Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 4 We Need a Volunteer

"Ethan, actually, there are many advantages to becoming a werewolf."

Ivy seemed to have completely forgotten that she was facing an expert who had carefully studied the ecology of werewolves. "Strong strength, lightning speed, and unparalleled regeneration ability. Those followers of the hunting goddess who want to become werewolves need to simulate the life of wolves for several years and devour human flesh. You can do it just by wearing this collar!"

Her eyes were shining, as bright as the salesman in the TV commercial who said, "Don't pay 19998, just 998 and you can take the product home right away."

Ethan immediately exposed Ivy's rhetoric, "But it will make you stupid."

He has always considered himself an intelligence-based hero. For a mage, strength and agility are secondary attributes.

Ivy picked up the collar and showed it to Ethan. "Don't you think this collar is very finely crafted? It's much more beautiful than many expensive jewelry."

"Once you become a werewolf, you can't change back."

Ethan was unmoved. "The old demon hunter Augustus wrote in "Take You to Know 100 Dark Creatures" that he had never encountered an individual who could transform from a werewolf back into a human."

"It's okay, I can support you."

How could this not matter!

Ethan saw through Ivy's little thoughts at a glance. This believer of the Enlightenment Society just wanted to study the curse and the changes it brought.

He glared at the golden hair on Ivy's head, conveying with his eyes "Can you please control your girl?" The golden hair couldn't stand it anymore, and gathered all his strength to hit Ivy's head, but it had little effect and was not enough to interrupt Ivy's chanting.

She went on and on describing the benefits. "You will move into a big house, much bigger than this one! You will be provided with the best beef for every meal, and I can hire a professional chef just for you. If you like, you can also have a hair groomer to take care of your hair, and a specialist will take care of your teeth and claws regularly."

"I reject."

Ethan was firm, then changed the subject, "But I have a plan to recruit volunteers."

This was a problem he would have to face sooner or later. Before the staff from the shelter came to the town, how to properly keep the cursed object became a difficult problem.

As written in the book, once there is a mistake in the storage process, the casualties will be catastrophic.

According to the characteristics summarized by Ivy, in theory, arranging a group of people in the guild to take turns to look after the collars seems to be the most appropriate solution. However, this is not the case in practice, because in addition to shelters, there is also a black market in this world, and the nobles of the empire always like to collect some alternative objects to show their unique taste.

As long as they can resell this suspected third-level cursed object, they won't have to live on the edge of a knife for the rest of their lives.

Thinking that the guardians might be the first to kill each other for the ownership of the cursed object, Ethan felt that the fewer people who knew about its existence, the better.

It is a thankless task to always be on guard against the "attraction" of the cursed object, so he adopted a reverse thinking approach - as long as he let one volunteer wear the cursed object first, its "attraction" would be ineffective for the rest of them.

So there is only one last question left.

Who would be the most suitable volunteer?
You know, once you put on the collar, there is no possibility of changing back.

Ivy looked up at Ethan, quietly waiting for the next step of the plan.

"Ms. Chloe is a very good candidate. She is the only daughter in the family. Her parents died early in an accident, leaving her with only a simple little house. More importantly, even if she suddenly disappears, no one will notice."

After all, it was a time of turmoil, and everyone knew that a lonely girl like Miss Chloe would not live long. "Instead of dying worthlessly of hunger or disease, it is better to dedicate herself to the town. People will then engrave her name on the monument in the center of the town, which should be in line with the purpose of the academy."

As Ethan expected, Ivy's frown relaxed, and it was not difficult to see that she was very satisfied with this plan.

As for the pangs of conscience...

This is not a question that supporters of TusPark have ever considered.

Ethan immediately said, "I'll try to convince Miss Chloe."

It only took him half an hour to bring the good news back to the guild. When he entered, Ivy was sitting in the corner of the first floor of the guild, holding a parchment book in her hand.

Seeing Ethan walking towards him, he immediately asked, "Where's Miss Chloe?"

"Miss Chloe is a considerate girl. When she knew why I came, she quickly agreed."

“How much resettlement fee is required?”

Ivy responded fluently. This was obviously not the first time the academy had experienced such a thing. "If you take the research of cursed objects as a topic, I can apply for funding from the academy." In this era when most people are living below the poverty line, the Enlightenment Academy can always easily find many volunteers who are willing to sell themselves for a good price.

"No need, I have already paid the resettlement fee, and Miss Chloe is waiting for us outside the town now."

Ivy nodded and praised Ethan generously, "I've always felt that you have the potential to join the academy."

This was just a polite remark, Ethan just smiled and walked out of the guild.

The Enlightenment Academy belonged to respectable people, and most of those who could join it came from the aristocracy and wealthy classes.

Hungry people have no time to pursue the truth.

There is a small wooden house near the river in the southwest corner outside the town. An old hunter originally lived in the small wooden house, but it became vacant after the old hunter died. Ethan saw this from the guild's records. When he first started practicing fireball, he occupied this house. Later, when his proficiency in fireball improved and he unlocked long-range casting, he rarely came here again.

The considerate Miss Chloe was waiting outside the dilapidated wooden house.

A thick rope was tied around her neck. When she heard the footsteps of two people, she excitedly came forward and gave an excited "Gugugu" call.

Miss Chloe was a gentle girl. When Ethan carried her all the way here, she lay quietly on his forearm, neither struggling nor pecking him.

The settlement fee was half a slice of wheat bread, which Miss Chloe ate with great pleasure.

"Is this the Miss Chloe you were talking about?"

Looking at the cheerful little hen, Ivy's face became a little gloomy, the golden hair on her head stood up, and she also expressed doubts about Ethan.

"I watched Miss Chloe grow up. After her parents had an accident, she was left alone in the chicken coop."

The cause of the accident was simple.

A year ago, the town had a severe winter. It was a time when food was in short supply. On a snowstorm night, the townspeople broke into her home...

Ethan looked down at the hen that jumped and ran to his feet and put the unpleasant memories behind him. The chickens in this world were no different from those on Earth. As long as you raised her from a young age, she would always follow you.

"I think this is the best solution at the moment. Even if the curse distorts Miss Chloe's soul, it can minimize the damage to the town."

Except, it wasn't good for Ivy's research.

But Ethan believed that people were compromising. If he asked a supporter of the Enlightenment Society to give up their curiosity, he would definitely refuse. But if you suggested that they settle for the second best and helped them find small animals to cooperate with the experiment, they would compromise.

Ivy was silent for a long time, and finally took a deep breath.

She still took out the notebook and handed the collar to Ethan.

"You put it on her and I'll record it."

Ethan admitted that he was still filled with trepidation when he held the collar in his hand.

Especially when he met Miss Chloe's innocent eyes, he instantly felt an unprecedented sense of guilt.

"I'll carve your name on the town's monument."

He promised Miss Chloe and put the collar on her with his own hands.

The change happened almost immediately.

The gentle "coo" turned into a sharp hiss, and Miss Chloe, whose body suddenly expanded several times, just shook herself and pushed Ethan away. The fur on her body was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The whole process lasted nearly a minute.

The Miss Chloe that appeared before him had turned into a huge creature whose height reached his waist.

The man and the chicken looked at each other for a while.

Then, for the first time in his life, Ethan was pounced on by a chicken.

(End of this chapter)