OBS Chapter 3770, Act 7: Rules
Chapter 3770, Act 7: Rules
Chapter 3770 The Rules of Act Seven
Although Shad and his two companions set off half an hour early, they were still not the first to arrive when they landed on the mountaintop under the moonlight. Besides the clown, members of the Prophet's Association, the Doom Cult, and the Unity of All Numbers were also present.
The three groups, totaling nine people, each occupied a corner of the mountaintop. The [Prophet's Association] consisted of Old Man Zarathustra, the Chairman, and an old man whom Shad did not recognize; the [Members of the Unity of All] consisted of a strangely styled "priest" and two eleventh-ring warlocks; and the [Order of Doom] consisted of the woman named Katrin Schwartz, the Order's bishop, and an eleventh-ring warlock.
When the three of them arrived, they did not speak to them. Shad simply nodded to Chairman Lenorman and then took up a corner on the mountaintop with Claire and Stella.
The lingering mist was no longer visible atop the snow-capped mountain; snowflakes drifted down, and the three moons shone brightly tonight. Thinking of Ms. White's skepticism towards the five candidates, Shad glanced at the others out of the corner of his eye.
Of course, adhering to the principle of skepticism, Shad had also suspected that Stella was connected to Mr. Snake. However, Stella's whereabouts were clearly traceable, and when she was treated some time ago, not only Shad but others also examined her internal condition, so Stella was definitely fine.
"If Ms. White's suspicions are correct, the problem lies with Mr. Zarathustra, Mr. Mortis, and the two cult members."
As Shad pondered these matters, the clowns arrived ten minutes later. The three masked clowns revealed themselves by simply lifting a veil that appeared in the air—a trick Mr. Mortis had used during the "House of the Fakes" incident, and it was indeed a very convenient ability.
At this moment, all five candidates on the stage of destiny have appeared, and most people present are wondering who among them will be able to go all the way.
As 7:30 p.m. approached the summit, the strange rustling sounds coming from below gradually drew closer to the peak. The enormous white serpent that had been coiling around the mountain slowly slithered up from below, until it revealed its massive white head on one side of the Peak of Destiny.
Whether by coincidence or not, the location of the snake's head is the same as the entrance to the ruins that Shad used the [War] Curve to enter.
As the snake's eyes swept across the group atop the peak, those who had been scattered across the various corners of the summit began to converge towards the center. No one seemed inclined to launch a sneak attack at this time, so the red-eyed white snake used its mental energy to vibrate the air and speak:
"Since the end of the mythological era, the god of destiny has been waiting for this drama to unfold. Although the sealed evil serpent has affected the stage, congratulations, candidates of destiny, you have successfully propelled the performance to its final act."
The snake hissed, flicking its tongue.
"A fortune teller who believes in fate, a clown on stage, a successor of an ancient witch, a follower of misfortune, and a believer of the god of probability, I am Lady White, the guardian of the seal. When the god of fate departed, he entrusted me with the responsibility of guarding the seal, and I have been watching you all as you perform on this island."
The secrets of dice, curves, and rings—you already know them even without delving into the temple; you are more insightful than I thought. Now, the performance reaches its final act, and I will explain the final rules. Now, please follow me; the final venue is here.
The snake's head dispersed into white mist, and within that mist, a staircase that looked very familiar to Xia De appeared outside the cliff.
The guardian of the snow mountain seal opened the gate to the ruins. Although the others had never seen this entrance before, they could roughly guess where the stairs led.
"Let's go."
Seeing that no one else had moved, Shad spoke up and led Claire and Stella over. The other twelve followed. The cloud-constructed staircase connected to the "Path of Atonement," and the fine ice shards on the dark blue stone steps reflected the moonlight.
After passing through the dilapidated archway at the end of the Path of Atonement, the flat terrain ahead lay bathed in moonlight. The wind on the mountaintop was less fierce, and the moonlight illuminated the snow and the ruins standing on it. The silence that had lasted for five eras was broken tonight. President Le Norman looked at the scene before him and said softly:
"These are the remnants of fate."
A group of people were waiting for them ahead. In the moonlight, there stood a middle-aged woman with long white hair, a white robe, and crimson eyes. This was also Ms. White's alter ego, the way she appeared when delivering letters to the candidates.
Although her eyes are snake pupils and her face has traces of snake scales, her appearance is more in line with the aesthetic standards of ordinary humans than Mr. Snake's noseless face. She is not only not scary, but can even be considered beautiful.
"Please come with me."
Ms. White addressed the group, and as she led the way, she added:
"This is the gathering place of the followers of the God of Fate in the First Era, but this time please do not wander around. Our destination is ahead."
