Super Righteous Player
Chapter 923 - 458: Instant, or Eternity

Chapter 923: Chapter 458: Instant, or Eternity

"Become the Charioteer... control the Power of the Chariot?"

It seemed like nothing but a delusion.

"But since you chose to appear before me at this time," Annan narrowed his eyes, "and tell me all of this... does it mean that your chosen time has already arrived?"

"It is today."

Vladimir replied.

He looked at Annan and concluded, "You will not die here today.

"But I will completely control your mind... as a ritual, to ascend as the Charioteer and reclaim the great power buried in history.

"What this world needs is not Annan Winter, but the Chariot—if I indeed have the potential to become the Chariot, then as for our destinies, and who overpowers whom... it will all come down to skill."

...Control me?

Annan furrowed his brows.

How could he completely control me?

He possessed a Transcendent will, had the heart of Winter. He held the Triton of Sirens in his hand... If truly one was to control the other, it should be Annan using the Triton of Sirens to modify Vladimir’s memory.

—Or had he found a way to resist, or even rebound a Great Calamity Curio?

Could it be another Great Calamity Curio?

Or was he merely bluffing?

Annan slightly clenched the Triton of Sirens, his brain rapidly thinking, but his face showed no wavering.

"—You are afraid, Vladimir."

Annan simply said, "What you fear, detest, hysterically denounce, is it the determined fate... or perhaps the extremely weak version of yourself from the past?"

He didn’t pause, instead stepping forward, closer to the grim domain.

"In my view, there’s no such thing as fate in this world."

Annan spoke clearly, "Be it suffering or joy, one chooses for oneself, and one bears the consequences. If fate dictates someone should give up, then simply rallying is defying fate—and if fate dictates he will rally, then charging down that path full speed won’t yield too bad of an outcome.

"Vladimir. You are not the most unfortunate person; you are even fortunate. The misfortunes you’ve suffered are far less than others... and yet now, just to avoid those few misfortunes, are you going to destroy the happiness of many more?"

"What happiness is that? That’s just false happiness."

Vladimir said without hesitation, "They haven’t strived, they lack talent, they lack awareness. What they enjoy is mere foolish happiness—because they know too little of this world, they feel happy.

"The unstriving shall not live—only those who strive should be happy. If effort truly can overcome fate, then luck and misfortune should mark the line between who strives and who does not. But clearly, this is not the case.

"No matter how hard a person tries, they still meet misfortune. Or rather, it’s precisely because they try too hard that they encounter more obstacles, and they’re more likely to meet misfortune.

"Conversely, if someone gives up everything, things can’t get much worse... Is this reasonable? If his luck is bad, all his efforts will turn to bubbles; on the other hand, even if he knows nothing, is foolish and lazy, but with good luck, he will be happier than others.

"—Is that reasonable? Why should there be something called ’good luck’ in this world?"

"So what do you want?"

"Of course, to let every effort and contribution be rewarded one hundred percent."

Vladimir spoke gravely, "I am the most diligent, the most aware person in this world. Naturally, I should enjoy the greatest happiness."

Annan saw... as Vladimir’s words fell, he gradually returned to a younger version of himself, a glow lighting up in his eyes.

"—That would be absolute fairness, eliminating all randomness. Let ’Lady Luck’s dice’ stop rolling, making so-called fate a fixed script.

"If there is anything eternal in this world, that would be it; as long as ’randomness’ exists in this world, in the long run, this world will eventually step toward destruction."

Hearing this, Annan finally realized something was amiss.

"—You’re not a Worm Cultist?"

"Of course I am. I serve the Non-Snake, but precisely because of my devout worship and belief in the Non-Snake, I wish for it never to awaken."

"As long as this world continues to change, it is destined to descend into chaos and head towards extinction. This is unstoppable, the ultimate fate for all."

"So objectively speaking, there are only two ways to save this world — either let this world become a stagnant eternity, or let it perish early and use its heart to nurture new possibilities, allowing only a few to survive."

