Chapter 468: Magical Items

Tu Ba Ge felt a little prickly under the stare, shifted his body uncomfortably, lowered his head and murmured, "Boss, what's wrong?"

After studying him carefully for a while and confirming that Tu Ba Ge showed no abnormality, Lei Kedun slowly withdrew his gaze and mused:

"What did you encounter tonight?"

When the gaze that seemed to peel him apart faded, Tu Ba Ge finally breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his black top hat and said:

"Together with those two cats we captured a lot of cultists and hunted many mutated monsters. We gathered plenty of materials and traits, but they still need some processing, so we left them with the cats for now."

"Also, my staff merged with something strange and mutated into a deep brown baton. That lady named Ge Lan sealed it, and it can be used now, but its extraordinary ability has completely changed; it no longer can foster plants."

As he spoke, Tu Ba Ge pointed to the small round table by the window. Lei Kedun glanced sideways; indeed there lay a deep brown baton, its spirit very restrained, and nothing obviously unusual could be discerned at a glance.

He lightly snapped his fingers twice, summoned an Invisible Servant, and seized the baton from the tabletop into his own hand.

After infusing a bit of spirit into the baton, a faint silvery‑white sigil glowed around it. Lei Kedun felt his vision blur for an instant, then a massive net formed by countless silvery rivers materialized before his eyes, as if a manifestation of fate.

"Fate, huh?" he murmured softly, and using the Sight of Secrets, Lei Kedun performed a simple divination on the mutated staff.

Soon, information about the deep brown baton floated into his mind:

The holder will gain the ability to perceive changes in fate; by expending a certain amount of spirit, they can directly see or hear fate's revelations. This is no different from the divinations of "diviners," except no medium is required.

Through extensive preparation and sufficient time spent performing, one can cause fate within a certain range to shift. The more thorough the preparation and the more immersive the performance, the better the effect. Likewise, listeners who resonate more with the music are more strongly affected.

Each interference with fate also alters the user's own destiny, which may be good or bad; as these changes accumulate, the user will eventually lose themselves and become a puppet of fate.

At the same time, the holder develops a compulsive urge to perform, constantly craving to showcase themselves, attract the audience's gaze, and become the focal point of the stage.

The traits originally belonging to a biologist have been completely suppressed, showing no trace at all; it seems this fate pathway operates at a higher tier.

However, the fact that each use alters one's own fate is a bit of a pitfall. I wonder if the Probability Die can reset such changes? If it can, then this would be a magical item with essentially no negative effects.

As the thought turned, Lei Kedun set the baton aside, redirected his gaze to Tu Ba Ge and asked softly:

"Have you ever used it? What about the Probability Die?"

Tu Ba Ge shook his head and hurried to explain:

"No, Ge Lan said it's best not to use it; otherwise, under the push of fate, one might gradually become a devout follower of that Fate Goddess."

Then it pulled the Probability Die from its pocket, placed it carefully on the sofa in front, seeming worried that its movement might cause it to roll.

Four dots up? Has Tu Ba Ge's luck worsened? Or is there some change I'm unaware of?

After a brief pause, Lei Kedun picked up the milky‑white Probability Die, held it up to his eyes, then chuckled softly to himself:

"Can you reset the fate changes brought by that baton?"

Having said that, he tossed the Probability Die away.

Plop! The milky‑white die bounced a few times on the floor, then wobbled and came to rest, still showing four dots up!

Seems fine; as a unique aspect of the Wheel of Fate, the Probability Die can easily suppress fate‑path entities of lower rank than itself.

He picked the Probability Die off the floor, placed it into a small iron box packed with paper slips, then pulled Tu Ba Ge aside, lay down on the single sofa, and, while rubbing its soft ear, asked:

"How does the demonic elixir on you get digested?"

"Hmm, I'm not quite sure. Since the moon became very bright, the demonic elixir on me has gradually shown signs of digestion."

"Probably when those plants mutated wildly, sprouted mouths and began speaking, the elixir on me digested quickly, as if all the plants I previously sowed had yielded a bountiful harvest."

Tu Ba Ge scratched his head, speaking his feelings at the time with some confusion.

Lei Kedun furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, then a flash of inspiration struck his mind; he startled slightly and pulled Tu Ba Ge closer, saying:

"Where around here have you previously planted plants?"

"Only in Mr. Plack's manor. I also had a crow toss away some unwanted seeds for me."

Having tossed some unwanted seeds, Lei Kedun's hand paused on Tu Ba Ge's head, his inspiration sparked, and he followed his intuition to make a prophecy.

His eyes flickered, becoming profoundly deep, like the sea before a storm; in this state, he could glimpse the secrets of fate.

Vague images flashed in his mind: a black crow casually scattering seeds around a river channel, some seeds taking root instantly; under deep crimson moonlight, all plants erupted in frantic growth; twisted, grotesque plants withered rapidly, then were purified by a golden rain of light.

The images in Lei Kedun's mind abruptly stopped. He looked at Tu Ba Ge, who was perched on his leg, shocked, unsure how to comment, realizing they had just brushed against the ritual of the primordial Moon's devotee—what absurd luck!

After hesitating a moment, he spoke in a low voice:

"No problem. The trait of the staff segment we prepared for you is now unusable, but you can later trade your own harvest with the Earth Church. It's just a Sequence‑6 trait; the church's resources won't be too strained."

