Chapter 97: Everything Is the Fault of Fate

Three days after the martial arts exhibition, an unexpected guest arrived. Upon seeing the visitor, Lin Ke immediately took him alone into the house and asked, “Miss Star Night, what brings you here?”

The person before him was Star Night, the maid from the Skarlet master-servant pair who had left Qinkeo Town nearly four months earlier. Hearing Lin Ke’s words, she replied respectfully, “Bishop Neil, it is like this. More than a month ago, the young lady suddenly sensed that the Fate Blessing placed here had mutated and was no longer under her control, expanding infinitely. Under the influence of this power, the fate of the entire Auriel Continent has begun to falter. The temporal and spatial rifts that have appeared everywhere during this period are the result of that uncontrolled fate force. The young lady has asked me to inquire whether you know what has occurred.”

Lin Ke, of course, understood exactly what had happened. It was something he had orchestrated himself, yet he could not admit to it. Doing so would invite unknown consequences from the other party. He therefore feigned surprise and asked, “The Fate Blessing left behind by Miss Remilia has gone out of control? How could this have happened? Are the temporal and spatial rifts the result of Miss Remilia’s fate power running amok?”

Star Night nodded. “Indeed. That power has turned uncontrollably. It seems you are unaware of the details. Please exercise caution, Bishop Neil. The young lady believes this was the work of some exceedingly powerful being. Although I do not know the motive behind the act, interfering with and reinforcing the young lady’s fate at least requires the strength of an ancient saint, or perhaps some special ability capable of influencing destiny. That said, if you uncover any clues, I would be grateful if you would share them with me. The young lady suffered a backlash from the person who tampered with fate, leaving her body severely weakened and requiring a long time to recover. I will not rest until I have settled the score with that detestable villain.”

As she spoke, Star Night released a chilling killing intent that made Lin Ke shudder. He dared not confess to the deed and quickly assured her, “Rest assured. If I learn anything, I will tell you at once.”

He then deliberately changed the subject. “Speaking of which, if that unknown powerful existence truly possesses such formidable strength, would you be his match?”

Star Night withdrew her killing aura. “Should it be an ancient saint, I fear I would stand no chance. But if it relies merely on some special ability, I still have a chance of victory. Even against a saint, I would not fear them.”

Lin Ke studied her in surprise. According to this, Star Night possessed strength rivaling that of a saint. Was she herself a saint?

“Saint?” she answered. “No, I am not. In the eyes of mortals, I am a saintess.”

“Saintess? A legendary figure surpassing the nine ranks, comparable to the gods themselves?”

Star Night shook her head. “Surpassing the nine ranks is true, but the notion of equaling the gods is merely a mortal misconception. In this world, there is only one true god. All others, even ancient saints, are merely powerful beings created by the gods.” She fixed her gaze upon Lin Ke. “Bishop Neil, your talent is extraordinary, and the fate you possess is one the young lady cannot see through. Perhaps in the near future you will step into my realm. Only by entering that domain will you truly understand many things. As for the present, there are many matters you need not concern yourself with, for they would serve no benefit.”

“Uh… all right. I understand. Thank you for the information.”

“No need for thanks. You are the key to saving the second young lady, and the person the young lady values most. Assisting you is only what I ought to do.” Star Night paused, then added, “By the way, Bishop Neil, if you do not know how the fate has gone out of control, you must take care. For it seems all this fate revolves around you. Although the primary effects of the fate force have been fully consumed, residual power may still exert some influence—whether beneficial or harmful. You will need to remain vigilant.”

Lin Ke’s curiosity was piqued. “Could you elaborate on the specifics?”

Star Night shook her head. “Even the young lady cannot foresee the full details. She only mentioned that these influences will carry a distinct story-like quality. For instance, your enemies might obtain a powerful treasure and come seeking you out, or at a critical moment long-lost relatives and friends might return bearing formidable or even magical powers to aid you greatly.”

Lin Ke’s mind raced. *This sounds exactly like Lebron-Anthony arriving with temporal rifts and overwhelming strength to exact revenge, only for the sister-in-law to arrive at the decisive moment and turn the tide. Is this also an influence of fate power? And “story-like” surely means the unfolding of some rather melodramatic events. These past few days have indeed been rather dramatic…*

He asked, “Miss Star Night, has your young lady told you how long this fate influence will last?”

“The young lady said it will probably continue for two or three months. The exact duration depends on the magnitude of the influence. The more frequent and stronger the effects, the shorter the duration. Once the fate power is completely exhausted, the influence will vanish.”

