Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Your Glabella is Darkening_1
A small tea table with a porcelain cup holding freshly brewed black tea and scones arranged on the plate as refreshments.
"It was rude of me earlier, when you first came in, I really thought you were just another patron with too much time on their hands. After all, I couldn’t sense a shred of intent to purchase from you. The only ones who come for a divination here are usually regulars," the diviner Melissa said, sipping her tea.
"I also completely failed to see that you were the diviner; this appearance of yours..." Aiden scrutinized her again, "Is it a disguise?"
At this moment, although Melissa still looked like a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl, her demeanor, posture, and tone exuded a maturity that was entirely different from the childish behavior she had displayed before.
"Yes, after all, there are many who want to capture me," Melissa said with a smile, "An extra layer of precaution is never a bad thing."
"And the manager you mentioned before..."
"Is me. The room next door, where the divinations are performed, is actually a confessional booth. The patrons who come for a divination never see me. No one here has ever actually seen the so-called manager; I play both roles."
"I thought you would recognize me at a glance, especially since..." Aiden hesitated slightly, "Melifilia told me you were very capable."
According to Melifilia, the diviner could foresee many things, including the most suitable time to meet with Aiden, so he had always assumed that the diviner would have an inkling of his impending visit.
He even felt that maybe, after seeing him and before he could utter the passphrase, the diviner would preempt him with his name and mysteriously add, "I’ve been expecting you for a long time."
But instead, they had danced around each other for quite a while before recognizing one another, lacking any sense of mystery or grandeur, which made Aiden begin to doubt whether she truly possessed the abilities Melifilia had described.
"I did divine that you would visit shortly, but the precise timing was uncertain. The shop does quite well, and there are many customers every day. It’s far too troublesome to confirm every single one," the diviner explained.
"By the way, is our conversation safe right now?" Aiden looked around cautiously.
"Don’t worry. The witch who touched the ’Void’ authority is not monitoring you; she’s currently busy helping the ’Pinnacle Witch’ gather information on their enemies," Melissa replied confidently with a smile.
Aiden glanced at Melissa, surprised. He hadn’t mentioned anything about Qiqimora, but she already knew...
"You had your doubts about my abilities just now, didn’t you?" Melissa laughed.
"What exactly is your relationship with Melifilia?" Aiden asked, addressing a question that had always concerned him.
"I suppose you could consider me a devout follower of hers," Melissa answered, "Helping those with the passphrase is also her will."
"So, are you the keeper of the ’Divine Word’?" Aiden inquired.
"Of course," Melissa graciously admitted.
"So, did you read my mind?" Aiden asked seriously.
Melifilia was the ruler who possessed the authority of "Wisdom," and her followers, if they were masters of divine words, were very likely to use divine words related to "Wisdom," and mind reading was one of the things that the authority of "Wisdom" could accomplish.
"You’ve noticed, huh," Melissa admitted candidly. "Yes, I’ve secretly used my power to read your innermost thoughts. It’s necessary if you want me to guide your destiny."
Aiden couldn’t help feeling uneasy; after all, having one’s mind read so easily was not pleasant.
"Don’t worry, I won’t harm you—at least not now; I wouldn’t carelessly damage the toy that my lord has taken a liking to." Melissa, seeing his unease, pointed at Aiden and said, "Let me tell you the result of the divination directly—you need to cooperate with the witch assembly, and by doing so, you can take a step further on the path to becoming a ruler."
"Is there no risk in cooperating with the witch assembly?" Aiden asked skeptically.
"There is, but it’s the option with the highest survival rate for you right now," Melissa continued.
"Survival rate?" Aiden couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
The diviner’s words sounded as if his life was not going to last long, and Aiden’s current feeling was like being suddenly grabbed by a fortune-telling priest who solemnly declared that his glabella was dark, foreshadowing an imminent bloody disaster...
"You must have sensed it yourself, the witch assembly has already leaked your affairs to the Harvest Mother Cult, and they...have set their sights on you a long time ago," Melissa said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Soon, you will notice their actions. They will relentlessly pursue you to kill you."
"Why? Isn’t the witch assembly their main target?" Aiden asked, somewhat surprised.
Qiqimora had mentioned to him that the Harvest Mother Cult was targeting the divine words and divinity held by the witch assembly, and he still had his doubts about this. After all, waging war against the entire witch assembly was not a wise move to acquire divinity.
If the witch assembly had revealed to the Cult that Aiden possessed divinity, it wasn’t entirely impossible for the Cult to target him, but normally they shouldn’t act so hastily. It was bewildering enough to start a war against the entire witch assembly, and under such circumstances, to recklessly increase their enemies... This would make one doubt whether the leaders of the Cult had any tactical sense at all.
"The Harvest Mother Cult’s real target is not the entire witch assembly, but Abigail alone because she has something they want to take back—the sole authority of ’Fertility,’ the Hatching Egg," said Melissa somberly. "As for you, they want to kill you not because you possess divinity, but because you’re connected to that heretical religion that once rebelled against them."
"The Flying Spaghetti Cult?" Aiden paused, "Is it necessary?"
The Flying Spaghetti Cult’s initial rebellion hadn’t even shaken the Earth Mother Church’s position before it was suppressed, the Cult was directly dissolved, the nameless witch went missing, and ultimately, the fatal blow to the Old Lese Kingdom was dealt by the Empire and the Kingdom of Gistas. If anyone should be seeking revenge, it should be the devastated Flying Spaghetti Cult taking action, so why would the Harvest Mother Cult take it upon themselves to completely annihilate the Flying Spaghetti Cult?
"Of course, it’s necessary, because the assassin who killed the leader of the Earth Mother Church, who was also the queen of the Old Lese Kingdom, was the witch who founded the Flying Spaghetti Cult. It was her actions at the critical moment that led to the complete destruction of the Old Lese Kingdom and the Earth Mother Church." Melissa leisurely picked up her cup of tea and took a sip, "The Flying Spaghetti Cult is their nemesis, a lurking threat to their restoration, and they will certainly eradicate it without mercy."
