Chapter 52: In the Eyes of the Lord of Fate, He is More Interested in This Advertising Company.

Chapter 52 In the eyes of the Lord of Fate, He seems more interested in this advertising company.

The Apostle of Folly, Luo Erjia, His body resembled a condensed, semi-transparent nebula, with countless eyeballs floating amidst dazzling starlight. Their corneas looked as if sprinkled with crushed diamonds, emitting fragmented yet radiant brilliance.

At this moment, every one of His countless eyes widened in shock as He stared incredulously at Selina: "You said... who has returned?"

Selina tucked a strand of vermillion leaves behind her ear and replied, "Wu Suer."

"How... how could He return?" The nebula within Luo Erjia's form churned violently, reflecting His agitated state of mind. "I always thought He might have perished—could it be that He ultimately became the God of Fate?"

"I believe Wu Suer's survival may indeed be true, but the one who ascended to the Divine Throne of Fate is most likely not Him."

After a moment's thought, Selina explained, "According to the information brought back by my disciple, He has currently taken over the fate of a low-level Ability user and is operating within a fragile second-tier Ability user's body."

"If He were the ultimate victor, He would never allow Himself to be in such a pitiable state. We both know Wu Suer's temperament—He is haughty, acerbic, and refined. Even in the fiercest battles, He would never let Himself fall into such an undignified position."

"You're right."

Luo Erjia nodded in agreement before asking, "But you came to me in such haste—surely not just to inform me of this matter?"

After all, Luo Erjia had only met Wu Suer a handful of times, and their acquaintance was shallow. He didn't believe Selina would go to such lengths just to discuss this prophet with Him.

Sure enough, Selina nodded and said, "Beyond Wu Suer's current state, there is a far more pressing matter we must confirm—that is—"

"Who among the former succession candidates has become the current Lord of Fate?"

"Excluding Wu Suer, the remaining candidates are the 'Bard' Bryce, the 'Ill Fate Witch' Elius, and the one you fear most..."

Distant memories stirred, causing the eyeballs across Luo Erjia's form to tremble, their pupils dilating as if witnessing some horrifying phantom.

Unconsciously, He murmured in response, "That 'Silver Ouroboros,' the one who calls himself Mr. E..."

"I never asked before," Selina observed His reaction, her voice gentle, "but why do you fear E so deeply, to the point of dread at the mere mention of Him?"

Luo Erjia remained silent for a long while before letting out a bitter laugh. "Because He is the most simultaneously divine and bestial being I have ever encountered beneath the True Gods... In His pursuit of the ultimate Divine Throne, He resembles not an Ability user who grew from humanity, but a beast born to hunt and devour divine beings."

"He once told me He climbed so high to protect the world He cherished, to shelter His kind trapped in the playground. Yet the irony is, by the time I first met Him, no trace of humanity remained in Him."

"He is a serpent, a swarm of serpents, a serpent's nest... Any being who sees Him would tremble at the cold gleam reflected from His silver scales."

"Selina, beyond the titles you know, E has another name widely circulated among the divine beings who oppose Him—"

"The Divine Predator."

Selina fell silent. When she spoke again, her tone carried not wariness or fear, but a motherly compassion:

"...Then He must have sacrificed much for His ideals, including His former self."

"Abandoning the past to nurture a new and unfamiliar self is a continuous labor pain. My student is currently troubled by this very dilemma, which makes me admire His courage all the more."

"......"

Luo Erjia seemed momentarily stunned. "You've changed quite a bit over the years, taking students under your wing. I never expected you to view E this way."

"Moving forward, to confirm the identity and state of the new God of Fate, I will gradually make contact with Wu Suer returned from death—and may also encounter this mysterious Mr. E."

Selina gave a soft chuckle. "I initially intended to ask you to seek Him out, but now I find myself wanting to meet Him in person."

"He sounds like a figure both cruel and mighty, yet tinged with tragedy."

That was Selina's assessment.

"Ah, you're interested in Him? That's wonderful! As humans say, 'Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times,' no?"

Upon hearing that Selina had originally wanted Him to seek out that terrifying being, Luo Erjia's eyeballs quivered uncontrollably. He hastily excused Himself: "I've been studying an ancient tome recently and may disappear for a while—perfect timing for you two to meet..."

