Chapter 932: 382 Concrete_2

Chapter 932: Chapter 382 Concrete_2

“However, Mr. Hermes, before that, we need to confirm one thing.”

“What issue?”

“That is, regarding this guest from Mount Nysa… just to what extent can you intervene?”

…

There was no direct inquiry, but the two conversing knew well without saying.

From Laine’s perspective, the reason Hermes appeared here with Lachesis was most likely because she had originally sought his help.

Yet, for some reason, the Great Alchemist had abandoned such actions and instead took initiative on his own.

From Hermes’s perspective, the reason for his intervention here and now was also due to Lachesis’s ‘enemy’ being present.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend; should anything go awry, it’s good to have a contingency plan.

Indeed, it turned out to be true; when the Gate of Starlight could not halt the poison of fate, Hermes received a timely reminder.

He was aware of the reason for his presence, and so probably was the other party. Moreover, he knew that the other party knew, and the other party was aware that he knew they knew.

In such a situation, Hermes was quite clear it was time to demonstrate an attitude that was sufficiently resolute.

This was the helplessness of insufficient power; despite doing nothing, one must choose sides between the Fates and the Primordial Gods… But since a choice was inevitable, Hermes naturally would choose a more reliable side.

“…So, the best thing to bind fate is fate itself, and the most suitable chains to imprison her are the powers of fate itself…”

“Mr. Aiven, of course I’m aware of this, but if I could obtain her power, I wouldn’t have had to worry about this at all.”

Hermes expressed his deep-seated hatred towards the Fates, but in reality, although Hermes and Lachesis did not harbor any significant grudges.

As a ‘transmigrator’ from the Fantasy World, he never expected to get along harmoniously with the Fates.

Moreover, given their unintelligible behavior, he had to consider, if the problem could not be resolved, then the one causing the issues must be dealt with now.

However, faced with Laine’s suggestion, Hermes only felt disappointment.

If this was all, these were things he had known for a long time.

“Are you certain?”

“I think you should reconsider; there must be something closely associated with her on you.”

Laine said affirmatively after taking a sip of tea.

Hermes furrowed his brows, falling silent for a moment.

To say there was such a thing, indeed there was, but it was neither a weapon, nor did it possess the power to bind.

Previously, in an effort to weaken Lachesis’s power, Hermes had attempted to borrow the stone ruler, which the Goddess had transformed into a staff, in the tower.

Unexpectedly, after a moment of hesitation, Lachesis actually lent it to him.

So casual, so unthinking, that Hermes even suspected it to be a forgery for a while.

Later, the Divine Artifact’s indestructible nature confirmed its authenticity, forcing the Great Alchemist to accept this outcome.

But aside from Lachesis’s surprising behavior, the Divine Artifact itself was of no use to Hermes.

After all, the stone ruler measuring fate was not Atropos’s scissors that cut through fate; the fate it symbolized was its representation in certain aspects of time and space.

Even with the owner’s permission, Hermes could at best use it to measure the length of life, the breadth of an individual’s lifetime, and glance into past and future—yet it could not harm any creature.

Moreover, although Lachesis had handed the Divine Artifact to Hermes, her subjective will did not grant him the qualifications to use the Divine Artifact.

“If there is anything at all, it would only be that.”

Taking out the stone ruler and placing it in front of him, Hermes pushed it forward.

Seeing this renowned Divine Artifact, Laine nodded slightly.

Indeed, it was that.

Although it was unclear why Lachesis would let her accompanying Divine Artifact leave her side, the fact remained.

Without incurring a hefty price, just a little clever maneuvering was needed.

It can become something else in Hermes’s hands, and with this opportunity, I could also see what exactly that portal made of starlight is.

“It’s this, the medium that connects the two of you.”

“Although I don’t know why you can establish a connection with it, it does indeed exist.”

“As for its function…”

His gaze shifted as Laine looked towards the wobbly portal.

Droplets of dark water trickled down, turning into mist just before they hit the ground, wrapping themselves back into the starlight.

If anyone dared to touch it, the toxic tumor of fate would cling to them like gangrene on bones.

And if no one touched it, it would persist eternally, unceasingly.

Of course, Laine could withstand such a degree of ‘poison’; it was the consequence of his actions, and naturally, he had the capacity to bear it.

“The bearer of the broken ‘Gate’…”

There was no need for detailed explanations, Hermes understood Laine’s meaning.

His ‘Gate’ was still a falsehood, an existence in conceptual form only before the process of ‘turning the fake into real’ is genuinely begun.

Without material existence as support, it cannot sustain itself independently of Hermes.

But if it were given a support, a tangible material as a foundation stone, perhaps it could continue to exist.

Of course, what continues to exist wouldn’t be the ‘Gate of Truth’ anymore.

It might turn into a sword, a sheet of paper, an ouroboros, or even a clump of clouds.

What it ultimately becomes depends solely on the concept of the one supporting its continuation.

And its original concept might be diluted in this process.

“…”

Pondering silently, this method had its pros and cons.

Others may not understand, but as the creator of the ‘Gate of Truth’, Hermes himself knew well that concepts were not to be trifled with.

Despite him having created a flawed portal effortlessly, this did not mean he could create a second or a third one.

On the contrary, only when the first one collapses because it cannot maintain itself could he create a second identical creation in the same way.

The concept of ‘uniqueness’—simple replicas don’t work.

Once used, there would be no second.

And to turn a fake into a true ‘Gate of Truth’, to manifest the gate from nothingness into reality, one must ensure its conceptual integrity, not carelessly breaking its wholeness.

In such a case, once this flawed creation is used to make something else, even if one later has the ability to make the final step, one must incorporate this thing into the Gate of Truth.

It was for this reason that Hermes hesitated.

Is it necessary? He wasn’t sure.

But Hermes speculated that the Godhood Practitioner marked by Lachesis could definitely have other methods to suppress the Fates, just like he had imprisoned Atropos.

The opponent was an enemy, who would have countermeasures even without himself. Thus, how to handle this event ultimately fell on him.

Perhaps I should refuse…but since I have already been tainted by the power of fate, do I truly wish to let go…

“…I can’t shake it, let alone use it to support my creation.”

“Its true master isn’t me, and Lachesis didn’t hand it over to me in the name of a ‘Divine Artifact’.”

The Great Alchemist shook his head slightly, raising the issue.

However, from the words, it was not clear where his inclinations lay.

And looking at the wavering Hermes, Laine simply stretched out his hand and swiped in front of him.

“It’s alright, I have a way.”

In the next moment, a leaf as exquisite as jade appeared there, radiating wisdom and vitality to its surroundings.