“I remember now,” Sonya murmured. “This is the Destiny Questionnaire.”
“Destiny Questionnaire?”
She nodded slightly. “This is a very rare virtual world mechanism that comes in many forms. What we’ve encountered is the simplest ‘paper questionnaire’ version. If we answer correctly, we can ask the virtual world any question and it must provide an answer.”
“We can ask anything?” Ashe said in surprise. “So if I ask how to attain immortality and invincibility in this world, it would also answer?”
“Yes!” Sonya nodded affirmatively. “But the quality of the virtual world’s answers depends on the number of your correct responses. The more you answer correctly, the more detailed its answers will be.”
“In fact, compared to the reward of ‘asking the virtual world questions,’ most sorcerers actually value the Destiny Questionnaire itself more — because the questions asked in the Destiny Questionnaire are about the sorcerer’s future.”
“Questions about the future?”
“Right. The questions here are about things the sorcerer has not yet experienced, so there’s no way for them to know the correct answers. They can only infer based on the past to guess the future.” Sonya looked at the paper and said softly, “It’s said that whatever future is mentioned in the Destiny Questionnaire will inevitably become reality.”
Ashe uttered an “oh” and said, “What’s your question then?”
Sonya’s pupils suddenly constricted. She spoke as if nothing had happened, “I don’t want to tell you.”
“Why not? Wouldn’t discussing it together make it easier to find the right answer?”
“Oh please, don’t pry into a girl’s privacy, how disgusting,” Sonya said in feigned disgust.
“Sorcerers still care about privacy…”
Ashe grumbled, seeing Sonya intentionally covering the paper. He thought she was really shy, but suddenly felt something was off.
When it came to power and her future, the swordswoman had never been ambiguous. Although she occasionally had a bad temper, there was no denying that she was a good teammate, never dragging the team down in virtual world explorations. Whenever she needed to contribute, she did so without hesitation.
The Destiny Questionnaire was undoubtedly an extremely rare opportunity. In this situation, would the swordswoman really refuse to cooperate due to “shyness” and prefer to answer incorrectly rather than discuss it with Ashe?
Maybe for others, but the swordswoman was someone who could shout “You have no dreams but can protect my dreams” in front of him. Her greed was even recognized by the game, with “Bond Resonance – Greed” being the best proof of her ambition.
Moreover, Ashe and her were from two different worlds,no matter how many of her secrets Ashe knew, it wouldn’t affect her reality one bit. Putting on an act of purity in front of Ashe was useless anyway.
It was as if a laser beam pierced his head and Ashe had a flash of insight. “Is your question related to me?”
Sonya’s body froze.
She knew now was the best time to deny it. She should contradict it with humor, disdain, and astonishment, then disgustedly throw out a “Stop prying into a girl’s privacy!” to dispel all his doubts.
Just lie, just conceal, only consider her own interests, and nip anything unfavorable to her in the bud.
But for some reason, she, who was usually slick with words and cunning, hesitated for a moment this time. It was this brief pause that robbed her of the possibility to conceal it.
Perhaps she was influenced by the “Sincerity” spirit…
Sighing inwardly, Sonya nodded, “Yes.”
“I knew it.” Ashe muttered and pondered, “It’s related to me and you, and you’re unwilling to tell me, could it be written above that—”
Sonya immediately tensed up.
“You’ve fallen in love with me?”
“Are you so sleep deprived that you’re dreaming with your eyes open?” Sonya said impatiently. “How is that possible!”
“You denied it so adamantly, it really makes one suspect… Hey hey, we’re answering destiny’s questions here, what sword are you wielding, put it down, you’re disrupting my test taking!” Ashe righteously admonished Sonya, then lowered his head to look at his question. “If you’re not willing to say, then don’t say it, as if I’m very curious.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Of course I’m curious, I’d love to trick you into turning around and snatch your question to read it.” Ashe said languidly. “But you’re unwilling, I can’t offend you now just for the so-called ‘destiny’.”
“When it’s very likely the ‘destiny’ written above will come true, don’t you want to know what will happen between our future?”
“You shouldn’t ask me this question, you should ask yourself. Are you willing to share your future with me?” Ashe said.
