Act 1: Sing for Me

[Part 1: The Church of Dionysus]

"Just two silver dollars?"

The hotel owner looked utterly incredulous.

For a moment, he seemed to think there was something wrong with his ears.

Two silver dollars? Eleven people to live in? And two donkeys? Is that even possible?

"Mmm! Mmm-hmm!" Flavia nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "Boss, we only have this much money left, but don't worry! I'll go to East Horse Port to get more money first thing tomorrow morning!"

The innkeeper was a very traditional Xiabang man, not a proper shareholder, but a high-level employee who managed the property and ran the inn on behalf of a landlord in the city, and had to follow the rules.

"Distinguished guests, I'm afraid I can't make that decision." With that, the innkeeper offered another option. "However, I know of a winery owned by traveling merchants from the Kingdom of Amitlan in East Horse Port —they are believers in the god Amon and are known for their philanthropy; perhaps they would be willing to provide you with free food and lodging."

"Such a good thing?" Meteor's face lit up with joy upon hearing this.

Captain Quack, being cautious, approached the inn counter and asked in a low voice.

How do I get to this winery?

The innkeeper was a well-traveled man and wasn't frightened by the green frog-like creature in front of him—perhaps he had seen so many demons and monsters that he regarded them all as immortals.

"My esteemed immortal, it's still early. Walk a few hundred meters down Que Mountain Street, and you'll see a low slope. There's a detached villa next to Queshan Park; that's the Church of Dionysus, and also the residence of Lady Goelia. If you're short of money or a place to stay, she's the one to go to."

Captain Quack wasn't in a hurry and continued to ask about the duchess's background.

Gloria Sebastian is from Amitlan, a noblewoman from the continent of Shambhala, and I heard that she holds a rather high title, being a hereditary marquis.

According to the hotel owner, Gloria Sebastian was beautiful and kind-hearted, and worshipped the sun god. As an ambassador for Western cultural exchange, she settled in the industrial area of East Horse Port. In order to enrich the spiritual life of the poor people, she established many cultural and entertainment industries in this industrial port, such as churches, bars, hotels, dance halls and casinos.

After Quack understood all this, he also felt it was quite reliable. After all, they came from the Nine Realms, and if they could find a marquis from the Western Continent to help them, their journey would definitely be smooth sailing.

Without further ado, Meteor once again hopped on his donkey and led his brothers out, trying to reach Que Mountain Street before midnight, lest they be too late and make it awkward to knock on Ms. Gloria's door if she had already fallen asleep.

Just before leaving, Duran was at the very back of the group. During the shipwreck, she swallowed an octopus and a tuna. Although she vomited them all up, she was still a bit dehydrated. She asked the shopkeeper for two bottles of water to buy herself a minute's rest.

As Duran was about to leave, he inadvertently noticed that the innkeeper seemed to be performing some strange ritual.

"Please, please, please!" The host from the Eastern Kingdom, dressed in traditional Xiabang attire and a long robe, waved his hands repeatedly, muttering, "Please, please arrange a few more guests for me."

Duran hid by the door, not wanting to disturb the boss, just wanting to see what was going on.

A crisp "swish--" sound rang out.

A Twenty-sided Die fell from the boss's hand and landed on the table.

It kept scrolling until the final number stopped at "5".

The boss's face turned gloomy and depressed. He turned off the lights in the hotel lobby early, and the receptionist, who hadn't been on duty at night, hurriedly came out to close the door.

Duran quickly caught up with the group, avoiding the boss's gaze, feeling a sense of unease.

Those weren't ordinary dice; they emitted a faint psionic energy fluctuation.

--It is a spirit die with special divination abilities!

Even from a distance, you could still hear the hotel owner's complaints and grumbles.

"I just finished dinner, my investment was a complete failure, and this is all the poor bastards who show up. I have to bow and scrape and serve them tea and water. What damn bad luck! It's only a little past eight o'clock, and judging by this result, I won't be able to make a single deal tonight!"

It was only then that Duran began to understand what was going on. This boss seemed to possess divination abilities, very similar to the [Timeline] ability. The Little Brotherhood had once been a Religious order obsessed with divination rituals, able to change their own fate through this kind of psychic power.

She didn't think too much about it and followed the crew to Que Mountain Street.

After climbing a low slope for several hundred meters, following the hotel owner's directions, the lights of the East Horse Port Industrial Zone came closer and closer, and the bustling street scenes of the surrounding area within a radius of ten kilometers could be seen in their entirety.

