Eternity and the End

"You are favored by fate."

When the giant spoke these words, Li Wen felt a chill run down her spine.

If there was one secret Li Wen held dearest, it wasn't her identity as a reborn individual, but the fact that she had used Urd's Thorn.

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

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

Later, when the Twilight descended, Urd's Thorn was entrusted to Li Wen. The entire Strategy Group proved with their lives that the Twilight was not insurmountable. Li Wen, following the strategy, used Urd's Thorn to kill herself, transferring her memories to this current iteration of Li Wen.

This led to the present scene, and that thorn was now deeply rooted in the core of Li Wen's soul, providing her with a power that could contend with fate itself.

If someone were to imprison her soul and extract Urd's Thorn, not only would Li Wen truly die, but the only means of resisting the Twilight of the Apocalypse would cease to exist. At that point, all the efforts of the Strategy Group would turn to dust, and the world would come to an irreversible end.

"Fate?" Li Wen quickly regained her composure. Urd's Thorn was not an artifact known to the world; even gods might not be able to discern it by looking into her soul.

"Indeed. You may not know it, but I can see it. The Three Fates are exceptionally lenient towards you, with Urd's presence being the most pronounced," the Giant Bell explained. "This is extremely rare. Even for someone like me, who walks the Path of Fate, such occurrences are seldom witnessed."

So, it was the Path of Fate. That made sense.

Li Wen felt relieved. At least she could confirm that the giant hadn't used any mind-reading spells on her. Such spells, like some targeting the soul, were ineffective against players.

"So, you were able to let me live and let the Fire Mage die because you are a Transcendent of the Path of Fate?"

"Yes. Because at that moment, there was an infinitesimally small chance of you surviving, I was able to let you live. The same applies to that mage; I merely brought forward the timing of his death."

Manipulating probability, making what could happen occur and what could not happen not occur—this was one of the methods of the Path of Fate.

"Alright, 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 strategy guide already detailed the method for entering the Amber Temple. If that was all there was to it, Li Wen wouldn't have risked entering the outer districts of Amber City.

Upon hearing this, the Giant Bell fell into a long silence. After a while, it finally spoke, "What do you require? I cannot offer you much."

"A promise will suffice," Li Wen replied.

The promise of a Giant Immortal was worth more than any reward.

"Agreed. But you must bring the person out first; otherwise, I will do nothing."

"One more question. You can likely see that I am still quite weak. If I enter the outer districts, I fear I will die an ignominious death very quickly."

Li Wen attempted to leverage this to extract more benefits, but the giant wouldn't fall for it. Or rather, there wasn't much it could actually do to help Li Wen.

"It's alright. I have ample patience and can wait until any time, even until the end of the world."

It had waited for a very long time, from the distant Golden Age until now. It didn't mind waiting a little longer; that amount of time was less significant to it than a short nap.

"Besides that... you don't need to stay in Amber City all the time. Take out your Eye of the Transcendent."

Li Wen complied, retrieving the item from her inventory.

A scarlet thread extended down from the tower, falling into the shattered interior of the gem.

"I have interfered with the operation of that Eye of the Transcendent. When you use it and silently chant 'City of Eternity,' it will directly transport you to Amber City."

[Shattered Eye of the Transcendent]
[Accessory - Gem - Rare (Purple)]
[Said to be an item born with magical power, it is actually the eye of a hound, used to hunt down beings who covet transcendence.]
[Unstable Teleportation: Consumes an uncertain amount of Magic Power to perform a short or long-distance random spatial jump. Cooldown: 15 days.]
[Stable Teleportation (Amber City): Consumes all remaining Magic Power, silently chants 'City of Eternity,' and can directly teleport to Amber City's inner districts. Cooldown: 30 days.]

Consuming all remaining Magic Power to trigger a teleportation spell to a precise location—it had to be said this was a very powerful life-saving skill. The only risk was that Amber City was far from a peaceful place.

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

"Alright, you may leave now. You can come find me anytime if you have questions. However, I offer you a piece of advice: if you wish to live, it's best not to approach the Temple lightly, or even I won't be able to save you."

"Understood. I have my own plans."

Li Wen agreed. She indeed had no intention of going to the Temple immediately. With a stable means of teleportation, she could make more preparations to ensure she obtained The Final Codex.

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

"A question?" Li Wen looked puzzled. If an Immortal couldn't find the answer, she likely wouldn't have one either.

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

This question was too tricky; Li Wen couldn't answer it. Her understanding of Twilight and its Lineage came entirely from the Strategy Group, and their knowledge was likely far less than that of this local resident of Amber City.

"You don't need to answer me right away. When you obtain The Final Codex and advance to 'Witch'—if that possibility exists—you can answer me again... Alright, you may go. Enter the bell tower, and it will take you back to the Mortal World."

"Mortal World?"

Li Wen was taken aback. This term was what the Golden Age used to refer to the world itself.

"You mean... I am not in the Mortal World right now?"

"Did you think you were underground?" the giant boomed with laughter. "Amber City, the City of Eternity, is a realm isolated from the world. The power of the Twilight has sealed everything. Before that Contractor built the Spire, Amber City had no connection to the outside world whatsoever."