[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-896":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298865,4496,"Chapter 896: Value","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-896",896,"\u003Cp>After changing into her dress, Jian Na recounted everything about her current state and the information she had just received from Clismana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said with regret:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s still not enough time—only by enduring the brief period from taking the potion until full awakening can one see Lady Clismana.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But next time, I can ask clearly what that terrifying thing is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi looked around and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just now, I could only sense the lingering consciousness of Clismana, but couldn’t directly see or touch it—this might be because She is one with the seal of the underground crypt, or perhaps She possesses some unique quality that allows more precise influence over ‘Witches.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think it’s a full-choice question,” Fu Lan Ka said to Jian Na with deep concern. “I always assumed the greatest danger for female ‘Witches’ was the Primordial’s hatred—interference during advancement, and even if one barely survives, they’re later hunted by the Witch Cult. I never imagined such a hidden problem existed. Clismana’s ‘terrible thing’ even frightens the Primordial Witch—it’s likely tied to the deepest secrets of the Special Mirror World. Have you considered switching to the ‘Hunter’ Path, then returning to the ‘Witch’ Path later?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na paused a moment and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to find out what that terrifying thing is before deciding whether to abandon my pure female ‘Witch’ identity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of Lu Mi’s situation, she was no longer so averse to temporarily changing her gender rather than permanently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na hesitated, then gave a self-deprecating smile, partly in reflection, partly to comfort Lu Mi:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the Botanical District, in the Market District, after all these years, I’ve seen many tragic things. One lesson I learned is that if you have no value even to be exploited, it’s nearly impossible to escape the mud.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Being a pure female ‘Witch’—possibly linked to the deepest secrets of the Special Mirror World—is the key reason Clismana warned me. Later, if I can’t join the Witch Cult, I want to digest the potion faster, advance better, resist madness and loss of control, and truly gain the power to protect my family and friends—that too must be a very important factor. High-ranking figures will always want to use female ‘Witches’ to do things, to touch the deepest secrets of the Special Mirror World—and they’ll need to offer me some ‘benefits.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Major Arcana cards are one path, but they can’t be the only one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi fell silent for several seconds and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before encountering that terrifying thing, you should still have a chance to question Clismana’s shadow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait until you understand the nature of the problem before deciding whether to risk it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Fu Lan Ka agreed with Lu Mi. “When advancing to ‘Despair Witch,’ you should still be able to contact Clismana once. After all, that terrifying thing won’t appear until at least the ‘Eternal Witch’ stage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi, cloaked in black and holding a white candle, shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the last resort. We can’t assume Clismana is necessarily good or telling the truth. Perhaps pure female ‘Witches’ encounter that thing precisely at the ‘Despair Witch’ stage—and Clismana is waiting for that accident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The opportunity I mean is: in a few days, we should enter the ‘Fool’s’ dreams. There’s a good chance we’ll absorb his aura, allowing us to pass through the seal and confront Clismana’s shadow directly near the ‘Woman of Samaria’s Spring.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moreover, the most accepted method for the ‘Despair Witch’ ritual is to go to Morola—it’s certainly too late to return to Trill and advance here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi continued with crystal-clear logic:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another method is using those ‘Mirror People’ from the Special Mirror World as ritual objects—but that suits only Fu Lan Ka. If Jian Na, as a female ‘Witch,’ uses this method to complete the ritual, she might trigger that terrifying thing prematurely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it’s deeply tied to the deepest secrets of the Special Mirror World.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm,” Jian Na and Fu Lan Ka both agreed with Lu Mi’s reasoning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi signaled to Anthony, who stood in the corner, dismissed the “Mirror Maze,” retrieved the mirror, and walked upward through the crypt with the burning white candle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Lan Ka walked beside him, then thought for a moment and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, your ‘Despair’ potion should contain portions from Rank 9 to Rank 5, right? When I considered switching to the ‘Hunter’ Path, I asked Lady ‘Judgment’ about it. She said one problem with switching adjacent Paths is that you must fully digest all prior potions—or else it disrupts your state and significantly increases future advancement risks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s unlike advancing within the same Path, where your body, mind, and spirit are already adjusted to suit the prior potion’s digestion—you stabilize quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi gave a low laugh, as if coloring the dark, gloomy crypt with a touch of hue:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already digested most of my ‘Despair’ potion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Given my physical, mental, and spiritual state at the time and afterward, ‘Pain’ was perfectly suited—I digested it completely in just a few days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘Pleasure’ was the same. My experiences during that period altered my state, and I’d even experienced it that very morning—so my body and spirit hadn’t reverted to their original form from prolonged absence. No need to deliberately digest it again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘Instigator’ is similar—you’re always saying I’m an excellent ‘Instigator,’ aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By comparison, I’ve spent most of recent time in direct combat, fighting enemies. Using fate-swapping to trick targets was just one method among many, not my main approach—so I must seriously embody and digest the ‘Assassin’ and ‘Witch’ potions. But as minorities, they no longer significantly affect my state—they’re just latent risks for future advancement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see…” Fu Lan Ka nodded, saying no more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, since Jian Na needed to return and rest to stabilize her state and contain the potion’s leakage, only Lu Mi and Fu Lan Ka took a four-wheeled, four-seat carriage to the Memorial District’s Aoluosaijie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before heading to Xia Yue Town to find the ‘Black Witch,’ they planned to return to their original rented apartment to check if the ‘Black Witch’ had visited Fu Lan Ka or left any message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason they chose a hired carriage over public transport or the subway was that two ‘Witches,’ even wearing hats and loose clothing, inevitably attracted harassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Lan Ka and Lu Mi weren’t afraid—but they saw no point in subjecting themselves to such annoyance. They weren’t the type to play extreme ‘Witches.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Observatory District and Memorial District were adjacent; it didn’t take long before the two ‘Witches’ arrived at Apartment 702, No. 9 Aoluosaijie, and opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they’d only been gone a few days—Fu Lan Ka hadn’t even had time to tell the landlord the lease was ending early and the deposit needn’t be returned—the sight of the furnishings, especially the armchair, made them feel as if an entire era had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memories flashed through Fu Lan Ka’s mind—sometimes sweet, sometimes prompting a silent sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lu Mi vanished and hid himself, Fu Lan Ka entered alone, closed the wooden door, and carefully inspected every detail, focusing especially on all glass-mirrored objects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No message, no trace—but I still feel someone came here…” Fu Lan Ka murmured, withdrawing her hand from the full-length mirror in the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned toward the master bedroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the full-length mirror suddenly darkened, as if plunged into total absence of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within that darkness, a figure swiftly took shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a black court gown, her jet-black hair neatly coiled and lightly covered by a hat with a draped dark veil. Her beautiful, indescribable face was pale, her deep gray eyes misty with rain, glowing with unmistakable luminance, radiating an aura of poignant vulnerability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the ‘Black Witch,’ Clarisse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the ‘Black Witch’ showed no expression; her deep gray eyes reflected Fu Lan Ka’s tall, graceful back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips curled slightly; several strands of hair, naturally hanging, slipped from the mirror into the outside world, silently extending toward Fu Lan Ka’s back like living things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Lan Ka suddenly received a warning—a warning from her companion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, she activated the “Mirror Double.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, her body was touched by the black hairs, first turning into a mirror, then clouding over gray-white, and crashing to the floor with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mirror had become stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, the ‘Black Witch’ inside the full-length mirror saw a figure leap down from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure wore a black cloak, had pale blue eyes, pale lips, a clean, elegant face, striking features, and an icy, calm expression. He stood over one meter eighty tall, slightly crouched, dragging a massive iron-black straight sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive straight sword blazed with white-and-blue flame, crashing down with a bang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It did not shatter or pierce the floor—it struck an invisible barrier, causing the entire space to tremble slightly, unleashing a ferocious white-and-blue fire serpent that surged toward the full-length mirror, igniting the coffee table and wooden planks, reducing them instantly to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Vessel of Illusion!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the ‘Black Witch’s’ hairs pierced from the mirror, Lu Mi had already prepared to act and rescue her!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected the ‘Black Witch’ to act so directly and decisively—to attempt petrifying Fu Lan Ka without a word—but that didn’t stop him from responding instantly through combat instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the full-length mirror, the ‘Black Witch’ still looked heartbreakingly vulnerable—but her eyes, reflecting Lu Mi’s figure, suddenly clouded over with gray-white, cold color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1584,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","405a632e9feafa267278151fd306d3c70636b8f86266d9287303a3a8a3eb3672","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-897","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-895",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]