Chapter 547: The Prophet

Chapter 547: The Prophet

Sometimes, making a change required just a little bit of courage. Even a tiny bit. Once he acted, Rock found that… he could actually do it. Had he not tried, he would never have known whether he was truly capable or not. After speaking his wish to attend school aloud, a weight lifted from his heart… Those few words, which had felt so heavy for his family, didn’t seem so burdensome once spoken.

He glanced down at the Ring on his finger. It was utterly plain, the kind of thing a beggar wouldn’t bother picking up from the ground. It looked like a simple loop of scrap metal, not even worth half a copper coin!

“Alright then, let’s get ready. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the schoolhouse in Town.” Rock’s father said. In a Town like this, there were no Academies. Academies only existed in the big cities. What Towns had were schoolhouses, far different from real Academies. But for children from ordinary families, the schoolhouse offered a chance to get into an Academy!

If you performed well enough, you could stand out from the schoolhouse when the Academies came recruiting. After all, when Academies sent out recruiters—for efficiency’s sake—their first stop was usually the schoolhouses of Towns and villages, not wandering into a Town to plant a flag and announce ‘XXX Academy is recruiting, come take a test if you have Talent.’ Did they think those tests were free?

Children at the schoolhouse had a better chance to get close to those recruiters, meaning they could potentially get a free test, or maybe a recommendation from their teacher. But again, that was only if the student was outstanding enough!

So, entering the schoolhouse was like finding a good stepping stone. It made entering an Academy much easier than for others. And once you entered an Academy… you had a real shot at becoming a Professional! While some Professionals still didn’t care much about surnames, getting one wasn’t too difficult for a Professional either.

“Hey! Old Rock, your boy’s got good stamina!” At Old Rock’s worksite, some fellow workers watched young Rock bustling around carrying small sacks of goods and teased, “Planning on him following in your footsteps?”

“No, I’m sending him to school.” Old Rock looked at his energetic child, setting down a heavy burlap sack with a faint smile. Seeing his son so strong pleased him. Good stamina meant good health, and good health made becoming a Professional much easier.

A Spellcaster? Old Rock held a sliver of hope, but he knew it was nearly impossible. He’d heard Spellcasters were very particular about Lineage. In common folk’s understanding, only those high-and-mighty Nobles could become Spellcasters. For ordinary people like them, mastering Mana to become a Warrior was already a great achievement. A Spellcaster? That was like winning the grand prize in a lottery—possible, but the odds were just a dream. It would never happen to them.

So, Old Rock’s hopes weren’t that high. His child becoming a Warrior would be truly remarkable…

“School? Old Rock, your family’s condition… well, consider it an attempt.” One of Old Rock’s workmates couldn’t help but shake his head. “After all, your situation is a bit better than ours. You can afford to try it.”

Themselves? Even if Old Rock’s action seemed like leading the way, considering their own family situations, if a child could succeed, it might be worth the cost. But if not? It was just wasted money, possibly making their already tough lives even harder. They didn’t dare to try!

“Father, I finished moving the stuff!” Not long after, Rock came running over, his little face flushed. Old Rock smiled.

“Well done!” The work was recorded by name, so Rock’s labor would be counted. When the day ended, they could collect today’s pay. Would anyone cheat them? With The Church’s people likely staying in Town, who would bother cheating over a few coppers and cause unnecessary trouble? “Go rest for a bit.”

“I’m not tired.” Little Rock shook his head vigorously. “I can carry a lot more!”

“I said rest, so rest. You can work more later!” Old Rock tapped Rock on the head.

“Oh…” Rock nodded, somewhat disappointed, making Old Rock’s workmates chuckle.

“If the boy wants to help so much, let him! Look at mine… all they know is playing all day!”

Old Rock smiled, casting a loving glance at his child without saying more. Sending his child to school had been a big decision. Seeing his child’s attitude now made him happy. His decision… was the right one.

“Hmm, a good kid.” Oro watched the scene from a distance, then turned his gaze toward Zheng Yichen. The Luopan Zheng Yichen always carried was gone. Now he was holding up a sign that read ‘Iron Mouth, Straight Telling’… It gave off a peculiarly strange vibe.

“What does that mean?” Oro’s bodyguard asked.

Oro stroked his Little Moustache, thinking for a moment. “Probably something similar to a Prophet’s Prophecy Art?” He hadn’t seen the term before, but he could guess its meaning. “Let’s go ask.”

He and the bodyguard approached Zheng Yichen. “Sir Connor, what are you…”

“Fortune-telling!”

