Fate Card

White Horse City.

This city was much more prosperous than Amber City. Although it lacked convenient transportation, its accumulated historical depth was second to none in the entire southern region. Many deeds no longer needed to be mentioned. In the very center of the city, the skull of a red dragon still hung, though only bones remained. The adventurers who founded White Horse City back then had slain a malevolent red dragon here. The dragon's wealth supported them in expanding White Horse City's influence, ultimately making it the trade center of the southwest.

North of the City Hall stood a luxurious old house.

Its former owner was said to be a baron, but unfortunately, he contracted a strange illness and died not long after.

The old house changed hands several times before welcoming a new owner.

It was said to be a widowed noblewoman, who once caused quite a stir in White Horse City, both for her beauty and her wealth. Unfortunately, this widowed noblewoman lived a reclusive life, showing no interest in any noble banquets and rarely interacting with other members of the noble class. As a result, she was gradually excluded from noble circles. Only periodically could one see her servants driving a carriage to take her to the manor outside the city.

This widowed noblewoman was simply rolling in wealth!

She not only bought several of the liveliest shops in White Horse City but also owned a vast manor outside the city.

Of course.

Her backing was also said to be very strong; otherwise, a mere **could not possibly hold onto such abundant wealth.

The Mysterious Caravan Mistress arrived here.

A servant, who had been waiting, respectfully welcomed her arrival. The servant girl took her shawl and then led her into a large room.

The floor was covered with a soft goose-down carpet, a high-quality alchemically woven product that many lower-tier nobles pursued, yet it now covered the entire room like cheap fabric. A woman with a bewitching appearance lay in a spacious ebony rocking chair, reading a book. Her long black hair was casually draped behind her, and she wore a pure white nightgown with the neckline slightly open, revealing a generous and full bosom.

"Mother."

The Caravan Mistress bowed slightly and said slowly, "I've brought what you wanted."

"I don't understand."

"Why do I have to personally deliver a mere Myriad Unpredictable Card? You know I'm conducting some very important research."

The bewitching woman stood up casually.

Her nightgown slipped down a bit more, but she showed no interest in adjusting it, seemingly unconcerned about revealing her good figure in front of her daughter. She let out a soft laugh and said playfully, "Golia."

"Haven't you discovered its special nature after all this time?"

"It's not a Myriad Unpredictable Card."

"It's the pinnacle achievement of alchemy from a certain era—a Fate Card!"

This was a Northland Witch.

A witch's age could not be determined by her appearance. She walked up to the Caravan Mistress, took a box made of black metal, and said slowly, "The idiots in the Witch Council have had it for so long, yet they've discovered nothing."

"It should have been given to me long ago."

Her fair fingers opened the box, and the bewitching woman gently caressed a mysterious card stored inside, her eyes flashing with a strange light.

"Fate Card."

"The legendary key to becoming a Heavenly Fortune User!"

The card in the bewitching woman's palm disappeared into thin air. This was a Storage Technique commonly used by high-level wizards, a small otherdimensional space carved out independently.

"My dear daughter."

The bewitching woman lay lazily on the soft, large bed, idly playing with her long hair, and casually asked, "Did you encounter anything interesting on your journey?"

"Ever since being confined to this cage, I haven't encountered anything interesting for a long time."

"I really wish I could leave like this."

The Caravan Mistress frowned slightly. She looked carefully at the woman before her and said slowly, "Mother."

"Please don't forget you are still undergoing the Exile Punishment from the Council."

"Because of the Forbidden Experiment you conducted at the Root of the Deadwood, the area within a fifty-kilometer radius has become a Land of Death!"

"If the Council hadn't paid a price and compromised."

"The Northland Druid Order would have already begun chasing you, and the only outcome awaiting you would be the Judgment of Nature."

The bewitching woman let out a giggling laugh, shrugging playfully like a maiden, but her expression turned somewhat wicked as she said, "Golia."

"It was just a small accident during an interesting experiment."

"Those stubborn druids are truly obstinate!"

The Caravan Mistress's expression turned serious. She said earnestly, "Mother."

"The rampaging Elemental Energy at the Root of the Deadwood has caused terrible destruction. The geological structure there has been completely altered, the intensity of the energy radiation has reached A-level, and the infiltration of Elemental Plane energy is extremely severe. It's likely that not a blade of grass will grow there for the next five hundred years!"

"Is this merely a 'small accident' in your words?"

"If the Northland Eye Crown hadn't personally gone to apologize, the Legendary Shapeshifter who lives in seclusion in the Ice Mountain Range would have personally taken action against you!"

The smile on the bewitching woman's face vanished abruptly, and her expression faltered slightly as she said, "He's just a fellow who can transform into a dragon but can't breathe fire."

