Chapter 3894: Choice

The so-called "Fate Advance" is more like an overloaded advance. Before mentioning this ability, one must first clarify the relationship between "Fate Advance" and Delona.

"Fate Advance" consists of two parts: "Acquisition" and "Price." These are two stages. Black-dress Delona can achieve the first stage, while Abyss Delona controls the second.

Once this is understood, the "Fate Advance" ability is easy to grasp. First, it is a passive-type ability, but unlike passive abilities understood in the past, it requires someone to actively find Delona and request her to use it. Only then can Delona employ it. This process of requesting is known as the "Ritual."

After completing the "Ritual" step, the person is defaulted to being a "Yearner." A Yearner cannot make wishes to Delona; instead, they obtain in advance something they might obtain, or are destined to obtain, in their future life.

To use an analogy: if an ordinary person finds Delona and completes the "Request Ritual," temporarily becoming a Yearner, and if this person wants 1 million Gulang (the monthly income of an ordinary worker in Dusk City is 800–1200 Gulang), there must be a prerequisite: this person must be capable of earning 1 million Gulang in their lifetime for them to complete the "Acquisition" step.

"Fate Advance" is not an omnipotent wish-granting ability. Furthermore, all fate-type ability users, regardless of strength, consider omnipotent wish-granting to be particularly unreliable. This method of acquisition, which severely breaks the balance of fate, is bound to trigger a massive backlash.

The so-called "Fate Advance" allows the Yearner to obtain in advance things they might obtain in their lifetime. This method of advance acquisition naturally comes with a price.

The "Acquisition" step is mastered by Black-dress Delona. Once the Yearner obtains what they yearn for, it is Abyss Delona's turn to collect the price. This price is the Yearner's Fate Power.

All living beings have their own Fate Power. Some people live lives full of misfortune and die young due to serious illness or accidents. Such people have less Fate Power, perhaps only 30–50. It is worth noting that once Fate Power is consumed, it does not recover; more accurately, it can only increase, not recover.

Fate Power certainly can increase, and there are quite a few ways to do so. For example, becoming more powerful, gaining fame, or even becoming notoriously evil will all increase Fate Power. To put it more intuitively, the more living beings or things a person influences, the greater the quantity of their Fate Power.

The lower limit of Fate Power is innate, while the upper limit is determined by the choices one makes during their growth process.

The price collected by "Fate Advance" is the Yearner's Fate Power. The specific amount collected depends on the content of what the Yearner "acquires."

If Su Xiao were to use "Fate Advance" to acquire 1 million Gulang, the Fate Power he would lose would be so small it could almost be ignored. In countless future causalities, let alone 1 million Gulang, even acquiring hundreds of millions of Gulang would be very easy for him.

Besides this, "Fate Advance" has a clear classification for acquired objects: the quantity of the object. If it is a currency with a large base like Gulang, the required Fate Power will be moderate. But if the object one wishes to acquire is rare, or even a unique item of which only one exists, the Fate Power to be paid will skyrocket.

When obtaining a large-base object of yearning, "Fate Advance" is more like copying—for example, copying currency to fulfill the yearning the Yearner is pursuing.

If it is a unique item, "Fate Advance" moves this unique object. This is conceptually different from spatially moving an object; it involves constructing the causality of this unique item out of thin air and, relying on this causality, forcibly dragging it over.

Viewed this way, "Fate Advance" cannot do much, but if one changes their perspective, this ability becomes completely different. Suppose a Yearner is about to go into an ancient underground palace to compete with many people for a supreme treasure, and they only have a 0.1% chance of successfully obtaining it.

Under this premise, this person can find Delona before going to the ancient underground palace and, through "Fate Advance," obtain with 100% probability the supreme treasure they only had a 0.1% chance of obtaining in their fate. Of course, the subsequent price to be paid will be tragic.

What is terrifying is that if the Fate Power that should be paid for acquiring this treasure is 100,000, and this Yearner only has 500 Fate Power, it will trigger "Causal Consumption." The so-called "Causal Consumption" centers on the Yearner and extracts Fate Power from the people around them.

