NOVPUBZhen Liu's plan was initially to set this knock-off Kaijin Lord and a good chunk of his retinue off on a wild goose chase.
While they were away on their hunt, Zhen Liu would then reunite with his allies and Kaijin, conjure up a whole fuckload of zakos, and then violently take the mine from the hands of the remaining, guarding Kaijin.
During the resulting chaos, he was going to let loose any slaves that wanted to be free and replace them with zakos.
Ideally, at the end of all of this, the mine would be in Zhen Liu's hands, he'd get the materials necessary to fix up his stuff, and there would be one less pretender for his title in the universe.
The plan was clean, presumably quick, and would end with few casualties on either side... probably.
However, over the course of the time it took for him to get to this moment, Zhen Liu had learned more and more details about the place that caused him to realize that his initial plan of his was incredibly short-sighted.
If he went with this initial plan of his, he would be missing out acquiring a fuckton of information and would be neglecting the underlying problems of this fuckass cavern.
This other lord knew how to create [Cores] out of human misery and [Malevolent Gold], but Zhen Liu had no idea how he managed to do it.
Could he use this method to make even stronger [Cores] for his own kaijin? Were there ways for him to do what this knock-off did with less human suffering involved?
The other lord mentioned that he had managed to create three incredibly powerful kaijin that served as his honor guard.
While he had yet to see them, they were probably on the same level as his own kaijin...or maybe even stronger.
Speaking of suffering, though, Zhen Liu also wanted to find a way to restore these people to some semblance of mental sanity. In their current state, Zhen Liu was certain that freeing them from their shackles was basically the same as sending them off to their deaths.
Or at the very least, freeing them was basically going to lead to a real-life recreation of "Plato's Allegory of the Cave".
On top of all of this, Zhen Liu wanted to figure out what the fuck was up with that refinery room.
That flame was radiating such intense [Hatred], [Despair] and [Disgust] that it felt unnatural even by this place's standards.
It's because of how dense these negative emotions were that Zhen Liu couldn't help but notice the strange glimmer of [Hope] in the center of it all.
And not in the metaphorical sense.
Zhen Liu could literally feel that there was some weird physical embodiment of [Hope] in the center of that blaze, but he couldn't identify what it was.
To figure out what it was, Zhen Liu was going to need time, space, and, most importantly, a fantastic piece of bait.
And he knew the best bait for a weirdo like this guy.
'Time to stop playing the part of a pigeon, time to play the role of a devil.'
...
"Well? What do you say?" The Kaijin Lord repeated, a little more annoyed at the lack of a response.
Zhen Liu, for this part, continued to act like a loyal servant...for a little longer. After this moment, he was going to take on the role of a terrible opportunist.
"You want the Golden Scarlet-Eyed Tiger King so you can turn into one of those kaijin of yours, right?" Zhen Liu asked point-blank to establish the tone of the conversation.
"Of course, I do. The creature you've named has the potential to enter the ninth tier with very little effort. If such a beast was uplifted into being a kaijin, I can see them being powerful enough to take over an entire continent. Hell, I'm certain that it'd be strong enough to break the very heavens."
"Maybe...but it won't get you any closer to your true goal, will it?"
As soon as Zhen Liu posed this question, the temperature in the room sharply dropped.
"What did you just say?" The Kaijin Lord asked with an offended look on his face. "What would a mere beast tamer know about my true goal?"
"I know that the reason you're keeping me alive isn't because you want to actually steal away that Tiger King, but instead, you wish to know more about my master's puppets," Zhen Liu confidently stated. "Or should I say that you want to know how the kaijin of my master function?"
As soon as he posed this question, the Kaijin Lord immediately closed the distance between himself and Zhen Liu, with his fingers pointed like a blade directly at Zhen Liu's face.
The hand itself was coated completely with aether and a very sloppy application of [Chaos], but it still had the intended effect of turning the man's fingers into a razor-sharp blade that seemed to hum with killing intent.
Zhen Liu, for his part, didn't flinch.
"When did you know my true intentions?" the Kaijin Lord asked with clear viciousness in his words. "And why did you decide to play the fool? Did you think you'd be able to live longer if you did?"
"No, I was just trying to get your measure as a Kaijin Lord," Zhen Liu plainly stated. "To see if you were worth the name."
"What?"
Using a superior application of [Chaos], Zhen Liu proceeded to grab the Kaijin Lord's hand and dispel the energy surrounding it before pulling the man in and performing that exact same trick.
Only this time, Zhen Liu's hand was fully encapsulated by [Chaos].
The stupefied look of surprise on the Kaijin Lord's face did wonders in improving Zhen Liu's mood.
[Here's the deal,] Zhen Liu answered, every word of his dripping with [Chaos]. [As I have stated, I am not actually a mere beast tamer. I am actually not even a "someone." I am a being that is closely related to every Kaijin Lord since the dawn of time itself. Perhaps you've heard of me in rumors and whispers?]
[What the hell are you talking about?!] the Kaijin Lord shouted. [The only beings close to one such as myself are the kaijin we create with our own two hands! There is no one close to them!]
[Then what about the archive?]
[What ar…wait…]
Zhen Liu didn't say anything further once he used the word, "archive", as he wanted this guy to come to his own flimsy-ass conclusion.
[You…you're the archive?! The Demon's Archive is a person?!]
Hook, line, and sinker.
[Not a person, a spirit given flesh,] Zhen Liu said as he eased up the pressure on the fake lord's face. At the same time, he did his best to make the energy he was releasing feel old, weird and downright unsettling.
Thankfully, he had multiple people to model this energy expression off of.
'A bit from the Damned Drunkard, a twist from the twins, and...wait, would it be more respectful for me to refer to the Invulnerable Storm Queen as my mother-in-law or as my predecessor? Ah, whatever.'
Once he had his aura in shape, Zhen Liu took on a more dour expression and did his best to sound old and cryptic.
[The long and short of it is that I wanted to find someone worthy of inheriting the wisdom I have acquired. Including the method of how to make proper kaijin. Although, I have to admit, your ability to ad hoc a method is impressive of itself. It's fucking barbaric but it works.]
Unsure on whether to be offended or complimented, the Kaijin Lord maintained stunned silence.
[Now, when my current master rolled up, I thought that he would be the best fit for my knowledge. Someone who could turn this world upside-down,] Zhen Liu said, sounding like an ancient troublemaker to the best of his abilities. [But alas, he had fallen into the trap of mortal comforts and became someone... fulfilled. The worst kind of person to set upon a path of chaos. You on the other hand...] Zhen Liu trailed off as he repositioned himself in such a way that he was now staring him directly in the eyes.
Pausing allowed Zhen Liu to better tailor his lie while giving the impression that he was peering into the fake lord's soul.
[You are someone that seems more than ready to overturn the peace and sanctity of the world for no good reason. No...a reason that only you can find justifiable.]
At this observation, the Kaijin Lord finally couldn't keep his mouth shut.
[What do you mean a reason that only I can justify?!] The Kaijin Lord shouted in a weirdly offended tone. [This whole world fucked me over; it's only right for me to fuck it back in turn.]
Hearing this answer, Zhen Liu gave a devious smile.
[Ah, revenge. Something that's best served cold. But yours seem burning hot.]
...
[Powerful Desire detected. Consolidating—ERROR! ERROR!]
