Chapter 377 Congratulatory Gifts
It was a beautiful woman draped in a purple celestial robe.
Her silky silver hair fell upon her shoulders. Her face was gentle and tranquil, but her two bright blue eyes whose, corners inclined upwards, gave her a sense of mystery and charm.
"Alice, why is it you? What about Snowlotus?"
Rena faltered. Her voice trembled as she asked.
Even though Alice had transformed from her eight-year-old appearance, her familiar mental flux was the best proof of her identity for these witches.
The other Witches of Deceit all betrayed expressions of dejectedness.
They all knew very well.
Only one witch could walk out alive from the Tower. As for what happened to those that didn't walk out? The rainbow lights that had streaked towards the Tower were the best explanation.
"You… why are you only First Grade?" Compared to the Witches of Deceit's concern for Snowlotus, the witches of the other branches were more concerned about the power of the new Witch of Fate. Third Grade and Fourth Grade also meant different approaches they had to take with regards to their negotiations.
However, all the witches were shocked to find Alice at First Grade.
The Alice that walked out of the Tower of Fate… was only First Grade!
"Are you here to celebrate my advancement to Witch of Fate, or are you here to doubt me?" The appearance Alice showed off right now was likely her real form. She didn't possess the facade of maturity that she used to put up as a girl. However, she didn't cower before the Second and Third Grade witches in front of her. Instead, her every action and word conveyed the pride and dominance unique to a person of authority.
Hesitation appeared on everyone's faces.
Such a thing had never happened before in the history of the Northern Witches.
The witches of the various branches had always tried to help each other, but they never interfered with the internal affairs of another branch. Whether Alice was First or Fourth Grade upon advancement was an internal matter of the Witches of Fate. It shouldn't matter to the other witch branches.
Thus, faced with Alice's harsh words, the high-grade witches only hesitated for a moment before bowing and paying their respects.
Even if there were something inappropriate to this situation and Alice's power, only their respective leaders had the right to doubt Alice's legitimacy. In the end, they were nothing more than messengers meant to establish initial contact with the new Witch of Fate.
The first ones to step forward were the Dark Witches that had always maintained friendly relations with the Witches of Fate.
A Third Grade witch named Kylie stepped forth and bowed her head slightly in respect.
"Congratulations on becoming the new Witch of Fate of our Northern Witches, Lady Alice. I represent Leader Circe of the Dark Witches and present to you seven apprentice witches, two resource sites, three human manors, and seven hundred accompanying servants and slaves."
A parchment filled with a list of the gifts flew to Alice as Witch Kylie read its contents.
Of course, Alice accepted everything with a broad smile on her face.
The next to step forward was the other allied branch of the Witches of Fate. The Death Witches.
A middle-aged Second Grade witch strode forward and also nodded respectfully towards Alice.
"Congratulations, Lady Alice. As the representative of our Death Witch Leader Khesuna, I bring you her most sincere congratulations. Furthermore, we of the Death Witches have brought you congratulatory gifts of our own. Six apprentice witches, three resources sites, two human cities, one orchard, and six hundred accompanying servants and slaves."
Alice accepted the gifts from the Death Witches with satisfaction.
With the two witch branches having taken the initiative, the other witch branches also took turns expressing their congratulations and presenting their gifts, after some slight hesitation. It was also true for the Witches of Deceit.
However, the situation of their group leader Rena was taken into consideration, and another witch was sent in her place to announce their gifts. Rena stood among the crowd, her face flashing green and white. Her emotions were clearly volatile.
Rena was a Second Grade witch, while the Alice who had killed her daughter was only First Grade. Yet, right now, this unqualified First Grade witch arrogantly stood near her and accepted the congratulations and gifts of all these witches. All of this should have belonged to her daughter Snowlotus!
"No… I'll never acknowledge your identity." Rena roared in anger, having reached her limits, "You murderer. You killed my daughter. I'll… "
Rena's eruption immediately caused chaos at the scene.
Alice might only have been First Grade, but she still represented the branch of Fate. If Rena's attitude reflected the intention of all the Witches of Deceit, then it meant that the cooperation and peace that the Northern Witches had maintained between them would shatter.
The various branches were very likely to fall into a long and lasting civil war!
The other Witches of Deceit hurriedly restrained the enraged Rena and prevented her from harming or doing anything to the newly advanced Witch of Fate.
Alice took a slight step back when she sensed Rena's hostility. Prismatic lights glowed around her body. One after another, delicate tarot cards with the scales of fate printed on the back appeared in a blinding flash. They slowly revolved around Alice.
