Chapter 1: Choices in Paradoxes

Blood flowed profusely, soaking the floor and saturating the carpet. "The deathly servant held a bitter wine, standing before me." Gawain chanted these words in an ancient tongue, then he removed the mask from his face, gazing at the gruesome death, a womanly smile of triumph curling at the corners of his mouth. "My lord, on our ship, the sailors are as busy as ants..."

Gao Wen was unclear about why he had to do this, his sense of autonomy and self-discipline was lost the moment he uncovered the coffin. He involuntarily took out the mask, and amidst the devil's mocking laughter, he unconsciously put it on his face, and soon everything before him turned pitch black

Another Gao Wen, or rather the original Gao Wen, lay on the ancient snow at this moment. As he gasped and turned over, opening his eyes, the cold snowflakes stuck to his eyelashes. All around were bare trees, arching like sharp swords, piercing the leaden gray clouds

Thus, Daedalus lay on top, muttering incantations with his fingers, gesturing continuously. Finally, he mumbled, "It matches," pressed it onto a small grid, marked two dots, and then took out a piece of parchment from the box. Squinting his eyes, he continuously compared it according to horizontal and vertical sequences under Galwen's strange gaze, and finally wrote a line of text with a fountain pen on a notepad, handing it over to Galwen

I cannot understand this character

"Tell me more, I only know that the original version of the Sibylline prophecies was burned by the ancient Roman emperor, but there is also a hidden version that was sent by the Sibyl to the distant land of West Suyia before the original was published. Later, it was preserved in the court of the Khazar Khanate, enduring the trials of thousands of years." Gavin's gaze was piercing as he cut another cigar and tossed it to Daedalus, much like "throwing a bone to a dog"

He then turned his gaze to the other side—another identical crystal coffin was also placed on the table

Taken aback by the cigar, Daedalus used the key to open the enamel box, and then he took out a slightly worn plaque from inside, which was densely engraved with the zodiac signs. "May I ask for your date of birth?"

Who are you!" Gao Wen gathered his courage in his mind and drank.

Yes! Gao Wen laughed heartily, clapping his hands. This tycoon, with a fortune in the billions, is a mix of Latvian, Danish, Russian, and Chinese heritage. His background and assets remain a mystery, likely shrouded in some darkness. Therefore, before he set out for China, he suddenly died in the city of Autral. His tombstone bears an inscription forbidding anyone from disturbing his slumber. In the last century, specifically in 1941, a Soviet archaeological team, undeterred by superstition, opened it—immediately, a storm of wind, rain, and thunder erupted, and the next day, hundreds of German divisions crossed the border. Now, I dare not open this crystal coffin to retrieve the golden goat mask, for if I do, the servant of death will come before me with a drink!

Very well, it seems that the shadow version of this prophetic book has truly come into my hands

"No, no, no!" the old antiquities dealer hurriedly waved his hand and said, "This is how the prophecy book is calculated; at least within the technical scope, what I have done is completely precise and flawless."

September 23rd, " Gao Wen replied casually.

"Are you wishing me a happy April Fool's Day in advance?" Gao Wen chuckled, running his fingers through his attractive brown curls. A hint of cold displeasure suddenly flashed in his light blue eyes as he placed the cigar between his lips. "This is not good, very bad, my friend. Stephen Gao Wen Zhou detests being deceived."

Suddenly, a flash of lightning erupted, causing the fur on Daedalus's back to stand on end. He heard a piercing scream, and the entire hall was illuminated with white light and black shadows, as if monsters were dancing. He turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, and it turned out to be a cat with emerald green eyes, jumping down from an ancient pendulum cabinet. It hissed at him a few times before leaving with its tail held high. Daedalus cursed inwardly a couple of times, then turned back with a smile, saying, "So it was just a cat, just a cat."

The ancient sword, which was originally hung on the wall as an antique, is now thrust into the poor Daedalus's chest, while the hilt is grasped by Gawain, who wears a golden goat mask

Then, both of them fell silent, their gazes unconsciously fixed on the eerie crystal coffin beside them. Suddenly, a fierce wind arose outside the floor-to-ceiling window, dark clouds obscured the sky and sun, and the chandelier hanging overhead rattled, flickering intermittently.

On the island of Patmos in Greece, in a luxurious mansion transformed from a white monastery, the dapper tycoon Gavin, holding a high-end cigar, sat in a leather chair, proudly addressing the enamel box on the large oval table, speaking to the impeccably seated antiquities dealer Daedalus across from him

Continuing, in the lightning, his mouth was agape in astonishment and could not close at all—sitting before him was a person, no, it was Gao Wen, still seated in the chair opposite him, but on his face was a bizarre, glittering golden goat mask, with two horns standing upright, resembling a human yet more like a ghost

Allow me to introduce, my dear friend Daedalus, this is my most prized treasure before I obtained the shadow version of the Sibyl's prophecy book. It is the death mask of the most brutal king of Central Asia, the lame Timur, worn by him before his death several hundred years ago. Look, Daedalus, see what is inscribed on this crystal coffin that holds the mask

In the luxuriously furnished reception room, Daedalus smiled pleasingly and stated that it indeed could not be opened. Then, with an air of mystery, he asked Gawain if he knew how the Sibylline prophecy book in his hand was manipulated.

A flash of lightning struck down, illuminating Galwen's hair to a stark white. "On one side is the crystal coffin that absolutely cannot be opened, and on the other is the witch's prophecy tempting me to open it. What an interesting paradoxical choice, truly interesting," he repeated the phrase "interesting" several times, slowly placing his ring-adorned hand on the cold crystal surface, caressing the indented characters, murmuring to himself.

Upon hearing this request, Daedalus raised his thick, bottle-bottom glasses and leaned closer to the crystal coffin, then he gently read aloud the line of Persian inscription that said, "The servant of death brought a cup of bitter wine to his side"

I am Princess Ajehe of the Khazar Khanate, caught in the gap between the past and the future. In two moments, I saw the letters of the curse reflected on my eyelids in the mirror and died, died forever, or rather, lived forever in this devil's mask, a mask called 'Khazar Countenance.' The woman's face, devoid of pupils, responded in a suffocating tone. Devoid of pupils, she responded in a suffocating tone.

This is the text used in the ancient oracle of the Temple of Delphi, which translates to—open what cannot be opened. said Daedalus

"Let me out, let me out!" Gao Wen clearly felt that he had fallen into a trap today

"Let me out, let me out!" Ajehe's face contorted, like claws scratching against a tree trunk, crying out, "I give you a face, you give me a face; I wish to be reborn, and seek to live better; you wish to be reborn, and seek to live better—drink this bitter and crimson wine, immortal traveler!"

In the darkness, no, it was as if a large pale woman's face surfaced in the black water, looking at herself with an expressionless gaze