Millennium Witch

Millennium Witch

Author: Pine Nuts Don't Eat Sugar

Summary:

Summary:

Li You traveled to a wasteland world left behind by a magical civilization and turned into the immortal witch Yvette. After living for more than a thousand years, he finally decided to come out.

Then she discovered that she seemed to be the only survivor of this civilization.

Chapter 1 Awakening

When Li You opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the vines entwined around the ceiling, emitting a bluish-green glow. They spread across most of the walls of the room, making it look like the interior of some giant plant.

He sat up in bed in a daze, looked around, and stared blankly for a while before he remembered that he had been delivering food on his electric motorcycle when, as he turned a corner, a hundred-ton truck suddenly appeared in front of him...

Uh, does this mean I've been sent to another world?

No, it's also possible that they've been in a vegetative state for a long time and were therefore transferred here... We still need to check our situation first!

Above him, fluorescent vines, whether plant-based or man-made, shone dimly, barely making out the outlines of tables, chairs, and cabinets. To check for injuries, Li You immediately jumped off the bed. Finding no slippers, he walked barefoot to the dimly lit wall and began to carefully examine his body for any marks.

but……

It wouldn't have mattered if we hadn't checked, but once we did, Li You realized that things were completely out of control!

Why are my hands so small? Why are my arms and legs so thin? Have I gotten shorter? What's with this white dress? Who dressed me in women's clothing?

Wait, could this be...? Having guessed a terrifying possibility, Li You suddenly reached out and placed his hand on his lower body, then gasped.

there is none left!

There really aren't any left!

So this really is time travel, and he even traveled into the body of a little girl!

The shocking fact left Li You's mind blank for a moment. He plopped back down on the small bed next to him and waited for a long time before he noticed the footprints on the ground by the dim light. The ground here seemed to be covered with a thick layer of dust, and stepping on it felt like stepping on snow, with the footprints clearly visible.

How could it be so dirty... Has this room been uncleaned in a long time?

He involuntarily frowned, wanting to find something to wipe his feet, but then his pupils contracted as he realized something—wait, with such thick dust, no one has lived here for at least several weeks. Why would the original owner be lying in a place like this?

He then carefully examined the room and found that there were no signs of activity between the open doorway and the bed. This meant that before he transmigrated, the original owner had been lying in bed without getting up for at least several weeks, or even months!

and so……

Did I transmigrate into the body of a dead person?

But why didn't his body decay? Was it also because of the time travel?

Since he did not inherit the original owner's memories, Li You could only make some simple guesses, and then focused his attention on the most conspicuous vines in the room.

By this time, he had discovered that the vines had spread from outside the room and had covered many areas of the ceiling, walls, and floor.

This made Li You abandon the idea that it was an ambient light... Who would make an ambient light so exaggerated and realistic? Could it be a real bioluminescent plant?

However, now that we've traveled through time, anything is possible...

Li You took a deep breath, got out of bed, opened the closet in the room, but found nothing usable. She then left the room and went outside.

Outside the room was a curved corridor, wide and long, branching into several relatively narrow side paths. Li You carefully made his way along the wide path until, after a few minutes, the space in front of him suddenly opened up.

At this moment, what came into his view was a huge and spacious circular area, which appeared to be the central hall of the building on this floor. Above the hall was a dome, and tens of thousands of vines cascaded down from the central ventilation shaft, forming a waterfall of light more than 20 meters high, like a giant luminous jellyfish, enveloping the entire space in a beautiful yet eerie atmosphere.

Li You was taken aback by this scene before he began to observe everything in the hall.

He found a lot of debris scattered on the floor, including rotten pieces of cloth, broken glassware, overturned or broken sofas and chairs, and a considerable number of human or animal skeletons, scattered in various corners of the room.

Clearly, some major disaster must have occurred here, which explains the scene of devastation and the piles of bones.

Li You stared at the human skeleton on the ground for a few more moments, his eyelids twitching. He quickly took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. This was the first time in his life he had ever seen human remains. Combined with the eerie, claustrophobic, and desolate environment, it was almost like a horror movie, making him feel uneasy.

After calming down for several minutes and finally regaining some composure, Li You frowned slightly, a small question arising in his mind.

Whether it's a disaster, an incident, or an accident, after so much time has passed since it happened, shouldn't the police or military come to handle it? Even something as simple as collecting the bodies of the deceased.

Why does this place look like it's completely unmanaged?

Was it kept from being discovered by the outside world all this time?

However, this place doesn't even have a single window; it's either completely enclosed or underground, so it might actually be some kind of illegal hidden facility...

Thinking this, he lowered his head, trying to find some clues by using the relatively bright blue-green fluorescence in the room.

