After Philip agreed to the proposal of the Knights of the Round Table, Knight Bindu took action personally and killed all the tea party members who were hanging in the air.
She just raised her hand and snapped her fingers. With a snap, the "black cocoon" woven by shadows gradually spread upwards, covering the faces of the tea party members, and then completely wrapped them up amid their screams of fear.
After a violent wriggling, all the "black cocoons" returned to calm.
Philip folded his hands on his elbows and watched the whole process with a smile.
"Sir, we will take our leave now... After the meeting of the Knights of the Round Table, we will convey your wishes to the other Knights of the Round Table and the Knight Commander, and the Knight Commander will come forward to have a private talk with you."
Mulenga smiled, put his hand on his chest, and bowed slightly to Philip.
The latter nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and added:
"Yes, but please be quick, my time is quite valuable."
"certainly."
Mulenga laughed.
"This is a very important matter, and we are very happy to facilitate this cooperation."
When the five Knights of the Round Table left, they called Chen Lun, who was standing silently beside them, to their side.
They looked at this outstanding cadre with a satisfied look, showing great admiration. At the same time, they also knew that if the club could eventually reach a cooperation with the Evening Tea Party, then the competition for the seat of the Orthodox Church would be more certain.
Jack played a key role in this.
After all, Mr. Philip, the acting president of the Tea Party, had just made it clear that it was for Jack's sake that she was willing to lead the Tea Party to terminate its cooperation with the Black Knife Brotherhood and switch to the club's camp.
Such a great achievement naturally requires Jack’s contribution.
"You're really nice, Jack."
Ginsburg raised her big hand affectionately and patted Chen Lun on the shoulder.
This was the second time she said this.
"From any perspective, you are a rare talent."
Yasmin on the side also gave high praise with a kind smile on her face.
Knights Mulenga and Bindu also nodded, and Peggy chuckled, took the black top hat in Chen Lun's hand, put it on him and straightened it.
"Well, such an excellent man makes me like him even more..."
Peggy took the opportunity to gently stroke Chen Lun's cheek with her fingers and said in a slightly teasing tone.
Chen Lun remained calm and just lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you for your praise, my Lord Knights. This is only what I should do."
Ginsburg was very pleased with his humble attitude, and immediately said with a smile in his powerful voice:
"Jack, we have noticed everything you have done. If things go well... the other Knights of the Round Table will look upon you with new eyes, and you will receive rewards as well. Of course, we will also try our best to obtain the extraordinary knowledge you need for promotion."
Then, the three Knights of the Round Table, Ginsburg, Bindu and Yasmin, presented their personal tokens one after another. Chen Lun suppressed his inner joy, took them with both hands, bowed calmly with his hand on his chest, and expressed his respect and gratitude again.
At the same time, he also received a prompt from the panel.
The five Knights of the Round Table all reached the "close" stage in their favorability towards him.
They turned to look at Philip again and the two looked at each other.
The Knights of the Round Table could see that the other party seemed to have something else to say to Jack, so they nodded tactfully and left first.
The five people turned into shadows and disappeared on the spot.
In the living room of this villa in the spiritual world, only Philip and Chen Lun were left.
The twenty or so "shadow cocoons" above his head gradually melted away, and the strange objects left inside slowly fell down and floated into Philip's hands.
She turned her head and glanced at Chen Lun, smiling and said:
"Sit and chat for a while?"
Chen Lun took a deep breath and nodded.
"good."
*
*
*
The two sat opposite each other on the sofa.
Philip picked out those strange things and finally kept two and placed them on the coffee table.
They were a rusty key and a palm-sized wooden doll.
"This is a relic left by the two vice-chairmen, Manolan and Anderson. It should be of some use to you, so I'll give it to you."
As Philip spoke, he took out two wine glasses from somewhere, poured himself a glass of red wine, and poured a glass of milk for Chen Lun.
Chen Lun stared at the other person silently, his doubts growing even stronger.
In a sense, this man with blond hair and slicked back hair was his guide. Not only did he help him embark on the path of destiny, he also left behind many "legacies" that enabled him to grow rapidly.
It can be said that the reason why I can get to where I am today is inseparable from the help of the other party.
