Chapter 519: That Snap of Fingers Twice?

Chapter 519: That Snap of Fingers Twice?

“You used Prophecy Art? Hey, hey, seriously, the more I learn about you, the more I regret ever telling you about Prophecy Art.” Inside the Isolation Zone, Dan Marina said with a bit of frustration after hearing Zheng Yichen talk about using Prophecy Art to find someone: “Using Magic is fine, no problem at all. But Prophecy Art, well, it’s like before—if you can avoid using it in the future, definitely don’t.”

After that, Dan Marina gave Zheng Yichen a simple explanation. He had been right before: Zheng Yichen’s Otherworldly Soul gave him an extra “Firewall,” which allowed him to move safely in this world. After all, even Witches could sense the “malice” of the world and that strange Curse.

Not to mention someone like Zheng Yichen, who had the characteristics of an Otherworldly Soul. If he had come to the Prime World from a Derivative World, it would have been fine—there would have been a connection. But the problem was that Zheng Yichen’s Otherworldly Soul came from some completely unknown place.

If he were weak, it wouldn’t be a big issue; the weak couldn’t influence the world’s course. But as his strength grew and his presence increased, it was a different story. It was like how a person might hardly notice a tiny ant by the roadside. But if that ant suddenly grew to be over a meter long, it wouldn’t just attract attention—it would become big news, straight up!

Zheng Yichen was like a little ant evolving into something alien. His presence would only grow stronger… When weak, whether the Firewall existed or not didn’t matter much. But as he grew power ful, this Firewall became very important to him. Without it, staying safe in this world wouldn’t be easy for Zheng Yichen.

After all, with an Otherworldly Soul like his that was so out of place, even Dan Marina couldn’t predict what might happen—but it would definitely be worse than for Witches. Although the world was tolerant as a whole—when Abyssal Creatures once caused the Magic Disaster, nothing strange happened.

When Zheng Yichen used Prophecy Art, because some of his own power was involved in activating the Prophecy Art, a serious problem arose: external forces couldn’t penetrate the Firewall, but when Zheng Yichen used his own power to penetrate it, it was like actively turning off the Firewall—which wasn’t good for him.

“So, you’re saying… there’s this kind of situation too?” Zheng Yichen looked at his hands. Dan Marina didn’t put it exactly like that—the term Firewall was something he came up with to sum up what Dan Marina said. Seeing how the Threads of Fate couldn’t touch him was the effect of this “Firewall.” Zheng Yichen was also puzzled by the existence of this Firewall.

Before he crossed over, he was just an ordinary person, with no mysterious traits or anything. How did he end up with this thing? He didn’t understand, really didn’t… Ah, forget it. He could figure it out slowly once his power level increased, just like with this Firewall phenomenon on him.

Others couldn’t explain it. Even powerful Humans might be able to explain it, but first they’d need to be aware of the Threads of Fate. Powerful beings could do that, but not in the way Dan Marina could—freely observing them as she wished.

Other Witches would also find it a mind-bending task to look at them.

“Of course! If your body had something extra that wasn’t part of it, and it was alive and jumping around, wouldn’t you care? Even if it was tiny.”

“Depends on what it is.” Zheng Yichen shrugged.

“Alive, capable of growing into a tumor.”

“Then of course, get rid of it while it’s small!”

“That’s exactly your situation. So, be careful. If you need Prophecy Art, just come to me. Using it yourself is just digging your own grave.”

“…Come to think of it, you’re the one who taught me Prophecy Art.”

“And that’s why I regret it! Back then, when you asked out of curiosity, why did I explain it so clearly? Tsk, should I have Irene give you a ‘Black Hole’?”

“Can’t I just not use it casually? Why resort to such a brutal Magic!?” Zheng Yichen remembered Irene’s Mental Magic that was like a black hole very well. Its effect was too brutal—it directly shattered consciousness. Even if Irene could guarantee no problems, surgery on the body was one thing, but surgery on the consciousness? That needed careful thought.

If a body surgery accidentally cut off a bit of flesh or left something behind, it might be uncomfortable but not fatal. But if part of the consciousness suddenly went missing, it could lead to a breakdown!

“Heh~ That’s what many people I’ve met before said. Some things, if you never learn them, you won’t feel anything. But once you learn them, you’ll find that even skills you never want to use will be used at some point later. So, phrases like ‘I’ll never use it often’ or ‘I won’t use it lightly’—don’t believe them.

Once you learn it, you’ll use it eventually. You’re a dragon now, you’ll live a long time. The longer you live, the more times you’ll use it… until something goes wrong.”

“What you’re saying makes it sound like I really need to take one of Irene’s Black Holes?”

“Of course!”

This woman was definitely messing with him. Zheng Yichen stared at Dan Marina with a tense face: “I’ll try my best. In any case, since I’ve learned it, I can’t avoid using it—that I’m sure of. Honestly, Prophecy Art is quite addictive.”

