[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-929":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},2298898,4496,"Chapter 929: Unlucky?","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-929",929,"\u003Cp>After finishing the discussion about the resurrected corpse, the \"Magician\" confirmed Lu Mi and the others’ current strategy, saying that one major reason the previous coin holders failed to find a way to awaken Mr. Fool was their haste in contacting the target, which led to them being quickly detected by the Celestial Lord, kicked out of the dream, or fully restricted, leaving them able to contribute only through gradual information accumulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the letter, the \"Magician\" informed Lu Mi and the others that some coin holders could still enter this dream city, though they could not communicate with Mr. Fool or interfere with any events—they could serve as human cameras, aiding in information gathering during certain situations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice crystal screen’s display ended here; Lu Mi flicked his wrist and burned the letter, then turned to Ludwig and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The origin of the resurrected corpse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ludwig, staring longingly at the street snack shop, reluctantly recounted the information he’d gained from the corpse:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Panna, a member of the Witch Cult, nicknamed ‘Despair Nightingale,’ was one of the architects of the ‘Big Fog of Beckland,’ and became the puppet of Antigonus, a noble of the Tudor Empire, at a hidden town along the path to the Land of Night—Antigonus was then in a state of madness, his mind closer to the Celestial Lord you speak of…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For the apex of the Thief Path, the ‘Despair Nightingale’ was indeed effectively the Celestial Lord’s puppet.” Lu Mi listened carefully to Ludwig’s account, then nodded slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze drifted to the car window, watching the personnel entering and exiting the police station, as he mused:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deception, grafting, dream and reality—I don’t fully understand these, so I’ll accept the ‘Magician’s’ explanation for now. What puzzles me is why the Celestial Lord insisted on bringing the ‘Despair Nightingale’ puppet into the dream city, rather than using her virtual image here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surely not to deliver us her unique traits and fragments of the mirror world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Franca agreed; she too found the Celestial Lord’s choice incomprehensible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Panna was the Celestial Lord’s puppet, her dream counterpart should have been easily reconverted into another puppet of His, and in her subsequent role, there was no requirement that she be a real ‘Witch’—based solely on the reconstructed script, a dream-city illusionary ‘Witch’ could fulfill the same duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celestial Lord chose the more complicated method over the simpler one—there must be a hidden reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That reason might be crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting in the back seat, Anthony added his insights into the characters’ psychological states:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the records and Miss Su Qian’s warnings are accurate, Mr. Fool’s dream image is extremely cautious and guarded. Sending a ‘Witch’ to approach him with a plausible excuse and gradual steps, cultivating affection through ordinary, non-intrusive interactions, isn’t the best choice—because the ‘Witch’ is too beautiful. It would instinctively make someone who sees himself as ordinary draw a mental boundary, convinced she’s beyond his reach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi, Jianna, and Franca—the three ‘Witches’—all turned to Anthony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony paused for two seconds before continuing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I were arranging this, I’d turn one of Zhou Mingrui’s female colleagues into a puppet—preferably an ordinary woman, not a transcendent, not even beautiful, but with subtle charm in certain angles or expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once she’s familiar with Zhou Mingrui, I’d have her drink the Assassin’s potion, subtly and step by step enhancing her allure, letting love grow naturally…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi’s eyes flickered several times, but he said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You ‘Observers’…” Franca sighed in genuine admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You really know how to write a script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d seriously considered it—she knew her past self would have been utterly unable to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why did the Celestial Lord insist on bringing his own ‘Witch’ puppet into the dream city, and use the power of the ‘Great Mother’ to grant her rebirth?” Jianna repeated Lu Mi and Franca’s earlier confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief silence in the car, Lu Mi mused:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you think there are too many ‘Witches’ appearing in this matter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean…?” Jianna vaguely sensed what Lu Mi was hinting at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the dream symbol he’d emphasized daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi slightly curled his lips:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As the team sent to awaken Mr. Fool, we have an abnormal number of ‘Witches’—more than half—and our main opponent, instead of choosing simplicity, went for complexity by bringing his own ‘Witch’ puppet here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Major Arcana said Mr. Fool holds authority over fate—the Celestial Lord must too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Lucky Coins ultimately converged in our hands, bringing us to this dream city—could that symbolize fate’s choice? Could it symbolize that the one who awakens Mr. Fool will be a ‘Witch’? And similarly, the one who secures victory for the Celestial Lord will also be a ‘Witch’?