Chapter 881: Chaotic Ascension
"That's wonderful."
The White Goat nodded. "I just came up with a 'Earth-level' game design on the spur of the moment."
"On the spur of the moment...?"
The rest of us were momentarily stunned. An 'Earth-level' game could determine the entire fate of a 'Zodiac'—could it really just be thought up on a whim?
"'Causality,' would you be willing to help me?" the White Goat said. "I can trade you with 'Dao' or 'food' in exchange."
"Stop joking around," Jiang Ruoxue said. "We don't need 'Dao' at all, and Zhichun has also told me what those 'foods' are... I don't want a single one of them."
"Then will you still help me?" the White Goat asked again.
Jiang Ruoxue glanced at me before answering, then said, "You still might not understand the logical relationship here. I want to help you because Zhichun wants to help you. So I don't need any repayment. As long as Zhichun believes you're still worth helping, I can use 'Causality' for you free of charge."
"Alright." The White Goat nodded, then looked at me. "Yan Zhichun, I'm about to be promoted to 'Earth-level.' If one day you find that I've disappeared, take 'Causality' and go find me at the new venue. Remember... you must find me as soon as possible."
After hearing these words, I didn't understand for a moment, after all, I had once read the 'Zodiac Ascension Bet Contract.'
"Wait... hold on," I said. "What do you mean by 'about to be promoted to Earth-level'? Logically speaking... shouldn't you have to stay in the 'Interview Room' for a few more years?"
The White Goat stared at me for a long time, then said in a deep voice, "I can't answer that question. Anyway, I will ascend directly to 'Earth-level.'"
"How exactly are you managing this...?"
I thought I was beginning to understand the White Goat, but he had once again exceeded my expectations.
Every other person who became a 'Zodiac' had to take one step at a time, solid and steady. But the White Goat was different.
When he became a 'Zodiac' a few years ago, he immediately appeared in the 'Interview Room,' then expelled everyone inside. Next, he became a 'Human-level' in the game venue, and now he was about to skip the 'Interview Room' entirely and go straight to 'Earth-level'...
Why could he be so different from everyone else? Why could he be so chaotic?
Many times I wanted to voice my doubts directly, but the White Goat had warned me not to mention the matter of the Interview Room back then to anyone, so I had no choice but to let it go.
"About when will you ascend to 'Earth-level'?" I asked again.
"Soon," the White Goat said. "Come see me as usual every day. If one day you find I've disappeared, find a way to locate me in the new place."
"But where should I go to find you?" I asked again.
"I don't know myself," the White Goat replied. "You'll have to figure something out by then. But remember... it has to be fast."
After parting ways with the White Goat that time, life seemed to return to its routine. After the cycle, Jiang Ruoxue went back to her own area, and I continued visiting the White Goat every day as usual.
Ever since the White Goat had met Aunt Tong, he indeed had no more questions.
He seemed to have found his 'Face.'
Could it be that he had actually seen the 'Mother Goddess' that Aunt Tong had spoken of?
But why, after seeing the 'Mother Goddess,' did he no longer need a 'Face'?
Could the face he had been longing for actually be the face of the 'Mother Goddess'?
I really wanted to meet her. I wanted to know what the 'Origin of Everything' that Aunt Tong spoke of actually looked like.
But I knew it was unrealistic. That person existed only in the White Goat's heart, not in the real world.
It was worth mentioning that Aunt Tong seemed to have been born very close to me. I once asked if she wanted to act together with me, but she refused.
She said she couldn't keep helping the 'Zodiacs.' She had to continue searching for people bearing immense 'good karma.' Only by working alongside great 'good karma' could she accumulate more 'good deeds' and most deeply feel the will of the 'Mother Goddess.'
After greeting me, she went deep into the city to find that immense 'good karma.' Although I didn't quite understand why anyone would persist in doing good deeds in the 'Land of Finality,' I supported Aunt Tong's approach.
After all, a person always needs a goal, even if that goal can never be achieved.
Come to think of it, I was also a bit afraid of acting together with Aunt Tong. The feeling she gave me was different from Jiang Ruoxue's. Even though she always wore a kind smile, I could never truly see through her.
When I stared into her clear eyes, I couldn't tell what she was thinking inside. Perhaps she really was, as she herself said, always pursuing a state of 'no desires, no attachments.'
Days passed one after another. About four years ago from now, the White Goat disappeared from his game venue.
Normally, a 'Zodiac' disappearing here was an ordinary matter. They either signed a contract and entered the Interview Room, or someone gambled with them and they vanished from the streets. No one would ever bother to track down a 'Zodiac''s whereabouts.
But I was different. I had to find the White Goat, since he had repeatedly emphasized that I should find him immediately.
At the same time, I needed to contact Ruoxue quickly. But we were on opposite ends of the city—how could we get in touch?
No... I suddenly realized I didn't need to find Ruoxue at all. Because 'Causality' existed; she would come to me.
As I expected, sensing that I needed her, Ruoxue appeared beside me a few hours later.
We briefly caught up with each other and soon began our journey to find the White Goat, knowing what this meeting meant—
The White Goat needed me, and I needed Jiang Ruoxue.
Almost without hesitation, we quickly settled on a plan to find the White Goat: go ask that White Snake.
As an Earth-level 'Zodiac,' besides the White Goat, he was the only one we had any connection with.
When we found the White Snake, he was in the middle of hanging himself with a look of sorrow—probably Jiang Ruoxue's doing.
We stood beside him watching his self-directed act. He fell from the rope, then got up grinning, which made us realize he had probably gone mad too.
His gray-white suit looked less clean than in previous years, even stained with some blood. The blood didn't seem to have splattered on him from other 'participants'; rather, it looked like it had flowed from inside his own body and stained his clothes.
After a round of threats, bribery, emotional counseling, and romance tutorials from Jiang Ruoxue, we once again obtained information from the White Snake without joining the 'Mutual Aid Association.'
Although we got the White Goat's exact location, the White Snake's words also made me wary:
"If you want to find that White Goat, you'd better hurry. His game is full of loopholes. I don't know how he convinced the higher-ups, but as soon as any 'participant' enters, it'll almost certainly cause a violation, and Vermilion Bird will descend directly. Whether you can actually see him depends on the luck of you two girls."
(On the day after tomorrow, March 2nd, at 6:30 PM, I'll start a live stream on Douyin. I'll be having a joint broadcast with the publisher. At 7:00 sharp, we'll start selling Volume 2, "Ten Days of Finality: Labyrinth City." All orders placed in the first minute will come with a personal autograph. Family and friends who want to buy the book can come and take a look. Those who don't want to buy are also welcome to chat. After the book sale, I'll chat with everyone. Regardless, thank you to everyone who read this message.)