If the Fate Power of close relatives around them is drained and still cannot make up the shortfall, then people of the same clan are extracted. If people of the same clan are still not enough, then it is the people of the same city. If that is still not enough, then... living beings in the same world will all have their Fate Power extracted.

One must know that the "Causal Consumption" triggered by "Fate Advance" is different from the Fate Devouring performed by the Platinum Apostle. Although Fate Devouring is terrifying, it is a gradual devouring. The Fate Power of the devoured is drained, and the remaining "empty shell" can still function normally for a period, just being more prone to courting death.

In contrast, "Causal Consumption" drains a living being's Fate Power in an instant. At the same time, the living being's physical body will also be unable to withstand this extraction force and will shatter.

Just thinking about the image of all living beings in an entire world shattering in the same instant is enough to feel the terror and power of "Fate Advance."

Moreover, what can be advanced is not just items that can be obtained in the future, but also combat realms that can be reached in the future.

If a Yearner, in their original fate, finally reaches the Absolute Strong realm after thousands of years of effort, and now they only have First Tier strength, they can also use "Fate Advance" to instantly achieve the Absolute Strong level. But the price triggered by this will definitely be of a terrifying disaster level.

As for instantly reaching the Supreme level, "Fate Advance" should be able to do it. This is a very high-level Abyss-type ability. But as a price, it is no longer a matter of one world collapsing; it is thousands upon thousands of adjacent worlds instantly turning into stardust, subsequently being swallowed by the appearing Fate Black Hole.

The final result is that the Yearner has no chance of becoming a Supreme at all, because before they become a Supreme, they have already died in the "Causal Consumption" link, and it will also cause many worlds to collapse.

"Bai Ye, are you saying my sister has the ability to make the Blazing Sun Star collapse in an instant?"

Lu Siwa's expression reveals a hint of worry amidst the complexity.

"Not entirely."

"How so?"

"Both of these are your sister."

Su Xiao's words make Lu Siwa look puzzled.

"Didn't you just say one of them comes from the Abyss?"

"Correct, but she is indeed your sister."

Hearing this, Lu Siwa's gaze becomes even more confused.

"The 'Fate Advance' ability comes from the Dark Incubator in the Abyss, not Delona's personal ability. One of them activates this ability, and the other collects the price for it, but the ability itself does not belong to them."

Su Xiao explains the situation to Lu Siwa using Abyss studies; after all, this is the client holding two "Primordial Cores."

"What is the Dark Incubator?"

"Your father was originally eroded by the peculiar dark source matter spreading from the Dark Incubator, and then with your... stepmother?"

"Cough~, it is my stepmother, just a bit younger."

"Then she conceived Delona with your stepmother. Delona is a twin, but because of the Dark Incubator, they only have one body. In this situation, it is more appropriate for one to be called Delona and the other Ayesha."

"This..."

Lu Siwa is even more bewildered, then asks: "Why?"

"Transliterated into Abyss script using this world's language, Ayesha is the transliteration of Dark Incubator, Abyss Incubator. If she is called Ayesha, when she collects the price and resonates with the Dark Incubator, the causal risk will be smaller."

As Su Xiao says this, Delona's pupils, hair, and clothing change, becoming the appearance of Abyss Delona. She says: "I like the name... Ayesha."

In this way, the two are easy to distinguish: the silver-haired, black-dressed one responsible for the giving part in the "Fate Advance" ability is Delona; the black-haired, white-dressed one with pitch-black eyes responsible for collecting the price is Ayesha.

Although the two sisters share one body, most of the time, Delona controls it. The reason is that Ayesha, who likes to be alone in the darkness, discovered that the consciousness space is a tranquility and dimness that nowhere else can compare to. Lying here is like lying in the Dark Incubator. She even lets Delona disturb her less when there is nothing to do.

