Cycle of Destiny

Chapter 67 The Invisible Spider Web

Throughout the entire ordeal, Bella in her red robes remained suspended in the air, coldly listening to the goddess's tearful narration.

Just as the goddess finished speaking, Harry heard a sigh coming from the direction of Bella in red.

That sigh was clearly filled with pity?

This inhuman, volatile woman also has feelings of compassion?

Harry's heart skipped a beat at the sigh, but he forced himself to suppress his surprise and doubt. He felt compelled to respond to the goddess's weeping. He tried to make his voice sound compassionate:

"Goddess, please...please don't be too sad. I believe that with your piety and the goddess's blessing, you will surely find it again."

"Yes... I believe so too." The goddess sniffed, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Harry, as if grasping at a last straw. "Alexander... he told me the same thing afterward. He said that twenty years from now... someone would help me find it."

Here it comes. Harry's spirits lifted, but at the same time, a chill crept up his spine.

It's been twenty years again, and it's Alexander again.

He instinctively glanced at Bella in her red robes in the air—she was still suspended there, her blood-red eyes now turned toward Harry, as if to see his reaction.

Harry forced himself to ignore Bella's gaze, turning his attention back to the goddess's face, and asked in as calm a tone as possible:

"Who is it?"

The goddess met his gaze and spoke her answer, word by word: "He promised me he would definitely help me find the bracelet. He said that twenty years from now, a disciple of a holy magician, a magician of noble birth, will return to the capital. This person... will help me find the lost bracelet."

"what?"

Although Harry already knew from their last meeting that the goddess was going to ask him to find the bracelet, when he heard with his own ears that all of this had been predicted and arranged by the mysterious Alexander Langton a full twenty years ago, he still felt a strong sense of horror and absurdity sweep over him, and his blood seemed to instantly turn cold.

Was my every move written on some destiny stone twenty years ago?

What else did Alexander plan for himself?

"You... will help me, won't you?" The goddess's voice was filled with humble pleading, and tears rolled down her cheeks again. She looked so fragile and helpless, completely unlike the dignified church goddess she usually appeared to be.

Harry looked at her tears, straightened his back, and answered as sincerely as possible:

"Of course, Goddess. Please rest assured, I will do my best to help you find the bracelet."

He paused briefly before asking the most crucial question, "But specifically... what should I do? Where should I look?"

Upon hearing Harry's promise, the goddess's face showed a relieved expression, and her tears flowed even more profusely, but this time they seemed to be tears of relief.

"You don't need to actively search for it; that's too dangerous," she quickly explained. "You just need to... if you happen to see it in the future, send someone to let me know. It's very easy to identify; it's a white bracelet with a raven pattern engraved on it."

Harry nodded vigorously, puffing out his not-so-broad chest as if to add weight to his promise, and solemnly said, "Please rest assured, Goddess. If I see it, I will inform you immediately."

Just as Harry finished speaking, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of Bella in the air, who seemed to be shaking her head slightly with a mocking smile on her lips.

Immediately afterwards, her figure transformed into a wisp of red light, and as if sucked into a vortex, with a "whoosh," it shrank back into the dark red gem pendant around Harry's neck and disappeared.

The invisible sense of oppression in the study also quietly dissipated.

Harry's tense nerves finally relaxed a little, and he involuntarily let out a breath he had been holding in.

The scene just now really startled him. The sudden appearance of Bella in red robes gave Harry a feeling that nothing good was going to happen.

"That's wonderful, thank you so much, Harry," the goddess said, somewhat excitedly. "Twenty years have passed, and I've finally waited for you. I searched for nobles traveling from the capital to the magic academy and found out that it was you. Then, through your good friend Veronica, I arranged this meeting. I really have to thank her."

The goddess's account and Harry's guess were the same: the church had already taken notice of them. Veronica must have been told by the goddess that she knew about her return to the capital, rather than discovering it herself as she claimed.

Harry knows his old friend all too well!

Upon hearing Veronica's name, Harry immediately perked up. "I heard she also wants to become a follower of the goddess?"

"Yes," the goddess's voice began to cheer, "she has helped me so much, I have no reason not to reward her. I have already chosen a white-robed archbishop for her, and I will personally attend her baptism."

Harry was now very confused. He had explicitly refused the goddess's request the last time, and his attitude had been completely different on both occasions, yet the goddess had given him the same reward.

But this time, he absolutely will not allow the same thing to happen again.

"Goddess, I have a small suggestion, I wonder if you would be interested in hearing it?" Harry's tone became unusually serious.

Seeing how serious Harry was, the goddess straightened up from her chair and adopted a serious posture: "Of course I will seriously consider your suggestion. Go ahead."

Harry cleared his throat. "I think... Veronica is still too young. She's the same age as me, we're both still very immature, and our understanding of faith may not be... deep enough."

