Veraka, holding a lantern, led him to a tall tower in the corner of the palace. The tower had been abandoned for years, its entrance overgrown with wild weeds. Dust choked the air as they stepped inside.
A maid beside them softly explained, “This was the queen’s favorite place for divination.”
Veraka murmured, “Really?”
The first floor of the tower was a vast, empty hall, its walls adorned with massive oil paintings.
A thick carpet lined the spiral staircase leading upward. Veraka lifted her skirt, her high heels clicking against the steps as she climbed. In the hollow, narrow space, only their footsteps echoed.
The stairs coiled upwards in a spiral. Raindrops drifted through the small square windows, filling the air with dampness and cold. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and the oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.
The demonic vine shivered and shrank, trembling its leaves, while Lin Jing held the flower pot in silence. Reaching the top floor, they found themselves in front of a grand and ornate door.
The door wasn’t locked, and intricate carvings of blooming roses adorned its surface.
Veraka grasped the handle and naturally pushed the door open.
The place the Queen used for divination was simple, without any unnecessary furnishings, with only a large mirror placed by the window.
Outside, dark clouds loomed, and rain poured heavily. The lantern Veraka held flickered in the wind and rain, but her expression was full of excitement. She walked to the very center of the tower, squatted down, and said with an eerie smile, “This is a great place. Let’s summon the witch here and wish for my little princess’s happiness and well-being. Perhaps even my sister in heaven will see it.”
She turned her head, her blue eyes reflecting the candlelight with infinite tenderness. “Mirror, what do you think?”
Lin Jing returned a sweet and innocent smile. “I think it’s perfect.”
In Eberon, rain and snow always arrived with equal intensity.
This rain seemed like it would last for days. As Veraka busied herself with summoning the witch, Lin Jing continued tending to the demonic vine. Day after day, watered with his blood, the vine quietly began to bloom—tiny blood-red flowers, scattered across the green vines, looking particularly beautiful.
At this crucial moment when the demonic vine was about to bear fruit, the little princess appeared again, frowning. “Mirror, now that it’s blooming, stop watering it with blood.”
Lin Jing, who had grown attached to the plant after carrying it everywhere, asked curiously, “Why?”
The little princess replied, “It’s had enough. From now on, just use water. Too much blood will drive it into a frenzy and cause problems.”
“I see. Alright.”
Lin Jing poked the little vine’s leaves with his fingernail, and as if it had a mind of its own, the leaves gently pressed back against his finger, clinging to it affectionately.
Lin Jing couldn’t help but laugh. It was kind of cute.
The little princess thought for a moment, then tilted her head and asked, “Mirror, once you get the fruit, will you be leaving?”
Lin Jing twirled a leaf between his fingers, pausing for a moment before replying, “Not necessarily. My way back is a bit complicated.”
The little princess was momentarily stunned.
Lin Jing smiled. “I might still need Veraka’s help.”
The little princess remained calm. “Can’t I help?”
Lin Jing lowered his gaze, looking at her seriously. After a long silence, he sighed, then smiled and ruffled her hair. “Of course you can. You’re blessed by the gods—you can do anything. I just don’t want to trouble you.”
Lin Jing’s thoughts were simple.
The three letters from the princess had left too deep an impression on him. Since he was destined to leave, he should limit his interactions with her as much as possible.
Besides, he had a feeling that Veraka summoning the witch was a huge trap.
In Eberon’s legends, the witch became furious and made the thorns wound the princess after she fled back to the castle.
Yet until now, he hadn’t seen the witch in the forest.
What if the witch was actually summoned by Veraka? And later, she wounded Rossi?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Lin Jing’s thoughts came to a halt. He looked down again at the little princess.
Her golden-white hair framed a face as delicate as a rose, and her clear, mesmerizing eyes quietly gazed back at him.
Lin Jing was momentarily dazed. Even though he knew fate could not be reversed, he still bent down and said to her, “Rossi, tomorrow and the day after, don’t go outside. No matter what happens, stay in your room.”
The little princess, always intelligent, looked at him with a hint of doubt and softly asked, “What’s going to happen tomorrow and the day after?”
Lin Jing tried to scare her. “An evil witch will appear and snatch you away to eat you.”
The little princess chuckled softly, her voice calm. “Mirror, I’m not afraid of witches.”