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already felt the Lucky Coins’ selection of this Path was too monotonous—the appearance of the resurrected corpse deepened my suspicion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why must it be a ‘Witch’? And why must it be an external, truly conscious ‘Witch’?” Jianna murmured, following this line of thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Figuring this out might reveal how to awaken Mr. Fool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi gave a low laugh:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can only think of two possible reasons:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One: a real ‘Witch’ symbolizes real calamity; real calamity will bring great change to the dream city—change brings opportunity, whether good or bad—but this doesn’t explain why there aren’t equally many ‘Hunters,’ who also symbolize calamity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two: some crucial event leading to Mr. Fool’s awakening can only be accomplished by a ‘Witch’ of sufficiently high rank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe both reasons apply,” Franca said, torn between wanting to switch to ice cooling to save on air conditioning and fearing detection by transcendent officers in the police station, while still observing the people entering and exiting the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, they continued observing and occasionally discussing, holding out until noon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, Lu Mi and the others saw Officer Deng En and his fiancée Dai Li walking out hand in hand to have lunch, and also spotted key figures like Old Neil, who carried Interpol credentials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their observations matched the recorded descriptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t see Mr. Star…” Franca retracted her gaze, preparing to drive onto the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s probably investigating the mall surveillance room case,” Lu Mi recalled having noticed this while scrolling on his phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca said no more, driving the car into the modern, high-rise district and stopping opposite a building a hundred meters tall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their next observation target—and primary suspect—Peng Deng—worked here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Franca parked, Lu Mi and the others spotted the target approaching from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a plain-looking young man, holding an iced coffee, looking down at his phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time Jianna expected him to collide with a pedestrian or obstacle, Peng Deng, without lifting his head, skillfully avoided it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, Lu Mi and the others’ minds flashed Peng Deng’s file:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Peng Deng, 24, hometown companion of Zhou Mingrui, classmate since kindergarten, elementary, and middle school, same high school, currently an interior designer, living in Heryun Community beside Xindu Garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He has a girlfriend named Nie Zhen, living in the High-Tech Zone, planning to move in with Peng Deng after her current lease expires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His current roommate is a foreign laborer named Grisha—eccentric, obsessive, and crude in manner…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi observed Peng Deng—wearing a light shirt, sweat soaking his back—in meticulous detail, noting every gesture and facial expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Peng Deng returned to the building did Lu Mi turn away and ask Anthony:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you notice anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normal—if problems were this easy to spot, the Major Arcana would’ve found them already,” Lu Mi said, unbothered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He addressed all team members:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t know if Peng Deng will go out this afternoon. Let’s first observe his girlfriend and roommate. Tomorrow’s Saturday—afternoon might be our chance to encounter Mr. Fool at the tutoring center. We need to review everyone on our list as soon as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna and the others had no objections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca tried starting the car, but the engine refused to ignite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roaring wouldn’t settle into a steady hum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn! The car’s broken…” Franca slammed the steering wheel in frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Lu Mi and Jianna’s minds held only one thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re going to have to pay…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, Lu Mi frowned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t this too convenient?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We just observed Peng Deng—and now the car breaks down…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, no warning at all,” Franca now also found it suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does approaching Peng Deng with ill intent bring misfortune?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Major Arcana hadn’t mentioned any such pattern before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is an anomaly—record it,” Lu Mi told Anthony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the door and stepped out, instinctively wanting to inspect the car himself, but remembered as he stood in the blazing sun that he had zero knowledge of internal combustion engines—his only possible action was to bang on the hood, hoping vibration and luck might fix it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll call the rental company,” Franca said, picking up her phone from the mount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a cheerful voice came from the roadside:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Li, and An, what’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi and Anthony, who’d stepped out with him, turned to see Stiano—the foreign student they’d met yesterday, suspected to be the dream counterpart of a high-ranking member of the Steam Church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The car broke down,” Lu Mi said, pointing at the gray sedan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stiano, backpack slung over his shoulder, brightened:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe I can help fix it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1560,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","517be24f420254815a9245bbecd0c07b12baabbd291623ae4f72209b69c95ec6","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-930","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-928",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]