So everyone's footprints were left on the snow. Although there were ruins everywhere, this did not prevent people from seeing many details of the ruins. Of course, since Shad had spent an hour last time and still couldn't find Kamiizumi, he wouldn't be able to find it this time just by looking.
Ms. White led everyone towards the temple within the ruins. The temple's doors were tightly shut in the darkness, but Ms. White simply stood before the door and extended her hand, and the door opened by itself.
“You should have been qualified to enter this temple long ago.”
The temple doors opened, and the group entered one by one, led by Ms. White. Shad looked at the wall ahead where the ouroboros wheel hung; according to the lover's memory, she had seen Mr. Snake in a dark room at the end of the corridor behind that wall.
This time, the noseless, snake-eyed man did not emerge from behind the wall.
The temple's two walls are adorned with seven murals related to the Seven Acts of the Tale. The somber murals originally depicted the seven-day miracle of the god of destiny at the end of the First Age, but as the story unfolds, they have transformed into vibrant new modern tales.
When I last visited, only three murals—"Clash of Demonic Swords," "The End of the Pilgrimage," and "The Graveyard False Man"—had been repainted. Now, three of the remaining four murals have also been repainted in vibrant colors.
In the boundless starry sea above the sea, a crimson meteorite is falling in the very center of the mural, and on the left and right sides of the meteorite that almost splits the picture in two, a girl holding a sun gun and a man riding a unicorn are preparing to launch an attack on the center.
A huge black ring floats in the center of the mural. In the thick black fog at the center of the ring, two faces fused together can be vaguely seen. To the left, right and lower of the ring are crimson lightning, a snowstorm, and a pure white horn, respectively.
The sixth mural is simpler, divided into seven parts, each depicting the seven core musicians of the "Great Symphony of Destiny," clearly portraying the ceremony that took place not long ago.
Of course, because unicorns don't play musical instruments, the sixth mural is also the only one that doesn't feature unicorns.
Upon seeing the three new paintings, the same sentence will come to mind for anyone—
Thunder shattered the stars, and destiny began anew.
The intertwining of love and hate, the struggle between fusion and shattering, is the capriciousness of fate.
The music resounded above the snow-capped mountains.
Of the seven murals, only the last one remained faded. Ms. White gave everyone time to observe the murals, and only after most people had looked away did she speak:
"The seven-act story enters its final act, and the final act is a play chosen in advance by the god of fate."
She made sure everyone's attention was drawn to her words:
"The theme of the final act is—the cards of fate. You may all know that the final story revolves around cards, but you are not the players."
It looked at the candidates one by one:
"Play this card game with an ordinary person as the player and your molted snakes as the 'cards.' Your strength, experiences, destiny, and ties will all become part of this game."
The game is set against the backdrop of a major event about to unfold on this island. During the game, you can use your points to acquire powers beyond your current capabilities. However, use your points wisely, as after Act 7, points will be needed to determine who will be the sole survivor standing at the center of the stage.
Why choose ordinary people? How are these ordinary people selected? What are the specific rules of the game?
What major event will occur on the island?
"This game sounds a lot like the relic [Dice Story Collection]."
"When does the game start? There are only a few days left until the deadline Mr. Snake gave us."
"So the winner of this game gets the highest possible 20-sided die, right?"
Each of the five candidates asked a different question. Ms. White raised her hand to signal everyone to be quiet before she spoke:
"Choosing ordinary people is to make this game fairer. According to the rules left by the god of fate, these five players are each connected to you—"
The first one is Sophie Reinhardt, daughter of the Fatu people and from the island of Fatummister, who is connected to the witch's successor.
Claire looked up at her abruptly; the name Ms. White had uttered was clearly her mother's name.
"The second person is the Prophet's associate - the champion of the big city players, Shad Hamilton of Tobesko."
Mr. Zarathustra remained expressionless, but Shad noticed that Chairman Le Norman smiled.
"The third, the clown's contact—the liaison between the secular and the church, Gerald Rogers of Atek City."
Because he was wearing a mask, Shad couldn't see Mr. Mortis's expression clearly and couldn't guess the relationship between Mr. Rogers and Mr. Mortis.
"The fourth person is Jenny Elford of Willendale, a follower of the God of Probability."
The priest's expression changed drastically, much like Claire's earlier expression, though Shad felt the surname "Elford" sounded quite familiar.
"The fifth, a contact of the followers of misfortune—Samuel Anjou of the City of Time."
"Hmm? The eldest prince of the Anjou royal family?"
The appearance of this name made the previous four names seem mediocre at first glance. Everyone looked at the woman from the [Cult of Doom] with suspicion, and even one of her companions looked at her with a stern face. Katrin Schwartz's lips twitched. She knew the reason for this person's appearance, but the fact that the secret connection between the two was revealed was still something she hadn't expected.