From then on, every evening, the Queen would go for a walk by the river.
Whenever she reached the riverbank, she would bend down and observe the fish in the water.
Or she would cock her ear, trying to hear if the fish were whispering in human language.
Or she would proactively ask the fish if she could have a child of her own.
It was like this every night.
Every day, only the gurgling sound of the water responded to the Queen's call.
The fish remained silent.
The King, who had long since given up hope, always followed alongside, not understanding what his wife was doing.
Or perhaps he vaguely guessed, but he didn't point it out or stop her.
It was another twilight of wine and women.
The sun was setting in the west.
The Queen, as usual, squatted by the river, watching the bloody sunset dye the river crimson, and watching the fish swim through the shimmering water.
The Queen, as on previous days, softly asked the fish in the water:
"Can I have a child of my own?"
The fruitless attempts day after day had made the Queen treat the process of "squatting down to ask the fish in the water" as part of her daily routine.
She didn't even realize that she had become numb to the completely identical fruitless routine, not expecting any results today.
As usual, only the clear, bell-like sound of flowing water responded to the Queen's inquiry.
"Still the same as before…"
The Queen stood up, about to leave.
Suddenly, a golden fish swam to the water in front of the Queen and stopped.
The Queen's eyes narrowed.
Reflected in the Queen's increasingly widening pupils was an astonishing scene—
The fish opened its mouth and spoke in human language:
"Dear Queen, your wish will soon come true.
"You and the King are about to have a lovely daughter."
After speaking, the fish wagged its tail and disappeared into the school of fish, as the Queen watched dumbfounded.
The Queen's expression froze on her face; she stood rooted to the spot, like a stone statue.
It was several seconds before she suddenly realized what had just happened.
The recent experience was like a dream.
"The fish spoke!"
"The fish spoke in human language and gave me a blessing!"
The Queen was both surprised and delighted; she danced with excitement and ran to tell the King beside her what she had witnessed.
Seeing his wife excitedly running towards him, the King looked puzzled, thinking that the Queen, who had been longing for a child day and night, was hallucinating.
But then, several loyal Soldiers around them all stated:
"Your Majesty, we just saw with our own eyes a fish open its mouth and speak, and it blessed Her Majesty the Queen!"
Soon after, the Queen indeed became pregnant.
"What that Little Magician said was all true. He didn't lie to me!"
Seeing his aging wife pregnant for the first time, the King was both surprised and delighted.
"Summon Little Magician Rhine, bring him into the palace!"
…
In fact, without waiting for the King's attendants to send another message, Rhine, far away in the kingdom's borderlands, already knew that the wish had been fulfilled.
In the cabin in the woods, Rhine's body trembled, and then he felt a surge of immense wish power flowing towards him.
The magic deep within his soul boiled like hot water, rising at an astonishing speed, before finally calming down after a good while.
Feeling the much more immense magic in his body than before, Rhine was both surprised and delighted.
Indeed, Sleeping Beauty's parents, as important characters in the fairy tale, belonged to the "protagonists of fate." Fulfilling their wish to "have a child" naturally brought great benefits.
Although this was an inevitable fate that would have happened anyway, Rhine had cured their old illness, prescribed effective medicine, and made correct predictions, accelerating the process of fate.
And the King and Queen, unaware of fate's arrangements, genuinely believed this was Rhine's contribution.
Therefore, he could still obtain the corresponding wish power!
"It seems I also learned a new magic!"
The young boy walked out of the house, waved his small hand, and a emerald green glow blossomed.
The fallen leaves in the forest seemed to come alive, flying up on their own without wind, forming into blurry human figures.
The little figures made of leaves respectfully bowed to the Little Magician.
This was the new magic Rhine had acquired after fulfilling the King and Queen's wish to "have a child," allowing him to imbue inanimate objects with life.
The simplest use was to temporarily animate surrounding objects, turning them into obedient servants and Soldiers. There were also more complex functions yet to be developed.
"It's quite useful, and I have some self-preservation ability now. Let's call it 'Imbue Life.'"
Rhine gently waved his hand, causing the little figures made of leaves to disperse, turning into scattered leaves on the ground.
He was confident that his current magic level, although probably still not comparable to the 12 powerful witches in the kingdom, should not be too far off.
The main difference was in experience as a spellcaster and the types of magic learned. He could make up for this by fulfilling one or two more similar wishes.
Rhine couldn't help but fantasize:
"Just helping Sleeping Beauty's parents fulfill their wish brought such great benefits.
"This is just now, Sleeping Beauty has not yet been born. Otherwise, if I had helped Sleeping Beauty herself, as the true protagonist of the story, would I have gained even more?"
Collecting his thoughts, more doubts and curiosities surged in the young boy's heart:
"Did I transmigrate into the story of 'Sleeping Beauty'?"
