Chapter 1203 - 592: Mage and Oranges_2

"How about... just forget it?"

First, memorize the spells that might be needed tomorrow.

If you really want to rest... go to bed half an hour early today?

Rustle——

The branches above swayed gently, the forest evening breeze carrying a faint fruit fragrance, softly rustling the strands of hair hanging on both sides of the girl’s cheeks.

Her pale nose twitched slightly, as if she had smelled something.

Vier couldn’t help but look up, her gaze fixed on the treetops above.

She saw small oranges, clearly not yet mature, their surfaces revealing a hint of green, hanging on the branches.

This is an orange tree.

As if recalling some unbearable memory.

In the instant the green oranges were visible, Vier’s slender and weak body visibly trembled, her brow furrowed, and her closed thin lips subconsciously pursed, as if swallowing saliva.

Just a few months ago, when she accidentally ate a Miju that was far more sour and bitter than she had imagined, only to discover that the world line deviation rate unexpectedly increased by 0.12% afterward.

That experience, now recalled as a nightmare, had its beginning there.

Even today, Vier could still remember how, during that time, she consumed every fruit hanging on the entire orange tree in more than half a month, "one segment of orange flesh, one gulp of clear water" at a time.

To the extent that now, she even experiences a physiological chain reaction to the fruit known as "orange."

No matter how sweet the flesh itself might be, at the moment she sees its lightly greenish-orange smooth surface, her mouth uncontrollably waters, as if she can taste its tartness out of thin air.

Vier is certainly not foolish.

To reach the Transcendent field in arcane magic, her analytical ability far exceeds that of ordinary people.

In fact, the moment she noticed the change in world line deviation rate, she realized that the cause of the change was likely unrelated to her eating the orange flesh, just a pure coincidence.

Even after thoroughly reviewing the distinctly different experiences she encountered on this journey compared to her past life, she deduced that the change in world line deviation rate was probably because of the black-haired Adventurer who, in the future, bears the title "Omen of Death," yet whose development pace in this life strangely surpassed the past.

But...

What if?

Even with just a 0.1% probability, if the world line deviation truly resulted from her eating that sharply sour Miju...

With Vier’s character, she couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye.

Just like now.

Even though she had concluded through that painful and tormented experience, which even led to an instinctual response to oranges, that the change in world line deviation rate was unrelated to her action of eating the orange flesh.

When she unexpectedly discovered this orange tree growing beside the camp, even with unripe fruit, during an idle and clueless moment at this time point...

"Just one segment..."

Rarely hesitating, cherishing every minute and second, the reincarnator girl was a person of absolute action.

The next second after confirming the thought, her Magic Wand gently waved, and the [Mage’s Hand] formed purely of magic power emerged waving from mid-air, grasping the orange with transparent, ethereal fingers, giving it a gentle twist. The fruit, with a noticeable green tinge, was plucked and carefully delivered into the girl’s hand.

Her pale fingers pierced the relatively fragile fruit skin at the orange’s top, and the sour aroma bursting in the air made Vier’s mouth start watering unstoppably.

Taking a deep breath, it was as if she was preparing for some crucial mental exercise.

Vier abruptly closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and tossed a segment of flesh into it.

The torture she had once experienced arose the moment the soft tip of her tongue touched the chilled surface of the orange flesh, surging from her heart.

As the flesh undulated within her throat, she even instinctively wanted to swallow it directly into her stomach to avoid touching its tartness.

But ultimately, the spellcaster’s rationality prevailed over the repulsion in her heart.

Vier clenched her teeth, using her tongue to press the flesh against the roof of her mouth, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Buzz——

As expected, accompanied by the bursting of orange flesh particles, a gush of concentrated, tart liquid surged from her mouth straight into her cranial cavity!

It’s hard to put into words the sensations of the mage at this moment.

But judging by her violently trembling slender body, white fingers tightly gripping the Magic Wand’s surface, and the pained expression twisting her delicate features into a knot.

It’s unlikely it was a wonderful experience.

Fortunately, with a hint of disappointment and a deep sense of relief deep in her heart.

Until Vier chewed all the flesh thoroughly and swallowed it down, washing it down with several gulps of water to dilute the lingering tartness.

The deviation rate in perception remained in its original steady linear state.

Raising her hand to wipe away the tears streaming unconsciously due to the sourness of the orange flesh from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.

The mage girl let out a long breath in relief.

And just as she turned around, planning to use this bit of time to memorize a few more spells.

Her steps came to a sudden halt.

Her expression abruptly froze.

Because at that moment, the originally steady world line deviation rate, like a heart rate monitor, suddenly fluctuated up and down, leaving an extremely conspicuous waveform in her perception.

—0.99%!?

"How is that possible!!?"

"Why? Why did it change so suddenly and so much all at once?"

It looked like less than one percent, not much.

But what’s known is that the baseline corresponding to the world line deviation rate is the future of the entire world!

Forget one percent, even 0.01% is enough to significantly impact the future of millions!

Since reincarnation, even though Vier has mostly been in the phase of accumulating Strength and preparing, she has indeed completed many plans.

Yet even if all the deviation rates she obtained up to now were combined, they wouldn’t reach this high.

That’s nearly one percent!!

What kind of change has occurred in this world to cause such deviation in the world line?

And who played the critical role in this?

For some reason, even though separated for a long time, in that moment of confusion in Vier’s heart.

An image of that person with sharp features and jet-black broken hair surfaced involuntarily in her mind.

The keen instinct of the reincarnator caused the mage girl to instinctively associate the change in the world line with the individual she encountered post-reincarnation who left the strongest impression and underwent the greatest transformation.

"Could it be him?"

The fear quietly surging in her heart from the shadow of her past life accelerated Vier’s heartbeat unconsciously, her breathing even hastening slightly.

"When the time comes, if there’s a chance, perhaps I should ask later..."

The agreement at the Dragon Nest is still more than two years away, by then she will likely need his help, there will be another opportunity to meet, and if she carefully weighs her words by then, perhaps a slight inquiry can be made.

Considering so in her heart.

Suddenly, as if she thought of something.

Originally, due to the surge in world line deviation rate, Vier’s face inadvertently showed an expression of joy amidst fatigue, which abruptly paused.

Her body stiffly turned around.

Looking up, her crystalline eyes shimmered with immensely complex emotions, reflecting those small greenish, tart-smelling oranges nestled among the branches and leaves.

As previously stated, she could largely ascertain that the change in the world line was unrelated to her action of eating the orange flesh.

Yet paradoxically!

Only during those two instances of significant changes in world line deviation rate did she eat the orange flesh.

Was it a coincidence? Most likely.

But why such a coincidence? Could there be some connection that she can’t detect with her current abilities?

"How about..."

The intense sense of responsibility from her reincarnator status, coupled with the meticulous character developed from her mage background, led Vier to make a "ruthless" decision at this moment, biting her teeth, ensuring she avoids lifelong regrets even though it might cause her immediate pain.

Buzz——

Magic Particles suddenly fluctuated.

A far more solid [Mage’s Hand] appeared out of thin air, forcefully shaking the branches.

The next second, with the "rustling" sound of branches and leaves rubbing against each other, amidst falling leaves, one by one, the greenish sour oranges fell like rain.