It's my turn? Hexia was a bit surprised but didn't think too much of it, probably just drumming up business.
She stepped forward and gave it a little thought, realizing that although her life was occasionally a tad hazy, she didn't have many particular desires, making her a person with very few cravings.
Probably a stable life, with a few friends to socialize with now and then, would be a good life indeed.
"I want to know about my relatives, specifically my father." That old man seemed not so simple, and Hexia was indeed a bit curious about his past.
"Alright, please draw a card," the woman concluded as the cards once again danced in the air, spinning before falling and spreading out on the table.
Hexia pulled out a card and flipped it over.
The card depicted a complex and dark labyrinth with the silhouettes of various monsters visible inside, including a creature with the body of a man and the horns of a bull, as well as a venomous snake spewing flames, and sharp spikes descending from above. Only the lower half of an adventurer could be seen in the image; he wore a brown cloak, with a sword in one hand and a torch in the other, while blood stains remained on the ground, indicating his journey was anything but easy.
""The perilous underground labyrinth," a somewhat complex and hazy card. It signifies that your relative is in a complex and adverse environment, dealing with many dangers. The fact that only half of his figure is shown on the card indicates that your understanding of him may not be complete. Although the bloodstains on the ground imply a difficult environment, they also suggest that he possesses combative abilities and is not without resistance."
This Witch explained the meaning of the card, then looked at the young girl opposite her, probably thinking that Hexia's father might be involved in some dangerous activities.
"It's good that he's still alive." Hexia was surprised by her own indifference, seemingly unshaken by the revelation.
Father was probably such a person, she thought. She couldn't say she disliked him, but it seemed she had little emotional attachment to him, due mainly to the limited time they spent together, though it wasn't for a lack of trying on his part.
Looking back, her father always managed their relationship just right, never being too affectionate with his daughters, nor too cold. It was as if he had anticipated his departure early on and deliberately maintained his affection just at a passing grade.
Old man seems to be no simple soul, Hexia mused. Compared to her purely kind mother, her father was likely someone seasoned in the professional world, someone who distinguished everything very clearly.
The three of them then chatted with the Witch about Divination, satisfying some of their curiosity before bidding farewell.
After the group had left, the Witch tugged at a bell nearby, signaling her companions to temporarily close the divination booth, before she returned to the table where Hexia had drawn her card. In truth, as she divined the girl's fortune, she had begun her own divination process.
The principles of such a secret technique of divination are difficult to explain, even for seasoned Witches who know only the surface and not the underlying principles. Perhaps only the legendary Witches of ancient times truly understood the reasons behind them.
Although it's impossible to predict the future with one hundred percent certainty, a powerful Witch can sense the traces of fate, that is, individuals whose destinies are bound to affect the world. Just now, she felt something special about that gray-haired girl.
Such individuals cannot be divined lightly. It's like a mantis attempting to move a heavy steel chariot - impossible to disrupt or decipher. Only by the person's own pursuit of divination can one glimpse a thread of destiny's course.
Why do sages and wizards from various legends not change the world themselves, but instead support a ruler? That's because knowing and actually doing are two different matters. Additionally, knowledge can weaken resolve; knowing too many shortcuts and methods could prevent one from firmly committing to a path, often resulting in a lack of courage or a desire to flee.
A ruler who, upon realizing the full truth, still chooses to walk the chosen path without the need for any encouragement or consolation, is extremely rare. This not only requires sufficient fortitude but also great strength to support the perseverance of such a will. Otherwise, all is merely empty talk.
"I, Selened, certainly don't believe in the so-called historical view of the masses. Only those legendary heroes are deserving of this genius Witch's support..." She murmured contentedly to herself while critiquing the current online discourse, then gathered the fan of cards spread on the table, flipping them over as a whole.
The card depicted a woman seated on a throne, with one-half of her face submerged in shadow, and the other half exposed. Her demeanor was dignified, with generals and subjects kneeling below her, while the throne behind her was adorned with dark purple roses, and in a nearby shadowy corner lingered the traces of skeletons.
"Ahem..." The Witch felt a tightness in her chest and a sweet taste in her mouth, as trickles of blood seeped out.
She then sat on the ground, leaning against the chair, gasping for air a good while before feeling somewhat better.
"This is the price for peering into the fate of the greats, even though she's barely over 16 years old and hasn't even grown up yet."
She sat resting on the ground for a good while, covering her eyes with the back of her hand, before slowly standing up to tidy up the chaotic cards on the table.
"I really don't know how those ancient Witches dared to do it, maybe because the world wasn't so big back then, being just one planet, so they could divine freely without fear of backlash."
"The human body, the soul of the Sea of Consciousness, the destiny of the Star World, these three are one, interconnected, and the wider the range of people and events involved, the broader the impact and influence, the harder it is to grasp the whole picture. Without a full picture, it's impossible to divine, and forcing the issue can lead to backlash."