Millennium Witch

Fortunately, Yvette reacted faster, immediately using earth magic to create a wall from the ground as cover, blocking the gaze of those pale, cloudy eyes; otherwise, she might have been attacked by the whale pod.

It was unclear how much time had passed—it felt like minutes, or perhaps several long winters—but the whale pod gradually receded into the depths of the snow-covered mountains. The shivering puppet girl and the black dragon finally breathed a sigh of relief, experiencing the feeling of surviving a catastrophe.

Chapter 69 Mountain Whale

"Whoa, God of Machines above, how can there be such a terrifying horde of mutated monsters! Kind lady, how come you don't seem scared at all?" After the whale horde left, Bingyu snapped out of her defensive posture and couldn't help but say.

“I believe the god of machines will protect us,” Yvette said.

Bingyu immediately puffed out her cheeks, feeling that she was being perfunctory, but she had no evidence, after all, she couldn't very well question the great God.

Then she remembered the earthen wall that the silver-haired girl had summoned just moments before. It didn't seem to use any magical artifacts, but it had actually done it perfectly, just like a legendary human magician.

Taming beasts, magic... Miss Kindness's methods are getting more and more sophisticated. Is she really going to evolve into a human?

Thinking of this, Bingyu, a human worshipper, couldn't help but feel envious, which dispelled the panic brought by the whale pod.

Although the first mechanical being to ascend to human form has not yet been born, there is always a first time for everything. Judging from the level of understanding and mystery shown by the kind lady, Bingyu felt that the possibility of her successfully ascending was quite high.

At least with her, Bingyu never found that awkward feeling of deliberately imitating a human; every move she made was exceptionally natural, which was quite rare in the entire mechanical race.

If one day the kind lady could truly become human, then she would be a good partner to humans! She secretly believed this, thinking that wouldn't be so bad.

the other side……

Noticing the whales had departed, Dugrabi breathed a sigh of relief, released himself from his prostrate position, raised his dragon head again, and reclaimed the pride of the dragon race.

In its view, that was undoubtedly the most critical moment since it crossed over. Those terrifying giant filthy demons were most likely the powerful henchmen of the Witch of the End, capable of easily destroying a continental city. Even though they were hundreds or thousands of meters apart, it still felt terrified, as if it had just walked through the gates of hell.

The Land of the End is indeed terrifying; monsters lurk everywhere! Fortunately, I have divine protection by my side…

It stole a glance at the silver-haired girl and suddenly felt that this third-rate wild god, who had previously humiliated it and made it hate it so much, now looked surprisingly kind and made it feel safe. It even felt less resistant to pulling the carriage.

Well, to be honest, I did damage the car myself. Towing it is a way to make amends for my mistake, which is in line with what a dragon would do...

……

After witnessing the terrifying pod of mutated flying whales, Dugrabi, unwilling to linger, began to pull the cart even harder, and before nightfall, he, Yvette, and Ice Rain arrived at a valley near their destination.

According to Bingyu, there is a puppet kingdom in this valley, which is also the only puppet kingdom around the ruined city of Kux.

"Where is the village?" After translating for Dugrabi, Dugrabi, who had driven the car to the bottom of the valley, looked around. All he could see were the ruins of towns and mountains almost completely swallowed by the heavy snow, a vast expanse of white, and not a single living person in sight.

Bingyu and Yvette were also a little confused. They looked around for a while and even made a little noise.

Not long after, a hidden stone door suddenly opened below the nearby mountain range, and Yvette saw a dilapidated puppet poking its head out, looking at everyone with a puzzled expression.

It had no mouth; the speaker was inside its body. It asked in a hoarse, synthesized voice, "Who are you...?"

Yvette didn't speak immediately, but instead looked it over and found that the puppet had a particularly industrial style. The lower half of its cylindrical body had two short legs, while the upper half had a spherical head and two tweezer-like arms. The design was very crude and covered in rust. It must have belonged to some factory in the past, replacing humans as mechanical laborers on the assembly line.

"Hello! We are travelers passing by!" Bingyu greeted them as she walked over. She was the only pure-blooded mechanical puppet among the three "people," and the occasional exposed seams and ball joints on her body effectively reduced the wariness of the other mechanical races.

"So you're a traveler." The tattered puppet relaxed instantly. Although its smooth face was expressionless, the change in its tone was quite obvious. But then it noticed the black dragon pulling the carriage, froze for a moment, and said in horror, "What is that?!...A mutated creature?"

“No, that’s a domesticated wild animal. Look, it’s pulling our cart, just like the horse-drawn carriages of human civilization,” Bingyu said.

