Chapter 103: Undercurrents in the Kingdom of Snow White

"Sisters, I’ve just learned something shocking—

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The old witch from Enderland who wanted to join us... is dead!"

It was another routine meeting of the Coven of Witches.

Through magic, the witches communicated across the dark void, their voices transforming into instant messages, crisscrossing like an eerie group chat.

If Rhine were listening in, he would have thought it was remarkably similar to modern-day online discussions—some witches were extremely talkative and always active, while others were constantly offline.

Several voices overlapped—

"Oh? What happened? Tell us more. She contacted me not too long ago."

"Did someone chop off her head? Hahaha!"

"Wasn’t she one of the strongest witches in Enderland? I recall that she actually had some real skills. She had a wand that could transform into a venomous snake immune to magic, the ability to resurrect once after death, expertise in transformation, potion-making, and mirror magic. Plus, she was protected by Enderland’s soldiers and some pretty formidable warriors. Killing her wouldn’t have been easy for just anyone."

"Sounds like she was indeed capable. No wonder she wanted to join us. Whoever killed her must be someone we all know, right? Did the Emperor of Enderland finally realize her ambitions and have her eliminated? Or was it a group of powerful mages and warriors working together?"

The first speaker fell silent for a moment before responding—

"From what I’ve heard... it wasn’t some grand figure. The one who killed her was none other than the Sage of the Rose Kingdom, the Grand Magician Rhine!"

"You may have already heard about what happened recently between the Western Asia Kingdom and Enderland.

"But just two months after that, another shocking piece of news spread—the Western Asia Kingdom established diplomatic relations with the merfolk.

"An alliance with those non-human sea creatures? Unbelievable!

"And according to my sources, that Sage of the Rose Kingdom was directly involved in both events—he orchestrated Enderland’s downfall and facilitated the alliance between the Western Asia Kingdom and the merfolk.

"The old witch was probably taken out by him as well."

For a brief moment, the dark void fell into silence.

Then, a cold, sharp voice cut through—

"Oh? If that little magician is involved, then I might actually be interested. Any more details?"

"Hahaha! Maleficent, I knew you'd be intrigued! What, are you worried that since you once cursed the Rose Kingdom, their Sage might come for your head next?" A wild, unhinged voice cackled. R̃ÄŊȯβÊꞩ

"Shut your filthy mouth and drop that idiotic catchphrase of yours!" Maleficent snapped.

"I've destroyed dozens—no, hundreds of kingdoms over the centuries. The list of warriors and magicians who’ve tried to kill me could wrap around the entire continent.

"But not one of them has ever succeeded. Crushing them was about as difficult as stepping on an ant."

The first speaker responded, "I don’t have detailed information. I don’t live in Enderland or the Western Asia Kingdom, so how would I know everything?"

"Ugh, how annoying," Maleficent muttered, her voice laced with irritation.

—Though it seemed her frustration stemmed more from the lack of immediate answers than any concern over a magician possibly coming after her.

She suddenly shouted into the void—

"Hey, Queen, are you there?"

"Use your magic mirror and find out what really happened between Enderland, the Western Asia Kingdom, and those merfolk!

"And figure out what role that Sage from the Rose Kingdom played in all of this!"

Silence.

The Queen did not respond.

"Of course, she’s not here again," someone grumbled.

"Ugh, she’s always absent. Why is she even in the Coven?"

"Someone should just cut off her head already."

"Forget it," the first speaker said. "I’ll visit White Kingdom in person and ask the Queen directly. She can use her mirror to get the details."

Maleficent scoffed. "Don’t act like that’s some big effort. For you, traveling anywhere on the continent is just a few steps away."

—

Enderland Royal Capital

The chaos from the "Great Fish and Sea Beast Rampage at the Royal Port" had long since subsided. The kingdom had returned to order.

The Emperor of Enderland sat upon his Obsidian Throne, listening to reports from his officials.

"Your Majesty, we have instructed all Royal Privateers holding letters of marque to avoid any ships from the Western Asia Kingdom."

After a brief pause, one minister asked hesitantly, "Your Majesty, is that necessary? The Western Asia Kingdom suddenly abandoned our alliance. Shouldn’t they be made to pay for that betrayal? Now we’re just... letting them off?"

The Emperor let out a low chuckle.

"They are now under the protection of the merfolk.

"In the open sea, no one can touch them."

At that moment, a swarthy-skinned, sharp-eyed magician entered the palace.

"Your Majesty, I am Magician Magrito. I am honored that you have finally granted me an audience!"

Had Rhine been present, he would have recognized this man instantly—

He was the very magician from the Divination Competition hosted by Prince Eric—the one who had lost to Rhine. A foreigner, said to be from the Middle Eastern lands.

As soon as Magrito saw the powerful Emperor of Enderland, his face twisted into a sycophantic grin.

"Your Majesty, I heard that during the recent turmoil, you lost an exceptional Court Witch—a powerful sorceress. I would like to take her place!"

"Convince me why you are qualified," the Emperor said indifferently.

"Your Majesty, I would not have come empty-handed. I bring secrets of great importance!

"With your support, I can lead you to absolute power!" Magrito’s excitement grew as he spoke.

"I traveled here on a flying carpet, crossing the Middle Eastern deserts to reach the Western Continent. Along the way, I uncovered two great secrets hidden within the sands!"

The Emperor leaned forward slightly. "And what secrets would those be?"

Magrito’s grin widened.

"Your Majesty, have you ever heard of—

'A magic lamp that can grant wishes'...

And... the hidden Kingdom of Oz at the heart of the desert?"

—

White Kingdom

Rhine and Aurora rode on horseback, officially leaving the Western Asia Kingdom and entering White Kingdom’s borders.

Rhine had already gathered intelligence on the neighboring land—

"The former Queen of White Kingdom is deceased. The current Queen is the King’s second wife.

"The late Queen left behind a beautiful daughter. Because of her snow-white skin, she was named... Snow White."

This was all painfully familiar to Rhine.

"So this is the Kingdom of Snow White..."

Piecing together the intelligence from the Coven of Witches, Rhine quickly formed a hypothesis—

"The Coven’s 'Queen' is highly likely to be the current Queen of White Kingdom—Snow White’s stepmother!"

"According to the Sea Hag’s intelligence, the Queen is actually a minor member of the Coven. She lacks real magical abilities. Her only asset is a magic mirror that answers any question asked."

"Should I investigate her? Or maybe sneak a look at that magic mirror?"

Rhine pondered his options.

The Coven of Witches was a dangerous organization—a dark assembly of spellcasters who thrived on power and intrigue. Though some members were weak or only skilled in one craft, as a whole, they posed a significant threat.

"For now, let's avoid the Queen and Snow White. We’ll just pass through White Kingdom normally."

With that plan in mind, Rhine and Aurora rode through the lush green forest. Leaves brushed against their shoulders as birdsong echoed through the trees.

Halfway along the journey, Rhine suddenly had a thought—

"In most versions of Snow White, the Queen always asks her mirror: ‘Who is the most beautiful in the world?’ Until Snow White grows up, the mirror always says it’s the Queen."

"But this world is filled with princes, princesses, and queens—like they’re mass-produced! You can barely take ten steps without bumping into another ‘beautiful princess.’"

"In this world, would the mirror really still call her ‘the most beautiful’?"