O Fire Tender... May You Be Crowned King!

The shadow of the Wolf Knight stood there, gazing at Bai Zhou, his eyes filled with the spirited, ambitious reflection of his eighteen-year-old self. Even if their strength might have been worlds apart, the Wolf Knight still felt that this lad was vastly superior to who he had been back then. *Tap—* A heavy footstep sounded. Visible only to Bai Zhou, the shadow of the Wolf Knight dragged his battered armor forward, taking slow, deliberate steps toward him. A dry, hoarse voice carried an imperceptible flicker of hope and a faint trace of relief: "If you are a wolf..." "That works, too." With that, he raised his hand and lightly tapped his fingertip against Bai Zhou's chest. "What—?" A wolf's howl erupted without warning. Like some ancient, primeval totem, a colossal phantom wolf seemed to swallow the sky as it rose, blotting out Bai Zhou's entire vision. Cloaked in silvery-white moonlight and an untamed, ancient, mysterious will, this translucent silver-white wolf descended from the heavens. Bai Zhou's eyes were flooded with silver moonlight. Baring fangs and brandishing claws, the wolf silhouette lunged toward Bai Zhou's form and merged into his body. *Boom!* Bai Zhou's hair drifted without any wind. Within his fate space, towering waves surged across the Sea of Ignorance. Following the characters [Light] and [Soothe], stroke by stroke, a new character slowly took shape upon the ink-black Sea of Ignorance. A fresh character, [Moon], branded itself onto the roiling, boiling surface of the waters. *Crash!!* Silver radiance spilled in all directions, stirring up a storm across the sea. An idiom spoke of calligraphy dancing like dragons and slithering like snakes, describing brushstrokes full of vivid vigor. Yet the contours of this [Moon] character faintly revealed the silhouette of a crouching wolf. "This is..." The moment he realized what he had received, Bai Zhou's breath turned sharp and rapid. A bequest from the dead—the crystallization of a character—often bore elements of the core power they wielded in life! Laia's gift had been [Light]. Yet the [Moon] bestowed by the Wolf Knight seemed to be the "Moon" of the Lunar Wolf Power! The heretical, forbidden power that had driven the runaway prince to abandon the accumulated strength of the eighteen generations before him, to forsake the glory favored by God, and resolutely pursue it! Even the Wolf Knight had never obtained that mysterious, forbidden might in its entirety. What had condensed inside Bai Zhou at this moment was barely a tens-of-thousandth of that power. Yet its fundamental nature was unimaginably exalted; the moment it plunged into the Sea of Ignorance, it set off colossal, roaring waves. And as the character finished coalescing, this sublime power transformed into a sort of innate instinct for Bai Zhou. Deep within, he even felt an obscure sensation—as though his very life essence had undergone an imperceptible refinement. And it was far from over! *Hum!* Suddenly, Bai Zhou's right hand burned hot. The crescent moon mark on the back of his right hand burst into silver-white brilliance, as if he had returned to the waking world that knew no red moon, bathed once more in soft, hazy moonlight. *Rumble—* As though answering that wolf's howl, the immense medicinal efficacy of the Tears of the Moon Goddess resonated and began surging through Bai Zhou's body. A clear, silver-white lunar glow gently radiated outward from inside him. Countless ancient, intricate moonlight runes flickered and circulated rapidly beneath his skin. Blue veins bulged on Bai Zhou's forehead, and a muffled groan escaped the depths of his throat. *Boom!* A detonation echoed deep inside his body, though calling it an explosion seemed too dull. It felt as if two ancient, pale stars were colliding within him, sending resounding chimes rippling through his flesh. This was the confluence of moon and moon—a miraculous alchemy harmonizing inside Bai Zhou. Two forces of the silver moon, born of the same origin yet differing in nature, clashed and resonated fiercely within him. The wild howl of a wolf intertwined with the flowing tears of a goddess. His bones hummed, his blood boiled, and pure moon-white washed over his sight. Bai Zhou felt his very soul being cocooned and remade... It was a wondrous sensation beyond description, like a human returning to the embryonic state. From the rolling waves of medicinal power within the Tears of the Moon Goddess, the shadow of a wolf slowly coalesced. With the Tears of the Moon Goddess as its skeleton, a newly sculpted ancient wolf leapt into being. Bai Zhou's perspective gradually detached from his physical form, looking down upon himself from above. His Mind's Eye had opened on its own without warning. Then, he saw with crystal clarity the transformation occurring across his body: the silver crescent mark on his right hand slowly faded away. In its place, the silhouette of a wolf surfaced on his back. It resembled a tattoo. *Not good! Having a tattoo will disqualify me from the civil service exam!