The witch's crystal ball.
This was an item Li An had confiscated during a crackdown on illegal street vendors back when he was still a section chief in the Evaluation Department.
At the time, to prove someone's corruption, he had deliberately and openly displayed this crystal ball in his office.
Yet, surprisingly, no one paid any attention to it at all.
In the end, the crystal ball gradually became nothing more than an eyesore of an ornament in his office.
Li An had even considered throwing it away.
But upon second thought, it actually made for a decent decoration, so he ended up keeping it.
Until today.
Seeing the Cloud Dragon suddenly use an orb for divination made him remember the existence of this crystal ball.
“Will the empire truly fall?”
“Such foolish humans.”
“Let me look into the future then.”
“I shall establish a new covenant with the empire!”
“I, who bring rain and mist, will guard the empire for a thousand years!”
What on earth did the Cloud Dragon see?
What exactly was that future it witnessed?
Of course, unless one was a witch, it was impossible to perform real divination even with a crystal ball.
But Li An was very confident.
The reason was simple.
He had just bought a book on how to use a crystal ball from the market yesterday.
In truth, Li An had never believed in divination before.
But...
When a giant dragon suddenly descended from the sky, pulled out an orb, and predicted the future, what else was he supposed to do?
He could only choose to believe.
According to the instructions in the book:
First, clean the crystal ball.
Second, concentrate, think of the question you want to ask, and then say it out loud.
Third, if the answer is yes, the crystal ball will turn blue. If the answer is no, it will turn red.
Fourth, if you wish to perform more complex, advanced divination, please head to the Witch Forest and seek out Alynia.
Author: Alynia.
Editor: Alynia.
Although the book looked like cheap street trash no matter how he sliced it, since he had already bought it, he might as well not let it go to waste.
Li An followed the steps in the book and carefully wiped the crystal ball.
However...
Perhaps because it had gone unused for so long, the originally pristine white cloth turned pitch black after wiping.
“...”
The corner of Li An's mouth twitched.
“Just how long has it been since anyone touched this thing?”
Right then,
Buzz!
The crystal ball suddenly began to vibrate.
“Holy crap!”
Li An gasped in surprise. He was so startled that he blurted out the expletive on instinct.
The crystal ball shook continuously, as if venting its resentment at being forgotten for so long.
But at least he could confirm one thing: this item still worked.
Li An followed the book's procedure, closing his eyes, concentrating, and then speaking a question he had pondered for a long time.
“As long as I live, the empire won't be destroyed, right?”
The moment the words left his mouth, the crystal ball lit up.
A blue light flashed with wild intensity.
It was so dazzling that Li An seriously wondered if he should have put on a pair of blue-light blocking glasses.
“...”
Li An slowly sat back down.
In the end, the Cloud Dragon's divination coupled with the crystal ball's divination—the two results corroborating each other—completely shattered his understanding.
As long as he was alive, the empire wouldn't be destroyed?
Then what on earth had he been working so hard for all this time?
This feeling was just like someone who thought they had discovered a rare ginseng root, only to pull it out and find it was just a common radish.
However, Li An still had one more question.
“If I resign now, will I succeed?”
Three seconds passed.
The crystal ball, which had just been glowing with blue light, turned red without mercy.
“...”
Li An fell silent.
“Will I still be able to slack off at work in the future?”
There was no response.
“Is it broken?”
He tapped the crystal ball, but it still didn't change.
Li An thought for a moment.
“Isha's true identity is the Third Princess of the empire, Elizabeth. Did she join the Evaluation Department with some other purpose?”
The crystal ball turned blue once more.
“...”
Just as he suspected. This woman was indeed not simple.
Li An took a deep breath and finally asked the most crucial question.
“Can I escape the empire?”
Crack!
In the next second, the crystal ball suddenly split in half.
Its color also faded into a dull gray.
Li An shook the crystal ball frantically.
But the three-year-old crystal ball had completely lost all life.
