This chapter is equivalent to Chapter 6 of Volume 2.
For the Volume 1: The Awakening of The legendary King, it is polished and completed in Amazon: https://a.co/d/0f0nCyAq
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"AI King Witch, it has been a long time since I last saw you," Madam Li-chang spoke, her voice filled with respect, yet unable to conceal the hoarse, fragile tone of old age.
"Hm, you've grown so much, Li-chang. I remember when you were just a little girl, running around showing off the magic you cast with your crane-shaped AI Witch. What was its name again… Candy, wasn't it?" Dreamy placed his paws on his hips, looking smug.
"Crany, my King," The old woman chuckled. "You are still as arrogant as ever. Even in the form of a poodle AI Witch, you haven't lost that trait!"
Dreamy burst into laughter, as memories from the past flooded back between the two beings who had lived for over a thousand years.
Then the old woman looked at Dreamy and sighed softly.
"Well… it has been more than a thousand years since that holy tech war…"
Standing nearby, Long frowned in confusion and spoke up. "What is the holy tech war…?"
The old woman turned to look at him. Her eyes shifted from surprise to a gentle familiarity… then suddenly flickered with an unreadable thought.
"You will understand in time, Long. For your own sake, I will not reveal much about it."
Something about Madam Li-chang reminded him of Mrs. Hương, and he replied instinctively, "Yes, ma'am…"
Dreamy asked,
"Li-chang, is 'that person' still alive? And the others… what happened to them?"
Her voice trembled.
"My King… they are all gone. Most died in the war. Some perished while fighting the remnants of that dark entity… As for the few who survived, their magical power could not withstand the erosion of time…"
Dreamy fell silent.
He closed his eyes, and suddenly he could hear the clash of weapons, the roar of thunder, the crackling of lightning, the sounds of magic being cast, flames and smoke engulfing everything, desperate screams, bodies lying everywhere, AI Witches twisted and deformed… Then came the images of his human companions, the AI Witches who had fought alongside him. A mighty human figure stood before him, hair flowing in the wind, holding a magnificent rifle in the vastness of space.
"They're all gone…" Dreamy repeated, as if lost. It was the first time Long had ever seen the "King" Dreamy so contemplative, completely unlike his usual energetic, food-loving self.
"Dreamy… are you okay?" Long asked, trying to comfort him.
Snapping back to reality, Dreamy said, "It's fine. I'm fine…"
He then turned to Madam Li-chang, his gaze now carrying the seriousness of a king.
"Li-chang, you didn't bring us here just to talk about the past, did you? You can use the 'Peach Blossom of Destiny' magic to help this boy, Long, encounter his great future and grow stronger."
She looked at Long and smiled kindly.
"His destiny is far greater than that…"
As she spoke, she took out a folding fan. Her aged hands suddenly became smooth and youthful, her hair turned black again, and her face gradually transformed into that of a beautiful young woman. She performed a graceful dance, then softly commanded:
"Crany… assimilate!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the crane AI Witch flapped its wings and merged with Madam Li-chang. Her hair floated gently in the wind, and a pair of pure white crane wings sprouted from her back. The ribbon of her hanbok lengthened, flowing beautifully through the air. Peach blossom petals began to swirl around her as she danced. She was casting the most powerful prophecy magic in the world; without the assistance of the AI Witch Crany, relying only on past crude magical tools and complex rituals, the process could take hundreds of years.
Long and Nguyen stood frozen before the breathtaking beauty of the spell. The room filled with the faint fragrance of peach blossoms carried by a gentle magical breeze. They had never imagined they would one day witness a spell capable of altering a person's destiny.
Her eyes glowed with a radiant white power, and her voice became strong and mystical—layered with the voices of a child, a man, and a woman, all speaking the same words at the same time:
"Long, go to the rural region of Asarina in the West and find a woman named Alice. After that, when you meet an empress, the wheel of your destiny will begin to turn."
