Mystery: Mr. Witch and Ms. Hunter

Chapter 196 City of Disaster
"A follower of 'Disaster'?"

Tracy asked in confusion, "Isn't the original witch the incarnation of disaster? What about the believers of 'disaster'?"

Catalina hesitated for a while and explained to Tracy, "Original can't completely represent disaster... The term 'disaster' is composed of two giant words. The former means 'natural disasters' including natural disasters and various plagues, while the latter refers to 'man-made disasters' caused by wars and conspiracies. The original has the authority of 'natural disasters', and the other part of the authority is in the hands of the Beyonders of the 'Red Priest' path, that is, the 'Hunter' path."

"Then what Auntie Gaglan believes in is the gathering of 'disasters'?"

Tracy asked in surprise, "Is there any evidence for this?"

"I haven't found definitive evidence yet, but a large part of her power system is inexplicable to us. The Origin has revealed that the Beyonders who believe in the Calamity are more proficient in various ritual magics than His followers. They can even use these rituals to assist in advancement and reduce the probability of losing control."

Katerina pulled the bra back into place and fastened the buttons.

"We have reason to suspect that, compared to the orthodox Beyonders who take potions to be promoted, the promotion ceremony is used to reduce the impact of the spiritual properties of the potion on themselves. However, for the witches who believe in 'Disaster', they use potions to assist themselves and resist the infection and influence of the promotion ceremony."

"And the infection from those rituals is even more serious than the mental pollution left in the potion. They don't even need to act, the potion will be consumed by the influence of the ritual. They don't need to worry about their mental state either, because unlike us, the more mental influence left in the potion in their bodies, the easier it will be for them to resist the infection from the ritual."

"It sounds pretty good. At least we don't have to worry about losing control like we do."

Tracy said tentatively.

"Hmm, that sounds good."

Katarina snorted disdainfully. "Unfortunately, any power comes with risks. The risks they face are just different from ours."

"They are different from us. When we first take the potion, our spirituality is not stable and our condition is not the best. But it is not the case for them. After taking the potion, they are in the best condition and have the clearest self-awareness. From then on, they will be chased by the ritual of disaster, just like the group of secret peepers in the Moss Ascetic Order."

"Due to the infection of the ritual, their potion digestion process will be very fast. However, once the potion is completely digested, there is no way to fight against the infection of the ritual. They must take the potion again or seek advancement. Otherwise, they will lose control and die irreversibly."

"How could this happen?" Tracy asked in surprise. She had never learned anything like this before, and she felt as if she had returned to the time when she first learned about the occult with her mother.

"Do you remember the metaphor I used when I first told you about the 'acting method'?"

Katrina did not answer, but asked Tracy instead. Tracy answered without hesitation:
"Remember, the extraordinary power is a castle, and the name of the potion is the key to the role, and it is also the 'key' or 'invitation' that can sneak into the castle."

"That's right. To use this analogy, the ceremony they hold can directly allow you to replace the identity of a guest in the castle and use the abilities granted by the potion. However, as the potion is gradually digested, this identity will gradually become ineffective. If you don't find a new identity to replace it, you will be excluded by the guards."

Katerina explained clearly, "For us, 'acting' is to let us sneak into the castle, and for them, 'acting' is to stay in the castle."

"The fate of being excluded by the guards is worse than failing to infiltrate. The former is at least just driven out of the castle, which means being out of control or close to being out of control. However, since the ceremony directly replaced the original guests, they will be directly wiped out by the guards. This erasure refers not only to the extraordinary power, but also to the disappearance of your own existence. According to our speculation, they were buried in the castle forever."

"That's why it's called the City of Disaster... Hehe, although in the field of mysticism, similar terms are just symbolic, but it, or rather, it, did come alive for some reason and became what people described."

"That is to say, once they start the ritual, they will have to continue to advance, unless they take new potions in the middle to slow down the erosion?"

Tracy continued to ask questions as she digested the new information.

"That's right. We often say that the extraordinary road is a road of no return, but for them, there is no time to rest on the side of the road. If they can't reach the original position, their only ending is to disappear forever."

Katarina sighed. "Gerran jumped to the 'Undead' of the Death Path, and initially escaped the fate of being chased by the ritual. He had time to slowly prepare for the promotion of the 'Unaging Witch', but most of the believers of the disaster did not have such an opportunity."

“Knowing that this path is so dangerous, why would she let others take this path?”

Tracy hesitated for a moment, then asked hesitantly.

"Don't you believe that Gagran would do this?"

Katarina sighed. "To be honest, I don't really believe it either. And until now, I don't have any definite evidence, so I can't deal with her as a fellow saint. But if you just let me guess her motives..."

Catalina stood up, and a sad expression appeared on her beautiful face that possessed the beauty of a woman of all ages.

"You should remember the story of the original carrier a year ago."

"Remember, Triss, you said at the time that she had a strong tendency to self-destruct."

Tracy answered without hesitation.

"Gagran is very much like her, except that the things she desires are more gorgeous."

Catalina shook her head and sighed, "What she longs for is revenge."

……

On the sea near Saint-Milon, the "Future" was floating silently in the deep waves.

Alger, Audrey, and Cattleya stood side by side on the deck, watching the miniature sun gradually rising above the sea in the distance.

Then, Derrick, who had transformed into the Sun Wheel and was speeding over, landed on the deck with a dull sound.

"Have you seen the 'Queen'?" Audrey asked with a smile on her face.

"Yes, everything has been arranged." Derrick nodded. "Her heart is very pure. Now I finally understand why you said she was trustworthy, Miss Justice."

Audrey showed a mysterious smile on her face. It was so soothing and made Derrick feel a little uneasy for no reason.

"No, you don't understand... at least, not completely."

The foreshadowing of the potion ritual has finally been laid out. Originally, I planned to let Gaglan talk about it, but recently I saw that new readers are struggling with this issue, so it is better to talk about it earlier.

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(End of this chapter)