Witch Troupe and the Undead

"Livia, what do you think of these metals?"

"..." The soft little hand touched its own forehead, then pressed it against Luo Qi's forehead, a confused expression on its little face.

"Oh, it's scrap." Luo Qi mercilessly tossed the metal blocks into the trash can. It seemed that the electroslag remelting had failed, and his own probably didn't meet the requirements of a proper electroslag remelting process.

"What...what are you doing?" The little witch looked at Roach's busy work with some confusion.

"Well, I'm trying to separate the components in the material using electric current and dynamic elements to make it purer." Roach didn't know how to explain it. In fact, he didn't understand the principle of electroslag remelting. He only knew about the process, so he tinkered with it a bit.

"Hmm..." Livia touched the warm metal blocks, raised her hand, and the metal blocks flew around her, quickly turning red-hot. Intense electric arcs flashed on the red-hot metal fluid, and fragments were constantly separated. Finally, drops of metal fluid slowly gathered in the witch's palm and then fell into the sand mold.

After the metal cooled down, Roach inspected it and found it to be much better than before. Although the magical effects were probably gone, the toughness and heat resistance were much higher. Considering it was made from the remnants of the Little Witch, it was still acceptable.

"Used to make cheap weapons for adventurers" is worse than magical equipment made from proper alchemical materials, but it is much cheaper. However, the production is limited by the Little Witch's production, so only some weapons with low production costs can be made.

"Enchanted?" "No, just a simple alchemical alloy, let's see if there are any special effects." After testing, this unknown alloy has a certain interference effect on magical creations. For example, it can produce a very good scale-breaking effect on things like Sin Demons. Well, this is "very good" compared to ordinary weapon materials.

In layman's terms, it probably has a damage reduction and penetration effect, but whether it can pass the Heavenly Defense and Defense checks is hard to say.

"Hmm~" Her emerald eyes narrowed, revealing a warm smile. It was as if she had spent five minutes listening to her child's very stupid idea, but still tried her best to improve it, and then listened to the child's boasting.

"Oh, oh~ I understand you, Brother Roach, I also want a mother that tall... Oh~ Pfft!" The little witch's cane still hurts when it hits someone, especially for a certain mermaid girl.

A few weeks later, the dead of winter officially began, and everyone huddled indoors. Even the Ox and Horse duo were playing chess in a thatched hut. Yes, chess. The arrival of the Ox had at least saved the Horse from his boredom.

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, gliding past the glass window and landing in the flowerbed outside. A few playfully clung to the windowpane, melting into snow on the windowsill. A pair of emerald eyes gazed at the snowy scene outside, her golden hair and delicate face reflected in the window, quickly blurring with her breath.

The house was filled with a large number of flower pots of varying heights, which contained magical plants that were not very cold-resistant. The little witch had transplanted them into these flower pots and hung them in the house, relying on the heat from the house to keep the magical plants from dying. The house was filled with a faint fragrance of herbs.

"Come and lend a hand~" Leslie and Roach came in from the doorway carrying a large bundle of firewood. Roach took some of the firewood into the kitchen for storage, while Leslie and Vilandella piled the rest in the corner away from the fireplace.

The freshly chopped firewood emitted a pleasant woody aroma, which was quickly replaced by a strong smell of hot oil. Alessina and Roach learned some of the legendary "Eastern Art of Fire." If Roach and the Little Witch were the king and queen of the dark cuisine world, then Alessina was a normal chef, though still quite a distance from being a top-tier chef.

Tender slices of mushrooms and some otherworldly vegetable that Roche didn't even know what it was, stir-fried with animal fat, released a strong aroma. Stir-frying is the cooking method that best brings out the flavor of spices. And without spices and the right amount of oil... to be honest, the reason why stir-frying wasn't popular in ancient times, besides the pot, was this. Without spices, stir-frying is not as fragrant as stewing.

Stir-frying can certainly bring out the freshness of vegetables, and it doesn't necessarily require spices, but... please remember, stir-frying vegetables is a test for top-level chefs.

It means that unless you are a top-notch chef, it is almost impossible to stir-fry vegetables to make them taste good. Most ordinary people and average cooks can only serve you a plate of bland and tasteless food, or food that is only salty and overcooked, with no freshness at all.

Of course, modern chefs have a simple solution: just add some MSG or something similar when stir-frying.

