Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1408 Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror Tells Me

Christina put the golden lamp into her usual school bag, locked the door with Dorothy, went out onto the street, and quickly boarded a public carriage that was passing by and whose final destination was in the northern part of Tingen.

The morning rush hour was over, and there weren't many passengers on the train. The two girls sat down in a corner by the window and quickly became drowsy in the swaying carriage.

The journey from the West End to the North End wasn't far, but the carriage route had to cover various locations, taking a roundabout route that would take about half an hour. To alleviate the boredom, Christina covered the magic lamp in her handbag with one hand and poked her sister, who was pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, with the other. After the sister looked at her, she said:

"Why did you come out with me? I thought you would stay home and tell your parents about it tonight."

Dorothy glanced at her and replied curtly:

“I’m worried that you’ll get lost outside, not be able to find your way home, or forget to bring money to buy a ticket for the public carriage.”

Hearing this, Tina looked away shyly. She really hadn't thought much about it before sneaking out with the genie; even the train tickets had been bought for her by her sister.

Her gaze swept over the few passengers, and she changed the subject, asking:
"With so few passengers on weekends, why do they still operate on the usual schedule?"

The cost of public carriages in Tingen has been 1 penny per kilometer, capped at 4 pence, as far as she can remember, and it seems to have never changed, while the cost of training and maintaining the horses is not low.

"Because this is part of a public utility, it has to be operated even if it loses money, and the additional costs are subsidized by the Tingen city government."

Dorothy lowered her voice slightly as she explained.

“In remote areas, postal services, water and gas, as well as the recently popularized electricity infrastructure, mostly do not recoup their construction costs, but these still need to be done, subsidized by collecting taxes from wealthier areas.”

So that's how it is… Tina remembered the news she'd heard on the radio that morning and understood the purpose of building the wireless tower to cover the area around Tingen. But looking at the somewhat smug Dorothy, she couldn't help but purse her lips and comment:
"You're becoming more and more like your father, liking to lecture him about these little things."

"Didn't you ask the question first?"

Dorothy snorted and turned her head away, not wanting to pay attention to her sister.

But she quickly turned back and said softly:

"Lower your head."

Christina glanced out the window instinctively, and a sign hanging vertically at the entrance of a three-story building flashed by.

Blackthorn Security Company.

It was where her parents worked... She immediately shrank back, hiding her body inside the carriage just like Dorothy sitting opposite her.

Although their parents said this morning that they were going on a long trip and had probably already left the city of Tingen, the two sisters were still worried about being recognized by a passing company employee.

At the same time, in a second-floor window, a woman with white hair but not looking old seemed to sense something, looking out the window and watching the public carriage slowly pass by.

Only after that gaze disappeared and the carriage turned a corner and left Zotland Street did Tina cautiously raise her head and look back with lingering fear.

She remembered that the perceptive woman was named Sigia Tean, a colleague of her parents, who would occasionally visit their home and had even given them a copy of her own novel as a gift.

Tina skimmed through it and rated it as inferior to the "Great Adventurers" and "Great Pirates" series. The illustrated children's versions of these two bestselling novels were very popular in schools, and Tina was one of their loyal readers. Unfortunately, the author, Fors Wall, was seriously late with her work, and in the last two years she claimed to be out researching, and then there was no news of her since.

It was because she had seen many magical items from legends in these two novels that Tina decided to believe in the "magic lamp" and take it on an adventure.

Of course, necessary preparatory measures are also essential.

The carriage came to a stop, and she and Dorothy got out. They looked up at a black building with a clock tower. The front wall was carved with a holy emblem composed of a large eye without pupils and twisted, layered lines. The door below was half-open, and the interior was not dark because of the light coming through the huge glass windows. Believers dressed in various clothes came and went from time to time.

This is the largest church of the Church of Fools in Tingen, and also Tina's first destination when she "ran away from home".

She wouldn't blindly believe the "genie's" promises and run around with this strange thing, only to end up harming others and herself.

Although the great adventurer Gehrman in the story mostly uses politeness to cover up his madness and recklessness, he still seeks the help of the church when he encounters difficult situations... She muttered to herself, tugged at Dorothy who was looking up at the "Fool" emblem, and walked into the church.

