Inside a restaurant in Suroma's New Covenant district.
Han Qiu looked at the thin, timid young man sitting across from him, a smile on his face.
"So, do you prefer I call you Paul, or... Your Holiness?"
"Shhh!!!" The young man quickly made a shushing gesture upon hearing this, nervously turning to glance at the nearby waiter, looking like a startled rabbit.
"Are you crazy? Don't mention the word 'Your Holiness' out here!"
"Heh heh, then I'll just call you Paul. Don't be afraid. Everyone in this restaurant is my people. Although Suroma is Bruce's territory, with a little extra effort, quietly cutting off a piece isn't too difficult."
Paul looked at Han Qiu with complicated eyes. "You knew all along that was just a substitute, didn't you?"
"You could say that. I knew from our first meeting."
"How did you know? My substitute, Pastor Iri's ability can perfectly adapt to anyone. There's no way it could have flaws!"
Han Qiu picked up his wine glass and took a sip, but inside wasn't wine — it was iced soda.
"It wasn't the ability that gave it away. It was personality." Han Qiu said. "Forgive me for saying so, but that prim and proper demeanor of your substitute is completely different from your usual style of doing things."
Paul froze. "What do you mean?"
"Someone as cautious as you, who never appears in public, actually meeting with me — that itself was the biggest flaw... Unless Your Holiness was certain he wouldn't be in danger, and what's more foolproof than a substitute?"
Paul furrowed his brow. "But that was about negotiating cooperation. Shouldn't I meet with a potential partner?"
Han Qiu met Paul's eyes directly. "If you didn't have a substitute, would you still have met with me?"
The question hit like a soul-searching inquiry, and Paul was momentarily speechless.
"No, right?" Han Qiu smiled. "So you gave yourself away from the very beginning."
"Then why did you—"
"Why didn't I expose you? Why would I? Undermining an ally isn't my style, Han Qiu."
...
Paul was silent for a long time, looking at Han Qiu's sincere expression. For the first time, he felt he might have actually found someone trustworthy.
He said in a low voice, "I did this because I had no choice. Although my ability can control others, my personal combat strength is very weak. If someone discovered my real body, I could easily be assassinated. And..."
"And?"
"And I like manipulating others from the shadows." As Paul said this, a sickly thrill flickered across his face.
"Doing things I don't dare do myself by manipulating others — that way, even if there are consequences, they aren't paid by me. Haven't you ever thought like that?
"For example, if you really hate someone but can't beat them or can't bear the consequences, you'd hope someone else would beat them, or even kill them!
"That way, even if the law comes after someone, it won't come after you — just the person who actually did it."
After finishing, Paul looked at Han Qiu expectantly, hoping he would understand.
Han Qiu didn't disappoint him.
"Of course I understand. Back when you were in the orphanage, and some bastard took advantage of his size to steal your food, you wanted to grab a brick and smash it over his head while he was napping."
Paul's eyes lit up. "And then?"
"And then? Of course I gave up." Han Qiu shrugged. "If I actually did that, I'd end up in juvie. Although the orphanage wasn't much better, at least I had basic freedom. I didn't want to lose it."
"If you had my ability back then, would you have controlled someone to hit him with a brick?" Paul asked.
"Yeah." Han Qiu smiled.
"See!"
Paul was excited, as if he'd found a kindred spirit.
But he quickly calmed down, his expression turning bitter. "After my substitute and the Underground Parish were destroyed, I have no more followers I can control... After thinking it over, only you, Han Qiu, can help me. Since we're allies, you'll help me, right?"
"Of course." Han Qiu agreed without hesitation. "Allies have to help each other to survive better. Otherwise, look at the 'Prophet' — he wouldn't listen to me, insisted on going his own way, and ended up dead in Manchidon."
"That's great." Paul said. "My last batch of followers was almost completely killed by Shadow. I urgently need a new batch now. First, help me solve this problem."
Without followers, there was no one to redirect damage to, which made him feel extremely insecure.
And although his ability was powerful, it had limitations.
Han Qiu narrowed his eyes. "Your ability could easily control even Scarface back then, so why do you need me to find followers for you? With all the Suromans on the street, how many have a Mind Power upper limit higher than Scarface's?"
When Paul had used his substitute to control Scarface with his ability before, Han Qiu was there watching clearly.
Even if Scarface's strength didn't rank among the world's top tier or even the top of the first tier, with his versatile Beast Transformation ability, he could easily serve as a gatekeeper for the first tier.
"This..."
Paul knew that if he didn't explain the situation clearly, Han Qiu probably wouldn't help him.
Since he had decided to trust Han Qiu, he had to see it through.
"My ability is called 'Absolute Will.' Once successfully activated, it allows my will to be one hundred percent implemented on the target. But activating this ability requires meeting one condition — the target's Mind Power upper limit must be lower than mine."
Han Qiu squinted. "You mean your Mind Power upper limit is low?"
