Age of Adepts

The Moonspring.

A sacred item of the elves.

It possessed mysterious powers that surpassed the Spring of Life, the Spring of Youth, and the Spring of Magic.

Drinking from the Spring of Life could replenish lost life force without any side effects.

Drinking from the Spring of Youth could give eternal youth, leaving a person’s body at their peak and unaffected by the flow of time until their lifespan was over.

Drinking from the Spring of Magic could help supernatural creatures recovered magic power at a faster rate. The process was gentle and came at no risk.

Meanwhile, the Moonspring combined the traits of all these elven treasures. When basked in moonlight, the well could periodically produce a sort of wondrous springwater. When the Moonspring’s water was drunk, it could prevent the loss of life force, the fading of youth, and the exhaustion of magic power.

Even the seeds of the famous Moonwells of the elves had to be soaked in the Moonspring’s water until they sprouted before they could be planted.

If the Spring of Life was a treasure that could replenish life force for an individual only once in their life, then the Moonspring blessed by Moonlight Goddess Meve was a treasure capable of constantly restoring life force. A support item like this was the best artifact for professions that relied heavily on their life force.

With the Moonspring, Alice no longer had to be as cautious as she had been in the past when conducting her divinations. She no longer had to fear the backlash of Fate devouring what was left of her lifeforce.

It was because of how significant and vital the Moonspring was to the Fate Witches that Alice held a massive ceremony the day after she obtained it. She led all of the Fate Witches in a fate prayer ritual in the astrology hall at the top of the Tower of Fate.

The Moonspring looked like a clear pool of spring water.

It was only two to three square meters in area, placed in an incredibly simple wooden basin.

Every time moonlight shone down on the springwater through the ceiling, silver sparks of light would radiate from the liquid, filling the entire hall with the fresh smell of grass after rain.

Alice had applied a Fate blessing on Greem when he entered Morrian Plane, while she was only Third Grade. That had exhausted nearly eighty percent of her life force. If it weren’t for the power of Fate she had managed to steal with the abduction of the heir of the Morrian Plane, she would already be on her death bed by now.

Even after advancing to Fourth Grade and extending her lifespan, the lost life force could not be replenished by her advancement. It undoubtedly affected how many years she had left to live after her advancement.

Now, with the Moonspring, she could recover her life origin. After advancing to Fourth Grade, her lifespan was restored to the standard length that Fourth Grade adepts should have.

This Fate prayer ritual was incredibly important to her. It was unbelievably crucial to her life!

As the many Fate Witches and apprentices prayed zealously, a projection of the River of Fate slowly appeared in the hall. It emerged midair and seemed to lead towards the distant sky. It was bold and broad, magnificent and colossal. It felt as if one’s soul was frozen in place, and the very core of your being trembled when your Spirit came into contact with it.

No one could see the source of this long river, and no one could see where it was headed. Anyone would be able to feel their insignificance in front of such a long river steeped in the flavor of time and history like this.

The Fate Witches here might have all witnessed the River of Fate multiple times throughout their lives. However, that oppressive aura that pressed against their faces still caused them to become enlightened to countless truths.

The Fate apprentices were already in a dizzied, confused state when the projection of the River appeared. Their souls simply weren’t resilient enough. Only the eyes of one girl among the apprentices glowed brightly, signifying her still calm and rational mind. She lifted her head and looked at the slowly roaring torrents of Fate before her. She couldn’t resist reaching out to those strange ribbons of light.

When her youthful fingers touched the ribbons of light formed by the projection of the River of Fate, her entire body trembled. The very origin of her life and soul trembled as if they were about to be washed down the River of Fate by its mighty power.

Just then, a slender hand radiating starlight landed on her head, covering her entire person with starlight power.

With the protection of the starlight power, the young apprentice’s finger finally broke free of the River of Fate’s flow. The two pretty layers of ribbons rubbed against each other but did not intertwine. It no longer felt as if she would be washed away and ground to dust by that merciless Fate power.

“Lucia, do not act brazenly simply because of Fate’s favor to you.” Alice caressed her long hair and shook her head slowly. “Fate is a high power! It is cold and merciless. If you want to swim freely in the River of Fate, you must first understand it, comprehend it, and obey it. Fate is also the fairest power in the world. It will always allow you an equitable exchange. If you know everything about what you want, then what exactly do you intend to use to exchange Fate for it?”

