The Sage and the King's Journey

"My command is to find the Black Witch Maleficent!"

In the open space, the Three Dogs, having received their master's order, looked around, sniffing left and right.

Finding nothing, the Three Dogs all collapsed weakly, sticking out their tongues, pitifully looking at Rhine, their master, who held The Tinderbox.

"As expected, the Black Witch Maleficent must be far away, far beyond the search range of The Tinderbox's dogs."

"Of course, even if Maleficent is nearby, she may have a way to prevent herself from being found by magic and other supernatural forces."

Rhine dismissed the dogs and tossed The Tinderbox back to Aurora.

The two walked back to the palace and began flipping through a large stack of papers on the table.

"This is information compiled by His Majesty the King and the Witches, regarding the Black Witch Maleficent's origins, where she might have gone, and other clues!"

This information pointed the way for the journey he and Aurora were about to embark on.

According to the records in this information, the Black Witch Maleficent was not born in the Rose Kingdom. It was only a dozen years before Aurora's Baptism Ceremony that she traveled from another country to the kingdom and settled there for a long time.

No one knows how long she has lived or where she learned her terrifying witchcraft.

People only discovered that Maleficent practiced terrifying black magic, was proficient in curses and torture techniques, could summon dark creatures to serve her at any time, and could even transform into a Dragon.

Moreover, Maleficent's magical attainments seemed to be more exquisite than those of other Witches in the kingdom—of course, it was not until after that disastrous night that people truly realized her power and terror.

According to the information, Maleficent once mentioned that she had several "sisters" outside the kingdom.

Of course, not real sisters, but Witches who studied black magic with her.

Maleficent and her "sisters" would occasionally gather or communicate with each other through magic, discussing new dark witchcraft and how to concoct new magic potions. The materials they used to make potions were naturally strange and terrifying things like frog eyeballs, spider webs, toad saliva, and dead baby umbilical cords.

"A black magic Witch's gathering organization, it seems to be quite something."

Rhine frowned slightly.

Having to face multiple opponents as powerful as the Black Witch Maleficent was a despairing thought.

On this continent, which mixed many stories, who could be the witches who formed a gathering with the Black Witch Maleficent?

Rhine couldn't help but wonder.

He continued to read the text at hand, his attention falling on one line.

This passage said that Maleficent once boasted to the Violet Fairy that one of the Witches in the gathering was not human but a Sea Hag living in the deep sea, who was good at concocting strange potions.

This Sea Hag lived in the Mermaid's kingdom, which was located beneath the ten-thousand-foot waves. Because she rarely came ashore, Maleficent communicated with her through magic mirrors. For this, Maleficent also complained a bit.

"A Sea Hag living in the sea kingdom. Perhaps it can be our breakthrough!" If Maleficent still has contact with her, this Sea Hag might know where Maleficent has gone now.

"According to the Rose Kingdom's historical records, the Mermaid's kingdom is located beneath the sea off the southern coast!"

Having clarified the direction of their first destination, Rhine and Aurora had one last task before officially embarking on their journey—

To say goodbye to the King and Queen.

Deep within the palace complex, behind many walls and many buildings.

There was indeed a Bronze Palace here, where the legendary beautiful princess lived.

—In fact, it was just an abandoned palace left over from the previous dynasty, and most of the time, the Bronze Palace was empty.

But today, perhaps for the first time in 10 years, the kingdom's legendary beautiful princess had really come here.

To say goodbye to her parents.

The Old King nodded slightly.

The monarch of the kingdom showed a weathered smile, took off the crown on his head, and slowly moved it towards Aurora's head.

The elderly monarch taking off the crown on his head and suspending it over the head of a 10-year-old girl looked really ridiculous.

—The Old King handed over the kingdom to the Warrior who could save the country, and honored him as the new King of the kingdom. This was the promise the Old King made to the Magician ten years ago.

The Old King gestured over the top of the princess's golden hair, as if to see if the size of the crown matched her:

"My daughter. I am too old. When you and the Sage return from your journey, this crown will truly belong to you."

After the old king finished speaking, he took back the crown.

Aurora gently nodded, using the courtly etiquette taught to her by her etiquette teacher, and gave an elegant salute to the King and Queen: "Farewell, Father, Mother.

"I will embark on a journey with the Sage, traveling abroad to seek out the traces of the Black Witch Maleficent. We will find the Black Witch, defeat her, and end the dark clouds looming over this country.

"One day, I will return to the kingdom with the Sage and succeed you as the King of this land, my Father.

"During this journey, I will strive to learn how to become an outstanding Warrior and an excellent King."

The Queen, who was also old, took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, but did not speak.

Beside her, the little Magician, dressed in a spacious wizard's robe and in classic wizard attire, smiled and nodded, saying to Aurora:

"Let's go, my future Queen."

