Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 279 - 261 Wishes and Costs 2

Chapter 279: 261 Wishes and Costs 2

Mazao had once touched my Divine Seal Fragment.

That happened after I had just told her about my encounter with Little Bowl Number Two in the Void Realm. To enter the Void Realm through the Divine Seal Fragment, Mazao once borrowed it from me, but it quickly returned to my hand automatically. Later, we even fell asleep while holding hands, both grasping the Divine Seal Fragment. I clearly saw that she was able to touch the Divine Seal Fragment normally.

Mazao had also come into contact with the Divine Seal Fragment bound to Little Bowl Number Two. Since that Divine Seal Fragment was first discovered by Little Bowl Number Two, it was impossible that Mazao had touched it before it had the chance to bind with Little Bowl Number Two. Otherwise, Mazao wouldn’t have been able to describe to me the feel of the Divine Seal Fragment afterward or its unique property of not conducting heat.

If it were just a matter of being able to touch it, that would have only indicated that although Mazao was not one of the Chosen Ones of the Void Realm, she was fated to be involved with the Divine Seal Fragment. Ying Lingyun was probably in a similar situation. The Master of Divine Seal had also clearly stated that if our numbers dwindled too much, new Chosen Ones would be summoned from the real world. Ying Lingyun’s "talent" must be a candidate for that reserve.

The biggest problem is that the two Divine Seal Fragments that Mazao touched were those bound to me and Little Bowl Number Two. Yet, none of us Chosen Ones were able to touch the Divine Seal Fragments bound to the other Chosen Ones. This held true even for Number One, let alone those "merely fated to be involved" with the Divine Seal Fragments.

To verify Xuanming’s words, I tried to summon my second Divine Seal Fragment and attempted to hand it over to Little Bowl Number Two. She stretched out her hand seriously but indeed, she couldn’t touch my Divine Seal Fragment.

Why can Mazao touch it?

Is it because her physique, which attracts bizarre entities, strengthens her fate with special substances like the Divine Seal Fragment to such an extent that she can break the rules summarized by Xuanming?

Thinking about this, I suddenly realized another possible truth.

When the Master of Divine Seal first saw me, he was seemingly surprised by my existence. Perhaps, before all the Chosen Ones were summoned to the Void Realm, he had already covertly prepared a list of hires and chosen the owners for the seven rock chairs opposite him. However, it seemed I had disrupted his arrangement. He stated that I was not among his invitees and called me an "uninvited guest" who had "somehow" invaded the Void Realm. Obviously, I was not one of those fated to be involved with the Divine Seal Fragment.

So, what is this "somehow"?

Although I don’t remember anything, maybe I really used "somehow". To be precise, I might have just caught an unbelievably favorable wind, unknowingly until now.

Mazao not only attracts bizarre entities to herself but also seems to make those around her also attract bizarre entities as if it were contagious. If this "attraction" is interpreted as "fate", then could it be that I, who originally had no connection with the Divine Seal Fragment, became forcibly fated with it thanks to Mazao?

How then do I explain the situation with Little Bowl Number Two? She was not identified by the Master of Divine Seal as an invader. Unlike me, did she not forcibly become fated with the Divine Seal Fragment under Mazao’s influence, but instead, from the beginning, had a destiny related to the Divine Seal Fragment?

"Can’t touch..."

Little Bowl Number Two puzzledly stared at the Divine Seal Fragment, presumably falling into the same speculation as me.

Then, probably for the lack of clues and evidence, she could only temporarily put aside her thoughts, and regretfully said through telepathy, "If I could take this Divine Seal Fragment, I could replace you, Mister Number Three, to propose a transaction to the Master of Divine Seal."

Even if she could touch it, I wouldn’t allow her to replace me in making transactions with the Master of Divine Seal. Becoming more deeply involved is just a visible consequence and does not imply there are no other invisible consequences. Making a deal with a bizarre entity like the Master of Divine Seal, who boasts he can fulfill any wish and answer any problem, like the Demon in a fable, who knows what other prices might be incurred.

Since it is a transaction I wish to conduct, I must bear all the risks myself.

"I’m going to make a transaction now. Before that, I want to hear your opinion," I said. "The true identity of the adversary Impermanence or the whereabouts of a friend’s soul, which do you think I should choose?"

