Millennium Witch

Book 3: Chapter 269: The Answer Is Obvious

In the standalone hot spring courtyard at the deepest part of Snowmist Lodge, billowing white steam drifted through the yard like gauzy veils. Shuanghua had most of her body submerged in the spring, only half her head above the water. Her snow-white hair fanned out evenly across the surface, like a frozen pattern of ice blossoms, gently rippling.Just as Yvette had guessed who she was the instant she saw her, the very next second Shuanghua saw Yvette, she also came back to her senses and realized who that mysterious missionary was.

And then she was hit with the feeling of having been caught red-handed in the act of secretly copying someone else’s technique. She might have looked very calm and unhurried when she left, but from her own point of view, that had basically been a panicked retreat.

Afterward, she returned to Snowmist Lodge for the first time in a long while. Only after soaking in the hot spring for a while did her mood slowly settle, and she began reflecting on how what she’d just done really hadn’t been very appropriate.

She probably hadn’t needed to run.

If anything, walking away without saying a word like that was what was really rude to the Silver Witch’s blessed apostle.

So what was she supposed to do next?

She was turning it over in her mind when she heard a knock at the door.

She didn’t need any detection spell to know immediately who it was.

Just picturing the scene that was about to unfold made the rest of her face sink below the surface of the spring as well, leaving only bubbles gurgling up, which, combined with the thick mist all around, made her look like a pot of water that had come to a rolling boil.

Ten minutes later, inside the courtyard house.

Snow pine logs were burning bright in the fireplace, orange-red flames dancing and casting their warmth across the thick plush carpet. Yvette and Shuanghua sat facing each other across a small table of ebony. On the table were two cups of steaming mint tea, their cool, clean scent spreading through the air.

Shuanghua sat up straight, both hands properly folded on her knees, her wet white hair still dripping.

She assumed Yvette was here to question her. It wasn’t something she couldn’t talk about, but to her it still carried a faint, subtle embarrassment.

After all, that day she’d put on such a calm, unflustered front about spreading the Silver Witch’s faith. Looking at it now, she’d been more than a little overconfident.

Then she heard Yvette speak first. “Shuanghua, that person on the Snowfields earlier—that was you, wasn’t it?”

Shuanghua quietly watched the mint leaves floating in her cup. After a moment, she gave a small nod.

“You’re the Snow Priestess?”

She hesitated, then nodded.

“You’re a messenger of the Snow Emperor?”

She hesitated longer, then nodded.

“The Snow Emperor truly allows you to spread the faith of the Silver Witch?”

She nodded straight away.

Yvette was silent for a while, then said, “I want to meet the Snow Emperor. Can you help me?”

As soon as the words fell, emotion finally showed, rare and obvious, in Shuanghua’s normally expressionless blue eyes. Her long white lashes trembled lightly; she seemed very taken aback by Yvette’s sudden request.

She didn’t answer. A thicker silence spread through the room. Only after who knew how long, as the night grew deeper, did Shuanghua seem to gather her courage and say softly, “I can.”

She actually could? Yvette’s opinion of her rose, and she showed a faint smile. “When?”

“Now.”

“Now?”

Yvette wondered if the Snow Emperor was planning on a direct Divine Descent. But He didn’t seem to collect faith-element either.

“When will He descend?” she asked.

“He’s already here.”

“Where?”

“Right here.” Shuanghua extended a slender, pale finger and tapped her own head, then, in a voice a little lacking in confidence, murmured, “That’s me.”

Yvette had imagined the Snow Emperor in many ways. She didn’t know His gender, but as one of the continent’s well-known Five Great Righteous Gods, the Snow Emperor ought to be a very lofty, very dignified figure—otherwise, how could He be called a god?

But looking at the white-haired girl in front of her—mysterious, yet also somewhat withdrawn and introverted, and honestly even a little easy to bully—she found it very hard to connect this person with the god who had protected the Snow Country for four hundred years and was worshiped by millions.

The disconnect in style was just too huge. Her posture in the mental realm actually felt more godlike than this.

