Chapter 2316 Witch's Confession <TOC> Chapter 2318 White Goose Town
Translator: SumTLMan
“The Witch’s Confession, has been activated.”
As they observed the glowing barrier, everyone felt enveloped by a mysterious aura that was omnipresent, yet they experienced no other sensation.
At least, they did not feel an urgent desire to speak The Truth.
Parlysania and Lush Groot looked around suspiciously, still unclear about the current situation.
Rhine smiled lightly and said, “Perhaps you’re still puzzled, so let me give you an example.”
After scanning the group, Rhine’s gaze finally rested on Angel.
Feeling a chill from Rhine’s gaze, Angel was about to say something to alleviate his discomfort when Rhine suddenly asked, “Angel, what is your favorite food?”
As the question was posed, the statue of the priest began to emit a faint glow. Shortly after, a sly look flashed in the eyes of the kneeling witch.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Angel said, “Milk, yes, my favorite food is milk. ——I wanted to calmly reveal this hidden food preference, but my toes, curled inside my socks, unmistakably betray my inner turmoil and unease.”
Before Angel could reflect on his words, the group was already silent.
A few seconds later, with a hint of embarrassment in his eyes and a voice tinged with disbelief, Angel said, “Ah? ? ? The first part is okay, but what’s with that long spiel at the end?”
After his question, fluctuations once again emanated from the priest and the witch.
Then, Angel spoke again, “There’s nothing odd. ——Actually, my saying ‘the first part is okay’ wasn’t really okay. I was just trying to divert everyone’s attention by focusing on the latter part, so no one would pay attention to my preference for milk. I’m such a clever little devil, using such a secretive way of speaking that surely no one will notice, hehehe.”
The group: “…” everyone was silent, acknowledging the subtlety of his words, hehehe.
Angel also hehehe… Damn it! He felt as if struck by lightning, his proud stance faltering, stepping back several times.
“What was that just now…” Angel began, but remembering how he couldn’t keep his words to himself earlier, he chose to remain silent, turning his embarrassment into a deep anger and glaring fiercely towards the statue.
At this moment, there was a slight change in the statue compared to before.
The priest appeared even more sanctified and solemn, while the kneeling witch seemed less devout and more cunning.
Angel looked towards Rhine, his eyes full of questions: Why did I end up revealing my thoughts?
Rhine was about to say something, but upon seeing Angel holding his breath, daring not to utter a word, and feigning an angry query, coupled with recalling Angel’s previous psychologically dissonant activities, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Observing Rhine’s reaction, Angel silently shifted his gaze towards Sanders.
Sanders didn’t laugh but merely gave Angel a fleeting glance before turning away, his shoulders subtly shaking in a spot hidden from Angel’s view.
At that moment, Dangros climbed onto Angel’s shoulder, whispering in a comforting tone, “Although I don’t know what milk is, I wouldn’t mock Mr. Pat.”
Angel’s voice squeezed through his teeth, “Your silence is the best comfort to me.”
After saying this, Angel, filled with a profound sense of shame, lowered his head, no longer wishing to see the reactions of others. Regardless, Rhine would explain why this situation had arisen.
The atmosphere on the scene, due to Angel’s ordeal, became momentarily jovial but then shifted into a somewhat mystifying awkwardness.
After his laughter, Rhine finally regained his normal voice, clearing his throat twice before saying, “As everyone has seen, this ‘Witch’s Confession’ allows one to speak the truth. However, it has a slight side effect of revealing one’s psychological activities as well.”
Angel internally criticized, “This is no longer a side effect; it’s even more uncomfortable than speaking the truth!”
Although Angel felt unusually embarrassed and angry, upon calming down and reflecting, he understood that this so-called “side effect” was the true essence of this Mysterious Object.
Because the truth is never absolute.
Just like contracts that are openly agreed upon can have various loopholes to exploit, leading to many contracts being extended over thousands of years and revised countless times.
The truth works similarly; it seems like one is speaking the truth, but there are loopholes.
For instance, when asked a question, you might share half-truths, keeping the more significant truths hidden, then guide the other person’s thoughts with other truths. This can lead to the other person filling in the blanks with their assumptions, which are often false.
The assumptions are your own, the spoken words are true, but the outcome is unsatisfactory.
