After watching Zheng Qing leave the Sakura Pub, Korma did not go back upstairs to join the anti-magic festival at Gini Cottage. Instead, she continued to sit behind the bar, took a bottle of Sea Monster Langmu, grabbed a new glass, and started to quietly drink alone in the gradually dimming light.
Soon, her lips turned a bright blue.
She drank slowly, but without focus.
Because her gaze remained on the few young wizards who had just left, watching Zheng Qing suspiciously mutter to himself, watching the Fat Wizard hesitantly lift the Lamb Eye Juice, watching them leave that small cart and step onto a moss-wetted blue stone slab, only to suddenly disappear amidst the streets of the North District.
A few pedestrians were slightly startled, but most simply glanced briefly before dismissing the scene. This was Buji Island, after all, and the three young wizards who had disappeared were wearing red robes.
Who in the North District doesn’t know what a red robe signifies?
Don’t ntion them disappearing abruptly. Even if those three wizards turned into three toads right there, people in the North District would only look with envy and avoid them.
Korma glanced at the bottle of rum in her hand, half-full, then hesitated whether to take another out from the cabinet beside her. Although intuition told her not to ddle in the young wizards’ affairs, a feeling that couldn’t be articulated clearly kept her sitting there, planning to watch until the end.
Yes, just to observe.
She had resolved not to interfere easily in any developnts. More than a year of the Big Wizard experience had deeply taught her about visions—because she stood high enough and saw far enough, she clearly understood that any slight changes now might make the beautiful future she foresaw crumble to ashes.
Just like the North District Wizard Hunting Team that died in the Silent Forest last week.
She had foreseen their tragedy, but she also foresaw that it was precisely because of this tragedy, the darkness hidden in the depths of Silent Forest would prompt the school to be vigilant, thereby bringing lasting and intense influence to the newly established Edge Academy in the near future.
That influence is beneficial to the wizards of the North District.
Therefore, she wouldn’t stop this tragedy from happening.
"For the greater good."
She raised her glass to the air in front of her, her eyes slightly dim, then tilted the glass, letting the blue liquor form a thin stream on the clean bar, leaving an unsightly, damp stain.
As she poured the drink.
She didn’t know that several blocks away, in the San You Bookstore, the owner was discussing her fears, her karma, her flaws in spirit with a Yellow Flowered Cat.
Similarly, she hadn’t noticed the sudden ergence of an unexpected guest’s head from the shadows beneath the bar.
This unexpected guest was about the size of a fist, chubby, with short limbs, round ears, and black eyes, covered in a furry, reddish mottled skin. Initially looking like a guinea pig, yet upon closer inspection, it resembled a hamster, albeit without a tail—in summary, it was a very weird-looking little mouse.
It wasn’t until this little mouse climbed up the bar along the table leg that the witch noticed the unexpected guest, her expression changing multiple tis in a very short ti before settling into silence.
"Nice Sea Monster Langmu, such a waste on the table," the Fat Hamster—Fei Rui—sniffed slightly, his voice a bit hoarse, his chestnut-shaped face painted with the color nad fatigue.
Korma took a small glass from beneath the table, poured a drink for the unexpected guest, remaining silent.
"This is true hospitality."
The old-fashioned guest comnted, clutching the small glass with its paws, gulping down several swigs, and then wiping its mouth with satisfaction: "If you could offer so spicy beef jerky or vinegar pickled chicken feet, even fried peanuts would be perfect."
Then it encouragingly looked at the pub owner.
The witch looked at it silently.
Both parties stared at each other for a long ti, before the young witch slightly yielded, speaking first: "The pub isn’t open, so there are no snacks. If you’d been here earlier, perhaps the previous custors would’ve shared so dried fruits with you."
"I don’t want to et your other guests," the Fat Hamster slickly replied.
The witch frowned slightly, eventually deliberating, and slowly said: "If you don’t want to see others, you shouldn’t co to my pub. Coming here at this ti is of no benefit to anyone..."
"I don’t want to co either."
Fei Rui spread his little paws, squeezing out a touch of innocence between the two cheeks with lumps: "But Old Rat Head is sowhat worried about you, so he sent to talk with you... I thought you’d ask about his situation as soon as we t, I didn’t expect you, little girl, to be so heartless! He regards you as a daughter!"
It stroked its whiskers, chattering on.
When Korma heard ’Old Rat Head’, her expression slightly changed, she instinctively glanced out the window. In the empty courtyard, there wasn’t a shadow in sight, only a few pink cherry blossoms gently falling off the branches in the light breeze.
After the Battle of the Black Prison last year, Rat Immortal was one of the few high-level wizards benefiting from that war, though due to earlier losing too much of his origin, his progression process seed extrely difficult. To this day, although the big figures in the Alliance vaguely sensed he had advanced to Legend, he hadn’t shown up, so so rumors quietly circulated.
A new Legend possibly in distress is not only a nourishing tonic in the eyes of high-level demons but also a significant temptation for many wizards within the Alliance.
Korma didn’t know if the Alliance’s justice and order could shield that temptation, but she clearly understood that neither she nor the erging North District Wizard Group had the capability to get involved in such a level of conflict.
Ignorance is the strongest Guarding Curse.
She took a deep breath, retracted her gaze, expressionless, looking at the small hamster on the table.
"If He has the energy, He could pay more attention to His biological daughter... Us North District people have long been accustod to being discarded." Her words carried a touch of detachnt.
Fei Rui smacked its lips.
"That’s why I hate being a family diator."
It scratched its chin, looking troubled, yet patiently said: "Don’t be so afraid, my coming here ans Old Rat Head has all defenses in place, won’t cause you trouble... and by the way, Old Rat Head asked to tell you—show so newbie spirit."
"What?" Korma genuinely didn’t understand this ti.
"Heard of ’beginner’s luck’?"
Fei Rui asked and then answered without waiting for the witch to speak: "A situation often encountered in hunting competitions. Those young hunters participating for the first ti may seem unprofessional, even a bit amateurish, but because their goals are firm enough, their beliefs simple enough, their will abundant enough, they often achieve unexpectedly good results. In the domains of Big Wizard or Sage, you’re a novice. So show so newbie spirit, don’t be like an elder, overly cautious, hesitant."
Korma’s mind raced.
"He wants to help them?" she vaguely asked.
"Don’t know, don’t ask , it has nothing to do with ... Such matters should follow your intention." Fei Rui denied, then superfluously added: "But I think letting Zheng Qing suffer a bit is no bad thing!"
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