I'm here to save the world, what are you doing?

The originally dark and dull beads now exuded a mysterious aura, like a layer of night fog covering the faint starlight, finally looking like a "divine artifact".

Lucius was slightly stunned, and gently stroked the two connected beads, feeling the subtle flow of energy within them.

Never mind, just use it first.

Then he put aside his confusion and activated the Echo of Fate.

An even more unexpected situation occurred. The previous few times Lucius used the Echo of Fate, he had only simply communicated with the beads.

But this time, Lucius's consciousness was actually pulled directly into the "observation horizon".

The boundless void, the flowing river of time.

Then, there was the echo composed of thousands of voices—

"It's you again, [Zen-I]."

[Destiny]'s voice was filled with impatience.

"I tolerated your snooping yesterday, why are you bothering me again today?"

"What do you take me for? A personal assistant who'll do whatever you ask for?"

In an instant, powerful pressure came upon Lucius, as if the entire void was squeezing his existence.

This time, [Fate] seemed really angry and gave Lucius a very stern warning.

There was even a moment when Lucius felt the threat of death.

But Lucius was not afraid, instead he responded nonchalantly:

"[Destiny] ah [Destiny], my good buddy, don't be so stingy~"

"I just have some questions to ask you, I'm not asking you to do any hard labor."

"Hmph! You know exactly what you're thinking."

"Besides, you haven't even paid for your last consultation yet. Why should I help you?"

Destiny's voice was filled with displeasure, and it was obvious that she was extremely dissatisfied with Lucius's credit purchases.

——It was a reversal. In fact, her store had huge profits and Lucius could take whatever he wanted.

Credit, credit, the more Lucius owes, the more [Destiny] will be able to...

"Just owe it to me first!"

Lucius waved his hand, showing an air of wealth and splendor:

"I'm such a grown-up here, are you still worried that I won't be able to pay my debts?"

"..."

A burst of laughter echoed in the void, and [Destiny] seemed to be amused by Lucius's rogue attitude.

"You're such a smooth talker, I won't accept a blank check."

"However, since you're so interesting, I can tolerate you one last time."

"But you must remember that all gifts from fate have a hidden price."

"Next time, Chris will collect all the rewards at once. You must be prepared for that."

"Now, ask your questions, Zen-I."

[Destiny]'s voice suddenly became softer, but still full of majesty.

"Whether to reward or not, we'll talk about it when the time comes."

Lucius took a deep breath and got straight to the point:

"First, tell me what the 'backflow' phenomenon is all about."

"And what is the real purpose of those who believe in you?"

[Destiny] was silent for a moment, the stars in the void seemed to stop moving, and the river of time also became slow.

"Regarding the issue of time reversal, the time frame of the Prime Material Plane is far less rigid than it once was, so there's a lot of room for maneuver."

"As long as the right methods are used, it's not difficult to trace back the time of an individual or even an entire region."

"As for the Chaos Cult's purpose..."

The explanation of "Destiny" is ambiguous, but the most crucial part is deliberately retained:

"Their ultimate goal is to expand my divine domain in Splenda—and I'm happy to see that happen."

"As for what methods they use and why they do it, you have to see it with your own eyes."

"After all, what's the point of telling you everything?"

Lucius silently noted the hint from Destiny, and then he suddenly spoke:

"Chris, what the hell are you doing?"

Yes, this is an extremely direct temptation.

Chris is so mysterious. All signs indicate that her identity is more than just a tenth-level priest.

And her mentality of pursuing fun is exactly the same as that of [Destiny].

In this regard, Lucius made a very crazy guess -

Is it possible that Chris is actually destiny?

First, there was a long silence.

Then, a sharp and piercing laugh was heard, as if it was going to tear the entire space apart.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Destiny's laughter was filled with mockery and disdain:

"[Zenichi], do you know what you look like right now?"

"Like a fiddle-playing male dog!"

"Your mortal thoughts have made you so ridiculous. A supreme ruler of heaven, you actually imagine that you can attract another ruler with your charm?"

"You might be suffering from hysteria, or perhaps I've been too indulgent with you, which is why you have this bizarre idea."

