Witch Redemption

The two handsome young men approached the old woman from three meters away and bowed.

"Warden!"

"How's the matter going?"

The old woman didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point. The wrinkles on her face looked somewhat frightening because of her murderous aura.

"The Flame Witch has not been found in the ruins of Mo City, nor in the Moli Border Forest Area."

The old woman remained silent for a while, seemingly deep in thought.

"It's been three years. How long can she hide? Without outside help, she couldn't possibly survive in the monster area for so long. Even after diverting the suspected related number 47, we still couldn't find her. It's really illogical."

"Continue the search. Once confirmed, kill her on the spot. Not only must that artifact be retrieved, but we also need to confirm what item she possesses that can sever causality. Furthermore, do not relax your surveillance of serial number 47. If you discover any suspicious clues, you must notify me immediately!"

"Yes!"

The two somewhat apprehensive young men got up to take their leave.

"Wait," the old woman called out to the two again, "Jenno, is there anything unusual on the western continent?"

The young man named Jeno thought for a moment and then said, "The coup that happened in the Elf Kingdom two months ago has been completely stabilized. It is unclear how many people died, but what is certain is that after the country's 'witches' joined forces to repel the Sixth Apostle, their status has risen to a new level."

"I understand, you may all leave."

It seems certain that the elven race over there is competing with the nations of the continent for the witch's spot. If that's the case, we have no choice but to petition Emperor William 46 and Bishop Ultron of the Church to put pressure on them, or we can shorten the summoning time to snatch the spot ourselves.

The old woman's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty, but she eventually left the Central Cathedral.

Chapter 5: Ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh.

As dusk fell, the speeding train finally came to a stop at its final stop.

Hungry Li Lan and Lana, carrying the incredibly heavy Libra Cross Greatsword, could barely walk.

Beyond the sparse crowd, the buildings that came into view were not as prosperous as those in the imperial capital, and all bore the marks of time.

Whether it's the tall city wall in the distance that exudes a sense of historical antiquity, or the tall, spire-like buildings that show obvious signs of weathering and erosion, there is an inexplicable sense of decline.

This is the border defense zone of Mori City, a remote area near where monsters inhabit.

Li Lan felt that the Mori City mentioned by number 47 was very similar to the "newbie village" in "Goddess Legend". Once you step out of the "newbie village" safe zone, you can freely "grind monsters and level up".

Of course, the "starter village" in the game is quite magnificent, unlike the desolate border city in this world.

"People in the border region are not too hostile to witches, but don't trust anyone here, or you might not even know how you died."

Number 47 spoke softly to the two men, then continued leading the way.

"Next, I will take you to the area where witches live. The people of this city call it the Witch's Abode. If you choose the second way to return to your original world, then there is a high probability that you will live in that place for the rest of your time."

The shops on both sides of the street have lit up their magic crystal lights, and for a moment the whole place was ablaze with lights and colors.

However, number 47 seemed oblivious to this, as if he did not belong to this world at that moment, and just kept muttering to himself.

"Just like normal people, witches need to eat three meals a day, otherwise they will lack energy."

"Eating definitely involves consumption. Witches don't receive any salary. The only way to earn money is to hunt monsters and exchange their magical cores for money."

"The amount of face value you can get depends on the type or purity of the magic core, and of course, it also depends on whether the merchant is conscientious."

Li Lan felt a bit aggrieved listening to this, "Are there really shops that deliberately try to scam people?"

"Yes, some people will just offer you a bargain price, but if you don't want to sell, you can find another seller."

The number 47 seemed to carry a sense of passive acceptance, which even Lana found somewhat uncomfortable.

"No matter what, neither of you should act impulsively. A moment of patience brings peace, and taking a step back opens up a vast sky. This is the truth that allows one to survive in this world."

"Then the monster we hunted at the very beginning, could it be..."

Li Lan recalled the weak slime in the original game world, where anyone could easily swing a greatsword and go on a rampage. At this moment, she vaguely felt that the future was bright.

"Similar to slime, but even more terrifying than slime, you'd better not let your guard down."

After pouring cold water on Li Lan, number 47 added, "This kind of low-level monster is called Mimicry Chaos. Its form is similar to a slime, but unlike a slime, it only needs a drop of blood from another creature to transform into that creature's appearance."

"If it's a witch's blood..."

"It can transform into the appearance of the corresponding witch and possess the witch's abilities."

In other words, this thing is not just a low-level monster; it is a truly monstrous creature that gets stronger when faced with a stronger opponent!

"Fortunately, it's easy to deal with. I'll demonstrate it to you tomorrow."

When they looked up, the three of them had arrived at an extremely remote place. There were no other shops in sight, only magic crystal streetlights illuminating the rugged gravel road at intervals.

"We've arrived."

………………

The witches' dwellings were surrounded by a large number of broken walls and ruins. Only the thirteen buildings in the middle could be considered as intact dilapidated buildings. The dilapidated buildings were all in the classic Gothic spire-shaped architecture.

At this moment, only the window on the first floor of the building at the very front is illuminated by the dim yellow light of the magic crystal lamp.

Li Lan and the other woman had already guessed what was going on, but they dared not ask, fearing they wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Let's go in first."