"So that's how it is, that's amazing." The simple and honest old puppet immediately believed it, without a second of doubt. It said warmly, "Please come in and have a seat, you two guests who have come from afar."

"Wait, am I supposed to stay outside forever?" Dugrabi shouted as he saw Yvette and Ice Rain walk toward the stone gate and then gestured to show the height of the stone gate.

“Go find somewhere to stay for a while,” Yvette said.

"Damn it..."

A minute later, as they entered the stone gate, Bingyu immediately asked curiously, "What did Mr. Camel Beast just say? Was he angry that we abandoned him?"

Because of her lack of understanding of animal training techniques, she didn't find it strange at all that wild animals could talk. She even deduced that in the age of human civilization, communication between humans and wild animals was probably commonplace. She only regretted that she didn't understand animal language and couldn't be as versatile as humans.

“It says it prefers to be alone and asks us not to disturb it,” Yvette said.

"Oh, I see. I thought it was lonely," Bingyu said shyly.

As she spoke, Yvette turned to look around.

Unlike the puppet town of Agasher, the members of the puppet kingdom here were staying in a place that looked like an air-raid shelter. Considering that the puppets, although they imitated humans, did not feel cold, this puzzled her.

"Mr. Puppet, Mr. Puppet," she whispered.

“Miss Traveler, you can just call me ‘Copper Skin’.” The puppet turned around, its face only showing two red-glowing cameras that served as eyes; it had no other facial features, and its empty face looked somewhat sinister in the dim environment.

However, its tone was actually very gentle, with a rustic charm reminiscent of a country youth. Yvette quickly introduced herself and asked, "What's the name of your kingdom? Why do you live in air-raid shelters?"

“Miss Yvette, our kingdom is called the ‘Kux Family.’ We are a group of mechanical people from all over the world. We don’t have the illustrious ‘noble bloodline’ of the four great kingdoms, and there aren’t many of us. There are no more than 30 of us right now,” Copperskin said. “We don’t want to live in the air-raid shelter forever. We want to go outside and repair the houses left by the Creators, but there are often terrifying mountain whales passing by outside. They will attack, so we have no other choice.”

"Mountain whale?" Bingyu said in surprise, "Is it a very big, whale-like, flying, mutated creature that travels in groups?"

"Yes, you saw them?" Copperskin asked in surprise. "Those mountain whales are dangerous. Are you alright?"

“They didn’t spot us,” Bingyu said.

"That's good."

"Where did the mountain whales come from?" Yvette asked immediately, thinking of the many suspicious things about those mutated whales.

She didn't think those giant flying whales were mutated from ordinary whales. She had seen real mutated whales when she crossed the sea, and they were on a completely different evolutionary path.

“We don’t know either. They appeared suddenly from the city center of the ruined city of Cux. It was too dangerous there. After we prayed to the gods, the Sanctuary headquarters sent a gracious man, but he couldn’t get close to the place and was almost seriously injured.”

"Even the Godsbane..." Bingyu said in surprise. This was the strongest combat force of the Mechanical Race, and the main force of the Holy Temple in protecting the various kingdoms!

When she and Dugrabi teamed up, they faced a perilous and chaotic battle against a Phase 3 Aberration, but if it were a Divine Grace, they would be instantly killed!

Even such an invincible being can get hurt?

"The Benediction told us that the monsters in Kux are all very strange, possessing a danger far beyond their normal level, and that venturing deeper would be a losing proposition. Furthermore, it advised us not to stay here and to move the kingdom away, but unfortunately, everyone has lived here for a long time and developed an attachment to it, so..."

At this point, Tongpi sighed: "Actually, I support moving, but everyone is unwilling, so let it be. After all, everyone likes this place very much, likes its history, its scenery, and the memories we created together."

Hearing its sad tone, Bingyu seemed somewhat empathetic, probably recalling her hometown in Silver Mirror Continent.

Yvette, however, frowned, her attention still fixed on the mountain whale.

The danger far exceeded what should have been the expected level, which meant her judgment was correct. Those mountain whales were only stage one mutants, yet they possessed flight techniques that could only be mastered by stage three or higher... and there were many more of these bizarre and dangerous mutants in Cooks...

Is there any point in hunting then? What if, after a round of hunting, the mutated magic power within me not only doesn't increase, but actually decreases?

Chapter 70 Records

Upon entering the air-raid shelter, a musty smell, a mixture of rust, engine oil, and the dust of time, filled the air.

What greeted Yvette and Ice Rain's eyes was a vast, vaulted space with rough concrete walls covered in mottled water stains and peeling plaster. Dozens of magical puppets of various shapes and sizes were scattered throughout, their metal joints creaking as they moved.