Her voice became colder:

"I don't want to play love games with you who are as lowly as an ant right now. I have no reason to like you, and no reason to be liked by you."

"I'm willing to give hints, but I just think it's interesting, that's all."

Fate's mockery was merciless, and he quickly distanced himself from Chris:

"Instead of imagining this, it's better to think about how to pay the 'reward' next."

Then, [Destiny] ruthlessly cut off the connection, and Lucius's consciousness was suddenly pulled back to reality.

He opened his eyes and found himself still sitting in the chair in the study, holding the connected echoes of fate in his hands.

Although the mockery of Fate was extremely sharp, Lucius still felt that something was wrong.

You can only believe half of what this guy with many faces says.

Maybe [Destiny] was cursing Brother Lu, but in fact he was in the highest heaven listening to his voice and playing QQ space.

Lucius put away Fateful Echo and leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

Just as Lucius was thinking about this, the steward of the official residence came to report that Domitian's messenger had brought an invitation, inviting Lucius to a banquet at noon tomorrow to discuss important matters.

"interesting."

Lucius stroked his chin and muttered to himself:

"Uncle finally can't sit still anymore?"

.............................

Meanwhile, in Plotina's bedroom, she was making careful preparations for her evening date.

"Your Highness is becoming more and more beautiful!"

The maid combed Plotina's hair and praised her sincerely:

"Ever since you stayed overnight at that young lord's house, you've been smiling a lot more. It seems a lot of good things have happened~"

When Plotina heard this, her pretty face immediately flushed, and her fingers unconsciously stroked the hem of her skirt.

Is it a good thing?

Is it a good thing to be caught eavesdropping?

However, sleeping in the same bed with Lucius for a night was indeed a wonderful experience, especially...

Plotina couldn't help but let her eyes drift to the area below her belly.

The maid didn't notice anything unusual about her and thought she was just shy. She couldn't help but smile like an aunt and continued to help Plotina choose clothes and jewelry for her evening outing.

"How do you like this dress, Your Highness?"

The maid took out a crimson silk long dress from the closet. The hem of the skirt was dotted with tiny pearls, which sparkled softly under the light.

Plotina looked at it carefully, then nodded slightly:

"Well, this one is pretty good."

Then, another maid brought matching jewelry and put it on Plotina, saying with a smile:

"When Lord Lucius sees His Highness tonight, he will be so amazed that he won't be able to take his eyes off him."

"How can that be..."

Plotina pretended to be modest, but she was very happy in her heart. She was looking forward to the wonderful world of two people that would follow.

When she finally finished dressing up and stood in front of the mirror to examine her appearance, even she couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

Purple is indeed very charming, and the long skirt also highlights her noble temperament.

The carefully coiled hair is dotted with tiny pearl hair accessories, and coupled with that perfect face, she is noble and full of affinity, and breathtakingly beautiful.

"Your Highness is so beautiful!"

The maids admired it sincerely.

Plotina smiled slightly, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.

Tonight, she would go to the Imperial Opera House with Lucius to watch Pride and Prejudice, and then perhaps she could find a chance to keep him in her own bedroom...

Just thinking about it made her heart pound.

When the evening light shone through the window, Plotina finally saw her lover.

"Good evening, dear Plotina."

Lucius stood in the orange-red light and walked towards Plotina with a smile.

"good evening."

Plotina naturally took Lucius's arm and walked with him to the carriage parked not far away.

However, when Plotina finally entered the carriage, the first thing she saw was Iveliya, who smiled and waved at her with a smug look on her face.

"Hello~ Sister Plotina, good evening~"

Plotina: ...

No, why are you here to join in the fun?

Plotina's expectations were poured with a bucket of cold water, and her fantasy of a romantic world for two was instantly shattered.

But soon, she adjusted her mentality, smiled with relief, and responded to Iveliya's enthusiasm.

Since you have chosen the path of sharing, you should learn to accept it.

She didn't say much, but just sat obediently on the other side of Lucius.

Be patient for now, there will be plenty of opportunities later!

As long as he and Lucius "grow up" together, he will no longer have any disadvantages in front of Iveliya!

Plotina was secretly calculating in her heart, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly unconsciously.

"Sister Plotina!"