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After silently repeating it once, Aaron slowly nodded. He looked at Will Auceptin and spoke as if unintentionally, "Recently, I've also learned about some hidden secrets from ancient eras. That Elf King Soniathrym seems to have a subordinate deity named 'God of Luck'. I wonder if Mr. President knows anything about him?"
"Don't know, not clear, never heard of him..." Will Auceptin didn't even lift his head, waving his hand as if sending him away.
You're too perfunctory, at least put on a bit of an act... Aaron raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile on his face as he continued, "It is said that the origin of elves comes from the legendary Western Continent. That ancient god, Elf King Soniathrym, was the first elf. So, do you think that as his subordinate deity, the God of Luck might also know something?"
"It's not just the Seven Deities; some other hidden existences are also very interested in that legendary Western Continent. Don't you agree, Mr. Will Auceptin, the embodiment of luck?"
Will Auceptin stopped pretending to be foolish. He snorted, and a silver river faintly appeared, causing Aaron to instantly lose his perception of the outside world.
With a slight curl of his lips, Aaron strolled gracefully to the sofa opposite Will Auceptin and sat down.
Putting away the tarot cards in his hand, the silver light in Will Auceptin's eyes grew brighter, and his voice became somewhat ethereal: "After the True Creator fell into slumber, in the Age of Darkness, during the Era of Fire, eight ancient gods divided the authority He left behind."
"They became the deities who governed the sky, earth, and sea; who governed reality, the Spirit World, and the Astral World; and who governed various races."
"The original Giant King Aurmir, Elf King Soniathrym, and Sanguine Ancestor Lilith formed an alliance to resist Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt, Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace, and Mutant King Kvastir."
"The conflict between the deities spread to their races and their subordinate deities. Although the situation was chaotic, it still maintained relative stability."
"The true chaos began after the fall of Sanguine Ancestor Lilith, Mutant King Kvastir, and 'Annihilation Demonic Wolf' Flegrea. The alliance between the elves and giants then became a mere formality."
At this point, He paused, glancing at Aaron before continuing, "I know what you're thinking. That God of Luck was the past me, not the current me."
Before Aaron could ask, He proactively explained, "Sequence 2 of the Wheel of Fortune Pathway is called Soothsayer. Heh, a Soothsayer, self-proclaimed darling of fate..."
Putting away His self-deprecating tone, His expression became indifferent: "During the Dual Era, I glimpsed the future, I glimpsed my own death, but in despair, fate seemed to give me a glimmer of hope."
"The future I glimpsed told me that the ritual for advancing to Sequence 1 required changing a predetermined fate after foreseeing a disaster, abandoning everything from the past, actively merging into the torrent of fate, and transforming into a Snake of Fate in the long river of fate."
"Under the threat of the most powerful giants and dragons during the Dual Era, Aurmir, who lacked assistance, provided help."
"When I regained consciousness in the torrent of fate and successfully advanced, by leveraging the fluctuations of fate, I sensed Aurmir's fall and an indescribable object in the torrent of fate that kept attracting me."
"The alliance with Aurmir became a mere formality from the day He fell. I felt an indescribable pressure from the Ancient Sun God. After achieving the Snake of Fate, I did not leave the torrent of fate but followed the guidance of fate and found the source of the attraction."
"That was the Uniqueness of the Wheel of Fortune Pathway, which was originally untraceable, conceptualized and abstract. The pressure that one gave me, coupled with the changes brought about by the fall of each ancient god, made me decide to take the risk and make contact."
Aaron, who was listening to the secrets buried in the mists of history, still asked with some surprise, "Uniqueness? You just swallowed it?"
His originally indifferent expression flickered with a hint of awkwardness for a moment, then Will Auceptin immediately argued righteously, "That was the Second Epoch! Only those ancient gods were born with the ability to accommodate Uniqueness. How could I have known the drawbacks of forcibly accommodating Uniqueness back then, not to mention the interference that changeable fate gave me."
"Only after merging with that abstract concept did I gradually realize that this was not something I could achieve at the moment. But everything has its pros and cons. Although contacting this Uniqueness brought me great trouble, it also allowed me to avoid the Ancient Sun God's perception."
"Without becoming a god or without the correct method of accommodation, Uniqueness is merely a burden for a Sequence 1 like me. Realizing the problem during the contact, I have been trying to get rid of this interference."
