TTGOL CH81

Chapter 81: Divination

Tang Cuo went up to the second-floor divination room alone, but he still didn’t see anyone, because the room was divided into two spaces by a massive black curtain.

He was on this side of the curtain; the fortuneteller was on the other.

Jin Cheng had said the fortuneteller was named Yan Ye, a woman who had been in Yong Ye City for over ten years. However, ever since she upgraded to Zone B and opened this divination room, she had never set foot in Zone A.

For all these years, she had hidden behind this curtain, as if desperately evading something. The last time Jin Cheng came, he hadn’t even seen her face.

“What do you wish to divine? The past or the future.” The cold female voice drifted from behind the curtain.

“You are the one who invited me in. Since you knew I was coming, you should also know what I want to divine.” Tang Cuo’s gaze was fixed on the curtain. There was no wind in the room; the curtain hung like a frozen painting, completely motionless.

“If you do not say it yourself, the divination will not work,” she replied.

Hard to coax information out of her.

Tang Cuo thought for a moment and said, “I want to know what exactly happened in that instance you, Black Hat, and Lin Yandong experienced together.”

Yan Ye: “That has nothing to do with you. My divination only foretells your personal fate.”

Tang Cuo: “Black Hat used two Movements in a row. The Movements concern every single player, so naturally, they concern me as well.”

Yan Ye: “Fallacious reasoning.”

The two fell into a brief silence.

Tang Cuo asked, “What are you afraid of?”

Yan Ye sneered. “Did you learn this arrogant tone from him too?”

Tang Cuo: “Yes.”

Perhaps it was his utter frankness, throwing the blame onto Jin Cheng without a shred of hesitation, that ironically rendered Yan Ye speechless. Since she didn’t answer, Tang Cuo continued, “The reason a secret is too heavy is because too few people know it, meaning the burden each person carries is too great. Once it is spoken aloud, the pressure is naturally transferred.”

Yan Ye: “You speak so lightly.”

“So you can choose to make it less light for me. The Twelve Movements have appeared, Black Hat has taken the stage, along with Lin Yandong, Jin Cheng, and the rest. The wheel of fate has already begun to turn; now is the perfect time to speak the truth. What are you still waiting for?”

The other side remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “You are just like Jin Cheng. You have a sharp tongue, but a highly unlikable personality.”

Tang Cuo nodded. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Yet despite all he said, Yan Ye showed no sign of yielding, even stating, “I will give you one last chance. What do you wish to divine, the past or the future?”

Tang Cuo countered with a question: “Why me?”

“Fate told me it was you.”

“If you cannot even control your own fate, how can you completely comprehend the fate of others? As a puppet manipulated by fate, how do you know what you foresee is absolutely correct?”

“Get out.” She seemed genuinely enraged, her voice lacing with ice.

Tang Cuo remained completely unfazed.

The two were deadlocked—or rather, Yan Ye was deadlocked unilaterally. After a full ten minutes, the voice from behind the curtain finally sounded again, “The ignorant are fearless. I finally understand now how you and Jin Cheng managed to end up together.”

Tang Cuo was suddenly curious. “Is that also destined by fate?”

Yan Ye: “Everything that has already happened is destined by fate.”

Tang Cuo had always believed that the so-called “destiny” was nothing more than a psychological effect. But this was Yong Ye City, where even gods might exist, making the ethereal concept of fate even harder to define.

“I choose the future,” he stated.

“Tang Cuo, your future is full of uncertainty.” Yet the answer Yan Ye provided seemed to contradict what she had just said. She spoke very slowly, pausing mid-sentence before finally saying—

“I can only give you one piece of advice. If one day you obtain the Golden Movement, remember to exchange it with Yong Ye City for an Easter egg game. That Easter egg game is called: The God’s Gift.”

As the words fell, the person on the other side suddenly began coughing violently—so violently it sounded as if she were going to cough her lungs out. Frowning, Tang Cuo took a swift step forward and was just about to pull the curtain back when he was sharply halted by a stern shout: “Stop!”

Tang Cuo stopped. Only then did her tone soften slightly. “Do not cross the line, Tang Cuo.”

