Anbaixiu had never once considered using this soul fragment to resurrect Mister Misfortune, because it was simply impossible.
Leaving aside the fact that the soul fragment retained none of its original memories and bore almost no connection to Mister Misfortune anymore, forcibly repairing it would merely yield another Simulated Soul.
And to make this soul fragment regenerate on its own would be tantamount to reversing the fate in which Mister Misfortune had sacrificed himself, altering everything that had already transpired. That was no different from dropping one's pants and taking a shit right in front of the Goddess of Fate—sheer suicidal folly.
Yet now, this soul fragment had actually "grown."
Harvey certainly didn't know how to weave a soul. This thing had grown entirely on its own, which meant there had been a turn in Mister Misfortune's fate.
This was no longer just peeking up the Goddess of Fate's skirt; this was practically pinning Her to the bed and ravishing Her. How had Harvey not had his head slapped clean off his shoulders?
In utter shock, Anbaixiu asked, "Harvey, what on earth did you do?"
Harvey placed a messy stack of drafts before Anbaixiu, filled with various calculations and theoretical proofs.
An ordinary person would have been left dizzy and bewildered, as the numbers were topsy-turvy and the methodology resembled idealistic mysticism more than logic. But Anbaixiu read them with meticulous care, and it was not long before Harvey's notes left him astounded.
"You... This is utterly absurd. Is this another way to unravel fate?"
It was not Anbaixiu making a mountain out of a molehill. He had spent his entire life researching before discovering a method to reverse spacetime and alter prophecy—what could be called the sole means by which a divination wizard could avert the fate of death. Yet not only was it extraordinarily cumbersome, it also required sacrificing another divination wizard to enact the rescue, and the one being saved could not even know about the method.
Although the restrictions were numerous, Anbaixiu had always felt rather proud of his technique; it had an aura of the tragic hero about it.
Yet Harvey's research looked completely baffling.
"Every time a prophecy is generated, it automatically eliminates unfavorable futures and locks in a beneficial one? I can only turn a foreseen death into an illusion, but you're greedy enough to outright erase any possibility of foreseeing an unfortunate future?"
Anbaixiu was certain that Harvey's research was merely a preliminary direction. It sounded simple enough in theory, but putting it into practice was immensely difficult. It was like an onlooker seeing a car move and understanding that burning fuel provided power; from burning fuel to making the car actually run, there was a whole host of complex technical hurdles in between.
And Harvey's current research was essentially having discovered the "fuel" that could burn.
Once a possibility was found, then for a divination wizard, the future was truly promising.
Harvey said with equal excitement, "Yes! It's just that my method has a narrower scope of application than yours, Teacher. For now, only I can use it, and I can only use it on myself."
"It's already astonishing enough, Harvey. Your talent really does surpass the three of us old fogies combined."
Selwyn could delay the arrival of misfortune, granting people more time to prepare and resist; Mister Misfortune severed the threads of fate, deleting a given possibility; and Anbaixiu used the Dice of Fate to lock in a future favorable to himself.
Only by simultaneously mastering the applications of these three powers of fate could one potentially achieve what Harvey described as "permanently shielding oneself from unfortunate futures."
Damn it, Anbaixiu almost wanted to swear out loud. Just who was the transmigrator here?
The Goddess of Fate was a total heartbreaker, wasn't She? Showering all Her affection on Harvey, this young puppy, in the blink of an eye.
"Let me catch my breath."
Ever since his resurrection, Anbaixiu's mental resilience had dropped; the shock he had received today was a bit too much.
After taking quite a while to recover, Anbaixiu finally accepted the reality that the new generation had surpassed the old, leaving him washed up on the shore.
Harvey, however, had no time to seek praise. Instead, he asked with deep concern, "Since the soul fragment has grown, does that mean Mister Misfortune can be resurrected?"
Anbaixiu brought the soul fragment over once more, examined it thoroughly, and sighed.
"What a pity. Although the soul fragment has begun growing again, none of the memories have returned. Even if it fully regrows, it will likely just be a new soul—at best, his son."
Harvey's eyes dimmed. He had thought he had finally succeeded and could resurrect that teacher he had met only once. Lowering his head, Harvey stared silently at his drafts. When inspiration had struck, he had labored day and night, forgetting food and sleep; half of what drove him had been the desire to resurrect Mister Misfortune. And in the end, it was only going to be a new soul?
Anbaixiu comforted him, "Don't be sad. The old fellow accomplished his wish; he left without regrets."
Fate was not so easily broken. Even if there was a turn of fortune, it merely meant Harvey's theory itself had gained the recognition of fate, not that he truly reigned supreme over it.
Harvey could only nod helplessly, yet he did not give up entirely. Fate held ten thousand possibilities; as long as he persevered, perhaps the power he grasped upon advancing to legendary rank would truly alter fate.
After all, if even Anbaixiu could be resurrected, why couldn't Mister Misfortune?
"Originally, I was a bit worried you wouldn't be able to handle the task I gave you, but it seems I was worrying over nothing. Your fate has already reached deep into the bedrock of the world; Paluriel won't find it so easy to control you."
"Paluriel?" It was the first time Harvey had ever heard the name.
"Yes. A student I found for you. But Paluriel is exceptionally dangerous, and you must be extremely careful..."