The struggle for body control results in such a wonderful way. Lu Siwa looks at his biological sister Delona, who is looking at him with a cunning smile. For some reason, he suddenly feels that this biological sister is even harder to take care of than the sister from the Abyss. Not to mention anything else, just this expression at this moment—she is definitely a little troublemaker in the future.

"Brother, let me introduce you. This is Shadow. Thanks to Shadow, I could live to see you."

Delona's eyes are moist. The Shadow Alien hiding in the dark drifts out. Facing Lu Siwa, who is at the peak of the Absolute Strong, and Su Xiao, it naturally feels fear. It is not weak in this Dark Moon Nightmare, having the combat power of the very early Absolute Strong, but against Su Xiao or Lu Siwa, it would definitely be instantly killed.

"Hello."

Lu Siwa smiles and nods. Black mist drifts on the Shadow Alien; this is a polite response.

"Brother! I finally see you."

Delona, who successfully recognized her kin, pounces on her brother Lu Siwa and then bursts into tears. This makes Lu Siwa, a heavy-armored great warrior who has experienced many life-and-death situations, feel a sore nose. Yes, his biological sister was born in this Dark Moon Nightmare; it is hard to imagine how she lived until now.

If the nightmare creatures in this area knew Lu Siwa's thoughts, they would definitely cry snot and tears, and bow down to him, thanking him for taking away this female demon who has been a scourge to them for many years.

Just as Lu Siwa is preparing to comfort Delona, Delona suddenly stops hugging her brother and instead says to Lu Siwa with teary eyes: "Brother, do you have money? Soul Coins."

"Hmm?"

Lu Siwa's "Hmm?" is both puzzled and astonished.

"I have been cared for by friends here. Now that I am leaving, I want to give them some small parting gifts."

"?"

The Shadow Alien is puzzled. In its territory on the south side of the Old King City, it was always Delona bullying those nightmare creatures. When did she have friends? And she wants to give parting gifts?

The Shadow Alien asks with body language, but after being glared at quietly by Delona, the Shadow Alien mumbles a few sentences in Nightmare language, which no one else present except Delona can understand.

Seeing this scene, Lu Siwa suddenly feels that his little cotton-padded jacket that he just found is perhaps a bit leaky.

Ignoring Delona, who is humming a song and radiating happiness from the inside out because she found her brother, Su Xiao takes a wooden box thrown by Lu Siwa. After opening it, inside are two "Primordial Cores" and 32 "Primordial Fragments."

Previously, Lu Siwa increased the price three times: the first time was 5 "Primordial Fragments," the second time was 20 "Primordial Fragments," and the third time was one "Primordial Core." Originally, it was thought to be an overlay increase, only adding one "Primordial Core." Now it seems this is a cumulative increase. The hunting group exploring the Lightless Zone is indeed rich in this regard, and Lu Siwa is indeed generous.

Besides this harvest, Su Xiao just defeated the Pseudo-King and obtained the 【Blazing Sun Greatsword】. Other things on the Pseudo-King related to the Sun King, such as the crown and cloak, are fake, but the 【Blazing Sun Greatsword】 in hand is the real deal.

This clears up Su Xiao's doubts. How could a guy of the Pseudo-King's level possess a "Sun Source Stone"? It should have been snatched away long ago. Now it seems that the Pseudo-King must have discovered a "Sun Source Stone" next to the 【Blazing Sun Greatsword】 while discovering the 【Blazing Sun Greatsword】 by accident.

Because they feared the 【Blazing Sun Greatsword】 held by the Pseudo-King, those strong enough to snatch the "Sun Source Stone" naturally would not act easily. Coupled with the Pseudo-King hiding in the Dark Moon Nightmare, the Dark Moon Eldest Prince and the White Wolf Lord here are both very strong.

Among them, the White Wolf Lord is the third strong enemy the Big Smart Team has to deal with. Since the Big Smart Team's captain, Tyrant, has already started recruiting temporary teammates in the World Contact Platform, it is evident that the Big Smart Team has been beaten by the White Wolf Lord until they put on masks of pain.

