Clatter, clatter.
Once again came the sound of dice being thrown and rolling across the floor.
With each random number that landed face-up on the twenty-one-sided die, life would advance into a new stage.
When the die Hastur threw once again collided with Sharon's, causing the two of them to enter the hall of marriage once more, the air seemed to freeze.
It was as if everyone had been submerged in an unbearably thick swamp.
Xio and Fors indicated that they were currently trembling in fear.
Clatter, clatter. This time, it was Audrey's die.
By sheer coincidence, the number she rolled caused the piece representing her to land directly on Hastur's piece, after which she also entered the hall of marriage with Hastur.
At this sight, Xio and Fors simultaneously turned to look at Hastur. Besides shock, their gazes also contained deep admiration.
As expected of Mr. Hastur, a true winner when it came to life partners. This time, he had actually managed to enter the hall of marriage with both Miss Sharon and Miss Audrey in succession.
Did this mean he was going to marry two people at once?
"..." Hastur fell silent for a moment before giving a dry laugh. "It's only a game. There's no need to take it so seriously. Speaking of which, this game really is interesting. I didn't expect it to have this kind of gameplay."
Xio and Fors had no intention of joining this topic. Audrey merely glanced at Hastur before withdrawing her gaze, extending her right foot to gently tease Susie, who was lying beside her feet.
Sharon also cast him a meaningful glance before withdrawing her gaze. Lowering her head slightly, she gently scratched Ariella's chin.
Seeing that no one responded to him, Hastur could only stop talking. He slightly closed his eyes and pretended that nothing had happened.
In the game that followed, Hastur first had a boy with Sharon, then had a girl with Audrey.
He broke a bed while fooling around with Sharon and broke two beds while fooling around with Audrey.
He went on a honeymoon with Sharon, then made another baby with Audrey.
"..." By now, Hastur was simply tossing the dice however he pleased. He couldn't even be bothered to look closely at what was written on the life spaces anymore.
The elegant smile that had originally remained on Audrey's face gradually disappeared.
A trace of conflict and shock also seemed to appear in Sharon's deep ocean-blue eyes.
Meanwhile, Xio and Fors had completely given up on this round of the Life Game and chose to become spectators enjoying the drama instead.
Sometimes they stared at Hastur, sometimes they secretly peeked at Audrey, and sometimes they glanced at Sharon.
Although they weren't exchanging any words, their raised eyebrows and meaningful looks already clearly conveyed their respective thoughts.
The silent atmosphere even made the crisp sound of the rolling dice seem muffled.
What made everyone look at one another even more awkwardly was that, in this round, Hastur, Audrey, and Sharon all simultaneously fulfilled the conditions for a family victory. Whoever reached the end of life first would become the winner of this round of the Life Game.
In the end, thanks to the advantage of rolling first, Hastur reached the end of life one step ahead of the others and became the grand winner of this round.
Xio and Fors applauded with utmost sincerity. "Mr. Hastur truly deserves to be called a winner in life."
"It's only a game. Anything can happen. Don't read too much into it."
"Mr. Hastur, we're also talking about the game." After saying this, Xio turned toward Audrey and Sharon. "Miss Audrey, Miss Sharon, what do you think of this life game?"
"Too fake," Audrey replied indifferently.
Without even raising her head, Sharon said, "Unrealistic."
Xio tactfully chose not to ask any further questions, though she was still very curious whether those answers were truly what Miss Audrey and Miss Sharon thought.
Hastur glanced at the time. It was 9:12. It was already getting late, so they should rest early tonight. As for this Winner in Life game, he had no desire to play it again.
Audrey, who likewise had no mood to continue playing, stood up and said her farewells before returning to Alfred's villa together with Xio and Fors.
With no one else around, Hastur wanted to say something to Sharon, only to discover that Sharon had already hidden herself inside the mirror again. Only Ariella remained outside, lying beside the mirror and pretending to be fast asleep.
Having gotten something of a headache from tonight's game, Hastur also chose to take an early bath before going to bed.
When Caius entered the room to put away the map for the Winner in Life game, he discovered that Madam Lisa was also there.
"When did this game map develop Beyonder abilities?"
"Not long ago. After our testing, we determined that it poses no danger. On the contrary, it can make the game influence changes in fate, making it more realistic."
"Did Lord Divine Envoy know about this before playing the game?"
"He knew. Lord Divine Envoy was the one who asked me to bring this game map here."
Faced with Madam Lisa's questions, Caius answered honestly.
"So that's how it is."
Madam Lisa seemed to understand something, and the smile on her face became much warmer. She told Caius to properly put away the game map, then left the room with complete satisfaction.