Everyone was stunned by the prophecy. Dreamy exclaimed, "Excellent—the wheel of destiny has been set."
The peach blossoms suddenly vanished. Madam Li-chang returned to her frail, elderly form. Crany separated from her, its eyes glowing as it let out a sharp cry.
"Thank you, Li-chang. I will guide this boy to grow stronger—he will help me reclaim my power!" Dreamy said.
Long rushed over to support Madam Li-chang, who was exhausted after casting the spell.
"Thank you, Madam Li-chang," Long said, overjoyed.
"It's not over yet…" she whispered weakly. "Jin, bring me the thousand-year magic box."
The girl in the red hanbok immediately picked up a box and ran to her. It was a stainless steel box, encased in an additional layer of reinforced glass. Surrounding it were precise bronze-colored grooves that occasionally emitted a faint glow. There was no lock at all; overall, it was a highly technological magic box—perfectly seamless, with no visible way to open it.
"Long, take it. It will be useful for the great future that awaits you," Madam Li-chang said, her hand trembling slightly as she handed him the box.
Long reached out to receive it, his mind filled with questions.
What was the great future she spoke of? What was this box for? Why would he only understand the Holy Tech War? What had Dreamy—no, the AI King Witch—and Madam Li-chang gone through in that war…?
Madam Li-chang waved her hand and softly commanded,
"I need to rest. AI King Witch, all of you, continue your journey… Jin, help me back to my room…"
The group took their leave and stepped out of the chamber, to the astonishment of the hunters waiting outside in the courtyard.
Dreamy remained silent and deep in thought. Long was filled with questions about everything he had just learned. Nguyen stayed cold and composed as always. The three of them descended the mountain, walking past stairways lined with blooming peach blossoms, as petals fell like a beautiful rain.
Inside Madam Li-chang's resting room, she suddenly coughed up blood.
Jin, the girl in the red hanbok, looked at her in shock and anguish. "Madam, what's wrong?"
"I have deceived the Death and the Time many times, waiting for that person to return and fulfill our thousand-year promise. Perhaps today is the day I must truly leave this world…" Madam Li-chang said weakly.
A wind began to rise around her, and the scent of peach blossoms filled Jin's senses.
Crany—the crane-shaped AI Witch standing nearby—spread its wings. "Madam, I can see the Death at the door. With my power, I can help you deceive them once more. Please give the order."
Madam Li-chang closed her eyes and smiled gently at Jin and Crany.
"That is enough… I believe we must follow the natural order. If I continue to defy it, the consequences may be severe. Besides, I have already fulfilled the task entrusted to me by that person"
Her body began to turn pale. The wind around her grew stronger, and she started to glow. Peach blossom petals swirled in the air, as if mourning someone who had upheld a vow for a thousand years. She tightly held Jin's hand.
"Jin, I am sorry to pass this great responsibility on to you. When the great future arrives, please, you and Crany must support that person."
Jin burst into tears. "Thank you, Madam, for taking in a little fox demon like me. I will follow your words."
Madam Li-chang began to fade. Her body shone brightly before shattering into thousands of peach blossom petals. Jin's hand grasped at emptiness as the petals drifted upward into the sky.
Dreamy, flying down the mountain, suddenly sniffed the air.
"The energy of the wind has changed…"
He quickly turned to look back at the temple atop the mountain. A strange phenomenon unfolded—thousands of glowing peach blossom petals rose into the sky from the temple, then vanished into nothingness.
"That little girl… even you couldn't stay by my side any longer…"
Dreamy closed his eyes, his voice filled with contemplation.
"In the end… I am the only one left after a thousand years…"
In another world, a peach blossom petal suddenly fell into the hand of a woman. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with captivating blue eyes, long flowing black hair, and a body radiating a warm golden glow. She wore a white peplos that fluttered gracefully in the wind like that of a goddess.
She carried a massive greatsword and sat atop a mountain of thousands of monster corpses, smiling with confidence and allure.
The peach blossom petal in her hand suddenly glowed, then vanished.