Unusual Fate Records

Chapter 377, page 069: Star Array
"are you still there?"

Chen Xingtong asked a question in front of the empty room.

After a few breaths, a man dressed in a black tailcoat and top hat, wearing a smiling mask, walked out gracefully.

The man appeared out of nowhere, seemingly emerging from a blind spot. Chen Xingtong glanced at it; it was a corner piled with miscellaneous items, offering no hiding place whatsoever.

His mask seemed to replace his expression, giving the impression of a perpetually nonchalant sneer.

"What, don't you want to try your hand at this so-called 'field' yourself?" he asked with a half-smile.

"Sure, but there's no need." Chen Xingtong rolled her eyes at him. "Time is of the essence, take me out of here quickly."

"We agreed to meet tonight, and it's only noon now. It seems like it's still a long way off, doesn't it?"

"You know our plan has run into some problems, I need to go back and remind them."

Chen Xingtong spoke faster, revealing her inner unease even more.

"What are you worried about? What's done is done. Even if you go back, it won't change anything." The smiling masked man spoke in a lazy tone, as if deliberately keeping Chen Xingtong hanging.

"Stop talking nonsense and stop being so wishy-washy. Just take me out of here. At least I'll still be of some use if I get out. If I'm locked up here, I really can't do anything," Chen Xingtong said impatiently.

"What's wrong? Are you worried about Chen Ruolan? Or your cheapskate father?"

The smiling masked man's tone became increasingly irritating.

"Mind your own business!" Chen Xingtong glared at him, gritting her teeth. "Are you going to help or not?"

“I will definitely help you, but…” the masked man’s tone trailed off, “I’m afraid that if I help you now, I won’t be able to help you tonight.”

The guy wearing the smiling mask spoke in a smug tone, even adding a cheerful lilt to the end of his voice.

"You!" Chen Xingtong was furious, but when she looked into the deep eyes hidden under the mask, her aura inexplicably weakened.

She understood the unspoken meaning behind the smiling masked man's words.

"So what if there's danger? Don't I have the 'turning misfortune into good fortune' charm you gave me? Without danger, where would good fortune come from?"

Chen Xingtong spoke softly, but still shamelessly asked, "Didn't you say you would help me?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. I was just taking advantage of you," the smiling masked man said bluntly.

"I know, I'm going to leave this world anyway, take whatever you want. As long as it's not my life."

Chen Xingtong was quite nonchalant about it.

"What I mean is, if you insist on going, and you end up losing your life in some remote corner, I won't be able to get my payment back."

The masked man took a step closer, his tone a mix of intimidation and coaxing, making it difficult to tell what was real and what was fake.

Chen Xingtong pursed her lips and remained silent, clenching her fists.

After a moment, she seemed to have made up her mind, raised her head, and looked directly at the masked man.

“To me, everyone inside is very important. So no matter how dangerous it is, I have to witness it with my own eyes. I never want to…”

She paused, and in her mind, she recalled leaving Chen Ruolan's room and the rented house years ago, only to find Chen Ruolan missing and her body found by the lake the next day.

"I never want to miss any opportunity to provide assistance because of my negligence again."

She seemed to have made up her mind, her eyes hardening as she stared at the masked man: "Besides, whether you get your payment or not is none of my business! I just want to do what I want!"

The masked man seemed taken aback by her sudden display of power, staring at Chen Xingtong who refused to budge an inch, and the atmosphere between the two suddenly froze.

A moment of silence.

The smiling masked man chuckled softly, "Danger? I was just kidding."

Chen Xingtong glared at him: "Stop dawdling and get me out of here."

"Okay, okay." The smiling masked man clapped his hands, and the scene around them instantly changed.

Chen Xingtong looked over in surprise and discovered that there were so many sights in the room that she couldn't usually see.

Seven clusters of twinkling stars, arranged like the handle of a spoon, encircled the inner room in the center. The stars shone brightly, like living things, their brightness changing with the rhythm of their long breaths.

"These are astrological formations, formed by the energy released from that old man's destiny statement. They are the domain formed by the outward manifestation of his destiny, also known as the 'field'."

As the smiling masked man explained to Chen Xingtong, he waved his hand in a grasping motion and gestured in front of him.

The shimmering starlight seemed to obey his movements; the star clusters gathered and then floated over.

Chen Xingtong stared blankly as the star cluster drew closer and closer to her, becoming even more dazzling.

"Look, this is the destiny." He spoke casually, as if playing with a toy, and even deliberately brought the radiant energy in front of Chen Xingtong.

Chen Xingtong's knowledge in this area is rather limited, so she has no say in the matter and can only watch helplessly.

"【Shifting Stars】, a good thing." The smiling masked man exclaimed. "It's just that the understanding of celestial phenomena is a bit lacking. It's limited to the sky above our heads. We can't see the real universe, so we can't unleash the true power of this prophecy."

"What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight?" Chen Xingtong glanced at him sideways, disapproving of his seemingly eloquent manner.

"This wording isn't enough for you. I'll make some minor improvements. Please wait a moment."

The masked man gathered the life force of this "field" in his hand, like kneading a lump of dough that could be deformed at will.

After a while.

"Here." He stretched out his hand and handed the ball of starlight to Chen Xingtong.

"Try touching it."

Chen Xingtong curiously stretched out her index finger and gently touched the divination slip.

It's shiny and sparkly, but it's compressed too densely, making it look like some kind of silver powder.

Feel nothing.

Chen Xingtong was about to speak.

However, before she could even open her mouth, the decree suddenly came to life, like a flame meeting white paper, instantly igniting and spreading around Chen Xingtong.

"You!" Before she could even express her surprise, she discovered that the command had vanished without a trace.

"This is a consumable item."

The masked man still wore that smug smile.

"After the improvement, it's called 'Shifting Stars and Changing Things,' and the effect is similar to the old man's teleportation technique."

"As for the specific differences, [Shifting Stars and Changing Things] requires 'objects' as a reference point and does not require solid knowledge of astrology, so it is more suitable for a Muggle like you."

Chen Xingtong narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing a dangerous look.

The masked man seemed oblivious:
"The energy of this incantation is just enough for you to use twice, once in and once out. Each use is limited to one person, so don't use it more than that."

"The effect is to teleport to the star marker. The first marker was set by the old man, so it is naturally inside the Hanting Tianque Hotel."

"The second transfer point is one I set up. It will take you to a safe place. Use it when you want to retreat."

"The method of use is also very simple. Silently recall the appearance of this starlight in your mind, and then have a clear enough will to escape. This will naturally activate the life-ordaining phrase, and you can then decide whether to use it."

Chen Xingtong nodded: "I understand."

She silently recalled the shimmering starlight and indeed felt a mysterious gravitational force covering her body.

“Yes, that’s it.” The masked man nodded.

Soon, Chen Xingtong realized that the starlight seemed to be guiding her to a certain place, like a huge spatial map with a landmark standing among the buildings.

Chen Xingtong gradually got the hang of it.

She acquiesced to the pull of that force, looked up and saw the masked man, and said fiercely:

"Then I'll never see you again, you bastard!"

After saying that, his whole body distorted and disappeared quickly amidst the interplay of light and shadow. Then the light returned to normal, leaving only the masked man standing in the same spot.

"Goodbye."

His masked smile remained unchanged.

(End of this chapter)