[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-887":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298856,4496,"Chapter 887: The Contaminated","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-887",887,"\u003Cp>The dusk sunlight streamed through the window, casting a dim gold-red glow across the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for Lu Jianuo, who had taken Ludwig to the new Baiyin City to seek out local delicacies, Furan Ka, Jianna, and Antoni remained in the parlor, listening as Lumian recounted the events he had endured since their separation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian described, in a detached, almost observational tone, the transformation of Thelmiripos into Amon, the psychological therapy report recited by Amon, and the subsequent “story” script—selecting only the key points, without concealing anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That low, indifferent voice entered Furan Ka and Jianna’s ears, gradually filling them with suffocating pain and despair, as if they had lived it themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not physical pain, nor the despair of facing death—it arose from one’s own insignificance, one’s own powerlessness, from the realization that one’s beliefs, emotions, and choices were all products arranged by another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furan Ka involuntarily recalled the laboratory white mice she had often worked with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She finally understood why Lumian, even without rejecting the transition to the “Witch” path, still suffered so deeply over ascending to a demigod, why his emotions had remained so suppressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at that familiar yet alien face, at that beautiful, expressionless visage, Furan Ka felt an inexplicable pang of sorrow and pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lumian finished describing his final choice, the room fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, Furan Ka voluntarily introduced a new topic:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never expected ‘Black Tear’ was also arranged by Him—that’s not something from the Witch cult, is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Without ‘Black Tear,’ there would have been ‘White Tear,’ ‘Gray Tear’—if He couldn’t arrange a vessel for the Primordial Witch’s descent, could He not arrange another ‘Witch’?” Lumian replied calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his current state, Jianna felt a deep ache and distress; having experienced it before, she would rather Lumian be furious or openly reveal the pain buried within him than appear now, like a dry well, crushing all emotion to its bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furan Ka felt the same, and almost instinctively mocked herself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never thought you and I would still have a place in the script, even if our role was merely to stabilize your mental state and serve as a firm anchor during your ascension to the ‘Despair Witch.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word “anchor,” she had encountered several times with the “Judge” Lady—she suspected it related to how higher beings stabilized their own states—the higher the rank, the greater the risk of madness; the anchor seemed to be an external aid reinforcing self-awareness and resisting loss of control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not just that,” said Lumian, still wrapped in his black cloak, in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. “It’s also a method to prevent me from becoming addicted to the sensation of Aurora’s soul fragment slowly reviving, refusing to revert to the ‘Hunter’ path, and gradually abandoning my male identity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna and Furan Ka fell silent, both burdened by an indescribable pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latter rose from the wide armchair, large enough for her to curl up inside, and looked directly at Lumian:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t like the way you phrase it—as if you and Jianna have truly become tools.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘Black Tear’ merely accelerated the outbreak—it doesn’t mean the problem didn’t exist, doesn’t mean our feelings and thoughts were fabricated, that they only appeared because of His arrangement!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, I am only myself. My stance is this: I won’t urge you to revert to the ‘Hunter’ path, nor will I care whether you are ‘Witch’ or ‘Hunter.’ I’m also glad Aurora still has hope of resurrection, and I eagerly await her return—but what I value most is you, Lumian Li, the one who went through so much with us and shared so many beautiful memories.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Furan Ka faltered, unsure how to express the thoughts still unspoken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna also stood up, pressing her lips together before speaking:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m happy to see Aurora revived within you, but I don’t want you to abandon yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this world, Lumian Li is someone who is cared for, loved, and valued!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!” Furan Ka echoed Jianna’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian’s pale blue eyes regarded the two “Witches,” a faint glimmer of light hidden deep within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not respond to Furan Ka and Jianna’s words, but neither did he oppose or mock them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furan Ka and Jianna were about to say more when suddenly Antoni gave them a subtle glance—signaling that this was enough, that Lumian needed time alone to reflect; too much comfort, encouragement, or confession would only backfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh… Furan Ka closed her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She immediately realized a fact:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Antoni was here… so he heard everything I just said?