Capítulo 1851: Chapter 1850: Astonishing Talent

In the town shrouded in thick fog under the night sky, the wailing of evil spirits made the deep night even eerier. And even the flickering flame in the fireplace couldn’t lift the mood of the two people conversing inside.

Laplace Klein Howard, wearing a monocle, stared at Shard:

“So, are you truly Shard Hamilton?”

Shard still did not respond:

“Do you have the ‘Impermanence: Space’?”

The Diviner shook his head again:

“I’m searching for it too, but haven’t had the honor, at least not yet… Want to play a round of Roder Cards?”

This was the sentence Shard would usually say to others.

“I didn’t bring my deck while coming out to find someone.”

Actually, he did bring it, but using a blank spare deck or his real deck would expose his identity.

“It’s fine, I can lend you a deck. We’ll only play one round, regardless of winning or losing, I can tell you something.”

He handed the deck to Shard, which contained no Special Cards. However, his own deck astonishingly contained a total of 13 Special Cards.

There was no need for shuffling and mutual inspection; they placed the decks on the coffee table under the flickering light of the fireplace and drew cards together.

The two exchanged no words, merely squinting at the suits of their hands.

Laplace Howard stopped after drawing two cards:

“King.”

He revealed the second card.

Shard drew three cards:

“21 points, I win.”

He revealed Sun 1, Stars 10, and Moon 10.

The Diviner was not disappointed, throwing his hand onto the table:

“I must tell you, the apocalypse is near, the world is about to end. This is not a ludicrous prophecy, this is reality.”

Shard questioned irritably:

“You specifically came to speak to me just for this? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

What kind of secret is this? You’re not the first self-proclaimed seer I’ve encountered, I’ve certainly heard of the world’s end before. The mad Chosen of Knowledge and Wisdom might have much in common with you.”

The Diviner gestured for patience:

“So do you know when this inevitable end will occur?”

“No, do you?”

“I don’t know either.”

“You…”

“No one knows the exact timing, but it’s close, really close. Besides you and me, many others have silently begun preparing for that day, even the world in its final moments has birthed such a special individual as the Princess earlier. Her existence isn’t a conspiracy by anyone, any being; her birth is merely the world’s last choice in facing the end, it’s a natural phenomenon.”

He looked at Shard, with no hint of madness in his eyes, proving he wasn’t a typical madman:

“I’ve never seen myself as a Savior, just as you’re seemingly not trying to change this world simply.

Beyond you and me, preparations for the last day began before our existence. We’re not the only ones aware of the future, those willing to contribute and sacrifice, who’ve already taken action, are surely not limited to us. Circle Sorcerers boast of seeing more than ordinary people, yet they fail to know that what they see is merely the surface of the lake. We are the ones capable of seeing the truth of the world.”

Shard frowned:

“Though you seem to have said much, there’s no substantive content within. I played cards with you not to hear this. Please tell me specifically, what preparations did people make in the past, what makes Lecia Cavendish special.”

The Diviner nodded:

“These cannot be disclosed now, this is my bargaining chip with you. People only deemed me formidable, yet unaware, if you wished, even without me before you now, you could utterly annihilate me.”

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This diviner truly has some skill, but Shard is unwilling to waste divinity. Besides, he can’t rely on divinity for every matter; it’s not a power within the rules, and shouldn’t excessively interfere with the world. Moreover, the Path of the Twelve Divinities is still far from reaching its end point, the Outlander is cautious about this.

“However, indeed, we can discuss something substantive… Do you feel that now is truly the Sixth Era?”

Shard looked at him, his gaze was strong, yet his expression showed no change:

“You’re not trying to tell me that we are still in the Fifth Era, right? If that were true, wouldn’t that make both of us witches?”

The diviner laughed at Shard’s small joke:

“I had no such realization when I was at Thirteen Rings, but after I listened to the truth from the ‘Door in the Bottle,’ and continually made various attempts over these two hundred years, trying to communicate across space-time, I made a surprising discovery.”

The crackling of burning flames was once again suppressed by the distant cry of spatial anomalies outside the window, two pairs of eyes powerfully locked on each other:

“I do have some talent, of course, it could also be that I followed fate and walked the path of the Chosen One, seeing more things. However, I still can’t determine if it’s an illusion, nor can I be sure if I’ve truly gone mad.”

