Chapter 35: The Journey of the Sage and the King
"My order is to find the black witch Maleficent!"
In the open space, the three big dogs looked around and sniffed left and right after receiving the order from their owner.
After finding nothing, the three dogs all lay down weakly, stuck out their tongues, and looked pitifully at their owner Rhine who was holding the tinderbox in front of them.
"Sure enough, the black witch Maleficent must be far away, far beyond the search range of Tinderbox Dog."
"Of course, even if Maleficent is nearby, she might be able to hide herself from magic and other supernatural forces."
Rhine dismissed the dogs and threw the tinderbox back to Aurora.
The two walked back to the palace and flipped through a large stack of papers on the table.
"This is the information compiled by His Majesty the King and the witches. It is about the origin of the black witch Maleficent, where she might go, and other clues!"
This information provides direction for the journey he and Aurora are about to embark on.
According to the records of this intelligence, the black witch Maleficent was not born in the Kingdom of Rose, but traveled to the kingdom from another country more than ten years before Aurora's baptism ceremony and settled here permanently.
No one knows how long she lived or where she learned the horrible witchcraft.
People only discovered that Maleficent practiced horrible black magic, was proficient in curses and torture techniques, could summon dark creatures to serve her at any time, and could even transform into a dragon.
Moreover, Maleficent's magical attainments seemed to be more advanced than those of other witches in the kingdom - of course, it was not until after that disastrous night that people truly realized how powerful and terrifying she was.
According to intelligence records, Maleficent once mentioned that she had several "sisters" outside the kingdom.
Of course, they were not real sisters, but witches who studied black magic with her.
Maleficent and her "sisters" occasionally gather or communicate with each other through magic to discuss new dark witchcraft and how to make new potions. The materials they use to make potions are naturally frog eyes, spider webs, toad saliva, dead baby umbilical cords and other weird and scary things.
"A gathering of black magic witches looks like something quite extraordinary."
Rhine frowned slightly.
The thought of facing multiple opponents as powerful as the black witch Maleficent makes one despair.
In this continent where many stories are mixed together, who are the witches who can form a gathering with the black witch Maleficent?
Rhine couldn't help but think.
He continued reading the text at hand, his attention falling on one line of text.
This text says that Maleficent once boasted to the Violet Fairy that there was a witch at the gathering who was not human, but a sea hag living in the deep sea, who was good at making strange potions.
This sea hag lived in the kingdom of mermaids, which was located under the waves. Because they rarely came ashore, Maleficent and her communicated with each other through a magic mirror. For this, Maleficent complained a little.
"The sea hag who lives in the sea kingdom. Perhaps she can be our breakthrough point! " If Maleficent is still in contact with her, the sea hag may know where Maleficent is now.
"According to the kingdom's historical documents, beneath the sea on the south coast is the kingdom of mermaids!"
After clarifying the direction of the first destination, Rhine and Aurora still had one last task before officially embarking on the journey.
Say goodbye to the King and Queen.
…
Deep within the royal palace complex, behind many walls and buildings.
There is indeed a brass palace here, where the beautiful princess in the legend lives.
——In fact, it was just an abandoned palace left over from the previous dynasty. Most of the time, the Brass Palace was empty.
But today, perhaps for the first time in 10 years, the beautiful princess from the kingdom's legend actually came here.
To say goodbye to her parents.
The old king nodded slightly.
The monarch of the kingdom showed a vicissitudes of life smile, took off the crown on his head, and slowly moved it towards Aurora's head.
It looked really funny that the elderly monarch took off his crown and dangled it over the head of a 10-year-old girl.
——The old king will hand over the kingdom to the warrior who can save the country and make him the new king of the kingdom. This was the promise the old king made to the magician ten years ago.
The old king gestured on the princess's golden head, as if to see if the size of the crown matched it:
"My daughter, I am too old. When you return from your journey with the sage, the crown will truly belong to you."
The old king said this and took back the crown.
Aurora nodded slightly and saluted elegantly to the king and queen using the court etiquette her etiquette teacher had taught her: "Goodbye, father and mother.
“I will embark on a journey with the Sage, heading abroad to find the trace of the black witch Maleficent. We will find the black witch, defeat her, and end the dark cloud that hangs over this country.
“One day, I will return to the kingdom with the wise man and succeed you as the king of this land, my father.
"During this journey, I will work hard to learn how to become an outstanding hero and an excellent king."
The queen, who was also old, took her handkerchief and wiped the tears from her eyes, but said nothing.
Next to him, the little magician dressed in a loose wizard robe and classical wizard costume smiled and nodded, and said to Aurora:
"Let's go, my future queen."
