Chapter Twenty-Six: Rescuing Prince Charming

After wandering through the forest for half a day, Aladdin finally couldn't help but complain.

"How much further is it? We’ve been circling this place for ages; we’ve practically turned the whole woods upside down."

He was just an ordinary youth with limited stamina, and the forest was incredibly difficult to traverse. It was only natural for him to feel exhausted after such a long time. Murong Xun was also puzzled, even beginning to suspect that Cinderella’s mother had deceived him. He had arrived here following her instructions, yet he had found no sign of the so-called old witch. The grove was not large, and they had searched almost every inch of it without finding a trace.

"Travelers from afar, do you require assistance?"

Just then, a voice came from a tree beside them. Aladdin looked up and discovered a white dove perched there.

"A-a dove! It spoke!" He stared in astonishment.

"Can you help us find the witch who lives here?" Murong Xun asked politely. He had a rough idea of the dove's identity; it was likely another human transformed by the witch’s sorcery, just like the others he had encountered earlier.

"Of course I can!" the white dove replied happily. "But can you do one thing for me in return?"

"Let's hear it," Murong Xun said, not agreeing immediately. Answering too readily was dangerous; it was easy to be deceived by a devil.

"I will lead you to a small house. You must go in alone. Inside, there sits an old woman. No matter what she says to you, do not answer. Just walk past her to her right and enter the room beyond. There are all kinds of rings displayed on a table, many of them beautiful and set with jewels. Do not touch any of those. Simply find the most plain one, and once you have it, bring it out to me as quickly as possible!"

"I need a map. Do you know where one might be?" Murong Xun narrowed his eyes.

[Prince Charming’s Request!]
[Mission Requirement: Retrieve Prince Charming’s transformation ring.]
[Mission Reward: Unknown!]

He hadn't expected to trigger a mission this way, and more importantly, the identity of the person involved—Prince Charming! The stuff of so many young girls' dreams!

"A map?" The white dove thought for a moment before saying, "That should be kept with the rings. You can look for it then, but your time will be very short."

"Very well," Murong Xun nodded. "Lead the way."

The white dove hurried ahead to guide them. Only then did the two realize they had been walking in circles the entire time.

"It’s right there!" The white dove pointed to a wooden cabin not far away, though it dared not get any closer.

Murong Xun looked at Aladdin and decided to handle it himself. He had discovered that while these spellcasters were powerful, they required time to cast their magic; otherwise, once he closed the distance, it was just a matter of a single blade strike. Aladdin still had to retrieve the magic lamp, and if anything went wrong, it would be troublesome.

When Murong Xun stepped into the cabin, he saw an elderly woman sitting before a small, smoke-filled stove. Seeing him enter, the old woman’s eyes widened sharply.

"Good day, my child."

Murong Xun ignored her and walked toward the small door to her right.

"Where are you going? This is my home!" The old woman stood up, grabbed Murong Xun’s clothes, and shrieked, "How can you just barge in without even a greeting!"

Murong Xun said nothing; with immense strength, he tore the old woman’s hand away and ran into the inner room. He immediately saw many rings laid out on a table, all of them shimmering and incredibly alluring. Murong Xun searched frantically, but he could not find the plain one.

By now, the old woman had charged in, grabbing a birdcage from the table to strike him. Murong Xun countered with a single slash of his blade, ending her life. Only then did he notice that there was a bird inside the cage, and on one of its claws was a plain, antique ring.

Having found the ring, he began looking for the map. He turned the entire room upside down but couldn't find it. Finally, he searched the old woman’s body and succeeded. He tossed the corpse into his "Origin God Glove" and turned his gaze to the rings on the table. With so many rings, the Magic Tower should give him a decent price for them, right?

[Human-Transformation Ring: Curses others with evil sorcery. Once the person dies, the ring becomes dazzling.]
[Quality: Common Junk/Luxury Item]
[Recycle Price: 30 Paradise Coins/each]

Murong Xun raised an eyebrow. So, Prince Charming’s ring was plain only because he was still alive? It didn't matter; he chose to pack up all the rings and sell them to the Magic Tower. With 41 rings in total, he received 12,000 Paradise Coins—a small fortune.

