Chapter 8 - 7: This is the Key to Changing Fate
With the death of the Mother of Corpses, the assault of the undead on Tristram finally came to an end. When Fang Zheng dragged his exhausted body back to the town gate with the Holy Church Army, the only living people welcoming them were Captain Rumford and two archers.
"Well done, kid."
Looking at Fang Zheng, Captain Rumford revealed a comforting smile. He reached out and patted Fang Zheng's shoulder forcefully, then turned to the Holy Church Army beside him.
"Thank you for your help. Now you can go in. Lia is at the Slaughtered Calf Inn. Fang Zheng can take you there... What's wrong, kid?"
"Nothing, Captain Rumford."
Hearing Rumford's concerned inquiry, Fang Zheng shrugged gloomily and then spoke. He now deeply regretted his earlier thoughts; he had initially believed that although the missions issued by the system were somewhat troublesome and dangerous, at least the objectives were clear. But what Fang Zheng did not expect was that the third phase of the "Guardian" mission was such a pain!
Change fate!
The thought of the mission requirement made Fang Zheng extremely frustrated. These system-generated tasks were all random, and he had no impression of them. Moreover, the mission prompt did not provide any clues, only asking him to change the predetermined fate. As for the specific contents, there was no explanation at all. Furthermore, the system specifically reminded that if this mission failed, it would forcefully exit the mission world, and it even "considerately" included a countdown. So now, Fang Zheng had only forty-eight hours to change this so-called "fate"... Originally, Fang Zheng planned to stick around with the Nephalem for some grinding. Now it seemed, that wasn't possible at all.
"Please follow me."
Thinking about this, Fang Zheng forced his spirits, nodded to the Holy Church Army beside him, and then stepped into the town.
The two did not speak much along the way. If there had been time, Fang Zheng would have liked to see what the "official" Nephalem was like. But now he had no mood to waste time; the third phase of the mission only gave him forty-eight hours, and Fang Zheng had no clue about this fate at all.
This was also because Fang Zheng truly could not remember the plot of Diablo 3 very well. But this was understandable; when you immerse yourself in Grit Rifts every day, the plot of Diablo really doesn't matter to the players at all. Before anything else, getting a set was most important...
When Fang Zheng brought the Holy Church Army to the Slaughtered Calf Inn, he immediately saw Lia at the counter, looking worried. The short-haired girl was sitting on a chair, talking softly to the innkeeper. Seeing Fang Zheng push the door open and come in, the innkeeper immediately interrupted his conversation with Lia and greeted him warmly.
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"Kid! You saved us again! Here, this drink is on me... Who is this young lady?"
Hearing the innkeeper's inquiry, the Holy Church Army beside Fang Zheng stepped forward. She reached out and took off her helmet, revealing a face full of heroic spirit, her long, golden hair tied into a ponytail draped over her shoulder. She first smiled gently at the innkeeper, then looked at Lia.
"Hello, Miss Lia. I am Erebeth from the Holy Church Army, a follower of Sacrumm..."
Son of a...!
Hearing this at the counter, Fang Zheng almost spilled his drink. He turned to look at the Holy Church Army in front of him, shocked and uncertain—this Nephalem, both her hairstyle and name were unlucky!
I can already see the ending, can't I?
Never mind anything else, Fang Zheng thought it would be best if this Holy Church Army lady first changed her name and hairstyle. That way, his mission might be easily completed... Just kidding.
Could it be Lia, then?
Thinking this, Fang Zheng looked again at the young girl. He certainly knew that within this girl hid an Evil God, and the Evil God would eventually resurrect using her body. Logically, if Fang Zheng directly killed her now, it would count as changing fate. But... was that possible?
Let's not mention that Lia herself was a combat professional; the power of the Evil God within her was equally terrifying. Even if Fang Zheng attacked unexpectedly, he would not deceive the eyes of the Evil God. If forced into a corner, Fang Zheng would not stand a chance. So this thought only turned in his mind once before he immediately set it down.
At this moment, Erebeth had already started asking Lia about the meteorite that fell from the sky, and Lia, as in the game, explained it to Nephalem, requesting her to find her uncle... Deckard Cain... Huh?
Hearing this, Fang Zheng's eyes suddenly lit up.
Right, how could he forget such an important person—Deckard Cain!
If Fang Zheng remembered correctly, Deckard Cain was threatened by the cult leader Magda to repair the broken Holy Sword of the Angel Tyrell. However, Cain swore not to comply, and Magda's subordinates severely injured him. After that, Lia unleashed her power and drove away Magda's group. In the end, Cain used his last bit of strength to repair the Holy Sword but died from exhaustion.
At that time, the Nephalem left Tristram in search of the third shard of the Holy Sword!
Then, if Fang Zheng found the third shard of the Holy Sword in advance, wouldn't that prevent the Nephalem from leaving Tristram? Wouldn't that change fate?
Thinking of this, Fang Zheng felt this was the key to changing fate!
With his current strength, it was out of the question to save the Nephalem or kill Diablo. He was just a militiaman. Even if he mastered Crusader Strike, Fang Zheng did not believe he was more capable than the Nephalem. So, excluding the difficult options, what he could accomplish now was to retrieve the third shard of the Holy Sword in advance, allowing Cain to repair the sword early. Tyrell, who had lost his memory, would not be captured by Magda, saving the trouble of rescuing him from dungeons repeatedly, and Cain would survive. Wouldn't that be great? Even if Cain somehow died later, preventing Tyrell's capture and restoring his memory in advance would still count as changing fate!
Thinking of this, Fang Zheng made a decision immediately. There was no need to worry about the meteorite since the protagonist Nephalem was there. Besides, the mission had a time limit, indicating the plot would occur nearby. If Fang Zheng had to go to Supreme Heaven to change fate, he would probably run out of time before getting there.
"Then I will set out immediately."
At this moment, the dangerously clad and named Holy Church Army had finished talking to Lia. She stood up, wore her helmet again, and looked at Fang Zheng.
"Will you come with me?"
"No, I have more important tasks."
Though gaining the protagonist's favor was good, Fang Zheng had no time for this now. So, he shook his head and declined Nephalem's invitation. Nephalem did not say much, just nodded slightly before hurriedly turning and leaving.
After watching Nephalem leave, Fang Zheng also walked out of the inn. He originally wanted to chat more with Lia, but unfortunately, she seemed in no mood to talk because he had refused Nephalem's request, making her dissatisfied. So the girl just glanced at Fang Zheng without a word and went back to her room. But Fang Zheng did not mind; if he accidentally provoked Diablo to come out, it would be his misfortune.
Thinking this, Fang Zheng did not say much and left the inn. He then found Captain Rumford and requested to go to Watson.
"Go to Watson?"
Hearing Fang Zheng's request, Captain Rumford was evidently surprised.
"What are you going to Watson for?"
"I got some information that some shards of the meteorite might have fallen towards Watson. So I want to see if I can find any clues to unravel the meteorite's secrets."
What Fang Zheng said made perfect sense, so Rumford didn't hesitate for long and nodded to agree to his request.
"Alright, I will inform the boatman to prepare a boat. But you just came through a fierce battle. Don't you want to rest a bit before leaving?"
"No need. I can rest on the way."
Since the mission countdown had already started, there was no time to waste on a bed.
"Alright then."
Seeing Fang Zheng's urgency, Captain Rumford did not say more. He nodded and took Fang Zheng to the pier, spoke briefly with the boatman, who then took Fang Zheng aboard, and headed towards Watson downstream.