Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

Could it be that--

The gods, who understood the hearts of men, knew all along that the king's first two wishes were to "become bigger" and "become richer," and granted them ahead of time.

Musogen shook his head: "How would I know? In short, the king already has everything, and all he desires is a longer life. He naturally said: I need a long life! Please grant me eternal life!"

The goddess remained remarkably calm. She nodded gently and said, "Humans, you cannot possess eternal life; I cannot grant that wish. But if you are willing to offer me sacrifices, I can extend your lifespan. I only require three sacrifices, and they are—"

Musuogen paused.

He faced Zuo Chang and held up his first finger: "An old man."

Then he held out a second and a third: "Youth, and children."

Zuo Chang looked at his fingers and asked, "Only three people?"

"There was an old man, plus two other types of people. The goddess misled the king. As she spoke, she held up her finger, as if only three people were needed. But after the king nodded in agreement, all the young citizens of the kingdom became sacrifices. In an instant, the kingdom turned into a ghost kingdom. Only the elderly over fifty years old were left alive."

Musuogen retracted his finger.

He said with a smile, "This is the contents of the 'Golden Jar,' and it's also the first record of a goddess, or rather... a myth? If the contents are true, then the goddess is the one inside the jar, and she was once sealed away."

This thing...

Could it be true?

It sounds so fake. Putting everything else aside, what's the deal with this kingdom?

Their combat power was far too formidable; they killed those five gods without hesitation!

Zuo Chang asked, "Has the king achieved immortality?"

"It can be said that he has achieved immortality; the gods turned the king into stone."

"...These gods are too cruel."

"Who says it's not?"

During their conversation, Zuo Chang and Mu Suogen arrived at the door of the rented house.

The rental house was a low-rent housing unit, a two-story wooden house with four tenants on each floor. Mu Suogen's room was at the very end of the first floor. Zuo Chang, with his head down, noticed bloodstains dripping down the corridor, leading all the way to the door of the room at the end.

"came back?"

The war demon squatted at the doorway, looking up at Zuo Chang.

Zuo Chang asked, "Where did the blood come from?"

Musogen glanced sideways at his rented room, which was lit up.

The War Demon remained calm and simply said, "The Great Witch Hyacinth has arrived; she's inside."

hyacinth?

The one who sent the witch's letter?

The War Demon continued, "She has a unique sense that allows her to pinpoint the exact location of all her 'kin.' This time, she came by following Melville's scent."

Zuo Chang frowned: "I should have asked you to send Melville out of the city."

"Hehe... You can't blame me for this, Your Majesty. Melville insisted on staying to help you, and I couldn't change her mind no matter how many times I tried to persuade her. I had no choice but to bring her here and let you decide what to do."

Zuo Chang didn't believe a single word the war demon said.

Given the current situation, there's little point in Melville staying.

but……

Leaving it behind wouldn't make much sense, but it wouldn't pose any risk either.

Zuo Chang took the lead, opened the door, and saw—

Two people.

One of them was Melville, who was sitting at the table. When she saw Zuo Chang enter, she hurriedly stood up.

She bowed slightly, then looked up with a delighted smile: "Mr. Zuo, hello... cough cough, I hope I haven't been a bother to you by coming here?"

"No trouble at all. Good evening, Melville."

Zuo Chang smiled and nodded in greeting.

Then, he looked at the other person in the room.

She was a woman with pink hair.

She wore a blue and white dress, and her accessories were so numerous they were dazzling. On her right wrist, which was resting on the table, were three delicate gold and silver bracelets.

She doesn't look like a witch, she looks like a magical girl.

"Roar……"

The pink-haired girl didn't get up. She raised her chin and looked at Zuo Chang with a hint of mockery in her eyes: "So you're 'Zuo Chang'? I'm the Great Witch Hyacinth, and I plan to stay here for a few days. You shouldn't mind, right?"

Zuo Chang was not pleased with her attitude: "Of course I mind. Don't you know? There are guards everywhere in the city to catch witches. Your presence here is a huge hidden danger!"

“I am Melville’s friend. No, to be precise, I am Melville’s dear senior; we are on the same side.”

"..."

Who's on your side!

