"Mm! That's definitely a good idea! It's just that..."
Wei Lin nodded, a hint of guilt creeping in.
Back then, he had left only a letter before taking Jenny and departing without saying goodbye. It was unreasonable — you could even call it ungrateful.
It was a regret that still weighed on him, but at the time, his youthful temper had flared, and with concern for Jenny's safety pressing on his mind, he'd done what he'd done.
In his thinking, once the heat died down, or once he'd made a name for himself and achieved something worth returning for, he'd come back and humbly ask Leilin's forgiveness — and Leilin would surely forgive him.
"Who knows — maybe Lord Leilin would even make an exception and take me on as a disciple!"
Wei Lin sometimes daydreamed about this very thing.
But right now, the timing was clearly wrong. He was still a penniless nobody, and worse, he was being hunted by dark elves. Going there now would look like he was trying to seek shelter under Leilin's protection.
The thought made Wei Lin's blood rush to his face, both cheeks burning.
"What's wrong?" Memphis asked.
"Oh! Nothing! Nothing at all — your plan is great! Let's go with it!"
"I wouldn't recommend doing that."
At that moment, a cool, clear female voice suddenly sounded from nearby.
"Who's there?!"
Wei Lin instantly leaped backward, throwing off his cloak. The massive compound-eyed, flesh-mass-shaped reinforced armor immediately bonded to his body, and the Frost Cave Spider Queen on his shoulder jumped down as well, swelling from fist-size to two stories tall, its white fangs dripping translucent pus, all aimed in the direction of the voice.
On the other side, the glow of wizardry also flared to life around Memphis.
They had been chased all the way here and were genuinely on edge — practically birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.
From the source of the voice, a flash of red light appeared, revealing the figure of a female wizard.
The woman wore a loose white mage's robe. Her narrow, arched eyebrows curved slightly upward, lending a hint of allure. The lines of her face were soft and refined — she was, by any measure, a rare beauty.
But what drew even more attention was the strand of multicolored gemstones around her pale neck, radiating an energy fluctuation no weaker than that of a formal wizard, slowly emanating from her body.
"Who are you?" Wei Lin asked warily.
This human wizard seemed to be a stealth specialist — to have gotten this close without being detected was beyond even the dark elf sentinels who had been hunting them!
"I mean you no harm!" The female wizard showed a warm smile and spread her hands.
"My name is Weinasi. I'm a wandering wizard, and I've come specifically to warn you." The female wizard's voice was perfectly calm, and she carried an air of mystery — a luminous quality, as if wisdom and erudition had been blended together into something one might only find in the eyes of the very old.
"No — not erudition! It's confidence — the confidence of someone who holds the whole world in the palm of her hand!" Memphis was inwardly startled. This kind of self-assured bearing was exceedingly rare, even among the several matriarchs he had known.
And that made him all the more wary.
Someone like this surely had hidden strength or some extraordinary ability. He and Wei Lin had better not let their guard down and stumble into a trap.
"Very well! Lady Weinasi, what is it you want to tell us?"
Memphis had unconsciously taken several steps back. Under the cover of his right sleeve, an ancient wizardry scroll was already in his hand.
"You really don't need to be so guarded. I'm your friend — I'm here to help you!"
Weinasi's lips curved with a trace of helpless amusement. Before Memphis could press further, she began to speak: "Within the upper echelons of the Dark Aurora Domain's wizards, a traitor has emerged — someone colluding with the dark elves. I don't yet know this person's identity, because a fog of fate shrouds them, but it's possible this person is the Guardian, or perhaps the head of a major school, and quite possibly the Wizard Leilin you mentioned earlier! If you were to run into them, the consequences would be unthinkable!"
"A traitor among the wizard leadership?!" Wei Lin exclaimed. "Where did you get this information?"
"The guidance of Fate! It has shown me these things — and it has shown me your future!" A holy, solemn expression appeared on Weinasi's face. She stepped forward and gazed upon Wei Lin's features.
"You will become a hero in the days to come! And I shall be your most loyal subordinate and right hand!"
With that, she actually dropped to one knee and performed a gesture of fealty.
"I — I — I'll become a hero?"
Wei Lin's head was spinning, but Memphis had seized on the key point in her words.
"You foresaw it? Could you be the legendary Fate Witch — one who can perceive the trajectory of others' lives?"
"Under the guidance of Fate, nothing can hide!" Weinasi nodded, confirming her identity.
"A witch who can foresee the future! How incredible!" Wei Lin cheered.
"In history, both the Lion King and John the Golden Knight had at their side a wise and prophetic great wizard who helped them build their empires in the end!"
Wei Lin's eyes seemed to ignite with fire.
The string of recent miracles, coupled with the arrival of a prophetic witch pledging herself to his cause, had gradually gone to his head without him realizing it.
"Maybe... I really am destined to be a hero!" The thought took root in Wei Lin's mind, unstoppable, and like a seed, it began to sprout and grow.