"Alright." Tu Ba Ge nodded, yawned while perched on Lei Kedun's leg, then simply closed his eyes to rest.

Leaning on the single sofa, Lei Kedun waved his hand, summoned an Invisible Servant, and took from it the twisted star‑sky oil painting and a fist‑sized crystal sphere.

Supported by the invisible hand, the two items hovered silently beside Lei Kedun. He propped his head with his right hand, recalling his earlier conversation with Mr. Huang in the deep library of the spirit realm; the more he thought, the deeper his brows furrowed.

Was the one speaking to me then actually Mr. Huang himself, or the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? Uh… that's not quite right; they were probably just a single person. I can say they spoke in the guise of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, but appearing as Mr. Huang didn't pressure me much.

Hunter and prey. He wishes to expand his authority; with the five omniscient, omnipotent paths already occupied, extending toward adjacent powers is the best way to strengthen himself. An ordinary Sequence‑0 certainly isn't a former rival, so he needs the emergence of a Knowledge Demon; sharing a common enemy makes for the ideal ally.

The God of Knowledge and Wisdom seemed to have wagered on the Knowledge Demon from the start, placing it on me. What does He know? Why does He think I'm the most likely to become the Knowledge Demon? The True Creator might know something.

As thoughts turned, the fist‑sized crystal sphere beside him shimmered with a hazy starlight; surrounding gravity and electromagnetism trembled in sync, and a semi‑real, deep illusion unfolded around him.

A brilliant star river slowly materialized around him, faintly bearing traces of civilization.

Suddenly!

A long, indescribable sound echoed around, the brilliant star river began to warp and sway, forming an abstract oil painting that continuously collapsed downward, falling from three dimensions to two.

The partially formed illusion around instantly turned into an entire thin, weightless sheet of paper, which then folded into a scroll.

Lei Kedun glanced at the wildly twisted abstract oil painting; the black starry sky on it seemed deeper and somewhat more real.

No wonder he gave me this painting; besides being bait, it can also effectively suppress the occasional negative effects of the crystal sphere.

After finally channeling a bit of power, the mutual interference rendered it ineffective; I wonder if the two beings in the starry sky will get angry enough to quarrel.

After letting his thoughts wander briefly, Lei Kedun refocused on the two magical items; using the Sight of Secrets and his prophetic ability, he almost effortlessly discerned their effects.

The twisted star‑sky oil painting enhances the holder's inspiration, allowing them to see things normally unseen and to communicate with the painting's contents.

Within the painting lies an almost perfectly real, oddly tainted world; it can overlay a certain area of space with that world, creating a region with peculiar effects, and can also transfer attacks or objects into the painted world.

Any mark left on the painting will manifest in the painted world, and through spatial overlap the corresponding influence can be applied to the real world.

That fist-sized transparent crystal possesses the ability to control gravity, easily raising destructive waves that could devastate a town, and even crush a small mountain with immense gravitational pressure.

The person holding the crystal ball gains deeper understanding of space and dimensions, can find hidden secret passages in the void, can lock onto and correct the passages between stars, and can also use some special star-related magical abilities, including 'Gravity Anomaly', 'Weakening Ray', 'Electromagnetic Attraction', and 'Void Starry Sky'.

As long as one holds this crystal ball, they will form a wondrous and unique connection with the starry sky, hearing the murmurs of the stars, seeing their colors, and becoming highly susceptible to corruption.

This crystal ball periodically constructs a half-real, half-illusory starry phantasm; this phantasm is extremely dangerous, inside it appears the silhouette of a great being, and one can even establish a connection with it.

The cycle of the starry phantasm's outbreak is related to the movement of the stars; it cannot be directly predicted, only forecast through astrology or prophetic divination of fate.

What's the difference between an unpredictable pattern and having no pattern at all? This crystal ball is truly a pitfall; merely holding it creates a connection with the starry sky, leaving no chance at all. Is this the difference between having sealed it and not having sealed it?

Leiketon's gaze shifted between the oil painting and the crystal ball, and he sighed helplessly in his heart.

He reached out and pulled the sleeping Tu Ba Ge, who had been lying on his leg, to one side, then searched the hotel room for ritual materials, preparing to use ritual magic to borrow the power of the hidden sage to seal the crystal ball to a certain extent.

After swiftly setting up the ritual, he stepped back and chanted in a low voice in Ancient Hermetic:

"The sage who perceives the world, the eye that probes truth, the embodiment of endless knowledge and mystical numbers."

"Your faithful devotee beseeches you."

Upon finishing the incantation of the prayer, an invisible force surged forth from somewhere unknown; the herbs and star crystals arranged around in a specific order instantly shattered, turning into specks of light that gathered onto the crystal ball at the center of the ritual.

Lasting less than ten seconds, all the light faded; the originally clear and transparent crystal ball became hazy, and the occasional starlight that used to flash inside it disappeared.

Leiketon curled the corner of his mouth, his gaze lingering between the oil painting and the now-hazy crystal ball, then he chuckled and said:

"Phew~ The seal is complete; as long as we don't use the related extraordinary abilities, it will not actively connect with the starry sky, and only when used on a night of brilliant stars will it burst forth with that kind of starry phantasm just now."

"Let's just call it 'Van Gogh's Starry Sky' and 'The Uncontrollable Crystal Ball'."

(End of Chapter)