Looking at the elegant and luxurious stranger before him, Ian felt a certain unavoidable tension. Although he possessed a talent for navigating bewildering environments, he had only encountered two people in this world. The woman in front of him was the third. This was the world of the dead. Who knew what kind of identity and past this woman had?

"Who are you?" Ian silently prepared to flee.

In response to Ian's question, the young woman raised an eyebrow slightly. "That poor girl has gone with your wandering friend to search for a ridiculous golden apple. How could there possibly be a golden apple in a place like this?" Her words were clearly laced with sarcasm.

Wandering friend? Ian quickly realized that the person the mysterious woman referred to was likely another one of his friends. This friend, like Arianna, was a wandering soul.

Pandero Nateg. A very ordinary name, belonging to a passionate young explorer. This must also be the reason why the mysterious woman called him a "wanderer." Even in the bewildering illusions, Pandero had tirelessly explored this world for many years. In his own words, he had lost track of time.

This was a soul that had lived for at least a thousand years, yet his appearance remarkably remained around fifteen. Perhaps this was the magic of the bewildering illusions. According to Arianna, who was also in this world, Pandero had looked that young when she first met him.

Ian wondered if Pandero had offended the mysterious woman before him. Was there a connection? What kind of connection? Ian's curiosity could not be suppressed.

He didn’t know much about Pandero Nateg, but his impression of this friend was that he had the wisdom of an elder and the spirit of a youth—sometimes a bit foolish. It seemed that he was not a character from the original work, as Ian had never heard of that name in history or through his knowledge of the original story.

What kind of obsession could have kept Pandero Nateg in this bewildering illusion for so many years? An adventurous task like "searching for a golden apple" was indeed something Pandero would do; it was also typical for him to drag Arianna along as a partner.

Ian recalled how Pandero had once excitedly taken five-year-old him and said they were going to find the despicable Halbor... that most notorious dark wizard in the wizarding world.

Me? Five years old? Confronting the despicable Halbor? Ian still found it absurd every time he thought back to that memory.

"This golden apple, is it the golden apple from the fairy tales that I know?"

Looking at the elegant woman in a black gown before him, Ian tried to maintain a humble demeanor and even attempted to put on an innocent expression, leveraging his youth as an advantage.

"Something flashy but impractical—do you really expect a golden apple tree to bloom in this world?" The noblewoman continued her sarcasm, her gaze at Ian as if he were a fool.

"I cut down the last apple tree long ago when I was alive, not to mention that there could never be a golden apple in the bewildering illusion." The woman's tone was very certain.

"Are there golden apples in the real world?" Ian asked, somewhat astonished.

At that moment, the mysterious woman turned her head, her stunning face suddenly close to Ian's, and she even took two steps forward. A wave of rose fragrance enveloped him.

Ian quickly stepped back. The mysterious woman emanated an overwhelming presence, whether in terms of her aura or otherwise.

"What do you think a fairy tale is? Does a wizard count?"

As soon as she said this, Ian was rendered speechless.

Looking at Ian, the mysterious woman suddenly smiled. "Although you are indeed a fool, as dull as a little pig, who says you are not the unique one?" She raised her fair finger and pointed to a castle that appeared faintly in the distant mountains.

"If you want to learn magic, go there and find me."

Following her finger, Ian saw the ancient and eerie castle, eroded by time, and he immediately felt a sudden understanding. So this woman was the witch from the castle that Arianna often mentioned!

Sure enough, his impulse to run away wasn't cowardice! It was merely a wizard's instinct! Yes! That must be it... this was certainly a natural sensing ability towards a powerful wizard!

"What do I need to give in return?"

Ian reassured himself in his mind, being cautious in response to the invitation from the mysterious witch; after all, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

"Huh?"

The witch looked at Ian with surprise, even taking a step and circling around him while allowing her black robe to glide over the muddy ground without picking up a speck of dirt.

"It seems you still don't know how special you are..."

The witch chuckled softly.

Then, her expression shifted dramatically. "Of course, for someone your age to understand the rules of the wizarding world suggests that you are only temporarily dull, which isn't a bad thing in the real world."

The witch stopped, looking into Ian's eyes.

"If you truly want to follow the principle of equivalent exchange, then bring my magic mirror back to me."

After saying this, Ian saw a hint of reminiscence in her beautiful eyes, but soon her tone returned to coldness. That trace of nostalgia quickly vanished without a trace.

"Find my mirror and bring it to me... you will learn the most powerful magic here."

"Mirror?"

Ian frowned, puzzled.

The witch did not respond, merely displaying a smile full of meaning.

"Actually, even if you don't retrieve the mirror, you can still come to learn from me." She smiled mysteriously, leaving Ian unsure if she was deliberately trying to scare him.

"Who can blame me for enjoying toying with little boys?"

Slightly wicked words.

As soon as the witch finished speaking, Ian felt that his time had come. His last vision was the elegant witch quietly watching him as he slowly became transparent and then vanished.

After the sounds of their discussion faded away, the entire town fell silent once again.

The witch's expression gradually turned somber as she turned, her high heels clicking on the cobblestone path as she walked into the tranquil forest, returning to the front of her castle.

The castle stood in a clearing in the forest, vines entwined around its high walls made of blue stone, which bore the marks of time. The sharp spires pierced the overcast sky.

The weather here was entirely different from that in the town.

It was gloomy and heavy, but upon pushing open the heavy doors and stepping inside, one would see the resplendent scene within the castle—a spacious hall with an intricately carved marble table at its center, covered with a bright red silk tablecloth, scattered with gold-edged tableware, while the roaring flames in the fireplace cast shadows of exquisite murals on the walls.

The stories of knights and princesses in the paintings seemed to come alive in the firelight.

The witch moved with graceful steps, and from the moment she entered the castle, everything around began to work automatically.

Candles lit up one by one, the tablecloth flew through the air to settle on the table, perfectly laid out, the tableware arranged neatly, and all sorts of food floated out from the kitchen, neatly placed on plates and flying to the dining table.

Among them was a roasted piglet, shining golden.

The witch merely glanced at it, and suddenly, the previously silent her murmured, "I've already seen a foolish pig today; I don't want to see another..."

After saying this, the piglet returned to the kitchen in the same way, and soon a little lamb floated up to the dining table in the same manner.

The witch's clothes sparkled with unseen magical starlight, becoming incredibly tidy and clean. She did not eat but slowly walked into the bedroom.

"Magic mirror, magic mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the world..."

In the empty room, the witch seemed to be talking to herself, sitting at a vanity that lacked a mirror, murmuring in a voice tinged with self-deprecation and complexity.