Chapter 97: The Chosen One of Destiny
Meanwhile, Harrison Rivers' carriage came to a halt in front of the underground market in the old district. He stepped down and made his way to a tent near the market's entrance. Lifting the flap, he entered.
Inside the tent, it was extremely dark. A middle-aged woman sat in the dim light of a whale oil lamp, wearing a pointed black hat and a long black robe. She was carefully wiping a crystal ball.
If Zhou Ning were here, he would have immediately recognized this crystal ball as an unidentified mystical artifact.
Harrison Rivers sat down at the table and pushed forward a stack of banknotes.
"Here's 700 Vecktas. Same deal as before—use the crystal ball to peer into someone's past."
He paused and placed a few sheets of paper on the table. "Here's their appearance and personal information."
The woman glanced at the papers and frowned, shaking her head grimly.
"Are you trying to get me killed? Using the Leopold Crystal Ball consumes life force. Even looking into the past of a normal person costs ten days of lifespan. For someone this significant? If the information is too vast or profound, I could lose more than a year of my life. It's not worth it."
"1200 Vecktas!" Harrison said feverishly. "He's just a newly awakened Supernatural. There's no way he has any serious background. Don't be stingy with a year or two of life—once our Lord descends, you and I will both gain eternal life."
"...Fine." The woman reluctantly accepted the money and locked it in a drawer.
Then, under Harrison Rivers' intense gaze, she closed her eyes and began establishing a mental link with the crystal ball.
Inside the crystal ball, they first saw Zhou Ning's outrageously handsome face. Time then began rewinding rapidly. His casual clothes reverted to the Phoenix Battle Suit, scenes played backward—his fight with the black-robed man, returning to his classes at school...
Eventually, the vision rewound to a conversation between Zhou Ning and a man named John. Suddenly, a strange temporal singularity appeared in the image, indicating a divergence point in Zhou Ning's destiny.
For reasons she couldn't explain, the woman felt a deep sense of foreboding. Her hands on the crystal ball trembled slightly.
"This must be it! Hurry—go in and look!" Harrison Rivers clenched his fists, face full of fanaticism.
With no other choice, the woman gritted her teeth, gathered her spiritual energy, and forced entry into the temporal singularity.
The image in the crystal ball began to shift.
They could clearly see the scene jump, leaving the main plane of the Apocalypse Continent.
They saw a battle taking place—someone resembling a clown was fighting a group of metallic monsters. They also saw countless metal boxes driving on wide roads, towering skyscrapers, and in the nearby sky, an iron bird was taking off...
Three seconds later, the Leopold Crystal Ball's vision went black—this indicated the woman had entirely exhausted her ability to pay the cost.
No!
How could this be!?
The woman's face instantly turned pale.
She had always been able to easily peer into someone's past using the Leopold Crystal Ball. But the greater the leap in time and space, the greater the toll on her.
Let alone a leap as massive as today—crossing countless timelines and dimensions.
In the blink of an eye, she coughed up a massive mouthful of blood. Her vision dimmed—and in the next second, her skin shriveled and aged like withered bark.
And yet, the Leopold Crystal Ball continued to relentlessly demand its price.
"No!!"
With the last strength left in her, the woman let out a final cry. Within three seconds, her entire body turned to ash, leaving only her pointed black hat and robe lying quietly on the ground.
At that moment, even Harrison Rivers—usually calm and composed—was stunned. Though he'd known the woman would have to pay a price to peer into Wayne Sturwell's past, he never imagined it would be so horrific—her life wasn't the only thing sacrificed. Even her soul had been utterly consumed.
…
In the dormitory of Vick University, Zhou Ning was entirely unaware of what had just occurred because of him. He was still making final preparations before his next traversal.
He currently possessed a huge fortune of 2,600 Vecktas. As soon as a good template showed up, he could buy it immediately.
After the shuffle, under a pure and clear light, three cards flipped open with a swish.
The first template was yet again the Spartan Warrior Zhou Ning, which had appeared twice before. Worth 15 traversal coins. Trash. Skip.
The second template showed Zhou Ning wearing a silver-white mage robe, juggling orbs of ice, fire, and lightning.
His talents were: Legendary Mage (Gold), Elemental Sensitivity (Purple). Personality: Curious, driven, and research-oriented.
Skills: Ice Magic (Grandmaster), Lightning Magic (Grandmaster), Fire Magic (Master), Elemental Harmony (Grandmaster), Meditation (Master).
Title: Supplicant Zhou Ning. Price: 1200 traversal coins. Too average. Pass!
The third template showed Zhou Ning in gold-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, and a black business suit.
Personality: Aggressive, ambitious, greedy. Talents: Financial Genius (Purple), Business Savant (Purple), Master Negotiator (Purple).
Skills: Finance (Master), Business (Expert), Negotiation (Expert).
Title: Wall Street Predator Zhou Ning. Price: 50 traversal coins.
Honestly? None were worth picking.
[You have selected Traversal Mode One]
[Please choose three out of the following ten talents as your matching criteria]
[1. Chosen One of Destiny (Purple): You are the unique and fated Chosen One. In this world, your luck will skyrocket.]
[2. Don't Trust a Fart at 70 (White): By age seventy, don't trust a single one of your own farts.]
[3. Hardcore Madman (Blue): Your life will be full of bizarre, surreal, and extreme twists.]
[4. Yin-Yang Speaker (White): Everything you say will irritate others.]
[5. Enigma (Blue): No one knows who you are—your name, origin, everything is a mystery.]
[6. Headless Warrior (Blue): Born without a head, but your strength and combat ability far exceed the norm.]
[7. Foolish Rich Heir (Blue): You're quite wealthy in this world, but your intelligence is on the low side.]
[8. Trendy (Green): You have excellent fashion sense.]
[9. Charisma (Blue): All allies start with significantly higher affection toward you.]
[10. Divine Favor (Purple): In worlds with deities, you will receive divine blessings.]
[Please choose!]
Zhou Ning: …
This set of talents was excellent. Talents 1, 9, and 10 were all rare and valuable. Zhou Ning couldn't help but feel more confident.
As for which support slot to use this time, Zhou Ning didn't choose Tony Stark. Instead, he went with the "Grandpa-in-a-Ring" option.
[You have selected Talents 1, 9, and 10]
[Match successful. In this parallel world, you are the Chosen One of Destiny. Your luck is extraordinary; everything goes your way. You naturally attract others and seem to be favored even by the gods. You possess an antique-style ring you picked up at a street stall…]
[If you die in the simulation, the game ends.]
[Boarding the time machine… 1%... 33%... 65%... 95%... Whoosh… Traversal complete.]
[Year 127, January 5. You arrive in a small town. After observing your surroundings, you determine this place resembles medieval Europe. Following some basic body language communication, you temporarily settle in.]