Eternity and the End

"You are favored by fate."

When the giant spoke those words, Li Wen went cold all over.

If Li Wen had a greatest secret, it was not that she was a reincarnator, but that she had used Urd's Thorn.

This was something she had to keep secret. If it were exposed, what Li Wen would face would likely be more terrifying than death.

Urd's Thorn was a divine artifact symbolizing the "past," possessing the power to alter the "past." Urd, the eldest of the Three Fates, used this thorn to weave the web of fate. In her previous life, the Strategy Group had obtained this divine artifact from the Three Fates and treated it as their final trump card against the Twilight of the Apocalypse.

Then Twilight descended, and Urd's Thorn was handed to Li Wen. The entire Strategy Group proved with their lives that Twilight was not invincible. Following the guide, Li Wen used Urd's Thorn to kill herself, passing her memories on to Li Wen of this life.

That was how this moment came to be. The thorn was now rooted in the deepest part of Li Wen's soul, granting her the immense power to contend against fate.

If someone imprisoned her soul and extracted Urd's Thorn from it, not only would Li Wen die in the truest sense, but the only means of resisting the Twilight of the Apocalypse would also cease to exist. At that point, all the Strategy Group's efforts would turn to ashes, and this world would come to a complete end.

"Fate?" Li Wen quickly calmed down. Urd's Thorn was not a divine artifact known to the world; even gods might not be able to see it through the soul.

"That's right. You may not know it, but I can tell. The Three Goddesses are especially tolerant of you, and Urd's scent is the most obvious among them," Giant Bell explained. "This is very rare. Even for someone like me who walks the Path of Fate, I have seldom seen such a thing."

So it was the Path of Fate. No wonder.

Li Wen relaxed. At the very least, she could confirm that the giant had not used any mind-reading spell on her. Such spells, like some soul-targeting spells, were ineffective against players.

"So that's why you could keep me alive and make the Fire Mage die, because you're a transcendent of the Path of Fate?"

"Yes. Because there was an extremely tiny chance that you would survive at that time, I was able to make you survive. The same applied to that mage. I merely brought forward the time of his death."

Manipulating probabilities, making possible events occur and impossible events fail to occur—this was one of the methods of the Path of Fate.

"All right, I understand." Li Wen nodded. "You said you could help me obtain The Final Codex?"

"Precisely. I can tell you how to avoid those Daughters of Amber and enter the temple safely."

"I don't need that."

The guide had long since recorded how to enter the Amber Temple. If that was all, Li Wen would not risk entering the Outer City of Amber City.

At her words, Giant Bell fell into a long silence. After a while, they finally said, "What do you need? There is not much I can give you."

"A promise will do," Li Wen said.

A Giant Immortal's promise was worth more than any reward.

"Fine, but you must bring her out first. Otherwise, I will do nothing."

"There's another problem. You should be able to tell that I'm still very weak. If I enter the Outer City, I'm afraid I'll soon die without even knowing how."

Li Wen tried to use this to obtain greater benefits, but the giant would not fall for it. Or rather, they truly had nothing that could help Li Wen.

"It doesn't matter. I have ample patience. I can wait until any time, even the moment the world meets its end."

They had already waited far too long, from the distant Golden Age until now. They did not care about waiting a little longer. To them, that amount of time was not even as long as a nap.

"Besides... you do not need to remain in Amber City forever. Take out your Eye of the Transcendent."

Li Wen did as instructed and took the item from her inventory.

A crimson thread extended down from the tower and fell into the shattered interior of the gemstone.

"I have interfered with the workings of that Eye of the Transcendent. When you use it and silently recite City of Eternity, it will bring you directly to Amber City."

Shattered Eye of the Transcendent

Accessory - Gemstone - Rare (Purple)

It is said to be an item born with magical power, but it is actually the eye of a hound, used to hunt down lives that covet transcendence.

Unstable Teleportation: Consumes an uncertain amount of mana to perform a random short- or long-distance spatial jump. Cooldown: 15 days.

Stable Teleportation (Amber City): Consumes all remaining mana. Silently recite City of Eternity to teleport directly to the Inner City of Amber City. Cooldown: 30 days.

Consuming all her remaining mana to trigger a teleportation spell to a precise location—this was undeniably an excellent life-saving skill. The only risk was that Amber City was hardly a peaceful place.

This was the first piece of purple-quality equipment in Li Wen's possession, and its attached spells truly lived up to its quality.

"All right, you may leave. You can come find me anytime if you have questions. But let me offer you a piece of advice: if you do not wish to die, you had better not approach the temple lightly. Otherwise, even I will not be able to save you."

"Understood. I have my own plans."

Li Wen agreed. She truly did not intend to visit the temple immediately. With a stable means of teleportation, she could make more preparations and ensure that she obtained The Final Codex.

"Before you leave, I have a question for you," Giant Bell suddenly said.

"A question?" Li Wen looked confused. If even an Elder could not find the answer, she most likely would not have one either.

"Do you believe that 'Twilight' is the end of eternity, or the eternity of the end?"

The question was far too tricky. Li Wen could not answer it. Everything she knew about Twilight and the Twilight Lineage came from the Strategy Group, and the Strategy Group likely knew less than this local resident of Amber City.

"You need not answer me in a hurry. Once you obtain The Final Codex and advance to become a 'Witch'—if that is even possible—you may answer this question again... All right, go. Enter the bell tower, and it will take you back to the Mortal World."

"The Mortal World?"

Li Wen froze. This term was what the Golden Age had called the world itself.

"Do you mean I'm not in the Mortal World right now?"

"You didn't think you were underground, did you?" the giant laughed. "Amber City, the City of Eternity, is a nation isolated from the world. The power of Twilight sealed away everything here. Before that Contractor built the spire, Amber City did not even have a single passage connecting it to the outside world."