[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-942":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},2298911,4496,"Chapter 942: Repaying the Debt","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-942",942,"\u003Cp>Lu Mi and Yu Jianna also deeply understood Franca’s remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had encountered “fairies”—that is, higher-sequence adepts of the Painter Path—in reality, but never imagined that merely a photo sent through the information network could possess such terrifying mysticism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.” Yu Jianna nodded. “We need to think harder about what adepts of different Paths can accomplish in the Dream City that they cannot in reality, and prepare contingency plans in advance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Dream City suppressed all extraordinary abilities to the Seventh Sequence level, its own characteristics and the details of its social operations introduced possibilities beyond original imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Lu Mi and the others had already briefly discussed which extraordinary abilities of the Witch and Hunter Paths could produce wondrous reactions in the Dream City, but they had not yet thoroughly explored potential changes arising from other Paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their current conclusion is:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As representatives of calamity, the Hunter and Witch Paths can positively utilize the Dream City by “using the ever-present mirror objects to set up mirror mazes anytime, anywhere, and cast different mirror magics” and “leveraging screens as a medium to enter alternate dimensions—previously inaccessible or never-before-seen surveillance worlds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Negative uses are far more numerous; in Franca’s words, they are all criminal acts requiring harsh and strict sentencing, such as “using the internet to enchant others and spread pleasure,” “amplifying the destruction of the Arsonist by triggering natural gas explosions,” and “exploiting densely built-up, populous environments to spread diseases faster and more efficiently,” and so on, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other more detailed, everyday applications are countless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussing this for a while, Lu Mi said to Yu Jianna:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For the next while, Franca will stay here; she can observe Rosan during the day under the guise of a colleague.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Joined Intis Group?” Yu Jianna had expected this, turning to Franca with a delighted look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca smiled with feigned nonchalance:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She recounted in full how she prepared her application, and how she revised her plan upon seeing Miss Huang also participating in the interview.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When exactly will you start work?” Yu Jianna asked with concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca spoke with a hint of pride:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They gave me three days to handle personal matters. Lu Mi has to report tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lady of Justice had fabricated Franca’s identity as a 25-year-old white-collar worker with three years of experience, who switched careers immediately after graduation and never returned to her original field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca had previously worried her resume’s work history was fabricated, but then she pretended to be a background-check officer from a company and called—only to discover that Luo Fu was a real person, with evaluations nearly identical to her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made her suspect the company might have hidden ties to the Lady of Justice and other Major Arcana’s dream identities, or that the Lady of Justice, before being expelled, had used her dream-weaving ability to pre-install usable identities, waiting until the five Lucky Gold Coins’ holders were confirmed, then laboriously altering names, appearances, and other details through some method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you need anything prepared?” Yu Jianna asked this because she wanted to know what she could help with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca’s expression immediately fell:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I need to buy a dress, stockings, high heels…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had taken the Witch’s Elixir a long time ago, and at most had worn skirt-pants—never actually tried a dress, let alone the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dress code,” Lu Mi helped explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jianna understood Franca’s discomfort, her eyes flickering as she said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you forgotten the Method of Performance? Forgotten all the roles you played before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is another performance too—only this time, not to digest the Elixir, but to approach the Fool’s dream image and secretly confront his surrounding agents of the Archons and cultists of Xieshen , thwarting their schemes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember, you’re just playing a role.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca had already made her decision; she merely needed more justification, so she was easily persuaded by Yu Jianna’s words, her expression softening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jianna looked at her face and smiled slightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. Whatever clothes you wear, I’ll wear too. We’ll all be the same—no awkwardness, no shame.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca’s eyes lit up:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they’d decided to endure such overly feminine clothing, a little extra visual reward wasn’t bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi said nothing, letting Franca and Yu Jianna converse, fearing he’d be drawn in and forced to promise similar things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He checked the time on his phone and said to the two “Witches”:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though we haven’t faced Rosan’s sketch self-portrait directly, deleting such a photo itself looks suspicious. If Rosan notices it’s gone, she’ll likely test us further—or even take more aggressive action. You must be cautious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm-hmm, I just thought of that,” Franca and Yu Jianna replied almost in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi waved his hand and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he left, Franca plopped onto the sofa and relaxed as she smiled at Yu Jianna:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll go buy clothes tomorrow—we’ve got money now, the lottery prize is cashed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Yu Jianna visibly exhaled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She carefully suggested:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should we pay off those small loans early?