Chapter 147: The Book of Fate

Chapter 147 The Book of Fate

For the rest of the journey, Meng Na dared not move an inch in her seat, terrified of meeting the same fate as her freckled companion—her head splitting apart like an overripe melon, blood splattering everywhere.

Fortunately, Miss Ernos did not trouble her further. Instead, she lowered her head and focused on paging through a new sketchbook, occasionally pausing to sketch lightly over the images with quiet contemplation, her demeanor serene and refined.

Only Meng Na knew that those seemingly artistic hands were not just dipped in precious pigments but also in still-warm, crimson blood.

As her violently pounding heart gradually calmed, Meng Na took a deep breath and turned her thoughts to the unfamiliar voice that had stopped her from stepping toward death.

She was certain it hadn’t been a mere figment of her imagination in that decisive moment. That voice had been real, descending like heavenly guidance, shielding her from a fatal fall.

But the question she wanted answered was… what exactly was that voice?

Was it the mercy of a god or angel protecting an innocent child, or was it the invisible malevolent spirit from folkloric horror tales, luring people to their doom?

And now—was "he" still in her mind?

Meng Na tentatively called out in her heart, but her attempts were met with silence, as if the voice had been nothing but an illusion.

After what felt like an eternity, the horses let out steamy breaths, and the carriage came to a slow halt before a stately, imposing manor.

Servants who had been waiting at the entrance swarmed forward—some to lead the horses, others to place a footstool by the carriage, and still others eagerly assisting Ernos as she descended.

Moving cautiously, Meng Na followed behind Ernos, ducking past the carriage curtains.

Perhaps due to the lingering shock of the freckled girl’s fall, it wasn’t until her feet were firmly planted on solid ground that the weight in Meng Na’s chest finally lifted.

Lifting her gaze, the first thing that caught her eye was a vast garden painstakingly maintained by dedicated hands.

The teachings of the Nature Sculptor revered nature, creation, and beauty, so in this land, exquisite garden designs and architecture were commonplace. The courtyards of noble estates, in particular, were the embodiment of labor and ingenuity of countless horticulturists.

A meandering cobblestone path meandered through clusters of purple irises—symbols of the family—their petals dancing in the breeze like butterflies.

The emerald carpet of grass stretched like rolling waves beneath the clear sky, extending toward the magnificent spired castle in the distance.

These harmonious hues blended together, forming a picturesque landscape.

Meng Na blinked, quickly shaking off her awe.

For a fleeting moment, she saw the entire manor reduced to smoking ruins, blackened remnants standing amidst scorched, barren earth where vegetation had burned away.

The once-bustling servants had turned into skeletons, and one particularly gruesome sight was a skull lodged in the crook of a twisted tree, swaying slightly like a macabre, dangling fruit.

Struck by this eerie vision, Meng Na’s heart sank. Her initial joy evaporated completely, replaced by fear and unease.

—It was as if she wasn’t about to step into a luxurious estate and a life of abundance, but rather a coffin entombing countless lives.

Faint murmurs from the servants reached her ears:

"Just a few rough peasant children chosen to serve the young lady? We’d be far better companions for the esteemed Duchess..."

"Ha, look at their outfits—those styles were fashionable in the capital twenty years ago!"

"Wait, why is there fresh blood on the horseshoes and wheels? And—ugh! A scalp still clinging to hair!"

"Don’t mention it. I heard one of the children was fooling around, leaned out of the carriage, and got thrown off..."

"Why would anyone do something so dangerous when they could just sit safely inside?"

"Who knows? Maybe it was their first time in such a grand carriage—got too excited. These backwater folk are capable of anything."

"Sophie, don’t be so harsh on the dead! That poor child was about the same age as the young lady, just eleven..."

"Oh, may the Nature Sculptor bless that unfortunate soul. Let her spirit become the wind, the rain, merging into nature's palette, finding true peace..."

That wasn’t the truth at all!

Meng Na clenched her fists, nearly unable to stop herself from shouting the truth:

That child’s death was no accident!

She was pushed off the carriage—by Ernos!

Driven by the raw, childish fury, Meng Na almost lost control of her actions, on the verge of doing something reckless.

Just then, lines of shimmering golden text suddenly materialized before her eyes, as though an invisible book had unfurled in midair, abruptly halting her rash impulse.

Stunned, she froze in place, instinctively reading the words that hovered like ghostly wisps of smoke:

"Prologue · The Turning Point of Fate"

"You are the youngest daughter of a peasant family under the Iris Family’s domain, lucky to have been chosen as the Duchess’s playmate, escaping your harsh living conditions."

"However, the 'accidental' death of your companion, Alice, has slowly cooled your initial excitement—you begin to realize that your fate has indeed reached a crossroads, but it may not lead to a better path..."

"'How could this be? Why is Miss Ernos, who is rumored to be gentle, polite, and devoted to painting, actually a bloodstained demon and murderer?'"

"Bearing such confusion, anguish, and rage, you step into the opulent halls of the Duke’s estate, unaware whether you are heading toward a brilliant future or a dark abyss..."

"Can you escape the fate of death and uncover the truth behind this world?"

"Next Chapter Preview: Chapter 1 · Strange Tales of the Manor (Available after some time.)"

"The entire thrilling tale will be written by your actions. Current Fate Alteration Value: 6.75%. Keep it up!"

Meng Na stared blankly at the golden text, feeling as though her entire worldview since birth had been fed into a shredder, whirring into confetti...