Thus, even the truth can have loopholes to exploit.
The “Witch’s Confession,” this Mysterious Object, not only compels you to speak the truth but also reveals your inner thoughts, psychological activities, and hidden desires.
This is not a “side effect” but a guarantee that the truth spoken is genuine.
However, it’s best not used by those who overthink, as it can easily lower one’s dignity. For example, Angel.
Upon learning the specific function of the Mysterious Object, Angel’s previous doubts were clarified, explaining why Rhine emphasized that the effect of this Mysterious Object was “almost without any loopholes to exploit,” a statement that indeed holds true.
Previously, Angel had looked down upon it, thinking that with the existence of “Truth Spell,” the effect of the Mysterious Object might be somewhat redundant.
However, it now appears that it indeed has its value, surpassing the effect of the Truth Spell by a significant margin. After all, the Truth Spell also applies to the so-called “truths” that are full of loopholes.
After listening to Rhine’s narration, Parlysania couldn’t help but marvel, “Tu la la la la~ This is truly magical, is this the Mysterious Object?”
Right after Parlysania’s words fell, the statue once again showed changes.
Subsequently, without Parlysania being aware, it opened its mouth and said, “Yes, this is definitely a Mysterious Object. ——By the way, in front of these powerful human wizards, should I show my verbal tic? Maybe I should, after all, a verbal tic can create a unique image, as Mr. Feng’s book —The Clown’s Monologue— says.”
As soon as Parlysania finished speaking, it widened its eyes in shock and exclaimed, “What did I just…?”
Originally, Parlysania wanted to say: What in the world did I just say?!
But remembering that the Witch’s Confession was still active, it quickly stopped itself, fearing it might reveal more of its inner thoughts.
However, Parlysania thought it could prevent further damage, but it didn’t anticipate other unexpected events occurring at the scene.
Dangros, who was clinging to Angel’s cloak, slowly extended half a palm, curiously looking at Parlysania, “So your ‘Tu la la la’ laughter is just a verbal tic? You don’t actually laugh like that?”
As the question was asked, the priest remained silent, and the witch smiled cunningly.
Parlysania said, “Of course, it’s a verbal tic. ——How could a real laugh sound so strange? Only a peculiar verbal tic can catch people’s attention!”
Parlysania, with a face full of misery, used a branch to cover its mouth, its eyes filled with wooden textures glaring fiercely at Dangros, signaling with its eyes: Don’t ask anymore, stop asking!
However, Dangros clearly didn’t catch its signal, continuing to ask, “I see, you wanted to attract attention?”
Parlysania said, “Yes, especially to catch the attention of Highness Nemeti! ——But now that you know about my verbal tic, should I change it? ‘Tu lu lu lu’ sounds good, it should match Highness Nemeti’s hissing sound, right?”
Everyone: “…” Nemeti’s hissing sound comes from her hissing, not a verbal tic!
Dangros: “I think ‘Tu lu lu lu’ is a bit……”
Dangros was mid-sentence when a peculiar barrier enveloped the area, silencing him before he could continue speaking.
The creator of the barrier, Rhine, offered a slight smile, “Silence Barrier, its effect is to prevent speech. I believe allowing further questions might hurt feelings, so it’s better to remain silent for now.”
Previously, the group might have dismissed this. However, now that Rhine had activated the Silence Barrier, it was exactly what everyone desired.
Even Lush Groot, who appeared to be calm and wise, breathed a sigh of relief. He had been holding his breath, afraid to utter a sound that might reveal some of his hidden thoughts. Now, with the enforced silence, he felt relieved.
The air was tranquil, with even the sounds of the wind and the rustling of sand absorbed by the Silence Barrier. The only sounds in this wilderness were Rhine’s breathing and his voice.
“I hadn’t finished speaking. Let’s discuss further after I’ve explained the rules of ‘Witch’s Confession,'” Rhine said.
The group nodded in agreement.
Rhine continued with a smile, “The first rule, as I’ve mentioned, is that the Witch’s Confession compels you to speak the truth, including your thoughts during the speech, to avoid any loopholes in truth-telling. Even knowing this mechanism, it’s hard to circumvent.”
Turning to Angel, Rhine asked, “Angel, what’s your favorite food?”
As the statue began to glow, the Silence Barrier around Angel instantly dissipated.
