the strongest shield simultaneously. When he believed he had a wound, it was akin to writing an attack command against himself, and this attack command held precedence over his defense command. In that moment of cognitive formation, Lucifer Morningstar acquired a wound. To some extent, it was the downside of "believing makes it real" because any intelligent being with emotions could occasionally lose control of their thoughts.

"Even worse, I couldn't deceive myself into believing the wound didn't exist," Lucifer Morningstar shook his head.

"Why not?" Constantine inquired.

"Because he refused to return that feather to me," Lucifer Morningstar turned his attention back to Schiller and added, "No matter what I said, he just wouldn't give it back."

Schiller saw Constantine slowly extend his hand and give him a thumbs-up under the shadowed part of the bed frame.

"Why didn't you kill him then?" Constantine asked.

He was quite familiar with Lucifer Morningstar, the King of Hell, who wasn't exactly a friend to humanity. He, like all demons, had a certain disdain for humans, and to some extent, Constantine had contributed to that disdain.

Lucifer Morningstar, once a great angel in Heaven, was no longer. Now, he associated with devils in Hell, so killing humans was of little consequence to him.

"Because I wasn't sure if killing him would make the feather disappear forever. If that were the case, the wound would never heal, and my human disguise could never be perfect," Lucifer Morningstar explained.

"At first, I thought he was just a young and ignorant kid who found my feather attractive and wanted to keep it for himself. So, I planned to come back later since you humans grow up so quickly. In just a decade or so, you become adults," Lucifer Morningstar mused.

"Thanks, I know your lifespan is limitless," Constantine retorted without holding back.

"I had almost forgotten about it, but suddenly, I sensed a mysterious calling," Lucifer Morningstar frowned. "I don't remember leaving a mark for anyone to summon me, but there was a force calling me, so I went to investigate."

"When I arrived, I found myself in a hospital. Following the force through the hospital's halls and rooms, I saw Schiller wearing a doctor's uniform. At that time, he still seemed to be an intern."

"What did you say to each other?" Constantine inquired.

"I recognized him as the boy who had plucked my feather back then. I thought he had changed his mind and wanted to return the feather to me, but instead, he said he wanted to use my power to stop the little girl inside from crying," Lucifer Morningstar recounted.

"I thought he was proposing a deal. He would return the feather if I helped him. I discovered that the little girl was crying because she had been chosen by a demon. I helped her by eradicating the demon, and the matter was dealt with."

Constantine looked at Schiller, now understanding the truth about Angela.

Angela's sudden inability to see demons was due to Schiller summoning Lucifer Morningstar and eliminating the demon. With the curse lifted, she naturally couldn't see the demons anymore.

"So, you still haven't gotten your feather back, which means you did a favor for Schiller, but he hasn't repaid you?" Constantine asked, giving Schiller another thumbs-up with his gaze.

Constantine had survived for so long mainly because he had a keen sense of timing. He knew who could be crossed, who couldn't, whose debts could be avoided, and whose couldn't.

And clearly, Lucifer Morningstar was on the list of those whose debts couldn't be avoided. He was no ordinary demon, and Constantine didn't know just how powerful he truly was.

"Correct. He still doesn't intend to return my feather, but he has proposed another way to settle the debt."

"What is it?" Schiller asked, narrowing his eyes.

"He said he could provide me with many unusual and intriguing stories," Constantine inquired with some curiosity.

"At the time, I didn't know either, but I was a bit curious, so I went along with it. Before long, he brought me a human soul. He claimed it belonged to a serial killer."

"I've seen plenty of human souls. I'm not like the devils in Hell who need to absorb souls to maintain their power. Devouring the souls of other creatures doesn't mean much to me."

"But he told me that the interesting part of this soul wasn't its energy but its memories. He said I could see many fascinating stories within, including how this killer committed one bloody act after another."

"At that time, my bar business had hit a plateau, and it was the dull season. I was bored, so I thought this entertainment was better than nothing. Thus, I devoured that soul and witnessed his memories."

Lucifer Morningstar leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the ceiling. He sighed, "I have to acknowledge that you humans come up with all sorts of ways to persecute each other."

"Some of the techniques were so inventive that even I felt amazed sometimes. I would immerse myself in the killer's perspective, seeing how those ugly human souls struggled. Other times, I would take on the perspective of the detective and view how the killer committed these acts from a human standpoint."

Constantine nodded, now understanding that Schiller had essentially provided Lucifer Morningstar with a large-scale, real-life 3D holographic investigation game to play, turning him into a detective enthusiast.

It made sense. Someone at Lucifer Morningstar's level of power was essentially free of desire and need. He had become an all-knowing, all-powerful being capable of altering reality at will, with nothing he couldn't accomplish.

In theory, once you reached such a level, you had two choices: either become a completely ruthless concept that operated according to rules and logic, or start seeking amusement wildly.

Clearly, Lucifer Morningstar belonged to the latter category. Otherwise, he wouldn't leave the throne of Hell unattended, skipping over to the human realm on the West Coast, opening a bar, and even observing slow and busy seasons.

"After weighing my options, I thought trading a feather for so many stories was quite a good deal."

"Schiller kept providing me with stories without interruption. When passing through the West Coast, we'd chat in the bar about investigative ideas. I found him to be a very peculiar person. He'd willingly place himself in danger, constantly approaching those serial killers, but he refused to return my feather."

Constantine looked at Schiller and asked, "So, why exactly won't you return the feather? Does it possess some significant power?"

Lucifer Morningstar shook his head and said, "No. There are no powers in Feather; I've already mentioned it. It's merely a conceptual existence, a part of my disguise, devoid of any energy and incapable of use. If you must find a purpose for it, it might serve as a decoration, perhaps."

"Perhaps, am I truly wanted nothing more than a decoration?" Schiller sipped some water and continued, "Meeting Angel was already an incredibly rare occurrence, and the fact that I could pluck a Feather from Angel's wing is astonishing. Of course, I'll take this Feather back as a trophy and place it in my trophy cabinet."

"As for Angel wanting it back... If you didn't want me to take the Feather, why did you allow me to get close to you in the first place?" Schiller gazed at Lucifer Morningstar, momentarily leaving him perplexed. Lucifer Morningstar asked, "What's wrong with you? Have you truly bumped your head?"

"You previously told me that you felt sorry; it was just because you were young that you did that. I forgave you because by then, we had become friends."

"Then why did you rush me to work?" Schiller stared at Lucifer Morningstar, who shrugged and said, "Don't take it seriously. I was just kidding. What I meant was, hurry up and come up with some stories so we can go have a drink together, just like old times..."

Constantine redirected his gaze toward Schiller, who said, "I don't know; I've lost my memory. Don't ask me."

Clearing his throat, Schiller looked at Lucifer Morningstar and said, "You gave me a token; I will search for stories about sinners for you. I believe our relationship could be likened to that of God and His Pope, wouldn't you agree?"

"You're being too rigid," Lucifer Morningstar leaned back in his chair and said, "I don't need to preach. What use do I have for a Pope? We're just good friends who get along."

"If I wanted to be God, why would I have left Heaven? If I desired the authority to command followers, why would I have departed from Hell? I came here to enjoy life, so don't drag me into those dull relationships."

"I mean, theoretically, from a more rational, critical, and objective perspective, we might be considered this type of relationship, right?"

"If you insist, fine, you can be my Pope."

Schiller nodded in satisfaction, and then Lucifer Morningstar heard him say, "Very well, under the rule of Lucifer Morningstar, I resign."

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Next Chapter >> Chapter 632: Schiller is Truly a Good Person (Part 2)