Vladimir narrowed his eyes, gazing deeply at Annan, "I greatly respect you... Your Majesty the Chariot."

"So I leave the choice to you."

He said, "What will you choose? Eternity? Or the ephemeral?"

Of course, Annan would not believe his words.

But he understood another thing.

—This was why Vladimir hadn’t immediately attacked and killed him.

He wanted Annan to bear the cost of making this decision.

Is this what they call... manipulating the Chariot to influence fate?

Holding the emperor to command the princes?

"...And why should I make the choice?"

"Because you have no choice."

Vladimir’s gem-like pupils shimmered with an unchanging brilliance, "Do you think, why would Nicholas decide to kill you all of a sudden, even though he had not yet regained the technology of the artificial human?"

"Is it your influence?"

"Hmph. Of course."

Vladimir’s lips curled slightly, his words as cold as frost, "I merely hastened the hatred that was already hidden in his heart... merely ’accelerated’ the revenge plan he was already brewing in his mind.

"But he would definitively take drastic measures, attempting to kill you. And ’fate’ would definitely guide you to confront the awakened mirror; but you could not bring anyone else because Philip was already dead.

"This was the strategy I induced Nicholas to think of. With this method, I could isolate your world’s reinforcements far away, allowing only those summoned creatures from the Otherworld to assist you.

"I chose a place close to the ’transmission point,’ precisely for them to come. It’s just a pity... Nicholas was still too timid."

Vladimir clicked his tongue, "Otherwise, all of your backups should have been driven out of this world by now with the new poison dust.

"And when you previously fought the Corrupt in Marshland Heath Tower of Black, you saw the true power of a potent transformation wizard. To confront him, a alchemist, you wouldn’t hold back your ’Brilliant Sword’ ability but would release it immediately to gain an upper hand.

"Nicholas is a very cowardly person, and also a very arrogant person. He doesn’t care about the lives of others, and that would infuriate you— and your bloodline pulsating at this moment would catalyze you into transforming into the Frost Scaled Dragon. This would significantly throw the frost elements within your bloodline, which by now should be completely depleted.

"I forced you to initiate the Chariot Form, using meaninglessly painful but power-consuming injuries to heal, to wear down your radiance power; with schemes including you to wear down your ’Wisdom’ and ’Understanding.’

"And after the Silver Baron left, I intercepted you here... in this desolate wilderness, just you and me."

Vladimir glanced at the silent Annan and continued calmly, "There is no transaction between us, so the Silver Baron can’t see me. There are no buildings or artworks around, therefore the Stone Father and Paper Princess also can’t see this place.

"This is a dense forest, with no frost or ashes around. Therefore, the Old Grandmother and the Fire Father also cannot see. I am telling you all my plans, so it isn’t a secret that the Faceless Poet or the Mysterious Lady could see; this just happens to be twilight, not night nor day, so the Lady of the Night and Mr. Radiance can’t see either.

"The other gods, either they are not in Noah, or they are not paying attention to you. They would not cast their gaze into Silver Baron’s territory lightly; it is itself an offence.

"And we are in this dense forest, where Lady Maria can’t find us from the sky; I intercepted you halfway, so the tunneling worm doesn’t know exactly where you have fallen."

Vladimir smiled slowly, stepping forward.

He gently touched Annan’s face.

"No person, no god can save you."

Vladimir spoke softly, "And the future that originally had infinite possibilities, under your interference, has become exceedingly easy to understand... exceptionally easy to calculate. Fate, another meaning of the traces of the Chariot, is that knowing what the Chariot intends to do means knowing how fate will unfold.

"As long as one can understand the rules of how the Chariot affects fate, one can easily turn it around to control the Chariot to change the fate of others. And in turn, use the fate of others to influence the Chariot.

"—Use the ’Heart of Madness’ on me, Your Majesty the Chariot."

The young man smiled, "You have no other options left."

Vladimir’s gem-like pupils held no trace of a smile.

Hollow and cold, as if he had already seen through everything.