The villa appears to be located in the city center, but it requires a detour through mountain roads and a half-hour walk along a secluded asphalt road through a dense coniferous forest. Once you reach the outside of the secluded estate, you'll find a sturdy iron gate and a towering stone wall.

At this moment, Flavia's heart suddenly began to pound—

--Lady Goelia's estate is far too large.

Judging from the walls surrounding the villa area, it has a cricket ground, a garden of nearly 1,000 square meters, and the distance from the central courtyard and front yard to the main building is more than 400 meters. The roads and countertops along the way are paved with marble. Even though it was late at night, there were still servants doing gardening in the flowerbeds.

"What a magnificent church."

Even from several hundred meters away, Flavia could see the brightly lit reception hall, the crystal chandeliers in the church, and the statue of the goddess Amon —a goddess of abundance wearing a veil and a crown of wheat ears, the stone sculpture standing more than six meters tall in front of the church porch.

Seeing Flavia, Meteor seemed a little intimidated, but he wasn't shy at all. He went to the iron gate and pulled the cord, immediately triggering a sharp and piercing electric bell.

A clattering and clanging noise arose, and immediately a smartly dressed young waiter rushed out.

-- He was a young man who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a tailored suit. You could tell at a glance that he was of Amitlan descent. He had three-dimensional features, pale skin, brown eyes, and a face full of enthusiastic smiles.

"Guests! We've kept you waiting! Where have you come from?"

Meteor wanted to use her wits a little, trying to hide her true intentions and unwilling to tell the truth.

The familiar psionic reaction is back!

At this moment, Duran finally became alert, and in an instant she heard two or three clattering sounds of dice hitting the ground.

What does this sound mean? What happened?

Before she could think for a moment or consider for a second, he didn't give her a chance to think it over.

The nameless General of Tears seemed to be under a spell, telling the waiter about his origins and revealing all the truths.

"I'm from Eureka Volcano City, and this is my captain, his name is Quack! Originally, we planned to take the Nostalgia to East Malaysia for a ride, giving the two ladies a sightseeing trip, and then transfer to Pier No. 2 in Xiantai Prefecture —but unfortunately, we ran into a storm."

Upon hearing Shooting Star's plight, the waiter's face showed regret and pity. "That's terrible. My name is Sirius Parker, and I'm Gloria's butler."

Meteor readily agreed, "Ah! You look so young!"

"Hey! What are you saying? My business skills aren't bad, otherwise why would I be here with you guys at this hour? The moment the doorbell rings—I fly over!" Sirius changed the subject, immediately pushing aside Meteor and asking Duran and Flavia, "What kind of business do you two ladies do?"

At that moment, Duran heard that eerie dice sound again!

She tried to grab Cici, but it was no use. It seemed that something separated her from Cici the moment the dice hit the ground!

It's as if the whole world has turned gray, leaving only Sirius Parker in front of us with color!

She could only speak to this man, and could only respond to this one person!

Looking at Sirius Parker's eyes again, a hint of impatience flashed across the young and handsome butler's eyes, before he went from being anxious and depressed back to being calm and composed.

"If it's inconvenient to discuss this, that's fine too. The Church of Dionysus welcomes lost sheep. We believe in mutual support and will not neglect any guest. The door to convenience is right here."

Mr. Sirius bowed slightly, making way for the crowd.

Flavia felt a little embarrassed—the butler was being far too polite—so she explained the purpose of her visit.

"Mr. Parker, I am the owner of the Fairy Tale Kingdom. We are a candy company located on the other side of the ocean."

Sirius smiled and said, "Ah! I see?"

Flavia continued, "If it weren't for this shipwreck, there would have been so many sweets on board to take to the children of Xiantai Prefecture! But..."

"What a pity." Sirius's smile deepened, a mixture of regret and sympathy in his expression.

Flavia politely added, "Don't worry! My crew and I will only stay one night! If Ms. Gloria could be so kind as to let us stay a few more nights, I'll make candy! We can exchange that candy for money and then donate it to the church! What do you say?"

Sirius chuckled softly, "Hehehe, your kindness will surely be passed on to others, helping those poor people escape their misery."

[Part ②: The Dealer Who Controls Fate]

Duran never heard that eerie dice sound again.

--She was a very sensitive person and would never miss such a clue. Following the group to the reception hall, when it was time to change shoes, hats and take off her coat.

She found the General of Tears alone and asked him in a low voice.

"Bu Liuxing"

Meteor placed his wet coat beside the long table, and a maid carried it to the laundry room. In that small, relatively private space, he immediately turned and moved closer to Duran, responding, "Hmm?"

"The nameless General of Tears," Duran wondered, unsure if he was hallucinating. "Has this journey been too smooth?"