Crush the garlic, tear the wild onions into shreds, and throw them into the hot oil along with the ginger provided by the little witch—yes, ginger is a medicinal herb in this world, and a rather expensive magical potion at that—instantly, an indescribably strong aroma wafts out.

Then Alessina glanced at Roach, hesitated for a moment, then took out a few things that emitted a terrible spicy smell from the jar, chopped them up and threw them in, stir-frying them together with the slices of animal liver provided by Lums. Soon, a strong sour and fragrant aroma appeared.

"This... I don't know if it tastes good or not, it's a recipe given by Master Roach."

"Hmm..." Livia, who had left the window, reached out and picked up a piece with her fork to try it. "Delicious."

"..." Although this action was somewhat disrespectful to everyone's bread and butter, the fox girl still looked at Luo Qi and Weiwei. The little witch said that there is a big difference between the good and bad things. The lower limit is simply: edible. The middle is: edible for humans. The highest level is what normal people consider delicious.

However, Vivi and Roach's taste was normal. "Hmm, it's about 70-80% similar." The main difference was the lack of chili peppers and the use of plant substitutes... The taste was still a bit strange, salty and spicy with a hint of pickled pepper sourness, but it was quite delicious.

"Hmm, it tastes good," Vivi also commented that it was delicious. As for Leslie, no one cared about her opinion. Don't misunderstand, it's not because she's unimportant or like the Little Witch who can't tell good from bad, but because... she doesn't like food stir-fried in hot oil, and instead devours a big bowl of steamed eggs.

Steamed eggs are considered by everyone, including the Little Witch, to be one of the greatest recipes invented by Roach. It's simple and easy to make, requiring only eggs, salt, and oil. Just beat the eggs with salt, add a little oil, and steam them. In other words, steaming and frying are cooking methods not found locally, as ovens and fireplaces cannot be used to make steamed dishes.

It's soft, smooth, and easy to digest, making it great whether eaten as a main dish or as a side dish.

“…Hmm.” Livia looked at Alessina, who was busy in an apron, and Roach, who was squatting on the ground tending the fire. She seemed to be thinking about something. Her eyes narrowed again, and she gave a strange smile, the kind that is commonly known as an aunt’s smile.

Chapter Ninety-Four: Danger!

The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and the world was covered in white. Even inside the witch's cottage, a chill could be felt seeping in through the cracks in the door, as the sun was rising less and less.

Even at noon, Roach's magic water heater couldn't provide enough steam, and the temperature in the bathhouse just wouldn't rise. However, compared to the colder tents, the adventurers preferred to spend a few copper coins to rest in the bathhouse.

In this bizarre weather, only the little witch Livia dared to go out for a walk. Her black boots crunched on the snow. Having always lived in the south, this was the first time Livia had ever seen snow, and she was very interested.

"Hey~" The little guy shook the tall black pine tree hard, and snowflakes fell from the tree, creating a snow mist. A clear laugh rang out from the mist.

"Sigh~" The old horse, forced to work in the dead of winter, lowered its head and sighed. Its hooves were really cold soaking in the snow. If it were a normal cow or horse, it would need to keep warm by now. After all, real cows and horses are not as resilient as this one; they can die in an instant.

"Young lady, there are quite a few wild beasts and monsters here. Is it really okay for you not to bring any weapons?" The black horse approached the little witch. The prying eyes around him were not enough to frighten him, but they made him feel extremely disgusted. However, he could not release the aura of a great demon here to scare away the monsters in the black forest.

"Hmm?" Livia raised her large emerald eyes and looked at Old Ma, conveying the implication: "Then what are you doing here?"

"..." The security captain, who also served as the driver, and the old gatekeeper were silent for a few seconds. "Okay, please allow me to leave for a moment to deal with those...not very polite little guys around here."

"Okay!" The little hand waved, indicating that she should hurry up and go. A few minutes later, from the depths of the Black Forest came the muffled sounds of beatings and whimpering sounds as someone's mouth was pinched so that they couldn't even scream.

"Ha~ It's safe now, Miss." Old Ma returned refreshed, carrying a giant rodent that was more than half a person's height. The locals called it a ferocious rabbit, but Roach thought it should actually be considered a large bamboo rat with long ears. It lived by gnawing on tree roots and was a harmless monster.