Luckily, as soon as she entered the prayer hall, she found the only familiar face among the believers, priests, and pastors.

"Don't speak for a moment," she whispered to her sister before stepping forward with a smile. "Good morning, Mr. Azik."

The man called Azik was a kind-looking middle-aged man wearing an archbishop's robe. He had bronze skin with some Southern Continent blood, black hair, and brown eyes. He had a small mole below his right ear that was usually hidden by his hair and collar and was difficult to notice.

But he had held Tina when he was a child, and she remembered that feature very clearly.

"Tina, and Dorothy too."

Upon recognizing the newcomers, Archbishop Azik smiled gently. He strode to the church entrance and, instead of praising the Fool as he would when greeting other believers, affectionately patted the heads of the two young girls and asked:

"Where are your parents? Didn't they come with you?"

Tina shook her head, feigning disappointment, and replied:
"They've all gone on a long trip and won't be back until tonight."

Worried that Mr. Azik might escalate the conversation to his parents, she immediately took out a golden lamp from her handbag, showed it to Mr. Azik, and asked:
“Mr. Azik, we’ve come here to have you take a look at this lamp. Is it made of gold? Are there any problems with the intricate patterns on it?”

She chose to come here instead of to the church in the west wing because she knew that the archbishop in front of her was also an associate professor of history at Hoy University and might have special insights into this obviously ancient lamp.

If even the clergy and the history professor couldn't see the problem with the lamp, then it was probably safe. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taken her sister on this adventure; she would have handed it over to the church.

Taking the lamp, which wasn't large but was rather heavy, Azik first weighed it in his hand, then carefully studied the patterns on its surface in the light. Finally, he stroked the golden surface with his fingers, as if trying to summon the genie inside.

At that moment, Christina's heart was in her throat, fearing that the wick of the lamp at the spout would light up and a blurry figure would emerge from it, granting Azik one of his wishes.

Fortunately, nothing happened. Even though Azik's large hands touched every inch of the surface, the genie did not reappear.

Returning the lamp to Tina, the archbishop said carefully:

"Judging by its weight, this lamp shouldn't be made entirely of gold, otherwise its size alone would be worth over three hundred pounds. "The lamp's appearance doesn't resemble the style of any country in the Fifth Age, and gold artifacts weren't popular in the Fourth Age. It's either an even older antique or a forgery made by an artisan who doesn't know history."

Where did you find it?

Three hundred pounds... That's more than half a year's income for her father... In that instant, Tina had the idea of ​​selling the golden lamp, feeling that she could fulfill her wishes with just that money, and didn't necessarily need the genie's promise.

But she didn't show any unusual reaction and immediately replied:
"It was found in the basement of our house, just sitting in a wooden box... Maybe it's an antique from my parents' company? I mean... some useless replicas?"

She was worried that the other party might misunderstand that her parents were using their positions to secretly keep valuables, so she explained a few more words.

Mr. Azik seemed to chuckle when he heard about the basement.

“Then put it back where it was,” he said in a gentle tone. “How could something truly valuable be hidden in a basement?”

That's true... However, the lamp itself isn't very valuable, but the genie inside is real... Tina retorted inwardly, then obediently nodded, promising to put it back in the basement today.

Seeing this, Azik smiled with satisfaction, then patted Tina and Dorothy, who had been standing silently to the side, on the head before returning to the altar to prepare for the next sermon.

"You really intend to put it back?"

Once Azik was out of sight, Dorothy approached and made a sarcastic remark in a strange tone.

That depends on whether the genie will really grant my wish… Christina didn’t answer her sister’s question, but turned and walked out of the church.

Before leaving, she glanced at the huge mural on the left wall of the gate, which depicted the “angel of salvation” Gehrman Sparrow leading his followers out of the dark land. This was also described in the “Great Adventurers” series, but it was portrayed in an exaggerated adventure novel style, and even included a climax of battling the dark angel in the legendary giant’s palace. It was hard to tell which side was real or whether both were fictional.
Her sister Dorothy looked at the other wall, her gaze lingering on Angelica, the "angel of misfortune" who calmed the storm and dispelled the dark clouds. She felt that the somewhat holy figure of this woman resembled her mother's back as she cooked.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After leaving the church, the two walked for a few minutes to the park at the intersection of Red Moon Street and Zotland Street.

