Magical Journey: The Other Shore Blooms on the Other Shore

Chapter 227 [Frost Blossom] Alexia, the Witch of Life

“Aren’t you going to say hello to me?” Alexia said. “I thought Wendy would tell you some rules.”

Wendy? If I'm not mistaken, she should be the so-called young lady who lured me here.

"I don't want to follow your rules, neither logically nor emotionally," Qin replied.

The atmosphere seemed to freeze, as if Alexia had never encountered such a situation before. After all, the people she met were mostly obsequious; even Angela wouldn't be so rude to her.

“Fine,” Alexia said finally. “You certainly have the right. I thought you would be even more assertive, but you’re more silent than I expected.”

Thanks to you, am I supposed to rush over and fight you to the death now?

Resentment? At this point, there's no way to resolve things with just a life-or-death situation.

“I have something for you. Whether you accept it or not is up to you,” Alexia said, then took a wooden box from the table. “You can consider this my compensation for your past.”

Compensation—ha, do I need that? Even now, they're still so arrogant and have never reflected on any of their mistakes.

Jean has always known that what made her who she is today was not just the fault of the person in front of her. There are many people who have made mistakes, and this person in front of her is not even among the top few. Slater is her most direct enemy.

But she's still the same; she abandoned me when I was high and mighty, and now she's condescendingly offering me compensation.

It's as if this would wipe the slate clean.

“Don’t rush to refuse,” Alexia continued. “You probably want to live, right? In all of Beatrice, no one is more skilled in life magic than me. This box can keep you alive for ten seconds.”

Qin fell silent once again.

“Having witnessed so many beautiful things, do you feel less inclined to die? You might even be willing to become a caged canary,” Alexia continued. “I feel the same way.”

Her motto is to be unswayed by emotions and to be absolutely indifferent to reason.

If the value outweighs the loss, do it; if the loss outweighs the value, abandon it.

Just as anyone could exploit Jean's weakness, Alexia easily breached Jean's psychological defenses. It was indeed a handout; Alexia's pride wouldn't allow her to bow down in the slightest, and Jean had no reason to refuse such a handout.

That's really embarrassing.

Qin accepted the wooden box.

“This is a magical artifact, a music box I assembled,” Alexia said. “For ten seconds after hearing the music box, you can remain conscious even if you're reduced to a pile of mangled flesh. But after ten seconds, anyone will be instantly and completely dead, beyond the reach of magic—at least I can’t. Everything is a matter of equal exchange, isn’t that fair?”

This is an extremely terrifying magical artifact; if it were released into the outside world, it would definitely cause a bloodbath.

This is an absolute blasphemy against life, an unimaginable blasphemy.

Ten seconds may seem short, but if such magical artifacts were mass-produced, ordinary people could form an invincible army. Even against multiple times the number of witches, ten seconds would be enough for an immortal to kill them.

“I have no regrets about the past,” Alexia said. “I just made a rational choice. We all make choices, and no matter what we choose, we often end up on the same path.”

“That’s not an excuse,” Qin retorted.

“Hmm, haven’t you been trying to make the opposite choice all along? But now, has the outcome changed?” Alexia said.

Qin is back.

This is the best proof.

This statement is exactly the same as that of Anna. It seems that this idea permeates the entire Beatrice: fate cannot be changed, so going with the flow is fate.

Thanks to the true founder of this kingdom, the word "fate" has taken deep root in people's hearts. Perhaps it is because of the many misfortunes and hardships experienced that even those who did not believe in fate have gradually been forced to believe in it.

“Whether it’s resentment or anger,” Alexia said, “this is all I can do for now. I don’t ask for any thanks from you; it’s just my choice.”

Why make this choice?

"Yes, why? Maybe it's because I want to do it."

After giving the magical artifact called the "Box of Death" to Jean, Alexia said nothing more; there was no affection between them.

Yes, there is only resentment.

Perhaps she simply hoped that Jean could truly accomplish what Angela wanted to do, or perhaps she genuinely wanted to make amends for her past actions. Alexia entrusted this magical artifact to Jean.

The reason doesn't matter; for her, that's the result.

Alexia wouldn't mention that creating this magical artifact cost her nearly ten years of her lifespan; when it comes to life, any exchange is extremely expensive.

Otherwise, if this thing were mass-produced and given to Angela, she could seal not just one rift, but a hundred. In Beatrice, how many people long to escape this hell?

The two exchanged no more words, and Qin simply left.

He had thought he would complain and criticize her, but now that he was actually standing in front of her, he found himself not wanting to say anything.

Accusations only highlight his incompetence and will have absolutely no effect on him.

Qin walked out on her own.

"Where do you want to go next?" Anna seemed to have been waiting at the manor gate the whole time. It was hard to imagine she had so much free time.

"Did I come back for sightseeing?" Qin Fa asked.

“Is there nowhere else you want to go? If that’s the case, I’ll take you to see your teacher,” Anna said. “But your teacher said that perhaps there is one more place you would like to go.”

"Don't follow me."

“Of course.” Anna nodded. “After the mourning is over, you can come to the palace to find me. You know there’s no escaping, right?”

Without saying another word, Qin turned and walked towards the gates of Beatrice.

He was very young when he fled, and he thought he could really escape, so he never thought he would come back.

As I grew older, I realized that some things were destined to be unavoidable, but I never imagined that I would return in this way. Qin followed her memories and arrived at a snowy place.

That place was no longer familiar; the once barren snowfield was now covered with spider lilies. But Qin knew that Alice's body was buried beneath this snowfield, buried by his own hands.

But... why did I have to meet this guy?

Qin's steps gradually slowed, and in his line of sight, there was still a person standing in front of the wooden tombstone. The guy he would never forget.

"You've come?" The voice sounded somewhat aged, and even after so many years, he was still affected by the fear emanating from that voice.

Slater... that guy who made me wish I were dead.

“Don’t be so surprised,” Slater said. “After all, she was my daughter. It’s only natural for me to come and mourn her.”