Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1430 Speculation about Identity
When Christina came to her senses, she was already floating in a dark passage. More passages crisscrossed and connected around her, like a spider web covering all directions. Some were connected to other "mirrors" of varying sizes at very close range, while others led to infinity and gradually disappeared into the dim background.

She and her sister Dorothy, who was gesturing wildly and looking somewhat flustered, were held together by the "Chariot" lady, who had just patted her head, with her long, strong arms. As if freed from the constraints of gravity, they moved through the spider web, flying at a speed that seemed both slow and fast.

This kind of flight is completely different from the ability granted to him by Glad Soren to fly through the air at speeds exceeding the speed of sound; instead, it has a leisurely and relaxing feel.

But the "mirrors" that repeatedly swept past them, displaying images one after another, told Tina that they were approaching a certain destination at a speed far exceeding that of crossing the ocean in flames.

"Don't be afraid, this is the 'Mirror World'."

Lady Chariot tightened her grip on the struggling Dorothy and explained in a soft tone.

A world in the mirror? The "genie" mentioned it was the exclusive space for high-ranking witches... So, does that mean Lady "Chariot" is a witch?
As soon as Tina had a guess, a strange chill ran through her. Following her intuition, she looked down at her current position and noticed that the channels connecting the mirrors disappeared into a thick fog, gradually turning red and black before vanishing.

What is that place? Is it an abyss?
Tina's heart tightened, sensing that some great terror lurked behind the thick fog. She quickly looked away and saw that the passage that had housed her, Dorothy, and Lady "Chariot" had come to an end.

With a crash of shattering glass, her eyes lit up, she felt her own weight, and her feet touched solid ground.

Unlike the Giant's Court, which was eternally frozen in twilight, and the afternoon town, which was shrouded in night, a clear blue sky reappeared above Tina's head. The setting sun still cast its light and heat upon the earth. In the distance, there were dense forests and rolling hills, and not far away was a small city that did not appear to be very large.

Tina and Dorothy were standing in an open space not far from the town.

"Alright, I'll leave you here. I'm leaving now."

Behind the two, the "Chariot" woman released her arms from them, clapped her hands, and showed a satisfied smile as if she had completed her mission.

Tina glanced around and immediately realized that she was no longer on the Eastern Continent, nor near the "Giant's Court". Based on the time difference she and Dorothy had discussed earlier, the two of them had probably returned to the Rosed Isles, or perhaps they had simply returned to the Northern Continent.

But realizing that the "chariot" was about to leave, she didn't have time to think about that and immediately called out to it:

"Wait a minute, Lady Chariot, I want to know what your relationship is with our mother?"

She looked expectantly at the face that resembled her mother in many ways, yet differed in the details, but only received a curt reply:

“My name is Angel Gray.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the "Chariot" woman's body faded and disappeared like a phantom in a mirror.

Ah... Tina reached out to grab the other person, but missed.

“Angel Gray… I thought her last name would be ‘Granger’…”

Dorothy muttered to herself, her brow furrowed, clearly surprised by the other person's answer.

"Yes, I thought she was my mother's sister, like Aunt Lily..." Tina reluctantly withdrew her arm, then asked herself inwardly:

"Genius, do you know that lady from earlier? 'Chariot' Angel Grey?"

“I know,” the voice, which was mostly majestic and dignified but occasionally feigned weakness, replied immediately, “but if you want to know the relevant information, you will have to exchange it for one last wish.”

This answer stunned Tina once again. She had expected the genie to continue playing dead, just as He did when facing most powerful extraordinary beings, or to casually explain some superficial information to get by. However, she did not expect that the information He provided would be exchanged for a wish.

And that was her last remaining wish!
If she were to waste this wish on helping the genie break the seal, then her risky runaway would be completely meaningless. Although Tina had made the worst-case scenario plan of abandoning the "mission" and delaying indefinitely without violating her agreement with the genie, she didn't know if this method would constitute a breach of contract or anger this seemingly high-ranking being.

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Tina gave up communicating with the wishing lamp and turned to look at her sister instead.

She also remembered Dorothy's questions when, inside the "Court of Giants," Arrodes, under the influence of the "Corruption," began randomly selecting targets to ask pointed questions.

"Dorothy, do you know that your mom and dad have unusual identities?"

She asked cautiously.

Although Dorothy didn't have time to answer the question at the time, Tina couldn't help but make a second wish, which allowed Lady Chariot to break down the door and save everyone. But Lady Chariot's hesitation at that moment already revealed the answer to the question.

“I have some guesses, but I’m not sure.” Dorothy looked up at Tina and answered carefully, “I suspect that their work at ‘Blackthorn Security’ is just a cover, and they actually have another identity, which should be related to the occult world.”

"What's the reason?"

Tina countered with a question. She looked around and, seeing no one nearby, simply took out the "wishing lamp" from her bag and let the genie inside hear their analysis.