At this point, she no longer had the capacity to wonder what a "shredder" even was. Only one question remained in her mind—

What on earth was this?!

Was she truly fated to encounter one incomprehensible thing after another?!

***

Meanwhile, Yi Fengchu was unusually troubled.

When Meng Siyou was shoved into the body of little Meng Na, he had watched.

When Meng Na, dressed prettily, transitioned from wariness to comfort with her surroundings, he had watched.

When Meng Na fully accepted her new role and boarded the carriage with the other NPCs, he was still...

No—he didn’t want to just watch anymore!

Through the thread of consciousness hidden deep within Meng Siyou’s mind, Yi Fengchu had made repeated attempts to reach him, trying to awaken his true nature as a player.

However, the dungeon world where Meng Siyou resides is rather peculiar—it appears to be the proto-divine realm reflected in the painting of that false god.

Here, the high-tier power of the [Reconstruction] domain constantly warps players' minds and perceptions, throwing a "perception filter" over all outsiders.

As long as Meng Siyou still believes himself to be the original resident of this world, "Meng Na," there'll always be this invisible wall between him and Yi Fengchu—even the Playground System.

No matter how Yi Fengchu tries to communicate with him, Meng Siyou cannot hear his voice or see the system task panel.

Because, by design, these are things Meng Na should never have access to—stuff that doesn't belong here.

This situation is kinda like what Luo Shengle once encountered, but Yi Fengchu senses that this dungeon world differs from the divine realm "old photo album" of the Nightmare Father.

He gets this vague sense that in this world of painted reflections... there already exists an anchor point closely tied to him.

As Meng Na boards the carriage and approaches the duke's estate, that anchor point draws nearer, allowing Yi Fengchu to gradually break through the mental static and get bits of info through.

In short, the "signal" between Yi Fengchu and Meng Na is spotty, but overall getting better.

That’s why he managed to stop Meng Na just before she made a fatal mistake.

But after uttering only those two short sentences, Yi Fengchu got muted again.

Yi Fengchu: "..."

Hello? Can you really not hear me?

This being stuck watching is truly awful.

Sighing in resignation, Yi Fengchu absentmindedly scrolled through Meng Siyou’s fate lines, witnessing every possible way his old classmate could bite it.

In 0.75% of possibilities, Meng Na mouthed off to her mom and acted abnormally, leading to her neck being severed—her beautiful head cradled before a mirror as her mother hummed and combed her blood-soaked hair.

In 1% of possibilities, Meng Na made a mistake in etiquette and was eliminated by the sharp-faced head maid, stuck forever in this glitched dungeon, unaware.

In 5% of possibilities, Meng Na would replace the freckled girl, got tossed from the coach—her head crushed under galloping hooves, rolling into the grass.

And more—3%, 5%, 10%...

With all these possibilities combined, the survival rate Yi Fengchu could observe for Meng Siyou was next to nothing—

Without Yi Fengchu’s intervention, it would straight-up be zero.

"Too easy to die, old friend," Yi Fengchu grumbled.

"Or rather, as long as he remains in the identity and act of 'Meng Na,' death is inevitable."

From the deaths Meng Siyou occasionally glimpsed among NPCs, Yi Fengchu could guess:

Perhaps this entire divine realm was reconstructed from a historical moment burned into that painting's memory—one it had personally experienced.

That would mean all these NPCs, in the true timeline, were already dead...

—Including the identity Meng Siyou now held, "Meng Na."

Following the script of a deceased person—how could one truly escape the shadow of death?

Yi Fengchu thought out loud, "Perhaps I should find a way to guide him beyond 'Meng Na’s' normal thoughts and actions..."

Even if Meng Siyou couldn’t regain full awareness yet, he needed to act in ways abnormal—even out of character—for "Meng Na"!

As Yi Fengchu weighed his options, the carriage finally halted before the estate gates.

Deep within the estate, something was pulling at him...

After a pause, Yi Fengchu figured that the unknown anchor point from the past must lie inside the estate!

"Good, the signal’s stronger now—that gives me way more to work with..."

Initially, Yi Fengchu considered communicating directly with Meng Na in her mind again.

But knowing how paranoid Meng Siyou is, getting him to trust me from scratch would take far too long.

What if, at a critical moment, Yi Fengchu pointed east—only for the rebellious teenage girl "Meng Na" to dig in her heels and head west?

If even one step went wrong, Meng Siyou might mistake Yi Fengchu for an evil ghost and report him to the mainstream church of the Holy Lion Empire—the Natural Hymns Society, which worshipped the Nature Sculptor—asking some fake priest to exorcise him, constructed by a false god within this divine realm...

After much deliberation, Yi Fengchu reluctantly ditched this inefficient and unreliable method.

Hesitating briefly, he asked his phone:

"Kids this age must’ve fantasized at least once about blundering into some crazy adventure, being way cooler than normal people to become the protagonist of a fantastical tale, right?"

"From my observations, most human children do—except you," the phone replied. "What are you planning?"

"I was thinking..."

Yi Fengchu fiddled with the knotted strings of Meng Siyou’s fate. "A magic book—one that happens to help resolve his doubts and fears, while seeming like it's not alive—might be easier for him to trust and accept, no?"

After all, in people’s minds, sentient beings—human or otherwise—might deceive, but a book without consciousness would always be honest and harmless.

And Yi Fengchu, having glimpsed Meng Siyou’s fate, could whip up exactly that kind of "Book of Destiny."