"Finally back. From the look of you, you probably didn't save your companion."
Within the Abyss Archives, the Titan King looked at Richard with an expression that said, "Just as I expected."
"It seemed you had already made your own deductions."
With a wave of the Titan King's hand, two chairs appeared in the archives. He pointed at one of them, his tone utterly calm.
"If you often explored fate, you would discover something. Whenever you realized something could still be salvaged, it was usually already too late.
I called this fate's mockery. And when that mockery was magnified to the scale of a civilization, we called it the tide of history."
Richard sat down, his expression truly unpleasant.
"That doesn't sound very good. Was fate some mischievous child? Cruel and naive."
"That's a good metaphor." A flicker of surprise appeared on the Titan King's face as he took his seat. "Cruel and naive—that is a fine metaphor.
But fate was indeed like that. If it truly had a physical form, it would surely be exactly as you described."
The two looked at each other.
Four eyes met six.
The air suddenly fell silent.
"Don't you want to ask what I left for you?" the Titan King slowly asked.
"Even if I don't ask, you'll tell me."
"What if I don't?"
"Then I'll leave."
A flash of boredom crossed the Titan King's face.
"Your temperament really isn't likable."
With a casual gesture, the surrounding archive cabinets automatically opened, and an enormous stone stele flew out from within.
The stele continually shrank in midair until it became palm-sized, looking like a stone tablet.
The tablet stopped before Richard, and the Titan King's voice came from behind it.
"This is the Titan's Body Cultivation Method, a version I perfected after my advancement.