Divination

Trafalgar Square was a famous plaza in Empress Borough, Bexland, made up of seven large shopping complexes. The ground floors were mostly home to all kinds of coffee shops, tea shops, restaurants, and House of Divination, among other things. "House of Divination"? It seemed that divination was popular everywhere.

After they got out of the carriage, Vera took hold of her hand and said, "Count Altair, I heard there are lots of fine perfumes made in the Republic of Intis here. Can we go take a look? And Bonaparte Restaurant serves authentic Intis court cuisine, which was supposedly invented by Emperor Roselle. They've also got fruits unique to the South Continent..."

Seeing her lively little maid, Altair felt her mood lighten. "Did you bring any Gold Pounds? Those things aren't cheap."

Hearing that, Vera took Altair's hand and said, "Count Altair, you wouldn't want outsiders to find out that your maid buys things without paying, would you?"

Those words made Altair's CPU overheat. Once she'd recovered, she slapped Vera's hand away and asked, "Who taught you that? You're so young, and already picking up bad habits."

Vera looked aggrieved. "You did, of course, Count Altair. Didn't you say that before? I remember you saying, 'You wouldn't want...'"

"Mm... mm!"

Altair heard what Vera was saying and immediately covered her mouth, cutting her off by force. "You're the one picking up bad habits. Look at Irene—she'd never say things like that to me."

"Come on, Irene. Let's go shopping and eat something delicious. We'll make Vera watch."

If Vera kept talking, Altair felt she might expose every secret she had.

Vera watched the two of them walk away and hurried after them.

Perhaps she was walking too quickly and taking too big a stride, but Altair nearly tripped on her skirt. Fortunately, Irene saw and hurried over to steady her. "Count Altair, this outfit's design means you can only take small steps."

Once Altair had regained her balance, she patted Irene's hand where it held her and said, "I know."

Vera took the opportunity to catch up. Seeing the two of them supporting each other, she asked, "What's wrong?"

Altair merely rolled her eyes at her. "Nothing. Come on."

Vera watched them leave and scratched her head, unable to figure out what she'd done this time.

At that moment, in Room Five of Bonaparte Restaurant.

"This is so good! No wonder it was invented by Emperor Roselle."

Altair watched her little maid sigh with delight and shook her head helplessly.

From the server's introduction just now, she'd learned that Roselle Gustav had "created" this new dish after waking from a high fever and a coma.

But Altair thought, Roselle really is impressive. He'd only just arrived in a world like this, and already dared to make an entirely new dish. I wouldn't dare.

Though this wasn't a traditional fantasy world with a concept like "Body Seizure," it had its own unique version of "Body Seizure."

The technologies I'd brought out might have been ahead of their time, but there was still a basis for them. As for something like food, which had nothing to do with me at all, I wouldn't dare copy it on a whim.

"Are you full?"

Vera nodded. "I'm full, Count Altair."

Looking at the bowl of this otherworldly "zhajiangmian," Altair stood up to leave. The more she thought about it, the more she missed home. No wonder Klein had nearly lost control on the spot when he first heard this place was Earth. Homesickness really was awful.

When they reached the ground floor, Altair went straight into House of Divination, intending to try her hand at divination.

Once inside, Altair took in the décor at a glance. It looked no different from an ordinary shop. There was a receptionist at the entrance, and farther in stood several round tables topped with various divination tools, such as Crystal Balls and Star Boards.

The receptionist saw Altair come in with two maids and immediately recognized a big spender. She hurriedly set down what she was doing and came over to greet them.

"Madam, would you like a divination?"

Using Spirit Vision, Altair could tell that the receptionist didn't have the Spirituality of a Beyonder. She couldn't help thinking, If even a receptionist were a Beyonder, would you dare walk into this shop?

Altair smiled at the receptionist. "I'd like a divination."

Hearing this, the receptionist took a register from the counter and began introducing the shop's "Seers." "Mr. Yinsen Gray is the most capable diviner here, while Mr. Zane Murphy is just a little less so... I personally recommend Mr. Yinsen Gray. He happens to be here today."

After listening to the receptionist's introduction, Altair chose the most capable diviner, Yinsen Gray.

"Sorry for the trouble, but could you let Mr. Yinsen Gray know I'd like him to tell my fortune?"

"Then please follow me, madam. Mr. Yinsen Gray is in the Amethyst Divination Room right now. I'll take you in."

When they reached the door of the divination room, the receptionist asked, "Madam, would you like something to drink? We have Pro Coffee and Nanshan Black Tea."

Without thinking, Altair replied, "Tea, please. If possible, I'd like a glass of sweet iced tea."

She'd never liked coffee, so there was no way she'd like it now.

"Mr. Yinsen Gray, a lady would like you to perform a divination for her."

As soon as the receptionist finished speaking, a deep voice came from inside. "Come in."

The receptionist immediately opened the door and ushered Altair inside.

"You two can wait by the door. You don't need to come in with me."

With that, Altair entered the divination room and saw a middle-aged man in a black tailcoat. He had a kindly look about him. But from a Spectator's perspective, the dark circles under his eyes were obvious, and he seemed in poor spirits. He also appeared worried about something.

"Please sit."

Yinsen Gray invited Altair to sit down, then asked, "What would you like me to divine for you, ma'am?—Ah! I mean, madam."

Altair looked at the man before her and sensed that he'd just realized something. She said directly, "I'd like to divine the future."

Yinsen Gray didn't say much. He simply invited Altair to choose a divination tool.

"I have a Crystal Ball, a Star Board, a mirror, Tarot Cards..."

"The Tarot Cards."

Yinsen Gray didn't hesitate. He took out the Tarot Cards, shuffled them, then placed them in front of Altair. "Think about the question you want answered deep in your heart. Without thinking, pick any three cards."

Hearing this, Altair reached out and picked three cards at random.

"The Fool," "The Empress," and "Wheel of Fortune."

Looking at the three cards Altair had chosen, Yinsen Gray began his reading.

"The Fool is the first card in the Tarot deck. It generally represents a new beginning, an adventure..."

"The Empress represents motherhood, abundance, nature..."

"The Wheel of Fortune represents opportunity, the cycle of cause and effect, good luck..."

"Pardon me, madam, but this may mean your future holds a new beginning, filled with the unknown, even as it is already fated."

After finishing his reading, Yinsen Gray looked at the beautiful woman and saw that her expression wasn't very good. He added, "But Tarot Cards can also appear reversed, and that may mean something else. For example: unrealistic fantasies, excessive dependence in your behavior, or going round and round in circles..."

Altair had studied divination recently and knew what these cards meant. I can understand the upright meanings, but are the reversed ones a warning for me?

"Mr. Yinsen Gray, how much does your divination cost?"

Hearing Altair's question, Yinsen Gray replied, "Three Soli, madam."

Altair took a pound from her purse, placed it on the table, and got up to leave.