This forced Li An to go meet the author of the book—Alynia.
“An esteemed guest is here!”
“A guest has arrived!”
A group of little girls wearing pointed hats gathered around Li An.
Their cute appearances were highly deceptive, for inside these little girls' bodies lived witches who had existed for hundreds of years.
That was right.
Taking advantage of his vacation, Li An had traveled to the legendary Witch Forest.
The location of the Witch Forest was always kept as a top-secret matter by the empire.
As for how he found out?
It was very simple.
It was written in the book he had bought by chance.
It had even thoughtfully included a map.
“I am Li An.”
“I am looking for Alynia.”
“Are you here to visit the Grand Witch?”
The little witches grew excited.
“The Grand Witch?”
Li An asked in puzzlement.
Amusingly, the little witches ran ahead with giggles, then turned back to wave at him.
“This way!”
“This way!”
Li An followed them, filled with confusion.
In the next moment, the barren swamp suddenly transformed.
Green grass emerged and flowers bloomed.
In the blink of an eye, the wasteland turned into a sea of flowers.
And in the middle of this sea of flowers stood a small wooden cabin.
“Go on in!”
“Tell Alynia that we brought you!”
“She'll definitely praise us!”
“Thank you.”
Li An climbed the wooden cabin's steps and pushed open the door.
Inside sat a black-haired woman.
She possessed long hair that cascaded down to her waist, sitting quietly on a wooden chair.
“Long time no see,” the woman said. “My esteemed guest.”
Li An froze for a moment.
“Long time no see?”
“This should be our first time meeting, right?”
“Have a seat first,” Alynia smiled. “I imagine you have many questions.”
Li An sat down with a puzzled look and pulled out the book.
“This book...”
“You wrote it, right?”
Alynia narrowed her eyes, then chuckled.
“That's right.”
“It was just a joke I wrote during my spare time. I didn't expect it to spread so far.”
“Perhaps this is fate.”
Li An frowned.
“So everything in the book is fake?”
“No.”
“Yes and no,” Alynia shook her head.
“Even if an ordinary person followed the instructions in this book, they wouldn't be able to achieve their goal.”
“The reason your desire could be realized is that the power within you is too strong.”
Li An narrowed his eyes.
This witch actually knew his name.
Moreover, he had a nagging feeling that he had seen her somewhere before.
“Never mind that for now.”
“My crystal ball broke.”
“I wanted to ask, do items sold by witches come with after-sales service?”
“...”
Alynia was stunned.
“What did you say?”
“The crystal ball broke?”
Li An opened his bundle.
Inside was the crystal ball, split cleanly in half.
Alynia's eyes widened instantly.
“Impossible...”
“My crystal ball...”
“How could it break?”
“‘My’ crystal ball?”
Li An caught the phrasing.
“You said 'my' crystal ball?”
His suspicion grew deeper and deeper.
Alynia quickly looked away.
“Staring at someone so suddenly is quite embarrassing.”
“I've heard that a witch's age can never be trusted.”
“Could you be the street vendor who was selling counterfeit goods back then?”
“I'm not! I've never sold things on the streets of the empire!” Alynia denied immediately.
Li An spoke flatly.
“Did I ever say it was on the streets of the empire?”
“I... I... I was just guessing! Yes! Just guessing!”
“Really?”
With suspicion written all over his face, Li An suddenly blurted out, “Look! Elizabeth!”
“Aaaaah!” Alynia instantly lost her composure. “You tricked me!”
Li An confirmed it.
Not only did she run an illegal stall selling fake goods on the streets of the empire, but she also distributed defective crystal balls and even lured him to the Witch Forest.
This was no longer a common crime.
A heavy-handed crackdown was absolutely necessary.
“Please.”
“Don't call me by that name anymore...” Alynia said in a low voice.
“I'll tell you everything.”
“Then tell me.”
“How do I escape the empire?”
“All right,” Alynia nodded.
She retrieved another crystal ball from the corner of the wooden cabin.