Bu Liuxing: "I don't understand, Ms. Duran, what are you talking about?"

"After passing the post station, on the way from the inn to the reception hall of the Church of Dionysus, did you hear a strange sound, like the sound of dice hitting the ground?"

"Uh..." Meteor's Inspiration was very sharp, but at the same time, his ability to resist interference was also very poor. He was already accompanied by Duran and Flavia, two blood-bearing units. He could feel the abnormal spiritual pressure of the Black Serpent and the White Snake, as well as the hybrid spiritual pressure of Captain Quack —they were mixed together, like a noisy rhapsody. As for other things, he paid no attention to them at all, as faint as the sound of dice hitting the ground.

"Sirius Parker questioned you just now, and he only said a little bit, but you said so much." Duran was almost whispering in Meteor's ear, her wheat-colored skin trembling with cold sweat, her chin resting on Meteor's cheek. "I don't understand. I don't understand. At that moment, I even doubted—were you really the General of Tears? Did you really go on the six-year expedition with the gunsmith? Infiltrated enemy territory as the vanguard? In that environment, were you like that too? Answering whatever the civilians asked?"

Meteor only came to her senses slightly when Duran started talking about these things.

He tensed up, and beads of cold sweat the size of soybeans seeped from his forehead. His heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave!

That seems to be the case! Without realizing it, I'd blurted everything out?!

Why is this happening?! Why?!

"As soon as the butler spoke, I... I..."

Meteor's teeth chattered, she gnawed at her fingernails, and a sense of tension began to creep into her heart.

"I just felt this guy was really friendly, like we could talk about anything. I... I don't know! I don't know what that dice sound you were talking about was?"

"Was I mind-controlled? Just now? But why didn't I feel any spiritual pressure?"

Right now, at this very moment.

Sirius, the butler, hurried in from the pantry, carrying a large tray with fresh fruit and warming ginger tea.

"Guests! I've kept you waiting! How about changing out of your wet clothes and gathering in the Banquet Hall? Gloria has heard the stories of the two young ladies and is very interested in independent and strong women—she specifically asked me to prepare some gifts for you. If you would do me the honor of joining us."

"What do we do!" Duran muttered nervously, "Sir Knight! Cici said that as long as you're here, we're not afraid of anything bad. Now it seems like we've walked right into a wolf's den!"

Meteor immediately replied, "Don't worry! I'll go with you."

Flavia changed her clothes in the women's changing room, then skipped out in a loose nightgown. The feeling of a hot bath was wonderful—on the Nostalgia, she could only bathe once every seven days.

Seeing Meteor and Duran together, she immediately called out.

"Hey! Why are you sticking so close to my assistant!"

Sirius Parker turned to Flavia, bowed slightly, offered her the fruit platter, and in the instant he opened his mouth to ask a question—

--The sound of dice rolling rang out again.

This time, Captain Quack was far away, able to ignore the noise and remove the irrelevant spiritual pressure.

The shooting star heard it too!

"Ms. Flavia Cici Marcus, on behalf of Lady Goelia, I cordially invite you to a gathering in the Banquet Hall. As the hosts of the Church of Dionysus, we have prepared a small gift for you."

The moment the sound of the dice completely disappeared, a strange smile appeared on Mr. Parker's lips.

He was in high spirits and full of confidence, as if he had everything under control.

Flavia answered immediately without hesitation.

"OK!"

[Real Name: Gloria Sebastian]

[Soulway: Sing for Me]

[Destructive power:???]

[Speed:???]

[Range: Beyond Specification (Blessed by Elixir)]

[Endurance: Beyond Specifications (Blessed by Elixir)]

[Precision:???]

[Growth Potential:???]

[Origin:???]

[Special Ability ① Twenty-sided Die: [Sing For Me] grants mortals extraordinary luck. After obtaining this Twenty-sided Die, every aspect of daily life—clothing, food, shelter, and transportation—will be influenced by it—this is a powerful mental force. Every trivial, discontinuous, independent event can be decided by this small die.]

[Derivative Ability ① Great Success: When Twenty-sided Die rolls a 20, an incredible miracle occurs. The current independent event will disregard existing attributes, and everything will develop in a very positive direction.]

[Derivative Ability ② - Grand Failure: When a 1 is rolled on a Twenty-sided Die, it generates an extremely terrifying calamity. No matter what stage the current independent event is at, everything will develop in the worst possible direction.]

[Derivative Ability ③ - One More Round: Gloria Sebastian is a cheater; if the dice don't go her way, she can roll them again, but only once.]