* was Bai Zhou's immediate thought. In Wancheng, anyone wishing to join the Black Robes could not have a tattoo. That was because the Black Robes had their own exclusive tattoo markings. Of course, that also made it convenient for the authorities to identify Black Robes and round them all up in one fell swoop. In the end, not a single one had escaped, and all of them were sent to the guillotine—enough to make Louis XVI laugh with delight. He wondered whether the Federation checked for tattoos during civil service recruitment. Thoughts aside, Bai Zhou's gaze was inexorably drawn to the wolf tattoo. Rather than a tattoo, it was more like the mysterious totem of an ancient tribe etched onto his back, stretching straight from the nape of his neck down to his waist. Majestic, aloof, imposing, and vivid, every strand of fur seemed to sway with the wind. Yet the problem remained... Much like the vast medicinal power of the Tears of the Moon Goddess before it, Bai Zhou could sense that an unspeakable, wondrous power lay hidden within him, yet he had no way to unlock it. It was as if a thin barrier still separated him from that power. *What is missing...?* Bai Zhou's Mind's Eye immediately settled on the wolf totem's eyes. Lifelike as the wolf totem was, it lacked the very eyes it needed most, stripping it of vitality and leaving an unsettling void. It was like painting a dragon without dotting the pupils—painting a wolf without eyes! Understanding dawned on Bai Zhou at once. He could drive the [Moon] character because it had become his "instinct." However, the brand-new product born from the fusion of the [Moon] character and the Tears of the Moon Goddess could not be utilized just yet. Just as he had been unable to claim the Tears of the Moon Goddess for himself before completing the final ritual. The confluence and fusion of the Blessing of the Moon Goddess and the Lunar Wolf Power—that miraculous alchemy—was the true form of this newfound might! For the time being, just like with the Tears of the Moon Goddess earlier, he could only passively let the medicinal power pour into him to accelerate the healing of his injuries. He was still missing the most critical piece of the puzzle. *The ritual! Major Luo!* Bai Zhou closed his Mind's Eye and let out a faint sigh, an ambiguous glint flashing in his eyes. This power was simply too enticing. It felt like carrying a holy sword that could only be swung like a blunt iron rod for now. As this ancient power rooted itself within his body, the totem nourished Bai Zhou without ceasing, granting his physical constitution a slow but steady and undeniable enhancement. It was foreseeable that if he could master this power that the Wolf Knight believed could save the world—even if it was not the original power itself, even if it was merely a derivative molded through the Tears of the Moon Goddess—being a wanted man would cease to be an issue! Just like the protagonists of adventure stories who always harbored some wondrous, uncontrollable power as their trump card, anyone who didn't keep an unwieldy ancient force hidden inside would be embarrassed to call themselves the main character! *Still...* *What is this knowledge that came along with the [Moon] character?* Bai Zhou gathered his thoughts and inspected the fragmented piece of knowledge in his mind. *The pathway the Wolf Knight walked... was the Monster Pathway?!* *One of the pathways best suited for the Chen Fate Principle?!* *A 'Blasphemous Pathway' that coexists with yet opposes the radiant Adventurer Pathway?!* *What is this?* Bai Zhou was dumbfounded. The information was sparse and scattered, yet it sent shockwaves through his heart. Were there not only twelve sequences in the Twelve Sequences of Destiny, corresponding to the twelve Fate Principles? What did it mean that there were two pathways best suited for the Chen Fate Principle? And what on earth were Radiant Pathways and Blasphemous Pathways? These terms, entirely foreign to him, left Bai Zhou bewildered. None of it aligned with the common knowledge he had learned in the past. Yet it also resolved a question that had lingered in his mind. In the memories carried by the dying words, when the Wolf Knight was still a prince, he should clearly have walked the Adventurer Pathway, bearing the world's glory and radiance. Yet when clashing with the Wolf Knight statue, Bai Zhou had distinctly sensed a terrifying force similar to the Adventurer Pathway, yet diametrically opposed—far more chaotic and corrosive. Now it seemed he had fallen from the Adventurer Pathway into the Monster Pathway. At the very end of this fragmented knowledge lay an incantation related to the Monster Pathway. Its purpose was unknown, its origin uncertain, its script indecipherable. The incantation was fractured and incomplete. With just a single glance, before even comprehending its meaning, Bai Zhou felt intense discomfort—a revulsion welling from the depths of his Fate Principle. A sharp ringing sounded in his ears. A distant, blasphemous, wicked voice drifted in a trance, muttering beside Bai Zhou's ear: *Return, return, return.* *Heed the memory of blood, return to our benighted homeland—* *No! Wait!* Listening closely, Bai Zhou was horrified to discover that the familiar tone and timbre of this voice belonged distinctly to another "himself"! The blackness of the Sea of Ignorance seemed stained with a trace of the White Sun's hue, and even his pure white spirituality was tainted with a sliver of gloom. In just a split second, Bai Zhou's strength swelled by thirty percent out of nowhere, yet it turned utterly chaotic, showing signs of running wild! *Hum!