Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 2)

236 The Scale of the Sacrifice

Tian wasn't surprised that Jing He had such fears. He was an indecisive person or maybe it should rather be said that he was insecure. He knew what he wanted, he just didn't dare to grasp it because he was afraid of being wrong, afraid that he hadn't taken everything into consideration, afraid of what the consequences would be even if he was right. This kind of person would naturally second-guess himself every step of the way.

"Since you are afraid of that, then try the other way first. You might see something that will convince you. Either way, since you are having difficulty deciding and everything hinges on this one decision, you may need to take a look at both possibilities."

Jing He nodded. Yes, Tian was right. This decision was so important so he couldn't simply rule out asking a second question of the Spring of Fate. He needed to be ready to make a second sacrifice. In that case ... "Then I will do it that way and first ask for what would happen if I chose my father and then try both if that really can't make me rule this out.

"What still needs me to decide is what to sacrifice though. The Supreme Sovereign didn't mention any details but am I right to assume that this should be roughly like what the punishments for not attempting a trial would be like? To lose a part of my magical abilities or maybe one of my senses?"

Tian inclined his head. "Yes, roughly like that. In general, the more you sacrifice, the more you can see. For example, you could let go of a very specific skill and you would get the shortest of glimpses but nothing more. Give up one strand of magical ability and you will get a general view of the consequences you desire to know. If you were to give up all of your magic ... you would likely be able to almost live that life in the way you lived your trial. It is up to you how much you desire to know."

Jing He furrowed his brows. His general idea had been right but it seemed that he also needed to get the scale right. He didn't think he'd be satisfied with just a short glance at his future. There were too many things that could go wrong. A single look would not help him dissolve his doubts. This meant that he had to give up more.

Tian knew that this was a difficult decision to make so he didn't urge Jing He to give him a response. "Well, that should put your doubts to rest. Take some more time to think it through. I will come back in a few days and see how you are doing."

"Yes, thank you." Jing He lowered his head but his mind was already on the question he had to answer.

Of course, it was tempting to get the full picture. To know exactly what awaited him if he made a decision ... he would like that. To not have to worry afterward and be able to face everything calmly because he was well aware of the result long ahead of time ... to someone like him who had always been doubtful about everything, it would be a blessing. But then, the price was too steep to afford.

To give up all of his magic, he didn't think that this was a good idea. Technically, a god could live without magic. This wasn't an issue. The problem was that it was an important part of their lives, some abilities more than others. Even he who lived alone and in a reclusive manner had regularly used his magic throughout his life: His water, wood, and earth ability would be used to take care of the plants in his garden, the fire ability came into play if he made tea, and the wind ability had at least been used once or twice to travel upward, although he didn't have a habit of doing so. Among his magical abilities, it was really only his metal ability he hadn't had any use for so far.

This was probably true for many gods: The abilities they actually needed depended on how their daily lives were shaped. The three most commonly used abilities should be water, fire, and air because their applications were very general. The metal ability, on the other hand, didn't have much use for many unless they worked with weapons, tools, or maybe jewelry. Wood and earth were the same.

Anyway, when it came to himself, giving up his metal ability should be alright. He didn't think he would need it in the future. And if he gave it up completely, he could take a decently long look at the future awaiting him if he chose to follow his father's wishes.

He wasn't sure if it would be enough. Anyway, he couldn't tell exactly how the Spring of Fate worked. Would he be shown only the key elements he was interested in? Or would he see how his fate developed step by step? Then if what he wanted to know was far in the future ... wasn't it possible that the ... vision he saw was cut off before he could see the most important part?

His brows furrowed when he thought of such a possibility. He didn't know what to expect so he could only make assumptions. He didn't dare to think too optimistically either. Anyway, his life was seldom smooth. How could he be so lucky to get all the answers he wanted in a single try?

But then, if this was not enough, then what else could he give up? Especially if there was a possibility that he would need to make another sacrifice to see the outcome of the other decision. If he had to sacrifice more than one strand of magic each time ... there wouldn't be much left. And frankly, giving up his magic seemed to be the best way to deal with this. Losing one of his senses seemed like a much bigger deal in comparison.