Perhaps because their anthropomorphic appearance was so striking, their arrival caused quite a stir. Many puppets mistook them for divine benefactors sent by the Holy Temple, awkwardly bowing and greeting them incessantly. It took Bingyu a great deal of persuasion to clear up the misunderstanding.

Once the atmosphere quieted down, Yvette looked at Copper and said, "Mr. Copper, do you have any more information about Cooks? I'm quite curious about this city."

“Yes, Miss Yvette, please follow me.” Copper said, guiding Yvette to a dimly lit corridor on the side of the hall.

Yvette glanced at Ice Rain, who was enthusiastically telling the puppets about her travels, and followed him alone.

This corridor is the only route inside the air-raid shelter. The dim yellow light bulbs flickering overhead create an alternating light and shadow effect. On one side is a stone wall, and on the other side is a stone chamber with an iron door, giving it the feel of a dormitory or apartment. Without a doubt, all the puppets of the entire kingdom live here.

After pushing open the iron door of a stone chamber, Yvette was greeted by a small, stuffy room with shelves filled with books and a solitary white lamp on the ceiling.

"This is the kingdom's archives. All the books obtained by the citizens during their explorations are here, including the records of Cux's expeditions. You are free to look them up, just be careful not to damage them."

"Thank you."

"By the way, Miss Yvette, you and Miss Bingyu have come all this way. You can't just stop by for supplies and leave, can you? Would you like us to arrange rooms for you? We have plenty of rooms here, so you can stay here as long as you like."

"Well, thank you for your help."

"Okay, okay." Copper's voice sounded somewhat pleased. "I can finally have something to do."

After Copper Skin left, Yvette, who remained in the archives, used wind magic to ventilate the room until the air was fresh before turning her attention to a series of books and paper documents beside her.

Obviously, the paper here was also dug out of the ruins. Since the commercial paper had long since rotted away, the paper here has been specially treated and has a protective coating. It feels like plastic to the touch. Over the centuries, apart from yellowing in color, it does not affect the reading experience at all.

She skipped over some books on various cultural and entertainment topics from different periods of human civilization and immediately focused her attention on the exploration records of the Puppet Kingdom itself. The text on these papers was crooked and messy, and the outline of the Black Tide language could be barely made out, making it a bit difficult for Yvette to read.

After a brief look, Yvette discovered that most of the records were about the early days of the kingdom, detailing daily life in great detail, much like a diary.

But just as she was feeling slightly disappointed, a specially preserved file caught her attention. She picked it up and was immediately surprised to find that it was an investigation report by a divinely favored person.

“I am ‘Corbert Ironblade’, a junior investigator from the Black Tide Sanctuary Headquarters. This is my record of the events in Cooks City.”

"On March 3rd, sunny, my battle partner 'Thunder Wolf' and I arrived at the 'Kuks Family' in the Puppet Kingdom, met the person in charge, Mr. Copper Skin, and learned what had happened."

"According to Mr. Copperskin's description, a terrifying mutated creature called 'Mountain Whale' has been appearing frequently in Cooks recently, originating in the city center of Cooks, and its numbers are increasing rapidly."

"Since Cooks City is not located by the sea, theoretically there should be no opportunity to come into contact with whales. I judge that there may be some kind of mysterious whale-shaped aberrant nest master in Cooks City. It uses itself as a template and with the nurturing ability of the mother nest, it may be able to create a similar effect. There are many precedents for this in the records of the Holy Temple."

"Since the behavior of this hive master seriously threatens the survival of the local kingdom, I have decided to go with Thunder Wolf to investigate and confirm the danger in Cooks and eliminate the source of the danger."

"But soon I discovered that the mystery and eeriness of Cookes City exceeded my expectations."

"During the process of entering the city, I flew along in the Thunder Wolf without being attacked by any aberrations. This is unusual in my past experience. Low-level aberrations in the Cooks seem to be very rare, but I didn't feel anything unusual at the time because I was in a hurry to get to the city center. I just judged that it might be due to the cold weather."

"When I was about 30 kilometers away from the city center, I encountered my first aberration attack. It was a stage one humanoid aberration with distinctive features, which I shouldn't have recorded separately."

"But what's strange is that this humanoid aberration has an astonishingly high combat power and can use magic attacks. Its combat power is no less than any third-stage aberration, making it difficult for me to determine its true stage."

"After quickly eliminating this aberration, I became more vigilant and continued deeper with Thunder Wolf, successively taking down several other low-level aberrations with similarly abnormal combat capabilities. In a normal urban area, this would be equivalent to several Nest Masters."

"Then, continuing deeper, about 10 kilometers from the city center, I encountered a mysterious woman."

