Apocalypse Forecast

"It was supposed to be a happy date."

Actually, there was no date, and it wasn't happy at all.

From morning to afternoon, Huai Shi hadn't had a moment of rest.

His day started at 7:30 AM in Suburban Park. At 9:00 AM, it was East Square. By 11:00 AM, they were at South Lane Commercial Street. At 1:00 PM, Xinhai Amusement Park. At 3:00 PM, boating in North Suburb Qinghe. At 4:00 PM, he trekked across the entirety of Xinhai to the dock area. Then, at 5:00 PM, he was dragged to the People's Cemetery on the east side. Finally, at 7:00 PM, Huai Shi returned to the city.

Even with a car, he still felt like he was going to die.

Not from exhaustion, but from being run ragged by Raven.

What kind of lunatic goes on a marathon for fun?

Himself, apparently.

He'd actually been naive enough to think that Raven was only spouting nonsense and that she'd really found some clue and was leading him on an investigation. As it turned out, she just wanted to drag him around for her own amusement.

After a whole day, he had bought a pile of things, even a silver, carved birdcage inlaid with mica flakes for himself at the flower and bird market near South Lane!

A goddamn birdcage.

What bird in the world buys itself a cage?

He wasn't sure if she was a woman, but she definitely wasn't a Raven—what Raven drinks half a case of beer every day and demands a family bucket for a late-night snack?

Luckily, Xinhai was a lousy place that wasn't too big, so he could finish touring it in a day. Otherwise, Huai Shi felt he would be wandering until the next afternoon, and wouldn't even need to go to school anymore.

Right now, he just wanted to know what game she was playing with that birdcage.

"This is what dating is all about, young man."

Raven cheerfully observed the surroundings. "Even though it's tiring, you have to enjoy the process. Come on, think back on this fulfilling day, and tell me, are you happy?"

Huai Shi, expressionless, held up the birdcage and looked at her. "What do you think?"

"I guess you're not happy at all—that's what you get for not planning your dates properly," Raven said, her gaze pitying. "But don't worry, I had a great time!"

Just before Huai Shi completely lost his motivation, he felt the vibration from the Book of Fate once again.

Startled, he looked up, joining Raven in staring at the bustling skyscraper in front of them.

Now, he could confirm that whatever was resonating with the Book of Fate was inside that building.

Raven shook her head, clucking sympathetically. "I can only say, you're really unlucky, chasing leads all day and only finding the right place now."

I think it's because one of us is rather unlucky, Huai Shi thought, glancing at the pitch-black Raven. He then stuffed the birdcage into his backpack, while Raven skillfully transformed into an unseen shadow, perching on his shoulder and directing him as if piloting a Gundam.

"Then let's go, African Star No."

She whistled cheerfully. "Let's see what's waiting for us!"

In reality, the building was just an ordinary skyscraper.

Part of it was office space, part hotel, and the rest a normal shopping mall. After all, malls like Wanli Plaza are pretty common around the world; those American businessmen are everywhere.

Apart from the publicly accessible mall on the lower levels, the Wanli Hotel on the top floor also happened to be one of the few five-star hotels in the city.

In Xinhai, it was considered quite a high-end establishment.

Previously, Huai Shi wouldn't have even dared to enter, only managing to glance at the price tags from outside the window displays.

But now things were different. His wallet was full, and his status seemed to have changed too. Looking at these price tags, he felt bold enough to go inside and take a closer look...

Don't be scared, just looking, Huai Shi told himself, puffing out his chest as he walked into the mall. He breezed past cosmetics on the first floor, women's fashion on the second, electronics on the third, men's fashion on the fourth, restaurants on the fifth, and so on.

Initially, Huai Shi was quite nervous, constantly looking left and right, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. But when the Book of Fate showed no reaction at all, he started to idly scroll through his social media feed, liking the selfies that show-off Liu Dongli had posted from London.

That guy... He was so smooth with his goodbyes when he was just putting on an act. But when it was time for him to actually leave, he didn't even bother to say a word! It left me stuck with the deluxe hair-thickening treatment set I'd prepared, so now I have to use it myself. As a result, for the past two days, all this excess nutrition has had nowhere to go. Besides the fat on my belly, my hair has started growing like crazy too...

"It's right here."

As he casually strolled, Raven suddenly spoke up.

Huai Shi looked up and realized he had reached the top floor of the mall. Only large establishments like gyms, cinemas, or furniture stores would be located here.

When he followed Raven's gaze, he saw, behind the cinema, a shop window. With the enhanced eyesight of a Sublimator, he could make out the exquisite items displayed on the shelves.

It looked like an antique shop.

The items on the shelves all seemed to have some age to them; even the display cabinets themselves were intricately carved antique furniture.

Whether it was a bronze vase, silver cutlery, a gem-encrusted music box, or bone china dinnerware, they all seemed to shimmer with the aura of wealth, making Huai Shi feel breathless.

