Kapitel 190: Chapter 190: A Belated Gift
Chapter 190: A Belated Gift
Alice blinked, unsure why the bartender was laughing so heartily, but she smiled politely in response.
Suddenly, a mix of cheers and curses interrupted their conversation. Alice turned to see that a new round of gambling had just concluded. Without her interference, the results were more typical this time - at least it wasn't the awkward situation where no one won.
Alice observed the gamblers' varied reactions of joy, disappointment, and anger. She was reminded of Warren, who had died from overexcitement earlier. Turning back to the bartender, she asked, "Do you think there are ever any true 'winners' in gambling?"
The bartender chuckled. "Of course there are. Every game has winners and losers. The winners just keep changing."
"No," Alice said softly, "There is someone who always wins."
"Who?" The bartender looked puzzled.
Alice stared at the newly reset gambling cage. "The house never loses."
The bartender was momentarily stunned.
Alice stood up straight and pulled out the 5 soli banknote, sliding it across to the bartender. She spoke slowly:
"Those who get caught up in it, blinded by short-term gains or crushed by temporary losses, letting their emotions be controlled by wins and losses - they're doomed to be gamblers whose fate is controlled by others.
"To be a true 'winner,' you must first understand that both luck and misfortune are merely tools to achieve an end. The final destination of fate is always the same.
"Temporary gains and losses mean nothing. What matters is the ultimate outcome..."
As she felt the feedback from her spirituality, Alice vaguely realized why "Blessed" was followed by "Misfortune Priest." After experiencing incredible luck as the "Blessed," then becoming the occasionally unlucky "Misfortune Priest," one could maintain a calm mindset as a "winner."
...But she hadn't really experienced much bad luck, had she?
Alice pondered briefly, then decided to let it go.
She looked at the still-dazed bartender and said softly, "Thank you."
With that, Alice turned and left.
The effects of the Great Smog incident in Backlund were still ongoing. Besides the large-scale purges of the Aurora Order and Witch Cult, the wandering Beyonders in Backlund were all on edge. For the time being, the usual gatherings of Beyonders likely wouldn't resume.
She wondered how the official investigation was progressing, and if they had discovered anything about Klein's identity... Though even if they had, it probably wouldn't matter much for now. They likely hadn't.
It was the people he knew who were more likely to be affected...
Alice shook her head, remembering something else.
Come to think of it, with no suitable Beyonder gatherings to spread the word, would she be unable to circulate the phrase "A witch's flavor is quite nice" for now?
Alice felt a wave of disappointment.
As Klein sampled merfolk cuisine on the high seas, Derrick Berg was seeking the right opportunity to perform a ritual.
After returning to the Silver City, he and the Chief, along with other team members, went through the usual quarantine before regaining freedom of movement.
He was certain the surveillance on him had been lifted. Now he just needed to find the right moment to deliver that belated package.
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, daily life was quite boring. Besides playing cards with himself, Amon's only pastime was wandering around.
"Hm?" Amon suddenly stopped, frowning as he looked in a certain direction.
It was towards the Silver City...
He took a step forward, but his figure vanished, reappearing at a crude ritual site.
Without a doubt, a ritual requesting bestowal had just been performed here. The ritual performer hadn't even gone far.
Amon glanced at the still-visible silhouette but had no intention of pursuing. Instead, he looked with interest at the avatar he had lost contact with.
His lips slowly curved into a smile as he reached out. A familiar bottle appeared in his hand.
This seemed to be the bottle he had used to contain that "Provocateur" potion...
Amon curiously pulled out the cork and poured out two rolled-up pieces of paper. He unfolded them—and fell into deep thought.
What Amon saw first was actually the drawing. It was a picture that shocked, bewildered, and confused him.
...Are humans these days really so bold?
Amon laughed as if recalling something amusing. With a kind of anticipation incomprehensible to ordinary people, he opened the letter.
The very first line made Amon raise an eyebrow and adjust his monocle.
Setting aside Alice's introduction to message bottles at the end of the letter, after reading it, Amon looked at the "gift" in his hand and fell into contemplation.
"Next time, I should try force-feeding her the potion..." Amon muttered. But he didn't destroy the drawing. Instead, he rolled it up as before and stuffed it back into the bottle.
Then the bottle, along with the drawing, vanished without a trace, leaving only the letter in Amon's hand.
He looked at the provocative letter with an enigmatic smile, then suddenly burst into laughter.
When the laughter faded, he looked at the paper quizzically and asked, "But why didn't you just send it to me directly through a sacrificial ritual?"
Amon gazed thoughtfully at the avatar on the ground, then vanished along with it.
Alice jumped down from the carriage and gaped at the luxurious villa before her, exclaiming "Wow!" in an unsophisticated manner.
After presenting her invitation, she successfully passed the guards and was led into the villa by a maid.
At first, Alice curiously examined the villa's interior decor, peering at various novel devices. But after walking through five corridors, she finally asked in exasperation:
"How much further?"
The maid's answer was earnest yet evasive, essentially amounting to: "Almost there."
After extracting the key information from that long-winded response, Alice fell silent for a moment. She told herself "We've come this far" and continued following.
After her social debut, although Audrey hadn't held any parties, she hadn't forgotten about Alice.
So when Audrey finally met Alice, she was greeted by a resentful expression.
Once she had controlled her expression and dismissed the maids, she indeed heard Alice's unrestrained complaint: "Why is your house so big?"
Audrey turned around smoothly, smiling as she asked, "How long did you walk?"
"No idea," Alice stood in place, longingly eyeing a chair, then looking pitifully at Audrey.
This successfully startled Audrey, who had assumed Alice would sit down on her own.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein