Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 143 Carnival Night, the Silence of Fate
On the endless sea, fate surges silently like the tide;

After the singing and drinking, there is an irresistible separation.

The Whale Fall Channel is no longer obscured by dark clouds tonight.

Above the sky, stars fall like rain onto the dark blue sea. The sparks merge into a path of light across the night, like the Milky Way spread between the tides.

Pirate ships of all sizes were moored at the nearby sand islands and reefs, like a pack of wolves taking a temporary rest. The decks were brightly lit, cables were crisscrossed, and the ships were crisscrossed, like an aerial market built on the sea.

The pirates danced revelry in the harbor that never sleeps, like ghosts who had survived a disaster, singing heartily in the flames of rum and victory.

The shadow of the whale tomb dissipated, and the dormant curse that had been suppressed for a long time was finally broken. Those desperate people who had been drifting, struggling, and shouting in the dark sea finally ushered in the freedom that truly belonged to them.

Wild cheers pierced the night sky, and the salty sea breeze was mixed with the smell of wine and sweat.

The pirates raised their rum glasses and sang the rough and high-pitched war songs, mixed with rude laughter and untuned curses, like vicious dogs running wild or ghosts returning from hell.

A few drunken sailors even grabbed the ropes and swung back and forth between the two ships, like flags fluttering in the wind, wanton and unrestrained.

The banquet hall of the Crown was bustling with activity. Ian and Baroque, along with Lester and Avina, toasted each other, played drinking games, and laughed loudly.
Alison smiled sweetly, holding a glass of red wine and talking in a low voice with Alfred, perhaps reminiscing about the bloody times in the past, or perhaps gently mentioning the upcoming separation.

Behind the hustle and bustle, Sima Ming sat alone on the side of the Crown, leaning against the railing, looking at the sea dotted with stars in the distance.

The sea breeze ruffled his messy hair and blew open his robe. He lightly picked up a few cards with his fingertips, light and shadow flickered in his eyes, and his expression was calm and distant.

That was the spoils from the division ceremony.

Calvino insisted on picking out several low-level life cards for him to make up for his shortcomings.

But what really made Siming's fingertips tremble and his eyes freeze was a silent fate card -

The elegy of a doomed gambler.

The light blue surface of the card is like a frozen night sky, with faint starlight emerging, as if hiding endless broken causes and effects and unspoken fragments of fate.

Siming lowered his eyes and stared at it, his knuckles slightly tightened, and his heartbeat unconsciously accelerated.

He suddenly heard the familiar yet distant whisper, echoing softly in his heart.

"What a familiar scene."

The sound seeped into the tide like the night, soft but omnipresent. "The reunion of fate is like the previous round of gambling has not yet ended."

He is the one with a thousand faces.

The nightmare that lingered deep in his memory, the figure that had gambled with him and danced with him countless times in the long river of fate.

"I still remember... the way you stood in front of me, holding this card. That time, it made me happy, but also made me sad—"

"Shut up." Sima Ming whispered coldly and shook his head violently, trying to shake the familiar whisper from his mind.

He hated the feeling of powerlessness that this voice brought. It was like a gamble that was doomed to fail but from which he could not escape. Someone was always watching him roll the dice - and he couldn't even confirm whether the dice were real.

In his frustration, he simply materialized the "Elegy of the Fateful Gambler".

A deck of four-suit playing cards slowly emerged in his palm. He subconsciously shuffled and cut the cards, and every movement was as smooth as instinct.

His fingertips slid across the paper. The cards were cold, yet so familiar that it chilled him to the bone.

It was as if he had used this deck of cards to decide the life and death of countless people at countless points of fate - including his own.

Just as he was lost in thought, Calvino quietly sat down.

He held two silver cups and handed one over with a smile. The wine in the cup swayed, reflecting the starlight.

"What are you thinking about?" His tone was gentle, like a friend, and seemed to remind him that he still belonged on this deck.

Siming took the wine glass, clinked it lightly with his, and drank it all.

The burning sensation of the rum sliced ​​through my throat, suppressing the murmurs in my heart.

He chuckled softly, his eyes regaining some clarity. "Nothing. I just suddenly felt... I might have lost some memories, just like you."

"Then let's go find it together." Calvino smiled, his voice steady and firm.
It seems that it is not about regaining their memories, but about taking back their plundered lives.

He took out two cards from his arms, one was a dormant sea chart with interlaced sea map textures, and the other was a dream whisper with strange dream shadows.

"Now, we only need the last one."

He paused, his smile deepening:
"—When the turning point comes."

Siming said nothing, merely clenching the cards in his hand. In the distance, the mist of the Dreamy Sea swirled, as if the curtain of fate were slowly opening, awaiting the gamblers' entrance once again.

"No," a hearty and uninhibited laugh came from afar, as if it had split the waves from the depths of the night sky, "You have already gathered them all."

Xu Long.

He walked steadily, each step as fast as a drum, and his dominance and confidence were natural.

The moonlight fell on his crimson cloak, like a real dragon parading.

Mrs. Mei gently held his arm, her eyes and eyebrows were gentle and calm, and there was a teasing smile on the corners of her mouth. She walked side by side with him, like two stars walking side by side at the top of destiny.

The two walked through the noise and singing and slowly came to Siming and Calvino.

Madam Mei tilted her head slightly, her eyes moving between the three of them, and said playfully:

"Do you really want to give that to them? You know, that's the key that, when put together, can unlock the mystery of the Fantasy Dream and open the door to the Sea of ​​Dreams. With it, you'll be qualified to become the true master of the Fantasy Sea."

Xu Long laughed out loud with his head raised, his tone arrogant and fierce, like a flame burning the sea:
"I rule the sea of ​​dreams, not relying on 'permission from dreams'. My presence is the law."

He waved his hand, and a card flew out from his palm, like a lone star rising in red flames, drawing a clear track in the night sky.

Calvino subconsciously reached out to catch it, and when his fingertips touched the card, a familiar shiver surged into his palm.

The card glowed dimly, and its name was clearly - The Time of Flipping.

Calvino's expression was complicated, and his fingertips trembled slightly, as if he had grasped the deepest cause and effect of some fate.

Xu Long just waved his hand casually, saying:
"It's just a piece of trophy I snatched from a battle. Do you think Whale Grave is pursuing me so relentlessly just for me? What they really covet is this card."

He turned his gaze towards Madam May, his eyes as gentle as the sea breeze kissing the crest of the waves:

"Well, it's time for us to set sail. Red Dragon and Red Rose, we've been quiet for too long. It's time to... make a big move."

Madam Mei smiled, her tone soft yet sharp, her gaze as resolute as a blade piercing the sea: "Of course. No matter how long you want to make trouble, I will accompany you - until the last wisp of wind."

The two smiled at each other and walked away in sync, like fire and flowers traveling together.

Calvino looked at their receding backs, with light and shadow in his eyes.

He stepped forward and shook Xu Long's hand firmly, saying solemnly, "Thank you, Pirate King. See you next time, perhaps we'll be shoulder to shoulder, or perhaps we'll be facing each other."

Xu Long laughed heartily, looking up to the sky. Without hesitation, he said, "That's all right—fate and I have always been mere pawns in a gambling game."

Sima Ming also walked forward and stretched out his hand to shake his.

Xu Long held his hand, his eyes concealing a complex and obscure look. He whispered, "You... Thousand Faces, stop getting lost in your own destiny."

Siming was slightly stunned, but he didn't refute. He just stood there quietly, watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distant sea of ​​stars, until they could no longer be seen.

The pirates' revelry continued, with glasses raised high and singing non-stop.

They leaped between the ship's side and the ropes, like free souls in the night.

Siming, on the other hand, stood quietly at the side of the ship, his robe fluttering in the sea breeze, his gaze passing through it all, gazing towards the distant and deep sea of ​​dreams.

Calvino stood silently beside him, his eyes also fixed on the end where the sky and the sea met.

He whispered, "Are you ready? To pursue those forgotten memories and face the next... inescapable fateful gamble?"

Siming closed his eyes and slowly brushed his fingertips across the familiar deck of cards in his palm.

He smiled lightly, his voice light but firm, like a whisper at the rising tide:

"The fateful gamble... began long ago. I have no choice."

As the night deepens, the revelry fades.

The wind from the sea of ​​dreams opens the next chapter of destiny.

The waves gently lap against the side of the boat, which is the silent murmur of fate, quietly echoing in the soul of every person about to embark on a long journey.

——After the carnival, fate will start whispering again.

And prisoners of fate will eventually embark on a never-ending journey.

(End of this chapter)