And began her divination.
“I will tell you.”
“The method to escape the empire.”
“Make it quick.”
“Ah!”
A crack suddenly split across the crystal ball.
Alynia's expression changed dramatically.
She hurriedly cradled the crystal ball, chanting an incantation, as cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
“Why are you so nervous?” Li An asked in confusion.
“Do you really, absolutely have to escape the empire?”
“Then tell me:”
“If I stay, what will happen?”
Alynia began her divination once more.
After a moment.
She opened her eyes.
Her tone was calm.
“Escape.”
“You must escape.”
“What exactly did you see?” Li An asked.
Alynia was silent for a moment.
“The future is not absolute.”
“Even a tiny change can alter what is to come.”
“But...”
“The more powerful a witch is, the more possibilities of the future she can perceive.”
She looked at Li An.
“I have found the only way for you to escape the empire.”
“What is it?”
“Save the emperor.”
Li An froze.
“How do I save him?”
“I don't know,” Alynia shook her head.
“But one thing is certain.”
“The longer the emperor lives, the higher the probability of you escaping the empire becomes.”
Save the emperor?
That old man whose survival past tomorrow was a daily question?
Li An fell into deep thought.
“Do you know of any elixirs of life or anything similar?”
“I have plenty of money.”
Alynia smiled bitterly.
“If there were such a thing, I would have drunk it myself.”
“However...”
“The emperor is currently taking massive amounts of medication to sustain his life.”
“...”
She suddenly stopped.
“Please pretend I didn't say anything.”
Li An's gaze shifted.
“That is even more suspicious.”
“Is that enough help?” Alynia asked.
“Yes,” Li An nodded.
“Then, farewell.”
“Honored one.”
Ah, right.
Li An suddenly remembered.
“Those little witches wanted me to tell you that they were the ones who brought me here.”
“Those girls...”
Alynia looked into the distance, a complex expression in her eyes.
Li An figured she probably needed some privacy, so he stepped out of the wooden cabin.
Save the emperor.
The emperor...
Li An pondered as he walked.
Even if the empire wouldn't fall, many of its high-ranking officials would still be purged.
Among those who ended up in Zarat Prison, who was to say his turn wouldn't come in the future?
Just then, he saw the little witches from before.
They were gathered around a motionless flying beast.
“Are you satisfied with the divination service?”
“Satisfied?”
“Our consultant has a very good attitude.”
Li An: “...”
One of the shorter little witches picked a flower and handed it to Li An, just like a restaurant giving out mints after a meal.
“Come again next time!”
“Remember to come back!”
Li An looked at the flower in his hand.
This trip to the Witch Forest could be considered a bit of a harvest after all.
Meanwhile, Serena bit her fingernails.
No matter how she looked at it, she felt like she had missed a massive opportunity.
That man, Li An Adolf.
She had clearly worked so hard.
To get close to him, she had even taken time out of her busy schedule to attend that matchmaking party.
But there was only one reason for her failure.
Kane and Elizabeth had already gotten close to Li An ahead of her.
She was a step too late.
“Sigh...”
Late was late. She just had to accept reality.
She still had the viscounts and counts. If they united, they could form a force that was not to be underestimated.
Afterward...
Though she was highly unwilling and found even the thought of it troublesome, she might still have to cooperate with Elizabeth to keep the Crown Prince in check.
As for Li An...
He seemed decent on the surface, but in reality, there was definitely something wrong with him internally.
No matter how she looked at him, he was just a guy with no goals who ran around causing chaos.
“Workaholic.”
“A boring man who only knows how to work and doesn't understand art.”
“What does he know about art anyway?”
“I would never like a man like him.”
Serena nodded earnestly.
She was firmly convinced of her judgment.
After all, as a subordinate, Li An was indeed exceptionally outstanding.
But as a member of the opposite sex...
He was absolutely a no-go.
Three days later, Serena discovered something.
The man known as the “Prince of the Night”... was actually Li An Adolf.
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