Long, long ago, there was a Rose Kingdom.
One day, a young wizard named Rhine arrived in the kingdom's forest.
It was said that this wizard could make withered flowers bloom again and command harps to play by themselves.
He was also skilled at brewing miraculous potions to treat illnesses and heal injuries.
Many poor people who could not afford medical care would seek out the wizard if they unfortunately broke a leg or fell ill.
Rhine's herbs were incredibly miraculous. Whether it was a difficult, incurable disease or a severe fracture from a fall, after receiving his treatment, patients would soon recover completely.
And so, Rhine's reputation gradually spread until it finally reached the royal palace.
The King and Queen had been married for many years, yet they had never had any children.
They desperately wished for a child, but their wish had never come true.
At that time, the King heard Rhine's story and summoned the young wizard.
As he sat in the carriage bound for the palace, the boy gazed at his reflection in the glass and could not help sinking into memories.
Rhine's face was reflected in the glass.
The youth wore a classical robe, his delicate and handsome features as beautiful as a painting. He looked only twelve or thirteen years old.
A hood covered his silver hair. A cold, clear gleam shone in his blue-gray eyes, and his pale skin seemed almost translucent, like a child who had stepped out of a fairy tale book.
"I've been in this world for years already, yet my appearance hasn't changed at all..."
"Did I not only become a wizard, but also some kind of long-lived being?"
Rhine sighed softly.
Three years ago, he had arrived in this world, one resembling the Middle Ages.
The little knowledge he had brought with him after transmigrating told him that this was a fantasy world with real supernatural powers and magic that was nearly omnipotent.
Legend said that a powerful wizard could turn every citizen in an entire country into animals with a single spell!
It was practically a tale from One Thousand and One Nights!
And within this kingdom alone, there were more than a dozen highly skilled Witches.
They possessed vast powers, able to summon wind and rain and call upon nature's spirits to serve them.
Fortunately, perhaps because he had done many good deeds in his previous life, Rhine had become a wizard the moment he transmigrated.
He had transmigrated into a fantasy world and become a true wizard.
Such a perfect beginning had thrilled Rhine beyond measure!
However, just as Rhine thought he was as powerful as the wizards in the legends, he discovered that things were nothing like that!
The newly arrived Rhine had been incredibly weak. He could not fly through the skies or burrow through the earth, command wind and rain, or foresee the future.
As a wizard, his magic had initially been extremely feeble. He could only perform a few little tricks.
Other than that, his sole skill was brewing magical potions with herbs—just like the wizards and Witches in many fairy tales and myths.
Fortunately, as a benefit that came with transmigrating, Rhine had also learned of a way to "level up":
As long as he found Children of Destiny, helped these Fate Protagonists fulfill their wishes, and absorbed the Wish Power borne by those carrying the world's fate, he could increase his magic and gain new abilities!
Of course, even if he could not find a Child of Destiny, simply helping ordinary passersby fulfill their wishes would allow him to absorb a tiny trace of Wish Power.
It was just that the effect was greatly diminished, perhaps only one-thousandth or one-ten-thousandth as effective. He would need an especially huge number of people before there was any noticeable improvement.
As for what exactly qualified someone as a Fate Protagonist, Rhine had no idea.
Since he did not know where to find these so-called Fate Protagonists, Rhine could only help people at random, hoping to find one of the legendary protagonists of fate among them.
Over the past three years, he had done his best to use his specialty, brewing potions and treating the kingdom's people for their illnesses and injuries, fulfilling their wish to regain their health.
A true wizard had willingly lived in the countryside, treating commoners one after another every day while accepting only token amounts of payment.
For poor patients, he even treated them entirely for free, asking for nothing in return!
Such a good thing sounded like a fairy tale. It was simply unbelievable.
When many people first heard the rumor, they treated it with skepticism.
Only after seeing their gravely ill relatives recover the day after taking Rhine's medicine did they finally believe it completely, moved to tears.
As one miraculous recovery after another took place, Rhine's good name and reputation gradually spread throughout the kingdom.
Many people suffering from serious illnesses even traveled thousands of miles, having their families bring them to the little wooden cabin where Rhine lived, all just to take the medicine of the legendary young wizard.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Until today, when Rhine's reputation reached the royal palace and he was summoned personally by the King.
In the jolting carriage bound for the palace.
Rhine turned his palm upward, and a serene white radiance slowly flowed forth, as if it could heal anything.
Healing Art.
This was a new spell Rhine had comprehended after helping more than a thousand people over the past three years and absorbing their Wish Power.
"Because I fulfilled wishes to regain health, did I gain healing magic?"
"My magic is far stronger than it was three years ago. Unfortunately, aside from healing magic, I only know a few little tricks. Compared to the Witches in the kingdom's legends, I'm countless leagues behind..."
Feeling the power flowing through his body, Rhine sighed silently.
"Ah, I still haven't found any so-called Fate Protagonist. What kind of person even counts as a protagonist of fate?"
