The person in the prophecy wasn't me?
Luo Shu was slightly surprised by this, but only slightly.
After all, Nia Honjo had previously mentioned that even when she used Raziel to divine information about him, the result was always blank.
What truly allowed Nia to track Luo Shu's movements wasn't direct divination, but rather divination of the things he influenced, piecing together predictions through gathered intelligence.
The former method relied on traditional prophecy and divination, which didn't work on Luo Shu.
The latter was more akin to big data analysis, leveraging the principle that "all existence leaves traces" to conduct large-scale investigations into the events surrounding Luo Shu.
The latter method had been proven effective by Nia—but only for someone like her, who possessed a high-ranking divination tool, didn't expend much effort, and was obsessively focused on gathering information about Luo Shu.
So Luo Shu wasn't surprised that he wasn't the one in Joan's prophecy. Nor was he surprised that Joan had found him.
After all, with Nia's precedent, he had no reason to be shocked.
"I'm curious—who was the person in your prophecy?"
Hearing Luo Shu's question, Joan studied his face for a moment before explaining:
"It should have been a man named Kazuma Yagami."
"His fate is intertwined with Kirika's to some extent. Moreover, he is the contracted partner of the Spirit King of Wind and possesses the qualifications to become a Chosen One."
Luo Shu understood this—but not entirely.
He knew about the Spirit Kings. Nia had divined that they were personifications of natural forces, their Authority close to that of Angels, though they couldn't manifest freely in the mortal world, instead slumbering deep within the planet.
He also knew about the Spirit Kings' contractors. But the term "Chosen One" was unfamiliar to him.
True to his nature of asking when in doubt, Luo Shu questioned Joan directly:
"What does 'Chosen One' mean?"
Joan glanced at him and explained:
"The Patch Tribe, as priests of the Great Will, were bestowed the Five Great Spirits to serve as forces maintaining the planet's order."
"Each Spirit is an existence equivalent to an Angel—an extension of the Will of the Stars."
"And a Chosen One is an intelligent lifeform deemed worthy of forming a contract with one of the Five Great Spirits."
'Five Great Spirits... five Angel-level beings...'
Luo Shu's face twitched slightly, somewhat awed by the Patch Tribe's hidden strength.
With that kind of trump card, you could probably suppress the Five Great Powers, couldn't you?
So, the turning point in Joan and Kirika Tachibana's prophecy was Kazuma Yagami—the contracted partner of the Spirit King of Wind—joining the SDS, gaining the recognition of one of the Five Great Spirits, and becoming the master of an Angel-level spirit?
That would indeed be a revolutionary change...
Though Angels couldn't descend into the mortal world yet, if that day ever came, a faction backed by an Angel could undoubtedly dominate the world—or at the very least, stand as one of its great powers, ruling over an entire continent.
However, that was after Kazuma Yagami had been recruited by Kirika Tachibana into the SDS and had achieved success.
Now, with his sudden appearance, things were bound to be different.
At the very least, Kazuma Yagami was nowhere to be seen yet...
Thinking this, Luo Shu couldn't help but chuckle wryly:
"Are you sure about this? Just revealing the Patch Tribe's trump card to me like that?"
Hearing this, Joan of Arc fell silent for a moment before lifting a stone box covered in lightning patterns from beneath the table with both hands.
"What's this?"
As Luo Shu looked at the stone box, he momentarily felt as though he saw a sky filled with thunder, the roar of the heavens.
At that moment, Joan of Arc spoke in a solemn tone:
"This is the vessel of one of the Five Great Spirits—the Thunder Spirit."
"..."
Luo Shu fell silent as he stared at the stone box.
One of the Five Great Spirits, the vessel of an Angel, just laid out before him like this?
Hey, hey, Saintess, aren't you practically tempting someone to commit a crime here?
Just then, Joan of Arc sighed softly and said:
"As you can see, the Thunder Spirit is still dormant due to the current state of the world's environment."
"To awaken it, we must wait for the opportune moment as foretold by the Great Will."
"What does that have to do with me?" Luo Shu couldn't help but laugh. "Don't tell me you think I'm the suitable candidate for the Thunder Spirit?"
"You are indeed not." Joan of Arc shook her head, then continued, "However, Lacus is the suitable candidate for the Water Spirit."
Hearing this, Luo Shu froze for a second before realisation dawned on him:
"So that's why there were rumours that Lacus would become an Angel under the divine throne?"
The Water Spirit—the manipulator of the Water Angel. If Lacus succeeded, even if she wasn't an Angel, she would effectively be one.
Thinking this, Luo Shu couldn't help but glance curiously at Joan of Arc as he looked at the vessel of the Thunder Spirit before him:
"But why bring the Thunder Spirit instead of the Water Spirit? The attributes don't match, do they?"
At this, Joan of Arc paused briefly before bowing her head respectfully and saying:
"The Great Will instructed me to bring the Thunder Spirit to you, to celebrate your revival."
"O exalted Lord of Calamities, King of Order!"
Luo Shu's expression froze in an instant.
Then, his eyes widened slightly as he hurriedly straightened his posture. He first glanced at Bard and Obagiu blocking the door before turning back to Joan of Arc, his voice laced with wariness:
"What does the Great Will mean by this?"
Joan of Arc seemed slightly surprised by Luo Shu's reaction but still explained:
"The Great Will is the will of the planet, the extension of natural order, and the destination of all souls, spirits, and even deities."
Luo Shu cut her off before she could finish:
"That's not what I meant. I'm asking—why did it seek me out? Why send the Thunder Spirit?"
Joan of Arc frowned, looking troubled as she met Luo Shu's gaze:
"Though the Great Will chose me as its shrine maiden—this generation's Star King—because I can hear its voice, it does not explain its actions to me."
Here, she hesitated, glancing at Luo Shu's guarded expression before adding softly:
"However, after those words, there was one more line..."
Joan of Arc paused, carefully studying Luo Shu's face as she said:
"The Order of the Stars awaits your return."
Hearing this, Luo Shu fell silent.
'The previous address was "Lord of Calamities, King of Order," and the next line is "The Order of the Stars awaits my return?"'
'So, I'm actually the reincarnation of some great figure, and the Great Will was my subordinate in my past life?'
'Bloody hell, is every isekai protagonist from three-dimensional Earth some reincarnated big shot then?'
'If I'm this awesome, why was paying off my mortgage so bloody painful in my past life?'
Hearing Joan of Arc's words, Luo Shu's mind was in turmoil...