However, Chen Lun never saw Philip's true face from beginning to end. He only got to know this "tragic protagonist" who was both his teacher and friend through his diary and bits of words from others.
Until today when we first met...
Chen Lun always felt something was wrong. The confusion in his mind was a mess and he couldn't figure it out.
First of all, whether it was the message Philip wrote in his diary or the facts relayed by Maggie, they all proved that she should be dead... Secondly, how did the other party know me? And how did he guide me to grow step by step across such a long time and space
Even as soon as we met, I knew that I didn't like drinking and preferred milk.
And the book "Philip's Adventures in Wonderland", which replicates the dream world and creates an independent world in the book. How did she do it... And when she teamed up with Howard to challenge their common teacher Mr. Clough, were they successful in the end
All these doubts made Chen Lun at a loss for words for a moment.
However, Philip seemed to see what he was thinking, and he sighed naturally and said:
"I know you have a lot of questions for me, Jack."
She raised her glass and gestured to Chen Lun.
"And this is why I found you as soon as I regained my brief freedom... Don't worry, I will explain all of this to you slowly."
Chen Lun let out a long sigh and nodded.
He then picked up the goblet filled with milk and clinked glasses with Philip.
Ding Dong!
After the two men drank their drinks, Philip burst into laughter, which surprised Chen Lun.
"Hahaha… "
Philip leaned back on the sofa, looking up and smiling.
"Finally I can sit down with you and chat and have a drink like a friend, Jack... You don't know how long I have been looking forward to this day."
She shook her head, her tone sighing.
"Ever since the guidance of fate came, I have foreseen what you will be like in a dozen years... You will be my best friend, my student, my hope... However, all this is separated by a long period of time. I can only struggle on the path of God while leaving clues and information for you."
"Guidance of fate?"
Chen Lun heard these familiar words again.
Although he had been using this sentence to fool the players, he was also very clear that in this world with true gods, the guidance of fate was not a joke, but a real existence... just like the warning that Bialis gave him at the beginning, which came from the revelation he got in his dream.
"Yes… "
Philip nodded, his expression turning serious.
"I don't know how to explain this guidance to you. It is ethereal, yet very strong. With my current sequence and position, I cannot trace its source... But I know that it comes from the end of our destiny."
"You mean, the God of Destiny?"
Chen Lun couldn't help but perk up and his heart beat faster.
Philip chuckled and shook his head.
"The God of Destiny... We don't call her that. Just like the true gods of the other nine paths, they all have honorific titles given to them by living beings in this world. The same is true for the path of destiny. Her taboo name is 'Huan Gong'!"
Chen Lun held his breath and listened carefully to the secret information that Philip told him.
Philip took another sip of red wine and continued:
"In addition, there are honorific titles such as the Lord of Fate, Supreme Fortune, and Origin of Beginning and End... All of these can point to her. In the past few epochs, Huan Gong has always existed in a corner of the world, but no one knows it, and no one can predict it. Only the angels and above can indirectly glimpse the clues of her actions from the great historical changes and nodes."
'The true god of fate... Lord Huan.'
When Chen Lun just heard this secret name, he seemed to feel a strong sense of fate coming towards him, as if a gray and surging fog emerged from the distant other side and submerged him.
At this time, Philip pretended to be mysterious, bowed slightly, and said in a low voice:
"Let me give you an example of the Trisul Empire. It is said that the end of the Fourth Era and the beginning of the Fifth Era, this critical historical node, was pushed by Duke Huan behind the scenes... In other words, the beginning of the Sun Era, when the Trisul family unified the continent and established an empire, was actually accepting the guidance of fate."
Chen Lun couldn't help but hold his breath.
"The establishment of the Trisur Empire was due to the instigation of Duke Huan? Why did she... do this? Then what about Liefu, the sun god worshipped by the Trisur royal family? What is his attitude? Could it be that the two gods have reached some tacit consensus?"
He was shocked by this, and then shook his head in self-mockery.
This kind of thing is too far away from me. Speculating now is useless and will only cause trouble.
"But more than four thousand years have passed. Since the beginning of the Fifth Era, Duke Huan has never responded to believers, and no miracles have been seen... It's as if she had never appeared. This indirectly led to fewer and fewer people knowing of her existence, and the records about her are gradually disappearing."
Philip sighed.