At the same time, the Tower of Fate looming over them started to rumble. A strong surge of magical energy weighed down and crashed upon the witches. Their hearts skipped a beat when they felt the pressure on their shoulders.
All of the previous assessments and judgments of the Witch of Fate had only come from tomes and ancient records. It was just now that the witches truly understood what being a witch leader meant.
Even though Alice was only First Grade, she was still the absolute sovereign within any area covered by the Tower of Fate, while she was also the Witch of Fate.
If anyone wanted to harm her here, they would first have to bring down the Tower of Fate.
The older senior witches were all excited to see the tarot cards floating around Alice. It reminded them of the legends of the previous Witches of Fate.
Witch of Fate. Witch of Fate. It was an overwhelming witch that had mastered Fate!
Their combat abilities might be a complete mess, but no one was willing to become their enemies!
They were a strange existence that had leaped out of the system of world laws through their control over fate. They could swim in the river of destiny and use their powers to see the path that fate would take. Divination and predicting fortune and misfortune were child's play for the Witches of Fate. Their greatest strength was their ability to change fate!
Change other people's fate!
They didn't need to craft and carve out a new fate for someone else. All they had to do was lightly push you from your nodes of fate, and you would fall from a safe, paved, and known path to a dangerous trail filled with thorns.
Everyone who offended the Witches of Fate would forever be cursed to a fate of misfortune, misfortune, and even more misfortune!
From then onwards, luck would never be in their grasp.
Because every time fortune approached them, they would find themselves subtly shifted onto a divergent path without even knowing what had changed.
The Witches of Fate's strength might be weak, but they could shift the river of fate's trajectory without your knowledge.
Thus, the powers of Fate represented by Alice immediately sensed the hostility Rena gave off. An oppressive aura of fate directly caused shivers to run down the spines of every witch present.
No wonder no one dared to invade the Tower of Fate, even a thousand years after the extinction of their legacy. There was such a profound force hidden within the Tower.
The witches silently nodded as if they had understood something.
Alice abruptly smiled when she looked at the angry and sorrowful Rena.
"Do you still want to see your beloved Snowlotus?" Alice casually tossed an image-recording crystal towards Rena, "Why don't you take a look at this first!"
Rena's body trembled when she heard Alice's words. She immediately caught the crystal and used her Spirit to examine the contents.
A short moment later, she lifted her head in joy and surprise and asked, "Are… are the contents of this crystal real?"
"You can stay back later and verify it for yourself." A complex expression appeared on Alice's face.
She then turned towards the other witches and calmly spoke, "The Tower of Fate has only just activated. Too many things inside require my immediate attention and cleaning up, so I won't be inviting you inside for a tour. The gifts presented by the various representatives can be slowly handed over to us, but the promised apprentices have to be sent over as soon as possible. I thank you for your efforts!"
The witches could hear Alice's intention to send them away. They looked at each other and turned to leave.
The Witches of Deceit debated for a moment and decided to leave Rena behind when they departed.
Soon, only Alice, Rena, Greem, and a Death Witch remained.
Rena's confused gaze fell upon the Death Witch that had stayed behind.
"I am Hela, Sofia's aunt. I know that asking about the Battle of Fate is an offense to the new Witch of Fate. But…but I still wish to know what happened to Sofia. If she is truly dead, then I can forget about it." The Second Grade Death Witch's face hid underneath her hood. She looked at Alice as she slowly explained her intentions.
As expected, Sofia was related to the Death Witches!
Alice exchanged looks with Greem before silently nodding.
"Since the two of you wish to know about your relatives, follow me! Sir Greem, please follow me as well!" Alice smiled at everyone present and turned to walk into the Tower of Fate.
The three adepts followed her into the Tower.
Rena was anxious and impatient. She marched right in front of everyone but Alice.
The Death Witch was leaning on a magic staff with a strange design. The staff clonked against the floor as she walked into the Tower.
Greem was the weakest of them all. He could only rub his nose in helplessness and walk behind them.
A sense of antiquity was the first thing that greeted the three guests when they entered the Tower.
Thick dust covered the floor, the pillars, the bookshelves, and the walls. Collapsed shelves and boxes littered every place they walked. Heavy crops of magical vines grew all over the place haphazardly. They had forcefully turned the arcane hall of the ground floor into a sinister and frightening garden.
And here, the marks of the Battle of Fate could still be seen!