"It wasn't until the Fourth Epoch that I finally suppressed the vivification of that Uniqueness and escaped the long river of fate. To truly accommodate it, the correct approach should be to cooperate with a simplified god-ascension ritual."
"The long period of resistance finally allowed me to see through fate. The god-ascension ritual for the 'Wheel of Fortune' Pathway might be the simplest, or it might be the most difficult."
"As long as one can find the correct opportunity in the torrent of fate, one can directly consume the Beyonder potion and attempt to advance."
Aaron tapped his fingers lightly, inexplicably thinking of the state he was in when he advanced to demigod, merging with order and controlling rules. Recalling that feeling, some conjectures also emerged in Aaron's mind.
The ritual principle of the Wheel of Fortune should be the fusion of the Snake of Fate with the River of Fate. This fusion, to a certain extent, is equivalent to the incarnation of the River of Fate.
The so-called correct opportunity might just refer to a certain moment when the River of Fate and one's will are aligned, meaning that the fate of successful advancement penetrates the entire long river of fate at that instant.
At that moment, the Snake of Fate can, to a certain extent, represent the will of fate, and advancement is bound to succeed.
However, if one does not wait for a suitable opportunity to advance, during the process of merging with the River of Fate, they will encounter the fate of their own demise, and resisting is equivalent to going against one's own will.
Not resisting would lead to a chaotic outcome. Faced with this paradox of fate, there is simply no possibility of successful advancement.
Glancing at the thoughtful Aaron, Will Auceptin added irritably, "But the problem is, that precise opportunity cannot be divined, cannot be predicted, and cannot be locked down by any means. One can only eliminate certain interferences and patiently experience and search for it."
"But whether it's the entanglement with Uniqueness or the confrontation with Ouroboros, I have 'restarted' countless times, enduring an incredibly long period, yet still haven't encountered the so-called opportunity."
"That smelly snake Ouroboros sensed the lingering aura on me. To avoid Him and the True Creator behind Him, I kept restarting."
"Although each restart washes away the madness, it still requires a certain faith positioning, otherwise the Snake of Fate state cannot be maintained for too long."
"Fortunately, this vicious cycle didn't last too long. Those high and mighty big figures finally reached an agreement, and that evil god was imprisoned in the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
"Taking advantage of this gap, I secretly developed believers and established the current Life School of Thought in the Fifth Epoch."
Aaron lowered his head slightly, showing no unusual expression. There were many questionable points and loopholes in Will Auceptin's words.
How did He, who was only Sequence 2 in the Second Epoch, obtain the Snake of Fate Beyonder characteristic? Was it truly through Aurmir, or did He receive other assistance?
Could the vivification of Uniqueness truly be suppressed by a Sequence 1 like Him? The probability of successfully getting rid of that Uniqueness and turning it into the physical Die of Probability, and the chosen time coincidentally being the turbulent Fourth Epoch—was this fate or was it arranged by others?
More crucially, as two Snakes of Fate that had been intertwined, what was Ouroboros's state at that time?
His gaze flickered slightly, and Aaron suppressed these questions. For him, today's goal had been achieved, and the remaining confusions were not suitable to be brought up now.
Whether it was because his current strength was insufficient or due to other factors, since Will Auceptin deliberately avoided those questions, it was not appropriate for him to continue pressing.
However, some of Will Auceptin's descriptions, especially the appearance of that Uniqueness, made Aaron's thoughts wander.
As a Sequence 1 of the Wheel of Fortune Pathway, under close observation, Will Auceptin could, to a certain extent, discover his own peculiarity.
Whether it's the god-ascension ritual of the Wheel of Fortune Pathway or accommodating Uniqueness, both require waiting for that opportunity in the torrent of fate. Is this opportunity truly obtained by waiting, or by some existence changing fate through some means to make the opportunity arrive?
Perhaps the key to accommodating Uniqueness and achieving godhood in the Wheel of Fortune Pathway is not passively waiting for fate's arrangements, but actively pursuing and seizing the certainty of fate.
This was also the reason why He repeatedly offered favors. Remembering the Mr. President's sudden mention of restarting earlier, Aaron immediately understood some things.
Feeling the barrier that isolated the outside world disappear, Aaron looked at the displeased Will Auceptin, who was clearly signaling him to leave. He chuckled and shook his head, his tone playful as he said, "Hmm, perhaps in a while, I can help you meet an old friend of yours."