"Not low — very low." Paul said helplessly. "My own Mind Power upper limit is permanently locked at 20 points."
"Permanently locked at... 20 points?"
Even Han Qiu showed some surprise, not quite understanding this mechanism.
Paul explained with a frustrated expression, "I can't naturally increase my Mind Power upper limit. But every person I control temporarily grants me their Mind Power upper limit."
Han Qiu quickly pressed further. "You mean if you use 'Absolute Will' to control an Ascendant with a Mind Power upper limit of 10 points, your total Mind Power upper limit would temporarily reach 20 plus 10, making 30 points?"
"Temporarily reaching it." Paul corrected. "But as long as the follower doesn't die, this temporary increase in Mind Power upper limit won't disappear."
"I see."
Han Qiu now fully understood.
Paul's ability was a growth type — slow to start, but as he controlled more followers, the stacked Mind Power upper limit would become extremely terrifying.
"If you just let me control a few Ascendants with low Mind Power upper limits, once I get through the early stage, I can quickly rise again. Then... I'll definitely find Shadow and Adam to settle scores!"
Mentioning Guan Tong and Adam made Paul gnash his teeth.
If those two hadn't killed his substitute and his last batch of followers, he wouldn't have been forced to reveal his true identity now. He could have hidden safely inside the stele, enjoying the pleasure of interfering with the outside world from a perfectly secure environment.
Now he had no foundation in Suroma. Finding ordinary people was easy, and finding Ascendants wasn't hard either, but narrowing it down to "Ascendants with Mind Power upper limits below 20 points" was quite difficult.
Such Ascendants were all extremely anxious about their Mind Power upper limits, worried that it might drop to zero after failing a Doomsday Rules challenge. So they wouldn't wander around the streets — each one was frantically finding ways to improve.
Paul would struggle even to find one, so he had no choice but to ask for help from Han Qiu, who had been operating in Suroma for quite a while.
"Why don't you try posting a commission? Go to Ascendant Home and post one specifically looking for people with Mind Power under 20." Han Qiu didn't agree immediately. Although he was smiling, there was a probing tone in his voice.
Paul shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this. "Ascendant Home? I don't trust that website. Not to mention anything else, the Administrator there has a special relationship with Shadow. I'm afraid of getting investigated... I barely managed to fake my death and trick Shadow and Adam back then."
"Is that so."
Han Qiu's eyes flickered slightly, seeming skeptical about "faking death to trick Shadow and Adam," but he didn't say much more.
"Han Qiu, are you going to help me or not?"
Seeing Han Qiu asking all sorts of questions and beating around the bush, Paul felt uneasy again.
"Heh heh, of course I'll help you. But I also have a matter I need your help with."
"What matter? As long as you get me a batch of followers and raise my Mind Power, anything else is negotiable."
"Simple." Han Qiu said. "I can get you a new batch of followers. But after that, you'll have to work as my mole."
Paul was taken aback. "Mole? What mole?"
"I'll hand you over to Bruce, and you need to help me find out what his secret plan is."
"What!"
Paul was so shocked he almost stood up.
"You want to hand me over to the King of Suroma?! Han Qiu, have you lost your mind?! How is that possible?! Don't you know he's always wanted to kill me?!"
"Bruce has always wanted to capture you alive, not kill you." Han Qiu said calmly. "I'm guessing he wants to use your ability to control something. Your job is to find out what, then tell me using the Communication Scroll."
"This... this is too dangerous! Han Qiu, don't you know how terrifying the King of Suroma is? That guy..."
"Paul, do you think it's easy for me to find you a batch of followers in Suroma's capital, in Bruce's territory? That I'm not taking any risks? You should think about me too."
"..."
Looking at the half-smile on Han Qiu's face, Paul had a strong feeling—
If he refused, he would probably end up in an even more dangerous situation.
"Don't be afraid. I never abandon my allies." Han Qiu patted Paul's shoulder. "As long as you help me figure out Bruce's little secret, I can promise you..."
"Promise me what?"
"To make the entire city of New Covenant your followers. Even all of Suroma... How about that?"
Paul's heart pounded violently.
If he could really develop Suroma into his parish, how powerful would he become?
Even though he knew Han Qiu was dangling a carrot, he was still tempted by this big bait.
After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth. "Fine! It's settled. First, find me the people. Then I'll follow your arrangement and go to Bruce to spy on his secrets!"
"Excellent." Han Qiu showed a satisfied smile.
Just then, Paul suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Han Qiu, do you know yet? Scarface betrayed you. He became a spy for Shadow and Adam!"
After saying this, he noticed that Han Qiu looked calm and completely unsurprised.
"You already knew?!"
"I didn't. But so what? The moment Scarface came back alive, I knew he was no longer trustworthy." Han Qiu said. "I don't think he has what it takes to escape from Shadow."
"Then have you already..."
"Killed him? No. He's still useful." Han Qiu gently wagged his finger. "When dealing with enemies, an exposed spy is sometimes more useful than a loyal subordinate."