Foreign Land Reclamation By a Vegetable-growing Skeleton
Chapter 1562 - 1123: Lord Nage Will Be Very Interested in You

Chapter 1562: Chapter 1123: Lord Nage Will Be Very Interested in You

At the bustling open market outside the Mercenary Guild, a tattered tent stood in a secluded corner. Mysterious trinkets were hung on the outside, while the inside was pitch black, exuding an aura of secrecy.

A middle-aged human woman lifted the tent flap and stepped in, announcing, "Hello, I’m here for divination!"

The interior of the tent was sparse, with just a wooden table. On the table sat a crystal ball, covered with a cloth.

A cloaked figure was slouched over the table, fast asleep. Hearing the commotion, the figure stirred, lifting its head to reveal a sleepy face. After rubbing its eyes, the figure forced a smile. "Please, have a seat."

Once the human woman was seated, the mysterious figure scrutinized her for a moment before asking, "What do you want me to divine? Marriage, future prospects, finances, or lifespan?"

"Money, money, when will my family strike it rich? By the way, why don’t you use the crystal ball? You look young—are you sure your divination skills are reliable? If it’s not accurate, I’m not paying!" The woman rattled off a string of complaints.

With a resigned sigh, the mysterious figure smirked, then pulled a rope behind her. A gap opened at the top of the tent, letting a beam of sunlight shine down onto the crystal ball.

The figure removed the cloth covering the crystal ball, allowing sunlight to refract through it, instantly illuminating the tent with brilliance.

"Wow... That’s incredible! Now this feels professional. But why cover the crystal ball in the first place? Is there something inside that you don’t want to escape?" the human woman whispered, her voice tinged with curiosity.

The mysterious figure replied quietly, "Not quite. It’s just that if the sunlight refracts into a single point, it might burn my tent down."

The human woman’s eyes widened in disbelief. She scanned the figure up and down, her expression now filled with skepticism.

With another helpless sigh, the figure theatrically placed one hand on the crystal ball, muttered incomprehensibly for a while, and finally announced, "You will face calamity and financial loss."

The human woman slapped the table and snapped, "I knew you’d say something like that! A half-baked astrologer—sleeping on the job, not even removing the cloth until asked, and then rambling about sunlight refraction burning the tent? What a scam! Hmph, I’ll make sure you’re the one losing money now!"

Coming for a fortune reading and hearing about light refraction? How could anyone trust that? Furious, the human woman spouted more invective before storming out.

The mysterious figure smirked and discreetly flicked a fruit, which landed lightly on the departing woman’s hair. Watching her leave, the figure muttered under her breath, "I’m an astrologer, not some charlatan. If I say you’ll face calamity, it will happen. If it doesn’t, I’ll make sure it does."

Not long after, the human woman returned clutching her forehead, a small wound visible where her skin had broken.

"Oh, master, truly you’re amazing! I really got injured—right at the market entrance, a Minotaur came walking straight at me and rammed into my head. It broke my skin, and then she reversed the blame, saying I hit her, demanded compensation, and even took several of my copper coins! Calamity and financial loss, just as you said! Please, master, you must help me ward off this misfortune!"

"What? Hit by someone? Not... um, exploded?" The figure was caught off guard.

"Exploded? What are you talking about? No, no, I was hit!"

"Oh, oh, right... Hmm, what’s that on your hair? It’s a fruit? Let me remove it for you." Gingerly, the figure retrieved the fruit she had flung earlier.

No sooner had she gripped it than the fruit exploded, her hand tightening instinctively around it, causing a muffled ’poof.’

The human woman froze. "What was that sound?" She instinctively glanced at the figure’s back, wrinkling her nose slightly as though expecting a smell, but none came.

Maintaining a poker face, the figure completed a perfunctory divination, collected her fee, and sent the woman on her way. Only then did she remove her hood, revealing a beautiful face as she muttered in confusion, "So the calamity actually happened? Did I get it right?"

The fruit hadn’t caused the injury, meaning her divination had been disturbingly accurate. Impressed by herself, she marveled at her rare success.

"I, Emery, divine fortunes... Abraka-dabra, yada-yada, bless-bless—!" Emery placed her hand on the crystal ball, chanting a series of incomprehensible incantations. The ball glowed.

Such accuracy was a rare feat. Usually, she could get one detail right, but scoring two was extraordinary. Feeling lucky, she decided to divine her own future.

Soon, the results appeared: "Future... change? Kvada... change? Change how? For better or worse? Ugh, this annoying astrology study! It only gives vague hints—so tantalizing but ultimately frustrating!"

Suddenly, the tent flap lifted, and another cloaked figure entered. Pulling back her hood, she smiled at Emery, saying, "Still fooling around, I see. Astrology studies the shifts in the Void, calculates the movements of plane constellations, and analyzes their patterns—it’s not meant for random fortune-telling."

"Yaya! Ms. Tianya, why are you here? Are you visiting me?" Emery practically jumped several feet high, darting out from behind the table to cling to Ms. Tianya.

"No, I came specifically for you. You divined that your future would change, didn’t you? Well, the change has arrived—someone’s purchasing our Astrology Institute and plans to employ all the astrologers to work for them." Tianya affectionately ran her finger over Emery’s nose.

At this news, Emery frowned. "Oh, I thought it’d be something more exciting. Let me guess, it’s some Pioneer Mercenary Corps or Void Expedition Army recruiting cannon fodder and buying us up wholesale? I’ll never sell my life to those types, even if I starve—"

"A monthly salary of one Demon Crystal," Tianya said, raising a finger.

"Wha—monthly? Per person? One Demon Crystal?" Emery’s eyes widened. One Demon Crystal was worth ten Gold Coins—she barely made one or two coins a month selling readings. A tenfold pay raise?

"It’s not some scam to trick us onto a ship, only to get sent off to the Void and killed without payout, is it?" Emery asked warily.

Tianya shook a money pouch, its contents jingling. "Signing bonus—twenty Demon Crystals. I’ve already brought it; sign here, and you can collect."

Emery opened the pouch, her eyes widening at the gleaming Demon Crystals inside. Flabbergasted, she asked, "Ms. Tianya, are you serious? Who’s this crazy benefactor? Surely it’s not just for our lives?"

Tianya shook her head. "They only want to purchase the institute, expand enrollment, and train new astrologers. I added the employment clause—to hire you as a teacher. Are you willing?"

Clutching the money pouch tightly, Emery nodded fervently, forgetting all her earlier vows of defiance.

She signed the contract, pocketed the money, and grabbed her crystal ball. Leaving the tent behind, she raced to report for duty, worried the opportunity might vanish.

A few days later, the institute’s astrologers convened to welcome their new employer. Silver Coin, the financier’s representative, stood on stage and gave a 35-minute speech.

In a corner of the audience, Emery cradled her crystal ball. Bored, she yawned and glanced at Silver Coin, her eyes glinting mischievously as she whispered incantations over her crystal ball.

Before she could finish, the ball suddenly shattered with a loud crack.

Emery’s face turned pale instantly, her gaze snapping to Silver Coin. Who was this man? She couldn’t divine his fate?

Not only was she unable to predict his destiny, but the Power of the Stellars retaliated, breaking her crystal ball. What kind of being was this?

Silver Coin, slightly startled, sensed an inexplicable feeling of being spied on. Bewildered, his attention shifted to Emery’s direction. Spotting her pale face and her broken crystal ball, understanding dawned.

He flew to Emery’s side and remarked, "Predictive ability, huh? Interesting... I think Lord Nage will be quite intrigued by you."