"I'm not... not afraid of him!..."

The Caravan Mistress showed a rare hint of a smile, seemingly enjoying her mother's flustered expression. She said slowly, "Mother."

"Fifty years of Exile Punishment isn't too severe."

"Besides, you haven't been truly imprisoned. The Northland Eye Crown still favors your talent! But if you leave without authorization and the druids find out, they will have the right to enact the Judgment of Nature upon you!"

"At that time, even the Northland Eye Crown couldn't save you."

"The Druid Order is still troubled by the energy balance of the Root of the Deadwood, and the Witch Council has even dispatched twelve High-Ranked Witches to assist. Their anger has been accumulating for a long time."

"Within the council, there's already a lot of resentment about cleaning up the mess you left behind!"

The Bewitching Woman's face finally showed some strain. Her slender eyebrows furrowed, and she said with a stern face, "Enough."

"Those rigid fellows simply don't understand the profound significance of the experiments I'm conducting."

"If successful!"

"I can usher in a new era."

The Caravan Mistress glanced at her, not backing down, but retorting, "Mother."

"But your experiment failed."

"Therefore, you must bear the consequences."

It was as if a gunpowder keg had exploded.

The Bewitching Woman was so angry her eyebrows shot up. She directly threw the book in her hand to the ground and said indignantly, "Enough!"

"Is this the attitude you have when speaking to your mother?"

The Caravan Mistress's expression finally softened. She bent down to pick up the book and said softly, "Mother."

"I respect you, and I love you."

"But that doesn't change my stance as a witch!"

"You once told me."

"When our power cannot solve a problem, faith is our last resort." (Many Northland Witches cast spells using cards.)

The Bewitching Woman sighed softly and waved her hand wearily, "You may leave."

The Caravan Mistress hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "On my way here, I encountered some interesting things."

"If you'd like to hear about them, I can tell you."

The Bewitching Woman looked at her, then put on an expression of rapt attention.

Although nominally confined to White Horse City, she was constantly being watched. Her movements were restricted to her residence and the manor outside, which she only visited when handling tasks for the Witch Council. Any abnormal behavior would draw annoying warnings and could lead to more severe exile (imprisonment). The Northland Druid Order had already marked her as a highly dangerous target, and almost every Druid Organization in the world knew her name. Since her exile to White Horse City, several Elf Druids had been secretly monitoring her every move.

The Caravan Mistress organized her thoughts and said slowly, "On my way here, I met two interesting people."

"A man and a little girl."

"They are siblings."

"The man was actually quite ordinary, just a rather skilled Rogue."

"However, I later discovered he was somewhat unusual, as his soul was even weaker than that of an ordinary person. If he hadn't made a deal with a demon, then he must have suffered severe soul trauma."

"If it's the former, he should carry the aura of the abyss. If it's the latter, it would be very difficult for him to have survived."

The Bewitching Woman's expression became intrigued. She suddenly interrupted, "Dear Daughter."

"Then why didn't you kill him?"

"By simply imprisoning his soul, you should be able to figure it out."

The Caravan Mistress's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She took a deep breath and said sternly, "Mother. This was merely a bit of curiosity; it shouldn't warrant taking someone's life."

The Bewitching Woman dismissively curled her lips, "Perhaps that person's soul is quite valuable?"

"Alright."

"Continue."

The Caravan Mistress sighed inwardly, feeling helpless about her mother, and then said, "What truly surprised me was the little girl."

"She was very special."

"Although it's hard for me to articulate what made her special, her talent is truly astonishing. If she didn't lack even a trace of Divine Power, I would have thought she was the legendary Child of God."

"Unfortunately, they were full of caution."

"They seemed vigilant towards everyone, making it difficult for me to learn more from them!"

The Bewitching Woman showed a look of disdain, her eyes flickering, and said with an unfathomable meaning, "Pedantic."

"In such a situation, a Charm Person spell would suffice. If the opponent's will is strong, one could consider casting Berserk Charm."

"Why go through all that trouble?"

The Caravan Mistress frowned again and said slowly, "The power of magic should not be abused."

"Moreover, they are not evil people."

"I could sense the deep affection between them, something that even I sometimes envy."

"Remembering one's bottom line is crucial to avoid losing direction on the path of pursuing power."

The Bewitching Woman pouted and pulled her slipping nightgown up, covering her exposed chest, and said playfully, "Dear Daughter."

"Your stance seems to have deviated from the neutrality that witches adhere to. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were one of those stubborn Paladins!"

The Caravan Mistress seemed to have lost interest in continuing. As she turned to leave, she said, "Mother."

"I am merely remembering my bottom line."

"Conversely, you should reflect on yourself. You are too prone to doing as you please regarding many matters."