Witch Redemption

As for Li Lan, Lana, and Luo Lina, they are all secretly "otaku" and adults. Although they are also afraid of death, their willpower is much stronger than that of young girls.

Moreover, Li Lan was mainly influenced by those witch predecessors. After accepting her fate, she now seems to be throwing everything away.

I may die, but before I die, someone must take my place.

Without this ruthlessness, how can one live peacefully in this damned world?

"By the way, judging from our previous interactions with these witches, it seems that finding other witches to join forces with will not be an easy task. We need to be mentally prepared in advance."

It wasn't that Li Lan didn't want to cooperate, but that she couldn't. The other witches were all wary of the so-called "wandering witches," and none of them would get too close to them.

Furthermore, judging from the previous probe by Paige, codenamed Witch 040, he never had any sincerity in cooperating from the beginning.

After waking up and calming down, Li Lan gradually understood why they had proposed to cooperate only once and to be completely under Peggy's command. Clearly, these harsh reasons were meant to discourage them from cooperating.

That makes sense when you think about it. What does it mean to cooperate with the wandering witches? It means disobeying the orders of the Witch Cult. Lorina was expelled that very night for disobeying orders. What if it were all eleven witches? That's a large group. It's one thing if one or two people "betray," but if the entire group completely "betrays," who knows what kind of extreme punishment the Witch Cult might impose.

Li Lan whispered her guess, and after putting herself in the other person's shoes, she couldn't help but admire the witch codenamed 040, Peggy.

"He's cunning. He contacted us beforehand to gauge our intentions and remained completely neutral, leaving himself room for maneuver in the future. Right now, the situation is just unclear, but someone like him, once he's certain the Witch Cult is truly hostile to him, will definitely switch sides immediately, without hesitation!"

Lana was almost bewildered. "Kallen, are you overthinking this?"

"I also think I'm overthinking it, but based on my subsequent observations, all of their members seem to be on equal footing, and there's no sense that they have to obey the leader's orders. In other words, these people are also putting on an act! It's hard to say exactly who they're putting on an act for."

Perhaps they genuinely sensed that something was wrong with the Witch Cult?

"So what should we do?" Della, who had been quietly listening from the side, suddenly asked curiously.

"We can't cooperate with other witches, so we can only rely on ourselves for now. Furthermore, I plan to reveal many secrets of the grimoire in advance."

Li Lan has already found a clue. Time is of the essence, and today is an opportunity! If they want to rebel against the empire and save a large number of witches to escape together, they absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait for death. Everything needs to be planned and implemented in advance!

"You..." Lana instinctively wanted to ask if she was crazy, but she quickly calmed down, a vague unease rising within her. "What did you discover?"

"Since arriving at the ruins of Mo City, the experience gained from hunting goblins has been abnormal. This massive amount of experience is definitely suspicious! The Empire may be planning to close the net ahead of schedule, and we must prepare ourselves mentally for this."

Li Lan didn't explicitly state what she meant by "closing the net," and everything she said was ambiguous. "Moreover, perhaps the secrets of our magic book and the secrets of our secondary professions are not secrets at all in the eyes of the Imperial Witch Cult."

The more Li Lan thought about it, the more terrified she became. This witch summoning had been going on for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. With so many transmigrators, there must have been quite a few witches who accidentally discovered that magic books could store knowledge, items, and unlock secondary professions, right?

Perhaps, all of this is truly in the hands of the empire!

"The Codex of Cause and Effect," Li Lan recalled the magical item that the Flame Witch had mentioned before. This item completely controlled the fate of all witches, and perhaps it was this strongest insurance measure that made it impossible for any witch to escape this cage.

"This trip to the ruins of Mo City will likely result in the emergence of a large number of witches possessing silver grimoires. It's impractical for us to inform them one by one. I'd like to take this opportunity to have witch codename 040, Peggy, and the others help spread the word. What do you think?"

Is there something fishy about the experience points? Is the Empire planning to close in? Is the secret of the magic book no secret at all?

Lana, who had vaguely grasped the truth, couldn't help but gasp. Even though she had become so much stronger, she still felt a strong sense of threat. "Fine, we'll be advancing to Silver Magic Books soon anyway, so there's no point in hiding this secret anymore."

Lana has a bit of a temper, but she's definitely not the kind of person who can't distinguish right from wrong. Perhaps it shouldn't be called a temper, but rather a short temper.

"I trust you, I'm leaving everything to Karen."

Although Della couldn't understand what Li Lan and Lana were discussing, she still made a statement that sounded like she was washing her hands of the matter, which made Li Lan feel a little embarrassed.

...... ...... ......

January 12, 10003 (Gregorian calendar), early morning.

As the writhing darkness fades, the witches gathered here will soon embark on their respective journeys.

The eleven-person team was led by three witches: Sherry (code name 027), Matilda (code name 035), and Peggy (code name 040). They took the initiative to say goodbye to Li Lan and the other four wandering witches.

