CHAPTER 1009: CHAPTER 1006: FATE SIMULATOR

The black mist spread among the chaotic crowd, with some people vomiting blood and collapsing, while others suddenly went insane. It only gradually quieted down after they distanced themselves from the crowd.

Su Ming’an leaned against an alleyway and looked at Alice, "Are you alright?"

"Hmm." Alice nodded, covering the scratch on her arm.

Su Ming’an turned back and noticed—this time, the changes the second tower brought to reality were very significant. Although the First Tower fused with the past, it was still primarily modern in scenery. But this Second Tower was entirely dominated by the scenery of the Steam Age.

As they ran along the way, almost all he saw were civilians in medieval clothing, along with knights and soldiers wielding cold weapons, with few modern residents in sight. It was as if they had completely returned to the era of the "Girl’s Dream Plan."

"The First Tower was like a home game. But now it feels like an away game..." Su Ming’an opened the small map.

As an Order Keeper, he could travel the world to complete tasks, obtaining clues or extending his free action time. He glanced at it; the task with the highest contribution value was assisting Alice, helping her become a qualified Goddess.

The name of the Second Tower is "Goddess Salvation," which can conclude that Alice is the main protagonist of this story. Training her, of course, would earn him the most Contribution Points.

"Actually, we can’t rule out whether this ’Goddess’ refers specifically to Alice or Mizushima Kawa Sora, or perhaps both." Su Ming’an pondered, "Ultimately, who is the savior, Alice, or perhaps it implicates Mizushima Kawa Sora?"

He decided to go with Alice to the largest church of the Steam Age—the Sacred Cathedral. It was currently the safest place.

At 8 PM, they arrived at the Holy Capital. This was the Holy City, where a large number of believers came to worship daily. Alice received a warm welcome, and everyone looked at her with admiration and awe.

Alice led him to the resting room, skillfully opening a teapot and beginning to brew tea.

In the quiet room, only the fragrance of tea and the sound of porcelain cups could be heard.

"Are you not surprised? I come from another era," Su Ming’an said.

Alice’s shoulders shrugged slightly, shaking her head, "No matter which era you come from, you are you."

"But I am an Old God, an enemy of the deity. You are the Goddess of this generation..." Su Ming’an said.

—Their positions were opposed.

If the deity issued an Oracle commanding Alice to assassinate him or lead troops to encircle him. As the Goddess, Alice couldn’t defy it, or else she’d face the Judgment of "blasphemy." If a Goddess loses her qualification, she faces the most terrifying destruction. Moreover, since Alice was now his "companion," it would be easy for her to act.

Alice’s fingers halted slightly.

She trembled in her voice, "...If you are the Old God, I am willing to become the Goddess of the Old God. I will always worship the God in my heart, my only... deity."

This statement of hers was outright treasonous and would definitely warrant execution by fire if made public.

But looking at her sorrowful eyes, Su Ming’an felt there seemed to be an invisible barrier between them. After all, no matter how much she inclined toward him in her heart, she was still the Goddess of this generation and had to lead everyone through the tribulation, a duty she couldn’t abandon.

"Detective, am I crying?" Alice suddenly asked.

Su Ming’an looked at her clean face, "No, why do you ask?"

Alice extended a hand and paused slightly in front of his face, expressing bewilderment, "Then why... do you have such an expression?"

His expression looked... as if she were the one crying.

Su Ming’an shook his head, and at that moment—Alice seemed to hear something.

Her expression turned anxious, then sorrowful and despairing. She looked at him with an indescribable gaze.

"What’s wrong?" Su Ming’an keenly asked.

"The deity just told me... if you fall into a time of helplessness, I should... bring you to the deity," Alice said.

Su Ming’an’s eyes flickered. This was clearly an Oracle not meant to be spoken aloud, and yet Alice did so, indicating... she had defied this Oracle.

And in that instant,

The bell rang.

"Dong—Dong—Dong—Dong—!"

Four bells tolled.

A new Oracle descended, heard by all the priests.

