Chapter 123: “Judgment”

Chapter 123: “Judgment”

Hearing Gehrman Sparrow’s words, Darkwill’s first reaction was to explain everything about the strange die without holding anything back. He wanted the adventurer he had hired at enormous cost to grasp the root of the problem and effectively guarantee his personal safety.

But immediately afterward, he thought of his teacher’s instructions. He thought of how that die might be an extremely important Sealed Artifact within the School. If he accurately informed Gehrman Sparrow of it, perhaps it would arouse the other party’s greed and push the matter in an even worse direction!

There were not a thousand rumors on the sea about adventurers killing their employers for higher profit, but the number was not far off. And I do not understand Gehrman Sparrow. I do not know what sort of person he is. I have to be cautious enough and careful enough! Besides, the die has only turned itself to two pips. The situation is not the worst or most desperate yet. There is still room to wait… After hesitating for several seconds, Darkwill finally made his decision. He intended to avoid the key point for now and speak only about surface phenomena.

He subconsciously avoided Gehrman Sparrow’s seemingly calm gaze and said, “It is like this. My teacher and I belong to a secret organization. We are fleeing because a traitor appeared internally.

“They control a pathway related to fate. They can make themselves lucky and make their target unlucky… I—I may have been cursed, which is why I was so unlucky just now and got struck by lightning.”

Having finished his explanation, he forcefully concealed the unease in his heart and waited for Gehrman Sparrow’s response.

Will he believe me? An adventurer as powerful and experienced as him should be very hard to deceive… If he realizes I am lying, he will probably throw me straight into the sea… Darkwill stood there, nervous and uneasy, like a student summoned to the front of the classroom by his teacher.

As expected, it is the Life School of Thought… the Monster pathway… Klein nodded thoughtfully.

“I understand.

“Move around as little as possible. I will consider how to deal with misfortune.”

Uh… Darkwill froze for a moment, unable to believe that Gehrman Sparrow had so easily accepted the reason he had hastily woven together.

He forced out a smile, repeatedly expressed his thanks, then returned to his own room. Leaning against the door, he took out the ring box.

Snap! His hand trembling slightly, he opened the lid and discovered that the milky-white die had, at some point, eerily turned over by itself. The six-pip side now faced upward.

Does this mean I was lucky enough just now, so I successfully deceived Gehrman Sparrow? Darkwill thought in sudden understanding.

The owl, Mr. Harry, landed again, but it did not choose the fat Apothecary’s shoulder. It seemed still frightened by having nearly been struck by lightning earlier.

It stood on the wooden desk, its round eyes gazing forward as it said, “Darkwill, you are very nervous.”

“I do not need you to tell me that,” Darkwill said in annoyance.

The owl spread its wings once and said, “Fine. Then I will put it another way.

“I believe I must consider changing masters.

“Gehrman Sparrow seems like a decent choice.”

“…Then what about me?” Darkwill asked in astonishment, momentarily forgetting to be angry.

The owl, Mr. Harry, clicked its beak twice.

“Have you not noticed the worry and fear in your own heart? You yourself suspect that you may not live to see tomorrow’s sun. That strange die truly, truly is far too dangerous!

“If I were you, I would throw it straight out the window, into the sea, and let your teacher’s teacher fish it out himself.”

“…How do you know about my teacher’s teacher?” Darkwill blurted out in return.

Mr. Harry proudly lifted its head.

“Do not doubt an owl’s eyesight.”

Darkwill had already fallen into thought and paid no attention to its answer.

“No. That will not work. Throwing the die into the sea cannot solve every problem.

“According to what the old man said before, even if it is buried by the sea, after a few days it can make important people draw close and pick it up. Then it really would be lost. Stupid bird, you do not possess enough mysticism knowledge. You do not understand that these important Sealed Artifacts are like the most popular prostitutes in the Red Theater. They always attract those thirsty men.”

“Including you,” the owl Harry calmly replied. “As for the problem of lacking mysticism knowledge, I believe a famous quote can explain it. Emperor Roselle once said that if children do not receive a good education, it is the father’s fault. This sentence can also be used to describe the relationship between pets and masters. Very well, Darkwill. No matter what, I believe you must speak with Gehrman Sparrow about the die. Otherwise, what comes next will be even more dangerous.”

“I will watch it a bit longer, watch it a bit longer. Perhaps it will stay fixed on six…” Darkwill said hesitantly.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, then lay back.

At that moment, the storm that had raged for a while gradually subsided, and the sky began clearing. The passenger liner sounded its departure whistle.

Inside the sitting room of the first-class cabin, Klein gazed out the window at the hazy rainbow after the rain. Inwardly, he was not as calm as his surface suggested.