Sure enough, the three team leaders tacitly agreed not to mention the cooperation today.

"Gentlemen... um, Ms. Witch?" Li Lan felt that this form of address was really strange. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

“…” Peggy gestured for her teammates to pause for a moment, “but please speak freely.”

Li Lan didn't beat around the bush and decided to show her utmost sincerity.

"How much do you know about our natal magic books?"

Chapter 110 Imperial Fleet

After parting ways with Li Lan and the other three, Peggy, along with a number of witches including new members such as Ann Gnath and Lansie, continued to advance towards the southern outskirts of the Mo City Ruins.

Their next goal is to find another large team led by the witch codename 088 Pamela and try to unite them to achieve cooperation.

As they walked through the lush primeval forest, Ann Gnath looked terrible. He had originally planned to take this opportunity to join Li Lan's group, but not long ago he was persuaded to turn back by Lolina. The gist of her words was that he shouldn't disobey the orders of the Witch Cult, and that joining a large group was better than their small one.

Not only that, everything that happened afterward was completely unexpected. Who knows what went wrong with those four wandering witches? Today, they inexplicably revealed all the secrets of the magic book, and even asked Peggy, the leader of the witch team, to help spread the word.

"These hypocrites!"

Ann Grenas swallowed his resentment, furious that those four guys hadn't explained the situation beforehand. If they had been so kind from the start, would he have gone astray in his secondary profession of magic books?

"Disgusting!"

Recalling the seemingly sincere yet hypocritical attitude of those witches, Ann Gnath felt increasingly uncomfortable. "Fine, since there's no chance to get close to them anymore, I'll have to consider other ways to become stronger. There will be plenty of opportunities to kill them later."

Can't rashly level up to level ten in a magic book? Are you kidding me? Ann Gnath isn't some wise man; he wouldn't believe such baseless words. If the Imperial Witch Cult is untrustworthy, then are these wandering witches trustworthy?

They're all birds of a feather.

Only by becoming stronger at all costs can one survive in this world!

Ann Gnath concealed the fierce glint in his eyes, subtly observing his new teammates around him, a strange yearning welling up within him. "If you want to get stronger, aren't there plenty of experience books here?"

Because Ann Gnath was so good at concealing it, the witch codename 040, Peggy, didn't actually notice the malice emanating from this witch. Although he originally felt that this witch was somewhat out of place and made him very uncomfortable, he thought again that they were all miserable transmigrators, so there was no reason for them to be hostile to each other.

So Peggy didn't think too much about it in the end, and subconsciously accepted this new teammate.

In a moment of distraction, Witch Codename 027 Sherry had already led her team to hunt down several Shadow Monsters and retrieved the dark red Wisdom Core and the prismatic Magic Core, which they were now testing.

"As expected, the storage function is real, but there's no prompt to unlock the related secondary professions."

The cat-eared witch, who had quietly approached Peggy, handed over the Wisdom Core and the Magic Core, seemingly finding it troublesome.

Peggy took the device casually and tested it. "It does have a storage function, but I haven't unlocked the secondary profession. Are there any prerequisites for the secondary profession? What about others? Have any of them succeeded?"

“I don’t have that here. The spellbook only has information about an individual’s main class,” Sherry said, puzzled.

“Me too,” Matilda smiled and narrowed her eyes. “The wandering witches mentioned a common condition called ‘an undying belief.’ Could it be related to this?”

"It's possible that this is the first time we've encountered this. We'll find some time to explore it further."

Peggy pondered for a moment, then turned to ask the four new teammates. Lancy, Olivia, and Emma all shook their heads, indicating that they hadn't unlocked any secondary professions either.

Ann Gnath pretended not to know that the magic book had the secret of "storing items," and curiously experimented with it, ultimately stating that nothing unusual happened.

"Oh, what a pity..."

Although she felt regretful, Peggy already knew how significant this intelligence was. This was the greatest sincerity from the group of wandering witches, even if the two sides did not ultimately reach a consensus on cooperation.

"Peggy, what do you think of them..." Matilda wanted to ask Peggy if those wandering witches were really trustworthy, but in the end, she felt that these words would be too hurtful, so she only asked half of the question.

Fortunately, Peggy understood the implication of her accomplice's words. She nodded and said, "What they said is true. Just like before, we are also on guard against the Witch Cult. In any case, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and we all know that. It's just a pity that we have too little information at this stage. If we act too disobey, it will definitely be detrimental to us."

As the leader of the eleven-member team, Peggy is responsible for all her members. If she were to cooperate with the four wandering witches, it would undoubtedly be a rebellion against the orders of the Witch Cult, and rebelling against orders means betrayal.

The previous witches codenamed 099 Lorina and 013 Della were special cases, and their numbers were small. But what if there were eleven witches in total? No, there are fifteen now! It's unknown what drastic measures the Witch Cult might take with such a large number.

Peggy dared not, and absolutely could not, risk her teammates' lives to test the Witch Cult's limits.