“That’s why the first rule for Prophets is restraint.” Dan Marina shook her head. Those who have never used Prophecy Art don’t know—they just think this Magic is grand and powerful, able to unleash great power with just a few words. But those who have used it know very well: this power is easy to get addicted to.

People who use Prophecy Art get a feeling of ‘being omnipotent’ during the process, so they’re especially prone to using Prophecy Art beyond their limits. Unlike regular Magic, which fails if you exceed your Mana limit or physical endurance, Prophecy Art directly costs lives.

There’s no warning or discomfort.

For example, the simplest cost: lifespan. After casting Prophecy Art, a caster whose hair turns completely white might not even realize it unless someone points it out—except maybe when looking in a mirror later. That’s still a relatively good scenario. If they’re unlucky and exceed their limits even more, they could directly exhaust their body and Soul, leaving no chance to return to the River Styx.

So the ironclad rule for Prophets is restraint. Even if this power makes you feel in control of everything, omnipotent, you must restrain yourself. Never let that ‘mysterious power’ feeling linger… although it’s very enticing.

Ordinary people sometimes get random thoughts like, when seeing a ditch or a rock, ‘I can jump over it,’ ‘I can smash it,’ ‘I can lift it with one hand’—don’t overthink it, it’s just an illusion. When they try to act on it, they might realize at the edge of making a mistake… Oh, actually I can’t.

Then they go back to whatever they were doing.

Prophecy Art is different. This illusion is amplified to an extreme for Prophets, and they won’t clearly realize something’s wrong or that they can’t do it—because there’s no such thing as ‘can’t do it’ with Prophecy Art. Exceed the limit? Then exhaust a bit more. A little exhaustion not enough? Exhaust everything. If even exhausting everything isn’t enough?

Then it’s over.

Dan Marina asked Zheng Yichen about the detailed process of his Prophecy Art use. Fortunately, he had only used Tracking Prophecy Art—this works from the outside in, gathering the Threads of Fate related to the target, then grasping them to track. The Firewall on Zheng Yichen prevented him from grasping them… Hmm, those Threads of Fate wouldn’t carry Zheng Yichen’s power.

If they did, it would mean the Threads of Fate were tainted by Zheng Yichen’s power. Dan Marina had tried this before, and not long ago—just a couple of years back. At that time, she suffered a severe backlash from the Threads of Fate, even getting densely packed fate patterns—that was the backlash from the Power of Fate binding her. The Firewall’s effect prevented Zheng Yichen from grasping those Threads of Fate, so he settled for using some carrying props instead.

This further avoided Zheng Yichen’s contact with the Threads of Fate… so this time, the problem wasn’t big.

“I didn’t feel that strong sensation you mentioned when using Prophecy Art either.” Zheng Yichen raised an eyebrow and asked.

“That’s because you’re not proficient yet, and you used Tracking Prophecy Art—it’s normal for it not to affect you much. Try another type of Prophecy Art, like cursing someone to death, and you’ll realize how intense that feeling can be.”

“Sounds intriguing. Isn’t Prophecy Art just like Word Spirit?”

“Ah~ If you mean the Word Spirit you talked about before, then sort of.” Dan Marina nodded. Prophecy Art could easily overturn rivers and seas—all by speaking or thinking. But one thing must be clarified: Prophecy Art can interfere with the Threads of Fate, but that doesn’t mean Prophecy Art is absolutely related to the Power of Fate. They’re connected, but not directly. Prophecy Art covers a wide range.

But regardless, they all have a clear characteristic: interfering with reality! Interfering with reality beyond the level of ordinary Magic.

“Can I curse a Witch to death now?” Zheng Yichen clicked his tongue and asked.

Dan Marina blinked her beautiful eyes, then said after a while: “Don’t think too much. Your special nature might allow you to injure a Witch… Hmm, maybe even seriously injure one. But cursing one to death? Don’t even think about it. And even injuring one would cost your entire existence. Prophecy Art is convenient—it can make people feel powerful, even omnipotent. However, in most cases, there’s no need to use Prophecy Art.

Why use Prophecy Art to pay a heavier price for something you can easily get with other means?”

“Alright, what you’re saying gives me a clearer understanding of this power…” Zheng Yichen nodded. Dan Marina’s words could be roughly understood like the ‘sweep’ mode in some games: in this mode, you can skip the grinding and clear a stage, but at the cost of extra money or other resources.

In short, it’s not free—you pay a higher price than manual grinding. This price isn’t labor like manual grinding… Basically, Prophecy Art trades long-term costs for immediate convenience! It’s like offering ten years of your life for a million dollars—a one-time deal, immediate payment!

For someone lacking ability, that might seem worthwhile. But for someone with enough ability, it’s a huge loss. Ten years of life for a million dollars? How about ten days? So in many cases, using Prophecy Art is not worth it, even if it’s really convenient. The only time you truly need Prophecy Art is when normal methods fail. Take that ten-years-for-a-million deal: those who can earn it themselves won’t make that trade—only those who can’t will pay that price!