Putting everything else aside, whether Melville was even one of their own is questionable. She wasn't even listed in Zuo Chang's "entourage."

but--

We must unite all forces that can be united.

These witches have come for who knows what, but they seem to have clashed with Arc Light. The enemy of my enemy is my friend; Zuo Chang could tell at a glance that this "Hyacinth" before him seemed to possess considerable abilities.

He asked, "What is your cultivation level?"

Hyacinth raised her finger, illuminating her magic: "Guess."

Mu Suogen carefully sensed the surroundings and said softly, "At least the tenth realm."

The War Demon said, "Generally speaking, it's only the fourteenth realm. The fourteenth and fifteenth realms may seem to be only one realm apart, but in reality, they are worlds apart, as different as heaven and earth. Your Majesty, this 'Hyacinth' is not as good as your White Scale Knight, nor as good as the Saintess of Time."

Fourteen Realms.

enough.

Zuo Chang closed the door and unleashed a rarely used ability—

"Like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain"

The maxed-out healing talent worked its magic, bringing a sense of comfort and joy to everyone in the room, regardless of whether they were injured or not.

Hyacinth's blood surged within her body, difficult to suppress. Bathed in green light, her chest felt lighter, and she felt much better!

She paused slightly, then lifted her shirt, revealing her belly—

On her stomach, a gruesome wound was healing rapidly!

"Incredible... Such advanced healing magic."

She looked up and saw that there was no longer any mockery in Zuo Chang's eyes.

"What kind of ability is this? You seem to have mastered a remarkable healing technique, even more powerful than any 'healer' I've ever seen!"

Zuo Chang avoided answering the question and instead asked, "You are highly skilled; who could have beaten you up like this?"

Hyacinth let down her hem, her face showing a hint of anger: "Not people, but weapons. I don't understand why there would be 'annihilation cannons' in such a remote community! And not just one! Ah—don't you know what annihilation cannons are? In short, it's an extremely powerful weapon, practically invincible in a five-figure community!"

Zuo Chang knew what a concentrated annihilation artillery was.

A masterpiece of alchemical weaponry capable of inflicting fatal damage on even a level 12 powerhouse, a war weapon capable of evaporating 30,000 ancient crystals with a single shot!

It was probably set up at 96511 to target him, but unexpectedly, the hyacinth was the first to be hit.

Hyacinth jumped off the chair, walked up to Zuo Chang, looked up and extended her hand: "Thank you for healing me. Let me introduce myself again. I am Hyacinth, and my goal is to become the world's number one idol, the Great Witch Hyacinth."

"……Idol?"

Zuo Chang asked.

"Yes, idol! Oh, do you want my autographed photo? It'll be very valuable in the future!"

Hyacinth took a signed photo out of her pocket.

Zuo Chang looked down and saw that the hyacinth in the photo was holding a microphone and wearing a stage outfit. Judging from the location of the photo, it seemed to be at a live performance.

"..."

Do you really want to be an idol?

Only two updates today, damn it! I haven't tried hard enough! (tears)

Chapter 259 Getting Involved in the Core

Zuo Chang looked at the photo suspiciously, then re-examined the petite, witch-like Hyacinth in front of him.

Hyacinth looked up, staring directly at Zuo Chang: "What are you looking at?"

"nothing."

Zuo Chang hesitated for a moment, but finally succumbed to curiosity: "That idol you mentioned, does he have a future?"

"future?"

The hyacinth tilted its head, seemingly not quite understanding.

Zuo Chang organized his thoughts and asked bluntly, "What benefits can being an idol bring you?"

"Of course, it's to gain everyone's love! I think many, many people love me, so I want to be an idol!"

"……Love you?"

Hyacinth nodded seriously, and continued, "Yes, love me. In fact, I already have some fans and have held a few successful live performances, but I feel that with my talent and charm, I deserve more. One of the purposes of gathering witches for the 'Seven-Person Tea Party' this time is to find like-minded sisters and form a witch idol group."

what……

Zuo Chang turned his head and looked at Melville.

Melville had clearly already spoken with the Great Witch; she understood Zuo Chang's meaning, and with a troubled expression, she said, "Hmm... Senior Hyacinth's understanding of witches seems to differ from mine..."

It's more than just different.