Tang Cuo deliberated. His gaze fixed tightly on the black curtain, his thoughts spinning rapidly as he quickly assessed the situation. It took a full five seconds before he slowly stepped back.

“You may leave, Tang Cuo,” Yan Ye’s voice carried a trace of exhaustion. “But seeing as you are so cooperative, I will give you one final suggestion.”

“Aren’t you curious about Black Hat’s motives? Don’t fixate your gaze solely on Black Hat’s past. When necessary, look at your own palms. The fates of people are inextricably intertwined. Follow the connections, and you will make a surprising discovery.”

“Is this surprise inside an instance?” Tang Cuo asked.

Yan Ye chuckled lightly but gave no further response.

Five minutes later, Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng met up and left the divination room.

Many people were still waiting outside the villa. Yan Ye only received three clients each time she opened for business. With two spots remaining, the others naturally wouldn’t give up easily.

On their way back, Tang Cuo relayed his conversation with Yan Ye to Jin Cheng word for word. He concluded with a question: “Which one is the Golden Movement? Is it the product of gathering all the Movements, or does it refer to a specific one?”

Jin Cheng: “It’s the First Movement, also known as the Golden Movement.”

He paused, mulling it over before adding, “Looking at it this way, the key clue is in the Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight. The side quest I triggered in the second phase—if we play it to the end, it might actually produce a Movement.”

Tang Cuo nodded. “It’s the only interconnected link between the three.”

In this Black Hat incident, what was the common ground between Black Hat, Lin Yandong, and even Jin Cheng and Tang Cuo? Tang Cuo thought it over and realized that aside from everyone being a player, the only connection was the Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight.

The relationship between Lin Yandong, themselves, and the Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight went without saying. And the four items Black Hat was seeking certainly sounded like drops from a Western Fantasy instance.

After circling around, they still had to make a trip into the instance.

“But before that, we still need to try out that Dream Infinite Market,” Jin Cheng said.

“Mm,” Tang Cuo agreed, then confirmed again, “That’s a gambling table?”

Jin Cheng: “That’s what K said.”

Tang Cuo: “Then let’s bring Chi Yan.”

“Why?”

“Because his luck is good.”

The amulet Chi Yan gave him had directly helped Tang Cuo find the key to the Yu Residence’s front door; this kind of luck was indisputable.

That afternoon, they indeed found Chi Yan and told him they were taking him to the grocery store. Chi Yan was a younger brother who unconditionally trusted Tang Cuo; he followed them without needing much persuasion.

On the way, Jin Cheng thought he should show some concern. “What is your ability now? Have you gotten the hang of it yet?”

Chi Yan scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

It was the first time Tang Cuo had seen him act embarrassed. Just as he was about to ask, Chi Yan rolled up his sleeve, revealing a fully tattooed arm. The dark gold luster and the dragon-and-tiger-like patterns made one feel almost embarrassed not to call him “Boss.”

“Ge, please don’t misunderstand, Ge! I didn’t go join a gang!” Chi Yan hurriedly explained. “This is called the Qilin Arm. It’s very metaphysical, with an exceptionally high critical hit rate!”

“Critical hit?”

“It means that with one punch, I can exert several times my normal strength, and it’s highly likely to hit the opponent’s vital point. But this depends on probability; sometimes it’s only a fraction of a percent. The most awesome part is that it comes with a good luck buff! When I use this arm to open chests or pick up loot, my luck is seriously amazing, top-tier! I found that amulet last time using this!”

Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng exchanged a look and fell silent.

Luck truly was a metaphysical science.

Central District, Mission Hall.

The news of Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng appearing at the Zone B divination room had already spread. After discussing it in groups of twos and threes, the players could roughly deduce that they had obtained passes.

The name Tang Cuo was once again being brought up.

“There are so many people in Yong Ye City. It opens once every three months, seeing three people each time, which is only twelve a year. Plus, because the divination room is in Zone B, practically no newcomers from the lower zones have ever entered. For Tang Cuo to get a spot this time, why do I feel like this is anything but simple?”

“According to reliable intel, Tang Cuo entered a Special Trigger Instance with Jin Cheng, and his strength isn’t far behind Jin Cheng’s.”

