Witch Redemption

Neither side spoke to the other, and Li Lan was happy to have some peace and quiet. After casually cutting down a mimicry Chaos that had ambushed them with Lana, she quietly explained some things about the situation on Mowai Hill to Lolina.

As mentioned in previous number 47, once a witch reaches level three, her physical strength and speed will increase significantly, enabling her to reach the nearest temple for overnight refuge.

However, to be on the safe side, Li Lan and the other person did not rush to go, but instead chose to return to Mori City when it was almost time.

The Sunset Temple on Mowai Hill is one of the other temples mentioned in number 47 that is closest to Moli City. If you set off at dawn, you can usually arrive before nightfall.

"First, we need to cross a mountain range, and beyond that, there are large hills. Three types of monsters mainly inhabit there: the gregarious Phantom Wolves, the low-level Tree Spirits that are hard to defend against, and the Devouring Pythons with magical spatial abilities."

“None of these three are easy to deal with.” Like Li Lan, Lana had done a lot of research on this beforehand, otherwise she wouldn’t have been afraid to enter Mowai Hill even though she was already at level five.

“Yes, so before we enter Mowai Hill, we must make sure to conserve as many of our limited-use skills as possible. Besides,” Li Lan said, staring at the survey map in the magic book, “have you noticed? We’re moving much slower than usual.”

The four men were carrying something that Li Lan couldn't tell what it was, but it seemed very heavy. "At this rate, we won't be able to reach Mowai Hill before nightfall. At most, we'll just stop briefly in front of the mountains."

"I remember Senior Number 47 warned us many times that the monster area at night is extremely terrifying." Lana also began to frown. It seems that this mission is really not simple.

"Yes, to avoid encountering a major crisis, the three of us will work together and try not to use those professional skills with limited uses, in order to prepare for tonight."

Li Lan didn't care, since his profession was a priest, and all these support skills had no limit on the number of uses. He currently had three useless buffs on him: "Blessing," "Prayer," and "Guardian."

Maintaining this state at all times seems to have become a habit for him, like an aura in an online game.

"understood."

Lolina was speechless upon hearing this. She was always straightforward and never thought about how to conserve her professional skills. Instead, when she got excited, she would unleash a series of completely excessive actions, and then, feeling insecure, she would slink back to the border of Mori City.

On the other side, Della, codenamed 013, and seven other witches were also whispering among themselves. Compared to Li Lan and her two companions, these witches seemed rather disheveled. After all, they didn't yet understand the magical functions within the magic book, and at this moment, their defenses against the mimicry of chaos could only rely on professional skills such as "Mind's Eye."

"Strange, aren't those three a little too relaxed?"

Britney, codenamed 015, said dejectedly. Because of the enmity between her and Li Lan over losing an arm, she still looked at them with considerable resentment. If she hadn't been looking for an opportunity, she might have actually taken revenge.

Della frowned, because the three witches dressed completely differently from them had all opened their respective spellbooks and were looking at something. It was as if the mimicry of chaos they had destroyed along the way knew their location in advance, and all of them were killed with a single blow.

I haven't had much contact with these people on a regular basis, but today I discovered that they might be hiding extraordinary strength.

Della turned around again and saw Major General Abbott talking to Cole, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, in a very harmonious atmosphere.

A sudden sense of anxiety washed over her, and she whispered, "We need to perform better! This is a rare mission with Major General Abbott, we mustn't let him down!"

"Of course."

Soon, all the other witches, including Britney (codename 015), echoed her sentiments.

"It's a pity that witches can't see what's in other people's magic books, otherwise..."

Britney had a fleeting thought of confronting her, but she decided against it, as their attention was drawn to another witch who had half her face hidden in her hood.

It seems the rumors about a new witch turning against us last night were true.

"Fortunately, the guy who defected was an idiot to begin with, so it doesn't matter."

Rumors about Lorina are already "well-known" among these witches. She usually pretends to be cold and aloof, but she always messes up when it matters. She also gives people the impression that she is "very lecherous." Any normal person would ostracize this girl.

The witches, with similar thoughts, guarded the caravan. After a long journey, they finally arrived at the mountains without incident, just as the sun was about to set.