And the Dark Moon Eldest Prince—this one should be the strongest in the Dark Moon Nightmare/Old King City. Usually, the White Wolf Lord is the strongest, but after the Dark Moon Eldest Prince's seals are fully opened, this one is stronger.

Why would the Dark Moon Eldest Prince's seals be fully opened? Su Xiao did not do it because he read the records in the ancient high tower; he used the "Dark Moon Star Ring" to aim at the blood moon in the sky, causing the blood moon in the nightmare to temporarily turn into a dark moon, causing the Platinum Apostle and the Abyss Archbishop, who were fighting the Dark Moon Eldest Prince, to suddenly face skyrocketing pressure.

Through the World Contact Platform, Su Xiao discovered that the Priest had "miraculously" survived, but this also shows that the combat pressure against the Dark Moon Eldest Prince had skyrocketed to an outrageous degree.

Regarding which faction in Dusk City to hand the 【Blazing Sun Greatsword】 to, Su Xiao decided to give it to the Great Library. After giving it to the Great Library, the reward cap for this main quest is 95.8%. Conversely, if given to the Monarch Faction, the reward cap for this main quest reaches 1068%. A reward gap of more than ten times—the problem is, there is no point in having a high reward if you don't have the life to collect it.

Su Xiao dares to fight strong enemies, but he has no thoughts about fighting the owner of the 【Blazing Sun Greatsword】.

Opening the quest list, Main Quest: Fourth Ring has no clues, but this cannot stump Su Xiao. He takes out the 【Nightmare Pointer】.

【Nightmare Pointer】

Origin: Nightmare Area/Gluttony Tribe.

Quality: Immortal.

Category: Special Equipment.

Durability: 20/20 points.

Equipment Requirements: Willpower 180+ points, Sanity 350+ points.

Equipment Effect: Pointer (Active). This pocket watch has only one hand. After activating this effect in a nightmare area, two choices can be made: Treasure and Path of Life.

Hint: After activating Treasure, the watch's hand will always point toward the direction of the treasure in the nightmare area.

Hint: After activating Path of Life, the watch's hand will always point toward the direction of the exit of the nightmare area.

Hint: In each nightmare area, this item can be used at most twice. If one attempts to use it a third time in the same nightmare area, this item will be permanently damaged.

Hint: Each use of this item consumes 1 point of equipment durability, and the cooldown is 1 hour.

Score: 1500 points.

Introduction: A protective item gifted by the Gluttony Tribe to a friend. With this item, one will not get lost in nightmares.

Price: 10 ounces of Dream Essence.

Su Xiao activates the 【Nightmare Pointer】 and chooses to search for treasure. He guesses that the treasure in this Old King City should have been searched clean by nightmare creatures long ago and could not wait for outsiders to explore. In this way, the treasure pointed to by the 【Nightmare Pointer】 will change from treasure to precious rare materials.

The "Moon Altar" mentioned in Main Quest: Fourth Ring is certainly not an ordinary altar. The materials composing this altar will most likely be identified as treasure by the 【Nightmare Pointer】. Even if this move does not work, he still has the 【Navigation Luo Pan】 in his storage space.

Last time the 【Navigation Luo Pan】 was activated, this thing pointed out a direction, but the 【Origin Stone/World (Fragment)】 to be found was stored by the World Consciousness of the Eternal Light World. Therefore, the 【Navigation Luo Pan】's hand could not point to the location of that 【Origin Stone/World (Fragment)】, thus triggering a loophole that was not entirely a loophole, allowing this compass to be used one more time.

Do not look down on this item just because it is Immortal-grade; at critical moments, it has the miraculous effect of deciding life and death. Moreover, Immortal-grade is not low among the several qualities in the later stages.

Actually, the equipment system of Reincarnation Paradise has only seven quality levels. White quality to Golden quality can be completely seen as one major level, which is the beginner equipment for novices. In that case, it is:

Beginner Equipment, Legendary, Epic, Saint Spirit, Immortal, Origin, Eternal.