The Sage and the future King bid farewell to the current King and left the Bronze Palace.

Walking among the palace buildings, Aurora walked and looked at the distant mountains: "Teacher, I think that when we return, I will be the King of this country, and you will become the legend of this country."

In the past, there were special grammar teachers who taught Aurora complex and gorgeous grammar and exquisite rhetoric, and the little princess also cleverly learned them all, so her language was like those sculpted sentences in the mouths of poets. "Father told me that ten years ago, after you helped him, you asked Father to spread your story—spreading the story of the Magician must have a special effect on you, right?

"So, after I become the new King, I will do the same thing.

"Teacher, I will sing your story, record your deeds in history, and hire craftsmen to sculpt statues for you.

"I will invite scribes to record every story of our journey, weave these stories into books, and ask painters to paint the most memorable scenes of the journey into colorful pictures—so that they will not be forgotten, and then ask bards to tell these stories between bonfires and well water.

"Many years later, the things we experienced on our journey will eventually become popular legends and turn into fairy tales by every child's pillow.

"Just imagining this scene is really exciting..."

The girl raised her head, looked at the blue sky and white clouds, and her eyes sparkled with a light called hope.

Aurora looked again at the silver-haired boy in front of her who never grew up.

—She was the way the teacher looked when she was a baby, and now she is almost a graceful young woman, but the teacher has not changed. Time seemed to have stopped on the little Magician.

The girl stretched out her hand to compare his height, confirmed that her head was just up to Rhine's shoulder, and giggled:

"Teacher, you won't grow up, will you?

"I guess in two or three years, before the Curse is completed, I will be taller than you.

"Even if I am old and gray-haired, you will still be the same as before?"

Rhine did not speak, but walked quietly.

He could imagine this scene, but was a little surprised that a 10-year-old girl would think so far.

"Who knows what the future holds?"

After a long silence, Rhine said.

Aurora once again turned her gaze to the distant horizon, her thoughts flying in the clouds, her smile as bright as a flower:

"Teacher, one day, I will become a pile of white bones, a handful of loess. And you will still be walking on the earth in this appearance.

"At that time, the earth will be full of your legends.

"On this journey, I want to learn how to be an excellent King, strive to become the greatest King in the history of the Rose Kingdom, and be famous in history.

"In this way, after I leave this world, people will say that the Rose Kingdom once had a great Queen, and spread my deeds.

"In this way, the length of my story in time can be used to catch up with your life itself as much as possible—although it is impossible to catch up, at least don't be left behind too quickly.

"Even many centuries later, when you walk on the earth, you can occasionally hear people of that era telling the story of our journey.

"In my story, people will say that many years ago, the King of the country was given 13 Blessings at birth and shouldered a great mission, and the person who raised her was a wise, knowledgeable, future-knowing, and legendary Magician with many magical abilities.

"Oh my god, this sounds really epic! Just like those epic legends I've heard before."

Aurora said here, her eyes becoming more distant and deep.

Like King Arthur and Merlin... Rhine thought.

"Your philosophy and grammar are well learned. The perspective is quite unique." Rhine was unusually quiet today, trying to make himself appear more mature. "It seems that I didn't invite those teachers to teach you for nothing."

Rhine shifted his gaze away from the girl and also looked at the white clouds in the sky.

The clouds resembled gentle flocks of sheep, leisurely strolling across the vast pasture known as the blue sky, basking lazily in the sunlight.

He had been looking forward to this journey for a long time.

This world was vast, extremely vast. Countries like the Rose Kingdom were numerous in the western part of the continent. Moreover, further east lay the even more magnificent and mysterious Far East.

As a long-lived being with eternal life, Rhine understood that he was destined not to be confined to this small place.

Repeatedly fulfilling the wishes of the same person would greatly diminish the effect. Generally, a "protagonist of destiny" could only provide two significantly effective wishes.

Rhine knew that if he wanted to become a legendary Magician worthy of an epic tale, he needed to find more protagonists of destiny on his journey.

Suddenly, the silver-haired youth felt a burning desire ignite beside him. He knew it was Aurora's wish.

"To learn to become an outstanding Warrior and an excellent King on the journey, defeat the Black Witch, and end the kingdom's Curse."

This was the most weighty and fervent wish that the Magician of wishes and miracles had taken on since arriving in this world.

The kingdom's former Sage led the future King, walking further and further away.

After Sleeping Beauty and The Tinderbox, the next main story was The Little Mermaid.

It involved significantly more elements and characters, and it also concerned the expansion of the world's view and laid the groundwork for later stories, so the volume would be significantly larger. It was more like a large chapter. There were also some characters who connected multiple stories.