Empress Borough, Backlund, Earl Hall's mansion.
Audrey was being dressed by her maid, Annie, when she saw Susie run in and give her a wink.
It winked at me... Audrey's feelings suddenly became a bit complicated.
Fortunately, after a night of contemplation and clarifying the pros and cons, Audrey had at least gradually accepted it psychologically.
After finding an excuse to have the maids temporarily leave, Audrey locked the door and turned to look at Susie, the golden retriever, who she wasn't sure if she still counted as her pet, and said, "Did you hear, uh, or encounter anything?"
The golden retriever Susie squatted steadily, letting out a howl that vibrated the surrounding air, and said, "Yes, I heard the Count and several councilors discussing matters in the study. They plan to organize a group of people and supplies to go to the Balam West Coast of the Southern Continent to help rebuild Nikifell City, which was damaged by the war."
"Oh, by the way, Audrey, where is the Balam West Coast?"
Listening to the unfamiliar and not-quite-standard Loenese, Audrey felt increasingly complex. She was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I'll give you a map later..."
"Okay!" Susie replied cheerfully. "The Count said that this matter is led by the Church of Dark, and due to the complex situation in West Balam now, both supplies and personnel will choose the most convenient airship. They will switch to ironclads after they are officially in service."
"Really?" Audrey asked in surprise. Since it was handled by the Church and involved airships, perhaps she would have a chance to go to the Southern Continent and even give him a surprise.
Not knowing what Audrey was thinking, Susie replied very honestly: "I can't give you a definite answer. This is just what I heard. I can't even deeply understand what they mean, after all, I'm just a dog who just started learning."
...Audrey was momentarily stunned, then blossomed into a smile. She took snacks from a beautifully decorated cabinet nearby, tore open the seal, and placed them in front of Susie.
Watching Susie give up thinking and huffing as she began to enjoy the snacks, Audrey was somewhat lost in thought.
Perhaps it was a coincidence; at yesterday's Beyonder gathering, she just happened to obtain the Apothecary formula that Glaint desired, and she also acquired several pages of Roselle's diary.
The New Year's Eve ball will be officially held at the palace at the end of this year, which also symbolizes her social coming of age. It is already July, and if she travels by airship, even going to the Southern Continent, she would have enough time to return to Backlund.
As her thoughts churned, Audrey felt a warmth in her ear, and a familiar voice instantly dispelled her suddenly tense emotions: "Did you miss me?"
Strong surprise welled up in her emerald eyes. Audrey felt her lips touch something warm, and the words that were on the tip of her tongue simply wouldn't come out.
The grievance in Audrey's heart, which had been without news from Aaron for a long time, also dissipated. After savoring the fragrance between his lips and teeth, Aaron looked at Audrey's flushed face and led her by the hand to sit by the desk.
Susie, who had been engrossed in eating, sat up straight, pawed at a biscuit that had fallen to the floor, wagged her tail, and excitedly said, "Duke, Audrey has been missing you a lot during this time."
The blush on her face deepened a few shades. Audrey let out a small gasp. Hearing that come from Susie's mouth always made her feel an unbearable sense of awkwardness.
Looking at the somewhat embarrassed Audrey, Aaron patted Susie, who had voluntarily come closer, and was not surprised that Susie could speak.
Audrey, keenly aware of this, lightly patted Susie and looked at Aaron questioningly.
Aaron explained with a smile, "Evelina was also like this initially. The Spectator Beyonder potion is quite significant for the development of the mind, especially in terms of intellect."
Aaron explained with a smile, and the "Necklace of Secrets" flashed slightly in his hand, revealing a black pouch embroidered with golden lace, which was precisely the "Traveler's Bag" he had obtained from Botis.
With the Necklace of Secrets, he could now make these spatial pouches himself. Although they all had certain flaws, if such a practical item were sold to Mr. Fool, it would be unreasonable not to price it at several hundred pounds.
Aaron carefully explained the usage and flaws of the "Traveler's Bag" to Audrey, watching her try it out with curiosity, taking out one item after another from the pouch.
Susie, on the other hand, watched all of this with a look of shock. Although using "shock" to describe a dog might seem strange, Aaron felt it was quite fitting.
Looking at Audrey, whose face was slightly pale from spiritual exhaustion, Aaron took the "Traveler's Bag" and put all the retrieved items back into it.
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