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Embarrassing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huge, bold, capitalized embarrassment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna sat back down in her original seat; she trusted the “Psychologist’s” judgment on this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for her own emotional outburst, she felt no shame—she knew Antoni had seen through her long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Antoni silently sighed. As a normal man nearing middle age, he was grateful he was the “Psychologist,” the “Hypnotist”—otherwise, daily exposure to two distinctively charming “Witches,” soon to be joined by a captain of breathtaking beauty, would inevitably lead to natural enchantment and unconscious surrender of the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt that with this kind of training, even if he never became a demigod, he could endure longer against the “Enchantment” of an opposing “Despair Witch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Embarrassed, Furan Ka instinctively sought a new topic. She let out an “Ah” and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His arrangements are truly terrifying—we can’t escape them, can’t refuse them, no matter how much we want to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna nodded in deep agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both “Witches” had witnessed great events—when the “Red Angel” Medici had altered the heavens in the Fourth Era at Trill, they had felt it firsthand—but the “True Creator’s” silent, traceless arrangements utterly exceeded their imagination; merely contemplating them could bring nightmares or sleepless nights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian responded in a low voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He is a true god. I even suspect He is more than just a true god—the ‘Magician’ Lady’s attitude toward Him is more reverent and fearful than toward other true gods like the ‘Eternal Sun.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if the ‘Tarot Society,’ the Fool Church, and all related factions combined, they might not be able to stop His arrangements—only possibly detect anomalies earlier and issue warnings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, although the Fool’s throne is surrounded by many angels, they still can’t match a true god. Damn it—why would a true god fixate on someone who wasn’t even a demigod before?” Furan Ka sighed and cursed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had intended to add, “The gap in status is so vast—resistance is likely futile; we can only make do for now, not suppress this in our hearts, but use His arrangements to strengthen ourselves”—but after considering Lumian’s current state, she swallowed those thoughts born of her own personality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps only when the Fool awakens will we no longer constantly fear His arrangements,” Jianna carefully said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, when will the Fool awaken?” Furan Ka echoed with a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, with her rich gaming experience, she had an idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat up sharply and looked at Lumian:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The lucky coins in my, Jianna’s, and Ludwig’s possession all seem to have come from the Fool’s past gifts—they carry His aura. Could it be… could it be that if we collect all the lucky coins, we might awaken the Fool?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it were that simple, the Major Arcana would have already gathered all the lucky coins and awakened the Fool,” Lumian thought for several seconds before replying. “Collecting them may only be a prerequisite—something else must follow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Antoni interjected:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m about to receive a lucky coin—the ‘Knight of Swords’ promised it as payment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Four now…” Furan Ka couldn’t help glancing at Lumian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In normal circumstances, she would have teased him—but now, facing Lumian in this state, how could she?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian showed no disappointment; he glanced out the window and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘Magician’ Lady should come to me soon—I’ll ask her what the lucky coins truly mean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm,” Furan Ka touched her “Traveler’s Satchel.” “Good—I’d like the ‘Magician’ Lady to create a separate space inside my ‘Traveler’s Satchel’ to store this pistol. I can feel it, like the ‘Black Tear,’ is continuously generating illness and spreading it outward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her “Cannon Gun” had merged with the residual divine gift from Higton, preserved from the special mirror world, and had yet to be renamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Furan Ka asked Lumian to place the entire room inside the “Vessel of Fiction,” then took out the contaminated “Cannon Gun” and used “Mirror Divination” to understand its effects and negative impacts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, she received a detailed answer:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The contaminated ‘Cannon Gun’ continuously spreads disease and decay within a three-kilometer radius; the disease type is random.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The contaminated ‘Cannon Gun’ grants one of two additional effects to its bullets: ‘Certain Death’ or ‘Certain Hit,’ for a total of thirteen uses, stackable with the original ‘Heavy Strike’ effect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If either ‘Certain Death’ or ‘Certain Hit’ is triggered, the user will inevitably fall seriously ill afterward; if no suitable healer is found, they may die from it—if one is found, the illness lasts only a few hours to a day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once all thirteen uses of ‘Certain Death’ and ‘Certain Hit’ are exhausted, the negative effect of continuous disease and decay remains, lasting approximately one year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving the answer, Furan Ka immediately shoved the contaminated “Cannon Gun” back into her “Traveler’s Satchel,” then deliberately brightened the mood, smiling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I use pregnancy bullets with the ‘Certain Hit’ effect, how would enemies respond?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thank you Shuanghua Qingxue for supporting Aurora’s Silver Chest~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1577,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","37a12c5a8ee345d2b3a92f1c60978e6e3392f88276ad612a2d0b7d8fddbe6ac1","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-888","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-886",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]