As He spoke, His form began to fade, like vibrant paint dissolving in water, on the verge of vanishing entirely.

But Selina's gentle yet threatening smile froze Him in place, slowing His escape.

In an instant, countless crimson roots erupted forth, coiling around and locking down the space, leaving Luo Erjia with nowhere to hide.

"Luo Erjia," Selina cooed gently, sending a shiver through Him, "I did nurture you when you were at death's door."

"I believe you are a good child, a good friend, and would never refuse a request from me, your mother, would you?"

Tears welling in His eyes, Luo Erjia could only reply, "O-of course I will fulfill your request, my dearest friend."

Silently, He prayed that the new Lord of Fate was not that terrifying E, who devoured everything in His path.

Better yet, if He couldn't find E at all, He could rightfully report back to Selina with a valid excuse.

***

When Yi Fengchu barged into the director's office on the top floor of the advertising company, Director Hao Youqian was happily counting his gold, dreaming of a prosperous future.

Hao Youqian was a human-nightmare hybrid. After reaching adulthood at two hundred years old, he was disowned by the nightmare clan that had temporarily raised him and exiled to a low-tier world where mystical forces were waning.

To survive, he learned several skills and joined a nearly bankrupt advertising company, striving to eke out a living.

Hao Youqian had assumed he would spend his life drifting among humans under ever-changing names, until he unexpectedly obtained a divine artifact—

「Artifact: Pandora's Box Base (A+)

Description: It can use fear as nourishment to create hyper-realistic illusions.」

At the time, Hao Youqian had been pulling an all-nighter drafting ad designs for a client, sketching until he was seeing double—advertisements haunted his every blink.

So his first thought upon acquiring this thing was: Since it specializes in illusions, could it be used for avant-garde advertising?

Even if ordinary humans couldn’t handle such hazardous ads, surely the numerous planes across dimensions contained many divine beings who would appreciate this direct visual advertising?

Most importantly, this artifact could liberate Hao Youqian’s creativity, allowing him to generate ads at the push of a button! If he mass-produced enough variations, some were bound to meet market demand.

As someone with nightmare bloodline, Hao Youqian had some connections in the mystical world. Soon, these "unique" ads gained popularity among divine beings—even earning high praise...

After all, these ads stemmed from a fragmented Pandora’s Box and couldn’t truly kill divine beings. Instead, they offered an immersive experience of the advertised atmosphere and product effects.

Against all odds, Hao Youqian’s experiment transformed a dinky little company in the mundane world into the advertising industry’s hottest sensation within the mystical realm.

A secret organization recruiting High-level Ability users?

Turn to Kaleidoscope Advertising Company!

A deity’s temple expansion project requiring design and construction expertise?

Turn to Kaleidoscope Advertising Company!

Nectar-like secretions from divine bee-like creatures overflowing and in urgent need of sales?

Find Kaleidoscope Advertising Company!

And so, Hao Youqian acquired the original company at a low price and settled into a comfortable life of lazing in his office counting gold coins—since currencies varied across multiple dimensions, he had decided, after some research, to use this universally accepted precious metal as the company’s universal payment method.

These advertisements produced by these magical items had one peculiar trait: they would concentrate their power to attack the first viewer, with the danger gradually diminishing afterward. Thus, the position of "Advertising Inspector" came into existence.

Had it not been for the representatives of the Gods' Playground signing an agreement with the company—where the park would continuously funnel players in as free labor, while the advertising company provided the adventure sites and daily operations—Hao Youqian truly wouldn’t have known where to find so many "human test subjects" to test the backlog of advertisements...

Suddenly, with an ominous creak, the old wooden door Hao Youqian had been too stingy to replace was pushed open.

"Who’s there?" Instinctively, Hao Youqian flattened the towering pile of gold coins in front of him, hugging them protectively as he looked up to see an unfamiliar young man.

The newcomer had black curly hair and deep blue eyes, with a single wayward lock of dark curls framing his temple, casting a shadow over his already exotic, striking features—handsome yet exuding an elusive sense of danger.

This was none other than Chu Fu, who had casually strolled all the way up.

Thanks to Hao Youqian’s stinginess and his overconfidence in his Nightmare lineage, he had never bothered to hire any security or bodyguards, nor had he installed any security system beyond a few scattered surveillance cameras. This allowed Chu Fu to waltz in unimpeded, all the way to Hao Youqian’s office.

