In the Name of Empress-Chapter 521 - 329: Scar or Holy Mark? (Part 3)

Some things are meant to happen and cannot be avoided. Why not go find Alina? She might be able to see something different.

When Sif found Alina, she was sitting in front of the card table in a daze, with hundreds of cards scattered chaotically across the table.

"What’s this..." Sif couldn’t help but ask. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Alina didn’t bother to tidy up the table. She propped herself up with her hands on the table, stood up, and made a gesture inviting Sif with a smile.

"I couldn’t sleep last night, played cards all night and haven’t had time to clean up. Sorry for the mess. Join me for a cup of tea."

Sif did not refuse Alina’s invitation. The two of them moved to the sitting room outside and sat down in turn.

The Demonic Puppet maid brought over fragrant tea and pastries, then quickly retreated.

Sif glanced at the puppet, took a small sip of the tea, and smiled, saying, "I intended to ask you for a divination, but seeing you’ve been busy all night, I might come back another day."

"Since you’re here, let’s do it today."

Alina quickly popped a piece of pastry into her mouth, replenishing her strength with the sugar, and asked with a smile:

"I’m currently in a special ethereal state, and in a maximum of one hour, I’ll be completely exhausted due to over-fatigue. If you want a divination, now is the best time."

Friends who often stay up all night know that after an all-nighter, one often feels particularly stimulated. After this period of excitement, extreme fatigue sets in.

Alina wasn’t just spouting nonsense; in fact, many divination masters would take a purifying bath and deliberately keep busy all night, commencing formal divinations in the early morning.

Seeing Alina’s sincerity, Sif stopped being coy and gently asked, "What do you think of Christine? Don’t give me the official line; I want to hear the truth."

"How should I put this? I’m a bit concerned about her mental state."

Alina whispered, "Miss Christine is a contradictory person. On the battlefield, she can ruthlessly discard unnecessary pawns to achieve maximum victory at the lowest cost. But off the battlefield, she is a virtuous and helpful person."

"Aside from her military talent, she is the textbook example of a saintess. Unlike those opportunists who approach the altar only to doubt the divine, her faith is truly devout."

Alina’s words hit the nail on the head for Sif. She raised an eyebrow and softly said:

"Sofia is mercurial and extremely dangerous. I disagree with compromise, but I never thought Christine would tear things down like this. What do you think she was thinking?"

"One part for the Wende Empire, nine parts for the Divine Court of Light."

Alina declared decisively, "She might feel guilty towards Roland because of it, but if given another chance, she would still do it."

Sif lightly creased her brow, as Alina’s reminder was something she hadn’t considered.

She originally thought Christine’s provocation of Sofia might have been impulsive and not entirely genuine.

In retrospect, the impulsiveness was real, and the intent was also genuine.

"Do you still want a divination?" Alina gently reminded.

"Yes, provided it doesn’t affect you," Sif whispered.

"Don’t worry. The subject we observe is a devout believer, but not the goddess herself or someone unobservable, so there won’t be any backlash."

Alina took another sip of tea and led Sif to the card table.

This type of divination was very simple for Alina, to the point where she could introduce the strengths and weaknesses of the Angel Card and Tarot Cards systems while laying out the cards. She also explained the reason for her personal choice of Angel Cards to Sif.

Sif did not interrupt Alina’s boasting, merely listening quietly and occasionally offering praise.

Since Alina’s mental state was so relaxed, it seemed the divination would not be difficult.

In truth, she didn’t want to know much, just the explosive power of this bomb.

After all, Christine was the Alliance’s Commander in Chief. As long as she could still be used, Sif dared not change leaders at the last minute.

Having barely managed to consolidate the coalition forces’ combat power, changing the leader at such a time would be like cutting off their own head.

The divination quickly proceeded to its final stage, the moment of revelation.

The milky white light representing the direction of destiny grew brighter, showing that Christine’s destiny was becoming clearer.

What Alina had to consider next was how to interpret the results in riddles that would be easy to understand.

She closed her eyes, and her fair and tender hands reached out to capture the threads of destiny in the air.

Soundlessly, she accurately grasped the threads of destiny.

She opened her eyes.

Sif was not in front of her, the card table was gone, nothing was there, only a vast expanse of holy light lay before her.

Alina was shocked. This was a divination result she had never heard of before.

The outcomes of a divination were either success, where the path of destiny is touched; invalid, where nothing happens; or a failure, resulting in backlash on the diviner.

She had never heard of a precedent where a divination transported someone to an unknown space.

Just as she was panicking, an eye opened within the endless light.

Alina’s entire spirit scattered in an instant, staring blankly at the eye, her whole body limp and devoid of strength.

Just as she was near despair, the eye in the light simply looked at her kindly, leading her into Dreamland.

Alina’s spirit gradually became dazed, as if immersed in a hot spring, a silent call echoing in her ears.

"Sleep, child, this is not a field you can gaze upon."

...

Sif caught the soft falling Alina in her arms, her face turning pale with fright.

"Alina, Alina, what’s wrong with you? Don’t scare me!"

She carried Alina into the bedroom, clumsily laying the slumbering Alina onto the bed.