To his regret, most of the paper on the ground was severely rotten, turning large patches of dark brown. A few hardcover books, probably made of high-quality, durable acid-free paper, were relatively well-preserved, but he couldn't understand a single word on them.

This is the downside of transmigrating without inheriting memories; you become illiterate... He thought helplessly, then put down his book, wandered around the hall, and picked up a long metal object.

This thing looks like a slender, futuristic-looking gun with a white casing and intricate engravings on the barrel and body, making it exceptionally beautiful. Considering its sturdy feel, suggesting it might be some kind of special plastic, Li You decided to use it as a "bat" for self-defense.

Finally, after wandering around for more than ten minutes, Li You finally found an abandoned elevator shaft and the entrance to the emergency exit next to it in a corner of the lobby.

So he immediately went inside.

To be honest, he should have been more cautious, at least checking the stairwell for any unknown threats. But the environment here was truly eerie, like a claustrophobic underground tomb. Even with the fluorescent vines providing light, he didn't want to stay in this dreadful place for another second.

As Li You ascended the metal staircase, floor by floor, he tried to control the force of his footsteps, making sure they were barely noticeable. He felt as if he were walking into a horror movie, with terrifying monsters potentially leaping out of the entrances to other floors and attacking him at any moment.

The reason he chose to go up was because he felt there were no windows here, and it felt more like underground. But it didn't matter if he went the wrong way; the top floor might have a rooftop or something similar, allowing him to occupy a high vantage point and overlook the entire area.

Li You climbed the stairs with great effort, showing no interest in exploring the interior of any of the floors along the way. After climbing eight floors, he finally arrived at the ninth and final floor.

Gripping the "bat" tightly, he cautiously stepped into the building and, by the faint light of the fluorescent vines, saw a wide corridor.

The corridor is flanked by rooms and side passages, and at the end is a huge metal door, next to which is a small, open door that lets in a faint light.

That's...sunlight?

Feeling the flowing air, he subconsciously quickened his pace, walked to the entrance of the small door, opened it, and saw an upward-facing staircase tunnel. Looking up, the tunnel exit had become a bright spot, golden light streaming in, making the scene before him seem like a stairway to heaven, beautiful and sacred.

I can finally leave this hellish place!

His heart burned with excitement, and he ran straight through the portal.

However, the next moment, when his eyes adjusted to the surrounding light, he was shocked to find that what was outside was not land, but a small platform supported on the water.

Looking around, the platform is surrounded by deep, dark lake water, hundreds of meters deep, but certainly two or three kilometers away. At the far end of the lake, there is no shore in sight; instead, there are towering, unbroken, smooth rock walls, like a giant wall, completely enclosing this vast lake.

For a moment, Li You stood there, stunned, with only one thought in his mind.

How do I get out of this?

Chapter 2 Fog

Looking down at the fine, rusty metal mesh beneath his feet, Li You plopped down, recovering his strength while analyzing his current predicament.

First, he can't swim and is afraid to go into the water. Second, he is currently in the body of a little girl, so even if he could go into the water, it wouldn't be possible for him to swim to the other side. More importantly, there is no shore on the other side at all. If he swims over, he would have to start rock climbing, and even the top of the rock wall is curved inward... All things considered, this place is simply a natural prison, and it is impossible to get out by water.

Am I going to be trapped here and die?

Li You stared blankly for a while, feeling that the future was bleak and that he might as well jump into the water and start over.

Not long after, a white bird flying by suddenly caught his attention.

This bird was quite large, about the size of a pelican, but it looked more like a seagull. It plunged into the lake, and in no time, it had caught a fish in its beak and surfaced, looking very agile.

Seeing its vibrant appearance, Li You was encouraged and inspired. He thought that since there were fish in the lake, could he find a way to catch them to solve his food problem?

But just as he thought he could try it, an even larger shadow quietly emerged from underwater.

It was a fish, a huge fish, at least five to six meters long; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a water monster. It suddenly leaped out of the water, its purplish-red body creating a violent splash.

Li You watched this scene in astonishment, instinctively assuming it was a classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. But an unexpected sight appeared—the fish's head suddenly ripped apart, forming a four-lobed chrysanthemum-shaped mouthpart with three layers of embedded, ring-shaped sharp teeth in the center. Its turbine-like shape was far more terrifying than a meat grinder. It bit the white bird to pieces, then flipped over and submerged into the water, as if it had never been there.

On the metal platform, Li You stood there dumbfounded, his initial enthusiasm vanishing in an instant.

What the hell is this!

If I'm not mistaken, the head of that fish was split open, right? And that lamprey-like thing in the center is its mouth, isn't it?

Is this really a fish? Even in another world, this fish looks way too abnormal!