"But I know that she must still be somewhere in the world, quietly watching the passage of time, watching the changes of the times, and occasionally giving guidance to the fate of those key people who can influence the trajectory of the world..."
She looked up at Chen Lun and said with a smile:
"Like you, and me."
*
*
*
After listening to Philip's brief overview of the God of Destiny, Chen Lun roughly understood what kind of supreme being was at the end of his own path.
But he did not agree with Philip's last words.
Chen Lun is very self-aware and never thinks of himself as the chosen one, the savior, or the "key person" who influences the fate of the world. Apart from the excuses he made up when fooling the players, he has never actually received any so-called "fate guidance", which is the most convincing point.
After the two chatted for a while, Philip brought the topic back to himself.
"You must be wondering why I'm not dead yet, Jack."
Philip laughed.
"In fact, I have always been looking forward to your expression when you see that I am still alive... As expected, I was not disappointed. I felt your shock and confusion!"
"Well, I was surprised."
Chen Lun did not deny it and nodded.
"From the diary you left behind, you should be dead... Even Her Majesty Maggie told me that you failed in your challenge to fate."
"Maggie..."
Philip suddenly became silent.
Chen Lun noticed that her already haggard face revealed longing and pain, and her eyes became a little dim with deep dark circles under them.
"Jack, I have a favor to ask of you."
Philip's voice was a little low and hoarse.
Chen Lun realized that his words seemed to have caused her sadness, so he said:
"I'm sorry Philip..."
The other party shook his head, raised his tired eyes and stared at him, as if waiting for a response.
Chen Lun took a deep breath.
"What is it? Tell me."
"Don't tell Maggie that I'm still alive..."
Philip smiled.
But Chen Lun could not see any joy in her smile.
"At the beginning, my best friend Howard and I challenged teacher Clough together... In the end, we succeeded. The teacher died under our joint efforts, and her spirit turned into a Beyond Grade A Weird Item - Human Comedy... It was a black fountain pen that had the power to control the fate of others, but I was not compatible with it, so it was left to Howard in the end."
Philip said slowly.
"On the other hand, we weren't completely successful because we paid too much... Howard was seriously injured and started to become a little strange. I was looking forward to challenging fate and getting rid of the entanglement of the dream world, but I didn't get my wish... It even got worse!"
Her tone began to weaken.
"Every time I fall asleep, I am dragged into the dream world by force, and every time I enter, the place I appear is different... From the natural forest to the gloomy plains, from the river of blood to the crystal mountains, I am uncontrollably getting closer and closer to the deepest part of the dream world, as if an invisible hand is pushing me in, and one day I will reach the end directly."
Philip took a deep breath.
“I have a strong premonition that at the end of the dream world lives the true God. Once that day comes, I will be doomed… So I have been resisting dreaming all these years, and every time I dream, I resist waking up, trying to prolong the time as much as possible, waiting for hope to come.”
She looked directly at Chen Lun and said word by word:
"And that hope is you, Jack! Destiny tells me that only you can save me!"
Chen Lun suddenly understood all this.
He was deeply shocked by what Philip said.
After digesting it for a moment, Chen Lun asked in a deep voice:
"So your guidance and help to me is actually a way of saving yourself?"
"You could say..."
Philip nodded in acknowledgment, but then shook his head to indicate:
"But I have no ill will towards you, nor do I intend to take advantage of you, Jack... I am just trying my best to help you, and I am also placing all my bets on you, my 'friend' of more than ten years. If you choose to stand aside and watch, I will not blame you. After all, this matter..."
Having said this, she fell silent again.
Chen Lun also didn't say anything.
He realized how difficult this whole thing was.
At the same time, he also understood why the other party did not let himself tell Her Majesty Maggie that he was alive. In such a desperate situation, instead of making the loved one worry and care, it is better to let the other party accept the fact that he had died a long time ago.
"You don't have to tell me your choice right now, Jack."
Philip suddenly smiled again.
"Because I know this is too difficult for you now."
Chen Lun was slightly stunned, then he said softly:
"Thanks."
He thought about it, took a deep breath and added:
"I'll do my best, Philip."
"Okay, then I will try my best to hold on until that day."
Philip's smile widened.
It was just like when Chen Lun saw the smile on Arnold's face at the end of the darkness.