Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3185

The journey had been long, but it had not been easy.

During the dusk of the Age of Gods, the mortal realms were still ruled by the Creatures of Corruption. Humans had carved out a place for themselves under the sun, but they were still on the defensive, fighting fiercely to safeguard their settlements.

Even though humans were steadily growing stronger as time went by, they were not ready to challenge the abominations for dominion over the world just yet. That would only happen when the Age of Heroes arrived, prompted by the fall of the First Kingdom and the rise of Transcendent champions who had divine blood in their veins.

So, Cassie endured a fair share of daunting battles as she searched. Some she had escaped unscathed, while some left her wounded and battered. She sought refuge among humans while she recovered — she needed to learn what they knew to reach her goal, anyway.

News brought by merchants from distant realms, old legends, rumors of strange occurrences that happened far away... Pretending to be a wandering fortune teller, Cassie learned a lot.

She learned even more from her intuition and innate affinity to revelations and fate. However, the item she was searching for could not be discovered that way — it was as if all clues about it were hidden by fog, obscured from her senses.

She continued her search.

Sometimes, she traveled with merchant caravans and temporary companions. Sometimes, she traveled alone, accompanied only by her memories. The company of those she called upon was not unpleasant... but even if they were with her, she couldn't help but feel alone.

Time passed.

One day, Cassie found herself in a human city. It was quite large by the standards of this primitive time, perched precariously on the edge of a deep canyon. People were wary of strangers here, so she didn't want to attract attention.

She was too tired and wounded to put a lot of effort into avoiding a conflict, and she didn't want to subjugate the city if its rulers acted against her out of fear, arrogance, or greed — so, it was better to remain unnoticed.

Sitting on the ground near a fountain in the main square, wrapped in her tattered cloak, Cassie unfurled a small rug in front of her and placed a chipped bowl on it, laying a small pile of carved bones by its side.

Her hair was covered by the hood of her cloak, while her face was hidden behind a veil. Her wooden staff lay nearby. She looked unremarkable and shabby — a vagabond who made a living by fooling gullible people, no doubt, instead of a demigod powerful enough to destroy the entire city... and beautiful enough to make countless men spill blood.

Cassie's appearance had never caused her trouble in the real world, but here in the Nightmare, she had learned to hide it. She did not want to launch a thousand ships, after all.

Soon enough, the first client arrived.

“Huh. A fortune teller?"

A copper coin fell into her bowl.

"Come on then, tell me my fortune."

Cassie reached for the bones and scattered them across the carpet. There was no point in doing so, but people believed her more willingly that way.

‘A copper coin...’

She hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Praise be! What luck. Congratulations, your home will welcome the fourth child soon. This time, it will be a son."

There was a moment of silence, and then an excited shout.

“A son! Finally!"

Her client paused, then asked with suspicion:

"No, wait. Are you blind?! The bones fell in a circular pattern. That clearly means misfortune!"

Cassie tilted her head a little.

"I am indeed blind.”

The man scoffed.

“What can a blind fortune teller even see?"

Cassie smiled behind her veil.

“I can see a plump, healthy boy..."

The man cursed a few times, then stomped away.

Before that, however, he did not fail to look at her tentatively and take the coin out of the bowl without making any noise.

Cassie did not care. What use did she have for money?

But still.

‘Bastard. I was going to tell you that your handsome young neighbor is the boy's real father, but oh well!’

It was better that way, anyway. She had learned long ago that people only got angry and confrontational when she brought them bad news, accusing them of spreading lies no matter how truthful her words were. They only believed what they wanted to hear.

There were more clients after that. Cassie easily played the role of a downtrodden fortune teller.

“What luck! Your son will be promoted by the lord soon. He will even receive precious silk as a reward..."

“Heavens above. I can see only good omens in your future. Have you offered a sacrifice to the gods recently? The gods must have been pleased..."

“Don't fret. Fortune smiles upon you. Your younger sister will indeed be wed before you — however, you'll meet your future husband at her wedding. And he will be the most handsome man there, by far..."

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