Having obtained what he wanted, he walked out of the cabin. He went to Aladdin, only to find the white dove gone. He took out the ring, only to see it slowly fading away.

What he didn't know was that the tree where the white dove had been perched was undergoing a transformation. First, two fair arms emerged from the trunk, followed by two legs. Eventually, a young man stood there, and the tree was gone. Not only that, but others behind him were also transforming—his servants, and even his white horse.

"Respected sir, you have saved me! You are my benefactor!" Prince Charming, accompanied by his servants, approached Murong Xun, bowing to express his gratitude. "That old woman was a wicked witch. She turned me into a tree, only letting me become a dove at mealtimes to stretch my legs. Because of this ring, I could not fly far. If I had died, the ring would have become very beautiful. Thank you, my friend, you have saved me!"

Murong Xun calmly signaled that it was nothing.

"You don't know, this witch used this method to harm many people, then sold the rings at high prices to nobles and merchants. The poor fools thought they were buying rare treasures, never knowing they were watered with human blood!" Prince Charming lamented.

Through their conversation, Murong Xun learned that Prince Charming had been traveling around. Having heard of the Sleeping Princess, he had come to see the world, only to be cursed by the old witch in this forest. Now that he was free, he wanted to lead his guards to hunt down the old woman—partly to settle the score, and partly to rid the world of a menace so no one else would suffer.

"You won't need to; I’ve already killed her," Murong Xun said flatly. "The Deep Blue Royal City is not far ahead. Follow the main road and you will see it."

Murong Xun pointed the way and prepared to leave with Aladdin. Now that the map was in hand, it was time to hunt for the treasure.

"By the way, the Rose Prince is also in the city. He’s there to wake the princess, and he’s even invited all the young ladies of the city to his banquet!" Aladdin said sourly. He didn't like the look of that Rose Prince; not only did he make such a grand entrance, but he also high-profilely invited every girl in the city—anyone would be unhappy about that.

"What? That guy Rose is actually here?" Upon hearing that his rival had arrived, Prince Charming immediately mounted his horse. "Then, my friends, I shall head into the city first. When you return, you must come find me; I will certainly reward you properly!"

With that, Prince Charming rode off in a hurry. Watching him leave, Murong Xun frowned. Now that he’d encountered Prince Charming, would he run into Snow White next?

With no outsiders around, he took out the map. Seeing the location marked on it, he breathed a sigh of relief—at least it wasn't too far. If it were too far, he would be in a bind. After all, the banquet was about to begin; time was tight, and he had no time to waste. His top priority was to find the magic lamp and finish the mission.

"Aladdin's magic lamp?"

Snow White, who was busy grooming herself, paused with her comb in mid-air.

"Yes, my Queen!" the Magic Mirror’s strange voice echoed.

"There is a genie living inside the lamp. It calls itself a god, but it is actually a devil. It can grant three wishes to whoever possesses it, but anyone greedy enough to ask for a fourth wish will have their soul devoured directly. In the past, some thought themselves clever and used one wish to ask for infinite wishes, but when they asked for the fourth, they were all eaten, without exception."

"Are you telling me this for any particular reason?" Snow White asked, puzzled.

"My noble Queen! The magic lamp possesses supreme power; it can help you achieve your goals!" The Magic Mirror’s voice was filled with endless temptation.

"Just like your master, nothing but flowery, slippery talk," Snow White rolled her eyes. "You just want this lamp, don't you? Fine, tell him I will help him get it."

"Praise you, my great Queen!" The Magic Mirror flattered her quickly. "That lamp is currently at..."

"I know." Hearing the location it revealed, a cold smile curled on the Queen's lips. "Isn't that near the territory of those seven idiots? I'll just have them go retrieve the lamp. If they can't manage that, then I don't need to worry about them anymore."

Snow White ordered casually. Whenever she thought of those idiots who spent their days pillaging and robbing, she was filled with rage—especially since they had learned some slang from that annoying fellow, which made her cringe every time she looked at them.