It's like they grew up drinking nuclear wastewater!

Wait a minute... Could it be that the horrific scene of skeletons scattered all over this underwater base is related to these terrifying fish monsters in the lake?

The image of the fish monster's head splitting apart kept replaying in Li You's mind, and he suddenly felt that the water platform wasn't so safe after all. He stood up, intending to move further away from the edge of the platform, when he suddenly noticed a continuously extending line appearing in the center of the lake not far away, splitting apart to both sides in the form of waves.

It's a fish!

That fish is coming!

What cut through the lake surface was the dorsal fin of the fish monster, but when you get closer, it looks like a fleshy crown of wrinkles.

It was extremely fast. Before Li You could react, it burst out of the water and landed heavily on the platform, causing the football field-sized water platform to tremble slightly.

"Idiot!!"

At this moment, Li You was finally able to see its appearance clearly. It wasn't a purplish-red fish; rather, most of its scales had fallen off, revealing writhing flesh and growths, which gave it its current color. Its pectoral fins had been transformed into two short appendages with hooked claws on either side. Its eyeballs were grayish-white and cloudy, connected by a fleshy thread, hanging precariously outside their sockets. Inside the eye sockets, countless tiny tentacles wriggled, like swaying sea anemones.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Li You would never have believed that such a terrifying fish could exist in the world.

This is so bizarre, disgusting, and grotesque!

But now was not the time to judge beauty or ugliness. He practically catapulted towards the side tunnel leading to the underwater facility and turned around to close the door—luckily, the door wasn't broken, and there was still a simple, usable mechanical structure to lock it.

After locking the door, Li You quickly rushed down to the basement level, and then heard a loud crashing sound coming from above and behind him. It was clear that the fish monster, which had failed in its hunt, was venting its anger on the metal door.

He stood trembling in the emergency exit on the basement level for a while, listening intently until the noise subsided and there was no sign of the door being forced open. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had just escaped death.

At that moment, looking at the quiet, eerie, and dark environment around him, he suddenly found it much more pleasing to the eye.

He's definitely not going out again! There are no roads outside, but there's a lake where monsters lurk. He doesn't want to be ambushed by a water monster one day; that would be too terrifying.

Of course, there might be monsters inside the facility, but based on Li You's observations and speculations, this place had been destroyed for at least several decades, and much of the paper was so brittle that it would turn to dust at the slightest touch. Even if there were monsters in the past, they would either have starved to death or left, and in any case, it would certainly be safer than a platform on water.

Moreover, the fact that the original owner was able to stay in this facility before transmigrating can be seen as another form of proof of safety...

Okay, the original owner might have been extraordinary. But what exactly made them extraordinary is still unclear.

Afterwards, Li You descended the spiral staircase of the emergency exit. But unlike when he went upstairs, he briefly peeked into the interiors of the other floors as he went down. Although he didn't find anything interesting, he also didn't discover any potential dangers.

A few minutes later, he went back to the ninth basement level.

However, the staircase did not end here.

With a glimmer of hope, he continued down and arrived at the entrance to the tenth underground floor.

After cautiously peeking around at the entrance for a while, the scene that came into view surprised Li You slightly: "Huh...?"

Like upstairs, this place also has a lot of fluorescent vines growing, but the difference is that this floor is filled with a white mist, making everything inside appear hazy.

Why is there fog?

He became alert, picked up an unidentified hard fragment from the ground, and threw it into the mist.

The next second, a crisp sound of metal hitting the floor echoed in the room. Li You pricked up his ears to listen carefully, but apart from the echo, there was no other sound; everything was immersed in a deathly silence.

After hesitating for a moment, his gaze shifted to the bottom of the stairwell. There lay the path to the eleventh basement level, but a closed metal door blocked his way, preventing him from exploring downwards.

At the same time, he also discovered a large number of skeletons scattered in the stairwell in front of the metal door, including at least eight or nine complete human skulls, and some obvious claw marks on the walls.

This inevitably conjured a scene in Li You's mind—monsters were pouring in from the outside, forcing the people in the base to flee to deeper parts of the underwater facility. Some, in a desperate attempt to survive, closed the safety passages, leaving everyone else outside…

It was a terrible and sad thing, but thankfully, it happened many years ago... he thought, then silently turned around, hesitated for a moment, and walked directly into the fog.

……

Contrary to expectations, the fog on this level didn't feel particularly special upon entering; it wasn't damp or cold.

Li You slowly moved forward inside for a while, when suddenly a wave of drowsiness washed over him.

Is it...I'm too tired...or...the fog...? This question arose in his mind, and then he knelt down, leaning against the main stem of a thick, fluorescent vine, and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 3 Magic

“Yvette”.

“Yvette”.

"Yvette!"