Chapter 538: Celestial King, the Father and Son Reunion (1)

Chapter 538: Celestial King, the Father and Son Reunion (1)

Click, click, click―!

<Deus Ex Machina> smiled faintly as he watched the working pocket watch in his hand.

『You seem to be feeling good, my friend.』 His soul friend chuckled.

<Deus Ex Machina> nodded. “I am. How can I not be happy?”

『Well, you’re right. I feel as if it was only yesterday that you were frustrated about not being able to do anything about it, even though you wanted to change it very badly.』

“Whether it’s a high rank or an important job, it’s meaningless when I can’t even take care of my family.” <Deus Ex Machina> smiled bitterly, hanging the pocket watch on a wall.

Click, click, click―!

Hanging beside that pocket watch were several others. Some of the pocket watches’ second hands rotated quickly, while others moved very slowly. There were also malfunctioning pocket watches with destroyed hour hands. Several of them had minute hands that had stopped moving, but their second hands frantically rotated on their own. Fịndd new updates at novelhall.com

<Deus Ex Machina> looked around the room, which he called the ‘Soulwatch Room’. The 'Changgong Library' was the archive of all events and incidents in the Great Universe, but the ‘Soulwatch Room’ displayed the subjective time of many souls spread across the Great Universe, with an endless number of pocket watches that were connected to each other. Each pocket watch ticked at a different tempo.

People believed that time was a fair resource to everyone, but it was actually different for each person. Of course, the amount of time people actually had differed depending on how fast light traveled, but the time flow perceived by people changed based on how they led their lives.

For instance, the sick felt as if time flowed too slowly, while people who wholly dedicated themselves to their tasks felt as if time flew too quickly. Since people were also born with different lifespans, time could never be considered a fair resource.

The role of librarian for the 'Changgong Library' was not the only job <Deus Ex Machina> was trusted with. He was also the watchmaker of the ‘Soulwatch Room’, tasked to ensure that these pocket watches would not malfunction. However, there was one thing that had remained on the mind of <Deus Ex Machina> as he carried out his watchmaker job.

―Cha Ye-Eun.

That name was written on the name tag above the pocket watch that <Deus Ex Machina> had hung up just now. Ye-Eun was his very own sister, but her watch had always been malfunctioning. Even when she had gotten to live a new life through reincarnation and been able to lead a different life with the creation of a new Worldline, Ye-Eun’s watch always ended up malfunctioning.

<Deus Ex Machina> had tried to do everything he could to fix the pocket watch until now. The watch worked for a while after being repaired, but before long, one of the gears became ruined again. Although he wanted to keep a close eye on it and make repairs whenever it was necessary, <Deus Ex Machina> could not, because the job he was entrusted with was too important.

That was one of the reasons why <Deus Ex Machina> had always been torn between his responsibilities as an Emperor and as a brother. The seat of an Emperor was not free, despite what other Celestials thought. Being a responsible brother and fixing Ye-Eun’s watch would have required a lot of effort and a great amount of Causality as the ingredient. As he had to manage the Great Universe’s <Laws of Nature>, Causality was not something <Deus Ex Machina> could use so frivolously.

However, Ye-Eun’s watch had been repaired just now after a very long time. The parts had been malfunctioning for too long, so they still creaked. However, <Deus Ex Machina> could take care of them for her with ease.

『I think you have the best brother-in-law you could possibly ask for. Why don’t you just admit it now?』 His friend giggled.

“...Shut up.” <Deus Ex Machina> grumbled, not willing to admit it despite his slightly reddened face.

『Seriously, you two brothers are the same. Why can’t either of you be true to your feelings?』

“I know you think you’re muttering, but can hear you, you know! And I’m better than my brother. What are you talking about...?!” <Deus Ex Machina> exclaimed angrily.

The friend in the shadow of <Deus Ex Machina> continued to giggle. Comparing <Deus Ex Machina> to <Dull Darkness> was the best way to make <Deus Ex Machina> flip his lid. They were twins, but they hated to hear comments about how they resembled each other. Indeed, their weakness in expressing emotions was the greatest similarity between them. Whenever he talked about Chang-Sun, <Deus Ex Machina> reflexively smiled, but he tried very hard not to. It was very funny.

Even right now, <Deus Ex Machina> continued to glance at a pendulum clock in front of a wall. The size of a watch equaled a soul’s Class. In other words, the pendulum clock’s owner was one of the people with the highest Class in the room.

The ‘Demiurge’ referred to an Administrator that <Deus Ex Machina> wished to have under his command to oversee the Great Universe’s <Laws of Nature>. There were a total of four pendulum clocks, three of which were complete. The last one was also not far away from being completed.

―Universal Dawn.

Looking at the nametag above the clock, the friend quietly chuckled. 『The only thing left right now is for that pendulum clock to be completed.』

Paahhh―!

Chang-Sun and Ye-Eun spread their wings wide, flying up the pillar of light from the sky. The sight was very beautiful and holy, like a religious icon. Some of the people who witnessed the sight were moved to tears; others prostrated on the ground to recite prayers.

[The Celestial ‘Universal Dawn’ is receiving the Faith of the Server ‘Earth’!]

...

***

“Where are we going right now?” Ye-Eun tilted her head in confusion as she and Chang-Sun passed through a wormhole made of light.

They were quickly passing by various Worldlines. Their Worldline #801 was the first, and Worldline #802, which was on its way to doom, was the next. They could also see Worldline #803, which was going through a similar yet different time.

A Celestial was normally bound to a Worldline they were born in, but the two of them could leave and travel outside their Worldline. That was the indication of how Chang-Sun’s Divine Class was high enough to let him use his Causality as he pleased; on top of that, he had also gathered a lot of <Star Fragments>, which allowed both of them to supersede their Worldline’s restrictions.

“We’re going to Nyx,” Chang-Sun answered.

Ye-Eun’s eyes widened as she asked, “Why are we going to the Outer Universe?”

“The only person who remembers our son is there.”

Whooosh!

When they exited the wormhole, the various Worldlines disappeared from their sight, and the empty void of the Outer Universe appeared, along with Hsan.

Finally. You. Here.

In the center of the emptiness, someone who looked the same as Chang-Sun but exuded an entirely different presence sat upon a throne. Hsan had once been like an enormous mountain, but not anymore.

“Where is Peter?” Chang-Sun asked.

Hsan was the one who had hinted to Chang-Sun about Peter, so he had to know Peter’s whereabouts, or at the very least some clues. However, Hsan was looking at Ye-Eun with mixed emotions, and Ye-Eun could tell that they were lingering feelings, regrets, and sorrow; Hsan seemed to be missing his Ye-Eun too.

Hsan turned to look at Chang-Sun and slowly answered, “He’s with the Threshold Lurker.”

Chang-Sun nodded with a heavy heart after realizing his speculation had been right. Yog-Sothoth was the one to whom Peter had made a contract, and had also given him the key, so the chance that he had been keeping Peter was high.

“Where can I find him?” Chang-Sun inquired again.

“You’re meeting him right now.”

Just as Chang-Sun was about to ask what Hsan meant by that...

Rumbleeee―!

...space suddenly trembled violently. A spatial gap opened up behind Hsan’s throne, revealing an enormous eye.

[The Outer Celestial ‘Resident of the Border’ is looking at you!]

Yog-Sothoth looked down to see Chang-Sun and Ye-Eun.