"We'll camp here for the night and leave when the sun rises."

Chapter 47 The Night Parade of Ten Thousand Ghosts

Fifty meters away were towering mountains, dark and gloomy, and this large group of people set up camp on this flat area in front of the mountains.

"Della, could you please have them clean up this place?"

Aibo smiled, his eyes crinkling, and his tone was very gentle.

A blush quickly spread across Della's beautiful face, codenamed 013, and the witches around her all looked on with infatuation.

Soon, the eight eager witches got to work, skillfully setting up a campfire and tents on the flat ground.

"Major General Abbott," Cole Frank said, his voice tinged with tension as night was about to fall, "how should we prepare the barriers?"

According to past practice, Cole's caravans only dared to spend the night in monster-infested areas with the cooperation of the Survey Corps. Furthermore, due to the lack of the protective barrier of the temple, the Survey Corps would set up a sacred barrier in advance to withstand the terrifying darkness.

"I'll handle it, don't worry."

After responding to Cole's question, Abbott magically produced several bottles and jars from the inside pocket of his black trench coat and then began walking around the makeshift "camp" on his own.

First, a half-centimeter-wide layer of pure white powder, called "the ashes of a saint," was sprinkled, forming a closed circle around the camp.

Then, "the fiery blood of the phoenix" was dripped onto one of the "ashes," and a mysterious crimson light quickly spread wildly across the "ashes," giving it a life force.

Just as the crimson light faded, turning into a thin layer of shimmering light that enveloped the "camp," Abbot clasped his hands together in front of his chest and chanted, "The glory of God is with us!"

In an instant, as if sensing something in the darkness, Aibo's body flashed with a golden light. The golden light burst open silently, turning into a shower of golden rain that then disappeared into nothingness in a peaceful atmosphere.

"Alright, as long as we don't step out of this protective barrier tonight, there won't be any problems."

Aibo explained with a smile, then his expression turned serious. He instructed all the witches, including Li Lan, "The demon area at night is filled with a lot of demonic whispers, which will be especially serious for witches, who are sinners against God. No matter what you see or hear, do not step out of this area rashly."

Della, codenamed 013, looked slightly frightened upon hearing this, "If we're not careful..."

"It is difficult for me to save those who have been seduced by demons. I can only remind you that the darkness in this area will devour any living creature. If you leave this area for even a second, you will be instantly eaten by the darkness."

Cole, an experienced businessman, turned pale upon hearing this and added, "Major General Abbott is right. These ordinary protective barriers are not as effective as the protective barriers of temples. I have personally witnessed many adventurers or witches who did not believe in the power of these barriers perish. After stepping out of the protective barrier, they all turned into skeletons, which was extremely terrifying."

After saying that, the experienced Cole turned to his four even paler subordinates and said, "Take care of anything you need now. We'll go straight to the tents to sleep later. Remember to tie us together with a rope; we can help each other out if needed."

These four people have been crucial laborers these past two days. A large amount of important supplies still need to be transported to Dawn City by them, so there can't be any mishaps.

"Yes."

The four of them managed to squeeze out a few words before hurriedly going to the side to relieve themselves. Afterward, they ate a quick dinner and then squeezed into the tent with Cole. Soon after, the sound of snoring could be heard.

The best way to deal with fear is to force yourself into sleep.

Whether it's the seasoned veteran Cole or these four experienced individuals, they all have their own tricks for forcing themselves to fall asleep. Since Major General Abbott is escorting them the whole way, they don't need to keep watch at night. It's best if they don't get in the way at crucial moments.

………………

Abbot sat in front of the tent with his eyes closed, resting. His current task was to take care of the five employers behind him; he couldn't afford to be distracted by anything else.

As for the eight witches, including Della (codename 013), they gathered around the campfire, discussing in hushed tones some techniques for hunting monsters and summarizing their hunting experiences over the past few days.

Li Lan and the other two sat separately in three positions closer to the edge. Their assigned task was to keep watch tonight.

Night had completely enveloped everything in the jungle; the sky, the surrounding trees, and the distant mountains were all shrouded in an endless, deep darkness.

