Chapter 926: 378: Request

Chapter 926: Chapter 378: Request

The next day.

Upon waking from the soft grand bed inside the high tower, Lachesis gazed at the exquisite relief on the ceiling.

Her spirit felt unusually relaxed and carefree, as if transcending time.

Since that fainting episode, not much time had actually passed, but to Lachesis, it felt endlessly long.

As the backlash of fate gradually weighed upon her, with the arrival of night and the rise of the world’s negative forces, those chaotic fates would transform into terrifying nightmares entangling the Goddess’s dreams.

Lachesis could not remember what she dreamt, but every time she woke, her body would be completely drenched in sweat.

Despite knowing that Atropos had taken on the punishment of fate for them, it was not until this moment that she realized how massive this cost truly was.

Merely a slight touch was enough to make her suffer through sleepless nights.

Compared to what Atropos had to bear, this was merely a drop in the ocean.

“Sigh…”

“…Fortunately, I found Hermes…”

With a light sigh, Lachesis got dressed simply and then stepped out the door.

Honestly, before today, the Goddess of Fate hadn’t expected Hermes to be so ‘useful’.

But now, she saw him in a new light.

Hermes, a spellcaster among humans in this era, but Lachesis knew that in the original trajectory of the world, he was meant to be a born immortal True God.

As the son of the Divine King and the messenger who replaced Zephyrus to convey Zeus’s orders, this young Deity who also presided over Commerce, Thievery, Travel, Livestock, Eloquence, and Competition held a pivotal position in the Mortal Realm.

He was supposed to leave behind numerous legends and endure through the millennia. Yet under the disordered fate, Hermes barely even had a chance to be born.

The misplacement of a True God was enough to greatly wound fate, and the trauma, in turn, exacerbated this disturbance.

Like the first domino to fall, if you cannot stabilize it in time, the cost to salvage it later becomes progressively enormous.

Thus, one can imagine how thrilled Lachesis was when she somehow discovered that Hermes had been born again.

Even though this ‘Hermes’ was a human and not a deity, the Goddess of Fate ultimately managed to use this to pacify many issues.

With this in mind, and in order to uncover the secret of realigning the fate of the God of Stars, Lachesis met him for the first time, and everything began to change.

Though she didn’t know why, the previous Lachesis had never truly endured the direct backlash of fate.

However, upon her first glance at Hermes, the Goddess felt an inexplicable closeness and comfort.

It was like seeing light in the darkness, finding water in the desert, encountering a blazing bonfire in the bitter cold, or getting nourishment when starved.

From the inside out, everything told Lachesis that the being before her was very important.

Not understanding why, but this was the reality.

Consequently, Lachesis chose to make Hermes her first human friend.

She attempted to use time to uncover its secrets… but when Lachesis met him again yesterday, she finally understood the reason for her feelings.

Since Atropos disappeared, all the backlash that had been imposed on her, all the sudden pain that descended, and all the troubling chaotic fates she inherently repelled, they all dissolved in front of Hermes.

It was like encountering an unseen truth; by simply staying near him, the scenes from Lachesis’s dreams could be realized—

Everything adhered to its destined trajectory, and all rules were predetermined.

Whether deities or mortals, there was nothing beyond order.

And the backlash she faced naturally lacked a foundation to exist.

“Perhaps this is the world’s means of self-salvation… Although it doesn’t quite make sense, it’s the only explanation.”

She shook her head slightly, not delving too deeply into the reasons, after all, fate is unpredictable, and the outcome was good.

Rather than exploring a question even Hermes himself might not know, Lachesis preferred to resolve the current predicament quickly.

Find the culprit, and then rescue her sister.

In this regard, as long as she had Hermes, Lachesis felt it shouldn’t be difficult.

…

“Cough cough…”

“So, that’s how it is, Mr. Hermes.”

Meeting once again with the master of the high tower, after casually chatting for a few moments and suppressing her inner sense of closeness, Lachesis slowly started explaining the purpose of her visit.

“Not long ago, my elder sister traveled across the continent, using her eyes to glimpse the future and guide lost mortals back onto the right path.”

“Whether for them individually or for the whole world, this action is undeniably a good deed.”

“However, in a corner of the Aigaleo Mountains, someone cruelly harmed her.”

Her voice clear and melodious, although according to the rules, revelations from fate should not be shared with others,

But just as Lachesis guessed, this iron law once again failed in front of Hermes.

Slowly recounting what she saw from the Elder Wand, the Goddess looked earnest.

And opposite her, Hermes could only agree.

“Miss Lachesis, I deeply sympathize with you and your sister’s plight.”

His expression regretful, Hermes then shifted the conversation.

“However, unfortunately, as a mere commoner, although I have achieved some success in the human domain, I dare not rashly interfere with the inscrutable fate.”