Hao Youqian studied the stranger for a few seconds, confirming he had never seen this man before, and his expression darkened immediately. "Who are you? The director’s office is a restricted area of our company. The last person who dared to barge in here is now a pile of smoldering ashes..."

As he spoke, Hao Youqian invoked the power of the "Nightmare," bringing a living nightmare realm into reality.

In the blink of an eye, the office was engulfed in sinister, shifting hues, as if draped in a shroud. Beneath this veil, dark, squirming abominations seemed on the verge of tearing through the boundary between nightmare and reality. Even through the shroud, the roars of these terrifying monsters—normally confined to nightmares—were deafening, making the entire room tremble.

Well? Surely he must be terrified now!

Surrounded by his hoard of gold coins, Hao Youqian couldn’t help but smirk smugly.

Daring to intrude into his domain? He would make this stranger pay!

First, he could toss the man into layers of nightmares and torment him thoroughly. Once his spirit was utterly broken, he’d throw him into advertisement testing—wringing every last bit of use out of him. Keh keh keh—

A sinister grin spread across Hao Youqian’s face.

Yet, enveloped by the nightmare, Chu Fu did not react with the panic Hao Youqian had anticipated.

Instead, Chu Fu treated the office like his own backyard, casting a critical eye around before leisurely strolling over to the chair opposite Hao Youqian’s desk and sitting down.

...Huh?

This was the first time Hao Youqian had seen an intruder react like this, and he froze for a moment, a sense of dread creeping up in his chest.

Under Hao Youqian’s increasingly wary gaze, the unfamiliar young man spoke calmly, "Barging in? Didn’t you register me as a partner?"

"How can a collaborator entering your office be called ‘barging in’?" After a pause, Chu Fu sighed and shook his head. "How rude of you."

At the keyword "rude," Hao Youqian couldn’t help but recall a certain... Highlevel ability user from the past who had constantly criticized his every mannerism—and whom he had never been able to defeat.

The places where he’d been beaten a century ago still ached faintly. Like a sudden jab, Hao Youqian’s slouch straightened abruptly.

After a long silence, he forced a stiff smile. "Uh, you... no, sir—may I ask who you are?"

"Your first collaborator, Wu Suer," Chu Fu replied, resting his chin on his hand with a smile. "Changed vessels, and you don’t recognize me anymore?"

Hao Youqian’s eye twitched as he abruptly looked up at Chu Fu, catching a glimpse of familiar golden-red pupils deep within those blue eyes...

Tch, so it really was this difficult, temperamental ancestor coming back!

Struggling to swallow a sip of water to steady himself, Hao Youqian forced a dry laugh and quickly agreed, "Ah, so it’s Prophet! It’s been a while—my bad for not recognizing you right away."

"Just as I expected, you’ve returned safely from the battle for godhood. Congratulations..."

The nightmare in the room dissipated instantly as Hao Youqian spouted transparent flattery, though his words carried an underlying hidden agenda.

He was desperate to know: Had Wu Suer ascended to that supreme level, or had he merely survived the struggle, clinging to life?

The implications of these two scenarios were totally different and would directly dictate Hao Youqian’s subsequent attitude.

Chu Fu chuckled, cutting him off. "No need for such hollow congratulations. The one who ultimately became a god wasn’t me."

At these words, Hao Youqian’s opportunistic nature flared to life.

Just as countless schemes began brewing in his mind, Chu Fu continued, "But I was fortunate enough to survive and am now serving the esteemed Lord of Fate..."

Pop—Hao Youqian’s schemes deflated instantly.

To mask his momentary irreverence, Hao Youqian put on an overly effusive expression. "What luck! Praise the mercy of fate! So, what brings you here to see me? Do you want to resume testing advertisements? I can give you a generous cut of the gold coins..."

"These advertisements are indeed quite interesting," Chu Fu nodded. "However, to the Lord of Fate, He is far more interested in this advertising company itself."

Hao Youqian’s expression froze. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"As His current representative, I’d like to ask: Since I’ve topped the legendary collaborator rankings for many years, my contributions to the advertising company are undeniable to all."

"—So, when will you vacate the position and let me take over as director?"

Leaning back comfortably in the armchair, Chu Fu asked pointedly in a deceptively mild tone.