Whispering Poems

Chapter 3824 The Man Deceived by the Snake
“The spinning wheel can create the threads of destiny, and it can also predict the future by weaving patterns. The [Cult of Doom] completely believes in the future given by that relic.”

Old Master Zarathustra was not fully recovered, but he waved his hand, not allowing Priest Augustus to continue supporting him.

The priest felt he understood:
"I think I understand what you mean, but how did you know these things?"

Mr. Zarathustra then continued to explain:

“I am one of the five candidates. Tonight, I entered the ruins on the mountaintop almost one after the other with that woman. We were originally exploring the ruins separately, with a colleague from the 12th Ring and me.”

Instead of finding Shangquan in the ruins, we found fragments of the lost angel-level relic, the "Future Diary," in the snow. The page contained some information. We initially intended to return to the ruins' exit immediately to share the information, but the fortune teller traveling with me was struck by the power of a snake and thrown off a cliff. I, on the other hand, was pursued by another candidate and forced to jump off the edge of the ruins to escape.

He still did not inquire about the old priest's identity:

"Thanks to you, otherwise I'm afraid I really would have died at her hands this time."

The priest still didn't understand:
"Isn't it a bit of a coincidence that you found the relics? Okay, I understand."

Judging from Mr. Zarathustra's expression, he knew that the Society of Prophets must have used some means in the ruins to search for the Upper Spring, and ended up finding the relics by accident.

"What exactly is manipulating the [Prophecy Spinning Wheel]?"

"An unknowable-level relic: The Ouroboros' Eye!"

The old keeper spoke of this relic with immense fear in his voice:
"That unknowable relic can glimpse and control the threads of fate (Chapter 3771). The relic has long been usurped by the serpent. Ever since the [Cult of Doom] obtained the [Prophecy Spinning Wheel], every prophecy that those cultists have received has been produced under the control of the serpent, and the origin of this matter is even earlier than 1855."

The snakes convinced them that everything they did was to make their candidate the chosen one, but in reality, it was all to help the snakes shed their skin!

The priest glanced in the direction the doctor had left; it looked like a fight had broken out there.

How to successfully shed skin?

"The 13 ringholders who slay the snake will receive the Ring of Fate! [Lost] [Fool] [Resurrection] [Imbalance] [Black Sun] [Desolation] [Evil] [Ignorance] [Paradox] [Destruction] [Stagnation] [Hypocrisy] [Filth]."

The thirteen rings of fate lead their holders to the most tragic destruction. These thirteen rings of fate have been corrupted by the serpent over tens of thousands of years. While granting their wishes and bestowing the rings of fate, the serpent also planted the seeds of doom in their souls. Each of their deaths represents the sprouting of a seed, and the resonance between their individual fates and destruction is the sustenance for the serpent's metamorphosis.

After all thirteen people were destroyed, the snake's molting was complete!

He had initially worried that the strange old man before him wouldn't understand, but after Priest Augustus glanced at the blue-skinned figure that had fallen behind them, he immediately understood:
"This is indeed a grand undertaking. These thirteen destinies seem to be related to, or even contradict, the main functions of the thirteen ancient gods. I see. This can be considered as borrowing the power of the 'Whispering Verses,' and the principle is similar to Edwardsden's divine magic."

Although Mr. Zarathustra was surprised that the other party knew more than he had thought, he understood that it was more important to pass on the information at this moment:

"Please deliver this message to the church, or the academy, or even the Witch Council. We must not kill all 13 Ring Bearers. Each of them carries a terrifying story woven by that snake over a hundred years. The seeds of doom have been sown, and we must not let them take root and sprout."

"Isn't it a bit too late to say all this now? Those ring-bearers you mentioned tonight have probably already joined the battle. If they were all as easy to kill as the one I just dealt with, then there probably wouldn't be many of the thirteen left."

"Yes, I also think it's too late."

Black smoke, smelling of sulfur, landed beside the two elderly men. Mr. Zarathustra mistook it for an enemy, but it was actually Dr. Schneider.

“Even if we don’t kill them, I think the snake under the snow mountain will probably find a way to make them perish. If this information could be discovered before tonight, there might still be a chance to stop it, but now it’s probably too late.”

The priest, seeing that the doctor was not injured, asked him:
"What's that in your hand?"

The doctor then showed the red ring he was holding, his expression quite unpleasant:
“I chased after that woman, and during the fight, she pulled out this ring, which then flew into my hand. The woman was saying things like, ‘How could anyone be more attuned to misfortune than us,’ and desperately tried to take it back. If she had turned and run, I might not have been able to catch her. But since she refused to leave, I had no choice but to kill her. The threads she controlled were quite powerful, but this ring was effective against them.”