"But the story of Sleeping Beauty only mentions one kingdom, and doesn't describe what the world outside the kingdom is like."
"But here, I often hear legends of other kingdoms, and stories of Little Magicians and warriors from other lands."
"What is this broader fantasy continent like, beyond Sleeping Beauty's kingdom?"
…
Rhine was summoned by the King again.
The handsome boy, dressed as a Little Magician, with a robe and hood, walked towards the magnificent palace, escorted by Soldiers.
The robe was a bit too long for Rhine's small frame, trailing on the ground.
The sun was bright today, with pure white clouds against a blue sky.
In the palace, the King smiled broadly:
"Praise be to you, Sage of the Forest. Your prophecy has come true. The fish offered a blessing to my wife, and we will soon have our own child."
Rhine bowed to the King:
"No need to thank me, Your Majesty. Everything is fate's arrangement. I merely did some insignificant work in it."
He then asked:
"Is there anything else you require of me, Your Majesty, for summoning me this time?"
The King's eyes lit up, and he spoke the lines he had long wanted to say:
"Sage of the Forest, I heard you live in a wooden cabin in the forest. A dilapidated house cannot shelter you from wind and rain.
"My palace has astonishingly strong warriors, but it lacks an outstanding Sage and a superb Little Magician like you.
"Rhine, I sincerely invite you to live in the palace and become a court advisor for the next 10 years!
"You will be revered as the Sage of Rose Kingdom.
"You will have countless gold and silver, the people of the kingdom will revere you, and fully armed Soldiers will guard your safety day and night.
"You will possess power second only to mine, and whatever your request, as long as it is within reasonable limits, the entire kingdom will do its best to fulfill it!
"Oh, and my court also has an ancient magic book, passed down through generations, recording abundant magical knowledge and various powerful spells. If you are willing to become the court's Sage, that magic book will also belong to you!
"Rhine, what do you say? Will you consider my proposal?"
As if afraid Rhine would refuse, the King tried every possible way to offer the most generous terms.
As far as he knew, most Little Magicians were eccentric, preferring to live in secluded forest cabins or gloomy ancient castles, alone, concocting potions or researching ancient magic.
They might be temporarily summoned by the King, but they would not be willing to serve the monarchy long-term.
The 13 witches in the kingdom were all like this.
They might occasionally obey the King's orders, but they would never consider becoming court advisors.
Now, a new Little Magician had suddenly appeared in the kingdom, and his talent seemed no less, perhaps even surpassing, the existing witches in the kingdom!
The King naturally tried every means to win him over.
"…"
Rhine was briefly silent, seemingly considering the King's proposal.
The King swallowed hard.
Even though he had offered generous terms, he was already mentally prepared for Rhine to refuse.
This continent was vast.
There were countless kingdoms, large and small.
The clouds were the land of giants, mermaids swam in the sea, mysterious forest doors led to unknown secret realms, and in the Far East, there was a prosperous and powerful Eastern Empire.
There were many Kings like him in the world.
Most Kings were not worthy of a Little Magician's long-term loyalty.
The next moment.
Below the steps of the throne, the handsome, silver-haired boy, as if stepped out of a painting, gently bowed.
"I accept your request, Your Majesty, it is my honor."
Rhine placed one hand on his chest.
"From now on, I am the court's Sage!"
The King breathed a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted.
He agreed!
Rhine couldn't even think of a reason to refuse.
Ten years might seem long to others, but for him, who would no longer age, it was merely a fleeting moment, a small segment of the thousands of years to come.
Perhaps most other Magicians were eccentric and reclusive, but for him, enjoying the comfortable life of the court, why not?
Moreover, compared to the rewards of fame and material wealth, he was more interested in that ancient magic book!
The types of magic he currently mastered were too limited; perhaps that magic book could teach him more practical spells and give him a greater understanding of the supernatural forces in this world.
Additionally, upon discovering that he had not transmigrated into an ordinary fantasy medieval setting, but into the kingdom of "Sleeping Beauty," Rhine was filled with curiosity about this world.
What was it like outside the kingdom?
What kind of continent had he truly arrived on?
Ordinary people in this era found it difficult to learn about things beyond their immediate surroundings. Legends heard from commoners were certainly more false than true.
But Kings and nobles were different.
They had to deal with foreign countries.
Perhaps, through the court, I will have the opportunity to understand the full scope of this broader fantasy continent beyond the kingdom!
The King was still immersed in the joy and shock of "Little Magician Rhine agreeing to his request," but the Queen beside him had already impatiently asked:
"Rhine, you said before that the child I will bear is a clever and lovely little princess, is that right?"
"Exactly so."
Rhine replied.
The unborn princess was the future Sleeping Beauty!
The Queen smiled joyfully:
"Since that is the case, Sage of Rose Kingdom, court Little Magician, I would like to ask you to name our lovely daughter."