“You’re the Snow Emperor?” After a long silence, Yvette fixed her with a measuring look, carefully studying her, making a final confirmation.

Shuanghua nodded lightly, nerves taut. Thanks to the Snow Emperor Temple’s efforts, the Snow Emperor’s image among the people had always been that of a guardian who was both kind and dignified, yet steady and dependable. She had no idea what her believers would think if they one day learned that the real Snow Emperor was actually like this. Maybe the spiritual pillar they’d had since childhood would completely collapse on the spot.

Normally, that would never happen, because her invisibility magic was a divine spell taught to her by her teacher, the God of Truth and Magic. Without resorting to special means, no one could see through it. But now her grandmaster had shown up—and had even taught his blessed apostle how to pierce this disguise. After this, she might not be able to rely on it anymore.

“Do you have a divine realm?” Yvette asked.

“Mm.”

“Take me inside.”

“Alright.”

Very soon, white light spread out from Shuanghua as the center, forming a circular halo about two meters across that enveloped Yvette as well.

When she next came back to herself, Yvette realized she was standing atop a snowy peak. Everything around her was a blur of white; dense cold mist shrouded all, and she could only vaguely make out the outlines of other peaks in the distance.

Lifting her head, she saw countless fine snowflakes falling like powdered sugar, and even the sky was a pure, seamless white.

Yvette released her spiritual power, probing the environment of this divine realm.

This was her first time calmly and deliberately probing a divine realm like this. She had only ever entered two domains before: the dark domain of the Shadow King Vermeis, and Tertia’s knowledge divine realm. But out of caution toward such unknown abilities, she hadn’t been able to study either of them as seriously as she was doing now.

Under her inspection, she discovered that Shuanghua’s divine realm was much smaller than Tertia’s—only a little over ten kilometers in radius at most, whereas Tertia’s had to be at least sixty or seventy kilometers across, bare minimum.

As for Vermeis’s, she didn’t know. His domain’s information-screening ability had been too strong, and back then, when Yvette first ran into that kind of mechanism, she’d bolted without doing any real probing. Just going off her impressions, though, it definitely wasn’t weaker than Shuanghua’s.

From this, it was clear that Shuanghua’s divine realm was probably the smallest one she’d ever seen.

“You really are the Snow Emperor.” Yvette stretched out her hand, letting the crystalline snowflakes land in her palm and melt into droplets.

To make it easier for her to sit, Shuanghua had thoughtfully brought the furniture in with them when she pulled them into the realm.

That gave Yvette a faint flash of understanding. She suspected that all the décor in this realm was probably stuff Shuanghua had carried in from the outside as well.

Shuanghua gave a quiet “mm” and watched her in silence.

Even after revealing her status as a lofty god, the plain-looking, short-haired, chestnut-haired girl across from her didn’t show a hint of nervousness or trembling. To her, gods seemed like beings she could speak to as an equal, neither servile nor overbearing.

That composure and bearing surprised Shuanghua. She thought, no wonder her grandmaster had chosen this apostle.

If only she herself had a heart that strong.

Then she heard Yvette say, “Shuanghua, you’re Rosalyn’s student, aren’t you?”

In the legends of the Snow Emperor, it was only said that the Snow Emperor had inherited the Legendary Mage’s will to protect the world. The relationship between the two had never been spelled out.

But it wasn’t hard to guess.

Shuanghua gave the tiniest nod. Stray flakes settled in her hair and fused seamlessly with her crystalline white strands, making it impossible to tell them apart.

“In that case, that’s wonderful.” Yvette smiled, then dispelled her Light-and-Shadow Magic, revealing her true form—silver hair and red eyes, her face stunningly beautiful.

Shuanghua stared blankly at the girl before her, losing herself for a moment.

She recalled some of the ways her teacher had once described her grandmaster.

There was no need for any introductions. Just that hair, shining brighter than snow; those gemstone-dark red eyes; and that matchless, peerless face—the answer was already obvious.

The God of Serendipity, the Silver Witch!

Her grandmaster had really walked out of the Land of Finality, descended into the mortal world—and had been right here at her side all along!