The 【Nightmare Pointer】 clicks and rotates. Su Xiao continues to go deep into the Old King City according to the direction pointed by the hand. He wanders around among the buildings. At first, there was nothing, but after passing through an invisible barrier, every few meters he walked, the surrounding scene changed.

Not only that, except for Baja on his shoulder, Bubu Wang by his leg, and Amu behind him, everyone else was nowhere to be found. They probably failed to enter this barrier, or rather, they could not enter this barrier without holding the "Altar Lock Disk."

Based on Su Xiao's rich experience in executing main quests, to find the "Moon Altar," there should be a prerequisite event, most likely finding a key character in the Old King City and unlocking subsequent events through them.

Then complete the events step by step to obtain the map to the area where the "Moon Altar" is located. Considering the quest time is only one day, this quest is very tight on time. The problem is, Su Xiao skipped all kinds of events of this quest and went straight to the theme.

Su Xiao moves forward according to the direction pointed by the 【Nightmare Pointer】. Do not underestimate this Immortal-grade equipment; it is a thank-you gift from the Gluttony Tribe. The Gluttony Tribe is one of the highest-level nightmare tribes. This can be seen from their ability to devour nightmares, and the nightmares they devour are all types with extremely strong erosive and aggressive power.

The reason why the 【Nightmare Pointer】 is Immortal-grade equipment is not that this equipment is not strong, but that its scope of use is too small, only usable in nightmares. Just talking about its effect in nightmares, saying it is an artifact is indeed an exaggeration, but it can be considered a secondary artifact.

Just like this, Su Xiao identifies the route with the 【Nightmare Pointer】, ignores a total of five quest events corresponding to the Fourth Ring quest, and arrives in front of a tall Nightmare Gate.

This is not a giant gate out of the nightmare; it is someone who forcibly stuffed a piece of the material world into this nightmare area. A more grounded analogy is stuffing a nut into a cup of hot chocolate.

Located on both sides of the Nightmare Gate, two tall monsters resembling gargoyles stand on both sides of the giant gate. They hold long-handled broadswords and double-headed halberds. With the height of more than ten meters of the two gargoyles, these two weapons are both over eight meters long, with a pitch-black metallic texture, looking exceptionally thick and heavy.

Both gargoyles are in full battle armor, but at this moment, they seem to have turned into stone carvings. As for the token required to enter the gate, both gargoyles tacitly believe that as long as the comer does not violently break the gate, they will pretend not to see it. They are guarding here because of a commission from some old guy, but that old guy did not say that such a terrifying human monster would come to this place! The benefits they received are not worth them fighting to the death with such a terrifying monster. No, this is suicide.

In front of the giant gate, Su Xiao takes out the "Altar Lock Disk." The lock disk automatically adsorbs onto the giant gate and starts clicking and rotating. A few seconds later, all the mechanisms and arts inside the gate are retracted, and the purple-black metal giant gate opens in response.

Su Xiao walks into the gate, and a low rumbling sound comes into his ears. This is passing through another layer of the barrier. The air no longer diffuses a faint bitter taste, which means he has walked out of the nightmare area.

The scope of this space is not large, about two hundred square meters. A gorgeous and ancient altar is located in front. There is a circular groove in the center of the altar. Preliminary observation shows it matches the shape of the "Dark Moon Star Ring." Using the "Dark Moon Star Ring" as the activation method for this altar is very normal. This is the last remaining "Dark Moon Star Ring" of the Dark Moon Faction and has extraordinary significance to the Dark Moon Faction.

Lying on a wooden lounge chair in front of the altar is a person, exactly the Sun Scholar Limans, who is wrapped tightly and looks very bloated.

"Law-Breaker, have you obtained the Moon Blood?"

Sun Scholar Limans speaks. Compared to the last meeting, at this time, Limans begins to have a feeling of being at the end of his rope.

"..."

Su Xiao does not speak. He takes out a sealed container, inside which is the dark purple "Moon Blood."

"Moon Blood, Heart of the World, Eye of the Sun. To witness, you must obtain these three. Finally, do not forget, your hope of victory is in that dim and lightless place. I am waiting for you there."