Prophecy Art works similarly: paying a greater price to achieve something normally unachievable… Hmm, that’s one way to describe it. Actually, when casting Prophecy Art, it mainly depends on Mana. Because Prophecy Art trades greater costs for results, Mana consumption is especially severe, easily leading to insufficient Mana even if the caster can easily cast several High-Level Magics.

“I think it’s better if you don’t understand too much.” Dan Marina waved her hand. “The more you understand, the more confident you become, and the more you might feel… using it just a little won’t cause big problems. So, you won’t cause such trouble for me, right?”

“What? Why would I cause trouble for you?”

“If something happens to you, I’d have to help fix it—wouldn’t that be trouble? So, please, don’t let anything go wrong because of Prophecy Art. Other issues you run into are manageable, but this one isn’t something that can be solved on a normal level.”

Although Witches’ Power is strong, against the suppression of the entire world, it doesn’t amount to much.

“I understand.” Zheng Yichen nodded seriously. Dan Marina rarely emphasized something over and over like this. About Prophecy Art, she kept emphasizing it until now, so Zheng Yichen gave up on some ideas he had after using Prophecy Art.

For instance, after experiencing the convenience of this power, Zheng Yichen had thought about creating a real ‘causality’ weapon, like the Piercing Death Thorn Spear in the Magic Weapon Summoning Book—that thing only tracked, it wasn’t truly unavoidable. But Prophecy Art could interfere with the Threads of Fate, meaning once successfully applied, it could achieve true unavoidable ‘causality.’

However, Dan Marina’s additional warnings made Zheng Yichen abandon that idea…

“Good. How about letting me play with that Compass?”

“Here, don’t lose it.” Zheng Yichen took out a Compass from his Personal Space. This Compass pointed inside the Containment Zone. After taking it out, it immediately worked. Then he noticed Dan Marina’s expression change again: “What now?”

“It’s well made.” Dan Marina tossed the Compass in her hand. It firmly pointed in one direction. Upon contact, she could clearly feel the power on the Compass that belonged to her—this power was exactly the same as her own, but no longer belonged to her.

“Is that all? Take your time playing. I’ll deal with things outside first…”

“Actually, you really don’t need to worry too much about Loris.” Seeing Zheng Yichen about to leave, Dan Marina suddenly said.

“…I haven’t adapted to the lifestyle of Longevity Species. It’s not like summer or winter vacation—over a week is already quite long for me.” After saying that, Zheng Yichen left Dan Marina’s single room. After signing another ‘Contract’ with her—now that she was ‘working’ for Zheng Yichen—he could easily come and go here.

People gossiping? What else could an Alchemical Puppet do here anyway?

Switching perspectives, Zheng Yichen in the inn uncomfortably rubbed his head. Indeed, using the Alchemical Avatar too much gave a strange feeling—focusing on one felt more comfortable.

After adjusting his perspective, Zheng Yichen left the inn room, planning to go out and try his luck. The Compass in his hand that was supposed to pinpoint the target spun wildly. Zheng Yichen couldn’t accurately determine where the target was, but he was sure the target was in this Town.

That was enough. Waiting like watching a tree stump for a rabbit wouldn’t be a loss.

Besides, a Derivative Witch in a place where Humans lived would eventually slip up, right? Derivative Witches didn’t seem very intelligent—including the one in the Containment Zone—so others probably weren’t much better, right?

Anyway, he should gather information first. Zheng Yichen rummaged through his Personal Space and pulled out a card, then went to a Bar in the Town. The Bar’s sign bore the emblem of the Purple Vine Guild. Zheng Yichen went straight to the Bar Boss, showed the card Qin had given him, and the Boss immediately led Zheng Yichen to a private room. The room had extra treatments for high confidentiality and could even prevent Magic eavesdropping.

In the private room, after reading the information Qin had replied with, Zheng Yichen closed the Magic Weapon Summoning Book and said to the Madam Proprietress before him: “There’s a Derivative Witch in this Town. I need detailed information about this place from the past week.”

“Derivative Witch?” The Madam Proprietress of the Bar in this Town asked, confused. Qin’s reply had said he could explain the situation in detail to this Madam Proprietress, so Zheng Yichen didn’t hide anything.

“Leftovers after the Undying Witch’s death. The one that captured the dragon before was also one.” Zheng Yichen gave a brief explanation. The Madam Proprietress immediately understood and nodded very seriously.

“I’ll arrange this right away!” She didn’t yet know how strong a Derivative Witch was, but since it carried the name ‘Witch,’ it wasn’t something ordinary people could easily handle. A Witch destroying a Town could be as simple as a snap of the fingers.

Even if Derivative Witches were somewhat weaker than real Witches, maybe it takes two snaps?