“Oh… that’s good.” Lin Ke breathed a sigh of relief. He had no desire for such melodramatic consequences.

Star Night seemed uninterested in pursuing the matter further. “After the fate went out of control, the fate lines of the entire Auriel Continent and even the entire world were disrupted. Although the main effects have ended, it is impossible for the disrupted fate to recover. In the future, events involving you and the Father God Church will be beyond her foresight, and other methods of seeing the future will fail as well. The young lady only hopes that no matter what transpires, you do not forget the agreement you made with her.”

Lin Ke immediately assured her that he would not forget. In truth, he had orchestrated much of it himself, forcing Remilia—who had kindly offered the fate blessing—to bear the punishment for his meddling with destiny. He could not possibly forget such a debt, whether out of gratitude or principle. If he had previously contemplated waiting until he obtained the blood of an ancient saint before deciding his next course, he would now think differently, for his duty was to compensate Remilia.

Though Lin Ke was a consummate liar, he was also a man of his word. When he owed an obligation, he always repaid it.

Yet Star Night’s revelation that fate and the future could no longer be foreseen filled him with quiet delight. The thought of these saintly beings seeming to know everything gnawed at him, leaving him with a sense of being toyed with. Now even Remilia, who could command fate itself, could no longer foresee the future of the Father God Church. At last, he could vent the dissatisfaction that had been building inside him.

Star Night then offered another piece of advice, or rather an opinion.

“Bishop Neil, do you know an information broker named Frank Reinhardt Hughes? The young lady asked me to relay this to you: although the broker is rather irritating, his intelligence is infallible. Should you ever face an intractable problem, you may purchase information from him. Anything he knows, he may tell you, provided you meet his price. That said, while you may buy from this broker, it would be wise to avoid too much contact with him. For you and the Father God Church at present, he is far too dangerous.”

Star Night had refrained from revealing Frank’s true identity, but Lin Ke had long since deduced it and saw no need to press the matter. He nodded and made a mental note to consider seeking out the broker should the need arise.

After clarifying the young lady’s instructions, Star Night prepared to depart. Lin Ke tried to persuade her to rest for a day before leaving, but she insisted that the young lady’s injury had left the household unable to manage without her and that she must return at once.

Seeing that her mind was made up, Lin Ke offered no further resistance. He watched as Star Night shot into the sky at a terrifying speed, the sight leaving him speechless. Her velocity was like comparing a sparrow to an airplane—entirely beyond his comprehension.

That graceful figure also stirred an envious longing within him. He silently warned himself that unless truly necessary, he must never again dabble with the power of fate. The stuff was too treacherous, and it rebounded upon its user. The cost of his previous indiscretion had been borne by Remilia; who knew what the next backlash might bring, or whether he could withstand it should it fall upon him.

Two days later, on September 24th, the Father God Church marked a day that was neither grand nor small: the birthday of Lin Ke and Ailiya.

The two were not born on the same day, yet their birthdays fell only two days apart, so they had always celebrated together. Today was no exception.

However, with the temporal and spatial rifts ravaging every region and Qinkeo Town still in the midst of reconstruction, Lin Ke and Ailiya decided against a lavish celebration. They contented themselves with a simple gathering alongside the faithful. The townsfolk were unaware that their revered bishop had aged one year until long afterward, when they learned of it and praised him ever more fervently for his selfless devotion to the people.

Though Lin Ke himself did not celebrate his birthday, the gifts he received were many. Besides the blessings of the faithful, the system bestowed a pleasant surprise.

[Ding. Congratulations, host. You have reached the age of seventeen. Birthday reward matching commencing… Matching complete. Congratulations, host. You have obtained the reinforcement reward for existing items. The intermediate-level divine skill *Nine Suns Divine Art*, first six levels, has been reinforced to the complete edition. The primary item, the primary magic core, has been reinforced to the intermediate item, the intermediate magic core.]

At midnight, twelve o’clock, the system delivered this message. Lin Ke, who had been preparing to sleep, found himself suddenly wide awake. He promptly instructed the system to present the rewards.

The next moment, the complete *Nine Suns Divine Art* manual and the intermediate magic core materialized before him. Without hesitation, he absorbed the divine skill and fused the magic core into his body.

His strength surged. His inner energy multiplied by four, while his mana expanded tenfold. Both offense and defense reached a realm of extreme power.