"That woman was undoubtedly a humanoid mutant, resembling a combination of a human girl and a spider, with six red eyes and eight spider legs on her back. Strangely, she was dressed in human clothes, just like me, and her behavior was completely different from that of a normal mutant creature. If it weren't for the eight spider legs on her back being so conspicuous, I might have thought at first glance that the Creator had been resurrected."

"What's even more incredible is that this spider woman's combat power is astonishing. In just one exchange, she used a black energy attack to shatter the thunder wolf's defensive barrier and blast us all underground. From this point of view, she is at least a fifth-order or higher aberration, worthy of being included in a separate number."

"Due to the vast difference in combat strength, after crashing into the underground city ruins, Thunder Wolf chose to eject me and stay behind to cover the retreat. I did not refuse his proposal because someone had to bring back information about this mutant. Moreover, both Thunder Wolf and I suspected that this Spider Woman was not the Nest Master of Kux, and that there might be an even more terrifying secret hidden within the city."

"After that, I recuperated in the local kingdom for a while and conducted several more explorations in the surrounding areas, but I never saw any trace of Thunder Wolf again. He is probably really dead."

……

After reading the handwritten task report, Yvette's eyes narrowed slightly.

She was quite wary of the God-givers, especially the magical mechs they partnered with. Firstly, using her Black Eye ability on them would be a complete waste of time and energy. Secondly, they were probably equipped with military-grade combat gear, and she didn't know if she could win if she fought using only mage abilities.

And now, there exists a super mutant within Cooks City that can easily kill a Divine Grace and his partner, a magical mech? And it's estimated to be at least at stage five?

She hasn't even seen a fourth-stage aberration yet, is she going to jump to a fifth-stage aberration so soon?

Judging from the exaggerated description of the opponent instantly defeating the Divine Grace and the Magical Mech, even using the Black Eye ability, she doesn't seem like she can win with a sure thing...

Putting down the documents, Yvette hesitated. Her purpose in traveling, besides finding an apprentice, was to devour the aberrant creatures and accumulate more aberrant magic. The bizarre situation in Kux gave her a sense of impending doom; rather than delving deeper into the city's secrets, skipping this place and heading to the next city seemed more in line with her safe and stable leveling strategy.

After all, she's not going to die, and she has a long lifespan to slowly endure it, so why not be more cautious and take the risk?

but……

The thought that her student had become the strongest person in the world and had disappeared in the Land of the End made her feel that it was worthwhile to try harder. If she were too lazy, she, as the teacher, would not be able to help her student if he encountered danger.

She decided to live here for a while, ensuring her safety, and then conduct a thorough investigation. Perhaps she could find the root cause of the abnormality of the Cooks' variants...

Chapter 71 Four-Layer Matryoshka Doll

That evening, Copper Skin and the other mechanical puppets in the kingdom went to great lengths to hold a welcoming ceremony for the two guests who had come from afar. In addition to sitting together and replenishing their magic with the energy storage box, Yvette also saw the puppets perform various entertainment programs for her, such as imitating acrobats throwing beanbags or performing operas.

Although from a human perspective, these performances were terrible—the movements were stiff and clumsy, the dialogue was poorly delivered, and the beanbag toss even landed on the audience's heads—the puppets were all very happy. This joyful mood had an invisible infectious power, which also put Yvette in a good mood.

She felt that, at least as an audience member, the puppets' laughter should be genuine.

After the welcoming ceremony ended, as Yvette watched the puppets busily cleaning up, she felt as if she had forgotten something.

This feeling of unease lingered until she lay down in the new room that Copper had cleaned for her.

Then, she slept peacefully in the air-raid shelter for one night. When she came outside the next morning, she saw a black dragon covered in snow and tied with a rope, forced to curl up and guard the RV. Only then did she realize what she had forgotten.

She saw a sealed iron door in the bunker's main hall. Opening that door would allow Dugrabi to enter. However, the welcoming ceremony had distracted her, and by the end, she had completely forgotten about the black dragon lying alone outside, even forgetting to untie its rope and let it go out to hunt for dinner.

"Thank you for your hard work," Yvette said, walking over to loosen the rope.

Dugrabi didn't know how to answer, so after a moment of silence, he turned his head away and refused to look at her.

Perhaps because it was only separated from the outside world by an iron gate, the soundproofing of the air-raid shelter was not very good. Last night, when it was lying outside enduring the wind and snow while silently warming itself by the fire with its dragon breath, it could clearly hear the laughter and chatter in the hall, as if they were coming from another world.

Compared to the humiliation of pulling the cart, this feeling of being forgotten seems even harder to accept.

“I didn’t mean to,” Yvette said again.