He chuckled:

“From your expression, it seems you think I’ve really gone mad. Regarding the truth of time, I have no evidence whatsoever, everything is based on imagination and experience. It was during that accidental incident that I discovered a space-time that seemed to be annihilated between the Fifth Era and our current era.”

“Hmm… So, are you actually Time’s Chosen One?”

“You have quite a sense of humor.”

He continued, scrutinizing Shard with probing eyes, as if trying to discern something from his expression:

“If my insane and unprovable idea is correct, then it means someone attempted this before but tragically failed, which is why we have this second chance. The inevitable Apocalypse cannot be dealt with by one person’s power alone, nor can completing the verses of the Whispering Verses solve it.

The Ancient Gods and Old Gods that have departed, did they really only go into slumber? I know many things, and precisely because I know too much, I can’t stop, I must do something, must, must…”

His voice grew increasingly soft, merely drowned by the crackling of the flames in the fireplace.

Both parties fell into silence, a long while passed before Shard suddenly spoke:

“So, you actually want to cooperate with me?”

“Yes, and not just us, but everyone. The dangers of the future require everyone to bear together. And my ritual, Edwards’ Ascension Technique, will be my most important attempt.”

“If only you could forsake becoming Space’s Chosen One, and abandon merging with your descendants, I might consider cooperating with you. You know a lot, and that’s what I need.”

He spoke half-truthfully, Laplace Klein Howard shook his head in slight disappointment:

“I know you have your ideas, but I have mine as well. I won’t say ‘sacrifice is necessary,’ the sort of thing only villains in stories would utter, but do you really believe change can happen without sacrifice, saving our world without paying anything? You don’t seem like such a Holy Mother.”

“I just think my path is correct, while yours is wrong. Maybe you truly want to save the world by becoming the Chosen One, using Edwards’ Ascension Technique to achieve that, but I don’t think it’s the right way. Without you, without your plans, I can still do what you want to do.”

The Outlander pointed to the sofa he was sitting on:

“I’ve seen many Chosen Ones, seen all kinds of people. You know, even though I’ve always been involved in everything, I still sit beneath the stage. I could have quietly watched everything unfold, done nothing, sold my most valuable assets to enjoy the life of this era. But no, I saw stories I didn’t like, so I want to change them, even if I can’t completely change them, I absolutely can’t allow those tragedies to continue.

Howard, today’s conversation has changed my impression of you somewhat, but I don’t agree with you, nor will I deny my path.”

“Arrogance and pride are our original sins. O man outside fate, I blessing you with success, because our goals are the same, regardless of who succeeds, it is our luck. However, I will prove to you that I am right, that after seeing everything, I know how naive your thoughts are.”

He stood up to leave, but before leaving, looked down upon the still seated Shard and said two more sentences:

“Someone must have guided you, led you on the pursuit of the path of the Chosen One. Maybe, while constantly moving forward, you should slow down and ponder, is the direction the first person pointed out to you truly correct?”

Shard didn’t speak, these words the other said during the night they hunted demons once, but Shard would not doubt Luviya. Even though short-haired Luviya seems unaware of everything, this person in front definitely doesn’t know everything either.

“There’s one more piece of information I hope you know.”

He continued:

“The Sixth Era has lasted for 1854 years till now, yet it already shows signs of decline;

The Fifth Era lasted for 5793 years according to recorded data, this is acknowledged as fact by the Church of the Five Gods and the Three Major Academies, even if there’s an error, the deviation wouldn’t be great;

Continuing to trace back, the chaotic Dark Age Fourth Era, the Prophet’s Society’s most secret data, usually uses ‘ten thousand years’ to describe that pitiful yet tearful age, full of various heroic legends;

I once asked my demon friends that you captured, those slippery ones, helping me, but also cautious of me, though they wouldn’t detail the time of the Third Era, they told me it was an era spanning tens of thousands of years;

The Second Era is untraceable, as for the First Era, the initial times…

He deliberately paused, Shard sat there looking at him. The crackling of flames in this situation was so prominent, the pause was long, quite long, but Shard patiently waited.