Its burrowing ability is so strong that it is difficult to raise. Of course, the real reason why it is impossible to raise is that the smell, fur and output of this thing are simply not enough to cover the cost of setting up a metal floor or metal cage for raising, and ordinary wooden cages will soon be chewed up by the teeth of this monster.

"A bunny?" The little witch was taken aback. Such monsters also existed in the living forest, but in very small numbers. After all, most of them couldn't defeat the roots of those living giant trees. However, these creatures were herbivores.

"Oh, I picked this up on my way back. It got knocked out by hitting a tree stump." If it hadn't gotten knocked out, the punch Old Ma gave it on the head would have been enough to knock it out. "It's delicious."

"Hmm... dead." The little witch examined the rabbit; it was dead, its skull completely fractured. "A rabbit can kill itself by running into something?" Livia tilted her head, her expression puzzled. "Usually not, but if it gets scared by something and runs around without looking where it's going, it might run into something and kill itself," the black horse explained seriously.

The walk ended quickly as the sun's brightness waned and the little witch's energy waned. After returning to the cabin, she sat down in front of the fireplace, covered herself with a blanket, read a hypnotic spellbook for a few minutes, and then fell asleep, living like an old woman.

"Well, it's probably because her lifestyle and everything she imitates comes from her mentor. After all, her mentor sounds quite old for a half-elf," Leslie replied casually while washing dishes.

Since there were no other children her age, and she had never even seen any other humans, it was quite normal for Livia to have similar lifestyle habits to an old woman. After all, a child's first role model is their parents or caregivers.

The task of washing dishes has always been done by Leslie, and her tool for doing so is... a soft, blue-green ball of hair that looks like a steel wool ball. Mermaid hair has a special structure and its main function in the water is to disguise itself as seaweed.

In this way, when encountering predators, they can quickly hide in the crevices of the reef, letting their hair float with the current, like a large clump of seaweed. Even if they cannot deceive the predators, they can attract a large school of other fish to distract them.

This clump of seaweed-like hair is great for washing dishes; it wipes away grease with a single wipe and is easy to clean. The only problem is that it wears out very quickly. Fortunately, mermaid hair grows fast, so it grows long enough to be used as a new one before it breaks down.

In a sense, Leslie is truly the team's top talent. Her hair can be used to wash dishes, her flesh can be used to make medicine, and her mermaid scales can be used in medicine or alchemy to extract mermaid oil. This oil, when applied to a sword blade and ignited, produces a green flame that is highly effective against most ethereal and undead creatures.

"The firewood is almost gone, I need to go chop some more." Roach checked the place where the firewood was piled up behind the hut. There was only a thin layer left. In this kind of weather, cooking and heating consume firewood very quickly.

“I’ll go with you,” Alessina said, which drew a strange look from Leslie.

“Hey Vivi, don’t you think there’s something between these two?” She was referring to Alessina, the fox girl who was following Roach as his bodyguard, carrying a large sword. As soon as she stepped out, she switched into her fox-human form, covered in thick fur that looked very warm.

“I don’t think so. At least Roach doesn’t seem to have that thought. He looks completely indifferent. Oh, Lily (Leslie’s nickname), you… you’re not bad looking either, and Roach doesn’t seem to have any feelings for you either.” The two women huddled together and started gossiping. “Let me tell you, based on what I know about the customs of the beastmen, Alessina’s behavior is a typical courtship tactic.”

"Ah! Really!?"

"Really! Beastmen, regardless of gender, are all very fierce. Offering to protect the other is a subtle way of expressing affection and courtship. And look, Alessina walks just one step behind Roach, isn't that obvious?!"

"Is this... guaranteed to be authentic?" Leslie hesitated for a moment, recalling the "rumored information" she had received at the tavern, then nodded decisively, "Absolutely authentic!"

“That’s incredible! However, Roach doesn’t seem to have any obvious feelings for anyone here.” Vivi thought for a moment. “She doesn’t seem to have any romantic feelings for anyone here… I mean, for anyone in general. Maybe she has a little bit for Miss Livia, but that’s more likely due to Miss Livia’s natural charm.”

"For example, you are a very beautiful woman, and you've been together for so long, do you really think you have no feelings for each other at all?"

"Well... there's a reason for that." Because Leslie was in male form when she met Roach, and Roach knew that mermaids could switch genders depending on their surroundings. He saw Leslie more like a effeminate man, and after being influenced by those effeminate men on the internet, he wouldn't have any feelings for Leslie.

