After listening to Will's words, Altair began to ponder what fate was. In his original world, some people also had understandings of 'fate', such as:
'Fatalism': In some religious doctrines, they believe fate is a preordained, unchangeable trajectory."
'Activism' advocates that fate is jointly shaped by individual choices, efforts, and the environment. Humans possess subjective agency and can change the course of their lives through action.
'Compromise Theory' believes fate possesses both a "fixed framework" and "variable space." For example, birth and talent are innate basic conditions, but within this framework, personal decisions and struggles can still expand the possibilities of life.
But in the 'Lord of Mysteries' world, 'fate' is expressed as a torrent interwoven with countless possibilities, rather than a constant trajectory.
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Beyonders can use Sequence abilities or divination rituals to peek at or slightly interfere with the direction of fate, but attempting to reverse high-level fate lines Will invite unbearable "backlash of fate"... Having finished his ice cream, Will looked at the still-contemplating Altair and said, "Actually, you don't need to think that much. A predetermined 'fate' is bound to happen. It's just the way it happens—hehe—that is people's choice."
"Just like my previous 'prophecy' that your family would inevitably rise. But when it rises and through what means, that requires your own efforts."
Hearing that 'prophecy', Altair asked curiously, "Regarding that prophecy about my family, it says we Will rise completely through a Pathway other than 'Hunter'. But the 'family' once had many people choose other Pathways, only for them to die mysteriously shortly after."
"Hmm," Will nodded, then shook his head, saying, "That's right, it basically matches."
"But one point is wrong. Those people's deaths weren't exactly mysterious. The main reason was that your family wanted the 'prophecy' to happen ahead of time, which led to their deaths."
"All gifts of fate come with a price. Those people couldn't bear the cost of fate arriving early, so death became the best release."
After listening to Will's explanation, Altair tapped his fingers on the table continuously, then suddenly stopped as if he had thought of something and asked, "What do I need to do for you?"
Will smiled and said, "I thought you wouldn't notice. Actually, it's nothing major, I just need you to provide some help within your power in the future."
"Although you are very special, you still can't shield yourself from others' probes. When the 'Church of Storms' was investigating you, I happened to find out and resolved it for you. Thinking back, I feel fortunate for that decision."
"Of course, I also know that matter wasn't a big deal for you and could have been easily solved. I can give you another compensation."
Will looked up and thought for a moment before saying to Altair, "You Will rise completely because of a certain transaction. As for what kind of transaction, I don't know."
"Is this a prophecy?" Altair blinked and asked curiously.
Will nodded.
'What kind of prophecy is that?' Altair grumbled in his heart.
Altair asked, not giving up, "Are there any other hints?"
Will didn't speak but shook his head.
Before Altair could ask more, Will had already stood up and said, "I've already taught her the 'Acting' method; just let her act normally from now on."
"If there's anything, you can contact me through the 'paper crane'. Try to meet less in reality. I have to go back, or my mother Will worry about me. Goodbye."
...Not long after Will left, Vera woke up and said to Altair with a panicked look, "Count Altair, I just dreamed of a giant snake in my sleep. He explained a lot of knowledge about Acting to me. Could this be dangerous?"
Hearing this, Altair turned to look at Vera, this 'lucky' maid, feeling an indescribable envy. The little snake teaching the Impersonation Method personally—what kind of treatment was this?
Seeing Altair's strange gaze, Vera lowered her head silently, her eyes turning red as if she were about to cry.
This was mainly because Altair was afraid Vera would be affected by the 'Monster' Pathway's high spirituality and see things she shouldn't, so he had often filled her head with 'curiosity killed the cat' type stories.
Seeing Vera's state, Altair lost interest in teasing her and said, "It's fine, Vera. That giant snake was just normally teaching you how to act; there was no malice."
"Really?" Vera, who was silently sad, looked up at Altair and asked, "Is it true, Count Altair?"
Seeing her like that, Altair said with concern, "It's true, don't worry."
When Vera's mood returned to normal, she immediately noticed that the ice cream she ordered had completely melted.
She then looked at Altair, her pitiful eyes pleading that she needed to order another ice cream to soothe her wounded soul with sweets.
The result was that Altair had the waiter bring her another ice cream. So, Vera happily ate the ice cream in her bowl again.
By the time Vera finished eating, it was very close to noon.
Altair chose to settle the bill and leave. A total of eight ice creams, three small cakes, and two pots of sweet iced tea—it wasn't much, costing only 9 sol and 8 pence.
The biggest expense on the bill was the ice cream, which often cost around 1 sol per serving. However, considering the appearance of those ice creams, Altair felt the price was appropriate; they had complex decorations and were paired with snacks and toppings... When the carriage arrived home, Altair got out and entered the hall, where a servant reported that Vivian was waiting for him in the dining room to start the meal.
When Altair took off his overcoat and top hat and entered the dining room, he found Vivian in her pajamas, staring blankly with her head propped up by her hand out of boredom. So he said as he walked, "When did you wake up? If you're hungry, you don't have to wait for me; you can eat on your own."
Vivian snapped out of it, straightened up, and smiled. "I haven't been up for long. Besides, when you went out this morning, you said you'd be back for lunch, so I waited for you a bit longer. I had the kitchen make your favorite Faport noodles."
Once Altair approached, the two shared a deep kiss. It wasn't until the servants brought lunch into the dining room that they were forced to break apart and begin their meal, chatting as they ate.
Vivian stirred the Faport noodles with her fork and asked, "Was the person you went to see today very special? Your mood was quite complex when you left."
Altair nodded and said frankly, "Very special. It's mainly due to ancestral connections, and we haven't been in contact for so long that the sudden invitation surprised me."