Chapter 164: Coat-Tailing is All the Rage This Year (Part Two)

While Nicole was exhausting herself in the royal capital, Bill had already been released from confinement.

He was currently learning a new type of alchemy from Diga. Diga could not stop praising Bill's prodigious talent in alchemy, remarking that Bill's aptitude would easily rank in the top three even back in the City in the Sky ten thousand years ago. If he had been born into their family, he certainly would have been provided with the resources reserved for top-tier geniuses.

Constantly hearing Diga talk about his family, Bill finally couldn't help but ask what kind of family Diga actually came from.

Diga proudly stated that they were the William family of the Arcane Empire, and his full name was Diga William! The William family had followed the Arcane Emperor even before his rise to power, holding a position of absolute imperial trust within the Arcane Empire. That was how he had the opportunity to come into contact with Princess Charlotte. Diga then rambled on and on, recounting the glorious deeds of the William family without end. Bill was already accustomed to his chatter, so while putting on an attentive expression, he began pondering a new alchemical formula in his mind...

Suddenly, a guard knocked on the door to interrupt him, announcing that Jela and her mentor, the Crone, had arrived. Bill hastily stopped his train of thought, tidied up his attire, and went out to greet them.

Hearing that Bill's confinement had ended, the Crone had used the excuse of offering condolences to have Jela bring her along to see Bill. Seeing Bill's manor right before her eyes, the Crone's heart raced with excitement.

She was here to hitch a ride on the coattails of greatness!

Originally the daughter of a prominent aristocratic family in the royal capital, she had been turned into a laughingstock when Willard Charles broke off their engagement. Filled with fury, she attempted suicide, but though her face was ruined, she was rescued. After running away from home, she encountered extraordinary fortunes, mastering the abilities of curses, prophecy, and witchcraft arrays.

At the absolute peak of her life, she once again caught sight of that ungrateful scoundrel in Dallas. In truth, she hadn't gone there specifically to look for that wretch; rather, she had tracked down information regarding the Child of the World based on an ancient secret manuscript in her possession.

She had learned that the city of Dallas was the birthplace for the rise of the Child of the World!

Among the wizards of the prophetic realm, a rumor had been passed down: once every ten thousand years, a Child of the World would emerge from the astral boundary!

Favored by destiny, rising with the times, sweeping across the four directions, and invincible—such was the Child of the World!

And she had finally gained the favor of destiny, prophesying that the city of Dallas was where the Child of the World was nurtured and destined to rise. Yet right at that moment, she had encountered that faithless bastard once again, and a flash of inspiration struck the Crone, giving her a brilliant idea.

At that moment, the Crone felt as though she were aided by the heavens. Inspiration after brilliant inspiration burst forth within her, and she finally managed to set up a nearly irreproducible, massive curse array. She bound the destinies of Willard and his future bloodline to the opposing side of the city of Dallas.

Hehe, the city of Dallas had the destiny of the Child of the World hidden behind it; let's see if your bloodline doesn't get crushed into dust and渣!

Just as the Crone was feeling immensely pleased with herself, a horrifying situation presented itself. Upon seeing that little girl, she had actually prophesied the destruction of the city of Dallas.

What kind of terrifying power was this, that it could actually influence the Child of the World? Therefore, she concluded that this little girl must be an ominous entity—perhaps an outsider capable of altering the destiny of the Child of the World's rise!

Such a person certainly could not be allowed to exist. The Crone resolved to clear the path for the Child of the World. She had once heard that anyone who assisted and aided the Child of the World in their rise would mysteriously be rewarded by the World Force within the astral boundary, receiving countless benefits. For instance, their cultivation would progress smoothly without a hitch, the probability of prodigies appearing in their future bloodline would skyrocket, and they would turn misfortunes into blessings countless times over!

Thus, the Crone had devised a way to eliminate the girl!

When she told Jela that she had once saved the world, she wasn't actually referring to saving the city of Dallas. There was another layer to her meaning: she had actually saved the destiny of the entire astral boundary. Because once her prophecy came true, if the Child of the World were affected and failed to rise, the resulting diffusion of consequences would be immeasurable!

Of course, resolving the hidden danger of the city of Dallas's destruction and allowing the curse upon that faithless wretch's family to persist was merely killing two birds with one stone—a matter of course, hardly worth mentioning compared to her other astonishing feats!

Now, through her repeated verifications and prophecies, she had finally discovered the true identity of the Child of the World: he was none other than Bill Armstrong! Tracking the aura of the Child of the World all the way to the Silver Wing Fortress, upon discovering that the Child of the World's girlfriend possessed powerful prophetic talent, she had taken her on as an apprentice without a moment's hesitation.

She intended to use this connection to piggyback on the Child of the World. The future benefits of doing so would be simply immeasurable!

Perhaps in the future, the Crone's own deeds would be recorded in epics and sung by generations to come.

Of course, what she truly desired was to live forever, unto eternity! And all of this—every last bit of it—could be achieved simply by closely following in the footsteps of the Child of the World.

As for the silent contributions she had made for the Child of the World, the Crone had no intention of voicing them herself. To go around boasting about it everywhere would completely ruin her mystique and aura of coolness.

Besides, given the talent of her disciple Jela, as her level of prophecy steadily improved, sooner or later she would uncover the whole truth. When that time came, they would surely realize how deeply far-sighted the Crone was, having sheltered them from the wind and rain long ago when they were still completely clueless!

The Crone had even prepared the casual tone and modest phrasing she would use when that day arrived!

Just as the Crone was thinking this with great self-satisfaction, she suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing.

Knowing that her mentor's old ailment was acting up again, Jela hurriedly stepped forward to support her, gently patting her back to help her regain her breath.

After a good while, the Crone calmed down, waved her hand, and continued walking with Jela toward Bill's residence.

The Crone felt utterly baffled by her current physical condition. She had previously comforted herself by thinking that she was in poor health because she had exhausted her lifespan back when she used the witchcraft array. However, after consulting numerous materials, she discovered that wasn't the case at all. Forbidden techniques that consumed lifespan generally deducted years from one's life, but they did not impair one's physical body or strength. Yet ever since casting that curse all those years ago, the Crone's health had been poor year-round, and her strength had not advanced by a single inch over the years!

In fact, she had once seen a description similar to this situation in an ancient text. It spoke of suffering the backlash of destiny's force for forcibly distorting the threads of the world, or attempting to nip the Child of the World in the cradle!

But how could that be possible?! She was clearly the assistant and guardian of the Child of the World! The Crone deeply suspected that she must have read a fake ancient book.

The Crone shook her head, banishing these unhappy thoughts from her mind. She was about to meet the Child of the World very soon. Once they met, perhaps whatever heaven-shattering difficulties she faced could be effortlessly resolved by the Child of the World just by letting out a fart.

As long as she held tightly onto these massive coattails and refused to let go, the Crone figured her minor health issues were nothing more than a light drizzle!

As a tiny pendant hanging off the Child of the World, she, the Crone, was about to soar...