Anwen’s face went pale. It didn’t take great intellect to understand what this kind of debt meant; he would need hundreds of years even after becoming a great dark monarch to repay it.
“You can’t do this!”
“Of course I can, and I’m not joking.” There was no smile on Predica’s face.
Anwen frowned. “What did I do wrong?”
“I’m willing to help you, but I cannot if this is how you choose to communicate. At the very least, you have to make things clear before you spend so much of the council’s money. You must explain what this tool is for. I know you can find a way to do that.”
Anwen calmed down for a bit. “The machine will give us a new and extremely efficient way to explore the world. Once it has been completed, it can be used to calculate the forms in which origin power exists amongst other things. For instance, it can analyze the trajectory of fate or simulate the flow of void origin power, even predict weather and disasters. In short, it will be useful for any sort of computational work. I’ve been adjusting and expanding its scale of operation to this end. My own calculation powers will improve by a hundred times with its help, and it can be continuously upgraded in the future.”
Predica fell into deep thought in the face of this lengthy report. “If it can really do what you say, the council will be able to suppress the human race in terms of technology. Perhaps in a hundred years, we might be able to counter their cultivation advantage. At the very least, our warship main cannons will improve by two generations.”
Anwen sighed. “It can definitely optimize ballistics, but I do not wish for my invention to be used for killing. There are many more meaningful things in the world.”
“You do not have the right to decide what is meaningful, not now. We can talk a hundred years later when you have the power to make these decisions. For now, let’s see how effective your tool is.”
Anwen said after some thought, “I’ve completed a good portion of it. It’s still struggling to predict disasters, but it’s capable enough to assist the fate apparatus.”
“Very well, I’ll attempt a new prophecy. Let’s begin once you’re ready.”
Anwen ran back to his room and began activating his miraculous machine at lightning speed. The start-up procedure was excessively complicated, involving several hundred switches and pinions.
Predica waited patiently until Anwen was ready before activating the fate apparatus. Compared to the busy Anwen, Predica’s movements were practiced and leisurely. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of wisps of darkness origin power fell upon the apparatus nodes.
The trajectories of the fate apparatus began to transform, and a dim light began to flicker at the center of the machinery.
As Habsburg saw it, these lights were simply meaningless motes and belts of luminescence. Yet, every flicker resonated with his blood core.
Habsburg frowned because he felt that this prophecy was related to the vampire race.
Predica’s pupils expanded as the fate apparatus kicked into action, almost filling his entire eyes. In this state, he was almost able to peer into changes along the river of fate.
This was Predica’s unique talent and the reason he became the new master prophet of this generation. He was capable of capturing the flow of fate despite its myriad transformations.
Anwen stared fixedly at the changes in the apparatus. Countless numbers flowed out of his hand and transformed into a beam of light as they poured into the machine. Every pinion, lever, and crystal in the machine would generate even more numbers. These digits would converge and go through incomprehensible formulas before returning to Anwen. Just like that, Anwen and the machine slowly turned into a constant deluge of numbers.
While observing the process, Predica had the extra energy to explain to Habsburg, “The origin power I injected into the apparatus was prepared specifically for the topic I want to prophesize. The different origin power entering different time nodes represent factors interfering with fate. Once all the main factors have been prepared, the fate apparatus will reveal the true face of our future.”
Habsburg asked, “Will my being here influence the outcome?”
“It will,” Predica said expressionlessly.
Habsburg understood that this was Predica’s personal motive. Vast amounts of resources were required to activate the fate apparatus each time, so even as the controller, he couldn’t use it as he wished. However, the situation had been changing rapidly in recent days, and the vampire race was now at the heart of it.
Perhaps because he had heard or sensed something, Predica wanted to throw Habsburg into the prophecy as well.
The vampire prince didn’t refuse. The fate apparatus was already halfway in operation, so it was too late anyway. On the other hand, needing such methods to peep into the workings of fate meant that there might be some factor in the future capable of destroying Habsburg.
Seeing Habsburg retain his silence, Predica heaved a sigh of relief and went on with his work.
The apparatus continuously drained the injected origin power, up until the light in the apparatus faded away and the trajectories returned to their original state.
This moment’s work left Predica pale and his aura unstable. Apparently, the price was not small.
He said with a frown, “There are too many variables, everything is a mess. It’s even harder to confirm anything about the vampire race now. I think the fate of the race will undergo several drastic changes in the near future before heading in its final direction…”
It would seem that Predica couldn’t fully understand the fate of the vampire race. That was indeed the case. After all, he was trying to prophesize one of the four major races, one overseen by the Queen of the Night.
Anwen cried out all of a sudden, “The River of Blood is moving away!”
“What?” Habsburg cried out in surprise.
Predica wasn’t moved. “The River of Blood has been moving away for decades now, that’s not news. Did you not know?”
Anwen said, “No, that’s not what I meant! The River of Blood was moving away at first, but it was just going along its trajectory. It would’ve returned after some time. Now, I just found it has changed its trajectory entirely! This path will only take the river away, and it will never return!”