The cloaked youth perused the numerous documents on the table.
His fingertips moved across the world map, connecting the contents of the documents with the countries on the map.
In this era of backward productivity, the maps were terribly crude, the images a chaotic mess, the scale completely off, and there were large areas that were purely imaginary!
But with enough documents and records, it wasn't entirely unreadable...
When he first began to read the documents in his hand, Rhine's expression was calm, and a smile still lingered on his lips.
However.
As he read on.
The Little Magician's smile gradually froze, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.
Later, the hand Rhine used to hold the book trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
"Why is it like this?"
Rhine had originally thought he had transmigrated into the story of Sleeping Beauty.
Beyond the kingdom, it wouldn't be too special, just a normal Western fantasy world.
But after understanding the general situation of the continent, he realized that it was not like that at all!
The known extent of this fantasy world was a continent.
In the west, various nations stood, with countless small kingdoms dotted across the land.
The kingdom where Rhine and Sleeping Beauty resided was just one of hundreds of ordinary kingdoms.
The eastern regions had cultures similar to Earth's Arab cultural sphere.
As for the even more distant Far East, the court documents were very vague.
They only vaguely mentioned that in the distant East, there was a prosperous empire with a mysterious and magnificent culture.
Why does that sound so familiar... Rhine's mouth twitched slightly.
What truly astonished Rhine were the world details, a mixture of many folk legends and true records:
"According to research, on certain thick white clouds, there are castles of giants..."
"In the vast ocean, there is the Mermaid Country..."
"A world-traveling adventurer claimed to have fallen into a tree hole and accidentally entered a bizarre country..."
"A traveler from the Middle East desert recounted the extraordinary things of their country—he mentioned flying carpets, giant roc birds, and huge divine beings trapped in vessels, promising to fulfill mortals' wishes..."
What kind of stitched-together world have I transmigrated into!
Rhine could no longer hold back his furious Make complaints.
One familiar story title after another surged from his mind.
"I wonder what era it is now."
"Have those familiar stories from my previous life already become history? Or, like the story of Sleeping Beauty, have they not yet begun?"
"The earlier the era, the more room I have to maneuver!"
"After dealing with Princess Aurora's problem and becoming a more powerful magician, I must go outside the kingdom to see!"
Rhine made up his mind.
Immediately after, he picked up the magic book from the table.
Book of Transformation and Summoning.
Rhine eagerly opened the yellowed pages.
What greeted his eyes were obscure and strange texts and symbols.
According to the King, this book had been passed down for several hundred years.
Legend has it that only those who understood magic could comprehend the words within the book!
Because no true magician could be found to become the book's owner, such a magic book, which contained priceless treasures, could only remain neglected for a long time, sealed deep within the library.
After discovering that the Witches in the kingdom seemed interested in this book, the King proposed to the 12 Witches to "exchange the magic book for any one of them to serve as a court advisor for a few years," but his offer was rejected.
Clearly, this book held some appeal for the powerful Witches.
But it was not enough to make them lower their noble heads and serve the monarchy.
It was this cruel experience of being mercilessly rejected that made the King even more cautious when inviting Rhine to be a court advisor, offering the most generous terms from the very beginning!
The moment he opened the book, Rhine immediately confirmed that the legend was true.
As a true magician, he automatically understood every bizarre and twisted word in the book!
After quickly flipping through it once, Rhine excitedly discovered that the content recorded in this book was exactly what he wanted!
Rhine's magic was automatically acquired after his transmigration, and without a mentor, his knowledge of mysticism and the supernatural was quite lacking.
This book recorded a large amount of basic knowledge about magic, which just compensated for his shortcomings!
Not only that, but the book also contained various practical spells.
"Those 12 Witches must be more powerful than I am now, yet they were unwilling to bow down and become advisors to the kingdom, which resulted in them not being able to take this book!"
Reading the magic book in his hands with avid hunger, the silver-haired boy's smile grew even brighter.
·
Chapter 4 The Witch and the Twelve Golden Plates
1h
Sage Rhine was slightly stunned.
Am I really the one to name Sleeping Beauty?
Participating personally in a well-known, household fairy tale, and naming the as-yet-unborn heroine of the story—such a legendary experience gave Sage Rhine a strong sense of unreality.
The Queen nodded gently.
The King also smiled knowingly, reaching out to signal the slightly surprised Sage Rhine to boldly name her:
"Ancient wise men have said that a name is the starting point of a newborn's destiny; a good name determines the direction of one's life.
"It is a tradition of the kingdom for a learned Sage to name a newborn.
"In my kingdom, no one is more suitable than you, Sir Rhine, to name our daughter!"
The Little Magician lowered his head in thought, his eyes flickering with ideas.
