# 699
Chapter 700: Two Prophecies
The first round was still Hoshimi Shota's turn.
This time the game was a simple rock-paper-scissors. Contrary to Lin Qiye's expectations, Hoshimi Shota actually won against Lady Wu.
Looking at Hoshimi Shota's excited expression and Lady Wu's knowing smile, Lin Qiye could more or less guess that Lady Wu had deliberately lost.
As a powerful being with the ability to peer into fate, how could she possibly lose a simple game of rock-paper-scissors to a high school student?
However, from the fact that Lady Wu threw the game, it seemed she still cared about Hoshimi Shota's feelings... Could Amemiya Haruki's rumored story be true?
Lin Qiye glanced at the innocent and naive Hoshimi Shota, then at Lady Wu who sat beside him with a knowing smile, his expression turning subtle.
"Next, it's our turn." Lady Wu turned to look at Lin Qiye. "So, Lin Qiye, are you ready to start today's game?"
"Ready."
"Today's game is... guessing heads or tails." Lady Wu took out a coin and handed it to Hoshimi Shota sitting beside her. "We each pick a side first, then Shota will flip the coin. Whoever correctly guesses which side lands face-up wins."
A pure luck game, huh...
It seemed Lady Wu really wanted to win this round?
A slight smile curved Lin Qiye's lips. Unfortunately, this game suited him perfectly too!
"Alright."
"For fairness, you guess first. I'll take whatever side you don't pick." Lady Wu generously handed the first move to Lin Qiye.
"Sure." Lin Qiye nodded. "I guess it will stand on its edge."
Lady Wu: ...?
Lady Wu stood frozen for a moment. "Are you sure? Standing on its edge?"
"I'm sure."
"...Alright, then I'll guess heads face-up."
Both of them turned to look at Hoshimi Shota.
The latter swallowed hard, looking nervous as he clutched the coin in his hand, seemingly weighing its weight, wondering how to make a coin stand on its edge... That was incredibly difficult for him!
"Don't worry, just flip it however you want." Lin Qiye saw through his thoughts and smiled.
With Merlin backing him up, Lin Qiye didn't think he could lose. He knew that the Merlin now was no longer the same疯疯癫癫 (manic) Merlin who had just entered the asylum. This was a true God of Magic and Prophecy who had recovered 90% of his power!
Hoshimi Shota nodded, took a deep breath, and tossed the coin into the air.
A faint light flickered in Lady Wu's eyes as she reconfirmed that the fate trajectory she had seen was correct. Her heart settled.
This time, Lin Qiye wouldn't be able to beat her.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a gust of wind blew through the unfinished wall into the room, causing the coin in mid-air to sway slightly. Its trajectory shifted slightly as it tumbled toward the ground!
Clink, clink, clink—!
The coin bounced twice on the ground, rolled for a bit, and finally stood perfectly upright, wedged firmly in the gap between the tatami mats!
Lady Wu's pupils constricted sharply.
She looked up at Lin Qiye, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.
She didn't understand. Why had the fate trajectory she had already foreseen suddenly changed? Even if Lin Qiye had tampered with the coin during its flight, she should have been able to foresee it. But why had she seen nothing this time?
Feeling Lady Wu's gaze, Lin Qiye smiled faintly and said nothing.
Praise the God of Magic!
"It actually stood up!!" Hoshimi Shota jumped up from the ground excitedly. "Two wins in a row! Two chances for prophecy!"
Lady Wu stared at Lin Qiye for a long moment, finding she simply couldn't see through this man. After a long while, she slowly looked away and sighed deeply.
She couldn't tease Shota today...
"Alright, listen carefully." A strange gleam flickered in Lady Wu's golden eyes. She paused briefly, then spoke slowly:
"These two prophecies are: 'At the base of the Jorogumo statue lies the key to escaping the realm of death,' and 'At the end of the Aurora River sits an supreme existence that exists in the past and future.'"
After hearing these two sentences, both Lin Qiye and Amemiya Haruki were stunned.
What in the world were these two prophecies about?
At first glance, they had no idea what was being said.
"The prophecy is only 50% accurate, as you should know." Lady Wu added. "It's not that I don't want to tell you the correct prophecy. This is a limitation of this blade itself. I'm merely a blade spirit and cannot change it."
"I understand." Amemiya Haruki nodded. "These two prophecies are enough."
Having obtained the two prophecies, Lin Qiye and Amemiya Haruki immediately packed their belongings and left the house.
Since the location was quite far away and they still needed to bring diving equipment, Amemiya Haruki had rented a van in advance. Under the cover of night, they drove toward the coastline.
"What do you think of those two prophecies?" Amemiya Haruki asked Lin Qiye while driving, frowning.
Lin Qiye pondered for a moment. "The first prophecy is quite specific—it points to where the key to escape from somewhere is located. That's nothing special. The problem is the second prophecy..."
"'At the end of the Aurora River sits a supreme existence that exists in the past and future.'" Amemiya Haruki repeated the prophecy, looking puzzled. "The end of the Aurora River should refer to a location, but 'a supreme existence that exists in the past and future'... What does that mean?"
"Literally speaking, it should refer to a supreme being beyond our reach." Lin Qiye murmured to himself. "But 'existing in the past and future'... Could it mean that it exists in the past and future, but not in the present?"
"A supreme existence that doesn't exist in the present?" Amemiya Haruki shook his head. "I still don't understand."
"I can't figure out what that sentence means either." Lin Qiye sighed. "Perhaps we'll get our answers once we enter the ruins."
The vehicle sped along the nighttime road. After about an hour, it slowly pulled over near a beach on the eastern coast of Hokkaido.
Two figures stepped out of the car and walked toward the shoreline. The hazy moonlight scattered across the sparkling sea, glittering like broken silver.
"The ruins are in the sea?" Lin Qiye asked.
"Yes, two kilometers out in the deep ocean in that direction lies the entrance to those ruins."
Lin Qiye nodded. "Let's gear up."
Under the moonlight, the two of them put on the diving equipment they had purchased and walked step by step toward the silver-flecked waters. A wave rolled in from the distance, and in the next moment, both figures vanished completely beneath the sea's surface.
The moonlit shore once again fell into dead silence.