The Oracle proclaimed—that the current Goddess might become the soon-to-revive Exotic Species King and that she and her companion should be immediately arrested. Those who achieve this would be granted worldly wealth and glory.

The moment Alice decided to disobey the Oracle, the deity immediately abandoned her.

Outside the doors and windows came the sounds of weapons and iron tools, as the footsteps of the approaching knights closed in.

"The deity still wants to stop me," Su Ming’an got up, "And now, he has an upright excuse—using you as a banner."

Alice clasped his hand, "And I have no regrets defying the Oracle, Detective."

Seeing the gathering crowd, Alice’s expression grew increasingly serene, "I think that being chosen as the Goddess might have been to defy this Oracle that seeks to harm you."

The sound of footsteps grew nearer, accompanied by the escalating greed and desire in people’s eyes.

Qingniao and Xue Qixia led the front, their white Holy Cross robes billowing in the wind like sacred banners. Mizushima Kawa Sora followed closely, scepter in hand, surrounded by knights whose swords glimmered.

Su Ming’an was the first to push the door open and stepped outside.

"—Stop your march," Su Ming’an said.

No one responded. They gazed at him with blind solemnity, their steps still advancing, seemingly drawn by some invisible faith.

Su Ming’an glanced at the time; he didn’t intend to waste much time with them. Four hours of free action time wasn’t enough for him to kill all these people, and killing held no significance.

Alice grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the direction of the back door. Boarding a wheelchair, they headed to a nearby town—precisely where Alice had grown up, in Burg Castle.

"Soon... the time when we can’t move will approach," Alice murmured, "Let’s... spend that one hour here in this town first. I know a very safe place."

She found a dusty basement and led him inside to hide. This was the slums where Alice used to live as a child, yet those kids no longer remained. Some had joined the army, some starved to death, and some had traveled far away. Only solitary wood shavings and haystacks were left behind.

"Search—search—!"

The sound of the knights’ footsteps came from the ground above, and cold glistening weapons flashed through the gaps overhead. People had yet to discover this underground hideout.

In the dimly lit basement, Su Ming’an sat in a pile of hay, opened his wristwatch, and logged onto the internet.

[The first disciple to be eliminated has appeared—it’s Shangqing from the City Guardian Department! His tattoo was gouged out by Bivis’s blade, forcing him to announce his exit!]

[Divine judgment—the contemporary goddess Taslyche is the Exotic Species King about to resurrect! True or false? The Holy Alliance Army has been dispatched, but the goddess escaped with the Old God!]

[Following "The Cat and Her," "Louyue Nation," and "Girl’s Dream Project," the fourth game has emerged! Named "Fate Simulator," it has been delivered to all members of the Dream Patrol Family and will open at midnight tonight! The deity has said there are a total of six games, and what will be the fate of humanity after these six games?]

[The faction supporting the Old God is expanding like a tsunami, and the Holy Alliance Army seems powerless! Has the spark in the hearts of humanity truly been ignited?]

[Old God Sir—the young man who looks only twenty, so young, will he save us?]

...

"Detective Sir." Alice’s soft voice came from beside him: "I’m a bit... sleepy."

Su Ming’an also felt a bit drowsy, his eyelids heavy as if they couldn’t open: "It should be that the one-hour limit is near. We’ll be forced into immobility, perhaps into a deep sleep."

Alice cautiously moved closer, placing her hand on his. The calluses from the sword on her fingers were thicker, and her skin even rougher than his.

Flames and sword gleams flickered through the gaps overhead, the footsteps of the knights searching only a wall away from them. With the basement lights off, Su Ming’an couldn’t see Alice’s expression. Her voice was extremely cautious, like requesting a fragile promise.

"Wait for me... to wake up." Alice’s eyes were slowly closing: "You must... still be by my side. We certainly... won’t be discovered."

"Mm." Su Ming’an released the Shadow, letting him keep watch nearby. With the Shadow’s presence, he felt more at ease.