Lin Jing continued the scare tactic. “That’s because you’ve never seen one. Witches have faces covered in bugs, gaping mouths full of blood, and anyone who sees them will die of fright.”
The little princess continued smiling. “That’s not true, M. Witches don’t look like that.”
Lin Jing: “Then what do they look like?”
The little princess shook her head. “I don’t know, but they don’t look like what M said.”
After the little princess left, the rat finally emerged and muttered, “What do you think Veraka is actually trying to do by summoning the witch?”
Lin Jing said in a low voice, “I’m more curious about how she has a gem identical to the ‘Heart of the Rose’ on the king’s crown.”
The two exchanged glances. Lin Jing retrieved the crown and, without hesitation, pried out the red gem from the golden vines holding it in place.
The next day, the rain had eased a little. Lin Jing made a request to a maid and visited a jewelry store in Eberon.
The shop was located at the end of a street near the square.
The store owner, dressed in luxurious clothing, greeted him, “How may I help you, miss?”
Lin Jing placed the gem on the table and asked, “Sir, I’d like to know, can you make a gem like this?”
The owner was momentarily stunned. He reached out to take the gem, marveling, “Of course we can. But this is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful red gemstone.”
Lin Jing was taken aback. “Could you explain that?”
The owner looked confused. “Explain what?”
Lin Jing nodded slightly, holding the flower pot and smiling. “I saw someone else with an identical gem, and I found it strange.”
The owner gave her another surprised look and said, “Miss, you’re not from Eberon, are you? Do you know that the ‘Heart of the Rose’ on the king’s crown is exactly this kind of red glass gem? Many people in the city have tried to imitate it, so it’s not unusual to see a duplicate.”
Lin Jing: “???”
The owner shook his head again. “The ‘Heart of the Rose’ was just an ordinary red glass gem. Its value only comes from being blessed by the gods.”
“Blessed?”
Lin Jing picked up on something and cautiously asked, “Sir, how did the ‘Heart of the Rose’ on the king’s crown come to be?”
The owner replied, “It was taken from the right eye of the statue.”
Lin Jing: “And where did the statue’s right eye come from?”
The owner couldn’t answer.
Finally, he stammered, “It was probably a gift from the gods.”
The carriage rolled over the uneven roads of the square, shaking and bumping along. The rain continued to pour, blanketing the entire city in a heavy, gray oppression.
Lin Jing lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. The statue in the square was veiled by the rain, and the pigeons had all taken shelter under the church eaves.
The rat said, “Jinzi, I think the Heart of the Rose might have already been carried away by a pigeon.”
Lin Jing replied, “Yeah, a pigeon took it away, and it never came back. The king, to maintain appearances, replaced it with another gem on his crown.”
So, it was all fake.
The rat hesitated. “…Then isn’t this a dead end?”
Lin Jing reattached the Heart of the Rose to the crown. After a long silence, he softly told the rat, “Rat, this game is role-playing.”
The rat was confused. “Yeah, and I’m still a rat, aren’t I? What’s wrong? You got an idea?”
Lin Jing said, “Role-playing has story progression points.”
The rat scratched his head. “Yeah, that’s true. I stuck with you from the beginning just to ride along for some story points.”
Lin Jing lowered his head. “But now, we’re treating this entirely as an adventure mode.”
The rat was speechless. That was true.
Lin Jing curled his lips into a smirk. “You know what I initially envisioned the story to be? A world-shaking love triangle—Christine falling for Cyril, but Cyril deeply loving the princess. Christine’s character setting is kind and innocent, so sacrificing himself to save the princess so that Cyril wouldn’t be heartbroken would be perfectly logical, right?”
The rat: “…”
Logical. Heart-wrenching.
Lin Jing thought about it for a long time but couldn’t figure anything out, so he gave up. “Forget it. Let’s see what surprises our mysterious Veraka has in store for us.”
“**”*
The vine grew larger and larger, already covering the flower pot. After the flower withered, a small purple fruit formed on the stem.
On the third day, the sky was black with ink-like rain, and lightning tore through the clouds. Veraka approached him along the long palace corridor, holding an umbrella. Her face carried an excited smile. “Mirror, I’ve almost completed the formation. Tomorrow, could I invite you to witness it with me at the tower?”