With a creak, the large wooden door on the first floor opened, revealing a simple yet spacious hall.

"Number 47, how was your trip to the capital?"

A beautiful woman, languidly leaning against a gray down chair and disheveled, called out as soon as she saw the gloomy number 47 enter.

This beautiful woman has long, wavy golden hair and blood-red, beast-like eyes. Her ears, which should be unique to humans, have been replaced by a pair of furry animal ears, making her look somewhat like a feline.

"It's still the same old story. The prosperity there doesn't belong to us; in fact, it disgusts me."

"Haha, other people will never be able to go there a second time in their lives. Why are you saying such discouraging things? We are all very envious."

The cat-eared beauty stretched and noticed the two "beauties" following next to number 47.

"Hey, there are two new faces!"

Number 47 pointed at Li Lan and said, "Code 001, Karen," then pointed at Lana, "Code 002, Lana," and then slammed the wooden door shut after the two entered the room. "This beautiful lady is Number 86. Don't be fooled by her appearance; she's just like us."

"Damn it, what nonsense are you spouting, number 47? I am a real beauty right now, and the soul cannot determine the body."

Number 47 completely ignored his protest, saying, "I'll take you upstairs to assign rooms first."

Each building in the Witch's Abode has only three floors, with three single rooms available on each floor. Soon, Li Lan and Lana were assigned to rooms 302 and 303.

"I'll bring you some food later. After you eat, just make do and get some sleep. Don't worry, it's very safe here at night."

"Although there are not many people now, more and more people with the same status as you will come in the future."

"After all, today is only the first day of the witch's summoning."

Number 47, who had half his face hidden under his hood the entire time, revealed a gentle smile that made people feel incredibly at ease.

At that moment, Li Lan and Lana were suddenly touched, perhaps by the feeling of falling in love...

Returning to the hall, two more witches appeared. They were about the same height and sat side by side on an old bench. One of them exuded a gloomy and taciturn aura.

After delivering two black breads to the two people upstairs, number 47 sat down silently to the side.

The only two witches present, who had also just returned, were like number 47, always keeping half of their faces hidden under their hoods, maintaining an inexplicable distance from the witches around them.

"These next few days may be our last gathering. Number 47, number 93, number 94, you are still the same as before. Are you planning to take your true colors to your coffins?"

Number 86 joked that he was the only one present who dared to show his true face without any restraint.

"Well, almost."

Number 47 hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not speak out what was on her mind.

It would be best to stay like this, maintaining the status of strangers. That way, if I were to disappear one day, it wouldn't cause others too much sadness.

Ignoring the noisy number 86, number 93 spoke in a silvery voice, "Did you remind those two newcomers?"

"Regarding the fact that the Crimson Night Torrent was also a witch hunt?"

"Ah."

"I will look for an opportunity. After all, it's not easy for two transmigrators to arrive without interruption. This is an excellent opportunity."

In the past, new witches would only be sent to this area after all the previous batch of witches had died.

"After tonight, there will only be two nights left until the witch hunt. What are your plans?"

"Number 86" suddenly asked, a hint of inexplicable sadness in the depths of his eyes.

"At all costs, ensure the survival of these two newcomers. As for the possible abyssal monsters and apostles, we'll probably need two people to lure them away. Of course, I personally do not advocate a direct confrontation."

“That’s true, saving the world is meaningless to us,” Number 86 chuckled self-deprecatingly, “Then…”

“Let me and Number 93 come,” Witch Number 94, who was sitting next to Number 93, spoke for the first time after a long silence. Her voice was very cold. “For us, it is a kind of luck that we did not die at the hands of those people. We have benefited from you.”

Number 47 felt a pang of sadness, but did not object. "Then it's settled. We'll make the specific arrangements tonight."

"it is good!"

After saying that, Number 86 rummaged through the clothes beside her for a while, waved a stack of banknotes, and glanced hungrily at the witches around her. "You can't take it with you when you die. I've been longing to see your true faces for a long time. How about we chip in for a final supper the day after tomorrow? You all better dress up nicely for me! Hehehe..."

"nausea!"

The three men couldn't help but sigh, a surge of anger rising within them, a feeling akin to "I've always considered you a brother, but you've always just wanted to sleep with me"—a truly twisted sense of unease.

However, this spark of anger was quickly extinguished by the deep gloom in his heart.

………………

Shit! This black bread is way too hard!

Li Lan felt like she was gnawing on a piece of old tree bark that had been left to dry for months, and she couldn't even taste anything.

Lana, sitting next to Li Lan, fully displayed the racial characteristics of the Argonians. She had a cherry-like mouth at first, but when she got anxious, she turned into a bloodthirsty maw, and her terrifying and ferocious fangs bit the black bread, which was as hard as a dog-beating stick, to pieces.

Hearing the crunching sound, like cracking ice, Li Lan felt a chill creeping over her.

"Oh my god, this is so miserable, I feel like I'm dreaming."

Lana uttered a bitter sound.

“Me too,” Li Lan said slowly, rubbing against the chew toy, on the verge of tears. “We can be said to be the most miserable transmigrators.”

Lana's eyes were vacant. "I want to go back. I have so many wives waiting for me, and several games waiting for me to collect my rewards."