Until the time for free action ended, his vision went black, and he instantly fell into a slumber.

...

The deity slowly opened their eyes amidst the vast text.

They sat on an ice-white chair, surrounded by prayers from all over the world.

A small glow floated in from outside the window, landing in their palm. They silently gazed at it for a long time, as it transformed into the shape of Little Li in their hand.

"...Even though you are part of me, why are you different?" the deity murmured.

The glow gradually disappeared between their palms.

The deity often browsed the internet, observed the human spirit, and used "cloning" to understand human thoughts. They would transform into many people in the world, interact with others, trying to comprehend human ways of thinking.

However, these "clones" were merely of the same origin, created by them. From the moment of their birth, they no longer belonged to them, and they only served as a "motherly" figure, continuously creating these similar semblances. These "clones" represented their endless possibilities.

Little Li was one of those original creations. From birth, Little Li had exuberant emotions and holy humanity. She remained pure and kind, even choosing sacrifice for humanity despite facing terrible persecution. This puzzled them—why could Little Li, clearly originating from them, possess such... incomprehensible feelings?

With the end of The First Tower, Little Li had died in both the past and present, her causal line thoroughly severed. She had dissipated from the mortal world, never to return.

They clenched their fist, the Yuan Guang seeped into their body. After reclaiming Little Li’s Yuan Guang, Little Li’s entire life echoed within their mind.

The deity closed their eyes, repeatedly savoring Little Li’s life, like tasting a rare delicacy. They empathized with her predicaments, her sadness, her despair, and the agony of her death... Until they had experienced her life thoroughly, they opened their eyes, still filled with confusion.

"...I still cannot understand," the deity murmured to themselves.

They still could not comprehend... these human emotions. Although if they were to be a human, experiencing Little Li’s life, they might become like her, they couldn’t be human, which made understanding difficult.

They opened their other hand.

—In the other hand, there floated countless glowing sources like stars, numbers of them suspended in their palm. These were their "clones" in the mortal world.

"So, I ask of you all." The deity looked at these innumerable glowing sources: "Keep showing me everything humanity can accomplish... I love seeing your diverse ’possibilities.’ Each possibility is like a new world line."

They stood up, walked through the empty crimson corridor, their fingers brushing over wax-like golden paintings, until they stepped onto the rooftop—it was the highest point in the world.

From there, they could see the far-off city, the cold wind ruffling their white hair, icy cold, reminding them of the past.

Thousands of years ago, they became this world’s brand new god. Everything about the Old God was gradually destroyed and buried. They still remembered that day—the day the Old God vanished completely, people looking up to chant praises for the Old God, repeating the name loudly, using their bodies to shield books and murals, trying to preserve the Old God’s stories and legends.

However, they erased everything in the end.

Silently, they gazed upon the whole land. From the starry sky came the voice of Dieying: "Deity, Su Ming’an has decided to continue opening the tower, he even abducted your goddess."

"I do not want to hear your voice," the deity said.

"I wonder if Su Ming’an has thought of his final wish. Your wager with the organizers, I’m curious as to which side will win in the end.’’ Dieying said: ’’If Su Ming’an were to truly possess authority, I would be very interested in his authority. How about making a deal, you give him to me."

"You are an invader; he won’t side with you," the deity said.

"Heh heh..." Dieying let out a few low laughs.

From the starry sky, the deity faintly saw Dieying’s deep blue eyes, vast like the ocean.

"I am an invader, are you not?" Dieying said: "It’s just a different method of destroying the world. Do you think yourself noble?"

The deity stretched out their hand, and white light appeared in the sky, letters and numbers rapidly assembled into a wide shield, instantly covering the starry sky.

Dieying’s figure disappeared, as did their voice.

The deity pulled out a stack of papers from their chest, all filled with information about Su Ming’an. They carefully read through it, which they had already viewed countless times, standing there for a long, long time...

After a long while, they sighed softly, as if lamenting some invincible destiny.

"Su Ming’an." The deity murmured: "Just how many times has it been..."

...