One Does Not Become Great Through Luck Alone

Stan Tito built a house in a remote coastal village far from the God-Descended City, truly becoming a craftsman.

No one knew his name, only that his craftsmanship was superb, creating carvings sought after even by the nobles in town.

He watched the fishermen emerge from the sea as he sat on a rock, carving his new work.

It was called "The Marionette of Fate."

The figure in the story was himself, set against the backdrop of a dream he once had.

Once upon a time, he had thought himself the Child of Fortune, only to discover he was but a marionette of fate.

Luck, too, is a kind of destiny.

It is the aimless drifting of ordinary people without goals or ideals.

In mythological epics, he had heard of hero after hero, possessing lofty ideals, devout faith, great power, and more.

They had endured all manner of hardships, possessing an iron will and an indomitable spirit.

But he had never heard of anyone becoming great through luck alone.

He had once enjoyed the power of such luck, until he met that person in his dream.

The other told him: "Tito said to God."

"Fate is in our hands."

"I no longer wait for fate to descend, but create my own destiny with my own hands."

No one but himself could understand the impact he felt in that moment.

His ancestor was a great man who had grasped fate.

He wanted to carve out the scene he had once seen in his dream, but he could not recall the other figure from the dream no matter how he tried.

He carved out his own likeness, but finally stopped at the other silhouette, only sketching out a simple outline.

He held his carving knife, suspended in midair for a long time.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"How did you know about the great poet's past? How did you know what happened in God's hall?"

After pondering for a long time, Stan Tito still couldn't remember.

He put down his carving knife and stood up, returning to the house, to the darkroom where a golden divine flower grew.

He approached the flower pot, and a magical scene was released from the golden flower cup. He reached his hand into the illusion, as if directly touching the things within.

He flipped through one bone book after another, seeking to find what he wanted.

"Sun Cup!" he exclaimed.

"Divine Flower, Forbidden Flower, Dream Flower... what are you truly?"

"How many more wondrous and unknown powers are hidden within you?"

After receiving the power of wisdom through the Bestowing of Power, he began to study illusion magic with the help of the Sun Cup.

This power that most priests in the kingdom of Yinsai approached with trepidation.

There came a knock from outside, and a Trilobite Man suddenly rushed in, bearing a blood-red brand on his body.

This was a slave.

But not Stan Tito's slave; rather, a slave from a nearby fishery who always came around wanting to learn craftsmanship from Stan Tito.

Although he hadn't said he wanted to learn, Stan could still see it.

Stan Tito walked out from the innermost room and looked at the slave.

Before he could speak, the slave excitedly said,

"Master, do you know?"

"The Samo Kingdom has been defeated."

Stan Tito nodded. "How badly?" he asked.

The slave was somewhat excited, although he didn't know why he was excited. After all, what did these things have to do with a lowly, humble slave like him?

But hearing such momentous news, he felt an urge to find someone to tell and share his excitement.

"The Samo Kingdom might fall. Everyone's saying King Henir will become the new King of Yinsai."

"A new dynasty will be established, the times have completely changed."

Stan Tito didn't care about the war. He felt that whether this war was won or lost, it wouldn't change the world.

Whether Henir became king or Henir failed.

Stan Tito tidied up the bone plates on his table and patted the slave's shoulder.

"The rise of a single king cannot change an entire era."

"No matter how powerful the beasts are, they can only bring destruction."

"War cannot bring hope, nor can it bring light to the countless people of Yinsai."

"History has always told us that the people of Yinsai have been going in circles for hundreds of years, ultimately returning to the starting point."

"Generation after generation of rulers, so many talented people have emerged."

"But no one has ever created glory surpassing that of King Yesael."

He lowered his head and sighed. "By abandoning God, we lost our ability to seek enlightenment."

The slave couldn't understand what Stan Tito was saying, and could only scratch his head.

He suddenly recalled the scene written in the "Final Chapter," the thing that the great poet Tito had always remembered.

Stan Tito was immediately stunned. He slowly said in a low voice.

"The power of dreams that can create everything." —

On the desert plain, armies engaged in fierce battle. Two terrifying giant worms of different colors fought on the wasteland, while thousands upon thousands of soldiers on the ground clashed in formation.

Spears fell like rain, tall and strong vanguard warriors swung their battle axes in collision, followed closely by soldiers raising stone hammers to smash one Trilobite Man's bone armor after another.

However, the battle didn't last long. The Desert Worm suddenly lost control, barely stabilizing after a while.

It was clearly no longer able to fight and could only begin to retreat.

Thousands upon thousands of Samo Kingdom soldiers were routed, retreating into the distance following the Desert Worm.

Many were captured, or lost their way in the panicked flight.

In the capital city of the Samo Kingdom.

The Trilobite Man sitting on the throne wearing a crown suddenly opened his eyes. He immediately touched his forehead; one of the Ruhe brands controlling the Desert Worm had faded almost to invisibility.

"Bang bang~"

The king, appearing manic, frantically pushed over everything he could see in the palace, smashing and venting his inner fear and panic.

A year ago, rumors that God had reclaimed the Ruhe beasts had already spread throughout the kingdom of Yinsai.

Of course, the Samo Kingdom would have known.

But when they found out, it was already too late.

Of the seven Ruhe beasts of the Royal Bloodline family, four remained, with Henir and the Samo Kingdom each having two.

But their Desert Worm and Moon Magic Fern had already drastically consumed their power in one battle after another with the Star Queen.

While in Henir's hands, apart from the Burrowing Demon Worm whose power was about to be exhausted, the power of the Sele Sea Spirit was still well preserved.

This was the main reason why, in addition to his far superior military advantage, Henir had forced them to retreat step by step.

Henir just wanted to exchange pieces with them, because in the end, he would definitely win.

"Damn it!" the king roared.

"Despicable!"

"Despicable bastard, black mud who stole the throne."

"You think you can defeat me like this? You think you can defeat the Royal Bloodline that has stood unshaken for hundreds of years?"

"Impossible!"

Amidst the agitation and roaring, what was expressed was his bravado masking inner timidity. He felt his throne and power crumbling bit by bit.

He felt that what he had lost was not just the brand, but everything.

The king's reddened eyes looked into the distance. "Do you think we're powerless to control the Ruhe beasts without the Ruhe brand?"

However, these words immediately changed the expression of Princess Saliman, who had just entered the palace.

She hurriedly came forward, kneeling and nestling at the foot of the throne.

"My King!" she pleaded. "At this time, perhaps only the power of God can guide us."

The king laughed bitterly. "God?"

"No!"

"No one can find God, let alone receive power from God."

"Since Saint Tito hundreds of years ago, who else has received God's favor?"

Princess Saliman hurriedly spoke a name: "Stan Tito."

"Descendant of the great poet, the one known to the world as the Child of Fortune."

"It is said that the key to open the door to God's realm is now in his hands."

The king gradually calmed down. He looked at his princess, the first in line to inherit the Samo Kingdom.

"Can you find him?" he asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Princess Saliman replied confidently, "Of course I can. I know where he is."