Chapter 350: Prophet

Monday morning, Reckton and Tu Ba Ge lay at opposite ends of the inn's sofa, their movements perfectly synchronized—one hand flipping through a book, the other feeding fruit into their mouths.

Only, Tu Ba Ge was looking at a children's picture book, while Reckton was reading a book recording various ritual magics, brought out from a library deep within the Spirit World.

A not-particularly-thick children's picture book couldn't withstand Tu Ba Ge's reading pace at all; in no time at all it had flipped to the last page.

It curled its lips, closed the picture book, tossed it onto the side table, and then began concentrating on gnawing on fruit.

Only after roughly feeling a sense of fullness did it reluctantly set down the green, crisp fruit in its hand and look at Reckton, saying:

"Boss, do I still have to follow that cold Klein afterwards?"

"Cold Klein? Is there also a hot Klein?"

Reckton turned his head with some amusement to glance at Tu Ba Ge, who was lying on the sofa rubbing its belly, and after a brief moment of thought, continued:

"I'll be going to the Land Abandoned by God later on. It's not suitable for you—even as a Farmer, it's very difficult to grow fresh fruit there."

"You can choose to go to the Southern Continent, or continue following Klein for a while."

"Why do I have to follow Klein?"

Tu Ba Ge asked, not quite understanding.

Reckton shifted to a half-reclining posture on the sofa, finished the fruit in his hand in two bites, casually tossed the core into the nearby trash can, and only then answered Tu Ba Ge's question:

"For a die that turns by itself."

"It's an item of the Destiny pathway. Letting it appear naturally is the best approach; pursuing it too proactively might lead to some unexpected accidents."

Tu Ba Ge nodded, not quite understanding, and said:

"Then I'll keep following cold Klein for a while."

Reckton chuckled lightly and was about to open his mouth to praise it with a couple of words, but as the words reached his lips, he suddenly stopped. His eyes grew momentarily unfocused, as if a brilliant expanse of stars had flashed through them.

In just an instant, his eyes became extremely deep, like the surface of the sea before a storm arrives. His eyes clearly lost focus, everything blurring into a vast haze.

He saw a vast silver river, with no visible beginning and no visible end.

Looking closely, that silver river was formed from countless densely packed patterns and symbols constituting one interconnected wheel after another, each wheel surrounded by different markers representing different futures.

The River of Destiny!

The moment he saw this silver river, a clarity arose in Reckton's heart—this was the true River of Destiny, no longer the projection formed by the intersection of surrounding things' destiny trajectories that the Prophet had previously seen.

As he gazed at the River of Destiny, a blurry scene surfaced in his mind:

Eyes—cruel, indifferent, lashless eyes, each containing countless brilliant stars, were appearing. Some were on people's bodies, some in the air, some in the shadows on the ground, some in the gaps of surrounding buildings. They were densely packed, innumerable, carrying an eerie sense of peering, as if every single eye was a living thing, yet also like a single whole. At the center of these eyes, where they all jointly gazed, there was a phantom human figure—part of his body still retained flesh and blood, part had transformed into a formless "light" composed of stream after stream of vast, tangled information.

This is—me! Me when I become a Sage! Me connected to the Wilderness of Knowledge! A powerful intuition spread through Reckton's heart. He didn't know whether this was good or bad, but he could be certain: this was still the predetermined future, a future he was unable to stop.

An intense sense of oppression emanated from him. At this moment, he was no longer a Mystic, but a Prophet!

Tu Ba Ge, sitting on the other end of the sofa, instantly went rigid, unable even to blink. He felt that there were many eyes in invisible places all around—even on its body, in its fur, in the shadow beneath it, eyes were opening one after another, coldly and sinisterly watching everything here. Backlund time, three in the afternoon.

Within that magnificent ancient palace above the gray fog, swathes of deep crimson light rose up, and one blurry figure after another appeared here.

Reckton casually glanced around, then rested his elbows on the mottled long table before him, his right hand massaging his forehead.

The sudden advancement made him feel somewhat unaccustomed, especially the scene of the future he had seen—though he didn't know the exact timing, it... wouldn't be too far off.

Another new member? And a lady... Hmm, Mr. "White Tower"'s mood doesn't seem particularly good—is this the reason he wanted me to provide some psychological assistance? Did he anticipate this all along?

"Justice" Audrey had barely begun to rise when she keenly noticed the change in today's Tarot Club. Her gaze swept thoughtfully over the World... women on one side, men on the other, with Mr. "World" in the middle—could it be that he wasn't human, or perhaps neither male nor female?

Audrey quickly gathered her thoughts, rose to face "the Fool," and greeted in a light, cheerful tone: "Good afternoon, Mr. 'Fool'~"

After greeting the Fool, "Justice" Audrey did not sit down, but without pause turned her gaze toward "the Hanged Man" A'erjie beside her and said with a smile: "Good afternoon, Mr. 'Hanged Man'."

She greeted everyone in sequence according to the time each person had joined the Tarot Club:

"Good afternoon, Mr. 'White Tower'." "Good afternoon, Mr. 'Sun'."... After this round of greetings, the newly joined "Hermit" Cattleya now knew every person here.

Miss Audrey really is as meticulous and thoughtful as always—one ought to sigh with admiration: this Tarot Club cannot do without Miss "Justice"... Reckton sat in his own seat, his thoughts wandering in his mind.

The newly joined "Hermit" Cattleya was also carefully and earnestly scrutinizing every member here: "the Hanged Man," a male around thirty... wearing robes with storm and wave patterns... someone from the Storm Church?

"The Sun," a male who appeared quite young, but whose build surpassed that of ordinary peers, dressed in a rare style with a rustic beauty, and moreover suited for combat—was he a Beyonder of the Warrior pathway? "The Magician," a young woman wearing a Loen-style dress, nothing distinctive about her, the type most easily overlooked—therefore, one should pay more attention.

"The Moon," a young male with a very casual posture, black hair and red eyes, even wearing a priest's robe of the Earth Church—there was only one possibility: yet another vampire converted by the Earth Church... While "Hermit" Cattleya was surveying the many members of the Tarot Club following "Justice" Audrey's introductions, Audrey was likewise observing this new member.

A very cautious lady with abundant experience in the mysterious Beyonder world, confident in her own observational ability or eye-related capability—this might be related to her own pathway... When I introduced Mr. "White Tower," her reaction was very plain, as if she had long known him... Was she a candidate recommended by Mr. "White Tower" to Mr. "Fool"? When? While pondering, Audrey cast an inquiring gaze at Cattleya, and seeing the other party quickly respond, gave a slight nod and replied:

"Hermit."

Hermit? Was this a Tarot card chosen to correspond with her own pathway? Or just a randomly selected title? While pondering, "Justice" Audrey responded with a light smile: "Justice."

"Good afternoon, Miss 'Hermit'."

Cattleya gave a slight nod, making judgments in her mind... She seems very optimistic, very lively, skilled at observing the emotions of people around her and making the most appropriate responses—somewhat like a Beyonder of the Spectator pathway... She's not old, but very wealthy in bearing and deportment—suspected to be a noble of not-low status, a Loen noble? (End of chapter)