A chaotic storm erupted in Luo Lin's mind, as if he were standing in a star-filled void or banished to the edge of chaos and abyss.
An ordinary person might have panicked, but Luo Lin remained calm, skillfully reining in his thoughts, using reason to suppress the madness and chaos within.
The turmoil and darkness vanished instantly. Luo Lin opened his eyes, realizing he had become a Sequence 9 "Trickster."
"The Trickster potion's core ability is emotion manipulation," he noted, sensing the changes in his body. "I can perceive and briefly control others' emotions. My intuition's heightened, letting me divine like a Seer, learn and use ritual magic, and improve my learning ability. My mental and observational skills are sharper, making my words more persuasive, even twisting others' thoughts to an extent. Plus, my speed and strength are slightly enhanced."
Summarizing further: "Thanks to the Worm of Time as an auxiliary ingredient, I've gained the Fire Thief's ability to steal others' extraordinary powers. Because of Amon's worm, I can retain stolen abilities for a decent time. But for now, stealing from fellow Sequence 9s has a higher success rate—less so with higher sequences."
"So, I've got the Trickster's core abilities, plus Seer and Spectator traits, some Lawyer powers, Warrior-level speed and strength, and the Fire Thief's stealing skill." Luo Lin raised an eyebrow, grinning. Sure, aside from the stealing ability, the Trickster's powers stayed within Sequence 9 limits, but the sheer variety was unmatched. Others got one skill at Sequence 9; he got a handful.
"Let's see," he mused, "it makes sense. Emotion manipulation creates chaos, divination finds it, sharp observation is key to enjoying it, and enhanced speed and strength help fight or flee after stirring trouble. Perfectly reasonable!"
As for Nyarlathotep having these abilities? Even more fitting.
"But digesting the Trickster potion will be tougher than a standard Sequence 9—probably like digesting three or four regular potions." He assessed, nodding. "Power comes at a cost, but it's manageable."
"Now, what's next?" Luo Lin's fingers tapped the table, a habit when thinking.
"I need to head to Tingen. Pallez and Azik are ready-made high-level allies. They're weakened, but if I build rapport, I can borrow their past strength—basically a cheat code. With that, I'll have some safety no matter what I do."
Without Amon's interference, Luo Lin might have waited until the Tingen incident ended to approach Pallez. But since Amon knew of him, even with those clones destroyed, Amon might suspect something. Plus, summoning the Ancient Sun God's Shadow of Time meant the True Creator and Adam likely had memories of him now, making him a target. He needed self-preservation power, fast.
"Maybe someone's already watching from the shadows…" Luo Lin quipped, unbothered. If Adam wanted to act, panicking wouldn't help. Might as well keep moving.
"The problem is, Tingen's messy. Beyond whether it's the Night or some God's Son pulling strings, even just Ince and 008 are tough." Luo Lin narrowed his eyes. He wasn't a genius and doubted he could outsmart 008—a literal cheat.
008 could manipulate thoughts, twist fate, summon meteors, and had the "all words are known" trait. As a Sequence 9 rookie with no big-shot allies yet, Luo Lin knew he couldn't take on that quill.
"I'm not here to puff myself up," he thought. "I just know my limits."
"But I don't need to fight 008 head-on." His lips curved as he tapped the table. "I won't meddle much in Tingen's events."
His goals in Tingen were clear: build rapport with Pallez and Azik, maybe meet Klein if possible. None required diving into the Tingen mess.
He could stay invisible amid Ince and 008's schemes, then…
Decide whether to make a dramatic entrance at the critical moment.
This was smarter than meddling blindly. Luo Lin knew his brain wasn't cut out for outwitting 008. Over-involvement could make things worse. Better to focus—Ince was definitely targeting Tingen's Nighthawks. Instead of playing cat-and-mouse, he'd wait and strike at the right moment.
As for whether 008 had already sensed his plans… Luo Lin grinned, eyes crinkling, and whispered, "I'm not here to mess with you, so don't bother me. Otherwise, we all go down together!"
He didn't care who heard. Instead, he pondered how to approach Azik and Pallez in Tingen.
Azik, amnesiac and mild-mannered, was easy—find the right angle, and befriending him wouldn't be hard.
Pallez, though, was a cunning old fox.
"Pretending to be an ignorant Zoroast descendant to cozy up to Pallez won't work," Luo Lin mused. "He's protective of his kin but no fool. I'm not confident I can play the naive card flawlessly. That could backfire."
Simulating scenarios, he formed a plan: "Better to reveal my uniqueness outright, approaching Pallez as a clever, fortunate Zoroast descendant seeking his protection. He'll be wary, but it's less likely to flop."
"It'll make building rapport harder, but with Azik as a fallback, it's fine." Luo Lin's decision was set. Thinking of the Amon-branded Worms of Time he'd saved, he chuckled.
"Besides, that rapport might not be so hard to build."
Pallez's greatest enemy was Amon, and his biggest goal was taking Amon down. That was a perfect starting point for some goodwill.
(Chapter End)