Coin of Fate

A cold sea breeze blew in my face.

It was now the coldest time of the year, and the temperature wouldn't gradually warm up until February of next year. Soren brought Vivian onto the pirate ship, and he wondered if it was just his imagination, but Vivian seemed a little quieter than yesterday. The little girl obediently held his finger with her tiny hand, occasionally tilting her head up to look at him with a sweet smile. This reminded Soren of the time in Amber City, when Vivian loved to hold his finger like this.

The pirate ship was already filled with fierce-looking pirates, and they couldn't help but look at the little girl who had suddenly appeared with suspicion!

However, no one dared to ask any further questions.

This man before them had terrified them; the reputation of the Throat Cutter was spreading far and wide throughout the entire Shipwreck Bay. Perhaps because of what she had experienced along the way, the little girl now looked at these fierce-looking pirates with composure, only occasionally glancing curiously at their tattoos. Pirates often liked tattoos because sometimes even their corpses couldn't be identified after death, so tattoos served as a form of identification.

The warships quickly left the Port Tyler, and Soren did not specify their destination, only instructing them to head towards the deep sea.

This was undoubtedly puzzling, but everyone obediently followed orders!

"Elder brother!"

Vivian stood on the deck gazing at the sea, the sea breeze making her beautiful long hair flutter. She smiled sweetly at Soren and said, "May I go fishing?"

Soren remained calm, smiled slightly upon hearing this, and casually replied, "Sure. But you're likely to encounter sharks while fishing in these waters!"

"OK!"

The little girl's eyes lit up slightly, and she clapped her hands, saying, "I want to catch a great white shark!"

Soren paused for a moment.

He then ordered the others to bring iron hooks. Dealing with sharks couldn't be done with ordinary methods; they had to be lured by the smell of blood. Fishing rods wouldn't work; other fishing tools were needed, which the pirate ship didn't have. However, catching a shark was easy for Soren. He hung a piece of meat on the iron hook and then whispered, "Why is Vivian wearing a white dress today?"

"Um?"

The little girl watched Soren busily working with great interest, then smiled sweetly. She twirled around on the spot, looking like a cute Little Princess, and said, "Vivian's two favorite dresses, one white and one black, do they look good, brother?"

"It looks good." Soren nodded with a smile.

The little girl blinked and smiled, her expression seemingly a little strange, before casually looking at the sea.

The pirate ship continued its voyage.

As they passed through an area of sea, he ordered the sails to be lowered and paused briefly. He then surveyed the seabed before raising the sails again, heading towards the more dangerous deep-sea area. The other pirates were visibly worried, seemingly afraid of encountering Ocean Monster, but they dared not disobey Soren's orders. They merely wore expressions of concern. Deep-sea routes were teeming with Sea Monster and other marine creatures, which was why fleets had to pray for Deity blessings before Seafaring.

Otherwise, the only option is to sacrifice a powerful Sea Monster to the flag!

The North Tower.

A bewitching woman arrived before one of the many towers standing in the North. This was an extremely ancient Wizard Tower, predating the history of many cities in the North. It was also the only Wizard Tower from the Arcane Empire to have been preserved in its best condition. The entire Wizard Tower was shrouded in a peculiar energy field, making it impossible for ordinary people to approach or even see with the naked eye. The bewitching woman knelt before the tower's entrance and humbly lowered her head.

A faint sigh could be heard.

Then the tower's doors slowly opened. A look of surprise appeared on the alluring woman's face, and she quickly stepped inside.

The very top of the tower.

An aged woman sat on the Astrology Platform, her hair completely white. Most striking were her pupils, almost entirely white, making it impossible to distinguish the whites of her eyes from the outlines of her pupils. She looked up at the alluring woman who emerged from behind the door, and let out a soft sigh, saying slowly, "Corinna, you haven't given up yet?"

The alluring woman lowered her head humbly and said, "Your Excellency Eye of the North!... I... I am truly unwilling!..."

The seemingly blind, aged Witch gently shook her head and sighed, "With your talent, if you weren't so obsessed with powers outside yourself, you would probably have already entered the Legendary Domain. I Banishment you to White Horse City hoping you would wake up soon and one day take my place. But I never expected you to have persisted for so many years!"

"Your daughter is almost surpassing you, but you're still stuck in the same place. You really disappoint me!"

A hint of resentment crossed the alluring woman's face as she murmured, "I'm truly unwilling!... Unwilling to give up like this!... You once said that as long as I could research this knowledge, I could master the power of the Arcane Empire!... To uncover its secrets, I've already lost my daughter!... Sacrificed the most beautiful years of my youth!... I'm almost left with nothing!... How can I even give it up!...

The Eye of the North sighed and slowly said, "Even if you figure it out, what then? How powerful was the Arcane Empire back then! If those Archmage hadn't been so obsessed with power and knowledge!... how could such a vast Arcane Empire have been reduced to ashes?... They Destruction themselves, trying to plunder those forbidden realms in their madness!..."

"You have lost your way in the pursuit of power."

"All I see in you is Destruction and ruin. Even if you eventually achieve the results, it will only bring you Destruction!"

The alluring woman bit her lip, her face pale, and said, "Is this the Destiny you see for me? So you're no longer supporting my research? And you've Banishment me to White Horse City?"

The Eye of the North did not speak, but its eyes held a hint of pity.

"Why?!"

Tears streamed down her face; the alluring woman before him was actually crying—an extremely rare occurrence. She stood up angrily, her voice shrill, "Why? Since you've already divined my Destiny, why are you only telling me now?"

The Eye of the North did not answer, but simply lowered its head in dejection.

The alluring woman gave her a cold look, then turned and walked towards the exit of the Wizard Tower, saying in an icy voice, "You also crave that power, don't you? Even knowing I can't succeed, you still hope to unlock this secret from me!"

"I won't give up."

"If Destiny decrees my Destruction, then let me embrace Destruction."

The alluring woman uttered a forbidden phrase, and her skin began to change, turning from fair to dark blue, and finally back to an unusual pale white. The Eye of the North's face showed a hint of shock, then he murmured, "You actually... you actually..."

The alluring woman stared coldly at her and slowly said, "Yes. Since I am already considered Evil and destined to fall into the Abyss Hell after death, what does it matter if I become like this sooner?"

She turned to leave.

However, at this moment Eye of the North suddenly spoke, telling a story, slowly saying, "Legend has it that before the birth of the Twins of Fate, everyone's Destiny was controlled by the Goddess of Luck. At the moment of each Hit Points, she would toss Coin of Fate representing that person's future luck. Some people would get heads, and some would get tails. But there was one very special person Gold Coin would stand upright when the Goddess of Luck tossed Coin of Fate."

"The Destiny of such people is beyond the control of even the Deity; in terms of Destiny, they are more free than the Gods!"

"Destiny is constantly changing."

"The Northern Witch only sees a small part of it. If you truly refuse to give up, then go and find this kind of person. With his help, the trajectory of your Destiny will change."

As for whether it will ultimately succeed or fail.

"Nobody knows!"

The alluring woman's gaze softened somewhat. She bowed slightly in acknowledgment before leaving.

...(To be continued~^~)