Chapter 187: The Fate of the Witch of Fate
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 187: The Fate of the Witch of Fate
As dusk approached, very few people were still out and about at Dome Academy.
Inside a high tower, a card game was reaching its intense climax.
"I activate the synergy effect of Light and Holy, clearing all your cards from the field. Finally, I'll use Fate Search to find the card I need and use Destruction to end this battle."
As Xie Bai played her final card, the match reached its conclusion.
Watching Xie Bai pull off her twenty-third perfect sweep, the two little ones stared with wide eyes.
"Even with our authorities restricted, how can Sister Xiaobai still draw exactly the cards she needs?"
"And why can we never find our key cards?"
Facing the interrogation of the two little ones, Xie Bai replied with righteous confidence.
"Hmph. This is the true strength of a master. It’s not something you can achieve through cheating with authorities."
Hearing this, the two little ones couldn't help but glance away guiltily.
In truth, during the match just now, they had used a bit of their Space-Time Authority to peek at Xie Bai’s hand and the remaining cards in both decks.
However, they told themselves they were only checking to see if she was "printing" cards on the fly; it definitely didn't count as cheating.
But for some reason, Xie Bai managed to have the perfect counter in her hand every single turn. Even with their information advantage, they couldn't mount an effective defense.
By the end of the round, they felt a sense of powerlessness—as if they had seen exactly how they were going to die but could do nothing to stop it.
"Alright, let's stop playing this for a moment."
With a casual wave of Xie Bai's hand, the Fate Cards flew back to her.
After playing with the two little ones, much of her fatigue had vanished, and she felt significantly more refreshed than before.
Holding the deck of Fate Cards, she said to them, "This time, I'll show you something else."
As she spoke, Xie Bai began to lay out the Fate Cards in an entirely new pattern.
Watching her movements, the two little ones were puzzled.
"Sister Xiaobai, what are you doing now?"
"Does this deck have other uses?"
As she laid the cards face down, Xie Bai explained, "These cards actually have quite a few uses. But their primary, official purpose is only this: divination."
As cards bestowed with the name "Fate," the Fate Cards possessed the blessing of the God of Fate, making them the most suitable tools for divining destiny.
While browsing books in the library earlier, Xie Bai had learned some basic knowledge regarding Fate Cards.
However, since that was public information, it didn't contain many high-end divination techniques—only some basic, trivial operations.
But for Xie Bai, those basics were enough.
After all, for anything she didn't know, her Curio—the Fate Cards themselves—could automatically correct her.
Once the cards were set, Xie Bai thought for a moment and then projected a thought to the deck.
Help me divine information about Prospero.
The Fate Cards on the table vibrated slightly, then transmitted a response.
【Apologies, I cannot answer your question. Please try another.】
"Tch..."
A look of disdain flickered in Xie Bai's eyes.
"Then divine the origins and background of the Cult Leader of Chaos."
The cards vibrated again.
【No such person exists.】
"Hiss..."
How could there be "no such person"?
Xie Bai stared at the Fate Cards, beginning to wonder if this Curio was only good for playing games.
After a moment of hesitation, she issued another command.
"Then divine the Wheel of Fate... specifically the one here on the Western Continent."
This time, the Fate Cards fell into a deep silence.
"..."
Looking at the motionless cards, Xie Bai couldn't help but doubt herself.
"Is this not working either? Am I asking too much?"
Three consecutive failures made Xie Bai wonder if her questions were simply too demanding.
Meanwhile, the two little ones were still watching her, eagerly awaiting her next move.
"Forget it. When these things eventually spread to the Empire, I'll just define their primary use as a tabletop game..."
Just then, the cards on the table vibrated again.
【Feasible measure found. Requires the combination of two decks.】
In the next second, the second deck of Fate Cards flew over. They hovered in the air, rotating around the cards in front of Xie Bai to form a brand-new, three-dimensional divination array.
Seeing their own cards floating and spinning in a ring, the two little ones were confused.
"Sister Xiaobai, what's happening?"
"Are the cards putting on a performance?"
Just as they were asking, a sliver of golden light suddenly emerged from the hovering cards, weaving together in the center to form a radiant core.
Looking at the golden light, Xie Bai felt a sense of familiarity.
"This feels a bit like the scene back at the World Tree..."
Could the Fate Cards have reached out to the God of Fate to borrow a sliver of power?
Before Xie Bai could analyze the source of the light, the cards stopped spinning.
The radiant core in the center faded, revealing an image.
The two little ones leaned in curiously and saw a familiar figure in the image.
Ivy.
A moment later, another thought was transmitted from the Fate Cards.
【The Witch of Fate, the Lord's second safeguard. Upon accepting death within a prophesied fate, a portion of the Authority of Fate can be unsealed, allowing the Lord's consciousness to return to the world.】
【Prophesied fates already experienced:】
【1. The Holy Church Great Purge one million years ago. Failed. Reason: Saved by one cursed by the gods.】
【2. The Great Flood that swept the world nine hundred thousand years ago. Failed. Reason: Embraced by the Zehai race; received Zehai's Blessing.】
【3. The Storm Insect Plague four hundred thousand years ago. Failed. Reason: The Insect Plague was terminated early by the First Generation Dome.】
【4. The sudden Blood Calamity fifty thousand years ago. Failed. Reason: The Blood Calamity was subdued by the Chaos Church and became nourishment for a Chaos Seed.】
【5. The Day the Sun Went Out fifteen hundred years ago. Failed. Reason: The Holy Church raised the sun once more.】
【6. The Magic Tide of Disorder two hundred years ago. Failed. Reason: A mage favored by fate resolved the tide.】
【7. The Northern Storm Disaster thirty years ago. Failed. Reason: A member of a Northern race invited the Witch of Wind to oversee the Northern Territory.】
【8. The Chaos Beast Tide ten years ago. Failed. Reason: Discovered and eliminated early by the contemporary Dome, Xavier, just as it was released.】
【9. The Mother of Myriad Dark Forms one day ago. Failed. Reason: The Mother of Myriad Dark Forms suddenly dropped dead due to unknown causes.】
【Number of prophesied fates yet to occur: 2】
A massive amount of information flooded Xie Bai's brain, leaving her stunned for a moment.
After a while, she let out a long breath.
"If that's the case, then I think I understand."
The Witch of Fate was similar to what the Sacred Light and the Diviner had been—a backup vessel for the consciousness of a True God.
The only difference was that this vessel currently possessed her own consciousness.
To allow the True God's consciousness to descend, she would need to die according to those prophesied fates.
In common terms: she had to accept the arrangements of fate.
But for various reasons, Ivy always managed to evade the prophesied fates that should have killed her.
And it seemed as though "Fate" was getting anxious; the intervals between these events were rapidly shrinking.
Now, there were only two prophesied fates left.
"But the question I asked was about the Wheel of Fate. Why are you showing me this?"
In response to Xie Bai's inquiry, the Fate Cards sent another thought.
【If the Authority of Fate is not unsealed, the Lord's consciousness will not descend. Those who plot against the Lord will not show themselves.】
Xie Bai was puzzled by this news.
"Plot against your Lord? Wasn't the Wheel of Fate created by you all to integrate the Children of Fate?"
Hearing Xie Bai's question, the Fate Cards shuddered.
【The Lord did indeed create the Children of Fate, but He did not create an organization to integrate them.】