"Tell me..."
The Witch’s voice became low and solemn, as if she were conducting some holy ritual:
"The best time to open the Otherworld Treasure Box."
The divination began.
The next moment, her consciousness was dragged into a chaotic space composed of countless possibilities.
Countless potential future fragments flashed before her eyes like shattered mirrors:
The frenzy of success, the despair of failure, the fear of death, the joy of victory...
Each scene cut through her spirit like a sharp blade, but she gritted her teeth, enduring the pain that seemed to tear her soul apart.
In these chaotic time fragments, she desperately searched for that crucial time node.
Suddenly, all the chaotic images converged into a clear and intense moment—
Now! It’s now!
Cassandra abruptly opened her eyes, and two streams of blood tears slowly flowed from the corners of her eyes.
The rebound from the divination struck her spirit with tremendous impact, causing a splitting pain in her temples, yet a satisfied smile appeared on her lips.
"Found it... finally found it..."
Cassandra closed her eyes, letting her consciousness dive inward.
In the deepest part of her spiritual space, a box that seemed ordinary yet exuded a terrifying pressure quietly floated.
That was the "Otherworld Treasure Box."
The treasure left by the previous King of Eras, a wellspring of power offering infinite possibilities.
The box had no fixed physical form; it was more like the manifestation of a concept beyond understanding.
Its surface appeared simple and even somewhat worn.
But when Cassandra’s consciousness touched it, she could clearly feel the infinite power contained within.
It was the absolute power that transcended time, space, life, and death, a terrifying force enough to rewrite the fundamental laws of reality.
"Open."
With her thought, the "lid" of the box slowly lifted.
The next moment, countless cards emitting different lights flew in the spiritual space.
Each represented a specific power, and each held the fearsome power to alter the world’s operating rules.
The golden light was the brightest and most dazzling, representing the highest level of power cards under normal conditions;
Silver came next, radiating a metallic luster as elegant as moonlight;
There were the most numerous cards in bronze and lead-iron colors, but their power was relatively weaker;
and a very few "Star" level cards flickered with rainbow lights.
They were the ultimate existence beyond conventional classifications, requiring the consumption of three golden power cards to randomly draw one.
At the moment the Otherworld Treasure Box was opened in the family treasury, Cassandra’s perception underwent a fundamental transformation.
She began to "see" the true value and potential level of all things.
It was a special sight that transcended the Five Senses, like gaining the scrutinizing perspective of the Creator.
In this state, each existence bore a corresponding glow color:
Gold represented the level of a Great Wizard, like her daughter Eve and the teacher Uther who had already realized their potential;
Silver corresponded to those who could potentially reach the Dark Sun Level, like Eliot of the Storm Clan;
Bronze was the Moon Level and Morning Star Level, the level of most Official Wizards, like the half-dragon Maid Franka;
Lower existences didn’t even have a faint glow, appearing as insignificant as roadside dust to her.
The glow on Ron was the most complex, even at first glance it was gold mixed with other unusual colors, a special quality she had never seen before.
"Begin drawing power cards."
Cassandra focused her attention on the flying cards, paying particular attention to those emitting a silver glow of secondary presence.
Her target was clear this time—she needed a "Luxurious" type of power card.
With the "Luxurious" card, she could enhance the effect when spending rare items on treating her daughter Eve.
According to the strict usage rules of the Otherworld Treasure Box, only power cards of corresponding quality could produce the best effect on targets of the same potential level.
The first card slowly appeared before her:
The gorgeous golden border was stunning, depicting a figure of a regal and graceful woman.
She was in a palace made of treasures and luxurious decorations, enjoying endless material indulgence.
"Luxurious" power card, golden quality.
It seemed to perfectly fit the need, yet Cassandra’s face instantly darkened.
She recalled the process of artificially nurturing Eve back then.
To bestow her daughter with extraordinary talents and potential, she had already used a golden quality "Luxurious" card on that unborn embryo.
The rules of the Otherworld Treasure Box were exceptionally stringent and inviolable:
To repeatedly use the same type of power card on the same target, one must continually downgrade.
This meant that the golden quality card in front of her was completely unusable on Eve.
"Damn the rules..."
Her right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist, nails deeply embedding in her palm.
This was her habitual action when angry, using pain to suppress inner agitation.
Warm blood seeped from between her fingers, dripping into the void of the spiritual space, turning into specks of red light and dissipating.
Temporarily putting away this golden card, Cassandra gritted her teeth and could only proceed with the second draw.
The second card appeared: also with a golden border, but the illustration was completely different.
A blood-stained sword stood amidst a sea of corpses and blood.
Countless vengeful spirits of the deceased swirled around the sword, emanating a chilling aura of slaughter.
"Slaughter" power card, golden quality.