Lin Jing had no reason to refuse. “Of course.”
Veraka grasped his hand, seemingly genuinely grateful. “Thank you.”
Lin Jing played along, withdrawing his hand. “No need to be so polite.”
Veraka reached out and touched the tiny fruit, bending over slightly. Her bright eyes sparkled like stars. “Wow, this little one is growing so fast.”
Lin Jing lowered his gaze. “Yeah, at this rate, the fruit should ripen after tonight.”
Ever since the queen’s death, summoning a witch in Eberon had become forbidden magic. But in Pals, it was considered the closest way to reach the divine.
Summoning a witch and making a wish required a price—either life or a soul in exchange.
Veraka was writing letters, dipping a quill into ink, addressing them to her father and mother.
From her words, Lin Jing caught a piece of history from the Pals royal court. A story about an unloved illegitimate daughter who was cared for and doted on by her gentle and kind older sister. To Veraka, the former queen was the light of her life. And for her sister’s only child, she was willing to give everything to ensure her happiness.
She wrote as she cried, and in the end, she collapsed onto the desk, sobbing uncontrollably.
Lin Jing, holding his flower pot, quietly watched her. His curled hair cascaded down, his white dress trailing on the floor. Standing in the corner, he looked like the gentle goddess of the moon, Diana.
Veraka covered her reddened eyes. “Sorry, M. I wasn’t ready for this. I need time to adjust my emotions.”
Lin Jing said gently, “It’s okay.”
When he stepped outside, a bolt of lightning struck the palace’s pointed arches, illuminating the puddles on the ground. The rain battered the roses, scattering their petals into the flowing water.
The rat shivered. “Where are we going now?”
Lin Jing looked up, gazing at the high tower. “To check out her formation.”
But as he walked through the corridor with his umbrella, he unexpectedly encountered Rossi.
Rossi was bending down to pick up a white rose. Her golden hair fell forward, gleaming with a silver sheen under the rain mist. Her luxurious gown was adorned with scattered diamonds. A maid stood beside her, holding an umbrella.
Her wrists were especially thin and pale, with faint blue veins barely visible beneath her skin.
Her expression was cold and distant as she picked up the white rose and looked up at Lin Jing without a hint of surprise.
Through the rain, their eyes met.
Lin Jing paused, then smiled as if coaxing a child. “Didn’t I tell you not to wander around for the next two days? Aren’t you afraid the witch will gobble you up?”
The little princess looked at him quietly and asked, “M, where are you going?”
Lin Jing hesitated for a second, then joked, “Hmm… I’m going to defeat the witch and protect you.”
The little princess had always been easy to fool. She tilted her head up. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
Lin Jing was taken aback. “No.”
The little princess softly asked, “Will you ever come back?”
Lin Jing didn’t answer. Holding his flower pot, he met her gaze. After a long moment, he let out a sigh, reached out, and gently ruffled her hair. “Of course. I like Rossi so much; I’ll definitely come back.”
The little princess smiled. Her eyes curved slightly, but there was no warmth in them, like an unmelted snowy mountain.
“Mirror, you know… you’re not very good at lying.”
Lin Jing froze.
The little princess’s voice was hoarse. “You’ve never successfully deceived me, not even once. Not since that glass bead. And yet, you keep trying to lie to me.”
“You don’t have a little sister.”
“You don’t like Eberon.”
“And even your identity, appearance, and name—they’re all fake.”
Her gaze was calm, a pure shade of pale blue woven with silver light. She seemed to smile slightly and whispered, “Actually, whether you like something or not—you can’t fake that either.”
Boom—lightning split the sky.
At that moment, Lin Jing felt the coldness of the rain seep deep into his bones.
But the little princess’s smile vanished in an instant.
“You don’t like me, but I can’t make you stay,” she said expressionlessly. Then she tiptoed, placed the white rose in Lin Jing’s hair, and leaned in to whisper in his ear: “Then, safe travels, Mr. M.”
The white rose wasn’t placed securely, and with just a slight breeze, it fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Rossi had already turned around without a backward glance and followed the maid away. Her figure was thin, her long hair reaching her waist, and mist layered around her like an ethereal illusion.
Lin Jing and the rat stood in the rain for a long time.