Sonya was slightly taken aback, holding up the paper to cover her mouth, she shook her head, “Not very willing yet.”
“Alright then.” Ashe shrugged and lowered his head to look at his question.
After a moment, he asked again, “Really not willing? If you’re unwilling, I’ll ask again later.”
Sonya barely held back a laugh, giving Ashe an irritated look. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, her long eyelashes trembling cutely, her eyes forming crescent moons. Her brows were full of charm, making Ashe think she had used some kind of beauty spell.
“You’re so annoying,” she grumbled. “Alright alright, since I can’t guess the answer anyway, let’s discuss it.”
“Didn’t you actually want to chat with me all along—”
“Listen to the question! Multiple choice, what is the fundamental reason for the swordswoman and observer’s split? 1) The swordswoman hates the observer’s aloofness, 2) The observer believes he cannot control the swordswoman, 3) Unequal distribution of spoils, 4) All of the above.”
“I’ll split up with you in the future?” Ashe was also intrigued. “Split up, this is the first time I’ve heard this term in real life. It sounds like something that would only appear in a stage drama.”
The most severe declaration of cutting ties Ashe had heard was “I won’t play with you anymore.” Words like “split up” were generally used between two major powers, ordinary people didn’t have the qualifications to “split up”, “divorce” was more fitting.
“Tell me, are you thinking of controlling me, and will resent me when you find out you can’t control me?”
“How is that possible, you might as well consider whether your impression of me is biased. I don’t look like some hot-blooded youth at all. As a mature member of society, isn’t being aloof an excellent traditional virtue? How could you resent my aloofness?”
“So I don’t think it’s option 1 either, I’m more inclined to think it’s 3, unequal distribution of spoils.”
“Are you insinuating there’s a problem with the current spoils distribution system?”
“No problem now, but after you break out of prison, your appetite may grow. Who knows what will happen then…”
“Pfft, I see you’re the greedy one making unreasonable demands. For the greater good I have to tolerate you, but eventually can’t stand it anymore and have to part ways with a freeloader like you!”
“Speak conscience, from the beginning until now, which battle was I not the one contributing the most, outputting the most damage? Tsk tsk, observer, you’ve revealed your foxy tail. You must be planning to reduce my share of the spoils in the future!”
“Even if I adjust the shares, it will certainly be for good reason. I’ve always been fair and impartial, never doing underhanded things…”
“Who was it saying just now that if selected for the Blood Moon Tribunal, they would incite a massive prison riot? Who was it~?”
Although they were discussing very serious future matters, the two spoke lightly and jokingly, causing Sonya’s mood to gradually relax.
She had been worried that bringing up this destiny question might cause the observer to become suspicious and resentful, but his attitude dispelled all her concerns.
Many things were like this – when you don’t see it as a problem, it ceases to be a problem.
“1 is wrong, 2 is wrong, 3 is wrong.” Sonya said impatiently, “Then which option do you think is correct?”
“I actually don’t think any of them are correct answers. If I split up with you, there must be another reason.”
“What reason?”
“For example, you’re not strong enough.”
Sonya was startled. “What do you mean?”
“That is, you might not be able to keep up with my pace of improvement in the future,” Ashe said. “Then I meet an operator stronger than you, naturally you’ll become useless.”
This was the most sensible reason in Ashe’s opinion – although there was only the swordswoman operator for now, that didn’t mean she’d be the only one in the future. Wasn’t it very normal for initial characters to not keep up later in gameplay for a mobile game? There would surely be stronger operators to draw in the future, then Ashe would naturally stop putting the swordswoman in his team.
Sonya was so angry her hands and feet turned cold, her shoulders trembling. “So you want to abandon me because I’m not strong enough?”
“Not abandon per se, just that you might not be suited to me then, could even drag down my progress. For both our sakes, we’d have to temporarily part ways, it’d be better for you and me—”
“No need to wait for the future, let’s split up now!”
“Huh?” Ashe was taken aback.
Was this Destiny Questionnaire so effective it became real right away!?