“From ancient times, whether immortal gods or renowned heroes in the Mortal Realm, countless beings have attempted to know the future and then change it according to their will.”

“Yet, despite the passage of time and the transformation of seas into mulberry fields, none have succeeded…”

“—But you are different!”

Blurting out impulsively, instinctively, Lachesis leaned forward slightly.

However, the next moment, the Goddess realized her reaction might have been too intense.

This isn’t her fault. Under the inexplicable feeling of closeness that came from nowhere, Lachesis instinctively let down her guard towards Hermes.

However, when this scene caught his eye, it immediately triggered the vigilance of the Great Alchemist.

“What’s different? Where exactly is it different?”

Hermes asked curiously at the right moment.

“As far as I know, there hasn’t ever been an exception in the face of destiny.”

“Uh…”

Hesitating slightly, Lachesis didn’t know how to explain.

But looking at Hermes’ smile, she gave up on deceiving him.

“It’s not like that, I mean… Mr. Hermes, maybe you are the one favored by destiny.”

“In my eyes, you are the one and only—the only one in this world who can help me.”

“…”

Though the smile persisted, only Hermes knew that he was almost unable to maintain it.

Listening to Lachesis’ veiled ‘threat’, a chill settled in Hermes’ heart.

Good, very good.

Though it has been a long time, he still remembered the first time he met her, this Goddess who claimed to be the ‘Northern Prophet’ came because of his experiments on the God of Stars.

Although that was an accidental event, Hermes had also considered the possibility of his identity being discovered by the gods in the Real World.

But the subsequent development changed his fixed perception of the Fates.

Firstly, the so-called purpose of her visit—Lachesis seemed to have come for the God of Stars.

Yet when they actually ‘accidentally met’, she only feigned concern for his meteor collection purpose for a moment, then immediately started to subtly probe about his origins.

What does this mean?

It couldn’t mean anything else.

He was just a person without history in this world; there was nothing about him for the gods to care about.

The only possibility was that Lachesis noticed his identity as a ‘transmigrator’.

And her subsequent actions further proved this.

First, she ignored his meteor collection entirely, even verbally expressing willingness to support his actions.

Then, she even expressed her wish to become friends with Hermes.

Reflecting deeply, Hermes felt that if he were in the gods’ place, he would definitely not invest too much effort in an ordinary mortal wizard, unless he possessed something they needed.

With that, the truth became clear.

Lachesis noticed something amiss about him and for some purpose, she did not spread this news but instead held her fire.

What she eventually wanted, perhaps, was to use him as a scapegoat when needed, like today.

Ha, what a joke.

‘Favored by destiny’, ‘one and only’—only if he were insane would he believe such nonsense.

Ignoring the literal meaning, Hermes felt he understood the implicit message in her words.

‘Favored by destiny’—Obey the words of the Goddess of Fate, and you’ll have a favorable outcome.

‘One and only’—I know the secret you’re hiding; you are the sole ‘transmigrator’ from the Fantasy World.

‘In this world, only you can help me’—Only if I keep your secret can you continue to survive in this world. Naturally, the price is your service.

A mix of coercion and temptation, soft and hard approaches.

Even compared to other gods’ directness, Lachesis put on a genuinely sincere and vulnerable facade, which would comfort anyone’s fragile heart.

Hermes questioned himself, with such tactics, anyone else would have probably already sighed and become used by Lachesis.

Unexpectedly, the Goddess of Fate was indeed so scheming—indeed, the Fantasy World is just that, fantasy.

In this current world, the Second Generation God King Cronus could suppress Mother Earth alone, and Lachesis was not as she seemed.

Compared to the Real World, the difference is simply immeasurable.

“Sigh—”

Gently exhaling, looking at Lachesis’ hopeful gaze mixed with some fondness, Hermes couldn’t help but internally praise her acting skills.

However, the question remains, should he agree to her now?

“Really, I never imagined, in your eyes, lady, I am so important.”

Shaking his head with a smile, facing Lachesis’ gaze, Hermes confidently promised:

“But I don’t know what abilities of mine caught your fancy, lady. But since it has come to this, it would be unreasonable to refuse.”

“Please tell me, what do you need me to do?”

“As long as it is within my capabilities, I will certainly do my best.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!”

Joy painted over her cheeks. At this moment, Lachesis herself did not know if she was happy because her sister might soon be rescued, or because of something else.

On the opposite side, Hermes affirmed again.

“Of course it’s true.”

“I, Hermes, never lie, I always keep my word.”

His expression earnest, the Great Alchemist spoke sincerely.

There’s no choice, you forced this.

Facing Lachesis herself was daunting enough, to even consider finding a scapegoat instead of dealing with the Goddess of Fate herself was already the best outcome.