“Hiss, are the newcomers these days just terrifying?”

“The guy even dared to reach for the Twelve Movements. Veteran players are probably just farts in his eyes.”

“…”

Before long, the news that Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng had entered Black Hat’s Grocery Store spread, stirring up another wave. Unable to sit still, many people flocked to Zone E to join the excitement, claiming they wanted to watch this “head-on clash of the Movement contenders.”

However, the trio had long since gone inside. With the Dream Infinite Market located in a different dimension, the onlookers naturally couldn’t see a thing.

The very first second the three stepped into the grocery store, they noticed the surrounding changes. The grocery store packed with shelves had vanished, replaced by a brightly colored dodecahedral space.

The entire process felt just like entering the mission wall and triggering an instance.

“Ding!”

“Welcome to the Dream Infinite Market!”

Twelve bells, twelve wizard hats—the exact same scenario Zheng Yingying and Jiang He had encountered. However, Tang Cuo didn’t know they had been here as well.

Jin Cheng handed a bunch of items to Chi Yan, instructing him to handle the upcoming transactions. Jin Cheng would provide the gambling funds, but they would be betting on Chi Yan’s luck.

It had to be said, Chi Yan’s Qilin Arm was a rare skill that actually made Jin Cheng a bit envious. He had to try it out.

The mask beneath the wizard hat spoke: “What would you like? Please state your request boldly and with imagination.”

Jin Cheng raised an eyebrow. “I want the Twelve Movements. Got any?”

The answering voice instantly switched to the wizard hat on the wall closest to him. Smiling, it said, “This customer, your imagination is average, but your ambition is massive. The Twelve Movements are contraband and cannot be sold; they can only be circulated among players.”

Jin Cheng: “What if I only buy information about it?”

Wizard Hat: “You can make a reservation, sir. If a player puts information regarding the Twelve Movements into the market as merchandise, this store can open a trading space for the two of you. Both parties can complete the gamble without worrying about their identities being leaked.”

Gamble?

It seemed this wasn’t as simple as just buying and selling.

Jin Cheng looked at Tang Cuo, who understood and began issuing instructions to Chi Yan.

Chi Yan listened carefully and quickly grasped his meaning. Clearing his throat, he started placing his order: “I want a Dream Gem. What’s the price?”

The wizard hat directly above him suddenly let out a sinister chuckle, startling Chi Yan. Looking up, he saw the eerie white mask staring at him, its eyes completely hollow and black. “A Dream Gem, produced by dragons. It breaks all illusions and boosts the wearer’s mental power. You must provide at least three Advanced equipments.”

Chi Yan immediately glanced at Tang Cuo out of the corner of his eye. Seeing Tang Cuo nod, he picked through the items Jin Cheng had given him, selected three, and tentatively pushed them forward.

All twelve wizard hats looked over simultaneously. The irregular geometric patterns resurfaced on the white walls, constantly shifting. Staring at them for too long induced a top-heavy, weightless sensation, as if the entire person was spinning.

“Don’t look,” Jin Cheng raised a hand to press down on Chi Yan’s shoulder. Chi Yan hurriedly snapped back to his senses, only to find two glowing orbs suddenly appearing in front of him.

“One represents ‘have,’ and one represents ‘have not.’ Once a choice is made, the transaction is immediately finalized.”

Swallowing hard, Chi Yan hesitantly reached out his hand. His Qilin Arm was already activated; faint streams of light occasionally flickered amidst the dark gold patterns hidden beneath his sleeve.

Chi Yan believed in his luck, but since he wasn’t using his own equipment, he was still slightly nervous. Right before touching the glowing orb, he turned back again to confirm with his two older brothers.

This one?

Jin Cheng gave him an indifferent shrug. Up to you.

Steeling his resolve, Chi Yan decisively reached out and grabbed the one on the right. The moment his hand entered the glowing orb, he knew he’d succeeded. Opening his palm to look, wasn’t it a brilliantly glowing gem the size of a pigeon’s egg!

Jin Cheng and Tang Cuo exchanged another look and simultaneously said: “Again.”

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Author’s Note:

Entering “opening loot boxes” mode. Hahaha.

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