After Sun Scholar Limans says this, embers and sparks ignite on his body, then he explodes and disperses with a bang, and together with the lounge chair under him, he turns into sparks and gradually extinguishes in the air.

Su Xiao comes to the "Moon Altar." After observing this altar for a while, a different luster appears in his eyes.

He takes out the "Dark Moon Star Ring" and embeds it into the card slot. He holds the activation device with one hand and clicks and rotates it. As he rotates the activation device, all the arts on the entire "Moon Altar" light up. When he twists the activation device to the maximum, with a ding, the "Dark Moon Star Ring" acting as a key pops out of the card slot and is held in his hand.

【Hint: You have activated "Moon Altar/Branch Node 5." This branch altar will be activated for 30 natural days.】

【Within these 30 natural days, you can activate "Moon Altar/Hub."】

【Main Quest: Fourth Ring/Moon Altar (Completed).】

【You obtained "Altar Lock Disk." This "Altar Lock Disk" can open the sealed gate at???.】

【Main Quest: Fifth Ring (Activated).】

【Main Quest: Fifth Ring: The Nun.】

Difficulty Level: Lv. 95++ (Because you are at the Absolute Strong level, you will not receive quests with a constant difficulty level above Lv. 95. Even if the actual difficulty of the quest reaches Lv. 96 or even higher, because your brand level has not unlocked the corresponding permission, this quest level will not be triggered).

Quest Introduction: Kill the Nun.

Hint: The Nun is an Undead.

Hint: The Nun is located somewhere in Dusk City.

Hint: The Nun is keeping 2 "Sun Source Stones."

Hint: The Nun is keeping???.

Quest Deadline: 15 natural days.

Quest Reward: World Key x2.

Quest Penalty: All attributes -10%, forcibly teleported out of this world.

Seeing this quest difficulty level, Su Xiao knows what is going on. The so-called constant difficulty level is a perfect assessment of the quest's difficulty ceiling, while quests like "Abyss Quest/Gift of Death" are quest difficulty Lv. 98~???, which belongs to non-constant difficulty levels.

Quests with non-constant difficulty levels do not have a brand notarization mechanism. Even if it is a First Tier contractor, once triggered, they can still accept the quest.

Simply put, as Su Xiao, who is an Absolute Strong, the difficulty level of subsequent main quests is at most Lv. 95. What if the actual difficulty exceeds this level? That is a bunch of plus signs appearing behind it.

The difficulty level of Lv. 95++ is obviously not low. The quest content "Kill the Nun" seems to have little information. According to convention, this quest is not difficult, but the four hints below represent that it is not so. The hint information given by this quest is a bit much.

Looking further down, Su Xiao feels that things are not good. The quest difficulty of Lv. 95++, as many as four "intimate" quest hints, and a generous quest time limit of up to 15 days—most importantly, the quest penalty is not forced execution. Combining these factors, Su Xiao can already feel the power of the Undead/Nun.

Closing the quest list, Su Xiao continues to observe the "Moon Altar" in front. The more he looks, the more familiar it feels. He takes out a notebook recording various arts and formations. This is what he recorded after seeing wonderful formations and arts in various worlds.

After flipping through it for a while, he turns the notebook to the content he recorded in the Eternal Light World before, and then compares it with the external arts of the "Moon Altar." The two have no similarity at all, and the activation principles and construction materials are also very different, but the two just have the same charm.

After confirming this more accurately, Su Xiao has an idea, which is to hand the 【Blazing Sun Greatsword】 to the Monarch Faction of Dusk City. It seems... it is also feasible. The danger is correct, but there is also a chance of winning.

Reason is telling him that this is too dangerous, but the promotion cost of three technique masters + the "picky" Zhan Long Shan + the gluttonous Endless Ring + the Abyss studies that need massive space-time power to improve, are telling him that if he does not obtain more resources, his wallet will be in jeopardy and beaten until it wails endlessly. ===== CHAPTER 3895 =====