The area is lush with green grass and has a beautiful environment. Nearby residents stroll among the flowers and plants with their children and stop by the fountain, enjoying themselves immensely.

But just over a decade ago, the worst tragedy in Tingen’s history occurred here: a newly built gas pipeline leaked during park renovations, causing a massive explosion that killed nearly a hundred people. Even Councilor Maynard, who had donated funds to build the park and was running for mayor, died in the explosion.

Afterwards, the Church of the Night donated money again to rebuild the park, provided substantial compensation to the dead and injured, and erected a monument in the park to commemorate the citizens who died in the incident.

I remember it was September of 1349... What was the date again? I heard there will be a 20th anniversary celebration next year... Thoughts popped into Tina's head, but she didn't stop walking and quickly arrived at the monument in a corner of the park.

The monument, about 1 meter high and made of black marble, has the name of each of the deceased engraved on the front, and detailed descriptions of the events on both sides. Tina glanced at it and found that it was not much different from what she had learned at school, only more detailed. It even mentioned that a young girl had discovered the gas leak before the incident and shouted to warn others to evacuate, which reduced a lot of casualties.

Sadly, the girl died in the explosion. It's unknown which name she was on the list... Tina silently mourned for the dead for a second, then took out the golden lamp and placed it on the monument.

She glanced back at Dorothy, and seeing that the other did not stop her, she continued to stroke the surface of the lamp, trying to summon the genie inside.

This time, the lamp wick at the spout was lit as intended, and golden light burst forth, forming a slightly more solid and clearer silhouette above the monument than Tina had seen before.

“Very good, you’ve brought me here.” The figure seemed to sway with the wind, constantly twisting and turning, emitting a majestic but soft voice, “I can feel that my strength has been restored a little.”

Pedestrians occasionally walked by, glancing curiously at the two sisters beside the monument, but none of them noticed the golden figure on the monument, as if their vision had been distorted by some force.

Only Christina and Dorothy could see him. The latter squinted warily, touching the antique silver mirror she carried with one hand, while pulling her sister away from the genie with the other.

"Are you the genie who can grant our wishes?"

She asked seriously.

"If you mean to grant my wish first, and then I will grant yours, then that's right, I am the genie."

The golden figure explained, then looked at Christina and said:

"She has already fulfilled part of my wish. Now all I need to do is go to the remaining six of the seven nodes. Once I am free, I will fulfill her three wishes as promised. Of course, you can share these three shares."

"Wait, you said seven places? I thought it only had to be delivered here!" Tina interrupted the genie's promise with a hint of anger. "The others won't be outside Tingen City, will they?"

The genie answered confidently:
"Of course not in Tingen. If they were all here, I could find a cat to solve my problem."

"But don't worry, if I say it can be done in one day, it will be done in one day."

"The other most recent location is in Backlund, the country's capital."

Tina stared in disbelief, while Dorothy, standing behind her, calmly said:

"But it takes eight hours just to travel between Tingen and Backlund, not including the time to wait for the steam train, and that's just the nearest point."

"You are deceiving us."

She carefully examined the floating genie for a moment, then nodded and said to Tina:
“Let’s give it to Mr. Azik. The Archbishop of the Church of Fools should be able to find a good home for this magic lamp.”

The golden figure instantly became much brighter.

“Wait, it doesn’t take four hours to get to Backlund. You don’t understand the true power of this world, which is why you think the steam train is the fastest way to travel.” He explained somewhat urgently. “My power has been restored somewhat, and I can help you reach your destination quickly and return just as quickly.”

Really... Tina was skeptical. She subconsciously looked at her sister, who pondered for a moment and then took out the antique silver mirror, about the size of two palms, that she had brought with her before leaving home.

“If you lie to us, I’ll send you to church right away.”

She first gave a warning, then looked at the mirror in her hand, her expression softening and a smile appearing on her face. She held the edge of the mirror with her left hand and stroked the surface three times with her right, reciting:

"Mr. Arrodes, can you tell me whether what this guy who came out of the lamp is saying is true or not?"

(End of this chapter)