角色故事•二（解鎖條件：角色等級40）
那一日，玉闕仙舟的瞰雲鏡下，符玄拜見業師。但她無法置信眼前之人就是族中長輩奉若神人的太卜：男人穿着半舊的飛行士短打，行止無儀地箕坐在地，專注望向投影陣列里不斷變化交織的光點。
「末學符玄，向太卜大人問安。」猶豫半天，少女開口。
男人目不稍動，只是豎起一指，示意她看向圖示。符玄留意到他的手不知為何被換成了木製機巧。「玉闕的鳴珂衛正在塔拉薩佈防，策應曜青艦隊圍剿孽物。你應該有所耳聞吧？不過，命中註定他們贏不了這一戰。」
「哦？曜青艦隊武德昭昭，罕逢敵手。按戰報所示，我軍人數和戰艦倍於步離人的獵群。怎麼會有攻而不克的道理？」
「問得好。看來你不是一個輕易認命的學徒。」男人起身拍了拍沾灰的衣襬。「卜者知命而不認命，嘗試在不同的可能中尋求最優的選擇，這很好。不過有時候，無論你怎麼選，命運都只有擺在面前的一條道路。當推占完畢時，面前只剩下凶與大凶兩個不同結果時，你會怎麼選？」
「…兩害相權，自然是取其輕者。這是卜筮學的第一課。」
「但若以人類的眼界，無法權衡輕重呢？」男人轉過身來。
「這次推占，是由新布成的陣法『十方光映法界』演算所得。結果有二：借調曜青仙舟的鶴羽衛，或是改調方壺仙舟的玄珠衛，二者可擇其一。取鶴羽衛，固然能仗其兵勢，強攻一時，但此後再無告捷之機。取玄珠衛，則必須忍受方壺所處之地間關迢迢，要將戰期拖延六個月之久，忍受敵人多次反撲，損兵折卒自不必提。但能堅持守勢直至援軍到來，便有勝利的可能。」
「想來他們選了前者。」
「是啊。卜算結果只能參贊謀略，卻不能代替將軍下決定。他選了眼前損害最小的方案。但我也沒算錯，這場失敗是命中註定的結果。」
「按兵書倍則戰之的原則，調用曜青的軍力也未必是下下之選。何況，世無定事，太卜怎麼就能如此肯定，說的好像一切必然會發生？」
「世無定事？」男人重重嘆了口氣。「我原本也這麼想…最初得出占卜結果時，以為是計算出了差錯，但重演之後，結果並無變化。於是我決心親自上場求證。」
「這幾周以來，我深入塔拉薩，與孽物作戰，取得當地的水居者文明的信任。得到了一條驚人的消息：受其月亮擾動，一個月後，被塔拉薩人稱為『惡魔潮』的大潮汛即將降臨。」
「若無方壺持明的雲吟師相助，無人能在那般惡劣的環境下與怪物持續戰鬥。這條情報不見載於任何博物志，也不載於我軍的智庫。而為了多此一舉地證實它，我付出了這隻手作為代價。」
男人苦笑着高舉木手晃了晃。「有時候，命運的道路自始至終只有一條。一切都是命中註定的。」
Character Story: Part II
• Unlocked at Character Level 40
On that day, Fu Xuan sought her master beneath the Cloudpeer Telescope of the Xianzhou Yuque, but found herself unable to believe that the man before her was the master diviner her elders had regarded so reverently. He wore a somewhat aged pilot's outfit and was unceremoniously seated on the ground with his attention dedicated entirely to the shifting of the interwoven light rays in the array.
"Your humble student, Fu Xuan, comes bearing her respects, Master Diviner." Such were the words spoken by the girl after a period of hesitation.
The man's stare remained still. He but lifted a finger as a signal for her to regard the display. Fu Xuan noticed his hand had, for some reason, been changed to a wood-made ingenium. "The Yuque's Echojade Fleet are currently laying out a defense at Thalassa in coordination with the Yaoqing's encirclement and eradication of abominations. You should have heard of this, yes? However, they are fated to lose this battle."
"Huh? The Yaoqing is noted for its martial prowess and is rarely rivaled. According to intelligence, our forces outnumber and outmatch the borisin. How can victory be denied if an attack is commenced?"
"Well asked. You don't seem like an apprentice that just accepts things." The man stood up and patted down his dust-coated sleeves. "A diviner is aware of destiny, but not a slave to it. Testing different possibilities to find the best choice is wise. However, sometimes, though try you might to find the best option, destiny will only grant you a single path forward. After your divination is complete, when your only outcomes are the bad and the worse, what will you choose?"
"...When one is faced with two kinds of venom, naturally the choice is the one that possesses lesser harm. This is the first lesson of divination."
"But what if we are unable to judge the severity of these matters from the perspective of a human?" The man turned.
"This divination is gleaned from the newly arranged 'Deca-Light Reflection Barrier' matrix. There are two outcomes: To temporarily transfer the Heroncrest Fleet of the Xianzhou Yaoqing, or to draw from the manpower of the Ebonpearl Fleet of the Fanghu. Only one choice can be made. To use the Heroncrest Fleet means being able to press a strong offense for some time, but lose any hope of success thereafter. To use the Ebonpearl Fleet means we must endure the vast distances between us and the Fanghu and have the conflict drag on for six months. During this time, we must also withstand multiple counterattacks from the enemy, and I will neglect going over the losses that are certain to come. But should the defense hold until aid arrives, then victory may well become possible."
"They went with the first option, I presume?"
"Correct. Divination can provide counsel and guidance, but only the general can make the final decision. He chose the path that would lead to the smallest loss. This didn't invalidate my divination, of course — defeat was the predetermined outcome."
"The treatises on the art of war state that an advantage in numbers speaks favorably for initiating battle, and calling on the aid of Yaoqing's forces may not be the worst possible decision. Moreover, nothing is ever certain in this world. How can you be so sure, master diviner? How can you speak as if all have been predestined?"
"Nothing is ever certain in this world?" The man sighed heavily. "I thought the same thing when the divination results appeared... I thought there must have been an error in the calculations. However, the results did not change after the re-analysis. I therefore resolved to head to the battlefield and seek evidence myself."
"I had ventured deep into Thalassa the past few weeks, fought the abominations, and gained the trust of the local water dwellers. That was how I received a shocking piece of news: Within a month's time, a great tide known to the Thalassans as the 'Devil's Tide' — caused by the gravitational influence of their moon — will arrive."
"None will be able to keep fighting the abominations in such abyssal conditions without the help from the Fanghu Vidyadhara's cloudhymn magi. This piece of intel does not exist on any guide, nor is it recorded in our army's data bank. Only that, in order to validate my results in a moment of superfluous effort, I gave my hand as the price."
The man smiled bitterly and lifted his wooden hand in a wave. "Sometimes there is only ever one path in destiny. Everything is predetermined."
"By the way, you don't need to address me as master diviner. You should call me 'Teacher' from today onward."
