The Ticket
"Young wizard, I would like to ask you for a favor," said the feathered woman. Presumably because of the Shadow Magic within Lu Li, she believed Lu Li to be a wizard. A ball of light appeared in her hand, and through an unknown connection, Lu Li confirmed that this was the Fairy Tale Town ticket he needed.
"You came here for this qualification, didn't you? I've placed a seal and curse on it. If you can make my daughter a princess, I can help you remove the curse," the woman said, her words full of temptation.
Lu Li remained unmoved, instead smiling and saying, "Didn't your daughter get the dress and Glass Slipper? Even though she's not particularly beautiful, with those two things, her chances of becoming a princess are quite high, aren't they?"
"The problem is, those things only last until midnight. After midnight, the dress will turn into leaves, the Glass Slipper into branches, the carriage into pumpkins, and the coachman into mice," the woman said. "And this country is backed by the Church, and I think you understand that they reject any kind of wizard."
"So once your daughter is exposed, she will definitely be burned at the stake as Witch?" Lu Li looked at the Witch in front of him and said again, "Then why don't you explain it to her yourself?"
"I can only come out at night, and my sanity is steadily declining. I need to fall into a deep sleep to avoid becoming a completely resentful madwoman," the Witch said, a hint of resentment and even hatred flashing in her eyes. "And my daughter, Cinderella, she left too soon."
"So what? The moment she got the Glass Slipper, she immediately threw away the shoes you gave her. From the very beginning, all her requests were for herself; she never cared about your situation, and instead complained that you had terrible taste in people."
"Once you get what you want, immediately discard the entity that gave it to you," Lu Li said. "You really don't need to go to so much trouble for this daughter."
"Unless, you still need her for something else," Lu Li said with absolute certainty, looking at the Witch before him.
"Indeed!" The Witch nodded after a moment of silence. "I was drenched in her tears of resentment and pain, and my soul was transformed into Companion Spirit in the shape of Turtle Dove. I can only transform back into human form at night."
"And my sanity will grow increasingly mad as I transform into my Companion Spirit, and only joy can dispel resentment. Only Cinderella's joyful tears can cleanse that resentment, and only then can I break free of the curse and become Fairy."
"So, you want me to help her become a queen, to make her shed tears of joy to lift your curse, and then you—no, only then will you have the ability to lift the curse on your qualifications." Lu Li confirmed, took the ball of light from the Witch's hand, and sensed it. There was indeed a curse on it, and with Lu Li's current abilities, he couldn't lift it at all.
It's probably because the Witch saw this that she handed the ball of light to Lu Li, placing a tempting piece of meat in front of Lu Li, hoping that Lu Li would genuinely help her.
"That's right. Only after I break the curse and become Fairy can I remove the curse on my qualifications," the Witch said earnestly. "Moreover, this is my unique method of cursing; if I sense anything amiss, I can destroy this qualification."
"You are truly her good mother," Lu Li said with a smile, walking out of the courtyard. The Witch once again transformed into Turtle Dove, following the guidance of hatred, and flew into the sky. They would follow Cinderella, avenge her, and vent all her resentment.
Lu Li moved swiftly. In the big city of this era, it was as if he were living in a giant gas chamber. The disgusting smell was enough to make anyone dizzy. With such terrible sanitary conditions, it was no wonder that the Black Death broke out.
Cinderella sat in the Pumpkin Carriage, gazing at the gradually darkening streets outside, lost in thought. She was not foolish; in fact, she was quite clever, which was why she had realized her mother's identity long ago.
Witch, according to the Church's propaganda, are the spokespeople of evil, bringing chaos and despair to the world. Every Witch must be burned at the stake, and even those who have come into contact with Witch are subject to strict scrutiny by the Church.
Cinderella didn't believe the Church's claims that Witch were evil, but in this country, being associated with Witch never ended well, and as the daughter of Witch, her fate wouldn't be any better; she would most likely be burned at the stake. Therefore, Cinderella always kept her mother's identity a secret and never revealed it to anyone.
While the Turtle Dove was helping her with the beans, two thoughts flashed through Cinderella's mind: her mother wasn't dead, this was her chance; she had been planning to escape this den of iniquity, and now the best opportunity had arrived—to become a queen with her mother's help, but she had to be careful to sever all ties with the Witch.
Therefore, after obtaining the necessary items, Cinderella seemed eager to leave. With her drastically changed appearance, no one would associate her with the dirty and bullied Cinderella from the Baron's family. Once she became a princess, she could dispose of all the related items and, with the help of the Prince, successfully reinvent herself and start a new life.
Just as Cinderella was beginning to imagine a positive outcome, she suddenly felt the carriage lurch. A figure burst through the Pumpkin Carriage window and jumped in, a black weapon piercing Cinderella's open mouth, silencing her screams.
Slowly sheathing the Short Blade in his hand, Lu Li looked at Cinderella, who remained silent, and nodded in satisfaction. Then he examined Cinderella's current appearance. With the blue dress and Glass Slipper as a backdrop, Cinderella face was originally only considered pretty, was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Sir, what do you need? I'm in a hurry to attend Prince Highness's ball. My family is ahead of me, and if I disappear on the way, they will definitely notice, and Prince Highness might find out too. That could cause you trouble." Cinderella calmed herself down and spoke softly, appearing to be considering Lu Li's feelings. "How about this, sir, you leave immediately, and I'll pretend I never saw you."
"Miss Cinderella, let's not talk about those lies. I'm only here to tell you some things." Lu Li smiled. This Cinderella was quite clever. If Lu Li were just an ordinary petty thief, he might have been fooled by Cinderella.
Upon hearing Lu Li's address, Cinderella's face immediately turned deathly pale, but she still said, "I wonder what you have to say, sir, or what you need Cinderella to do? I promise to help you."
"Your clothes, shoes, and carriage will lose their magic after midnight, and I am here to help you become a princess," Lu Li said to Cinderella with a smile, as if he had thought of something amusing.