By the time he returned to the City in the Circle, it was already noon.

As he passed the Promotion Hall, his Perception picked up the whispers of nearby passersby.

"What happened?"

"I heard an Elder from the Promotion Hall was caught colluding with a cult."

"A cult?"

"Yeah, I heard they were colluding with the Death Church and Kumironi caught them."

"Huh?"

"Then they’re really screwed... getting caught colluding with the Death Church by the High Priest of the Life Church."

"Yeah, if it were some other heretics, the Life Church might not have even bothered, but it just had to be the Death Church..."

"Tsk tsk, so many High Level Divine Officials from the Life Church showed up, and even a Law Enforcement Officer from the Kingdom is here."

"Looks like this is going to be a big deal."

In this world, Life and Death were diametrically opposed forces, a stark contrast to his previous life, where the two were considered intertwined.

Here, Life and Death were truly at odds with one another.

The Life Church was always the first to act whenever a trace of the Death Church was discovered.

They were the most aggressive when it came to suppressing the Death Church.

And the Death Priest was the main Profession of the Death Church.

’I wonder what Kumironi must have felt when he found out I’d become a Death Priest.’

’Did the thought of sacrificing a kinsman for the greater good ever cross his mind?’

Lu Cang suddenly recalled the look in Kumironi’s eyes when he first saw him upon returning to Raine Town.

Thinking back, the emotions in that gaze had been so complex...

In front of the Promotion Hall, there were indeed many people in luxurious, emerald green robes.

They were the High Level Divine Officials of the Life Church.

Lu Cang originally wanted to go take a look.

But on second thought, he decided against it... after all, he was the one who had found that Secret Scroll.

Lu Cang didn’t want to get dragged into any more trouble.

’The less trouble, the better. There’s nothing left for me here anyway, so why go looking for excitement?’

’Besides, I can just ask Kumironi about it later.’

Lu Cang quietly slipped away from the crowd.

He took out the map of the City in the Circle from his Space and glanced at it.

The City in the Circle’s Grand Library was nearby.

’Oh, it’s that one...’

Following the map’s directions, Lu Cang soon saw a domed building.

Although the hotel had a library, it was still just a hotel library, no matter how luxurious. In terms of its collection, it could never compare to the City in the Circle’s Grand Library.

Having just advanced to Decryption Scholar, Lu Cang wanted to find some books on the subject to research.

The moment he stepped through the Grand Library’s doors, Lu Cang felt a sudden pull, a familiar presence.

Lu Cang subconsciously activated his Perception.

His Perception reached deep into the library, leaping up to the seventh floor. It followed the presence, passed through rows upon rows of bookshelves, and found a small room tucked away inside.

A desk, a lounge chair, and bookshelves piled high with books.

Reclining in the chair and reading quietly was a young woman with short, lavender hair.

Pari.

"The first thing you do after learning Perception is to peep into a girl’s room?"

Pari didn’t even look up from her book.

The moment she spoke, Lu Cang’s Perception was cut off.

The library’s layout was complex, with rows of bookshelves like a vast sea. Lu Cang looked at the winding staircase and headed up.

The room was certainly in a remote location. You had to go all the way to the seventh floor and navigate a maze of bookshelves just to find where she was staying.

He arrived at Pari’s room.

The door opened on its own without him knocking.

Lu Cang walked in. Sure enough, it was her.

"Pari, what are you doing here? Aren’t you the librarian at the hotel?"

Pari replied flatly, "That’s the night shift."

"I work here during the day."

’Are you sure you’re not doing this on purpose?’

’I feel like I run into you everywhere.’

’Besides, are you even really working as a librarian? Hiding this deep inside, it’s like you don’t want anyone to find you.’

Pari: "What, you don’t seem very happy to see me."

Lu Cang: "Of course not, Sister Pari."

Pari said in her usual monotone, "You know, a lot of people who want to see me can’t get the chance."

Lu Cang didn’t doubt that.

As a Level 6 Divination Master, her Divination abilities were enough to drive many people mad.

It was just that her asking price was far beyond what an ordinary person could afford.

Lu Cang’s gaze wandered.

After meeting Pari so many times, he felt he was at least somewhat familiar with her.

Pari raised her eyes slightly.

Immediately, a book lifted from the table and flew toward Lu Cang.

Lu Cang caught it with both hands.

"This is the book you’re looking for."

Decryption Scholar’s Guide

’It’s exactly what I needed. Having a Scholar around is convenient.’

"Pari, did we really just meet by chance?"

Pari sighed softly and closed her book. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Do you know the title for a Level 6 Divination Master?"

Lu Cang thought for a moment, then answered, "Destiny... Puppet?"

Pari and Lu Cang’s eyes met. They were both silent.

’Oh...’

’So that’s how it is.’

Truth be told, Lu Cang had never paid much attention to these titles—Magic Saint, Battle Saint Monarch, Unbreakable Guardian. He’d just glance at them and move on, considering them unimportant.

But now that Pari had reminded him, he realized just how special the Level 6 title for a Divination Master was.

"I’m not here because I wanted to see you."

"It’s because I’m supposed to be here."

"We have no choice in our lives. We can only follow the divinations of destiny."

’Hearing her say all this, he started to feel that Divination Masters were rather pitiful.’

’Can they only act according to their divinations? Once they know the future, do they lose the right to make their own decisions?’

Just as Lu Cang was starting to feel sorry for Pari’s plight,

Pari said flatly, "Just kidding."

’Iz, I finally get why you feel like strangling a Divination Master.’