"Sisters, I recently learned something. That Old Witch from Ender who wanted to join us, she's dead!"
Today was another day for the Witch Society's regular exchange.
Several witches communicated through magic, sending their voices into the dark void, becoming real-time messages.
If Rhine had participated in the discussion, he would definitely have felt it was very similar to a modern group chat. Some were keen to speak, incredibly active, while others were always offline.
Several voices intertwined:
"Oh? What happened? Tell us! She contacted me a while ago."
"Did someone chop off her head? Hahahaha."
"Isn't she the most powerful witch in Ender? I remember that fellow actually had some real skill. She had a magic staff that could turn into a venomous snake immune to spells, could revive once after death, and was also proficient in shapeshifting, potion brewing, and mirror magic, protected by Ender Soldiers and powerful warriors. It would be quite difficult for an ordinary person to kill her."
"Sounds like she had some ability, no wonder she wanted to join us. The one who killed her must be a powerful figure we all know, did the Ender Emperor finally discover her treacherous intentions? Or was it a group of magicians and Super Warriors who teamed up to take her down?"
The initial speaker was silent for a moment, then said:
"It shouldn't be anyone famous. I heard that the one who killed her was the Sage of Rose Kingdom, Great Magician Rhine!"
"You might have heard about what happened between the Summer Country and Ender a while ago."
"Less than two months later, another astonishing piece of news spread: the Summer Country and the mermaids from the sea actually established diplomatic relations. An alliance with those non-human monsters from the sea? This is truly shocking!"
"And according to the intelligence I obtained, the Sage of Rose Kingdom participated in the entire event, single-handedly orchestrating Ender's defeat and the alliance between the Summer Country and the mermaids. The Old Witch was probably also killed by him."
The dark void fell into a brief silence.
After a long time, a cold and sharp voice came:
"Oh, since it involves that Little Magician, I'm quite interested. Do you have detailed information?"
"Hahahahaha, Maleficent, you're really interested in this, aren't you? Is it because you once cursed Rose Kingdom and are worried their Sage will come for you and chop off your head?" a crazy voice laughed.
"Shut your stinking mouth and forget your foolish catchphrase!" Maleficent's voice retorted:
"Over the past few centuries, the kingdoms I've casually destroyed number in the dozens, if not hundreds! Historically, magicians and warriors who wanted to kill me could form a long line that would encircle the entire continent, but no one ever succeeded. Crushing them is not much harder than crushing ants."
At this moment, the initial speaker replied: "There's no detailed information. I don't live in Ender or the Summer Country, how would I know so much."
"How annoying." Maleficent's voice carried displeasure.
—But it seemed only because the question wasn't immediately answered, which annoyed her, not because a Great Magician from Rose Kingdom might want to kill her.
Maleficent roared into the dark void:
"Hey, hey, Queen, are you there?
"Use your magic mirror to ask what exactly happened between Ender, the Summer Country, and that group of mermaids? What role did the Sage of Rose Kingdom play in it?"
In the dark void, no one responded.
"The Queen is indeed not here again."
"Not here again? Why is she even in the Witch Society! Which one of you will go chop off her head?"
"Forget it, I'll find time to go to White Kingdom and find the Queen herself in reality, so she can use her magic mirror to ask about the relevant details." The initial speaker said, "I'm quite interested in this matter too."
"Don't make it sound so troublesome." Maleficent said coldly, "For you, going anywhere on the continent is just a few steps, isn't it?"
…
The Imperial City of Ender.
It had been a long time since the incident of "Big Fish and Sea Beasts Wreaking Havoc in the Imperial City Port," and the initial turmoil and chaos had long since subsided.
The Emperor of the empire sat on his throne. This valiant man was listening to his subordinates' reports.
"Your Majesty, the royal pirates with privateering licenses have been notified to avoid the ships of the Summer Country."
After a few seconds, a minister asked again:
"Your Majesty, is it necessary? The Summer Country suddenly stopped their alliance with us; it's good enough that we're not making them pay a heavy price. Now we even have to yield to them?"
The Emperor snorted:
"The Summer Country have become friends with the mermaids in the ocean; no one can touch their ships on the high seas."
At this moment, a brown-skinned, shifty-eyed magician walked into the palace.
"Your Majesty, I am Maglido, the Magician. You have finally agreed to grant me an audience, which honors me greatly."
If Rhine were here, he would definitely recognize him—
He was the magician who lost to him in the "Diviner Competition" hosted by Prince Eric! He was said to be from the Middle eastern Country.
Upon seeing the majestic Ender Emperor, Maglido revealed a fawning smile:
"Your Majesty, I heard that during the recent turmoil, you lost an excellent court magician, a powerful witch. I wish to take her place!"
"Tell me why you are qualified." The Emperor said indifferently.
"Since I dare to come before Your Majesty, I naturally bring important intelligence! As long as Your Majesty is willing to give me support, you will soon achieve hegemony." Maglido excitedly explained, "I rode a flying carpet from the Middle East desert to the Western Continent, experiencing much along the way, and thus I came to know two great secrets about the desert!"
"What secrets?" The Emperor sat up straight, a little curious.
Maglido's smile grew wider:
"Has Your Majesty ever heard of,
"A Godly Lamp that can grant wishes, and…
"Oz in the heart of the desert?"
…
Rhine and Aurora rode horses, officially leaving the territory of the Ender Country and stepping onto the land of White Kingdom.
Currently, the Little Magician held information about the Ender Country' neighboring countries that he had collected in advance.
"The original Queen of White Kingdom has passed away; the current Queen is the King's second wife.
"The deceased Old Queen left behind a beautiful daughter, and this princess was named Snow White because her skin was as white as snow…"
This information was far too familiar to Rhine, who was from outside this world.
"It seems this is Snow White's kingdom!"
Combining this with the previous summary of the Witch Society's intelligence, Rhine believed that there was a high probability that the Queen of the Witch Society was the current Queen of White Kingdom, Snow White's stepmother!
"According to the intelligence provided by the Sea Hag, the Queen is also a very peripheral figure in the Witch Society, not even knowing a single powerful spell. Her only advantage is a magic mirror that answers all questions."
"Is it necessary to specifically investigate her? Or quietly approach that magic mirror to take a look?"
Rhine began to ponder.
Currently, the Witch Society, as a dark organization where villains exchange magic and cultivate each other, although a few members are just there to make up numbers or only have one skill, is still quite dangerous overall!
"For now, ignore the Queen and Snow White, and just travel through White Kingdom normally." Rhine temporarily formulated a plan.
The two rode white horses through the forest, green branches brushing past the shoulders of the young man and woman, and the song of birds came from afar.
Halfway through, a question suddenly popped into Rhine's mind:
"In many versions of 'Snow White,' the Queen always asks the magic mirror who is the fairest in the world. Before Snow White grew up, the Queen was always the fairest.
"This means that in the worldview of 'Snow White,' the Queen was indeed the first or second most beautiful being.
"However, this is a continent mixed with many different stories!
"In such a world, princes, princesses, and Queens are as numerous as if they were mass-produced; you can bump into a beautiful princess just by walking a few steps. Would the magic mirror still declare the Queen to be the fairest?"