Chapter 1086: Foresight
<span style="font-weight:400">The time of the next invasion wasing closer, and so far, there was no word from Ashley on her being able to replicate the memetic security device that I saw on Berose’s trade list. ording to her, she just didn’t have enough information about the structure of memes to get something that could so urately detect and censor memes without itself risking corruption, or without blockingpletely unrted information like a random tissuemercial. Even Chelsea was interested in the system, because it seemed that the designer had more knowledge on memetic powers than she herself did.
<span style="font-weight:400">Because of this, I ultimately made the decision to make the trade. A hundred thousand points was a lot, but it would ultimately be worth it if we were to get a way to prevent further contaminated information from spreading in the world.
<span style="font-weight:400">Berose’s visit to the Admin Room was rather short, only showing up long enough to do the trade, with both of us notifying a member of the Gilded Branch as insurance. Naturally, the person I used as a contact was Balu, as she was the one I knew best from the guild.
<span style="font-weight:400">After he was done with the trade, he thanked me and left, not seeing much sense in staying around any longer. Just from looking at him, you could tell that he was a rather casual old man, having been in this game for far too long at this point.
<span style="font-weight:400">Still, I was able to make the purchase, and we would be able to get the system in just over two more weeks when the invasion happened.
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<span style="font-weight:400">Within the Temple of Fate of Earth, atop a high tower, Keenan sat with his foot bouncing impatiently against the floor. His eyes were locked on the sky above, as if peering out beyond the clouds.
<span style="font-weight:400">Behind him, a figure with a wooden staff walked over, smiling slightly. “Still wanting to rush out there?” Jace asked in a knowing tone.
<span style="font-weight:400">Keenan let out a long sigh, nodding his head. “That’s right. I’ve already conferred with the Goddess Leowynn, and confirmed that the abilities I set in my domain should render me immune to most memetic influences.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Most, but not all.” Jace pointed out, lightly spinning the staff in his hand. Even now, he kept his eyes closed, only opening them when a dire situation struck. On average, it was decades between each instance of his eyes opening, so his luck was always increasing. Furthermore, his high luck had made it easier for him to acquire levels in luck-rted sses like Gambler, or earn simr titles. Even without Terra’s old blessing, he could be considered one of the luckiest people alive.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Is that what your instinct is telling you?” Keenan asked, showing genuine concern for his oldest friend’s opinion. He learned long ago to trust Jace’s gut, because going against it would inevitably invite disaster.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No, justmon sense.” Jace chuckled. “I don’t like to gamble with the life of a friend. Besides, even if you did clear out every monster attacking the barrier around this system, more woulde, and there are still infinitely more around every other protected. Your actions would do little beside soothing your anxiety.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad…” Keenan muttered under his breath. “What <i><span style="font-weight:400">does</i><span style="font-weight:400"> your instinct tell you about the situation?”
<span style="font-weight:400">The Felyn God of Sight tilted his head with a smile, twirling his staff. “Wait.” He said, twirling it again. “Three.” And again. “Months.” Every time he stopped twirling his staff, his fingernded on one of the many engraved words written along the staff.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Three months… So ,something will happen then?” Keenan asked, eyes wide as he was given a timeframe to look forward to.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t know.” Jace shrugged his shoulders. “It could be good, it could be bad, it could be nothing. Using luck to predict the future has never been certain.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Says the Fate Seer…” Keenan muttered under his breath, Jaceughing at the mention of his Gambler legend.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I always wondered why it gave me that title when the whole point is not to <i><span style="font-weight:400">see</i><span style="font-weight:400"> anything. Regardless… if you’re going to fight, wait.” Saying that, he sighed, spinning the staff idly in his hand. “There are a great many minds smarter than the two of usbined working on this project. We will do what we can do, and leave the rest to those with the power to create change.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Keenan nodded, sighing to himself and standing up. As he did, Jace grabbed his staff again to prepare to walk with Keenan, only to stiffen, his ears and tail standing straight. “What?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Jace’s head turned towards his staff, where his finger hadnded on the word ‘Danger’. “We need to move.” He said urgently, tossing the staff and quickly catching it. “Above. Dangering from above… but it told you to wait three months to fight.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Keenan furrowed his brow, before his eyes went wide. “Is it possible that it is a danger unrted to the memetic monsters?” He asked, to which Jace nodded his head.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That must be it.” Jace closed his eyes, hand folded in prayer. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Lady Terra, I request an audience.</i>
