Chapter 307: Stealing Fate

Chapter 307: Stealing Fate

It had to protest! Even if it was Miss Sharon who said those words, it would argue its case vigorously. After all, it was the master's most loyal writing instrument, not some ominous object bringing misfortune.

Hastur walked over and flicked the top of the pen case with his right index finger, knocking it back onto the desk. "If you keep making a fuss, I really will give you to that obsessive person."

008 immediately quieted down, as assessing the situation had always been its strong suit. However, it still trembled slightly, as if expressing its grievances.

Hastur sat down at the desk and took out a sheet of paper. Instead of opening the pen case containing 008, he picked up an ordinary quill and leisurely began practicing his handwriting.

At first, 008 could tolerate being ignored, but after a while, seeing that Hastur truly had no intention of acknowledging it, it started bouncing around again, desperate to cover a blank sheet of paper with its fiery writing.

Unfortunately, Hastur continued to pay it no attention. 

After finishing a sheet of paper, he glanced at the time - it was past eleven. He yawned, got up, and left the study, leaving behind the constantly bouncing 008.

...

Late at night, on the streets of Puning Port, an elderly gentleman with silver-white hair, dressed in a neat black suit and wearing round-framed glasses and a silk top hat, was slowly passing by the entrance of an inn.

Just as he reached the main door of the inn, the old man stopped, removed his silk top hat with his right hand, and gave a slow bow to Madam Lisa, who had suddenly appeared before him.

"Respected madam, I meant no offense. I was merely passing by and, having some connection with the Church of the Goddess of Night, thought to lend a hand to those lost children. I hope you don't mind."

Madam Lisa simply watched his performance silently. When he finished, she spoke calmly: "Dreamweaver, walking the world with a projection, weaving the dreams of countless living beings - such transcendent abilities make you like a god in dreams, but they have also made you completely lose your reverence for other extraordinary individuals."

The old man merely smiled and said, "Dreams are like life, and life is like a dream. Even death is but a deep sleep. When we open our eyes at dawn, everything is as it was yesterday, and life remains just as wonderful."

Madam Lisa shook her head and sighed, "Ignorance breeds fearlessness. If you were a Sequence 2 Observer, you would have only one thought right now - to flee this place desperately, before fate catches up with you."

The old man frowned slightly and carefully examined Madam Lisa before him, but he still couldn't see through her completely.

"Your second mistake was choosing to chat with me here," Madam Lisa said.

The old man didn't quite understand her words, but an inexplicable fear began to spread in his heart.

"Respected madam, it's very late now. Perhaps we can meet again another time if the opportunity arises."

The old man's figure shattered like a string of bubbles and then disappeared.

Madam Lisa murmured, "To kill or not to kill... The Divine Emissary doesn't seem to like too much bloodshed here... I'll just give him an unforgettable lesson."

In a small town outside Puning Harbor, the old man walked out of an alley. Seeing that no one was following him, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Earlier, he had felt intense fear from that old lady, a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long time.

"It's better to be cautious."

The old man changed his appearance: he became shorter, his silver hair turned black and white, he put away his round glasses, a finger-width scar appeared on his left cheek, sparse beard grew on his chin, and he held a silver-edged water ebony cane.

He looked twenty years younger and his demeanor was completely different from before.

He had many identities: he was Barros Hopkins, one of the four Pirate Kings known as the Black Throne; he was also Eric Drake, a renowned hermit of the Sunia Sea; and he was the former dean of Beckland Medical College and a royal medical advisor.

He had so many identities that sometimes he even forgot them himself.

A dream weaver, weaving dreams, and also capable of weaving his own.

In dreams, he could be anyone.

"I really wonder which organization that old lady belongs to."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

The old man's steps halted after just a few steps, his face darkened, and his previously relaxed mood was now clouded.

Because the inexplicable voice had come from his own mind.

Moreover, the voice was very familiar—it was the old lady he had just met.

Suppressing his shock, the old man clapped and laughed, "What a marvelous trick, even I didn't notice it at first. Tonight has truly been an eye-opener."

"Does this surprise you? You are still too young."

The old man's eyes flickered, his voice turning colder, "I told you I had no intention of interfering in your affairs, I was just passing by."

"The first time, I let you go, but you didn't leave and kept lingering nearby. If you like meddling, you have to pay a price."

"Heh, this is just one of my avatars."

"Who said this is your avatar?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the old man felt he had completely lost control of his body. His consciousness condensed into a small point of light, imprisoned in a dark, lightless world.

Only then did he realize that this time he had kicked an iron plate.

"Barros Hopkins, Eric Drake, royal medical advisor... Pauli Derlau... You do have many identities."

As his identities were revealed one by one, the old man's heart sank completely.

He tried to end the life of this avatar but found that he was now just a passerby, unable to affect this body at all.

The old lady, whom he had only met once, was now the true master of his avatar.

The old man asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you?"

"Isn't it too late to ask that now?"

"What do you want to do with my body?"

"Eden seems like a nice place to visit."

"Heh, even if you take over my avatar, you can't enter Eden!"

"Your avatar? Sigh, you still don't understand what you've lost."

Lady Lisa sighed, closed the eyes of the avatar, and entered the collective subconscious world.

Eden existed within it.

Finding Eden in the collective subconscious was extremely difficult.

But for this avatar, its true body was slumbering deep within Eden.

Pauli Derlau, his true identity was the current president of the Psychological Alchemy Society.

He considered Eden an absolutely safe place, so when he traveled, he left his true body deep in Eden, while his avatars roamed outside like bubbles—if they shattered, it didn't matter, it wouldn't affect his true body.

But now, he finally felt the suffocating sensation of having his fate gripped by someone else.

Eden had been opened, by someone who had taken over his avatar!

She even reached the place where his true body was stored without any obstacles. Along the way, the council members she encountered didn't see through her disguise and treated her as him!

She even stopped to chat with a friend he had a good relationship with, sharing recent adventures.

His friend didn't realize the soul inside the avatar had changed; everyone naturally treated her as him.

His fate had been replaced!

No, more accurately, the fate of this avatar had been stolen!

Pauli Derlau felt particularly heavy-hearted. Since the other party could steal the fate of this avatar, they could do the same to his true body!

In this way, he would completely lose his fate, his identity, everything would be taken over by someone else!

If he could still sweat, he would be drenched by now.

Had he known he would provoke such a terrifying existence, he should have stayed far away from Puning Harbor after landing!

Instead of relying on his dream weaver's special abilities to meddle in affairs.

Regret?

Such emotions were superfluous in the extraordinary world.

"Sigh..."

Pauli Derlau sighed heavily, closing his eyes to await his fate.

Deep in Eden, the avatar had already met the true body.

A part of the true body's consciousness awakened from its slumber, looking at the suddenly returned avatar in surprise.

According to the schedule, it wasn't time for this avatar to return yet. Had it encountered some unsolvable problem?

"Why did you come back suddenly?"

"This is a warning for you."

The true body was bewildered. What was this?

Was the avatar rebelling?

"Some dreams, once shattered, are lost forever, never to be reborn the next day."

Leaving these final words, Lady Lisa left Pauli Derlau's avatar, returning control to him.

Of course, since she was already there, she took three of Pauli Derlau's identities and left a backdoor in his true body for future convenience.

Regaining control of the avatar, Pauli Derlau remained silent for a long time before sighing, "One must pay the price for their choices, even if the price is steep."

After regaining control, he knew he had lost something, but he couldn't remember what it was.

What was lost was lost forever, never to return.

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