Chapter 76: Chapter 33: Valkyrie 3
Inside the cabin.
Skadi silently gazed at Su Ziyu before her, shedding the gray robe she wore. In a flicker of dim light, she transformed into the legendary Valkyrie.
She wore a blood-red tight battle outfit, a bird-wing-shaped golden helmet atop her head, and wielded a long spear lightly enveloped in arcs of electricity. The golden shield in her hand seemed to have suffered heavy damage, with cracks visible upon it. Valkyries are the goddess of the Nordic Pantheon, they are demigods, yet possess incredibly strong powers.
This Valkyrie seemed to have once followed Diana in battles across the Old World after Ragnarok.
She kicked aside the Net of Destiny at her feet as if greatly disdainful of this shattered web. As the Goddess of Fate who holds the future, Skadi had been observing the world’s future through prophecies, but all she saw were fractured destructions; she had long lost control over fate, the era of gods ended with Ragnarok.
She clenched the spear in her hand, and said slowly: "Let’s depart."
As her words faded.
Suddenly, from outside came the loud neighing of a noble steed, followed by a sudden gust of wind as a tall, winged snow-white Pegasus slowly descended, appearing at the cabin entrance.
Su Ziyu glanced down at the broken net by his feet.
It was a misty, ruined web with many threads snapped.
Were it not for Skadi, one of the three Goddesses of Fate, standing before him, no one would believe this was indeed the legendary Net of Destiny.
In the Nordic Pantheon, the three Goddesses of Fate only control mortal destiny, but they can also foresee the fate of gods, giants, and dwarfs. They are the Weavers of Destiny, weaving the Net of Destiny before them according to laws that Su Ziyu could not comprehend.
Su Ziyu couldn’t help but reach out to touch this broken net.
Plain and unimpressive.
It felt just like regular linen cloth, almost devoid of any peculiar properties, not looking at all like an extraordinary treasure.
Yet!
Just as he was about to release it, the Hourglass of Time in his mind suddenly became agitated, emitting a soft golden light, drawing out some kind of energy from the Net of Destiny that Su Ziyu couldn’t understand or guess at, subsequently causing a slight change in the data flow.
A torrent of data flooded into his mind, mysterious runes gradually weaving into a massive net, enveloping the Hourglass of Time like a celestial curtain.
——"Person Beyond Destiny."
In Su Ziyu’s data attributes, a sudden addition appeared: ’Person Beyond Destiny’.
"Person Beyond Destiny: Unable to foresee the past, present, and future, independent from destiny, unaffected by the fortune and misfortune of their plane, immune to conventional curses."
After contacting the Black Magic Cube left by Diana, Su Ziyu’s Space-Time Monitor System seemed to be completed with some missing data, allowing parts of his abilities to suddenly include new annotations. The Net of Destiny discarded by Skadi seems to contain some special Law Power which Su Ziyu had never seen causing such a noticeable commotion from the Hourglass of Time before.
Person Beyond Destiny?
Unable to foresee the past, present, and future? Unaffected by fortune and misfortune? Immune to conventional curses?
This attribute seems to be useful only for the last ability.
As for luck.
Su Ziyu truly felt his luck wasn’t great.
The Net of Destiny in his hand seemed to become even more plain and unimpressive. After a glance or two, Su Ziyu shifted his focus back to the Hourglass of Time.
Wait a minute.
Just how long have I been here?
Why have the sands in the Hourglass of Time depleted so much already?
Su Ziyu soon discovered that more than half of the sands in the Hourglass of Time were already consumed, only realizing this at that very moment.
"How long have I been here?" Su Ziyu lifted his head and asked.
Skadi took a glance at him and replied: "Based on the time outside, fifteen days."
Time outside?
Does the time here differ from outside time?
Su Ziyu wanted to ask but restrained himself, because she said she had waited for him for six thousand years, clearly indicating that this Mist Forest was vastly different from the outside.
He said solemnly: "Then let’s hurry on. Hopefully, there is still time."
The two walked outside the cabin.
The Valkyrie before them mounted the Pegasus, then sat on its back, watching him. Su Ziyu hesitated slightly before also taking a seat on the horse’s back. He felt he might need to learn horseback riding skills in the future.
A loud neigh echoed!
Majestic and elegant, the Pegasus unfolded its wings and soared into the sky amidst the rushing wind, more imposing than a giant eagle, with its level unknown.
Its speed of flight was so fast Su Ziyu could barely handle it.
How to describe that feeling?
It was like sitting atop an airplane with speeds possibly exceeding 600 kilometers per hour, the intense air currents forcing him to grip the horseback tightly, and perhaps anyone else would have fallen off long ago.
"Relax a bit." The Valkyrie in front softly advised.
The Pegasus seemed slightly uncomfortable with Su Ziyu’s grip, reducing its speed a little and twisting its body in the air a few times.
I am no member of the Divine Race; fly a bit slower, please.
The Divine Race of the Nordic Pantheon possess exceptionally strong physiques; they are, after all, the ones directly confronting giants, so it’s normal for Su Ziyu to feel unaccustomed. His journey to this world is entirely due to the contingency plans left by the previous Space-Time Inspector; Diana hoped the inheritor could resolve the trouble concerning this Crystal Wall Plane.
The Pegasus quickly soared through the skies.
Yet within merely half a day, the Royal Capital lay nearby.
However, before entering the Royal Capital, the Valkyrie before him rode the Pegasus to the grand Savior statue; her expression bore traces of pain, regret, and nostalgia as she reached out to gently touch the statue’s face, before flying towards the palace of the Royal Capital without looking back.
Seems there are stories unknown to me.
Of the three Goddesses of Fate, only Skadi, the one holding the future, remained; Su Ziyu could imagine how perilous the Ashen Era following Ragnarok might be.
The Pegasus descended before the grand palace.
Outside, the fully armed palace guards revealed a look of shock upon recognizing Skadi’s attire. Unlike ordinary humans, many of these individuals bore the blood of the Vanir Race. Thus, recognizing Valkyrie, their astonishment was evident.
"Valkyrie!"
"Valkyrie!"
"Heavens! Are there still Valkyries alive?"
"Weren’t they all slain?"
Despite their shocked expressions, these guards bowed before the Valkyrie, and at this moment, the voice of the White Queen slowly resonated.
"You finally decided to show yourself." the White Queen sighed softly.
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