Dorothy also picked up the "Mirror of Arrodes" that she had found in her basement and continued:
"First of all, there are the two sealed artifacts in our hands. Arodes claims that they are only level 2 sealed artifacts, enjoying some level 1 treatment, but the magic lamp in your hand is '0-05', which is one of the top-ranked even among level 0. How could it possibly appear in the basement of an ordinary person's house?"

"According to the church's classification, Level 3 sealed artifacts can be used with caution, Level 2 artifacts need to be handled with care, as they may endanger lives if they get out of control, Level 1 artifacts need to be managed by a dedicated person and kept secret from most people, not to mention Level 0 artifacts, which represent extreme danger and the highest level of secrecy. Each Level 0 sealed artifact is equivalent to an angel."

"Whether it's keeping these sealed items privately, I mean managing them on their own, or using some method to restrict the 'Wishing Lamp's' self-awareness, it means that Mom and Dad are not ordinary people."

Hearing this, Tina slowly nodded. She had similar doubts after obtaining the "Wishing Lamp," but one thing after another happened today. She traveled from Tingen to Backlund, then teleported to Bayam, was sent to the Southern Continent by a ghost ship, and then transformed into flames and flew straight to the "Giant's Court" in the Eastern Continent. She had traveled all over the world in almost half a day and didn't have time to think about the issues.

Dorothy, who already possessed "Arods," naturally had more time to ponder these doubts; the appearance of "0-05" only intensified her suspicions.

"and then?"

She continued to ask.

Dorothy seemed to have sorted out her thoughts as well, and her speech became faster and faster:
"After that, of course, everything that happened along the way."

"Looking back now, Mr. Azik clearly noticed the unusualness of '0-05' and advised us to put it back in its place. The Church, which controls the potion pathway and is responsible for solving most mystical cases, must be an extraordinary being of a high rank."
"After we were misunderstood by the police in the East District and locked in the interrogation room, Uncle Benson arrived too quickly. He either took a potion and became an extraordinary being, or he has someone or a sealed object around him who can help him move quickly."

"The 'anywhere door' in Aunt Melissa's laboratory that sent us to Bayam can simulate the abilities of a traveler, which means that this experiment was conducted under the premise of knowing about supernatural powers. She may have also been exposed to the world of mysticism and may have even begun to conduct in-depth research."

"And the saints and angels we met on our journey, didn't you notice that most of them were surprised by your appearance? You look so much like your mother!"

"But the 'chariot' lady from earlier looks a lot like me. They might have mistaken me for her daughter..."

Tina retorted softly, only to be poked in the soft waist by Dorothy as punishment.

"In short, all indications suggest that Dad and Mom, especially Mom, may have an unusual identity!"

Dorothy, holding the silver mirror in one hand and her other hand on her hip, concluded, raising her head to face the setting sun, her eyes sparkling.

But the next second, she hurriedly slapped away Tina's retaliatory fingers that were reaching for her.

Seeing that her sneak attack had failed, Tina said dejectedly:
"Now, let's ask the all-knowing Arodes."

"Be careful, don't get shocked."

"It's okay, it still owes me five questions."

Dorothy put away her relaxed expression and answered in a serious tone, turning the silver mirror in her hand towards herself and Tina, and gently stroking the mirror three times.

Almost instantly, a misty, shimmering light appeared on the mirror's surface, and silvery-white words eagerly jumped out:
"Arods was wrong, Arods should not have fallen, Arods will never dare to do it again!"
"Young master, can you forgive the lowly Arodes?"

Dorothy, somewhat amused and annoyed, covered the front of the silver mirror with her palm and looked at Tina, saying:
“Now I owe six.” She then nodded in response to Arodes’ question:

"can."

Countless silvery-white symbols and letters exploded in the mirror, like a celebratory firework, flashing like electricity as they transformed into a line of text:
"Thank you for your kindness and generosity. You may ask your questions now."

Without further delay, Dorothy asked in a deep voice:

"Arods, why are you so afraid of me?"

She had intended to ask directly about her parents or their relationship with "Chariot" Angel Grey, but the way he had addressed her as "little master" piqued her curiosity, so she changed her question.

Anyway, this problem was a gift from Arrodes.

As soon as she finished speaking, the text inside the silver mirror changed:
"It's not fear, it's respect."

The answer was exceptionally brief and did not include any additional images, yet it made Dorothy and Tina exchange a glance with even stranger expressions.

Undoubtedly, this "respect" did not originate from her own body, but from her parents.

When I first learned about the "laws of inheritance of extraordinary traits," I specifically asked my parents if they were high-sequence extraordinary individuals. Arrodes denied this, but I may have overlooked the probability that low- or mid-sequence extraordinary individuals didn't pass on their traits to us... Dorothy pondered this and then asked the next question:
Are my father and mother extraordinary? They are all from Sequence 9 to Sequence 1.

