With Mephistopheles, the primordial fairy, present, Faust naturally had to consult it first—at least to have it clarify whatever information it could disclose.
【It is much as that imperial princess said. The Midwinter Kingdom has indeed been entwined by a dragon's curse since ancient times.】
Faust said in surprise, "Dragons actually cast curses? I thought they only went on killing sprees."
In the limited records the prince of Qingxi had perused, evil dragons were essentially like genocidal tyrants possessed. Despite possessing power comparable to a god on earth, their actions were incredibly violent and direct, aimed solely at the extinction of humanity.
Heaven brings forth all things to sustain man, yet the world still complains of Heaven's unkindness.
Suddenly a madman sharpens his blade by night, while the imperial star wavers and the disaster star hangs high.
The disloyal must be killed! The unfilial must be killed! The unkind must be killed! The unjust must be killed!
The ill-mannered, the unwise, the untrustworthy—the world-ending dragon says they all must be killed!
Heaven creates all things to nourish man, yet man offers no good to repay Heaven. Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
That was roughly the vibe.
Generally, they would just wipe everyone out cleanly and directly. Why go through the extra trouble of a curse?
【Perhaps because you only know Lian and me, you believe fairies are all beings who harbor love for the son of man... In truth, most fairies are indeed like that, but there are always exceptions. That fellow was one of them.】
Mephistopheles's voice turned uncharacteristically low. It seemed to be the first time Faust felt such dense, negative emotions from the fairy.
【It was obsessed with torturing the son of man, abusing the son of man, and twisting the son of man. It savored pain and sorrow for no reason other than it being fun. Given any chance, it would certainly use every possibility to toy with and humiliate the son of man... Truly a creature of vile character. In the end, it naturally underwent dragonfall and was subsequently subjugated.】
【Serves it right. Truly, serves it right.】
Mephistopheles was practically on the verge of applauding. It was rare for Faust to see it hate someone so much.
It seemed that individual had indeed been an exceptionally terrible fairy.
Faust said, "I plan to take Charlotte's advice and try to conquer the Midwinter Kingdom next. Any suggestions?"
【You really are daring. That is a dragon's curse we are talking about. I cannot help you much with that.】
"But I must go. Other things aside, Snow White... is someone I absolutely cannot let go."
Faust intentionally emphasized the words "Snow White," making his underlying meaning more than obvious.
He believed that with Mephistopheles's wisdom, it would understand.
However, after waiting a long time, the fairy did not speak, remaining in silence.
Faust could not help but say, "Say something, Mephistopheles."
【What do you want me to say? Faust, I have told you many times. Whether it is actually a 'witches' feast,' I can only speculate. No matter how familiar it feels, it is still just a guess. Under this supreme fate script, little old Mephie can only tremble in fear.】
【When it comes to matters regarding the 'witches' feast,' you are the authority... But are you truly certain?】
Faust replied, "I wouldn't say I'm completely certain, but I have at least an eighty percent confidence."
This might be a fairy tale world, but the "script" was not necessarily identical to the versions he was familiar with.
Take Viviana, for instance. Faust, trapped by stereotypes, could only initially think of a commoner girl in the royal capital he had never met. Who could have guessed that 【Cinderella】 was right by his side!
Because of this tendency toward drastic adaptations, Faust would not blindly apply his preconceptions. God only knew what this world's "Snow White" was all about.
Just that "dragon's curse" and the "succession of the throne" were already far removed from the version of the Snow White story Faust knew.
But the reason he was so confident was that he knew this was indeed a genuine 【witches' feast】, and a "prince" was bound to have a place in the script.
However, the only point Faust could not figure out was—
"By the way, if this curse has lasted for hundreds of years, hasn't any other prince come to resolve it?"
What was going on? Weren't the wandering princes of this fairy tale world as common as stray dogs on the street?
【Hmph, this is where your most unique talent lies, Faust. The wheel of destiny is more fastidious about the witches' scripts than you can imagine. If there is no sufficiently suitable candidate, it simply will not begin, even if it means freezing time for a thousand years.】
【Mediocre sons of man who are not qualified enough to get involved will only end up dead without a grave. But you, Faust, the one loved by the witches... you possess the most perfect talent. No matter what kind of script it is, as long as it is related to a witch, they will not refuse your performance.】
【Truly, the prince who is a supporting actor gifted by fate.】
It sounded nice when put like that, but in reality, he was just a top-tier tool. A witch's designated massager would be more accurate!
Faust almost laughed out of anger, but he also knew that this was where his advantage lay.
"We have to do this. This is the only chance of victory, isn't it?"
To use the 【witch】 mechanism to gain power, and to use the fate-star of a 【witch】 to manipulate destiny... One 【witch】 was not enough. It was not sufficient to break the underlying logic of fate. He needed multiple 【witches】 at the very least.
【The more, the better. But this path will not be easy to walk.】
Mephistopheles let out a long sigh.
Faust smiled and said, "What does it matter? An easy path was never the path of an emperor!"
The prince of Qingxi's fearlessness was one virtue, and his top-tier decisiveness was another. Once he made up his mind, he would immediately put it into actual practice.
Almost on the day after the imperial envoy's party departed, Faust began preparing to head for the Midwinter Kingdom.
First of all, he certainly could not just charge over there alone like a fool. He needed at least an excuse to go to the Midwinter Kingdom—one that was reasonable and self-consistent.
This was quite crucial because, as of now, Faust was still within the 【Cinderella】 script. Under normal circumstances, he should not leave the Qingxi Kingdom and should spend his entire life in this picturesque paradise until he died of old age.
Only by temporarily stepping out of the current script could he logically transition into the next one.
The simplest reason would be to declare war, but Faust felt his own head and figured he didn't have a way to grow a spare, so he forgot about that.
What about an alliance? This mysterious ancient kingdom never lacked those who wanted to cling to it, but the Midwinter Kingdom had never paid any mind to any alliance treaties. The only thing they accepted was the subordination of vassals, which naturally would not work either.
So, the remaining answer was very clear. Faust intended to—directly propose marriage.
"The prince of Qingxi heard of the peerless beauty of the princess of the Midwinter Kingdom, fell in love, and thus proposed... The request for a marriage alliance will certainly not be accepted. At that time, the indignant prince will set out to demand an explanation."
Faust rubbed his chin and rehearsed it once before nodding in satisfaction.
"Not bad. It's exactly the kind of thing I would do."
Although he had never even heard of the princess of the Midwinter Kingdom before, now that he knew she was "Snow White," he knew exactly who was the fairest of them all.
Given Faust's level of lust, it was not incomprehensible that he would make a marriage proposal in a fit of passion. After all, he was the 【monarch of greed】; he could not resist the impulses of his lower half.
Rate on N.U.
