Chapter 127 [The Price]
That thick stack of papers was the agreement/contract.
Shang Yuji took the modern-style office paper, quickly flipped through the series of disclaimers, and saw the last page; the signature on it was indeed hers.
As the white ball leaped and jumped, if it weren't for the extended golden light at its center, scattering glittering gold dust along its path, Shang Yuji might not have been able to spot it against the pure white background.
Gradually, from Bai Tuan's words, she also recalled the cause of the matter.
In short, during her unemployment after being laid off, the White Group approached her, saying they wanted to discuss a deal.
She agreed to the deal as a stepping stone before starting a new job, but she never expected that signing the contract would lead to a disastrous start.
Reaching out, Shang Yuji grabbed the darting white ball and pulled its face to the sides, if it even had a face.
The white blob was stretched out like jelly, and even the two eyes were stretched from round to horizontal rectangles.
Shang Yuji said fiercely, "It's your turn to explain to me why you not only delivered me to the wrong time, but also made me lose all my memories? Are you trying to make my mission harder than it is?"
It doesn't even consider how difficult it is to save a dynasty whose land is in ruins!
The original plan was for her to become a mysterious advisor to the eldest princess with her memories intact, helping her ascend the throne. Although the outcome was no different from what we have now, the process was full of twists and turns. The only thing to be thankful for is that the main storyline didn't go astray.
The white ball whimpered and begged for mercy, the white light outside its fur flashing faster, indicating its emotional fluctuations: "I didn't want to send you to the wrong time and place either. After repairing the last world rift, there wasn't enough energy left for cross-time and space, so I was forced to enter power-saving mode. In order to safely send you here before hibernation, I had to switch to the fetal incarnation of an infant!"
"It sounds like I should thank you." The white ball felt so good that Shang Yuji changed from pulling to rubbing, determined to make it pay for its mistake with its body.
"So how did you wake up from hibernation? And what was with the chaotic original story when I first regained my memories?"
"My energy comes from the destiny you changed."
The white ball struggled free from her grasp, bounced twice on the pure white ground, spun around, and shook its head, saying, "The remaining energy I left behind will lead you to the capital, just like the guidance of fate. By some twist of fate, you will come to the capital no matter what."
"After you arrive in the capital, you'll have to rely on yourself. Then you'll become Jiang Xiqu's maid, and during the year you spend with him, you'll change his predetermined fate."
Shang Yuji: "Were you sold to the Second Prince's residence?"
Bai Tuan nodded and then shook his head: "In the predetermined fate, he will definitely become Zhou Ao's subordinate. This is a necessary prerequisite for Zhou Ao to become emperor. On a larger scale, this is a harbinger of the final turmoil in Da'an. But because of your appearance, this certainty has been shattered into uncertainty. Jiang Xi will not necessarily go to the Second Prince's residence because of your concerns."
"This tiny change awakened me, though perhaps not enough. All I can do is awaken your memory and send you fragments of information in the form of a story. Of course, the story isn't accurate; I don't have the energy to give you a precise account of what happened. I can only weave the important, true details into fragments and interweave them into the fictional story."
She explained, "So, I can remember what is real, but I will forget what is false and nonexistent."
The original book is confusing because it is a fictional collection of memories; only real memories can be preserved, while the illusory parts are like a dream.
Real experiences remain as memories, but dreams are mostly forgotten after they happen.
"Yes, wow!" The white ball jumped up and down excitedly, its golden light growing stronger with joy. "Even if you forgot the plan we set out, you still managed to stay on the right track!"
"You took Jiang Xi out of the capital to Yangzhou, severing his 'predetermined fate' of entering the Second Prince's residence, and that gave me a huge boost of energy. With that energy, I can give you some hints!"
"The flood in Jingzhou is my warning to you!" It jumped up and down, occasionally landing with a smacking sound.
"Because of your intervention, the fate of the entire Jingzhou City has been changed!" The white ball shone brightly. "The fate of an entire city is too heavy. By replenishing most of my missing energy, I can do many, many things for you."
"Whether it's a prophetic dream, a dream of creation, or a fleeting flash of inspiration, I usually guide you~ The [fate] you change will allow me to modify [Da'an's fate] in another form."
Shang Yuji asked curiously, "You mean, you're guiding my destiny in a way that's like a guide?"
The white ball was surprised, its two little black eyes widening as it exclaimed, "That's not how it works! I can only give you hints, but whether you do them or not, and to what extent you can do them, is entirely your choice! Most importantly—"
"You are the destiny of the [outer heavens], I cannot control you. Even the guidance I give you requires you to [derive] the concept before I can give you any hints."
I can only alter the fate within the territory of Da'an, because I am merely the national destiny of Da'an!
This also explains why Xuanqing said he couldn't change the predetermined fate of other people.
Their fate was predetermined; they were destined to live or die.
Xuanqing's fate was already predetermined; he had not truly escaped his destiny.
If someone predicts that a weak character will become a world-destroying demon king, then the whole world automatically transforms into the enemy of that weak character, shouting for his death, slaughtering his entire family, destroying his hopes, forcing him to become a demon king, and making him an enemy of humanity to the death.
Could it be said that it was prophecy that propelled Him to become the Demon King?
Could Xuanqing's perceived intervention in the fate of others be a part of that person's destiny as well?
