Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

Ellef's elegant smile froze on her face, and her hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.

"It's Ai, Le, Fu." She emphasized each word. "Look carefully, it's not Fu Le Ai!"

"Oh, that's all."

Cheng Cheng immediately lost interest.

Elle: "..."

She took a deep breath, then picked up her teacup, took a sip, and once again displayed her elegance:

"Welcome, Mr. Cheng Cheng and Ms. Freya, to this tea party..."

"Cheng Cheng?"

Freya turned her head sharply and looked at the boy beside her in surprise.

Cheng Cheng's face instantly darkened.

Damn it, who taught you this? Trying to open my box?

“I am Mambo.” He gritted his teeth and said with a straight face, “Hakimi Mambo.”

Elle tilted her head, a meaningful smile on her face: "Okay, Mr. Donghai Poetry Drama."

Cheng Cheng: "???"

how is this possible! !

Even on Earth, 99% of people don't know that the two memes of Hakimmanbo come from the Emperor of the East Sea and the poem drama by Machigane!

who is she!

Cheng Cheng stared intently at the elegant young woman drinking tea in front of him, his mind racing.

At this point, he no longer sees the other person as just an NPC in the game—not only can they separate him and Freya into individual entities, openly open their own boxes, but they also know the Earth references…

In addition, the "Witch's Night" that Earth is currently in is essentially a large-scale demonic disaster... but Mu Yuan said that the name of this Witch's Night is related to a certain witch.

Could it be...

My doubts grew stronger, but then I saw a hint of longing flash in the witch's eyes.

“Don’t be surprised,” she said softly. “Speaking of which, I also went to the Tokyo Racecourse to watch the Imperial and Poetry Drama races back then… those were truly unforgettable moments…”

She paused, then suddenly blinked, a sly glint in her pale blue eyes: "More than anything, you two are probably more curious about what the Witch's Tea Party is all about, aren't you?"

"What is a witch? What does my title mean? What does the Witch's Night represent? Do you want to know? Do you want to know?"

Freya nodded vigorously: "I want to know!"

Elle smiled, leaned back, picked up her teacup, and slowly took a sip:

"Don't tell you."

Cheng Cheng: "..."

Freya: "..."

"Ah... is this what it feels like to be a riddle teller?" The witch chuckled, a smug expression on her delicate face. "It's so cool!"

Cheng Cheng clenched his fist.

"So..." he forced out through clenched teeth, "the so-called witch's trial is just a test of our patience?"

"Not really."

Elle put down her teacup and waved gently.

Before each of them appeared an exquisite white porcelain teacup, each containing a bowl of rich, dark tea.

"Drink it, and you can enter the witch's trial."

Elle's expression turned serious:

"The specific content is an illusion. Only by overcoming the temptations that one desires most deep within can one awaken from the illusion and complete the trial."

Cheng Cheng raised an eyebrow: "What about the reward?"

"Let me keep you in suspense for now," Elle smiled slightly, "but I guarantee you'll like it."

Is it possible to achieve immortality?

Ellef paused for a moment.

She thought about it carefully, then shook her head: "Not this time."

"I won't learn, I won't learn." Cheng Cheng made a move to leave.

"Do you think you're Sun Wukong?" Elle sighed. "Are you still going to participate in the trial or not? If not, you can go back."

Cheng Cheng stopped in his tracks.

go back?

It's only been a short while. If we go back now, we'll probably get caught red-handed by Villette and Karen, right?

He thought for a moment, then turned back and asked, "What type of illusion is it?"

"A beautiful dream."

After Elle finished speaking, she paused, then suddenly thought of something: "Before the trial begins, may I ask you three questions?"

Cheng Cheng raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you the omniscient witch?"

"Whether the answer is correct or not is not important," Elle said, taking a sip of her tea. "What matters is your reaction in that moment."

She put down her teacup, looked up at Cheng Cheng, and blinked:

"There's a reward. Hmm... 10 Originium, how about it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a system notification flashed before Cheng Cheng's eyes:

"Originium +10"

Cheng Cheng: "..."

This witch is something else.

"Deal." He nodded.

The witch smiled and took a sip of tea, her pale blue eyes quietly watching him:

"First question—In the game so far, you have established all sorts of connections with many people and things, whether family, friends, or enemies..."

She paused.

"Would you be afraid to sever this connection with your own hands?"

Cheng Cheng was slightly taken aback.

Cut it off with your own hands?

He thought of Sylvia, the girl who, though obedient, always maintained a kind heart, and her vow never to become a noble; he thought of Freya, the small figure who initially ran away desperately but now obediently followed behind him, and how she cried and said, "I don't want to forget," while striving to become stronger.

I think of Paul, I think of Li Xianyu, I think of those companions who have been intertwined with me on my journey, and I think of those esoteric practitioners who have staked their lives on them.

He was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "Yes."

I've worked so hard to get this far, gone through so many stories with them, and finally formed a bond with them—

How could he have cut it off with his own hands?

"I see..."

Miss Witch pondered for a moment, then picked up her teacup and took another sip.

"Then the second question—what if there were a futuristic virtual reality game, so realistic that it was indistinguishable from reality? There would be no life or death there, you could reap the happiness and fulfillment you deserved, and live happily ever after..."

Her voice was soft and gentle, like the sound of wind blowing through a wheat field:

"Would you be willing to live there?"

Cheng Cheng answered without hesitation, "Of course I'm willing!"

If I could travel to the world of "Primordial Spirit", I probably would never miss Earth again.

Similarly, even now in the world of Fate/Immortal Crown, I'm completely absorbed in it—every day I can have my way with beautiful girls, control them, use magic and fire, and experience thrilling and exciting adventures—

How could he not want to live such a life?

Elle looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips:

"I see... So, one last question."

"If your fate is already predetermined, everything in this world will be shattered, and everything will leave you: friends, relatives, strangers; then the gentle breeze, the soaring birds, the three realms, the stars... and finally yourself."

"Everyone, everyone in their memories, those smiles and tears, the promises made and those not made... will eventually come to their predetermined end."

She paused.

"If you knew the destination from the very beginning of your journey—"

"Will you embark on this journey again?"

If the ending is destined to be the loss of everything, including oneself, returning to nothingness.

Will I still choose to set off?

This time, Cheng Cheng remained silent.

Countless fragments flashed through his mind—ordinary daily life on Earth, those late nights arguing with people on forums, the ecstasy of getting lucky with gacha pulls, the emotion of watching the story unfold… and the thrilling moments in this game world, those time-travel battles with Cicero, those moments of fighting to the death against demons…

And there's Sylvia and Freya.

And those smiles, those tears, those fulfilled and unfulfilled promises... In the end, these chaotic images settled down and turned into a deep silence.

He raised his head, looked into Elle's clear, bright eyes, and slowly shook his head:

"Sorry... I don't know."

Elle looked at him without showing any surprise or displeasure. She simply nodded slightly and sipped the slightly cooled tea in her cup.

"It's alright. As I said, whether the answer is correct or not is not important; what matters is your reaction at that moment."

She stood up and walked over to the two of them.

"Then, please drink this cup of tea and begin the trial."