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had seen many people in the Botanical District and Honest Man Market borrow from loan sharks and end up destroyed, dragging down their families and loved ones—so since entering the Dream City, she had always been terrified of taking out small loans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to save up to rent good items from Star Dream Grocery…” Franca hesitated for two seconds, then said, “Alright, pay off the loans first—it might raise our credit limit, and when we hit a critical point and need to go all-in, it might come in handy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before her crossing, she had seen many cases of people whose lives were ruined by small loans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, as an experienced adept, she understood that after spending gold to rent the Magic Mirror Arloes, she realized money in the Dream City was also a symbol—a precious resource. The “offensive-defensive battles” during the prize redemption process further confirmed this hypothesis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this perspective, persistently owing small loans is indeed risky—useful for emergencies in the short term, but unsustainable long-term, let alone relying on them to survive. It’s not a wise choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jianna sat down beside her, urging Franca to immediately repay her online loans and transfer funds to their teammates for their own repayments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only over 120,000 left…” Franca sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jianna changed the subject, and the two chatted about their recent experiences and shared daily impressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Yu Jianna couldn’t help asking again:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How exactly can we awaken the Fool?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had discussed this many times before, yet still had no preliminary ideas—only observation and contact, then searching for clues and inspiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca shook her head, sighing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know. The Big Names have already tried everything—reminding him face-to-face of the existence of extraordinary power, making films to fully replay his avatar’s experiences hoping to trigger memory revival—all tried, all failed, and each time it led to us being kicked out of the Dream City…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t known before, but now understood: the film they made was *The Great Pirate 3*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Big Names don’t seem to have tried telling Zhou Mingrui the truth directly…” Yu Jianna recalled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether that would work is uncertain, but being kicked out immediately is definite,” Franca chuckled bitterly. “Still, if we still have plenty of Dream entries, we could isolate someone and let them try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late at night, the two “Witches” washed up and got into bed, each claiming a pillow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had already discussed how to respond to Rosan’s possible probes; now they said nothing, exchanged glances, and Moqi ly pulled their blankets up, closing their eyes in the coolness brought by the air conditioner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Using ice to cool the room was too easily detectable by potential watchers who might sense their extraordinary abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jianna’s astral body wandered again, seeing countless spirits drifting everywhere, hazy, phantom buildings, and frozen storms, translucent barriers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t immediately check on Rosan’s condition; instead, she kept her eyes blank, her gaze vacant, drifting, walking, moving back and forth, guided by spiritual pull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this, she saw Franca, who maintained a similar state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Yu Jianna’s body turned toward the translucent barrier adjacent to the deep darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one was there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rosan wasn’t there fighting the invading monsters!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jianna’s heart tightened, yet she maintained her previous state, continuing her astral wandering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, her gaze naturally rose—and she saw Rosan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rosan wore light-yellow skirt-pants, floating high above, gazing deeply and silently at Yu Jianna and Franca—she had been watching for how long?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jianna’s mind instantly tensed, but through acting, she showed no abnormality; Franca remained equally natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After staring for a long time, Rosan flew toward the barrier where strange creatures tried to invade, blocking their advance from behind the translucent shield, repelling them again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca and Yu Jianna didn’t relax; like background extras, they faithfully repeated simple motions and irregular behaviors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, both felt a danger warning and woke instantly from sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They smelled a foul, nauseating stench—and saw a pair of brown-yellow eyes staring at them from the night clinging to the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness, a pair of wings covered in brown feathers, resembling those of a giant owl, unfolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1537,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b27955930589154b18bc88910e847f67e9dc7620be5cb931266f3d16f7b6ad52","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-943","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-941",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]