As for Livia, it's simply because she's the most beautiful woman there, perhaps even the most beautiful woman Roach has ever seen in both of his lives combined. However, Livia's age is a factor.

If we wait another four or five years, and if her growth rate is the same as that of humans, she will probably reach a stage of dazzling charm. If we wait another five years on that basis, she will probably reach the level of a beautiful yet deadly enchanting witch from mythology.

As for Vilandella, it was for a different reason. They hadn't spent enough time together, and if they had, Roach would have felt like she was his student and naturally wouldn't have any romantic feelings about her.

As for Alessina, how long has she been here? Besides, she always looks like Fury with his hairy face. Roach isn't a Fury fanatic, is he? "Clap~" "Clap~" The sound of footsteps, one after the other, rang out in the snowy forest. Roach walked to a black pine tree before turning back to look at Alessina.

"What...what are you doing?" Her posture was rather strange; she wasn't facing Roach's back directly, but rather turned to the side.

"What? What do you mean?" Alessina asked, looking puzzled.

"I mean, why are you standing at this distance and in such a strange posture?"

“This?” Alessina stepped on the snow to make sure the ground wasn’t too slippery so she could apply pressure. “Hmm… for safety.” This position was to protect Roach’s blind spot from behind, and it was also the footwork and stance used by warriors and spellcasters among the adventurer companions.

“You are the spellcaster, this formation is just right.” When the spellcaster and the guarding warrior move, the warrior usually stands behind him, not in front of him. This is different from what many people think, that the warrior should stand in front of the spellcaster to take damage and attacks.

The reason is simple: if you're standing in front, should I throw this big fireball in my hand or not? Moreover, when attacked from the front, spellcasters usually have enough reaction time and opportunity. The ones who are truly ahead of the spellcasters are the scout professionals.

Because scouts are agile and can quickly evade friendly fire, as well as spot traps and ambushes that spellcasters might miss, what they truly need to protect is the spellcaster's back. This is because when casting spells, their minds are mostly focused on the target in front of them, and their senses are on the arcane spell taking shape, not on their backs.

Therefore, in this world, melee guards like warriors actually walk behind the target they are protecting, especially the spellcaster, rather than standing right next to them.

Because if danger appears ahead, when the spellcaster turns around to run away or retreats, they will not crash into the warriors and shatter the entire formation. Instead, they can calmly turn around and run away, while the guarding warriors can charge forward to intercept the enemy.

"I see, so there are such rules for adventure teams~"

"Yes, Master Roach should rarely take risks?"

"Yes, to be precise, only once, but that time... if we don't consider the difficulty of the battle, it was basically just a picnic." Roach touched the black pine wood in front of him, feeling the elasticity of the bark. He used a small metal knife to test the hardness and moisture content of the black pine wood on the bark. Logging is a technical job. After killing himself with wood splinters a few times, Roach knew how to cut down trees.

"We'll eat and drink along the way, and occasionally fight some monsters. With Old Ma and Livia with us, there shouldn't be any problems except when we encounter surprise attacks." Roach drew a line on a tree. "You need to stand further away, otherwise it will be very dangerous later."

“A warrior is one who takes on danger,” Alessina shook his head.

"Fine, whatever. Besides, I'm not going to die..." Roach retorted.

“I can’t stay in the team forever, and I can’t protect you forever, Roach. If I leave the team and forget how to protect a fragile spellcaster, I might starve to death in this line of work.”

Alessina spoke very seriously. Most true adventurers are like that. After all, they've outgrown the time of treating all of this as heroic tales. Adventure isn't a story, it's not a legend; it's just life.

If they forget their skills and become rusty, they may starve to death because they can't find work. And if they are used to quick money jobs like adventure commissions, it will be almost impossible for them to farm or work elsewhere.

"I see... But I feel like you're paying a lot of attention to me?"

“Hmm…” Alessina readily admitted.

"why?"

“Because you are too weak, even ordinary humans are stronger than you, you seem like a child in the tribe.” She paused, then added, “You are a child with a great talent for weapon making. In our tribe, children like you usually receive more attention and more resources.”

The orcs and orcs-like beings of the past were not like this. In the orc tribes of the past, only strong warriors were qualified to live. Such weak and cowardly children were not qualified to live, much less to participate in tribal meetings.

