That explanation had genuinely surprised Yu Lian.
He froze for half a second, then straightened up and puffed out his chest, wearing a proud expression. "Wahahahaha! As expected of me! My destiny has truly escaped the Three Realms and lies beyond the Five Elements."
"The course of history depends on the changes of the times, but it is also determined by the hands of the true children of the age. To peer into their future is to peer into the future of the world. There will certainly be a backlash," High Priest Norddos said solemnly.
For all that he was merely a grand astrologer, the head of a group of imperial government charlatans, his words had a distinctly historical-materialist flavor. Yet Yu Lian found nothing incongruous about them.
"Has anything like this happened before?" Yu Lian asked curiously.
"Twice." The High Priest looked as though he still felt a lingering fear. "Each time, it nearly cost this old man his life. This time, I made preparations in advance, and I've reached the demigod realm, after all, so I only lost money."
Yu Lian regarded him with solemn respect. "Thank you for your efforts, Your Eminence."
To be fair, if a technique cost money instead of lifespan, Yu Lian would never use it again after taking a single loss, no matter how miraculous it was. But this astrologer uncle had used it again and again. Perhaps the only word for that was dedication to a dream.
"You don't seem to care at all about the other two times," the High Priest said.
"I'm more curious about what you saw after spending a hundred million gold dragons," Yu Lian replied.
Norddos sighed. "When you peer into the destiny of an age, what you pay may not be a price. It may well