Isis, upon hearing this, merely let out a soft scoff.
‘Waiting for her at the celebration? How could that possibly be true?’ she wondered.
Her presence at the celebration was solely due to the coachman’s words in the cabin, mentioning the annual God’s Day festival, which had piqued her interest.
She had ended up in the divination house because the witch Anna had encountered difficulties while setting it up. Isis, passing by, had offered assistance, and that was how their acquaintance began.
At present, she had simply yet to leave the divination house.
Before she could finish her tasks, she unexpectedly saw Beacai arrive for a divination. A mischievous impulse had stirred within her, leading to the scene that had just unfolded.
However, she buried these thoughts deep within her heart, leaving them unsaid.
Sensing the peculiar atmosphere between them, Anna, the witch, scrutinized Beacai more closely, observing that she bore no resemblance to Isis.
Beacai didn’t even possess the long, pointed ears characteristic of elves.
‘Could she be an adopted daughter?’ Anna mused.
At that moment, this seemed to be the only plausible explanation.
If she were an adopted daughter, Anna’s curiosity for gossip would not be as intense.
Anna placed the witch’s hat, which Isis had set aside, onto her head. Sitting behind the crystal ball, she unveiled the enigmatic smile that was the hallmark of a true witch.
“Would you like a divination? I happen to have no customers right now, and it’s free, you know.”
As a token of gratitude for Isis’s help in setting up her divination house, Anna was willing to offer them a complimentary reading.
Within the crystal ball, purple magical energy swirled, at times surging like ocean waves, at others as soft and dense as falling snow. This display was entirely different from the crystal ball Isis had held earlier.
One was resplendently magnificent, the other rigidly austere.
It was clear at a glance who the true witch was.
Yet, what Anna hadn’t anticipated was Isis’s refusal.
“No need. Fate cannot be predicted.”
“Huh? Fate cannot be predicted? Miss Isis, saying something like that is bad for my business! If everyone believed you, how would I earn a living?”
“Ultimately, do you also believe that fate is unpredictable in your heart?”
Isis’s words caused Anna to choke slightly, then she glanced around nervously, muttering under her breath with a hint of guilt, “Nonsense. No matter how mysterious fate is, a witch can still glimpse a thing or two.”
‘Glimpse fate?’
To Isis, this was nothing short of a joke.
Her experiences as a deity had taught her that there was no such thing as ‘fate’ in this world. What these mortals referred to as fate was merely a future forged by their own choices.
Fate, from beginning to end, rested firmly in one’s own hands.
“Then please, divine for me.”
Unexpectedly, Beacai desired a divination from the witch. Her words seemed to trigger a switch in Anna, who instinctively rattled off swiftly:
“Hello, please tell me your name and age. Love divinations are thirty silver coins, fortune divinations are forty silver coins, and others are fifty silver coins. This shop does not offer credit…”
As she spoke, the witch realized her mistake, covering her mouth and continuing apologetically, “My apologies, I just spoke out of habit. It’s free for you two.”
Seeing her act this way, Isis’s mouth twitched. She became increasingly convinced that Anna’s divinations were nothing but a scam.
‘The incantations for divination probably aren’t as smooth as her sales pitch,’ Isis thought.
Clearing her throat, pretending that nothing had happened, Anna caressed the crystal ball with both hands and softly asked, “Then, Miss Beacai, what would you like to have divined?”
“I… I wish to know about my relationship with my mother.”
“Mother-daughter relationship? I understand.”
Magic flowed from her fingertips like fine threads. Before long, abstruse and obscure runes surfaced on the crystal ball’s surface. Anna gazed at these runes, gradually comprehending their meaning.
“Between you two…”
Her brow furrowed, her expression serious and solemn, as if she had divined something ominous. Seeing this, Beacai’s heart tightened, and she quickly asked, “Well? What is it?”
“Your relationship will be fraught with difficulties and twists. In the future, you will face several significant challenges, even falling into a state of irreparable brokenness…”
Anna recounted the results of her divination in detail. Upon hearing them, Beacai’s face turned pale, and she murmured in disbelief, “…How can this be?”
She still held great faith in the witch’s divinations. Since Anna stated their relationship would be full of hardships, it was likely true.
And ‘irreparable brokenness’…
How could their relationship become so shattered? Did it mean her mother wouldn’t love her anymore in the future? Or that she wouldn’t love her mother…
The divination result plunged Beacai into endless turmoil. She wondered what she could do to prevent such a future for her relationship with her mother.
As she pondered, she heard the witch continue:
“However, there is still hope for reconciliation. If you seize the opportunity, your love for each other might even surpass that of a mother and daughter.”
At this point, the purple magical energy within the crystal ball calmed, and the obscure runes vanished, signifying the true end of the divination.
Beacai let out a sharp breath, realizing she had overthought things.
As long as there was hope for reconciliation, everything would be manageable. To make Isis happy, she could choose to compromise.
However, this also presented her with a new question.
What did Anna mean by their love surpassing that of a mother and daughter? Was there any love in this world more intimate and beautiful than that between a mother and daughter?
Having heard Anna’s divination for Beacai, Isis was certain she was a charlatan. Only a fool would fall for it.
She was all too familiar with such rhetoric. Anna could say this about any divination, and since the events hadn’t happened yet, customers couldn’t verify them.
“Miss Isis, don’t you want a divination as well?”
“No need…”
“Just one, Mom, please.”
Beacai tugged at Isis’s sleeve, pouting playfully. Anna, striking while the iron was hot, continued to persuade, “Indeed, it doesn’t cost anything. Don’t you, Miss Isis, want to know what your future holds?”
Isis desperately wanted to leave, but Beacai held onto her sleeve, preventing her escape. She knew that if she didn’t get a divination today, she likely wouldn’t be leaving this room.
Reluctantly, she nodded and took a seat opposite Anna.
“…Then divine my future, please.”
A smile played on Anna’s lips as she once again manipulated the magic within the crystal ball. The entire room seemed to plunge into a starry sky, where fate and time intertwined, revealing an incredibly fantastical scene.
Before long, obscure runes once again surfaced on the crystal ball’s surface. Anna interpreted their meaning, then spoke:
“Your future will be smooth sailing, and you will soon reach your heart’s desire. But it will also be accompanied by immense temptation; if you make one wrong step, every subsequent step will lead to further error.”