In other words, Xiao Yun was not merely someone close to the Protagonist of Destiny.
She was one of the important pillars supporting his future path, and the complete shift of her heart toward Ji Lin was not a simple emotional change, but a direct deviation in one of the crucial chains of cause and effect within Ye Fang’s destiny.
Ji Lin nodded slowly before remembering the second notification.
Alright, the picture is much clearer now.
But what about Tang Dong’er?
What caused her relationship with Ye Fang to begin cracking so quickly?
[Ding! Tang Dong’er’s situation bears certain similarities to Xiao Yun’s, although the circumstances and details are different. However, the most important factor at present is the Negative Emotion Amplification Card that the Host previously used on her.]
Ji Lin immediately remembered the card as the system continued its explanation.
[Tang Dong’er naturally possesses a strong aversion toward hot-tempered individuals who are unable to control their actions when provoked. Under normal circumstances, Ye Fang’s Luck would have mitigated the negative impact of some of his actions on her or created subsequent events that allowed him to repair the poor impression he had left behind.]
[However, due to the Host’s continuous interference, Ye Fang’s Luck has declined considerably, and the indirect protection that destiny once provided him has gradually begun to weaken. Combined with the effects of the Negative Emotion Amplification Card, Tang Dong’er has become increasingly sensitive to Ye Fang’s flaws, and her dissatisfaction with his impulsiveness and inability to restrain his anger is gradually developing into disappointment.]
A faint smile appeared on Ji Lin’s lips.
So I don’t even need to interfere between them directly.
[Ding! Correct. If Ye Fang continues behaving as he currently does and his Luck continues to decline, Tang Dong’er’s disappointment will gradually accumulate. Once it surpasses a certain threshold, the current crack in their relationship will develop into a complete collapse, potentially resulting in their permanent separation.]
Ji Lin leaned back slightly, becoming increasingly interested in the mechanics of Luck itself.
However, the system had not finished.
[Ding! Additional notice for the Host: Ye Fang is still only at the beginning of his path of ascension. Therefore, his current Luck Value does not represent the maximum amount he could have eventually reached as a Chosen Protagonist.]
[The Luck of a Protagonist of Destiny is not a fixed value. It is connected to destined opportunities, treasures, relationships, status, achievements, and the important individuals surrounding them. Its value may rise or fall depending on the changes occurring throughout their life path.]
[For this reason, the initial Luck Value differs from one Protagonist of Destiny to another. Some may begin with only around fifty thousand Luck Points, while others may begin with approximately five hundred thousand. Those possessing even greater destinies may have one million Luck Points or more from the moment they first appear.]
Ji Lin quickly understood the implication.
What he was doing was not merely draining a limited reserve of Ye Fang’s Luck until it eventually reached zero.
At the same time, he was destroying the very things that were supposed to cause that Luck to grow in the future, whether they were destined opportunities, relationships, resources, or even important people who were originally meant to propel Ye Fang toward the peak.
In essence, he was destroying both cause and effect.
It was like striking an enemy repeatedly at his vital points, not killing him immediately, but steadily cutting away every path that could have allowed him to recover and grow stronger.
So every opportunity I seize now doesn’t merely grant me Luck Points.
It also prevents Ye Fang from obtaining the additional Luck he would have gained from that opportunity in the future.
Ji Lin studied the system window for several moments before setting his previous thoughts aside.
By now, he had gained a much clearer understanding of the nature of a Protagonist of Destiny’s Luck and how he could plunder it from them.
However, the system still possessed another function that he had yet to experience, one that had intrigued him from the moment he first saw it.
System, I understand most of it now, but you still haven’t explained the Fate-Changing Contract function to me in detail.
The response came a moment later.
[Ding! Explaining the Fate-Changing Contract function to the Host.]
[The Fate-Changing Contract is a special contract established between the Host and the soul of an individual who has reached the worst point of their life, where their despair, regret, and desire to change the past have reached their peak.]
[Once these conditions are fulfilled, the contract will appear before that person’s soul and offer them an opportunity to change their fate in exchange for accepting a set of conditions agreed upon in advance by both parties.]
Ji Lin frowned slightly, but before he could ask anything, the system continued its explanation.
[Notice: The person who accepts the contract is not necessarily their present-day self.]
[At the current point in time, that individual may still be living a normal life, and the tragedy that will eventually change their fate may not have occurred yet. However, the Fate-Changing Contract connects with their future soul after their life reaches the tragic ending that drives them into despair and regret.]
[It is the future version of that person’s soul that accepts the contract.]
A clear trace of interest appeared in Ji Lin’s eyes.
So I could form a contract with someone whose tragedy hasn’t even happened yet?
[Ding! Correct.]
[After accepting the contract, the contractor personally chooses the point in time at which they wish the Host to intervene.]
[Once the mission begins, the Host’s soul will temporarily leave his body, travel to the point in time selected by the contractor, and incarnate within that person’s body at that stage of their life.]
[Neither the Host nor the system can choose or alter the time of arrival, as that decision belongs exclusively to the owner of the body who formed the contract in the future.] Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
Ji Lin nodded slowly.
In that sense, the Fate-Changing Contract was not merely a means of traveling between worlds.
It was more like an answer to the regret of someone who had reached the end of their path, allowing Ji Lin to return to the point that person believed could have changed everything if only things had gone differently.
The system continued its explanation.
[From the moment the Host enters the contractor’s body, the contract automatically takes effect. The Host must then fulfill every condition agreed upon by both parties when the contract was established.]
[After successfully completing all contractual conditions, the Host will receive a Contract Chest.]
[The grade of the Contract Chest is random. However, the value and quality of the rewards contained within it are directly influenced by the contractor’s level of satisfaction with the outcome achieved by the Host.]
Ji Lin immediately understood the implication.
So merely fulfilling the conditions exactly as written doesn’t guarantee the best reward.
[Ding! Correct. Fulfilling the conditions determines whether the contract is successfully completed, while the contractor’s satisfaction determines the quality of the final reward.]
And what happens to the owner of the body after I’m finished?
[Ding! Once the contract has been fully completed, the Host’s soul will leave the contractor’s body and return to its original body.]
[The moment the Host’s soul departs, the contractor’s present-day body will be considered dead.]
Ji Lin’s eyes narrowed slightly.
So even if he successfully transformed that person’s life and restored everything they had regretted losing, the completion of the contract itself would still mean the end of the life belonging to the body he had occupied.
Before he could comment, the system continued.
[Ding! The Fate-Changing Contract function includes an independent mechanism for regulating the flow of time.]
[If the contractor belongs to a world different from the one in which the Host currently resides, the system will slow the passage of time in the Host’s world throughout the duration of the contract.]
[This allows the Host to spend as much time as necessary completing the mission without losing an equivalent amount of time in his current world or missing important events taking place there.]
Ji Lin nodded in understanding, but soon one final notification appeared before him.
[Important Note: The Fate-Changing Contract cannot be used on Chosen Ones themselves.]
[This restriction applies exclusively to the Chosen One and does not extend to characters associated with them.]
[The Host may establish a contract with any other individual who fulfills the necessary conditions and willingly accepts the contract, whether that person is the Chosen One’s parent, sibling, friend, teacher, uncle, ancestor, or anyone else.]