The doctor then offered his own explanation:
"I don't know why this ring of misfortune is attracted to me and resonates with me."

The doctor knew he was unlucky, but knowing didn't mean he was willing to accept it in this way. He certainly knew about the cycle of fate, but that didn't mean he would like the destiny that resonated with him to be "misfortune."

Even the usually serious Priest Augustus couldn't help but smile, while the old man Zarathustra was astonished:
"You killed the candidate of the [Cult of Doom]?"

After a moment of confusion, he asked again:
"Sir, are you capable of taking her fate away?"

"The body is still there; I didn't bring it. But I didn't take away [misfortune]; it was fate itself. Yes, I took it away."

The doctor nodded with a displeased expression. Looking at the two strangers who had helped him, Mr. Zaratu knew very well that he had truly encountered extraordinary people.

However, since the candidate for the [Cult of Doom] is dead, there's no need to discuss this further:

Even if it's too late, let's still send the message out.

The priest and doctor agreed with his idea and were discussing whether to go to the city or Kyle-Todd town when another voice rang out:
"I will take this message with me, but it is indeed too late."

A woman in a nearly transparent white robe with red eyes appeared on the cliff. Elder Zarathustra immediately greeted her, then introduced her to the doctor and priests, finally asking:

"Ms. White, what's this?"

"My power has been given to the entity that can sustain the power of this snow mountain."

She did not elaborate on Winnie's matter:

"But I can still operate for a short period of time without participating in the battle. This appearance is not for the information you have discovered. I want to strip away the destiny I represent and retain only my last bit of power."

As she spoke, she brought her hands together slightly in front of her, and as her palms separated, a white ring appeared there.

This is the destiny of the Guardian, the destiny left here by the ancient gods to watch over the serpent of doomsday.

After stripping away her most important components, Ms. White's figure became increasingly transparent; if it weren't for her own luminescence, she would not have looked any more real than her shadow.

The old Keeper of Secrets thought the Ring of Fate was a gift to him, after all, he was one of the candidates, but he saw the fate of "Guardianship" drift toward the middle-aged man holding the ring.

"I'm lending you this item temporarily; someone will come to collect it soon."

Ms. White told Dr. Schneider that, as fellow guardians, her fate was also suited to Bill Schneider. The psychiatrist from Tobesko understood this, and so he reached out his empty left hand and grasped the [Guardian].

The Life Ring materialized on its own, inscribed with new spirit runes. The Doctor preferred the Guardian Ring to the [Misfortune] Ring.

So Ms. White nodded and disappeared.

The priest Augustus then asked the old man Zarathustra:
"Now that the lady has agreed to help deliver the message, where are you going?"

"Let's go to the top of the mountain. It's too late to go to Shangquan now. Let's go straight to the temple, otherwise the chosen ones of destiny will not be able to compete for the right to be chosen."

"I'll take you there; you're really not feeling well right now."

The priest then said that the old keeper of secrets did not refuse. Without asking the doctor any questions, the priest left with Mr. Zarathustra. After the priest left, the doctor, who held the two rings, stood on the cliff edge and looked towards the sea south of the island.

Thirty seconds later, the giant snake head emerged from the ocean, and then the black light it emitted struck the ruins on the mountaintop.

The butterfly-winged girl stood in front of the ruins, barely blocking the continuously shooting black light, while the chosen one of light, the witch Claire, and the reserve team left behind in the city hurriedly went to the sea to meet the enemy.

"The enemy is so big this time, yet the detective still suspects I could get lost."

The doctor muttered to himself as the power of the double rings resonated suddenly increased. He then took a step and was directly in the air. The [Guardian] ring vibrated with a hum, and a black curtain immediately appeared around the entire island.

The appearance of this curtain not only weakened the power of the destructive black light, greatly reducing the pressure on the chosen ones of the butterfly wings, but also hindered the advance of the monsters attempting to land on the island from the ocean, significantly easing the defensive pressure on the town and the City of Time.

Then the doctor snapped his fingers, and several balls of black hellfire, each over a hundred meters in diameter, were summoned from above his head, streaking across the night sky and flying toward the giant serpent in the sea.

Knowing his condition, the doctor didn't venture into the heart of the maritime battlefield, instead casting spells above the island. Even during breaks in his spellcasting, he glanced towards the summit of the snow-capped mountain, for that was the most dangerous place that night.