A straightforward enemy did not particularly frighten him. Upon the sea, apart from the Four Kings and official demigods, and apart from pirate admirals appearing with entire fleets, very few could truly threaten him while he possessed Creeping Hunger and several mystical items. Even if the ship were bombarded and sunk, even if he fell into the sea, possessing many charms in Sea God’s domains meant that he could still find a path to survival.

But luck was something exceedingly hard to grasp. It did not fall within his abilities. He could not even think of a way to deal with it.

Although my title is the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck, that was modified from the ritual for luck enhancement, and the effect of that ritual clearly is not to make someone escape bad luck… Darkwill’s matter is rather difficult. All I can do is work harder, pay close attention to his condition, and once something unlucky enough to cause death occurs, immediately intervene and rescue him… I hope we can last through these few days and reach Oravi Island. The fat Apothecary’s elder should have a way to change his luck… Klein rubbed the corner of his forehead. There was no abnormality.

…

Having been too nervous the previous night to sleep well, Darkwill unknowingly sank into a dream.

After a while, his stomach told him that it was time to wake up and have lunch.

He tried hard to open his eyes, but it felt as though an invisible person was pressing down on his body, making him unable to move.

He felt the back of his head swelling and faintly stinging. His breathing began to grow difficult, and his heartbeat exceeded its normal rhythm.

No, no, I am not going to die suddenly in my sleep, am I… Darkwill struggled desperately, but no matter what, he could not wake up. His entire body grew increasingly weak.

Just then, something sharp pecked open his mouth. An icy liquid followed, pouring inside, and tracing the lines of his face, wetting his chin and neck.

Darkwill’s body instantly relaxed, and his eyes finally opened. He saw two bright-yellow eyes as round as gold, so close that they seemed about to bump against his head.

Raising a Beyonder pet is still useful… Darkwill first sighed in relief, then quickly sat up and took out the ring box.

By now, the die inside had turned to another side.

One pip!

So unlucky that I nearly died suddenly in my sleep? No, it does not seem that simple. It seems to be amplifying certain probabilities, such as the chance of dying suddenly in a dream, or the chance of being struck by lightning… No. No, if this continues, I will definitely die! Darkwill thought in extreme terror.

Fear swiftly overwhelmed him, driving him to hold the ring box and rush to the door.

Perhaps because of the lingering effects of his near sudden death, he did not have much strength. He gripped the handle but struggled to turn it.

“Help! Help!” the owl, Mr. Harry, cried shrilly.

Bang!

The door opened and struck Darkwill on the head. If Klein had not deliberately controlled his strength, the fat Apothecary’s skull might have split open, blood flowing everywhere.

With no time to rub the swelling on his forehead, Darkwill said in panic, “It is it! It is it!

“This die is making me unlucky!

“It is currently on one pip. Everything I do will fail!”

He had already thought things through. He would tell Gehrman Sparrow the entire matter and hope this powerful adventurer could give effective advice.

As for the possibility that the other party might become greedy and kill him, he had not ruled it out. He merely believed that, when choosing between two harmful options, one should pick the relatively less terrible one.

Telling Gehrman Sparrow might get me killed. Not telling him will definitely get me killed. There is no need to consider how to choose.

If the die is lost, then it is lost. My life is more important! Darkwill thought with great self-righteousness.

Then he saw Gehrman Sparrow reveal a polite smile and say, “Thank you for your humor.

“That joke was fairly decent.”

…This is not a joke… Darkwill lowered his head to look at the ring box and saw the blood-red single pip showing no change whatsoever.

Could it be—could it be that even a completely justified attempt at persuasion will fail… The fat Apothecary suddenly sank into despair.

“It is true! What he said is true!” the owl Harry flapped its wings wildly beside him.

Hope surged anew in Darkwill. He heard Gehrman Sparrow say in a low voice, “Then why not throw it into the sea?”

After speaking, Klein politely closed the door and walked back to the sitting room.

This fellow is definitely hiding a secret. I cannot let him deceive me with such a clumsy excuse… Klein sat down in a chair, waiting for Darkwill to provide more specific, more detailed information.

Darkwill sat back down dejectedly, not daring to move at all, afraid he would encounter failure.

He did not notice that the die had once again changed the side facing upward. This time, it was three pips.

Before lunch, Klein entered the washroom and emptied his stomach.

After washing his hands, he casually went above the gray fog, preparing to browse through the accumulated prayers of Sea God’s believers.

He had just sat in the high-backed chair belonging to The Fool when numerous details suddenly flashed through his mind, making his eyes widen.

“How—how did I believe such an unconvincing explanation…

“How did I think that die was a clumsy excuse?

“Those two times just now were like my heart and mind being covered in lard. No, not exactly. Darkwill’s explanation happened to match one of my guesses, so I instinctively accepted it as true and, in the other case, instinctively treated it as false.”

Klein’s pupils contracted slightly as he thought.

At that moment, he had already made a judgment in his heart:

“That die truly has a problem!”