Just now, while Lord Divine Envoy had been playing the game, she had keenly sensed Beyonder fluctuations here.
Those Beyonder fluctuations had not come from the game map itself, but from the people participating in the game.
Someone had been using their Beyonder abilities to imperceptibly alter the numbers rolled on the dice, allowing them to keep their own life under their control and accurately advance toward the future they desired.
At first, she had thought the ones using Beyonder abilities to alter the dice rolls were Miss Sharon and Miss Audrey, but now it seemed that wasn't necessarily the case.
The person tampering with the dice might have been one person, or perhaps two people. Now, it was even possible that there had been three.
...
On the outskirts of Puning Harbor, the investigators from the Churches of the three gods waited day after day. With the New Year nearly upon them, the latest instructions from Backlund finally arrived.
The instructions told them to enjoy the New Year there and treat this trip as a vacation.
"What is this supposed to mean? We've already investigated this far, so why aren't we continuing? If we give up halfway now, wouldn't this entire trip have been for nothing?" This was an investigator from the Church of Storms.
"Perhaps there are secrets behind this that we don't know about." This was a member of the Church of Steam and Machinery.
"Not bad. After paying our salaries and year-end bonuses, there's still plenty left from the New Year allowance they sent us. We can have ourselves a good New Year." This was a member of the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
"Did you people know something in advance? Is that why you've been so lax and unconcerned about this investigation?"
"It's enough to suffer the same loss once. If you insist on suffering it a second time, then there's simply something wrong with your head."
"Then what about the pressure from the Loen royal family?"
"Are they the ones paying our salaries? Or can they influence our promotions?"
...
Bang!
Jevington II slammed the investigation report from Southville County onto his desk with a gloomy expression.
Regarding the investigation into Hastur Campbell, the investigators from the Churches of the three gods had yet to uncover any crucial clues or evidence. Now they had even sent a letter asking for funding for New Year activities.
Heh. Such an investigation result was utterly unconvincing!
The deaths of the previous two Dukes of Southville, even the deaths of three Dukes of Southville, absolutely had something to do with Hastur Campbell!
After being there for so long, the investigators from the Churches of the three gods had still failed to uncover the truth. Was it because they lacked the ability, or was someone behind them deliberately instructing them to act this way?
If it was the latter, then he needed to be careful.
Recently, the Loen royal family had moved against quite a few old noble families, already provoking the displeasure of the Church of Storms several times. If they also angered the other two deities, then the Augustus family could very well be replaced by another family.
When it came to supporting someone else and replacing those in power, no one was more skilled than those lofty gods.
In the end, Jevington II suppressed the anger in his heart and approved another sum of money for the investigators from the Churches of the three gods who had gone to Southville County.
Originally, he had wanted to completely resolve the matter concerning Hastur before the New Year. But now, it seemed it would have to be postponed until after the New Year.
Yet he was always afraid that delays would lead to unexpected changes. The heavenly fire from last time had already put him on guard.
The only thing that gave him some comfort was that, on the main battlefield between the Loen Kingdom and the Feysac Empire, the Loen Kingdom's army had been advancing triumphantly and had already pushed deep into the heartland of the Feysac Empire.
At this rate, the war could be brought to an end by June or July of next year.
When that happened, he would become the king who had ruled over the largest territory in the history of the Loen Kingdom.
Jevington II, this great name would ultimately be written into history!
Compared to that, everything else was merely a minor matter.
Half an hour later, Jevington II left his study and headed toward the secluded residence of William I, the ancestor of the Augustus family.
The Augustus family needed a true god of their own. George III had failed back then, so the person with the greatest chance now was William I, the Sequence 1 Hand of Order.
After leaving that place, Jevington II went to handle the governmental affairs of the Loen Kingdom.
December 30th, the eve of the New Year.
An urgent letter from Southville County was delivered to the desk in Jevington's study.
After opening it and giving it only a quick glance, Jevington II's expression changed. With a cold face, he handed the letter to the other important noble ministers to read.
After all the ministers had passed the letter around, the atmosphere in the entire study became silent and grim.
Jevington II gently rubbed his brow, his mood utterly terrible, because the letter contained only a single simple sentence:
Warships from the Southern Continent have already sailed into the waters near Southville County.
At this moment, most of the Loen Kingdom's army had been committed to the battlefield against the Feysac Empire and had already advanced deep into enemy territory. It would be extremely difficult for them to return home and provide support within a short period of time.
Meanwhile, in Southville County, control over the coastal defense forces had always been firmly held in Hastur's hands, while the relationship between the Loen royal family and Hastur was far from friendly.
This was undoubtedly extremely bad news.