— Michelangelo, he wasn't dead at all!
Hearing this news, only Captain Carl was startled, and looked over in disbelief.
The others all looked stunned.
"I won't ask when you guessed it."
Ghirlandaio...or Michelangelo wasn't alarmed.
He just smiled and looked at Annan with interest: "But when did you know it was mine? I don't think my purpose has been revealed so far."
— That's a good question.
Annan took a deep breath.
He glanced at Benjamin and said slowly: "The first time I doubted you was when you proposed an alliance of four.
"The alliance of four is indeed a sure way to win. He can guarantee that the victor must be in the friendly camp. But the problem is... why do you want to give up the fight just after one person died, and just want to survive
"This is home for you. Just like we don't know the rooms, we don't know the roads—you not only know where to go, but you even know which statues refer to which of us. You know this place like the back of your hand, so there's no need to be here When there are seven people left, take an extreme defensive position...
"If you really want to form an alliance, the smartest way is to form an alliance with each other after one person dies.
"That is, three teams of three people in each group ... but because you only have one person, whenever a conflict breaks out, you can win with more."
Annan said calmly: "It is impossible for you not to have thought of this method. Because the prophetic spell can allow you to get the answer from your future self-this is what you said yourself.
"Then why don't you do it? Because you're trying to cover up one thing...
"You just said that the twin towers are 'with the hall as the absolute center, extending symmetrically to both sides', 'what is on the left side is also on the right side', and there is a symmetry.
"Just like the relationship between the eight of us."
Having said this, Annan exchanged glances with Benjamin.
Everyone else got it too.
"Captain Carl and Mr. Jin know each other," Maria said slowly, "and Merlin and I also know each other... and Lord Gerald also knows Master Benjamin."
There is only one set of exceptions.
That's Ghirlandaio and Eugene Melvin.
Annan didn't notice this at first because Ghirlandaio pulled Annan out of the room immediately after Melvin's death.
This gave Annan an illusion: perhaps "Gerald" and "Ghirlandaio" are a group.
And Benjamin went out independently, Melvin's teammate.
Why cover it up
"Because Melvin knows too much about Master Michelangelo."
Annan replied.
He stared at Michelangelo, and slowly said: "He can even know that Master Michelangelo can leave the Wizard Tower for a short time, such an exception.
"And this matter was not brought up by Master Michelangelo's disciple? Even five months after he received the suicide note, he didn't doubt it? And five months after sending the suicide note, Michelangelo The master will take the initiative to leave the tower knowing that he is going to die
"If the master was going to die outside the tower in the future, why did he mention in his suicide note, 'This curse is also effective for the murderer who killed me'? Is this deliberately misleading us?"
"And Melvin claims, 'We may be in a nightmare'. He's trying to hasten this killing ritual...that is, he's been with Master Michelangelo from the very beginning."
Annan asserted: "And you came here at the first time and pulled me away. It was to separate me from Benjamin. Others don't know us two well. Even if they are aware of the 'symmetry problem' of team formation, they will think you And I are teammates... After all, Benjamin and I are completely strangers to outsiders."
The key evidence that really allowed Annan to determine who Michelangelo was.
It was Benjamin who suddenly called Annan for help and let him control Captain Carl's voice.
Only then did Annan understand.
Benjamin and Gerald…
Not a hater at all.
— Not from the very beginning.
That's why Benjamin's expression was so strange when he heard Melvin tell the dark history of "Gerald" in the teahouse. There was no anger or hatred at all, just a wry smile to organize the language.
"And another piece of evidence is the 'Giant Serpent' statue."
Annan said, looking back at the group of statues behind him.
He said softly: "You said it yourself... 'If you want to change the prophecy you get from perception, you have to introduce a lot of variables instead.'
"—People's hearts are variables."
Everyone's eyes followed him.
In the middle of all the statues, there was a giant snake with its head raised to the sky.
"The serpent means 'rebirth.'"
Unexpectedly, it was Michelangelo himself who opened the mouth to explain.
He stepped out.
The whole person came out of Ghirlandaio like a water wave. The transparent, golden soul floats steadily in the air.
The original "Ghirlandaio" instantly turned into an exquisite statue.
Michelangelo looked back at the giant snake with a complicated expression.
It seems to be staring intently at the thing you love, and it seems to be looking at the dead thing in memory.
"But I still don't quite understand," Annan suddenly said while everyone was watching, and asked softly, "Your original plan should have been to kill Melvin first, then form a team of four, and cause the rest of the Contradictions between the three. Wait for the second and third dead to appear.
"At this time, you take the second shot and kill the last person outside the four-person team... because we signed a contract, we can't stop each other at all.
"That reduces our numbers to half, and the murderer is undoubtedly still alive—because the murderer has not yet appeared at this time.
"After that, you kill the second person and trigger the curse, eat the reverse curse and die; in this way, the murderer who killed Master Michelangelo becomes yourself. In this way, you have satisfied two victory conditions at the same time—the murderer Survive until there are four people left, and kill the murderer at the same time.
"In this way, you have completed a 'fake death' ritual... like a giant snake shedding its skin. That's what I thought at the beginning."
Annan stared at Michelangelo, and said slowly: "But I denied this idea for a while.
"Because if you really need a plot like 'I killed me'. Then you can kill two people at the beginning of the game and end the ceremony. Because you will die from the rebellion curse, and you will kill the murderer yourself..."
"—This is not acceptable, because it only satisfies one condition."
Michelangelo turned around and showed a gentle smile: "Because you don't know one thing.
"The Howling White Tower...it's really the twin towers. Everything around the hall is exactly the same. Because...
"—Wizard Tower, there are two."
If you only get one tower, you can't be considered the master of the tower at all.
"What I pursue is not just to extend my own life."
Michelangelo sighed: "What I wish... is to die once and rise twice.
"If the ceremony is successful, then I will die by my hands and be resurrected by my hands, and I will live in the gap between life and death from now on... Only in this way can the 'truth' be achieved.
"In this world, the number of fragments of truth has been fixed. If you don't get the fragments of truth, no matter how long you live, no matter how great your talents are, at most it is only the golden rank. You can only be imprisoned by this thick fog in these few buildings Among the archipelago, hiding in the cracks of the enchantment to live.
"What I am pursuing is not only that. This is not a ritual of feigning death, but a ceremony of becoming a god that tries to skip the level of 'truth'. It is me who has reached the limit of human beings, trying to get rid of the shackles of this world...
"—Yes. I want to be a new god."