The wise man and future king bid farewell to the present king and left the palace made of brass.
Walking among the palaces, Aurora looked at the mountains in the distance: "Teacher, I think that when we come back, I will become the king of this country, and you will become the legend of this country."
In the past, there were special grammar teachers who taught Aurora the complex and gorgeous grammar and exquisite rhetoric, and the little princess was also very smart to learn them all, so her words were like those carved sentences in the mouths of poets. "Father told me that ten years ago, after you helped him, you asked father to spread your story - spreading the story of the magician must have a special effect on you.
“So, when I become the new king, I will do the same thing.
“Teacher, I will spread your story, record your deeds in history books, and hire craftsmen to make a statue for you.
"I will ask scribes to record every story of our journey and weave them into books, ask painters to paint the most memorable scenes of the journey into colors so that they will not be forgotten, and ask bards to tell these stories by the campfire and the well.
"Many years later, what we experienced on our journey will eventually become a popular legend and a collection of fairy tales beside every child's pillow.
"Just imagine this scene, it's really exciting..."
The girl raised her head and looked at the blue sky and white clouds, a light of hope in her eyes.
Aurora looked again at the silver-haired boy in front of her who would never grow up.
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——When she was a baby, her teacher looked the same as she does now. Now she is almost a young lady, but her teacher has not changed. Time seems to have stopped for the little magician.
The girl stretched out her hand to measure his height, and confirmed that her head was just at the height of Rhine's shoulders, and said with a giggle:
"Teacher, you won't grow up, right?
“I guess in two or three years, before the curse is complete, I will be taller than you.
"Even if I am old and gray, you will still be the same as before?"
Rhine didn't say anything, just walked quietly.
He could imagine this scene, but was somewhat surprised that a 10-year-old girl could think so far.
“Who knows what will happen in the future?”
After a long silence, Rhine said.
Aurora once again cast her gaze towards the distant sky, her thoughts flying in the clouds, her face as beautiful as a flower:
"Teacher, one day, I will become a pile of bones and a pile of yellow earth. And you will still walk on the earth in this appearance.
"By then, the whole earth will be filled with your legends.
“During this journey, I will learn how to be an excellent king, and strive to become the greatest king in the history of the Kingdom of Rose, and go down in history.
“This way, after I leave this world, people will say that there was once a great queen in the Kingdom of Rose, and spread my deeds.
"In this way, the length of my story can try to catch up with your life itself - although it is impossible to catch up, at least I won't be left behind too quickly.
“Even many centuries later, as you walk the land, you may occasionally hear people from that era telling stories of our journey.
“In my story, people would say that many years ago, the king of the country was given 13 blessings at birth and was burdened with a great mission. The one who raised her was a wise, knowledgeable, legendary magician who knew the future and possessed many magical powers.
"Oh my god, this sounds epic! Just like any other epic story I've ever heard."
Aurora's eyes became deeper and deeper as she spoke.
Just like King Arthur and Merlin... Rhine thought.
"You have learned philosophy and grammar well. Your perspective is quite unique." Rhine was unusually quiet today, trying to make himself look more mature. "It seems that I did not invite those teachers to teach you in vain."
Rhine turned his gaze away from the girl and looked at the snow-white clouds in the sky.
The clouds are like a flock of warm sheep, strolling leisurely in the vast pasture called the blue sky, lazing in the sunshine.
He had been looking forward to this trip for a long time.
This world is very big. There are countless countries like the Kingdom of Rose in the west of the continent. Moreover, if you go east, there is the more magnificent and mysterious Far East.
As an immortal species with eternal life, Rhine understood that he was destined not to stop at this tiny place.
If you repeatedly fulfill the same person's wish, the effect will be greatly reduced. Generally, a "fate protagonist" can only provide two significantly effective wishes.
Rhine knew that if he wanted to become a legendary magician worthy of an epic story, he needed to find more destiny protagonists during his journey.
Suddenly, the silver-haired boy felt a burning desire burning beside him. He knew that this was Aurora's wish.
“Learn to become an outstanding warrior and a great king on your journey, defeat the black witch, and end the curse on the kingdom.”
This is the heaviest and most ardent wish that the magician of wishes and miracles takes over after coming to this world.
The kingdom's former sage led the future king further and further away.
After Sleeping Beauty and Tinderbox, the next major story was The Daughter of the Sea.
There are obviously more elements and characters involved, and it is also related to the development of the world view and the preparation for the subsequent stories, so the volume will be obviously larger. It is more like a big chapter. There are also some characters that connect multiple stories.
(End of this chapter)