Chapter 46: Reward: The Sea Witch’s Potion Crafting
Aurora immediately understood Rhine’s hint—
Even before the Sea Hag asked the final question, she had already given the answer once!
That answer was…
"Love." Aurora said, "The answer is love, isn’t it? Uh, human love for mermaids!"
It was the very answer she had given just minutes ago—for the first question!
Of course, the correct answer to the first question had been "the Immortal Soul," so back then, it had been a wrong answer.
Rhine smiled:
"Exactly.
"Fate works in such mysterious ways—the wrong answer to the first question is the correct answer to the last.
"O wise Sea Witch, long before you even asked, my friend had already given you the right answer!
"Is this not fate’s own guidance?"
Rhine knew that in this magical fantasy world, fate was not an abstract concept—it was a tangible, undeniable force. Sёar?h the n??el Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He had once personally bestowed a blessing upon Aurora, placing on her the prophecy that she would defeat the Black Witch.
Though this prophecy would not fulfill itself, fate would always orchestrate strange coincidences, working toward that destined outcome!
During the time they spent answering the first question, they had, in fact, already answered two.
Ariel also chimed in to support her new friends:
"That’s right, that’s right. My grandmother told me not long ago—though mermaids do not have an Immortal Soul, if a human truly loves you, they can grant you one. And at the same time, the human’s own soul remains unchanged."
She said this with a smile.
The Sea Hag was stunned.
A moment later, she burst into laughter:
"So that’s it. For a non-human being to gain an Immortal Soul, the method is so simple—yet so difficult that it’s nearly impossible!"
As the Sea Hag uttered "nearly impossible," Ariel’s expression wavered ever so slightly.
At that moment, Rhine felt it—the fiery, searing energy surged toward him at incredible speed, pouring into his soul, causing his magical power to rise once more.
The wish had been fulfilled!
Although it was Aurora who had spoken the answer, the one who had truly unraveled the Sea Hag’s dilemma was Rhine—the magician.
"Another wish of a Child of Destiny fulfilled. I wonder what reward I’ll receive this time."
Rhine eagerly anticipated his new power.
A vast ocean of knowledge surged into his mind, instantly imprinting itself onto his memory and soul.
It was the knowledge of potion crafting—how to combine different materials to create potions. The Sea Hag’s every memory of brewing strange elixirs flashed through his mind like a cascade of images.
"The Sea Witch’s Potion Crafting!"
This time, the reward for fulfilling a wish was not a new spell.
Instead, he had been granted a perfect copy of the Sea Hag’s potion-making expertise!
Rhine would never forget that, in the original tale, the Sea Hag had granted the Little Mermaid’s wish by brewing a potion that transformed her fishtail into human legs.
Potion crafting was undoubtedly the Sea Witch’s greatest skill.
And now, he had gained her mastery as well!
Compared to Rhine’s potion-making skills from when he had first become a magician, the Sea Hag’s alchemical knowledge was on an entirely different level.
Yet rather than conflicting, the two sets of knowledge complemented each other, strengthening his foundation and eliminating weaknesses.
By merging them together, Rhine realized—
He had now surpassed even the Sea Hag as a potion master.
"How peculiar—the reward this time wasn’t a new magic spell created from the wish itself."
Rhine was surprised at first, but quickly understood the reason.
Previously, the people whose wishes he had fulfilled were mostly ordinary individuals—the King and Queen of the Rose Kingdom, Magician Oz, the soldier who obtained the Tinderbox.
They possessed no unique talents that would astonish the world.
So the power he received was always a pure manifestation of the wish itself—bringing the "wish’s content" to life.
But if a Child of Destiny possessed a sufficiently unique ability, then fulfilling their wish could reward him with something directly related to their nature—such as an exact copy of their skills and talents!
"This is incredible."
Rhine couldn’t help but marvel at the mysterious nature of his "Wish Magician" abilities.
He was now even more excited about fulfilling the next fairy tale protagonist’s wish.
The Sea Hag sighed deeply:
"Well then. You two humans—I don’t know whether to call you clever or simply lucky."
"You have answered my three questions. As promised, I must now tell you everything I know about Maleficent."
She plucked a strand of seaweed-like hair from her head, then used a dagger to scrape a bit of mucus from her pet toad. She placed the ingredients into a mortar, grinding them while chanting an inaudible incantation.
Before long, a bubble rose from the mortar. Strange images flickered across its surface—patterns of memory.
"This bubble contains my memories of Maleficent. Place it against your forehead, and you will be able to read them," the Sea Hag said.
The bubble drifted toward the giant fish that carried Rhine and Aurora.
The fish snapped its jaws, swallowing the bubble whole.
Inside the fish’s belly, the two children picked up the rolling bubble as easily as if they had picked up a ball from the ground.
Rhine flipped a gold coin into the air, performing a simple divination to confirm that this was indeed the answer they sought.
Then, without rushing to read the memory, he carefully stored the bubble away.
"Thank you, oath-keeping Sea Witch.
"According to our original agreement, the three questions were merely the first payment, exchanged for the secret of the Black Witch Maleficent.
"Now, tell me—what is the second payment we must make? This payment will be in exchange for information about your Witch Coven."
Rhine believed that the second payment would not be as simple as just "answering questions"—something that could be completed on the spot.
It was likely something that would take a long time to accomplish.
"Help me gain recognition from the Sea Kingdom, from His Majesty the Sea King, and from the other great sea creatures!"
The Sea Hag’s expression carried a hint of self-mockery:
"As you know, in this ocean kingdom, everyone sees me as a nightmare. They avoid me, spinning terrifying tales with me as the villain.
"Yet all I have ever done is what any merchant would do—charge a price for my goods.
"I have only studied a little black magic—though I have never once used it to kill an innocent, I am still treated as a monster to frighten children.
"If you can help me gain the approval of the entire Sea Kingdom, so that the merfolk no longer fear or shun me, then I will tell you everything about that Witch Coven!"
Rhine sighed softly. Once again, he could feel the scorching power of a wish radiating from the Sea Hag.
In the original , this Sea Witch embodied every traditional element of an "evil witch"—ugly, strange, keeping fearsome pets, living in a nightmarish Bone Shack.
Yet, she was nothing more than an honest merchant, not a wicked villain.
In this beautifully poetic tale, there was not even a single true "bad person." Every character had their own kindness.
Of course, perhaps this image was simply too fitting for an antagonist—and every story needs an enemy.
So, in Disney’s animated adaptation of , the Sea Hag was directly transformed into the ultimate evil villain.
Aurora’s eyes also reflected a hint of sympathy.
She recalled how, just moments ago, the merfolk had spoken of the Sea Hag with fear and disgust, and she couldn’t help but feel a little pity for the Sea Witch.
.bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
"Sea Witch, this is not a task that can be completed overnight. If one day, my companions and I fulfill your wish, I will return to claim this answer."
The deal had been sealed, and the wish had been accepted.
As for when it would be fulfilled—that would be decided by the future.
After finishing, Rhine gestured toward Ariel:
"Next, it’s our friend’s turn—the Mermaid Princess Ariel is here to have you grant her wish."