It wasn’t until the magic vine, uncomfortable from the rain, stretched out a small branch and poked him that Lin Jing snapped out of his trance as if struck by lightning.
The corridor seemed endless.
The rat stammered, “D*mn, this princess—this princess—this princess… Is she really a princess? Not some witch in disguise?”
Lin Jing took a deep breath and held his flowerpot tightly. He didn’t answer the rat, nor did he spare another thought for Rossi. His mind was in turmoil as he walked straight toward the high tower.
At the other end of the corridor, a window was open. Veraka was leaning over her desk, writing a letter. The tip of her pen rested on the paper, but not a single word had been written. She sat quietly, her head lowered, half her face covered in shadows, her expression unreadable.
Another bolt of lightning split the sky.
Lin Jing had intended to head straight to the top floor with his flowerpot, but the entrance was overgrown with wild grass and tangled vines. Distracted, he tripped hard. Though he quickly protected the flowerpot, the rat sitting on his shoulder was sent flying, crashing into the wall before tumbling down.
“Rat, are you okay?”
Lin Jing quickly lit a candle and walked over.
The rat saw stars for a while before finally recovering. Just as he opened his mouth to wail, his paw accidentally brushed against something. Instantly, he sobered up, fumbling in the dark, then suddenly raised his voice, “Jingzi, Jingzi! There’s something here!”
Lin Jing was startled and lifted the lamp to see. It turned out to be a crumpled piece of paper pressed under a chair. The top floor of the tower was where the Queen used to perform divinations, while the first floor was her resting place. This was likely one of her old notes.
“This has to be something good,” The rat said, as if discovering treasure, clutching the paper.
Outside, the rain poured harder, hitting the stone walls with loud splatters.
Afraid Veraka might already be on her way, Lin Jing grabbed the rat by the tail and rushed up to the second floor.
Compared to the last time he was here, the floor was now covered in red markings, crisscrossing the entire space. The intricate patterns were too complex for Lin Jing to make out, but he didn’t need to. He headed straight for the center, took a deep breath, and even closed his eyes briefly as he approached.
When he opened them again and bent down, a white flash illuminated the room.
And then he saw it—the familiar pattern.
Lin Jing froze, his whole body cold, blood turning to ice.
A rose.
A golden rose, meticulously drawn with fine gold powder.
At the same time, the rat unfurled the crumpled paper and read aloud, “Soul Reversion Ritual?”
Lin Jing stiffened. “What?”
The rat explained, “It’s the Queen’s notes.”
He read from the paper in front of the mirror:
“The Soul Reversion Ritual is the last mercy granted by the Witch God to those who repent. The penitent must be willing to sacrifice their life in an attempt to change their past fate. The ritual requires the penitent to first drain their own blood, staining the formation red, then use a personal metal object as the key to activate it. This will send their soul back to the most unforgettable moment of their life.”
Lin Jing immediately grabbed the paper from the rat’s hands.
The elegant script belonged to the former Queen, and beneath the words was a massive and intricate formation.
Red lines intertwined and coiled, all converging at the center—where a golden rose bloomed.
Boom—
Silver lightning flashed through the small window.
In that brief moment of illumination, their reflections appeared in the mirror behind them.
Lin Jing—
And Veraka, standing at the doorway.
Lin Jing’s eyes widened, his body ice-cold.
Veraka had walked through the rain to get here. Her entire body was soaked, her black robes trailing water. She held a large blade in her hand, her face pale, her smile twisted.
“Good evening, my dear penitent.”
Lin Jing stared at her in silence.
Veraka casually swept back her wet hair and smirked. “Thank you for raising the magic vine for me. As a token of my gratitude, I’ll make the bloodletting quick.”
Lin Jing clutched his flowerpot, his mind racing, but he shrank back into the corner, putting on a show of shock, fear, and disbelief. “You—you’re a player too?”
Veraka seemed to relish the moment, her sense of control hidden behind an arrogant smile. “Yes, I’m a player too. The moment I arrived in this timeline, I knew about your existence. I thought you’d be ruthless like me, but turns out, you’re just a naive fool.”
![The No. 1 Hunfen King in the Entire Server [Interstellar]](https://i1.wp.com/lazygirltranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/unnamed-5.jpg?resize=151,215 "The No. 1 Hunfen King in the Entire Server [Interstellar]")
