"Cold and rusted from battle, silent and abandoned, replaced, but never lost. Just like..." The figure in black robes spoke in a young, yet hoarse voice like a spring wind rustling through withered leaves.
"Like a mechanical arm!" Amir interrupted her.
"Ah!" Veronica's arm was covered with synthetic skin, indistinguishable from normal skin.
Hearing Amir's words, Veronica, who had been lost in thought, sighed in relief. The witch-like figure holding her hand trembled slightly before squeezing it tightly.
Amir, who had been watching to see how the witch would deceive her, also became interested. After all, what the witch said did sound like the fate of a mechanical arm.
In his previous life, Amir would never have believed in such things. But in this world, there was the Force, and perhaps the witch was Force-sensitive.
"How much does it cost? Test me too," Amir said curiously, looking at the witch in front of him.
"One... no, two nutrient gels!" the witch whispered. Her voice was still hoarse, though not as much as when she had made the prediction.
Amir glanced at Veronica.
"Don't look at me. She asked me for nutrient gels, too," Veronica said.
Though it was strange, Amir still pulled the convenient food out of his pocket.
Nutritional paste can provide enough energy for an adult for a day, or even several days, and Amir always carried a few with him.
"Thank you," the witch said softly.
Amir didn't hear her clearly, so he simply extended his hand.
The witch slowly extended her hands and placed them on Amir's.
Amir felt nervous at this point, fearing she might say, "You're a fool from another time, Aba Aba."
The witch, who had initially seemed calm, began to grow tense. Her hands tightened and trembled slightly.
Suddenly, she jerked her hands back.
"Everything is shrouded in darkness, but... I'm sorry, sir," she said, pulling out one of the nutrient gels she had just received and slowly handing it back to Amir. "I couldn't sense anything clearly, so I'm returning half of the payment."
But her hand, which had handed over the nutrient gel, hesitated and stopped. "I think I want to try again. If I succeed, please allow me to keep all of the payment."
"Even if you don't succeed, this is still your compensation for your efforts." Amir reached out his hand again.
This time, the witch extended both hands more solemnly. Her entire figure became dignified, as if she were a high priestess presiding over a ceremony for tens of thousands of people.
She closed her eyes and felt carefully. Time passed second by second. After a while, the witch opened her eyes.
"I only saw..." She withdrew her hands and spoke in a hoarse voice: "In the not-too-distant future, there will be lurking darkness, agonizing screams, swelling desires, and...and..."
As she spoke, she suddenly swayed back and forth as if she were drunk and stumbled before collapsing to the ground.
"It seems your future isn't looking good, Amir," Veronica said gleefully, still holding a grudge over the mechanical arm incident.
"I think things are looking pretty bad right now," he said, pointing at the unconscious witch in front of him. He thought he wouldn't get scammed. However, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. He said to Veronica, "You carry her back. I'll go find Lango."
"Agreed."
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Compared to Veronica, who already had a tendency to be a bounty hunter, Lango was a model citizen.
Amir carried his bags to the port and saw Lango and Sain pushing two floating boxes. BD-4 was giving orders from atop the boxes.
"Finished work?" Amir asked Lango.
"I just finished unloading a ship this morning and ran into Sain." The green-skinned lizard replied.
After placing his bags on the anti-gravity boxes and patting BD-4 on the head, Amir said, "Come back with us. We're having lunch."
"Alright!"
"You've really been busy lately," Sain said with a smile as he looked at the ingredients in front of him. His sharp eyes spotted a small sack. "What's this?"
"Hehe, you'll find out at lunch," Amir teased.
Upon returning to Mel's small shop, they noticed Pierre and Veronica gathered around the witch, chatting.
The witch had already removed the hood of her robe, revealing the face of a young girl with golden hair, green patterns on her forehead, and green eyes. This gave her a natural, ethereal appearance, like a fairy from the wilderness.
Upon seeing Amir, she hurriedly stood up and said, "I'm sorry for the trouble."
"You're awake; that's good. Stay for dinner." Amir was curious, but he didn't ask her many questions about her background. Out of the hospitality ingrained in him, he wanted her to stay for dinner.
"No, I don't have any money..." The woman clutched the hem of her dress and spoke with her head bowed.
"We won't charge you," Amir said with a smile. "After all, you fainted, and that's my responsibility."
"What's going on, Amir? Who is this?" Sain had just come in through the back door, put the box in the warehouse, and walked over.
Veronica pulled the witch aside and made her sit down. "This is Gulina Watkins, a professional witch!" she said.
"A witch? Is that real? Aren't they just in novels?" Sain exclaimed in surprise.
"It's true. She can predict people's futures, and she's very accurate," Veronica said.
"You make it sound like you predicted your own success," Amir mocked.
"I'm going to cook. I have a secret ingredient today that will surprise you all." He held up the sack in his hand, revealing the nuts inside.
"Maracas?!" the witch exclaimed in surprise.
"Hey, why are you cursing? Oh, wait. Do you know what these are?" Amir asked in equal surprise.
"Huh?" The witch, Guliana, was clearly taken aback by Amir's words. After a moment, she replied, "It's a fruit from a tree in my hometown."
"Are you from Naboo?" Amir remembered Hope saying that this fruit was found on Naboo.
"Oh, no. It's from Adrian, an inconspicuous planet in the outer ring," Guliana said.
"Then you should know how to use it." Amir was delighted. That way, he wouldn't have to experiment with it himself and could find out its effects right away.
"It's a medicinal herb that can also be used as a seasoning. We use it all the time."
"That's great! Could you help me make it?"
"No, it's no trouble. I'm happy to help."
Gulina quickly stood up and followed Amir into the kitchen.
There, she carefully ground the maraca fruit while Amir looked at the patterns on her forehead and asked, "Is that some kind of totem?"
He was very interested in the cultures of different planets but had never experienced them firsthand. He had always wanted to take a trip around the outer ring.
"Sort of. These patterns are symbols we use to communicate with the Forest God." Gulina's voice was still slightly hoarse.
"So the Forest God is how you tell fortunes?"
"Yes, and I think I sense that you also have the ability to communicate with the Forest God." Gulina looked up at Amir, her green pupils filled with curiosity.
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