“Milk. ——My heart is calm, darkness… emptiness… nothingness,” Angel blurted out, then looked confused. “Why use me as an example again?!”
Rhine turned to the others, “See? Even after knowing the effect of this Mysterious Object, Angel tried to adjust his mental activity, seemingly circumventing his thoughts. But such avoidance only raises more suspicion and earns less trust.”
Then, Rhine explained, “The second rule is about triggering. I’ve been speaking all along without triggering the Witch’s Confession because, as you might have guessed, only questions can trigger it.”
“Yes, only inquiries can activate the Witch’s Confession,” Rhine clarified, having not posed any questions himself, which is why he hadn’t triggered the Mysterious Object’s effect.
“When a question is directed at someone, that person responds. Like when I asked Angel, and he answered; or when Dangros asked Parlysania, and Parlysania responded.”
“If a question is posed without a specific target, it becomes a question to oneself, necessitating a self-answer.”
“Both Angel and Parlysania triggered this mechanism by asking questions without a specific target, leading to self-answers.”
This question’s rule has already been experienced by everyone before; it’s understood at once.
After understanding this rule, everyone silently says to themselves: Once the Witch’s Confession is activated, one must absolutely not ask aimless questions… otherwise, the consequence of talking to oneself is self-harm.
Rhine says, “The third rule, probably the one you’re most concerned about.”
“How to not answer a question?”
As soon as the question is asked, the statue emits bursts of light.
But Rhine, who asked this question, is smiling, not saying a word. Even though the Mysterious Object has been activated, he doesn’t utter a single sentence.
Amidst everyone’s confusion, Rhine reveals the secret of this rule: “When you deeply resist the question in your heart, then you won’t answer… Of course, you still can’t lie, but you will remain silent.”
“Similarly, once the question touches on extremely important private matters, if the respondent’s subconscious shows extreme resistance, they can also resist.”
“Just like this.”
As Rhine speaks, he evidently plans to give an example. His gaze sweeps over everyone and finally stops on Angel.
Angel’s eyes are wide open, shaking his head in resistance: No!
Rhine seems to receive Angel’s message of resistance, his gaze shifts slightly, looking beside Angel: “Lobert’s tail head, how do you evaluate your main and deputy heads?”
Everyone looks at Lobert’s tail head, including the main and deputy heads.
However, despite the sudden question without any preparation, Lobert does not blurt out an answer as others did before but remains silent.
Clearly, Lobert’s tail head subconsciously resists this question.
Rhine says, “See, that’s the situation. When your subjective consciousness resists answering, or your subconscious resists, then it won’t take effect.”
The reason why Angel and Parlysania answered everything asked just now is mainly because they were unaware of this rule at the time, and thus had no subjective resistance.
And “Angel’s favorite food——milk,” although this question made Angel a bit embarrassed, it wasn’t private enough for even his subconscious to resist answering. Hence, there was a precise answer to every question asked.
Rhine says, “Alright, these are the three major rules of the Witch’s Confession.”
…
The three major rules make up the Witch’s Confession.
Among them, the third rule is the most noteworthy. Without this rule, the Witch’s Confession would be many times more powerful.
Because one can unearth the deepest secrets hidden in someone’s heart through inquiry, even private matters can be fully accessed. This is a rather terrifying effect.
Unfortunately, with the limitation of rules, even if one were to ask questions abruptly, as long as there is a subconscious resistance to respond, it is still impossible to obtain an answer.
This leads to the effect plummeting by ninety percent.
However, the third rule, despite limiting the effect, turns the Witch’s Confession into an ideal Mysterious Object for “sincerity,” “mutual trust,” and “contracts.”
When the Witch’s Confession is activated, you either respond with the truth or remain silent, and there’s no exploiting loopholes in the truth. This allows both parties to meet each other with honesty and also to understand each other’s bottom line.
In summary, although the Witch’s Confession may not be a particularly powerful Mysterious Object, it has its specific applicable scenarios.
Using it in the Tidal Realm at this time to enhance the foundation of mutual trust between both parties is absolutely the most suitable Mysterious Object.
From this, it can also be seen that Rhine’s visit to the Tidal Realm this time is with great sincerity.
Chapter 2316 Witch's Confession <TOC> Chapter 2318 White Goose Town