There have been countless versions of "Sleeping Beauty" throughout history.
The heroine's name was not fixed in different versions.
In some versions, the heroine was even simply called "Princess."
After a brief contemplation, Sage Rhine had an answer in his heart.
"Let's call the Little Princess... Aurora."
Sage Rhine spread his arms, his tone suddenly rising:
"Its meaning is dawn, the first light of morning.
"Even in the deepest, darkest night, dawn will surely come!
"May hope and light illuminate the Little Princess's future path."
This name was not chosen randomly by Sage Rhine.
The name Aurora originally belonged to Sleeping Beauty's daughter in a certain version.
Tchaikovsky, in his ballet, changed it to the name of the Princess herself, who is Sleeping Beauty.
Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" also continued to use this name.
Since then, whether translated as "Aerith," "Aurore," or otherwise, the beautiful name Aurora has become the most recognized name for Sleeping Beauty worldwide.
Sage Rhine also simply followed the will of fate and chose this beautiful name.
"Aurora, what a truly beautiful name," the Queen applauded softly, full of admiration.
The King was also quite satisfied:
"Sir Rhine, after Princess Aurora is born, I plan to hold a grand banquet.
"At that time, I will invite the 12 Witches of the kingdom to baptize and bless the newborn Little Princess!
"And I also ask you, the learned Magician, Sir Rhine, to likewise bestow blessings upon the Princess!"
Sage Rhine smiled, placing a hand over his chest:
"It is my honor."
After speaking, the Little Magician's expression grew a few shades more serious.
He knew that the future would be the familiar story of "Sleeping Beauty":
At the celebration of Princess Aurora's birth, the 13th Witch of the kingdom who was not invited—that infamous Black Witch—felt resentment and crashed the event.
The Black Witch cursed the newborn Princess, causing her to die at 15 by pricking her finger on a spindle!
In some versions of the story, the King did not invite the 13th Witch because there were exactly 12 plates for distinguished guests, no more, no less.
Simply put, it was a bloodbath caused by a golden plate!
But looking at it now, this wasn't the entire reason. More so, the King himself disliked the Black Witch.
Thinking of this impending curse, Sage Rhine's eyes narrowed slightly.
Is this a destiny that can be changed?
Sage Rhine looked up, his face solemn beneath his hood, and kindly advised in his capacity as the Kingdom's Sage:
"Your Majesty, since there are 13 powerful Witches in the kingdom.
"If only 12 of them are invited, will the one who is overlooked not feel resentful?
"Especially considering Maleficent's personality. She is not a forgiving person...
"Intentionally ignoring her, I wonder if it will invite disaster."
Maleficent was the name of the Black Witch that Sage Rhine had recently learned.
Hearing Sage Rhine's words, the King's eyes suddenly froze.
The monarch of this kingdom felt a prickling sensation down his spine, and a chill surged through his bones.
That's right!
I actually overlooked such a big problem just now!
Only after Sage Rhine's reminder did he realize the immense hidden danger in his rash decision.
That infamous Black Witch Maleficent was the strongest, yet also the most petty, of the 13.
The Princess's baptism ceremony, being such a grand event, would surely be known throughout the kingdom.
At that time, if Maleficent was not invited, it would certainly incur her displeasure.
Just thinking of the disaster that was almost brought upon them, the King broke out in a cold sweat.
He was merely a mortal monarch and dared not provoke the powerful Black Witch.
Legendary Magicians possess a lifespan so long it is almost eternal, enough to witness the rise and fall of kingdoms; the power of worldly Kings is not worth mentioning to them.
If they wished, they could completely curse or even destroy an entire kingdom according to their will!
Even the items they crafted, if picked up by someone with ill intentions, could bring disaster to a kingdom.
Throughout continental history, stories often circulated—a poor boy accidentally found a magical item left by an ancient Magician, easily killed the nobles and King who oppressed him, and became the new King of the country.
Although the King could not be certain if Black Witch Maleficent was as formidable as in the legendary stories.
But he dared not gamble.
Fortunately, Sage Rhine reminded him in time!
The King recovered from his lingering fear:
"Sir Rhine, thank you for your reminder. If Maleficent were not invited, she would certainly bear a grudge! Since that is the case, I intend to treat everyone equally and invite all the Witches in the kingdom!"
Normally, the King would certainly not dare to invite the Black Witch to his palace.
But on the day of the Little Princess's baptism ceremony, with the other 12 Witches and Sir Rhine present, Maleficent surely wouldn't cause trouble, and no accidents should occur...
At least, the King believed so.
Seeing that the King had listened to his advice, Sage Rhine nodded gently and said no more.
He had already plucked the strings of fate.
The original reason that led to the Black Witch cursing Sleeping Beauty no longer existed.