Discord: https://discord.gg/pCWPSD3bWA
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/hoxionia
“I remember now,” Sonya murmured. “This is the Destiny Questionnaire.”
“Destiny Questionnaire?”
She nodded slightly. “This is a very rare virtual world mechanism that comes in many forms. What we’ve encountered is the simplest ‘paper questionnaire’ version. If we answer correctly, we can ask the virtual world any question and it must provide an answer.”
“We can ask anything?” Ashe said in surprise. “So if I ask how to attain immortality and invincibility in this world, it would also answer?”
“Yes!” Sonya nodded affirmatively. “But the quality of the virtual world’s answers depends on the number of your correct responses. The more you answer correctly, the more detailed its answers will be.”
“In fact, compared to the reward of ‘asking the virtual world questions,’ most sorcerers actually value the Destiny Questionnaire itself more — because the questions asked in the Destiny Questionnaire are about the sorcerer’s future.”
“Questions about the future?”
“Right. The questions here are about things the sorcerer has not yet experienced, so there’s no way for them to know the correct answers. They can only infer based on the past to guess the future.” Sonya looked at the paper and said softly, “It’s said that whatever future is mentioned in the Destiny Questionnaire will inevitably become reality.”
Ashe uttered an “oh” and said, “What’s your question then?”
Sonya’s pupils suddenly constricted. She spoke as if nothing had happened, “I don’t want to tell you.”
“Why not? Wouldn’t discussing it together make it easier to find the right answer?”
“Oh please, don’t pry into a girl’s privacy, how disgusting,” Sonya said in feigned disgust.
“Sorcerers still care about privacy…”
Ashe grumbled, seeing Sonya intentionally covering the paper. He thought she was really shy, but suddenly felt something was off.
When it came to power and her future, the swordswoman had never been ambiguous. Although she occasionally had a bad temper, there was no denying that she was a good teammate, never dragging the team down in virtual world explorations. Whenever she needed to contribute, she did so without hesitation.
The Destiny Questionnaire was undoubtedly an extremely rare opportunity. In this situation, would the swordswoman really refuse to cooperate due to “shyness” and prefer to answer incorrectly rather than discuss it with Ashe?
Maybe for others, but the swordswoman was someone who could shout “You have no dreams but can protect my dreams” in front of him. Her greed was even recognized by the game, with “Bond Resonance – Greed” being the best proof of her ambition.
Moreover, Ashe and her were from two different worlds,no matter how many of her secrets Ashe knew, it wouldn’t affect her reality one bit. Putting on an act of purity in front of Ashe was useless anyway.
It was as if a laser beam pierced his head and Ashe had a flash of insight. “Is your question related to me?”
Sonya’s body froze.
She knew now was the best time to deny it. She should contradict it with humor, disdain, and astonishment, then disgustedly throw out a “Stop prying into a girl’s privacy!” to dispel all his doubts.
Just lie, just conceal, only consider her own interests, and nip anything unfavorable to her in the bud.
But for some reason, she, who was usually slick with words and cunning, hesitated for a moment this time. It was this brief pause that robbed her of the possibility to conceal it.
Perhaps she was influenced by the “Sincerity” spirit…
Sighing inwardly, Sonya nodded, “Yes.”
“I knew it.” Ashe muttered and pondered, “It’s related to me and you, and you’re unwilling to tell me, could it be written above that—”
Sonya immediately tensed up.
“You’ve fallen in love with me?”
“Are you so sleep deprived that you’re dreaming with your eyes open?” Sonya said impatiently. “How is that possible!”
“You denied it so adamantly, it really makes one suspect… Hey hey, we’re answering destiny’s questions here, what sword are you wielding, put it down, you’re disrupting my test taking!” Ashe righteously admonished Sonya, then lowered his head to look at his question. “If you’re not willing to say, then don’t say it, as if I’m very curious.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Of course I’m curious, I’d love to trick you into turning around and snatch your question to read it.” Ashe said languidly. “But you’re unwilling, I can’t offend you now just for the so-called ‘destiny’.”
“When it’s very likely the ‘destiny’ written above will come true, don’t you want to know what will happen between our future?”
“You shouldn’t ask me this question, you should ask yourself. Are you willing to share your future with me?” Ashe said.
