Chapter 347: What Kind of Perpetual Motion Machine Is This?!

Su Mu simply offered a faint smile. "Do you think a person can keep ascending into the sky just by stepping on their right foot with their left, and then their left foot with their right?"

The Pope froze, his eyes turning blank. "That... that's probably impossible, right?"

Even though he had never studied physics, he still had basic common sense.

"You're wrong. It is possible." Su Mu rested a hand on the Pope's shoulder and smiled. "Sacrifice the Shadow Divinity within my body."

"Ah?" The Pope was dumbfounded, unable to process it for a long moment.

"I have already refined the Shadow Divine Power. It has become my own strength, so it can be sacrificed."

The Pope finally reacted, a surge of excitement flushing his face. "This... it can actually be used like this?!"

Using Shadow Divine Power to deal with Shadow Divine Power?! Was this the wisdom of the Divine Envoy?

He had never imagined that Supreme Heaven could be used this way.

However, even if he had thought of it, he couldn't have pulled it off. This method could only be used by someone capable of controlling Divinity, like Su Mu.

"Make your wishes. Make two of them. First, consume the Shadow Divinity in my body to wear down the Shadow Divine Power in yours. Second, let the Shadow Divine Power continue to transfer, thereby strengthening my Shadow Divinity."

What kind of maneuver was this!? Consuming Shadow Divinity to make a wish that would strengthen that very same Shadow Divinity?

The Pope couldn't help but marvel. Using an evil god to fight an evil god—while saving a massive amount of treasures in the process—was simply brilliant!

It was only because he didn't know the concept of a perpetual motion machine; otherwise, he would have undoubtedly cried out that Su Mu had just invented one.

Forcing down his excitement, he began to make his wishes exactly as Su Mu had instructed. This time, everything went perfectly. The plan was a success!

The Shadow Divine Power was consumed at a visible rate until it was... completely exhausted!

At this point, there were only five minutes left until five o'clock.

"Praise the Primal Angel! Praise the Divine Envoy!" the Pope cheered in exultation, unable to stop himself from falling to his knees and kowtowing to Su Mu once more.

He pressed his forehead firmly against the ground, practically burying it in the dirt. The hanging shadows obscured his face, hiding his expression from view.

Su Mu was in quite a good mood himself. He had found Supreme Heaven and harvested Shadow Divinity—it was truly a massive haul.

In just five more minutes, when the clock struck five with the dreamscape still intact, the time loop here would finally be broken, and he would be able to leave.

At that moment, the Pope slowly stood up. He wore a smile, but the reverence had entirely vanished from his face as he met Su Mu's gaze.

Suddenly, the corners of Su Mu's mouth curled up, returning the smile. "It seems you have another surprise for me?"

The Pope smiled with absolute confidence. "Did you know? I actually made one more wish just now."

"Oh?" Su Mu's eyes flashed with obvious excitement. His anticipation for the Pope's next move even surpassed the thrill of acquiring the Shadow Divinity.

"You don't seem surprised," the Pope said, looking rather surprised himself.

"Of course I'm not surprised. I'm... thrilled!" Su Mu's smile widened, revealing stark white teeth.

The Pope couldn't help but laugh. "You Blasphemers really are all lunatics."

At those words, the Tinted Glasses could hardly conceal the gleam of excitement in Su Mu's eyes. Interesting! This was truly interesting!

"When did you figure it out?" Su Mu asked, his mind racing as he tried to pinpoint when he had exposed a flaw.

"Before you even arrived."

Su Mu's eyes narrowed slightly at that answer. He immediately recalled what the Pope had said earlier, and realization dawned on him.

"It seems you truly haven't wasted these past five years."

"Of course." The Pope stepped forward and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Instead of looking at Su Mu, he gazed out at the city he had lived in for the last five years, a complex expression on his face.

Even though he was currently a cripple, that tranquil composure was impossible to fake. The Pope's steady demeanor perfectly complemented the innate regal bearing of the First Red King, the two traits blending together in wondrous harmony.

"Over the last five years, I have uncovered every secret this city holds. I have met every person, and I know every event that is about to happen. You could say that, within this place, I am omniscient! Do you know what happens once a person becomes omniscient?" The Pope suddenly turned back to look at Su Mu.

"Omniscience means you can effortlessly kill anyone in this city."

"Exactly. With an absolute information advantage, even a cripple like me can manipulate the fates of these mortals. Over the past five years, I continuously sacrificed them, making wishes upon Supreme Heaven. I did all of this for one single purpose... Future Sight."

As he spoke, the Pope gently rubbed the Supreme Heaven ring on his finger, a nostalgic look in his eyes.

"Although mortal lives are worthless and the glimpses of the future I received were merely fragmented whispers, the infinite loop of this dreamscape meant I could gather a new fragment of the future every single day. I spent five years piecing them together until I could finally glimpse a corner of what was to come."

Clap, clap, clap...

Su Mu couldn't help but applaud. He could practically picture it: over the last five years, the Pope had walked every corner of this city, calculating every piece of information to its limit, and mobilizing every possible resource just to piece together the puzzle of the future.

The sheer volume of information and the staggering calculations required were complex beyond measure, yet the Pope had actually pulled it off.

"You used Future Sight to figure out that I'm not a Divine Envoy?"

"No." The Pope shook his head. "I only knew someone would come here. I couldn't foresee who this person would be or what their identity was."

This left Su Mu rather surprised. With such limited information, how had the Pope known he wasn't a Divine Envoy even before he arrived?

As if seeing through Su Mu's confusion, the Pope explained, "Because Divine Envoys simply do not exist in this world. The Primal Angel has never cared about humanity, and it would never go out of its way to send an envoy just to save me."

"Heh... hahaha... interesting, this is truly interesting!" Su Mu was absolutely delighted. He had finally met a truly fascinating person.

"Would you care whether an ant lives or dies?" the Pope asked calmly.

Su Mu chuckled. "Naturally not."

"Then neither would a God." At that moment, the Pope no longer resembled a fanatical zealot. Instead, he looked like a wise sage who had seen through the truths of the world.

"A God never cares about the faith of mortals, but... I care! I know you must be wondering why I would still worship the Primal Angel knowing this. My answer is the exact opposite. Don't you think a God is far more worthy of worship precisely because of this apathy?"

Su Mu nodded. "I don't understand it, but I respect it."