After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 140 - 35: Free Soul, Unfree Reality_2

"Survived," the white-bearded dwarf stood up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, then swiftly ran into the forge, hastily packing up to make a getaway.

This place was no longer safe.

...

...

Magic Castle.

The Great Library.

Setting down a steaming cup of tea, Hecate placed the book in her hand onto the table and looked towards her approaching apprentice, her pretty face revealing a tender smile.

She motioned with her hand.

"Apprentice, take a seat," she said.

"Teacher, did you foresee that I would come?" Xi Mu pulled out a chair and sat down next to Hecate.

On the table lay two cups of warm red tea and some pastries, clearly prepared with forethought; otherwise, there wouldn’t be only two cups of hot tea prepared.

"Do you want to learn?" Hecate chuckled lightly, "I have now compiled the Fate Prayer."

Xi Mu replied promptly, "Of course, I want to learn."

Hecate nodded in satisfaction, her own apprentice had been using the Witch of Death’s prayer day in, day out, without utilizing anything she taught.

What did that say about her qualifications as a teacher?

"Let’s talk about something that concerns you," she said as she conjured up a map out of thin air and handed it to Xi Mu, "There are marks on the map showing the All-Knowing Saintess and the location of the Hundred Eyes Tower."

Xi Mu unfolded the map and saw a marker moving across it, tracking the All-Known Saintess’ movements.

What he held was no ordinary map.

It was the Scroll of Destiny crafted specifically by teacher Hecate, which is why it could mark the trajectory of the All-Knowing Saintess so clearly.

"The All-Knowing Saintess is neither human, nor divine, nor a witch," Hecate sipped her tea and began to divulge information about the All-Knowing Saintess.

"She is a puppet created by the God of Omniscience, to observe the world from a human perspective, and to convey a human-based view of the world to the God of Omniscience."

"If the God of Omniscience knows everything already, why would they need a puppet to see the world on their behalf?" Xi Mu asked, puzzled.

To this, Hecate explained, "Your saintess of the Dusk Cult, after retrieving her eyes, will also assume the same responsibility as the All-Knowing Saintess, to see the world on behalf of Ragnarok."

She explained further.

"Ragnarok symbolizes the end of all things, also signifying that Ragnarok provides the final answer to all questions and is theoretically all-knowing. They wouldn’t need saintesses to see the world through their eyes either," she said.

Xi Mu seemed to fall into contemplation.

"My apprentice, every thing has an answer and an end," Hecate provided the solution, "just as people know they will ultimately die, aware that their lives are dull and uneventful."

A gentle smile played on her face.

"But people bestow meaning upon themselves, a meaning purely their own. Whether it’s Ragnarok or the God of Omniscience, they wish to grasp that self-imposed significance."

"And if they wish to understand it, they need to narrow their perspective to the human scale, to view the world through human eyes, so that they might comprehend these meanings," she continued.

At this point, she gave an example.

"Like a priceless painting, to most it’s simply beautiful, yet they can’t comprehend why it’s so valuable. But if someone explained the historical significance behind the painting, wouldn’t its value change?" she posed.

"This bestowed significance stems from the free souls of people, from unbridled thought. They seek to understand the meanings that humans ascribe to the world."

Xi Mu countered, "If human souls are free, teacher, then how can you predict fate so accurately?"

"Because even free souls can be constrained," Hecate replied calmly, "Every free soul, when faced with the harsh reality, becomes less free, and thus, fate can be predicted."

"..."

Xi Mu nodded, remaining silent.

In the game Mysterious Gate, there really is a setting that "every soul is free." However, in reality, every NPC must conform to the underlying logic designed by the game, and accordingly, each NPC, due to their own stance, will take similar actions.

It’s like going to work every day for three meals a day, and as long as you engage in monotonous work, no matter whether you like it or not, your behavior can at least be predicted.

What time to leave the house in the morning.

What time to eat lunch at noon.

How late to work overtime in the evening.

Any free soul will succumb to this cold reality, thereby acquiring a destiny that can be predicted.

"Apprentice, if one day you can make destiny free," Hecate said, "your master will be very happy."

After she became the Destiny Witch, what she got was not the joy of controlling everything, but boredom, this world... boring enough to make one want to fall asleep.

But her character wasn’t one to submit to reality; seeing that the world was beginning to get boring, she would figure out a way to make it interesting.

And to achieve this difficult goal, one must kill the God of Omniscience.

"I’ll try my best," Xi Mu tugged at the corner of his mouth. He could set this world ablaze with a single fire, would that count as freeing everyone from the bonds of fate?

Hecate nodded at his words, seemingly not wanting to delve deeper into the topic, but instead began to confirm her apprentice’s learning progress over the past few days.

After confirming that Xi Mu wasn’t slacking off, she taught him the Fate Prayer she had developed.

Reflection of a myriad of stars.

This was the prayer created by the Destiny Witch. Its essence was to borrow the power of the Destiny Witch to perceive the trajectory of fate.

It was extremely high-end and very powerful, but for players who had been through the game multiple times, it was basically useless. After all, the veterans had a deep understanding of everything in the game, and their instincts were faster than their thoughts.

By the time the divination was complete, the boss would have already been soloed by the player.

"You’ve learned so well, your master should give you a reward," Hecate was very satisfied with her apprentice’s Talent and progress.

She then produced two scrolls.

"Apprentice, choose one as a reward. The scroll in the right hand contains the correctly interpreted dragon magic, which can help you solve the problem of burning life," she said.

"And the scroll in the left hand contains magic that relies on the movement of the stars."

Xi Mu unhesitatingly chose the scroll in the left hand; to him, a spell for instantaneous movement could greatly improve his adaptability in battle.

He didn’t care about lifespan.

"Apprentice, don’t you want the dragon magic?" Hecate seemed surprised, looking at Xi Mu as if she was reproving him for not cherishing his life.

To this, Xi Mu replied confidently, "Even if I didn’t choose it, would you really not give it to me, Teacher?"

He asserted this.

"Teacher, you certainly wouldn’t bear to see me die."

"Hehe~ my destiny has been predicted by my apprentice," Hecate laughed happily, her ample chest quivering with her laughter.

"Take it, these are both gifts I prepared for you." She happily handed both scrolls to Xi Mu.

Originally, both magic scrolls were meant for Xi Mu. She just wanted her little apprentice to struggle with the choice between the two before giving out the other scroll, to give her little apprentice a little surprise.

But things didn’t turn out quite as she expected, and instead, it was her little apprentice who gave her a surprise.

"Since the Teacher has correctly interpreted the Dragon King, then Siegfried shouldn’t have to transform into an evil dragon, right?" Xi Mu asked while examining the scroll of dragon magic, while also posing a question to his teacher, Hecate, at his side.

Hecate shook her head and explained.

"Even the correctly interpreted Dragon King cannot change his destiny of becoming an evil dragon; he will turn into... the Dragon King amidst the collapse of Sky City."

Xi Mu asked, "Is this the destiny you foresaw, Teacher?"

"It’s the destiny he chose himself," Hecate replied calmly, "Siegfried is waiting for you to become strong enough to protect his daughter."