“Uh? Isn’t using Prophecy Art freely considered a kind of taboo?” Oro couldn’t help but ask. This was common knowledge for Prophets. Using it carelessly meant interfering with more Threads of Fate. Getting tangled in the finer threads wasn’t a big deal, but if they connected to something powerful, it invited disaster. While not all actively provoked Threads of Fate were bad, most weren’t good!

“Taboo is a word only cowards care about!”

“…” Oro scratched his head. Fine, fine. You’re a dragon, you get to be willful. If anyone else said that, a whole crowd would probably come to denounce you. But it sounded so domineering. Weren’t taboos defined as such precisely because people feared certain outcomes? What a dangerous way of thinking!

“I think… this might just be a scam?” Watching Zheng Yichen walk away with a calm, almost mystical stride, the bodyguard said uncertainly.

Oro nodded. Even if Zheng Yichen said that, Oro wasn’t a fool. He probably wouldn’t use Prophecy Art excessively on ordinary people. Overuse didn’t just affect the caster; the target could also be affected. Once certain things were ‘seen,’ they might not unfold as originally intended. “I think we should start investigating the Undying Witch’s legacy issues through ordinary people.”

“Ordinary people? We don’t have enough personnel.” Oro said. Having the knights investigate such things wasn’t ideal either. Not all knights had the relevant experience in dealing with people. Investigation among ordinary folk, if handled poorly, could lead to rumors like, ‘Is this person in trouble? The Church knights are questioning them.’ Even if nothing happened immediately, it could later affect those people’s lives.

So, knights who mainly handled combat were poorly suited for this. As for the people he brought earlier, most were suitable, but there simply weren’t enough of them.

The technical staff in the Investigation Team were also speeding up their checks on various leads. A Witch’s legacy was hard to find. In its hidden state, unless triggered, it wouldn’t reveal any anomalies, which was another major obstacle for the investigation. This wasn’t something mere intelligence could solve alone.

Oro wanted to use his brain to figure out where the Undying Witch’s legacy could be and in what form it existed. But the problem was… too few clues, too little information. Even if he wanted to think and ponder, he had nowhere to start. If he had even the slightest useful clue, he wouldn’t be idling around all day, watching That Dragon mess with all sorts of interesting things.

“So that’s your reason for wandering around aimlessly?” Listening to Oro’s rambling justifications gave the bodyguard a headache.

“What else can I do? I’m helpless too, okay? I also want to resolve this quickly and return to normal life. But we have no substantial information of any kind right now. What am I supposed to think? Should I just make things up in my head? If I could do that, I’d go become a Prophet… Hey! Speaking of which, after the Fate Witch slipped The Church’s control, I heard there’s a bunch of people in The Church who keep complaining how inconvenient things are now, right?”

“…” The bodyguard’s face darkened. He didn’t speak. What Oro said was true. After losing the Fate Witch, some of The Church’s operations had indeed become much less convenient. When she was around, she could precisely Trace or Prophecy many things, making work easy. Without her, it felt like going back to square one, and some people just couldn’t adjust. “Even if you say that, you can’t deny her importance. She truly could play a crucial role right now.”

“That’s certainly true. But when the Fate Witch was ‘obedient’ enough, many people’s ‘use with caution’ attitude was replaced by ‘overuse.’ Whenever they faced difficulties, they’d always look for convenient solutions… Convenience? Hah, while that’s human nature, you have to consider what kind of convenience it is.”

Oro shook his head and continued. “Come to think of it now, this ‘overuse’ of the Fate Witch was likely the precursor to her losing control.”

If they hadn’t relied so heavily on the Fate Witch’s power, letting her get overly involved in various matters, she wouldn’t have been able to quietly make so many preparations undetected by The Church. By the time The Church discovered those preparations, it was already too late. The Fate Witch, using some unique method, successfully tore up the Contract The Church had used to bind her!

Even now, people in The Church were still studying how the Fate Witch managed to break that Contract, which was, for her, the highest-grade restraining agreement possible! The cost of breaking such a Contract, even for a Witch, wouldn’t be low. If she violated it, even if she didn’t die, The Church would have gained the right to execute her without any residual consequences. Even a Witch couldn’t ignore the cost of a Contract.

Yet after breaking it, she continued to live freely and easily, seemingly without paying any heavier price. Many in The Church were racking their brains, unable to figure out what incomprehensible, extraordinary operation this involved!

What the heck? How could that even work? How on earth did she do it?!

The researchers involved were pretty much filled with such thoughts.

“Talking about this now is pointless,” the bodyguard said.