Only the campfire in the center of the camp slightly dispelled the darkness and the fear in people's hearts, crackling and popping.

"It's so cold..."

Li Lan tightened his clothes, feeling that the temperature in this godforsaken place was close to zero degrees Celsius at night.

He then stared at the anomaly on the exploration interface of the magic book while pondering, "What kind of materials did that guy in all black use to set up the barrier not long ago? If I want to escape from the Empire in the future, I will have to consider how to survive in the monster-infested areas at night. So I might have to find out sometime."

Directly questioning this "Major General Aibo" is clearly inappropriate and might even expose one's rebellious intentions.

Then all that's left to do is to analyze it yourself.

Li Lan thought for a moment, then carefully examined the white powder on the ground, which was only half a centimeter wide.

The powder reminded him of bone ash, with the luster of jade and a faint fluorescence in the darkness.

"I don't know where I can get them..."

The thought had barely crossed Li Lan's mind when his vision suddenly blurred. After a moment of disorientation, all the sounds around him quickly faded away, almost startling him.

A quick glance around revealed that Abbot was still resting with his eyes closed, while the eight witches, including Della (codename 013), were dozing off. Lana and Lorina were still vigilantly staring at the grimoire.

"What's going on? Is it just my imagination?"

Suddenly, a familiar, cool voice rang out not far away.

Want to know what this is?

"Who?!"

Li Lan felt a chill run down her spine and quickly gripped the Libra Cross Greatsword beside her, standing up warily.

"it's me."

In the darkness, a figure dressed in a gray-white bodysuit strolled over. The hood of his black cloak covered half of his face, but Li Lan quickly recognized the newcomer by the dim light of the campfire.

"Senior No. 94?!" An indescribable excitement surged within me, but I quickly calmed down.

No, number 94 should be dead! Why am I seeing him here again?

Li Lan looked as if she had seen a ghost and took a step back.

"Don't be nervous, it was just a small accident, I'm not dead," Number 94 took a few steps closer and finally stopped at the gray-white boundary line on the ground. "Do you want to know what this thing is made of?"

"you know?"

Li Lan didn't know whether this guy was a human or a ghost, but he still eagerly asked his question.

"Of course, this substance is called 'the ashes of a saint,' or it should be called 'the ashes of a witch!'"

"what?"

A chill suddenly ran through Li Lan's head, making her shudder.

"As the name suggests, these are the ashes obtained from the cremation of a witch after her death. Number 93 and I have known about this for a long time. So, in order to deal with the persecution of the empire, we have been plotting all along. After we met you, we succeeded." Number 94 recounted, "That night, we escaped from this border city and have been hiding in this monster-infested area ever since."

After a brief moment of surprise, Li Lan quickly calmed down. "Where are Senior No. 47 and the others? I want to see them."

Although she doubted the authenticity of the words in number 94, Li Lan couldn't help but ask this question because of her longing for those predecessors.

“They are right behind me. I have come here to take this opportunity to help you escape the control of the Empire.”

Calm down, calm down. Is this guy really number 94? Do I really think number 94 would talk this much?

"Sorry, I need to think about it."

Just after Li Lan said those words, Number 94 in front of her suddenly became somewhat anxious. "Don't think about it anymore, Karen. While Number 93 and I have frozen this space together, preventing this damned hero from having a chance to stop us, if we don't leave now, we'll miss our chance."

"Let's go, let's go together. I've already told you so many secrets, you should know your future. If you stay here, your future will only be to turn into ashes on the ground."

"I need to discuss this with Lana and Lorina. Can you give me some time?"

At this moment, Li Lan dared not step out of the protective barrier. Although she subconsciously chose to believe him when she saw the number 94, Li Lan was more concerned about her other two accomplices.

Li Lan wanted to live in this world, a desire he held dear no matter when or where, but he also carried on the last wish of number 47, bearing a heavy responsibility.

His responsibility was to ensure that his fellow believers, who also trusted him, could escape this hellish place alive.

"No!" Number 94 suddenly shouted sternly, "Let's go! We're leaving right now! If you don't leave now, then I'll..."