He added, "Of course, her desire to join the church and serve Goddess is a very good and noble pursuit. I just feel that... perhaps it would be a better choice to let this faith undergo some time to mature and be tested, for example, waiting another ten or eight years, until her mind is more stable and her experience is richer, before holding her baptism?"

He paused, then gave a self-reproachful smile, as if apologizing for offering advice so rashly: "These... are just some personal suggestions from my perspective as her friend, out of concern for her. Just take them with a grain of salt, don't worry about them."

The goddess was very puzzled when she heard these words. She did not understand why Harry would stop Veronica from joining the church.

But now that Harry has agreed to help her find the bracelet, his opinion is what matters. He doesn't want Veronica to join the church right now, so we must respect his wishes.

She smiled knowingly and nodded. "What you said... makes sense. The young man's fervent devotion to the goddess is precious. As for the specific timing... we can indeed wait a bit longer, allowing her more time to prepare."

Hearing the goddess's statement, Harry felt a surge of joy, as if he had drunk a glass of ice water on the hottest day of summer. A barely suppressed smile appeared in his eyes, which he quickly suppressed.

Veranica's wish was about to be completely dashed. This was probably the only thing that could truly make him happy in tonight's shocking and calculating conversation.

Harry knew that Veronica was the least likely person to assassinate him.

Even back at the Knights Academy, the two had angrily declared they would kill each other, but Harry knew that neither of them would actually do it.

They can hate and curse each other, but if they find out the other is dead, they will definitely feel that something is missing in their hearts and will be very sad. They are really two very strange people.

It was precisely because Harry knew that Veronica was not the murderer that he dared to do this behind the scenes.

He could almost picture Veranica's face stiffening and contorting with a polite smile when she heard the news.

And so, their conversation drew to a close, and the goddess prepared to leave.

In these final moments, Harry felt he might as well ask one more question.

"By the way, Goddess. If I may ask, what would you do if I took the opposite stance today and refused your request?"

Her tone was relaxed when she answered, but to Harry it sounded like a silent thunderclap in his ears.

boom--!

Harry's face drained of all color instantly, as if all the blood in his body had been drained away.

His previously bent body suddenly stiffened, as if he had been struck by something. His pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently at the goddess, seemingly unable to comprehend the meaning behind her words.

His lips were slightly parted, but no sound came out. Only the lines of his jaw were taut, and his whole face did not look like he was still alive.

He unconsciously clenched the fabric on his knee with one hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, while his other hand, which had been hanging casually at his sides, suddenly rose up as if to grab something to support his body, but ultimately froze in mid-air.

He felt a cold, numbing sensation shoot up his spine to the back of his head, his ears were ringing, and the surrounding scenery seemed to blur for a moment, leaving only the goddess's words echoing sharply in his head.

"Alexander said you might have two attitudes. If you're willing to help, then you'll eventually help me find the bracelet. He also said there's a high probability you won't agree and will say you know nothing. In that case, all I need to do is tell you about the bracelet, and you'll still help me find it."

Harry was clearly shocked by the answer; the disbelief on his face almost illuminated the darkness of the study.

That Duke Alexander Langton...

That legendary figure from twenty years ago...

He not only foresaw that Harry would become a disciple of Holy Magic, that Harry would return to the capital, and that he would have this conversation with the goddess, but he even... completely anticipated Harry's two possible different reactions!

Whether Harry readily agrees or hesitates to refuse, the final outcome is already predetermined—he will embark on the journey to help the goddess find the bracelet.

This is not a request, nor a commission. This is a path that has already been laid out.

Harry, on the other hand, is like a carriage fixed to the road. No matter how much he sways, hesitates, or even tries to escape along the way, he will eventually be pulled back by an invisible force and driven to the predetermined destination.

At that moment, Harry felt as if he had unknowingly walked into a huge spider web woven specifically for him.

The predator named "Destiny" or "Alexander" had already opened its eyes in the depths of darkness, coldly observing his every move and calculating his every struggle.

Just wait for the moment when the predator feels the time is right, and with a gentle tightening of the spider silk, he will find that all his efforts are in vain. He can only tremble hopelessly in the ever-strengthening restraints, watching helplessly as his fate of being devoured arrives.

A profound sense of powerlessness and fear overwhelmed him. The slight pleasure he had felt earlier from scheming against Veranica had vanished without a trace, leaving only a bone-chilling cold and weakness.

He sat there, as if all his strength had been drained away, and he didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.

Everything that followed seemed shrouded in a fog.

Harry had only vague and fragmented memories of when Veronica came in, when the goddess left, and how the servants helped him up from his chair and half-supported him as they led him to the guest room.

His consciousness seemed to drift away from his body, leaving only Alexander's prophecy from twenty years ago echoing in his empty mind, and the invisible, boundless net of fate that bound him tightly, silently closing in the darkness.