Chapter 664: The Well-being of the Victim (Part 2) (Patreon)

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The gentle sea breeze still wafted through Los Angeles, even carrying a rhythm akin to jazz in the rustling of leaves. However, the sunshine today was far from bright, as ominous dark clouds hung low, as if ready to release raindrops at any moment.

It wasn't ideal weather for tourism, but it was strangely fitting for bidding farewell to the departed. On a lush green meadow, a funeral was taking place.

There were only a few people standing at the center of the field, but the surrounding area was crowded with mourners, each holding flowers and quietly uttering a name. Some were even singing softly.

Schiller, dressed in a black suit, lowered his head. Beside him, Lucifer Morningstar heard Schiller murmur softly:

"Dear Lord, you chose Delilah as your servant, to practice love through her voice and preach your gospel with kindness in this world..."

"As you have called her back to your side, we implore you to bestow upon her, in the kingdom of Heaven, the feast of your Eternity, together with all your saints, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who with you and the Holy Spirit, is the one true God..."

Lucifer Morningstar scoffed, "You're quite serious with your prayers, aren't you? A devout Christian, huh?"

Schiller paid him no mind, devoutly crossing himself and saying, "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name."

After finishing the prayer, Schiller glanced sideways at Lucifer Morningstar, then continued, "Almighty and merciful God, you created your most beloved son, the first light that followed the creation of the world, the first Angel of this world, Lucifer Morningstar. Last night, he stayed up drinking until four in the morning, and his alcohol tolerance was pitiful. I was shocked by his lack of knowledge; he didn't even know who Hegel was..."

Lucifer Morningstar hastily reached out, covering Schiller's mouth. He glanced around and then whispered, "What are you saying? How could I not know who Hegel is? I hold a Bachelor of Science in philosophy!"

"Is that so?... Merciful Father, eternal God, after your son earned a Bachelor of Science in philosophy, he ended up running a bar on the West Coast..."

"I'm your boss!" Lucifer Morningstar emphasized.

"But he's your father," Schiller replied with a deadpan expression.

"He's not my father!"

"Then is he your mother?"

Lucifer Morningstar's fist was already raised, but he waved his hand in mid-air and lowered it again.

Schiller just gazed ahead. At this moment, Delilah's collaborator was speaking at the front. She had been an exceptional singer. After placing his flower, Schiller turned to see Lucifer Morningstar, who was about to step forward, wearing a mournful expression.

"I thought you weren't that saddened," Schiller said as they left "on the road." "If you're so reluctant, why not just resurrect him?"

Lucifer Morningstar's steps faltered for a moment before he replied, "I went to hell..."

"And then?"

"I didn't find her."

Schiller raised an eyebrow, and Lucifer Morningstar looked down, burying his head as he walked. He continued, "Delilah didn't go to hell. Later, I found her in Heaven."

"She went to Heaven?"

"Quite unbelievable, isn't it? She used to be a hostess at a bar, and she used drugs, maybe even dealt them. But she still made it to Heaven." Lucifer Morningstar's throat tightened as he said, "Do you know why?"

Schiller remained silent, only looking at him. Lucifer Morningstar continued, "After I found her in Heaven, she told me everything."

"After leaving the bar, those people she owed showed up, the ones I told you about earlier, the ones who forced her into drug trafficking."

"They had been pressuring Delilah, trying to make her sell drugs at my bar. They hoped Delilah could persuade me to expand my clientele by accepting drugs, but Delilah knew I despised that stuff, so she kept refusing."

"Before coming to my bar, they gave Delilah an ultimatum. If she didn't cooperate anymore, they would kill her." Lucifer Morningstar pursed his lips. "Yes, she knew... she knew that if she left the bar, she might die."

"But she didn't tell me. After she left the bar, those people cornered her at a nearby intersection, giving her one last chance. They wanted Delilah to return to the bar and plead with me to accept the drugs."

Lucifer Morningstar's hand hung in the air as he said, "She refused again. She wouldn't go back; she just wanted to leave."

"At that moment, she realized someone was watching her. As long as she returned to the bar, she wouldn't die. But she still wanted to leave. So when the Black Wave gang members opened fire, she had nowhere to hide."

Lucifer Morningstar stood still, took a deep breath, and said, "Even now, I still think it's absurd that simply by selflessly helping others, one can make it to Heaven. It's so absurd that someone who did evil their whole life could still make it to Heaven, just by considering others in the end."

