Chapter 195: One Day

Becoming a Chosen One is a boon most beings would kill for, signifying a long life, immense power, and a lofty status within the Church of the Gods.

But it also means total binding; even after death, the soul belongs to the deity. If the god deems you a useful tool, they will simply use you until you break, over and over.

The Mirror Goddess is a neutral deity, yet still leans toward the evil side. If Dai Niya truly binds herself completely to this deity, and the deity orders her to destroy her own kingdom and cities, she will be unable to refuse.

Dai Niya is willing to sell her soul for a good price, but she does not trust the other party of the transaction. Dark Elves are not trustworthy; how good could the Dark Elf deity be?

Watching the hesitant and uneasy Dai Niya, Li En felt inexplicable anger and frustration, as if

"As if his own cub was being bullied? Hmm, hmm, hmm, I feel that way too."

The snake happily flicked its tongue.

He was confident Li En would inevitably agree to his terms, for while entities capable of deceiving even gods and stealing divine power might exist,

those who could trick a god into falling for it without the god realizing were truly rare.

What is breaching a Chosen One contract? If the snake truly returned a portion of its power, it could pull the Mirror Goddess from her throne and let the little girl sit there; it would have several schemes for that.

"In the end, Dai Niya is Li En Sudar's cub; how can she be casually bullied by outsiders? This time, I don't ask for much; just one day. Give me your one day, and I will help you deceive the god."

"What do you mean? Be specific." Li En frowned; devils and scammers love being vague, using ambiguous rhetoric to mask the true pitfalls in the contract.

"You really are a picky customer. Hmm, just like that; otherwise, I truly worry you'll be tricked by a bad woman."

The snake seemed to compliment him, but Li En sensed the malice within. Could he, Li En, be tricked by a woman?

"Be specific. What exactly does 'one day' refer to?"

"Complete control for one day. You know that during Heroic Soul Possession, you still hold the initiative; in necessary moments, you can forcibly take control. You give me 'a full day,' and I do whatever I want."

"Absolutely not! Absolutely!"

Li En refused sternly; this was non-negotiable.

He had already realized the snake's agreement contained a trap from the start; the causality and consequences of these matters would all fall on him!

Li En also realized the snake did not want to possess him, but could not; pouring the ocean's water into a small cup would end the game instantly.

But if he voluntarily abandoned the contract, who knew what operations he might perform?

First, modify the body to raise the limit, then hold a global carnival to celebrate his return. By the time Li En woke the next day, he would likely be happily watching the allied gods' army encircling him, along with a note left by the snake: "Just kidding!"

"He would absolutely do it. After all, it's me. If I only had one day, I would certainly play a grand prank, scare the whole world, then vanish suddenly, leaving them suspicious, worried, and terrified, fearing when I might return."

Give the snake a whole day, and a crack could open in the sky!

Expecting him to behave properly? Then he wouldn't be a snake.

"Hey, hey, hey, this isn't how to conduct business. Don't you think this girl is pitiful? Originally, her fate line was to be tortured to death after giving birth, never living past twenty. Now she finally has a chance, yet some cold-blooded person refuses..."

Hearing Dai Niya's fate, Li En fell silent for a moment; the next instant, he felt anger rising from the depths of his heart.

Perhaps it was Sul's influence, or perhaps it was truly as the snake said; she is Li En Sudar's cub after all; how can others bully her so!

"Snake, you wouldn't want her to face such a future, right? Give me a condition I can accept..." Unknowingly, Li En's rare attitude softened, even bowing his head slightly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, truly a picky customer. But only a causality of the 'one day' level can support this price. Uh, let me think..." The snake pondered for a moment, then suddenly flicked its tail.

"For cute little Dai Niya, I'll be magnanimous and give this 'one day' to the next Heroic Soul."

Li En fell silent. The next Heroic Soul? It was very likely Lex.

It should be no problem; after all, he is the Continental Hero, Dai Niya's biological father; within this kingdom, he shouldn't run amok.

"Fine, deal."

Li En vaguely sensed this was probably the snake's limit as well.

The snake happily rolled over. Li En felt he had been tricked again; did the snake want this from the very beginning?

But now, it seemed too late. He sighed, choosing not to dwell on it to avoid adding unnecessary trouble.

"Snap!"

The snake's tail suddenly broke off; a segment of the tail severed. The next moment, this coiled tail began to curve, shrink, and solidify, finally transforming into a small golden ring engraved with a snake pattern.

"Tell her what I said."

Li En suddenly produced a ring, startling Dai Niya, and even making Miss Shaliman's eyes widen, her snake hair all standing on end.

"Listen to me. This is the 'Ring of the Deceiver.' When signing a contract, call upon the Oldest Deceiver, and any contract or agreement will ultimately bind only this ring. If necessary, destroy this ring to break the contract, even a Chosen One contract signed with a god!"

From the very beginning, deception and contract-breaking were among the snake's authorities; deceiving and breaking contracts with gods was no difficulty.

"But to maintain the contract's stability, you must wear this ring."

The small golden ring with the snake pattern reflected an eerie golden sheen under the torchlight.

The Oldest Deceiver? Dai Niya had no knowledge of such an existence.

But looking at the ring, she felt it could truly be done; the ring seemed to possess the trait of "persuading people" (which was actually true).

"Um, how should I call out?" Calling upon an unknown, ancient existence often requires quite troublesome rituals and Offerings.

"This is part of it. Touch the ring and call out to it in your heart. Its epithet is 'The Oldest Liar, the Origin of War and Discord, the Guardian of Artists and Deceivers...'"

Divine names are often epithets for high-level existences, reflecting their divine duties, authorities, and power from one aspect. Generally, they are very strong race gods, possessing only two or three divine names, spoken only during the most important rituals.

But the snake's was not only a long passage, but even more chilling, making one's scalp crawl.

So many negative and extreme divine names, with not a single good word throughout; what kind of monster is this!

Calling upon such an existence and borrowing its power; is it truly a good thing?

Looking at the snake-patterned ring in her palm, she hesitated. Was it truly worth calling upon this unknown existence for one's own selfish desires?

"...'The Initiator of Clowns and Playwrights,' and finally, the most crucial part: 'Dear Father, help me'..."

Li En spoke the words one by one, and upon finishing, he himself was stunned.

"Do you need the last one too?"

"Yes, otherwise it is invalid," the snake said happily. Actually, only the last one was needed.

When one's own descendant calls upon oneself, why would such trouble be necessary?

Li En took a deep breath; he felt he had been scammed again.

Perhaps, even without her asking, the Snake would not watch Dai Niya come to misfortune.

"No, no, no. Only with your request does my interference occur, allowing you to bear this karmic debt. In the end, I can only transfer this karma of deceiving the gods onto you; this is no small matter. Heh, neither more nor less, with loss and gain, only then is there balance."

The Snake smiled cheerfully, then vanished once more without a trace.

Having consumed a portion of itself, the time in the present world has likely shortened again; time cannot be wasted carelessly.

Dai Niya subconsciously touched this ring. Though it held not the slightest magical aura, she felt a sense of peace from the bottom of her heart.

As if someone were standing up for her.

For a child without a father, this was a strange feeling quite difficult to resist.

"Thank you." For the first time, Dai Niya, her face flushed, thanked Li En.

And further away, the knights, the sharp-eyed archers, sucked in a breath of cold air.

"The ring! Knight Li En gave the Princess a gold ring, and she accepted it!"

"Shut up! We saw nothing! Do you hear me!"

(End of this chapter)