“Yeah, but I just wanted to tell you about it.”

“…” The bodyguard glared at the still-chattering Oro. So, you’re just bored and deliberately trying to annoy people, aren’t you?!

Seeing the bodyguard’s reaction, Oro regretfully shook his head. “Seems our rapport still isn’t enough… I guess I’m really only suited for the single life.”

Ugh!! As if I want to be ‘with’ you! The bodyguard kept a wooden face, expressionlessly staring at Oro. Better to stay quiet now and wait for whatever this guy was going to say next.

Oro pouted, unamused, and went on. “What I mean is, at a time like this, we need the help of a fortune-teller… cough, a Prophet. I already spoke with The Church. A Prophet from The Church should arrive here this afternoon.”

The bodyguard continued to stare expressionlessly at Oro. You went in circles for so long, even dragging the Fate Witch into it, just to say that? Something you could have said directly? You geniuses and your roundabout way of talking? Geez, you’re just making things hard on yourselves!!

“Hey, hey? Don’t look at me like I’m an idiot. We’re quite idle right now. Having a conversation is hard when we can’t find common topics. So, I compromised by discussing important matters while also stretching out the conversation. Like now, see? We’re chatting comfortably, and we’ve covered the main point too.”

“I spit! The only one feeling comfortable is yourself!” The bodyguard shot Oro another glare. If he didn’t have a good temper, he might have long since given in to the urge to beat this guy to death.

“Same difference, same difference. Come on, let’s go sit in the Bar for a bit. We’ll go pick up our guest when it’s time. After all, she’s a Prophet, can’t be rude.”

—

“And this is why you’re ‘receiving’ her reeking of alcohol?” At the Town entrance, a white-haired woman wearing a mask covering half her face stood with her arms crossed, looking at Oro. Even with half her face hidden, the other half revealed she was… quite young.

So what was the point of the half-mask? With Oro’s keen eyes, even half a face was enough for him to picture her full appearance. It was pointless… Well, Prophets generally had their eccentricities. One wearing a half-mask wasn’t too odd.

“Ah~ It was the Bar’s Madam Proprietress, she was so enthusiastic, promoting all sorts of new stock. Couldn’t resist…”

“…” The bodyguard silently raised his head slightly, looking at the sky. You were the one trying to flirt with the Madam Proprietress, actively buying and showing off, you idiot. While looking up, the bodyguard also discreetly observed the newly arrived female Prophet. Young? Anyone who could become a Prophet was no ordinary person. Someone looking young might be centuries old. Judging by appearance alone was far too shallow.

He was just a bit curious… Was she a new recruit to The Church?

“Let’s discuss that later. Is the room ready?”

Oro nodded, making a gesture to lead the way. As he turned his back to the Prophet, his expression didn’t change much, still slightly tipsy, but his mind raced. This was also a little test. Prophets weren’t easy to deal with. What kind of Prophet The Church would send was unknown until she arrived.

From this initial contact, this Prophet seemed to have a decent temper. Overall, it might be possible to get along reasonably well… Hmm, he really didn’t like dealing with Prophets. To put it bluntly, he disliked Prophets!!

Such beings were ‘cheaters’! No matter how meticulously you prepared, if a Prophet was willing to pay the price to Prophecy, even the most careful plans could reveal flaws, or flaws that shouldn’t exist. Simple, crude, and direct. For someone like him who valued intellect highly, it was naturally very unwelcome.

To have all your carefully crafted, intricate, and cleverly layered plans smashed apart by someone using the equivalent of a hammer on a Magic Cube… Who could be happy about that? While you could scheme against Prophets to some extent, as mentioned before, if a Prophet was determined and willing to pay the price, even if you outsmarted them, they could drag you down with them. So, those skilled and fond of scheming and strategy generally didn’t like Prophets!!

Also, one more point had to be mentioned… Prophets were often also skilled in planning and strategy. After all, they could ‘see’ many things. Over time, their skill in that area naturally improved. As for the naïve, clueless kind of Prophet… Well, maybe they existed, but they definitely weren’t common.

Therefore, even from this initial contact, judging that this Prophet seemed relatively easy to get along with—lacking the haughty, nose-in-the-air attitude some Prophets had—one shouldn’t underestimate or think she was easy to handle!

Leading the Prophet to the room prepared for her, she gave the ordinary, standard room a glance and nodded slightly. “A bit plain, but this will do.”

“Nothing else you need?” Oro asked.

“No. Don’t disturb me outside of working hours.” The female Prophet waved her hand, decisively beginning to shoo them away…