* The [Soothe] character vibrated, sending ripples spreading outward. Bai Zhou immediately tore his gaze away. Focusing his mind and steadying his breath, he completely banished all thoughts of the incantation. The whispers in his ears receded, and his spirituality and fate space settled back to their original calm, no longer trembling. Evil, fallen, chilling, corrosive. Recalling the sensation from moments ago, Bai Zhou shuddered in lingering dread. A Blasphemous Pathway. It was the exact opposite of the Adventurer Pathway, which was as explosive and pure as the sun! Perhaps the greatest hallmark of such a pathway was this uncontrollable disorder? Because it was disorderly, it was dangerous; yet because it was disorderly, it was mighty! Once he calmed down, Bai Zhou felt that the opposition between the Monster and Adventurer Pathways made a great deal of sense. Monsters... Wasn't a monster the lifelong nemesis an adventurer sought to subjugate? *Would Crow know about this?* If Crow knew nothing about it either, Bai Zhou decided he would seal away this incantation forever. Truth be told, compared to the imprint of the [Moon] character, he had little interest in the Monster Pathway. He wanted to become an Adventurer, and the mainstream inheritance left by this civilization in the temple was also that of the Adventurer. In fact, back in the Holy Maiden's era—according to the memory fragments Bai Zhou had glimpsed—there hadn't been so many flamboyant pathways and inheritances. There were no Hunters here, nor were there incomplete standardized sequences; there was only the Adventurer Pathway, developed to its absolute pinnacle! In that era, anyone possessing the Chen Fate Principle was indisputably a cut above the rest, while those with other Fate Principles could only fend for themselves. Now that he had the temple's inheritance, Bai Zhou would naturally keep his distance from an unknown, treacherous, and uncontrollable divergence like this... Suddenly. "This power...?" The familiar, cold mechanical voice sounded by his ear, snapping Bai Zhou back to reality. When he looked up again, the Wolf Knight's shadow was nowhere to be seen. This prince whose merits and faults were hard to weigh seemed best at quietly departing when no one noticed. With his dying words shattered, having received peace, he had left behind his final gift and quietly drifted away, unburdened. Standing before Bai Zhou now was the Wolf Knight statue, once again an unfeeling effigy belonging solely to the temple. Yet at this moment, even the cold artificial intelligence seemed to feel a trace of bewilderment at the power Bai Zhou displayed: "Perhaps... it is the will of heaven!" Evidently, the Wolf Knight statue had no idea what had just occurred. Then, the stone figure raised a finger and pointed at Bai Zhou: "Next, the pilgrim shall be transmitted the method to enter the second trial." *Hum!* A brilliant golden beam of light descended from the heavens, bathing Bai Zhou just as before. A stream of information poured into Bai Zhou's mind, informing him that the second trial was not held within the temple. In fact, it was not in this Sky City at all, nor was it even within this world of Troy. The temple would expend an incredible amount of resources to teleport Bai Zhou to a distant realm. It lay in— Rome, beyond Troy! "Rome!" Bai Zhou's heart skipped half a beat. This meant that using the temple as a transit point, his exploration of the Deep Ruin Realm had advanced a step further, granting him a broader world to discover! The content of the second trial was akin to a pledge of allegiance. He would be teleported into Roman territory, where he had to take the head of an official Roman soldier and offer it upon the temple's altar. Furthermore, the higher the soldier's rank, the better! This assessment was neither hard nor easy. A mere soldier would naturally be easy pickings. Yet what even the temple likely never anticipated was that Rome had already fallen countless years ago. Once teleported there, just like when he first arrived in the civilization of Troy, Bai Zhou would probably see nothing but ruins stretching across the land. Finding something that could actually move might prove exceptionally difficult... Still, Bai Zhou figured he might just be able to pick up a severed head from the ruins and bring it back. That would count as completing the assessment all the same. What truly mattered was that Bai Zhou had to get out. If he remained sealed inside the temple, Bai Zhou feared he wouldn't be able to hear the tolling from outside. The thirty-sixth chime seemed extraordinarily vital in the Ruin Realm, and there was no reason Rome wouldn't have it. He didn't have much time left! *Hum!!* Upon the altar, several candleholders rose, filled to the brim with dried white candles. They waited for Bai Zhou to light them with a ritual. As Bai Zhou cautiously approached, he faintly heard a command, unsure whether it came from the altar or the temple itself. Or perhaps... a prayer woven from countless shared convictions: *Vengeance, vigil, till death takes our breath!* *Offer the heads of Rome in prayer to the heavens,* *Weave the blood of Rome into royal robes!* *O pilgrim, O Fire Tender—* *May you be crowned the new king upon the plaza where the gods fell silent!*