Sonya was slightly taken aback, holding up the paper to cover her mouth, she shook her head, “Not very willing yet.”
“Alright then.” Ashe shrugged and lowered his head to look at his question.
After a moment, he asked again, “Really not willing? If you’re unwilling, I’ll ask again later.”
Sonya barely held back a laugh, giving Ashe an irritated look. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, her long eyelashes trembling cutely, her eyes forming crescent moons. Her brows were full of charm, making Ashe think she had used some kind of beauty spell.
“You’re so annoying,” she grumbled. “Alright alright, since I can’t guess the answer anyway, let’s discuss it.”
“Didn’t you actually want to chat with me all along—”
“Listen to the question! Multiple choice, what is the fundamental reason for the swordswoman and observer’s split? 1) The swordswoman hates the observer’s aloofness, 2) The observer believes he cannot control the swordswoman, 3) Unequal distribution of spoils, 4) All of the above.”
“I’ll split up with you in the future?” Ashe was also intrigued. “Split up, this is the first time I’ve heard this term in real life. It sounds like something that would only appear in a stage drama.”
The most severe declaration of cutting ties Ashe had heard was “I won’t play with you anymore.” Words like “split up” were generally used between two major powers, ordinary people didn’t have the qualifications to “split up”, “divorce” was more fitting.
“Tell me, are you thinking of controlling me, and will resent me when you find out you can’t control me?”
“How is that possible, you might as well consider whether your impression of me is biased. I don’t look like some hot-blooded youth at all. As a mature member of society, isn’t being aloof an excellent traditional virtue? How could you resent my aloofness?”
“So I don’t think it’s option 1 either, I’m more inclined to think it’s 3, unequal distribution of spoils.”
“Are you insinuating there’s a problem with the current spoils distribution system?”
“No problem now, but after you break out of prison, your appetite may grow. Who knows what will happen then…”
“Pfft, I see you’re the greedy one making unreasonable demands. For the greater good I have to tolerate you, but eventually can’t stand it anymore and have to part ways with a freeloader like you!”
“Speak conscience, from the beginning until now, which battle was I not the one contributing the most, outputting the most damage? Tsk tsk, observer, you’ve revealed your foxy tail. You must be planning to reduce my share of the spoils in the future!”
“Even if I adjust the shares, it will certainly be for good reason. I’ve always been fair and impartial, never doing underhanded things…”
“Who was it saying just now that if selected for the Blood Moon Tribunal, they would incite a massive prison riot? Who was it~?”
Although they were discussing very serious future matters, the two spoke lightly and jokingly, causing Sonya’s mood to gradually relax.
She had been worried that bringing up this destiny question might cause the observer to become suspicious and resentful, but his attitude dispelled all her concerns.
Many things were like this – when you don’t see it as a problem, it ceases to be a problem.
“1 is wrong, 2 is wrong, 3 is wrong.” Sonya said impatiently, “Then which option do you think is correct?”
“I actually don’t think any of them are correct answers. If I split up with you, there must be another reason.”
“What reason?”
“For example, you’re not strong enough.”
Sonya was startled. “What do you mean?”
“That is, you might not be able to keep up with my pace of improvement in the future,” Ashe said. “Then I meet an operator stronger than you, naturally you’ll become useless.”
This was the most sensible reason in Ashe’s opinion – although there was only the swordswoman operator for now, that didn’t mean she’d be the only one in the future. Wasn’t it very normal for initial characters to not keep up later in gameplay for a mobile game? There would surely be stronger operators to draw in the future, then Ashe would naturally stop putting the swordswoman in his team.
Sonya was so angry her hands and feet turned cold, her shoulders trembling. “So you want to abandon me because I’m not strong enough?”
“Not abandon per se, just that you might not be suited to me then, could even drag down my progress. For both our sakes, we’d have to temporarily part ways, it’d be better for you and me—”
“No need to wait for the future, let’s split up now!”
“Huh?” Ashe was taken aback.
Was this Destiny Questionnaire so effective it became real right away!?
Discord: https://discord.gg/pCWPSD3bWA
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/hoxionia