But Shang Yuji is different. She does not belong to Da'an. Her changes are not within Da'an's expectations. Da'an cannot control her fate, and is even helpless about the fate she has changed.
Centered on her, whether directly or indirectly, the fate of all is altered, large or small, because of her existence.
Fate is so magical. Sometimes, with just a small change, someone will seize upon this inconspicuous anomaly and pry open or overturn the predetermined ending.
"What's the story behind Xuanqing saying that I have a strong aura of luck?"
The white ball blinked, its palm-sized body swaying from side to side. It laughed and said, "You changed their fate, and the changed fate lines will be returned to you with good fortune."
Unable to contain herself, Shang Yuji grabbed it and rubbed it for a while.
As a mature nation, it wouldn't hold a grudge against her: "Xiao Ji, do you know what the end of destiny is?"
"Extremely lucky?" Having your wishes come true is a manifestation of good fortune.
The soft light rose and fell with its laughter: "When you save Da'an and extend its life by a hundred years, indirectly saving eight or nine tenths of the people of Da'an, your fate will be closely linked to theirs. At that time, your fate will be no different from that of Da'an."
"You will become the second national destiny of Da'an!"
Although she was getting a little carried away by what she heard, there was one thing she still needed to clarify: "If I die, will Da'an be frustrated?"
"It depends on you and the people of Da'an. If you die of old age and the people of Da'an take good care of you, and the connection between you is positive, then your good fortune will spread and protect Da'an for ten or a hundred years, bringing favorable weather, abundant harvests, and peace."
"If you die unjustly and the people of Da'an show no respect or fear, they will be held accountable by fate, which will take back everything you have done for them. One such event is frequent natural disasters, but their lives will be set back a hundred years, with everything going wrong, until Da'an is destroyed and its national fortune dissipates, only then will the misfortune subside."
"This is the price we pay for enjoying the peace and prosperity you bring to the country, but for not giving you a good outcome."
The white creature spoke eloquently, and since it was rare to find someone to listen to it, it naturally poured out everything in one go.
Shang Yuji concluded: "The destiny I changed can become your energy, and you can use that energy to repair and maintain Da'an's stability."
"Yeah, right~"
As for the later mention of not having a good end and suffering retribution, those things are far off. It's better to focus on what matters to us.
She had previously hoped that if her wish came true, it would alleviate the disasters in Nanyang, Pingchang, and Luoling.
However, while the Qi Yun wish-fulfilling ability must be utilized, the Bai Tuan, as a stabilizer for Da An, should not be overlooked. It should be even clearer about how to mitigate natural disasters, or even eliminate them altogether.
When she expressed her idea of having Bai Tuan erase the natural disaster, Bai Tuan shook his head immediately: "No, no, the energy is not enough. The occurrence of natural disasters is caused by many factors, both human and natural. To erase them, the factors that trigger them must be suppressed, which requires too much energy."
Fearing she wouldn't believe it, its gilded core rolled, and it quickly explained, "The reason I can communicate with you now and explain cause and effect is because Zhou Chaoyun is about to ascend the throne, and the fate of Da'an will undergo a major change. I have restored a lot of energy, but it is still not enough to eliminate the natural disasters in the three places."
It's a pity that natural disasters can't be eliminated, but upon reflection, it makes sense. Shang Yuji asked from a different angle: "What if we could mitigate the harm of natural disasters and have the people of Da'an work together to overcome them?"
Taking the severe drought in Nanyang as an example, during a drought lasting only a month, the people could survive with the help of imperial relief, government coordination, and mutual assistance among neighbors. However, if the drought were to extend to three months, the fields would yield no harvest, the people of Nanyang would suffer greatly, and countless people would die under the scorching sun.
If it is effective in mitigating disasters, they can continue to use it by following the same method.
The fall of the Da'an Kingdom was largely due to the constant natural disasters that followed, which forced the people to become displaced, starving, and causing turmoil in the land.
If the problem of natural disasters can be solved, the destruction of Da'an will be easily resolved.
The white ball gleamed with a thoughtful light: "Reducing it is possible, but the amount of energy required varies depending on how much reduction is needed."
"Does change always bring energy?"
"Change brings energy!"
Upon hearing the answer, Shang Yuji laughed with satisfaction.
Leaving aside the enormous changes to fate made after the eldest princess ascended the throne, the results of previous efforts are awaiting acceptance as the state apparatus begins to function.
Her luck is the reward for reversing the fate line, and after the fate line changes, the white ball gains energy. The more energy it has, the more it can do—from fragmented memories in books to prophecies in dreams and learning about creation. She can even learn agricultural knowledge that she had never learned before. These are all feedbacks given by the white ball's energy in accordance with her needs.
Everything has a price. Changing the course of fate is the reward she has to pay. What about Da'an?
As the embodiment of the destiny of the Great An Kingdom, Bai Tuan, whether tracing back the broken lifeline of the Great An Kingdom in its previous life or signing an agreement with her across time and space...
The price it should pay is energy, but how can Da'an, whose country is already broken and whose land is shattered, afford such expensive energy?
It was clearly difficult for him to even stay conscious.
"What price did you pay for going back in time and traversing space and time?"
Bai Tuan said confidently:
"Of course I bought it on credit."
"It's a predatory account that won't offer a refund if you fail!"
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