"Can't you pull yourself together? It's just a bunch of old furniture," Raven remarked, glancing at her disappointing fellow.

Huai Shi was incredulous. "Are you sure it's inside?"

"If you don't believe me, try approaching with the Book of Fate. The reaction will be very strong," Raven said. "However, I don't recommend doing that. The moment the Book of Fate reacts, whatever is inside will probably sense it too. Be careful not to startle the snake by hitting the grass."

"What exactly is going on?" Huai Shi asked.

"Just watch and you'll see."

Raven flashed a cunning smile, deliberately keeping him in suspense. "I'll go inside first to scout for any interesting items."

With that, she dissolved into a cloud of grey dust, swiftly blending into the air. Except for a phantom only Huai Shi could see, she vanished.

After all, aside from her true form as an Event Branch, her body was now mostly composed of a special alchemical ink. This ink allowed her to adjust her color for optical invisibility at any time and rendered her nearly incorporeal, capable of turning into a cloud of grey mist at will. She was indeed perfectly suited for stealth.

Huai Shi wasn't foolish enough to stand out in the open waiting. He turned the corner and went into the cinema. After casually buying a ticket, he took a seat in the back row, hugging his popcorn and soda, happily waiting for the movie to start.

However, just as the film's pre-movie dragon logo had flown past, his vision went dark, and he felt a record from the Book of Fate being forcefully pushed into his mind.

It was Raven.

Through her connection to the Book of Fate, she directly shared what she was seeing into Huai Shi's mind.

At that moment, Raven had glided past the front desk and the main store area, silently entering their storeroom.

The first thing transmitted was the sight of a huge iron door, comparable to a bank vault's, with two guards sitting in front of it.

Just an antique shop, with such heavy security? Huai Shi thought, shocked.

"If it were just an antique shop, of course, it wouldn't be like this," Raven said coolly. "But this is probably Wanli Plaza's own vault. Don't forget, with so many companies upstairs and such a large hotel, valuable items definitely need to be stored centrally. Plus, Wanli Group is currently preparing to enter the Current Circumstances market. It seems they've fully expanded their operations here. This store will definitely turn into a clandestine place providing services to Sublimators in the future. I even saw an auction hall being renovated when I first came in. They might even establish an auction house here."

"Wanli Group has dealings with the Border too?"

"How many tycoons on America's Wall Street are unrelated to the Border? Besides, Wanli is a major group in the Border itself, monopolizing resources from several large Border regions and front-line Hells. You can find anything from Source Crystals and Border Relics to potions in their markets."

Raven, having turned to smoke, slowly seeped past the vault door, speaking unhurriedly, "So, it's not surprising that something related to the Book of Fate would show up here."

Huai Shi tapped the cover of the Book of Fate in his hand, turning it over and over. Is this thing part of a set or something? he couldn't help but wonder.

"Would you show a little more respect for the former Heavenly Kingdom, please?" Raven sighed in exasperation. "That place, after all, was the final haven for countless wills that had perished, the place where all of life's value was gathered."

"The name Heavenly Kingdom sounds familiar," Huai Shi scratched his head. "Does such a place actually exist in this world?"

"That depends on what your idea of the Heavenly Kingdom is," Raven replied.

"The world after death?" Huai Shi ventured.

"Haven't you already seen so many Hells?" Raven countered. "Isn't it clear whether a world after death exists?"

"No, generally, people think Hell is where bad people go after death, right? Aren't good people supposed to have their souls bathed in holy light, sprout white wings, and fly up to the clouds to sing praises around God?"

"Elegies would be more fitting," Raven scoffed. "Gods are nearly extinct these days; who has the time to listen to songs? Just as the wicked don't descend into Hell, Huai Shi, it's impossible for the good to ascend to Heaven. After death, consciousness dissipates along with all Source Substance. After a long cycle, it returns to the Sea of Silver, only to be scattered once more into the mortal world.

From start to finish, the Heavenly Kingdom was just an illusion; this world never had such a gentle place."

At this point, Raven couldn't help but sigh, seemingly filled with deep emotion. "No matter how cunningly humans pursue miracles, in the end, all they obtain are mere earthly afterimages.

And the so-called Heavenly Kingdom is precisely such a creation—an earthly afterimage."

Huh? Huai Shi was puzzled.

"Well, since there's a bit of time left, let's talk about some forgotten history," Raven said, laughing softly, a sound that was part mockery, part reminiscence. "Several epochs ago, the Astronomical Society ambitiously pursued numerous grand plans. Leveraging the nearly infinite material wealth gained from exploring Hell, they achieved many wonders. It was as if they wielded divine power, capable even of remaking the world itself. Even the gods in their time never reached such a pinnacle. It was a truly glorious era... And the Heavenly Kingdom was a product of the Astronomical Society from its zenith, just before its decline."