"Item: Book of Variable Numbers"
[Origin: Shield of Hades System - planet Asphodel - Fortia City, District Nine]
"Description: A black book corrupted by the Lord of Change, filled with complex mathematical formulas."
[Production Date: 998.M41]
[Condition: 99% New]
[Value: 1,800,000 yuan]
"Sell?"
Zhou Yun felt like the numbers were about to burst his head open. Enduring the pain, he looked into the Fourth-Dimensional Pocket.
Within the pitch-black, lightless Fourth-Dimensional Pocket, the black book floated silently, a vortex of numbers swirling above it.
"It can be sold?"
A hint of delight appeared in Zhou Yun's eyes.
This was an idea he had come up with on the spur of the moment.
Since he could not destroy it, why not just toss the book into the Fourth-Dimensional Pocket and sell it?
Tzeentch corruption? Lord of Change? Go fight your Nanny Robots in the 22nd Century!
Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed it and sold it in an instant.
1.8 million yuan was deposited immediately, and the black book vanished from the Fourth-Dimensional Pocket, gone to who knew where.
Within the tumultuous Warp,
in that blue domain of the Empyrean,
lay a labyrinth made of crystal, its translucent surfaces polished smooth like pebbles.
The passages within the labyrinth shifted, dissolved, twisted, merged, and split apart in random disorder.
Amid the refracted light of the crystal walls, countless ambiguous symbolic visions flickered endlessly.
Statues in the mist, blue eagles cackling strangely, serpents writhing, chaotic paintings.
This was the domain of the Changer of Ways, an ever-changing realm of Chaos.
The Warp god who governed change continuously shaped this domain according to his ever-shifting moods, desires, and whims.
Any mortal daring to peer into this domain would be infected by its infinite faces and descend into madness.
Nine Gates stood here. Nine hundred and ninety-nine riddles awaited answers. Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine destinies intertwined. Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine dice crashed to the ground.
And today, at one moment among countless nonlinear timelines, a die landed silently, revealing a new Grand Plan to Tzeentch's servants.
"Caw caw caw caw, hahahaha!!!"
The Lord of Change, with a bird's head, blue-purple feathers all over its body, and an ancient Greek-style robe, let out a shrill cackle.
Lords of Change were Tzeentch's greater daemons, executors of his plans.
Blessed by their thousand-faced master, they could witness anything occurring at any point in time.
Before it stood a vortex composed of numbers.
It was an entrance into reality, a weak point between the Warp and the Material Universe.
Now, this Lord of Change needed only exert a little more force to enter the real universe.
This was part of Tzeentch's Grand Plan.
The Changer of Ways had revealed his plan. This Lord of Change would enter the real universe and ravage a human world.
Gripping its staff, the Lord of Change beat its wings and charged toward the vortex of numbers.
The Pink Horrors and Blue Horrors around it chirped and shrieked. The Change Spirits waved their four, five, or nine arms to cheer it on.
Other Lords of Change stood high above the labyrinth, intending to watch the plan's imminent success.
The Changer of Ways had woven a magnificent plan, using a long series of schemes to create a net impossible to escape.
The secret hidden among the numbers had silently corrupted nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine children over the course of decades.
And tonight, the corruption would erupt from the depths of their minds all at once.
These corrupted ones would become sacrifices, opening a gate for the Lord of Change into the real universe.
The plan was nearly complete.
Unless someone killed all nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine sacrifices within this brief instant, no one could sever this gate into the real universe.
The Lord of Change loudly praised the Changer of Ways' wisdom, praising the great plan that could never fail.
The vortex of numbers spun faster and faster. The barrier between reality and the Warp was already as thin as mist.
The Lord of Change cackled madly and charged into the vortex of numbers—
Boom!
The vortex of numbers suddenly vanished from where it stood, and the entrance into reality closed without a sound.
Unable to stop in time, the Lord of Change slammed heavily into the crystal wall behind the vortex.
All the Tzeentch Demons stared blankly at this sudden change.
The gate to the Material Universe was gone, and the corruption in reality had been severed as well.
The Book of Variable Numbers, created over decades, had suddenly disappeared from both the physical universe and the Warp.
The Lord of Change that had crashed into the crystal wall scratched its head in bewilderment.
Why was this different from the plan? Why was it different from the future it had foreseen?
Was this the Cursed One's scheme? Were those bloated lords of decay stirring up trouble?
Why had the Book of Variable Numbers disappeared from both the physical universe and the Warp?
It looked toward the heights beyond the Nine Gates.
"Master, was this part of your plan too?"
After the Lord of Change asked that question, the air fell into deathly silence.
The Blue Horrors and Pink Horrors did not dare speak. The Change Spirits twisted their bodies as they looked beyond the Nine Gates, and even the Lords of Change stretched out their birdlike necks.
Until, after nine minutes and nine seconds, a faint voice drifted from the depths of the chaotic labyrinth:
"This..."
"This was all part of the plan."
The church burned amid raging flames beneath the gaze of statues of the Emperor and Sanguinius.
The Ecclesiarchy priest had personally lit the purifying fire because the church had been tainted by donations from followers of the Ruinous Powers.
Only the sacred relics and the statues of the Emperor and Sanguinius had been moved out in advance.
PDF forces moved through the streets of District Nine, nearly brutishly breaking into residents' homes and dragging children from their beds under the accompaniment of Ecclesiarchy priests.
Besides the children, those who had supposedly studied under Namma Carl back then and had now grown up were dragged out as well.
Amid the prayers of the Ecclesiarchy priests, PDF forces purified them with promethium flamers.
But before death arrived, most of those corrupted had already descended into madness.
Zhou Yun guessed that the number of corrupted people should have been exactly nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.
But Augustus Flax said that tonight's death toll would not end there.
Everyone suspected of having studied under Namma Carl, including their families, would face rigorous investigation.
This was to prevent any fish from slipping through the net.
After confirming that Namma Carl had been corrupted, Augustus Flax wasted no more time.
He swiftly deployed PDF forces into District Nine and began purging the corrupted.
He also helped Zhou Yun conceal his and Lena's roles in this incident.
After all, Zhou Yun had nearly been corrupted too, while Lena was not only an illegal psyker but had also attended Namma Carl's classes.
In the eyes of the Ecclesiarchy, both were heretics through and through and would likely be purified along with the others.
Lena especially had already gone into hiding to avoid trouble.
"How are you doing now?"
Augustus Flax's remote servitor looked at the silent Zhou Yun and asked:
"Are you experiencing hallucinations, headaches, dizziness, or anything like that?"
"No, I'm completely fine." Zhou Yun shook his head. "Everything's normal."
He looked at the fierce flames burning not far away.
The orange-yellow flames reflected the Warp's scenery, and they also reflected Zhou Yun's figure within the Warp.
It was a somewhat indistinct, round blue figure.
Am I really fucking Doraemon?
Before you continue