The surface of the silver mirror only displayed one large word:

"No."

Neither of them... Dorothy was somewhat disappointed.

After today's wondrous adventure, she, like Tina, began to wonder if her family truly possessed some kind of mystical heritage, but reality dealt her a heavy blow.

Tina, who was staring intently at the silver mirror, pursed her lips and reminded her:

"You should directly ask about your parents' identities."

"Do you think I haven't tried? Arrodes only shows the Blackthorn Security Company's offices and the uncles and aunts we know. Even if there are deeper secrets, I'm afraid it can't answer them, or is unwilling to answer them."

"He just called me 'little master.' Who do you think the 'master' is? Who does he prioritize?"

Dorothy snapped at Tina a few times, then realized her tone was off and quietly apologized.

To show her remorse, she passed the next question to Tina, who would then convey it herself:
“Arrodes, tell me about the relationship between Angel Gray and Angel Granger.”

This time, the silver mirror remained silent for almost a minute before a blurry image appeared in the rippling water.

It was a scene of Angel Granger, dressed in a white dress with her long hair tied back, standing in the bathroom, staring blankly at a half-length mirror. In the blood-stained, cracked mirror, another Angel, exactly like her, reached out and touched the mirror, their fingers aligned as if touching each other through the mirror.

Before the two could see any more details, the image in the mirror quickly disappeared, replaced by a line of text:
"I'm sorry, I can't see any further connections; it involves the power of angels or higher beings."

"Angel..." Dorothy looked at Tina and found that the other woman wasn't too surprised, as was she herself.

Judging from how quickly Lady Chariot could transport them from the Eastern Continent to this place, Dorothy had already guessed that she was most likely an angel like Glad Soren.

“The magazine ‘Psychic’ said that mirrors lead to another world, and may contain a ‘mirror image’ that is completely different from your real self. The scene just now may represent a close connection that Mom and the ‘Chariot’ lady once had, but the blood and cracks foreshadowed their eventual parting ways…”

She tried to explain the scene she had just witnessed using her knowledge of occultism.

"You mean, Mom, like Lady 'Chariot,' possesses the power of an angel or something higher? But didn't Arodes just deny that?"

Tina crossed her arms and tucked the "wishing lamp" under her armpits, not quite satisfied with the answer Arrodes had given.

“If you ask me, Ms. Angel Grey, the ‘Chariot,’ might be Aunt Lily’s long-lost brother, Cole Granger. He accidentally ingested the ‘witch’s’ potion for some reason and turned into a woman. As a result, her appearance is almost identical to that of the female members of our family, but with some masculine details... Wasn’t Ms. Franka just like that?”

She muttered to herself, venting her frustration.

“Oh right, your question missed a possibility,” Tina suddenly straightened up, her tone somewhat excited, “You only mentioned Sequence 9 to Sequence 1. What if, I mean, what if, Mom is Sequence 0? In that case, she certainly wouldn’t be considered an ‘Extraordinary’, right?”

what?
Dorothy looked at her sister with a puzzled expression, wondering if the younger sister had become obsessed with too much occult knowledge today.

"Sequence 0 represents the pinnacle of a path, the true God, the 'great being' spoken of by those angels!"

She lowered her voice, as if worried that the gods in the sky might hear their conversation.

"That's why I said just in case, why don't you ask Arrodes?"

Tina pouted, looking aggrieved.

Dorothy hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said:

"This is the last one. I want to leave two questions to deal with potential dangers later."

She looked again at the silver mirror in her hand, lowering her voice as much as possible, almost whispering:

"Arods, our parents, could they possibly be... gods of Sequence 0?"

"No."

Arrodes answered the almost blasphemous question with a single word again, and at the same time, Dorothy heard two soft sighs, one from Tina and one from herself.

Seeing the silver mirror return to normal and reflect the azure sky before she could ask any more questions, Dorothy knew that more questions could only be answered after the exploration and adventure that followed.

"Anyway, one thing has been confirmed: Dad and Mom are definitely hiding many secrets. If you hadn't used up your two wishes before, you might have been able to use one of them to seek answers from the 'Genius'. In terms of rank, a level 0 sealed artifact should be higher than level 2, so He definitely knows more."

Dorothy carefully put away the Mirror of Arrodes and said to Tina.

"But now there is only one wish left, and whether we can live in a villa in Backlund, own a winery in the suburbs and a factory in the eastern district depends on it."

Tina patted the "wishing lamp," making the empty lamp inside emit a crisp sound, and then looked at the small city not far away.

Without needing Arodes to divine or the "genie" to answer, she could guess her current location.

Since stepping out of her house today, countless "coincidences" and "arrangements" have allowed her and Dorothy to successfully reach every destination, and this time will certainly be no exception.

That was her next destination, the location of the sixth seal of the "Genius".

Yanan City.

(End of this chapter)