"Don't forget, we still have Teacher Tining." Phainon looked at the two of them.
"Compared to her never-failing prophecies, every form of divination is nothing more than a smokescreen, or sophistry rehearsed in advance."
Zodiac signs, birth charts...
Phainon had never believed in such things.
"True enough. Divination is just too mystical." Yan Huan pondered.
"Even if things don't turn out as predicted, the diviner will come up with some alternative explanation to make it fit."
Burning incense and making wishes worked on the same principle. Maybe it was just for peace of mind.
"As for divination... in some people's eyes, perhaps it's a force that guides the heart." Mimi said with a smile.
"Fate always cast shadows upon the road ahead, making it impossible for people to clearly see their own future."
"That's why people need divination. They simply want a small reason to muster their courage and cross that unknown stretch ahead..."
"Then." Yan Huan looked at Mimi.
"What if the divination reveals a bad outcome?"
Mimi put her tiny hands on her hips.
"That's exactly why divination matters—because the results can be good or bad!"
"A bad omen is guidance too. At the very least, it can make people more vigilant, right?"
"That's true." Phainon nodded slightly.
Though he did not particularly believe in it, he acknowledged Mimi's argument.
"Come to think of it, it is rather strange..."
Phainon mused, "Someone I knew once said something similar."
"Thinking back, every time she interpreted the cards for me, I would feel inexplicably uneasy... even though I didn't believe in the results of divination."
"Maybe it was because of her tone?" Phainon looked at the two of them.
"Cyrene... she could describe a complete fantasy so vividly that I was utterly immersed in it as a child."
"That impressive?