Would the story's direction change?
...
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed since Sage Rhine offered his advice.
The King kept Sage Rhine's counsel in mind, planning to invite all 13 Witches to the palace after the Little Princess's birth, so that they, along with Sage Rhine, who was already the Court Magician, could together bestow blessings upon Princess Aurora.
These past few days, he had been busy preparing for this grand ceremony.
However, the King soon discovered a problem.
The palace's tableware reserved for the highest-ranking guests was a type of golden plate with exquisite and luxurious patterns.
No more, no less, there were exactly 12 of them.
If all 13 Witches were to be invited, those 12 golden plates would not be enough.
They couldn't possibly have the other 12 Witches use golden plates and make Black Witch Maleficent use a silver plate...
The Black Witch would surely fly into a rage and directly curse the entire kingdom!
It would be better not to invite her from the start!
As for Sage Rhine, as a member of the court, although his tableware was exquisite and beautiful, its style was different from that of the guests, so there was no need for special preparation.
Thus, the King summoned the old craftsman who had served the kingdom his entire life and issued an order:
"You and your artisans, using this gold, are to craft another golden plate, replicating the style of the existing ones prepared for honored guests.
"The new plate must be exactly identical to the existing ones!"
...
The old craftsman received the order and returned home, where he met his younger brother, Oz, who happened to be home that day.
Oz detested the fate of his family serving as kingdom craftsmen for generations, and from a young age, he yearned for the powerful Magicians in legendary stories.
He always fantasized that one day, like the Witches in the kingdom, he too would possess the magical power to summon wind and rain!
However, as Little Oz slowly grew up, he gradually realized that, like most people, he was merely one of the common populace, destined to be without magical powers his entire life.
But Oz was still unwilling to abandon his childhood dream.
He settled for learning magic, how to use gestures, props, and performance to deceive the audience's eyes, achieving skills that were almost like a Magician's.
Thus, Oz became an excellent Magician.
Unlike his rigid brother, Oz was a genius at magic, with an endless supply of fresh ideas and creativity.
He used chemical reactions, stage lighting, and special performance techniques to invent hundreds of novel magic tricks, gradually becoming the best Magician of his era.
Thus, Oz's reputation grew wider and wider, performing on tour in several kingdoms.
Below the stage, men and women of different social strata praised him, screaming for his performances.
Amidst the flowers and applause, Oz felt as if he had become a true Magician with extraordinary power!
Today, the middle-aged Oz, upon learning of his brother's new task, teased him:
"The King truly trusts you all, to just hand over the gold to you and your craftsmen like that.
"If I were you, I might even consider pocketing some of the gold myself!
"Hahaha, what can I say, I'm a guy who makes a living by deceiving people.
"Look at me, on stage, I deceive everyone. And the people I deceive willingly pay me."
Oz said this casually, not taking it to heart, and then went to sleep.
But what he didn't know was that his careless words echoed in the old craftsman's heart for a long time.
That's right, why did I never think of pocketing a little?
The court jesters and clowns, as long as they knew how to flatter and tell a joke, could receive generous rewards.
Yet I have diligently served the King my entire life, and my wealth and status are not as good as theirs.
I deserve better!
Crafting a golden plate, this task was incredibly easy for the skilled old craftsman.
Over the years, the old craftsman's craftsmanship had become extremely refined.
He was familiar with every step of the crafting process, knew every inspection procedure for the finished product, and understood which details had loopholes and which procedural steps were most likely to lead to oversight.
Therefore, the old craftsman was very certain that merely pocketing a tiny bit of gold and subtly mixing in a little cheap metal into the finished product had no chance of being discovered!
...
Just as the King was preparing for the Little Princess's baptism ceremony, Sage Rhine also accepted his new identity—
The King's Advisor, the Court Magician, the Kingdom's Sage!
Now, his power was second only to the King's.
Of course, Sage Rhine didn't think this was anything remarkable.
Such a small kingdom, whether in terms of population or area, was not worth praising.
Never mind becoming the Kingdom's Sage, what if he even became the King?
Since he had come to a fantasy world with extraordinary powers, compared to worldly power, he was only interested in two things: magical power and the world itself!
Immediately upon assuming his role as Court Magician, Sage Rhine issued two commands.
The first command was to have a servant go to the depths of the library to retrieve the magic book that had been passed down in the kingdom for hundreds of years.
That was the key to him becoming a truly powerful Magician!
The second command was to obtain the most detailed world map of the kingdom. And from the court's collection of books, he acquired a large stack of documents and books describing foreign countries and the general state of the world.
What kind of world have I transmigrated into?
What lies beyond Sleeping Beauty's kingdom?
Sage Rhine craved answers.