[Vol. 9] Chapter 17: Fate Simulation
Violet raised her brows with interest. She didn’t say much, just gave a look signaling him to continue. Exmont didn’t waste time with pretenses and spoke right away.
[The first piece of news, the last of the three keys that can open the gate has been confirmed to appear somewhere in the northern region of the Origin Realm. It is a place both cold and warm, where the eight-armed guardian has stood watch for generations.]
“?”
The girl froze for a moment, but then her eyes suddenly grew sharp.
“You… what’s your connection with Them?”
Although the God of Paradox spoke very vaguely, the phrase “three keys to open the gate” was something Violet had only seen in intelligence reports about the [Key of Three Moons]. And Violet herself was currently collecting those Keys, already holding two of them. Almost no one else fully understood the matter.
Even Xiao Guang, Sethlin, and even the fox god Xiao Kong, who had passed her one of the keys back in the Ancient Spirit Realm, only had a rough idea. The only other one who truly knew the whole story was Hen, who had directly or indirectly placed those two keys into her hands.
In fact, everything related to the Keys so far had been connected to Hen’s manipulations from the shadows. If there was one and two, then naturally there would be a three. By describing this one as “the last key,” Exmont was clearly aware that the first two had already been taken. At this point, it wasn’t even a hint, it was practically a direct statement.
Exmont seemed to understand exactly who Violet meant by “her.” He shook his head and spoke in a calm tone.
[My relationship with Them is no different from the one I have with you. We are merely partners bound by shared interests. I don’t care what kind of bargain They struck with you, what your connection is, or what outcome They seeks. I complete the deal and collect the payment I deserve. That is all I seek.]
Seeing how he shut down the subject completely, Violet felt a little frustrated. But since she knew there was no way to get more out of him, she just pouted and rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“Fine, fine. So where exactly did this news come from? A nerd like you probably doesn't go out often.”
[What is ‘nerd’?]
“Uh… don’t mind that small detail. Just get to the point!”
Exmont gave a small nod.
[Council members, depending on their contribution points, can ask the Chairman to help simulate certain outcomes. This result came from such a simulation.]
“Oh~ so the Twilight Council actually has this kind of perk.”
Violet muttered in surprise but didn’t press him with more questions.
“Go on then.”
[Very well. The second piece of news is a warning, your choices carry great danger. It is one of the six wings. The brightest light will also breed the deepest darkness. Be mindful of what follows behind you.]
“?”
The black-haired girl froze again, then immediately looked completely speechless.
“Hey, hey! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t speak in riddles? The first one at least had some logic so I let it slide, but this one, no way! Can’t you just be straightforward and tell me who it is?”
Hearing her complain like this, the god seemed a bit helpless. He shook his head and replied—
[It’s not that I’m trying to be mysterious, but the Chairman’s predictions always only give the result, never the process. And the future, along with fate, is always like looking through fogged glass. To put it simply, that’s exactly what I just told you.]
“I get it. So that guy is basically the king of riddles, huh? One day I’m gonna smash his stupid head in! But, hey… that Chairman of the Twilight Council… what god is he supposed to be?”
At these words, Exmont fell silent for a moment, as if hesitating to answer. But after thinking for a bit, he finally spoke.
[…The Chairman is not a god.]
“Huh?”
That answer was completely outside what Miss Priestess had expected.
“If he’s not a god, then what is he? To lead the whole Twilight Council, and make you messy bunch of councilors actually follow orders, he must be way stronger, right? Don’t tell me he’s something like a ‘World Sustainer’ or whatever?”
[Neither a Sustainer, nor a god. As for where exactly the Chairman came from, I did investigate and found some information, but I only understand part of it. And it’s not something I can tell you, at least… not in this conversation.]
“I see…”
Violet could understand his caution.
This meeting was clearly Exmont making a secret deal with her behind the Council’s back. And from their previous encounters, it was obvious the Twilight Council already listed this priestess as an enemy that must be eliminated. Not to mention, just earlier the God of Paradox had leaked the Chairman’s personally predicted intel to her. All this was enough to be considered outright betrayal.
Even if the Twilight Council was loose in structure, betrayal was still no small matter. Exmont naturally didn’t want the organization to discover him. And discussing the origins of someone who was at least on the level of a main god, especially one skilled in fate-calculations, could easily get noticed, even with a divine kingdom as protection.
In a way, it was like those unspeakable, forbidden “taboos.”
Thinking about sustainability, Miss Priestess didn’t force him to answer. She just shook her head and quickly said,
“Fine, fine. Then what’s the last piece of information?”
This time, however, the God of Paradox didn’t answer right away. Instead, he paused.
[What I told you earlier counts as advance payment for your help, my token of good faith. As for the final piece of information, you’ll get it after our cooperation is completely done. After all, no deal pays the full reward before it even begins. Besides, I still need to prepare. With our current way of communicating, it can’t carry the weight of that ‘truth.’]
Catching the hidden meaning in his words, Violet raised an eyebrow.
“You… is your true body about to descend into the Origin Realm? Or is it the entire Twilight Council?”
[Perhaps.]
“…Why does this feel like you’re just feeding me empty promises?”
Though she smiled helplessly, she also found Exmont’s approach reasonable. In fact, he was already being surprisingly sincere. After all, they weren’t even friends, and with no trust, only shared interest could hold this cooperation together.
If Exmont had really revealed everything right now as payment, Violet would have actually suspected a trap, and doubted the truth of that intel.
Silently thinking over the two pieces of information she had just received, Miss Priestess nodded, as if she had made a decision.
“Alright, I’ll take this commission. But where am I supposed to find that runaway flame? Don’t tell me there’s no clue at all?”