Over the past three years, Rhine had secretly hoped that one day, a patient who came to him would be a Fate Protagonist, and that after curing them, he would suddenly discover that he had gained an overwhelming amount of Wish Power.
Regrettably, even by today, Rhine had not encountered a Fate Protagonist who met the requirements.
Thinking of this, the youth glanced at the fully armed soldiers escorting the carriage outside and suddenly found it rather amusing:
Though he was a true wizard, he only knew a few little tricks and healing magic, while his body was no stronger than a child's.
Any one of the soldiers in this squad could suddenly attack and cut him down with a single sword.
"I'm really a rather weak wizard. In a fight, I'm not even as capable as any random grown-up. I don't even have a combat power level of 5."
"If I could find a Fate Protagonist, how would I have ended up like this!"
The youth spread his hands, his face full of helpless despair.
The carriage stopped before the royal palace.
Rhine gathered his wandering thoughts, entered the resplendent palace, and bowed to the King and Queen upon their thrones.
The Old King spoke:
"Forest Sage, your fine name is spoken of beside campfires and wells.
"I have heard that your healing skills rival those of the finest physicians, and that you have cured thousands of patients."
Before Rhine could ask why he had been summoned, another shadow fell across the King's face, revealing age and helplessness:
"The Queen and I have been married for many years. We have always wanted a child, yet our wish has gone unfulfilled.
"I grow older by the day, and this vast kingdom needs an heir.
"Forest Sage, do you have a way to fulfill our wish?"
The young wizard immediately understood why the King had summoned him.
He was here to treat infertility!
Just as Rhine began to think it over, his entire body suddenly trembled as though he had sensed an incomparably vast power.
That surging power came from above the throne.
It was the Power of Wishes.
An unprecedentedly immense Power of Wishes!
Far beyond that of any patient Rhine had encountered in the past three years!
"Such immense Wish Power..."
In an instant, Rhine understood the answer.
"Child of Destiny!"
"The King and Queen are Fate Protagonists?"
He had no doubt that if he could perfectly fulfill the King and Queen's wish, the Wish Power he could absorb would surely surpass his slow accumulation of the past three years by far!
Rhine was utterly shocked.
He had never imagined that the Fate Protagonists he had been longing to find would appear before him today.
No matter how difficult the King and Queen's wish to bear a child might be, he had to find a way to make it come true!
The young wizard lowered his head in thought:
He did not know other types of magic, but brewing potions and healing magic happened to be his strengths.
Under normal circumstances, all he needed to do was raise a hand to cure whatever illness afflicted the King and Queen.
However, Rhine was worried about one thing:
In a magical world with supernatural powers, was the birth of new life purely a medical issue?
Seeing the solemn expression on the handsome youth below the steps, the Old King reassured him:
"Forest Sage, even if you cannot do it, there is no need to be afraid or blame yourself.
"There are thirteen highly skilled Witches in my kingdom. I once summoned twelve of them to the palace one by one and presented them with the same problem.
"But all twelve were helpless.
"Even if there is nothing you can do, I will not blame you."
As he spoke, the Old King's expression darkened further.
Indeed, even those twelve extraordinarily powerful Witches could not accomplish it.
What chance did a newly famous wizard, one who looked so young and had only recently gained renown among commoners, have of creating a miracle?
At most, they were treating a dead horse as though it were alive, taking one last gamble.
Thirteen Witches?
Yet only twelve had been summoned?
The King's words made Rhine tremble all over.
He had heard before that there were several highly skilled Witches in the kingdom, but he did not know the exact number.
Suddenly, Rhine recalled something.
A startling suspicion rose in his mind.
The skin on his back prickled faintly.
This was a fantasy world of magic...
Could it be possible...
He hurriedly asked:
"Your Majesty, since there are thirteen Witches in the kingdom, why did you summon only twelve?"
The Old King did not notice Rhine's thoughts and answered naturally:
"Of the thirteen Witches, the strongest, Maleficent, is a Black Witch.
"She is most skilled in terrifying curses and Black Magic. Nobles and royalty alike fear her."
Rhine's eyes narrowed.
So that was it!
A kingdom with twelve kind Witches and one Black Witch.
A King and Queen who desperately wanted a child.
He had not transmigrated into an ordinary fantasy world.
This was the kingdom of Sleeping Beauty!
Let me explain why this book did not have chapters before.
This was a mechanism on Qidian, something like "pre-collection."
Simply put, before officially publishing a book, you could reserve its title first. Established authors with fans could also let readers bookmark it in advance.
And when the book was officially published, it would not need to wait through a long review process. That way, it would not mysteriously get stuck in review for half a day.
Since it was free, I decided to give it a try.
I also did not promote anywhere else that I was starting a new book. Still, it seemed quite a few people followed my author account directly and found this book that only had a title.
After setting up the pre-collection, the plan had been to officially launch the book within a month. But all kinds of messy things interrupted me afterward, so I only got around to publishing it now. 5555
Before you continue