I had my own thoughts and inclinations, but I also wanted to leverage Little Bowl Number Two’s wisdom. Despite her apparent young age, I could see she had clear and agile thoughts; she might truly be the strategist that provided Mazao with counsel in the Doomsday Era. Compared to me, who just had a faster processing speed of consciousness, her intelligence was probably even higher.

And she seemed to have already come to a decisive conclusion, saying firmly, "You should inquire about the whereabouts of your friend’s soul, Mister Number Three."

"Why do you say that?" I asked for details.

"There are many benefits. First, considering the potential risks of trading with the Master of Divine Seal, the smaller the scale of the question the better. The smaller our gains, the smaller the potential consequences we may need to bear. Compared to the direct information about Impermanence, the information about your weaker friend obviously meets this condition," she articulated clearly. "Secondly, you have more than one channel to investigate the true identity of the adversary Impermanence; however, you have absolutely no leads on the whereabouts of your friend’s soul."

"The latter even has an unknown time limit, and if left unattended, the risk of your friend’s soul scattering will increase dramatically. It’s likely that only here can you find clues related to it; you really have no other choice.

"And Mr. Number Three, objectively speaking, you don’t actually need to be so eager to learn the true identity of the enemy, Impermanence. Or rather, you’re well aware that you shouldn’t be so quick to engage in battle with them. Because you still need time to unlock your own powers—of course, if you don’t resolve this issue promptly, Sister Mazao’s life will continue to be threatened, so you’ll need to find a way to shorten this period as much as possible.

"The only way is to battle against a formidable enemy.

"Coincidentally, in the place where your friend is, there awaits a suitable formidable enemy for you, and that is Great Demon Silver Moon. If you want to save your friend’s soul, you must battle Silver Moon once again. Perhaps for you now, the power of Silver Moon has fallen behind, yet the terror of Silver Moon lies not in her strength but in her understanding of Mana as a bizarre entity—that’s what you said before, right?

"Silver Moon was the key to your superpower’s true awakening before, and afterwards, she might also become the whetstone for you to fully unleash your power."

The words she spoke contained both what I had already thought of and parts that I had only vaguely considered but hadn’t organized clearly.

Indeed, consulting her was the right decision. With this, the mist in my mind has completely cleared.

"I understand. Then, I’ll do as you say," I said. "Thank you, Little Bowl."

"You’re welcome, Mr. Number Three," she said with subtlety.

I let go of her hand, walked toward the Master of the Divine Seal, and took out my own Divine Seal Fragment.

"I want to exchange a question with you," I said.

At that moment, not only Number Two, Little Bowl, and the Master of the Divine Seal but also everyone else turned their gaze towards me, as if by agreement. It seemed they were all very curious about what question this "mysterious intruder" wanted to ask the Master of the Divine Seal.

The Master of the Divine Seal, however, remained unchanged in demeanor and calmly said, "Ask."

I didn’t intend to disclose information related to Changan in front of everyone and said to him, "I’d like to conduct this exchange in private, is that okay?"

"Yes."

He nodded, tapping the armrest of the stone seat with his finger. Immediately, the grey mist surrounding us thickened suddenly, forming an impenetrable wall, cutting us off from the gaze of the others.

"Now, they can’t see us or hear our conversation. You can start talking," he said.

"Alright," I said. "I want to know the whereabouts of my friend—Changan’s soul. Where can I find him?"

"I can answer your question, but, is a question of this level enough for you?" he said.

"It’s enough. Answer me," I said.

As I confirmed, the Divine Seal Fragment in my hand disappeared like a snowball melting in hot water.

"Two days from now, on Moon Concealing Mountain," the Master of the Divine Seal gave the time and location. "You will easily find that place, and once there, you will definitely encounter your target."

I noted down the information and did not continue to ask for more precise time and location. With Mazao’s Broom Star Physique, as long as I went to the right place at the right time, there would be no reason why I couldn’t encounter Silver Moon, who was holding Changan’s soul. Perhaps the Master of the Divine Seal was also very clear on this.

I turned to leave but noticed that after giving the answer, the Master of the Divine Seal didn’t immediately disperse the surrounding grey mist wall. I turned back to look at him again, only to see him sitting upright on a massive stone seat, still gazing down at me with eyes that seemed to exert tangible pressure.

"The kind of question you just asked does not warrant the exchange of a Divine Seal Fragment," he said indifferently. "You can ask me another question."