I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1140 - 1049: The Weakness of Humanity

Strange, why is the only one alive not here?

Without realizing someone noticed the abnormality on his face and was privately whispering about him, Omnia Cicada glanced around the main hall but didn't find the person he was looking for, so he directly asked:

"Where is Starling Crow? Have him come see me."

"Okay."

Upon hearing Omnia Cicada's command, a True God immediately obeyed and walked towards the side room of [Yesterday's Residence]. However, by the time this True God reached there, the room was already empty... though not completely empty.

"Where is Starling Crow? The esteemed Azure King has something for him."

Seeing the man with the white snake mask sitting at the table with a chess set in front of him, the True God asked curiously:

"Strange, wasn't Starling Crow just here playing chess with you? Where did he go?"

He probably wanted to avoid being implicated, so he left us to dodge disaster...

The man with the white snake mask blinked slightly, then said helplessly:

"He just suddenly left, I don't know where he intended to go… I'll come with you."

He stood up, put away the chessboard, followed the True God who came to call him, and left the side room. After reaching the main hall, the white snake adjusted his mask and leaned towards the long table, standing where he could be detected by the table's projection, and said respectfully:

"M'lords, Starling Crow just left due to an urgent matter. Do you have any instructions?"

Left due to an urgent matter? Why now of all times?

Upon hearing the white snake's response, Omnia Cicada frowned slightly, then shook his head and said:

"It's nothing. After encountering the Food God, I felt something was a bit off, and remembered Starling Crow's 'Disaster Avoidance' truth. I wanted him to take a look to see if there was any issue. But since he's not here, nevermind... By the way, White Snake."

Omnia Cicada's five eyes shifted slightly, scanning up and down the white snake mask man, and then said with satisfaction:

"You are quite good. Whether in mobilizing [Yesterday's Residence] to seal the present world, or sending my eyes ahead to Heavenly Mountain, you've completed the tasks I gave you in a timely manner... Is there any reward you desire?"

Reward?

The white snake mask man's heart moved at these words, then with a hopeful look asked:

"Esteemed Azure King, may I ask when the esteemed Black King will return?"

"I understand, you'd like him to extend your 'time' beyond just a single day... Though it's not difficult, it might not be possible anytime soon."

Seeing the white snake mask man's expression of great disappointment, Omnia Cicada explained with a slight apology:

"The Old Soil is rife with turbulent time streams, becoming increasingly dangerous lately. The past and future are overlapping and intertwining, and one might easily get lost in another time stream without him. We wouldn't be able to travel freely within them without him.

Moreover, there have been significant developments on the Old Soil, with several dead time streams being discovered. Besides us and humans, at least a dozen races capable of navigating the time streams are trying to delve inside, seeking to uncover the secrets of Old Soil's fragmentation.

Additionally, the Aries Director of the Clearing Bureau seems to have found traces of Old Soil's humans. If both sides indeed make contact, the Clearing Bureau could potentially find the humans' lost [Hope], completing the full set of seven virtues.

So even though I personally am inclined to grant your request, given the secrecy behind Old Soil's fragmentation and the potential encounter between humans from both sides, your reward might have to be delayed, apologies."

"You give me too much credit…"

With a slight sigh in his heart, the white snake mask man put away his disappointed expression, pondered a moment, and then asked with a hint of curiosity:

"Esteemed Azure King, were your actions with the esteemed Red King successful this time?"

"Whether it was successful... it's hard to say, but the outcome was still good."

Omnia Cicada's projection smiled at these words, then lifted his right hand and waved a bright green egg towards the white snake.

"Though when I arrived, Capricorn from the Clearing Bureau noticed something was amiss and began purifying the [Longevity] he obtained without regard for cost, he ultimately absorbed only a small part. I managed to retrieve the bulk of it.

As for the exact amount... He nearly lost his life in the process and only purified less than a twentieth. The [Longevity] absorbed on the spot by them might extend all of humanity's lifespan by about two and a half years at most!"

"Then... what about the Food God?"

Recalling Starling Crow's ghostly expression before his flight, the white snake mask man couldn't help but steal a glance at Omnia Cicada's face, then tentatively asked:

"Didn't the esteemed Red King say earlier that the Food God had conquered the entire Abyss Hundred Prisons and even captured all the Original Sin Demon Gods? How did you handle him?"

"Haha, well that's a long story."

Seeming to have a fairly good relationship with the white snake mask man, Omnia Cicada briefly recounted how he discovered the Food God's flaw and easily controlled him, then said with a laugh:

"He was indeed a quite troublesome opponent. It's not unjust that you all lost to him, but if you had been more flexible, not insisting on clashing head-on and instead targeting his weaknesses, the victor might not have been... Hmm? What's that expression on your face?"

"Ah… it's nothing…"

Remembering what Starling Crow had said about targeting the Food God's "weaknesses" and the potential consequences, the white snake mask man's facial expression threatened to slip. He hurriedly shook his head, then awkwardly changed the subject:

"I'm just surprised that such a frenzied Food God would have such a 'weak' flaw."

"Haha, that's humans for you~"

Omnia Cicada, with his five eyes slowly studying the white snake, didn't probe further, but calmly remarked:

"Humans are such a species. Their exceptional ones, if without weaknesses, tend to become cold and selfish, seeing only themselves and no others, unwilling to take responsibility, burdening their species with difficult progression.

And those besides having outstanding skills and vision, who bear love for their race, often show significant flaws due to passionate emotions, constantly forced to make tough choices until they've lost all they can lose."

"Among these two kinds of people, the former are likely to betray their race of origin, seeking eternal life and becoming part of us; the latter will either painfully persist, tormented by their sense of morality, or compromise like the Food God, choosing to lay down their responsibilities.

This fundamental difference rooted in nature is the primary reason humans may temporarily outsmart us, yet can never ultimately prevail over us... Take this time, for instance."

As Omnia Cicada said this, the corners of his mouth slightly curved into a bright, eager smile.

"The Food God, for 'personal gain', defected at the last moment, relinquishing the [Longevity] he had already secured, directly causing the entire human race to live fifty years less... Can you guess how the Clearing Bureau will react?"