It wasn't until the orcs discovered that their technology and craftsmen had made the humans, whom they could exploit at will, increasingly powerful, even to the point of launching attacks for resources within the orc alliance's territory that they realized this.

After so many years of fighting, the orcs have gradually learned to protect the weak but intelligent children in their tribes, especially those who show talent in handicrafts, manufacturing, and artisans.

“Because they are thinner and weaker than normal children, they are easily bullied by other children or die in the dangerous wilderness if adults don’t keep an eye on them.” Alessina said, seemingly lost in thought. “We beastmen are like beastmen; we have many warriors, few wizards, many laborers, but few craftsmen. Although we are better at crafts and handicrafts than those real beastmen, we are actually no match for humans.”

“Humans can ignore this. Every one of them can become a craftsman, the only difference being whether they are clumsy or competent. So they can let a large number of talented children starve to death in the slums. But we will not, cannot, and dare not.” Alessina’s voice was low and deep, seemingly filled with the heavy emotions of the tribe and even the race over hundreds of years.

"No one wants to be completely wiped out from this world, and we are no exception. Orcs have a stronger will to survive than any other race. We don't want to die, so we dare not do what humans do."

“Every child with a talent for wizardry, or what you call alchemy, is a precious asset to the tribe, and indeed to the entire Orcish Alliance.”

"So, you don't abandon children over there?" Roach gestured, letting the magic chainsaw bite into the black pine wood.

“No, we will,” Alessina said hesitantly.

“Not all small and weak children are intelligent. Some are simply cowardly, while others are utterly useless. Perhaps they have other talents, such as what humans call art, but these are not enough for them to survive in the tribe. We will not abandon them, but they must compete with other strong children for limited food and resources. If they fail to get any, they will starve to death.”

“That sounds a bit cruel.” “How does it compare to humans?” Alessina countered. “At least they only have to compete with their peers for food and resources, while human children have to compete with adults for resources and food. And we don’t abandon any children, while humans… don’t.”

"That's true, at least that's how it is where I am. Children only need to compete with their peers for social resources. It's unfair, but it's also fair."

A weak child may not be able to compete with a strong child, and a child from a poor family may not be able to compete with a child from a well-off family. However, this is not absolute. If the former puts in enough effort and has enough talent, they can still stand on equal footing with the former. But the above only applies to the childhood stage, that is, in the ivory tower.

“Once you leave campus…” Luo Qi seemed to be thinking about something and felt a little down. History is not an easy major to find a job in. Once you leave campus, your competitors are not your classmates, or even just students in your major, but everyone, vying for extremely limited opportunities.

“Orcs are the same. Once they are no longer children, they become adults… They fight and work alongside adult warriors on the battlefield and in the hunting grounds. No one or monster will pity you because you are not old enough or have not grown up long enough.” Alessina and Roach left the cut black pine tree and watched it slowly fall.

"Not growing strong enough within a reasonable timeframe is the original sin."

“Yes, it’s not their fault that they didn’t grow up strong enough to face the storms of the outside world while living in a carefree ivory tower.” Roach lifted one end of the black pine wood. “I can’t lift this.”

“I’ll do it,” Alessina said, easily lifting the black pine log.

"Is it our fault as adult soldiers?"

"No"

"Whose is that?"

“Hmm, maybe it’s the world’s fault?” Roach supported Black Pine, making it easier for Alessina. “Let’s go. With Leslie’s brain, she’s probably making fun of us right now.”

“I will beat her up,” Alessina said seriously. Roach believed she was serious. This girl always spoke bluntly, but she meant what she said. If she said she would beat up that mermaid, she really would.

Chapter Ninety-Five: Aviation (crossed out) Machine Gun Witch

"Ugh~" The little witch rubbed her eyes, opened them sleepily, and her eyes, like two pieces of fine jade, swept across the small house. She was immediately drawn to the violence taking place in the corner, and stared blankly as Alessina beat Leslie.

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Vilandella asked Roach, holding a plate of pine nuts. "Aren't they fighting because of you?"

"Hmm, could you please watch your words? You were beaten up because this mermaid spread rumors." "Spread rumors about whom?"

"Me and Alessina's"

“So, aside from the people involved themselves, weren’t they fighting for you?” Vivi pointed out this with astonishing wisdom, and then sank the Roach. “At least half of them were fighting for you, right?”