Schiller detected a sense of hatred in Lucifer Morningstar's tone, but soon, Lucifer Morningstar adopted a different tone and said, "However, when I became the one being considered, when I became the subject of attention, I had a rather peculiar feeling."

"I don't understand. She was a stranger to me. I rejected her advances and didn't offer her any help. Even if she came back and asked me again, I might have just refused. But she refused to go back."

Lucifer Morningstar took a deep breath, his tone carrying more complexity. Schiller walked up and patted his shoulder, saying, "I guess you realized after falling from grace that humans are much more complicated than you thought, right?"

Lucifer Morningstar turned his head away, not answering. Schiller continued, "That's humanity for you. They can be surprisingly bad, but also astonishingly good. If you want to punish their wrongdoing, be prepared to accept their goodness. Otherwise, it's challenging to be an ordinary person."

"Do you consider yourself an ordinary person?" Lucifer Morningstar asked.

"Of course, but in front of you, I'm not just an ordinary person. I'm also a devout Christian, my eternal God your most beloved child. Right now, I feel both sorrow and panic..."

"Shut up!"

Lucifer Morningstar quickly got into the car, opened the door, but after Schiller got in, he realized the car wasn't heading toward the bar. So Schiller asked, "Where are we going?"

"Chloe's daughter, Beatrice, is getting out of school. I need to pick her up. Chloe is busy with Queen Group matters and can't make it."

"By the way, how are things between you and her?" Schiller inquired.

Lucifer Morningstar was about to respond when Schiller continued, "If you two have successfully gotten together, shouldn't you fulfill your previous promises?"

"No, we haven't..." Just as Schiller finished saying, "Our Father, who art in Heaven," Lucifer Morningstar changed the subject, "But it's coming soon. Her daughter seems to really like me."

"Shouldn't you..."

"Let me drop off Beatrice first, and then I'll help you deal with your seasickness."

Lucifer Morningstar said he'd fulfill his promise after taking Beatrice home. However, he ended up going to the restaurant again, buying food, and delivering it to the police station. Afterward, he spent more time with Chloe, and by the time he was done, it was already dark.

Seeing Schiller's increasingly displeased expression, Lucifer Morningstar drove back to the bar. After sitting down on the sofa, he rubbed his hands together and said, "Alright, let me see why you're getting seasick..."

"Wait!" Lucifer Morningstar paused for a moment and then displayed a peculiar expression, appearing somewhat shocked, yet also on the verge of laughter. Subsequently, his expression shifted into something indescribable. It was unclear what he had seen.

Schiller sat there, watching him change expressions like flipping a switch. Now, Schiller realized that what he despised most wasn't people who spoiled the plot but those who had seen everything and still refused to give any spoilers, no matter how much he prodded.

"I suppose you don't want to tell me what you saw, so I won't ask. I just need you to help me deal with this seasickness issue," Schiller said.

"No," Lucifer Morningstar shook his head. "You're better off handling this yourself. I'm sorry, but I can't help... Hey, wait! Don't pray! I'm not reneging on our deal... Alright, alright, can I at least give you a hint?"

Schiller looked at him, and Lucifer Morningstar touched his lips, thought for a moment, and then said, "Your seasickness isn't a physiological issue; the problem lies within your soul. You can search for answers there."

Schiller's expression changed, and then he stood up, saying, "Thank you for providing me with utterly useless advice. I shouldn't have expected anything else from you."

With that, he left the bar. Before departing, he glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. His vacation from Superego should have ended, and for some time, he had forgotten about the Temple of Thought.

Taking the next available flight, he returned to Gotham overnight. Schiller rested for a night and then worked all day. In the evening, after returning to the Manor, he entered the Temple of Thought once more, determined to investigate further.

Everything in the Temple of Thought appeared normal, but Schiller didn't find Superego. After another search of the Temple of Thought, he found no abnormalities. He turned his attention back to the central hole in the Temple of Thought.

Schiller stood by the hole for a while, then piloted the boat once more, venturing into his subconscious.

Navigating through the endless darkness for an unknown duration, Schiller finally saw a glimmer of light. He approached and realized that the scene looked somewhat familiar. Wasn't this the same place where he had found Lucifer Morningstar's feather last time? Could it be...

Just as he thought this, Schiller saw something floating in the darkness of his subconscious—an iridescent scale.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 665: The Spider Weaves Its Web (Part I)