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Yes? What is it, Jace?</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Terra had always been rather warm towards Jace. He was by far one of her oldest priests at this point, and had truly been the most devout when carrying out a trial personally assigned by him.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">My fortune is speaking to me of imminent danger from beyond the sky, likely unrted to the beasts guing the barrier. This narrows the possible causes down considerably, leading me to believe that there is an asteroid inbound. With all of our long-range monitoring disabled to avoid memetic contamination, we would have no way of discerning that such an event was urring.</i>
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Jace…</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Terra seemed somewhat exasperated. <i><span style="font-weight:400">You’re a god. A meteor would not count as any form of danger for you. Even if the was destroyed, you would survive rtively unharmed.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Jace almost opened his eyes when he heard that, realizing that she was right. <i><span style="font-weight:400">If that’s the case… what danger did my fortune foresee?</i>
<i><span style="font-weight:400">This might have been a false rm, but let me look at your fate.</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Terra said, before falling silent. Jace felt as if he was being put under a microscope, knowing that this should be the sensation of having his fate observed by Terra. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Jace, open your eyes, now!</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Hearing Terra’s almost panicked shout, Jace immediately opened his eyes. As he did so, the world around him seemed to go ck, the sky darkening. This was the divine power that he cultivated, which consisted of a simple rule. He could see with his eyes closed, but opening his eyes would deprive the sight of all around him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Jace?” Keenan sounded rmed when he saw Jace’s eyes open suddenly, his own vision going ck.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Give me a moment, Keenan.” Jace spoke nervously, focusing. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Lady Terra?</i>
<i><span style="font-weight:400">A void monster snuck through the barrier around Earth. Itsw allows it to invert the fortune of others. However, with all of the defenses in ce, it can only invert the fortune of the one with the highest Luck stat.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Jace nodded his head, closing his eyes once again. <i><span style="font-weight:400">And I was the one chosen, not Empress Elisae?</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Although Jace was incredibly fortunate, he could notpare to the true child of fortune, Empress Elisae. For the most part, her fortune was derived from her karma, but it in turn influenced her luck stat.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Ironically, it’s likely her good karma that made her decide to take a diplomatic journey to Fyor.</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Terra said with a self-deprecating tone. <i><span style="font-weight:400">It will take about ten minutes before that monster is able to find the next target.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Jace gave another nod, turning his head towards Keenan. “You wanted a fight, right?” He asked with a small smirk. “What if I told you that a void monster snuck into the realm barrier, and just tried to assassinate me?” That wasn’t the <i><span style="font-weight:400">whole</i><span style="font-weight:400"> truth, but it was essentially what the oue would have been without Terra’s warning.
<span style="font-weight:400">Keenan’s eyes went wide, a murderous look on his face. A ck spear appeared in his right hand, and he tore open a rift in space. Since he was found in the woods as a child, Jace had been his emotional support, his anchor. Even though he had gotten his Chaos domain under control and wasn’t a threat to those around him, he knew that it was only Jace that had been with him from the beginning.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Tell Sam not to worry.” He said, remembering his half-sister, the Goddess of Family, and more recently Jace’s wife. After bing involved with the rest of his family, he felt that there was nobody in the world he could trust with his younger sister than Jace.
<span style="font-weight:400">Jace simply chuckled, nodding his head as Keenan stepped through the rift in space. Almost immediately, an anxious voice spoke into his mind. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Jace? Where did Keenan go? I just sensed something, and he disappeared. Don’t tell me he went outside the barrier?</i>
<i><span style="font-weight:400">It’s fine, Sammy, don’t worry. </i><span style="font-weight:400">Jace consoled the worried sister. <i><span style="font-weight:400">A void monster snuck through the realm barrier and tried to hurt me, so Keenan is going to take care of it.</i>
<i><span style="font-weight:400">I’m sorry…</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Suddenly, Sam’s voice turned a bit darker. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Something tried to do what now? Earth’s realm barrier, right?</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Jace’s brow twitched, realizing that the two siblings were more alike than either of them realized. <i><span style="font-weight:400">It’ll be fine, Sammy. You’re more oriented for support than frontalbat. Besides, have some faith in your brother.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">There was a small huff from the other end of the connection. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Fine… I expect you to give me the full story when you get backter.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Jace sighed, nodding his head. He mentally said a prayer to Terra, thanking her for the timely intervention. At the same time, he could only imagine the horrors being unleashed on the void monster outside of the realm barrier.