Anbaixiu recounted Paluriel's situation to Harvey in detail. Upon hearing that this was a "deity" from Hell, Harvey turned pale with fright.
"Teacher, I barely graduated from apprenticeship not long ago, and now you want me to teach a deity?!"
"What are you afraid of? When I was still a mortal, I kidnapped deities and gave them away as gifts. You're my student; have some confidence!"
"How can I possibly compare to you?!"
Harvey wanted to cry. This wasn't merely a deity, but an emotionally unstable deity skilled in manipulating people's minds. Wasn't he blatantly being sent to his death?
Anbaixiu patted Harvey on the shoulder. "It's fine. It'll be good practice! Just delete those unfortunate futures, Harvey. I believe in you!"
Harvey said resignedly, "Teacher, you really haven't changed one bit."
"Enough, now. No divination wizard ever lives a peaceful life; running afoul of deities is bound to happen sooner or later, and you'll get used to it soon enough. By the way, how's business lately? Is there anything special to report?"
Harvey heard Anbaixiu clumsily changing the subject, but there was nothing he could do except play along. "Business is entirely handled by Queen Rose now. I only submit periodic requests to her for research funding. For specific details, you can ask Selwyn. She spends most of her time at the chamber of commerce now. Rather than studying the power of fate, she seems to prefer doing business."
"That's fine too. She inherited the name Selwyn... If she delves too deeply into the power of fate, I fear she might end up like the old man."
Fate was sometimes rather particular about such details; often, an insignificant choice determined the future.
Harvey seemed to recall something else and said to Anbaixiu, "Oh, the Ryan Empire has stabilized again and is preparing to convene a Council of Nations to settle Ryan's past crimes. But since you publicly sacrificed yourself as a hero, Teacher, the invitation was sent to me instead. I heard the Lord of the Dawn will also descend to thoroughly resolve past grievances. Alan specifically mentioned your name, so I suspect the Lord of the Dawn knows you've been resurrected."
"The Lord of the Dawn is looking for me? It shouldn't be anything bad, right?"
Anbaixiu figured he had helped Ryan quite a lot; even if he wasn't rewarded, it probably wouldn't be anything terrible. He could just hide inside the magic mirror to watch the excitement later on. If there were benefits, he would show himself; if not, he would pretend nothing had happened.
Harvey continued, "Aside from that, there seem to be rumors coming from the elves as well. They've probably guessed that you're alive. That former queen came by several times to ask about you, but I kept it hidden according to your orders."
"The elves? What do they want with me?"
"I heard Her Majesty Catherine is about to ascend to godhood."
"Huh? How could it be so fast?"
"Rumor has it that the divine war among the Elven Gods has ended. Lolth the Spider Queen has been imprisoned by Corellon, completely severing Her connection with the drow elves. The drow shipping lanes developed faster than expected and have now become the world's leading transport business, and the rate at which the drow elves are converting to lawful alignment has also begun to accelerate. As a result, Her Majesty Catherine is on the verge of joining the Elven Gods, and she probably wants to see you one last time before achieving godhood."
Anbaixiu shook his head repeatedly. "Anyone else is fine, but I cannot see Catherine."
Puzzled, Harvey asked, "Why?"
"I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself now—that I'll be deeply entranced by her and become her captive completely."
"It can't be that exaggerated, can it? I've seen the Elven Queen twice myself," Harvey said. "While she was indeed stunning, it wasn't to the point of losing one's mind just by looking at her."
"That's because you don't know her well. Catherine was only speaking politely to you, smiling a polite, fake smile. Once she lets down that polite reserve and reveals her innocent nature... even the Demonic Dragon reborn would sheath its claws upon seeing Catherine, trying to find a way to spare her life."
Anbaixiu wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. Back when he was still a lich, even when Catherine transformed into an orc, Anbaixiu had stared at her long enough to think that orc looked rather delicate and pretty. Now that he had regained all the physical sensations of a living person, facing Catherine's unreasonable charm would only rob him of the ability to think entirely.
"Still, she seemed to miss you quite a bit. Teacher, there is ultimately a vast gulf between mortals and deities. Perhaps there will never be another chance to meet after this. Are you sure you don't want to see her one last time?"
Anbaixiu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is there a specific date for the ascension ceremony?"
"It should be after the Council of Nations. After all, Catherine has to attend that meeting concerning the fate of all nations. This time, it won't be like that auction you organized before, Teacher; this is a conference that will genuinely decide the future structure of the world."
Anbaixiu glanced at Harvey and asked curiously, "There's an underlying meaning in your words. Do you have some thoughts about this council?"
Harvey nodded. "Teacher, the widespread adoption of magic mirrors has made communication effortless, and this council should bring peace to the world. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I want to establish an organization dedicated to researching magic and promoting magical education. I don't believe so few people in this world possess the talent for divination wizardry; perhaps many geniuses never even learn they have spellcasting talent from birth until death.
"I want to gather more people and unite the wisdom of all mortals to find a way to truly break free from fate."
Anbaixiu looked at Harvey in surprise. This kid—the moment he received the slightest favor from the Goddess of Fate, he was already plotting rebellion.
Sure enough, every divination wizard walked the path of a scoundrel.
Chapter 566