The Laws of Divination

The next day.

Gagnor decided to find a diviner and have his fortune told.

He had actually met diviners back in Driftwood Town, and more than once at that. But because of the habits of thought carried over from his previous life, he had always been deeply distrustful of divination.

In his view, divination was different from magic. The latter was merely a more advanced way of utilizing matter, while the former involved time and causality. It did not seem like something ordinary people could meddle with so easily. The so-called diviners were far more likely to be frauds.

And he had indeed encountered fraudulent diviners, both in his rural hometown and in Driftwood Town. This had only deepened his belief that "diviner" was synonymous with "swindler."

It was not until after speaking with the Hole-Seeker yesterday that Gagnor began considering taking another look at divination.

Falaro was, after all, a world where supernatural powers existed. There were countless mysterious and unknown things. Perhaps there really were legitimate diviners.

Of course, Gagnor remained cautious.

For that reason, he deliberately prepared several questions, intending to test the diviner's abilities first.

Gagnor first arrived at a divination parlor.

Its signboard bore the imposing words "Master Fate." There were several diviners inside, along with pretty maids, and the décor was fairly upscale. It looked impressive and trustworthy.

However, he had barely taken a few steps inside when a pretty maid came up to him and said, "Sir, I recommend that you go to Diviner's Street to the north. The fees there are cheaper."

"?" Gagnor was utterly confused.

What does she mean? I don't look that poor, do I?

After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Are your fees very expensive?"

The maid hesitated as well, then nodded several times.

"How much do you usually charge?"

"Well... that has to be decided through discussion between the customer and the diviner." The maid stammered and spoke vaguely.

Gagnor found it baffling. He could not help frowning, but then he could not be bothered to ask further questions and simply turned to leave.

What kind of service attitude is this? One-star review!

Watching Gagnor leave with an unhappy expression, the maid felt somewhat vexed as well.

She walked over to an old diviner with a head of white hair. "Master, why did you drive him away? He didn't look poor."

The old diviner shook his head repeatedly. "There's money that can't be earned."

The maid blinked, still failing to understand.

At that moment, the old diviner moved his hand away, and only then did she notice the bone token on the table, which had been nearly pulverized.

Looking at the shattered token, the old diviner's forehead broke out in a thin sheen of cold sweat. His voice carried lingering fear as he stared in the direction Gagnor had left and muttered, "Let those lunatics on Diviner's Street, who value money over their lives, earn this money..."

Diviner's Street was a long avenue in Presto Fortress. As its name suggested, the street's greatest feature was its many diviners—street-stall diviners.

When Gagnor arrived and saw more than a dozen diviners sitting on the roadside like beggars, the negative impressions of divination from both his past and present lives surged up like a tide.

This looks way too much like a scam!

Gagnor had nearly turned around and left. But since he figured there was no harm in taking a look, he still walked toward the diviners.

"Sir, I used to be a first-level mage. I was an apprentice in the Prophecy School at Ax Magic Academy. I guarantee my accuracy!" the diviners called out enthusiastically.

"I've been a diviner here for ten years. I can divine answers to any question. Absolutely reliable!"

"Sir, come have a look at mine. I..."

Gagnor walked silently past them.

Until one of them greeted him with exceptional enthusiasm. "My prices are the lowest on the whole street, and I'm just as accurate and reliable. If you don't believe me, ask them! They all admit it!"

Gagnor turned his gaze toward him and saw a thin, pale-faced man with disheveled hair. Of the dozen or so diviners, he looked the most like a beggar, yet he was also the most enthusiastic salesman.

Gagnor asked one of the diviners beside him, "Is what he said true?"

The other man looked somewhat displeased, but still nodded.

This surprised Gagnor.

Isn't it said that people in the same trade are enemies? Why is everyone from that divination parlor to these diviners so eager to send business to someone else?

Gagnor did not understand. In the end, he came before the thin man. "Can I test your abilities?"

"Of course! I love that!" the thin diviner said, weighing a silver coin in his hand. "One test question costs ten copper coins. It has to concern the past, be something whose answer is known, and not be too confidential."

Gagnor said nothing and directly handed over a handful of copper coins.

He had deliberately chosen to pay with a large handful of coins. That way, when handing them over, he could naturally touch the other man's hand.

Race: Falaroan

Level: Level 3

Status: Weakened

The level was just right, but why was this fellow in a weakened state?

A trace of doubt flashed through Gagnor's mind, but he did not think too much of it.

He immediately asked, "Tell me, is the actual height of my nose bridge greater or lesser than it appears? Is the actual thickness of my lips greater or lesser than it appears? And..."

Gagnor was not showing his true appearance. Instead, he wore an ordinary face created by Blood Disguise.

The other man was only Level 3. It was nearly impossible for him to see through Blood Disguise, so he could only rely on divination to make his judgments.

The thin diviner grinned. "So you're currently using Disguise Skill. Hmm, all these questions are simple and straightforward. Let me divine the answers!"

As he spoke, he tossed the silver coin in his hand.

The coin soon fell, landing face-up.

"Your actual nose bridge is higher than it appears." After speaking, the diviner tossed the silver coin several more times. "The actual thickness of your lips is less than it appears. Your hair is darker than it appears. Your eyes..."

He answered every question correctly, with complete accuracy.

Gagnor's impression of the diviner finally began to change.

It seems he really isn't a fraud.

The thin diviner continued weighing the silver coin in his hand. "The inspection is over. I have to say, your Disguise Skill is quite impressive... Now we should move on to the actual business, right?"

Gagnor nodded. "How do you charge for the actual business?"

"First, let me ask: what level are you?" the thin diviner asked.

"Level 3," Gagnor replied.

The thin diviner asked again, "Do you want me to bear the entire 'price of fate,' or will you bear the entire 'price of fate' yourself? Or will the two of us share it?"

"The price is different?"

"Of course it is. You have to understand, our line of work is essentially exchanging fate for money! If you bear the price of fate yourself, I only charge a five-copper-coin service fee per divination. If we share it, the price is one silver coin. If I bear it, the price is one gold coin," the thin diviner explained.

"Which option do you want?" he then asked.

Gagnor pondered for a while, then handed over a gold coin. "You bear the entire price of fate."

Seeing the gleaming gold coin, the thin diviner's eyes filled with delight.

"No problem!" He snatched the gold coin.

He felt that he had made a huge profit this time.