Pali's narration felt like she was telling a story to a child.
As she spoke, she casually flipped through the pages of the book in her hands…
But when she reached the part about the "empty shell," her gaze slowly lifted—and settled on Kanzaki Rei.
He felt her eyes on him, yet his composure didn't waver in the slightest. Calmly, he asked, "Pali… do you think I'm that empty shell?"
"I merely proposed it as a possibility."
"Spirituality is the benchmark of intelligence."
"Whether something possesses spirituality… is like the difference, on your Earth, between humans and ordinary animals."
"Doesn't Earth have that question?"
"Why are humans human? What separates them from animals? The answer is actually quite clear—that humans possess spirituality."
"But…"
"All beings that possess spirituality only hold a tiny fragment of it—a single leaf from the Tree of Wisdom."
"Even the so-called highest leaf is still only one leaf."
"Never has any being possessed the complete Tree of Wisdom…"
Pali's tone grew momentarily serious, almost heavy—but soon relaxed again, drifting back into its usual languid cadence.
"A being that possesses the complete Tree of Wisdom… I imagine that would be one interpretation of a perfect lifeform."
"It would also be the kind of answer certain existences are searching for."
At this point, Pali's words didn't feel like divination at all.
They felt like casual conversation—yet she was revealing secrets of immense importance.
Pali was also a Level 7 Scholar.
Though compared to her Level 9 Diviner class, that hardly seemed worth mentioning.
"Earth… is just one experimental subject among countless planets and lifeforms within the Astral Realm."
"These subjects may be sent to the Nests."
"Or to various other places… to be used for research."
"Even the Tower of Sages is involved."
"I don't know whether you can save Earth. You already know that Earth—along with the entire Hidden Sea—was completely destroyed by Bai."
What Pali spoke of now… was Kanzaki Rei's true timeline.
The one where he had summoned Bai.
"But since you are unpredictable… I suppose anything is possible."
Was that something a Diviner would say?
Anything is possible.
"That makes it seven hundred billion gold coins in total."
By now, Kanzaki Rei had gone numb to Pali's pricing.
"…Got it."
"Then what about Ehkator? How much do you know?"
He intended to seize this opportunity to clear up every mystery in his mind.
About the contamination. About Ehkator. About Lottie…
There were too many unknowns.
When faced with someone who could answer his questions—even if those answers might be false—he had to ask.
"Ehkator of Time?"
"Is it a god?"
Pali's gaze drifted toward the distant future. Yet within her eyes, Kanzaki Rei saw time itself overturning.
Foresight and time—
They were inherently intertwined.
"It is not a god. But it is the existence closest to Level 10."
Kanzaki Rei frowned. "I've heard it's existed since ancient times. If it's not a god, can something really live that long?"
Only gods possessed near-infinite lifespans.
Even Level 9 class-advancers would die within a few thousand years.
Those who lived longer might reach over a thousand years.
Those who didn't… barely reached that mark.
That was everything Kanzaki Rei currently understood about Level 9s.
He glanced at the top of Pali's head.
Pali… nearly five thousand years old.
Factoring in life-extending methods, it made sense.
…
But someone like Ansu—who had lived since the primordial era, for tens of millions of years—and yet had only ever heard of Ehkator in legend…
"An existence that controls time can simply halt the flow of its own lifespan. What's strange about that?"
"…True."
Kanzaki Rei had already considered that possibility.
But hearing it confirmed by Pali was different from mere speculation.
"Your question isn't a divination… but telling you won't hurt."
"Ehkator was born one hundred million years ago—among the first batch of lifeforms to possess spirituality."
"In that era, life was scarce… and beings with spirituality were even rarer. So every lifeform born received a large portion of the Tree of Wisdom's spirituality."
"And in fact, the Tree of Wisdom's spiritual reserves were far more abundant back then than they are now."
"Over the passage of endless time, although spirituality continuously cycles and reincarnates, there is always a minute loss…"
"Ehkator came into contact with the Source of Time very early on."
"In a very short period, it became a Level 9 Time Controller."
"In that era, reaching Level 10 was almost instinctual. Life itself was born to pursue the Source—to ultimately become the Source."
"So… it made an attempt."
"It saw the true nature of time, and then…"
"…left behind only a single path."
At that moment—
Pali suddenly lifted her eyes.
"…Ah."
"Never mind."
Kanzaki Rei frowned. "Never mind?"
Pali replied lazily, "Can't say anymore."
"Let's end it here. You owe too much—one trillion gold coins in total. Pay it next time we meet, and then we'll continue."
Kanzaki Rei's fists clenched slightly.
Diviners… just as infuriating as ever.
"If you want those answers, you're not far from them anyway… I think you'll soon have the chance to see for yourself."
"Or, you could just go ask that person directly."
"That person?"
"The one behind the door."
Pali waved her hand dismissively. "Alright… you already know what you wanted to know. Until you pay up, I've got nothing more to tell you."
"Bye-bye."
…No.
There was still so much he didn't know.
But he understood what Pali meant. There was no point in pressing further.
As for trying to challenge a Level 9 Diviner within this simulated timeline…
Heh.
Kanzaki Rei had a feeling that once he exited the simulation, Pali would be aware she had been observed.
For now, her stance leaned neutral—slightly friendly.
He had no intention of making an enemy out of a Level 9.
Better to end things here.
—Shua!
The future simulation ended.
Kanzaki Rei's eyes snapped open, his vision returning to his small room.
Pali… truly was a Level 9 Diviner.
Rylen Continent.
Just how many secrets were hidden here?
He couldn't help but recall Ansu's words—his teleportation to the Hidden Sea had likely been deliberately arranged.
And that person… might even be someone close to him.
Could that person be Pali?
…
Even after resetting to this point in time, the hours that needed to pass still had to pass.
The Ring of Temporal Leap could determine which point in the past he returned to—but it couldn't accelerate time itself.
In the afternoon, he casually saved Los and the others.
By nightfall—
He made a detour to the Adventurer's Inn…
And on his way back, he sensed it.
Meiser.
Dressed in formal attire.
Following behind him.