"Let's keep going and find those fools who really believe they are the saviors. It would be best if we could unite with them."

Putting aside her complicated thoughts, Peggy resumed her usual expressionless demeanor and led all the witches in a grand procession towards the southern region.

..................

Charlotte City, within the protected area of ​​the Feather Kingdom Temple.

Today, a terrifying shadow looms over this ancient city, filling everything with a chilling atmosphere.

Beneath the gloomy sky, a full hundred airships hovered and remained. Each of these colossal ships was over three hundred meters long, with a spindle-shaped form that gleamed with a dark gray metallic sheen. If Li Lan and his companions were actually there, they would probably be stunned and exclaim, "Are these Kirov airships?"

Of course, the giant ships on this are only similar to the "Kirov Airship," but in reality, they are much more imposing than the "Kirov Airship."

However, the surface of the shuttle-shaped ship was engraved with a large number of strange and dangerous patterns. It was impossible to tell what kind of ancient script they were made of. They looked more like magic spells. It was these "magic spells" and the many air intakes and exhausts on the surface that were not easily noticeable that gave this war machine weighing hundreds of thousands of tons the ability to fly.

Besides the numerous "magical spells," two rows of large magic crystal cannons extended from both sides of the massive ship. Each cannon was ten meters long, and its extremely deep, dark muzzle gave people an unprecedented sense of powerful pressure.

For centuries, very few people in the peaceful British Empire had ever witnessed the emergence of such a national treasure, but that does not mean that anyone would question the terrifying power of this "magic crystal power" imperial high-tech crystallization.

All people know is that, in the vast historical records, the British Empire used these terrifying giant ships and cannons to conquer most of its territory, making "the sun never sets" a true immortal myth.

"They've finally arrived! Imperial reinforcements!"

At the Charlotte City Border Defense Force's permanent command center, Major General Abbot, the heretic judge, stood on the large field, looking up at the Imperial fleet that almost blotted out the sky, and an indescribable surge of heroic passion welled up in his heart.

He had been thinking that the empire's reinforcements would probably take a few more days, but he didn't expect that they would all be assembled on the third day.

"It seems the warden has had a tough time too. He must have put in a lot of effort to persuade the military so quickly."

Just as he was thinking this, three tall and imposing figures appeared at the end of the arena and slowly walked towards Aibo.

But then they saw Eisen, the heretic inquisitor, and Geno, dressed in black trench coats, escorting an officer in a black general's uniform as if he were surrounded by stars, their expressions indifferent.

"Admiral Martin, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Seventh Fleet!"

Abbott recognized the tall officer and quickly stepped forward to salute, "Welcome, General Martin!"

The middle-aged officer, standing two meters tall, possessed explosive muscles. His weathered, square face exuded an imposing aura. He simply raised his white-gloved right hand, pressed down on the edge of his military cap, and then uttered a deep voice.

"According to the Empire's orders, the Seventh Fleet will now be jointly commanded by three Rear Admirals. I will only be responsible for communication between the Rear Admirals and the Seventh Fleet. Also, please be mindful of the scales. The full-scale deployment of the Seventh Fleet could potentially destroy the entire Mo City Ruins. Please assess the appropriate number of fleets to deploy."

..................

At the Charlotte City Border Defense Command Center, three heretics were gathered around a map of the ruins of Mo City, discussing matters related to the Goblin Kingdom.

General Martin, the middle-aged officer who came in with him, remained silent after taking his seat, appearing to be completely obedient to the three major generals and not to interfere in their affairs.

Standing at the edge of the map table, Eisen remained as indifferent as ever. His mechanical prosthetic limb gripped the black "Cycle of Cause and Effect." With the control of magic, a large amount of black mist seeping from the Codex of Cause and Effect swirled around the Mo City Ruins area on the map, eventually outlining the movement trajectories of various witches. Among them, twenty-one extremely dense black mists gathered in the southeast direction, slowly moving towards the central area of ​​the Mo City Ruins.

"Twenty-one witches with silver grimoires, that's impressive. This is quite a haul compared to previous years."

With a bright smile, Jeno stared at the anomaly on the map, then suddenly revealed a hint of regret, "It's just a bit of a pity. Such a loyal witch could have been of even greater value if she had been kept to serve the empire."

“It is a bit of a pity. The mistake was that the Flame Witch should not have appeared this year,” Eisen responded coldly, and then made many judgments about the black energy. “Witch code 002 Lana Sivir is the strongest witch at present. Witch code 013 Della Bertie is ranked second in strength.”

"No way? They haven't even advanced to Silver Magic Books yet, and they're already stronger than these twenty-one witches who have advanced to Silver Magic Books?" Abbot, the leader of the witch team standing to the side, was a little surprised.

“Because they unlocked secondary professions,” Eisen said, flipping through the Codex of Causality in his hand. “It’s a pity that the secondary professions of witches cannot be taken away, otherwise the Empire would not have allowed these witches to slowly explore them.”

"What about the other two witches who need special attention?" Abbott asked again.