“My life, my soul, my knowledge…I am willing to offer my everything for it!” Lucia lifted her head stubbornly, staring straight into Alice’s pretty eyes as she insisted.

“Girl, everything you just mentioned is insignificant to Fate! If you want to trade with Fate, you will first have to make yourself possess value. So, since it is not yet time for you to make contact with Fate and trade with it, it’s best to continue your studies first! When the time is right, you can stand where I stand, proudly and bravely negotiating and trading with Fate! ”

“Alice, can the power of Fate of the World of Adepts change the fate of the arcanists?”

“That is impossible! Morrian Plane, where the Arcane Empire existed, is a primary plane, only one step away from equalling the World of Adepts. The power of Fate here is insufficient to change the fate of a plane of the same level.” Alice lowered her head and looked at the disappointed Lucia. She continued, “But you don’t have to be disappointed. Your existence is the continuation of the Arcane Empire. You carry with yourself a branch of the Morrian Plane’s Fate that has yet to fade. As long as you don’t give up, the Arcane Empire will have a chance of rising again.”

“Then what does the power of Fate of the World of Adepts hope to gain from me?” An ordinary girl might have been moved to tears at this point, grateful for the chance she had been given. However, even though Lucia’s soul was weak and powerless right now, the perpetual gleam of wisdom glowed in her heart.

“I don’t know either!” Alice smiled and concealed nothing. “Perhaps it is waiting for the remnants of the Arcane Empire to strengthen this branch flow of Fate before assimilating it into a branch of the World of Adept’s own Fate, turning the arcanist into a part of the World of Adept’s power system.

“There are simply too many possibilities. Even I cannot give you a proper answer. In all honesty, every word you say and every decision you make now are all subtly affecting the direction in which this branch of Fate flows.

“Fate is whimsical and unpredictable! However, Fate is also a ‘future’ piled up by one ‘present’ after another ‘present.’ To some extent, it is possible to divine its flow and manipulate it. As for how to do that? You will have to continue studying and practicing. Otherwise, you will remain as you are now, powerless as you watch the torrent of Fate.”

Lucia opened her eyes wide and stared at the pretty, goddess-like Alice before her. After a long while, a bitter smile appeared on her face.

“Thank you, Alice. I can feel the sincerity from the depths of your soul. Thank you for not lying to me or coaxing me. However, I must remind you; there seems to be a calamity waiting for you today. You must be careful! ”

Calamity?

Alice’s heart trembled. She conjured a magical mirror of water with a wave of her hand and looked at her appearance.

The gentle aura that her beautiful face radiated was enough to brighten the mood of anyone who saw her. The hair tied up above her head was brilliantly shiny, adding a hint of matureness to her youthful beauty.

Judging from her aura, her appearance, and her color, it did not seem as if any ill fate would befall her today!

However, as a Witch of Fate, she could not ignore even the smallest of omens or portents. In particular, the Fate prayer ritual today was a crucial moment that concerned whether Alice could successfully replenish her life origin. With a slight mistake, anything could happen. Losing a Fourth Grade treasure was the least of it. More importantly, her lifespan from now on could be affected as well.

What could go wrong here? Was someone scheming against her?

Alice closed her eyes and started to silently sense and work out the cause, process, and result of everything surrounding today’s event. Strangely enough, the power of Fate sent no signals of warning to her. The result of her divination was also neutral. She could not find any problems.

Believe in Lucia’s feelings and give up on the ritual? Or continue the ritual?

For a moment, Alice could not decide!

“Alice, it’s time!” Little Fairy Helen beat her wings and flew out of the array. She circled Alice. “If you don’t hurry up, we will miss the best time to activate the starlight array. What are you waiting for?”

Alice took a deep breath and grabbed Helen. She leaned in by her ear and whispered, “I will go into the array alone later. Stay outside. If…and I mean if…anything happens to me, look for Greem immediately. He might be the only one that can save me then!”

Helen’s eyes opened wide. She could not understand what she was hearing.

However, as Alice’s contracted spirit, she agreed to do as ordered.