Millennium Witch

“It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave now.” Yvette glanced at the sky, stood up and said, “Also, I’ve rented a villa in downtown Fusjiang. I’ll send you the address later… I live there alone, and you’re welcome to move in anytime if you’d like.”

She was just saying it casually, but judging from Zero's attitude, he probably wouldn't be willing to move in with her.

After all, trust can't be built overnight; even family members can turn against each other, and a sisterly relationship is at most a stepping stone.

And today's gains have been considerable; we learned that Number One's abilities are remarkably similar to hers... while Number Zero's abilities remain unclear. Firefly mentioned that the second industrial park was massacred by Number Zero. Could it be that the person who possesses the ability to create aberrations is actually Number Zero?

This doesn't quite match her situation...

Chapter 113 Mage Levels

After confirming the locations of Zero and One and exchanging contact information, Yvette felt much more relaxed, as if she had finally accomplished a major goal in the dream world: figuring out who she was.

Of course, this isn't a complete understanding, but at least a connection has been established, clarifying who the "protagonist" is in her dream. Even if she enters the dream again, she can quickly reunite with the protagonist and follow her, progressing the story forward.

The only downside is that the protagonist's character is a bit extreme and annoying, and he doesn't seem to like her much, so her favorability starts off negative.

If all else fails, if she wants to join this "main character team" and follow the story, she might only be able to take the Liana route or the Firefly route.

Hmm... why does this feel like I'm playing a visual novel?

……

The next day at noon, in the villa on Yangon Street, Yvette slept until she naturally woke up in her room on the second floor. Then, lying in bed, she opened her email and found that all the detective agencies she had contacted had declined her case and subtly warned her not to court death.

Clearly, although Yvette did not explicitly mention the "Ghost Hand Society" in her commission, these detective agencies quickly realized the client's true purpose by investigating the location information, and none of them dared to take the job.

It's clear that the Ghost Hand Society is indeed an all-powerful force in Fusijiang, and conversely, Fusijiang may just be a small piece of the puzzle within the Ghost Hand Society's sphere of influence.

After having lunch at a high-end restaurant, Yvette returned to the Church of Soulfire on a bright spring afternoon. It wasn't crowded at this time, and inside the church, Hoyle was preaching at the altar of bones, just as he had done before.

Considering that he was already the highest leader of the Holy Spirit Sect in Fusijiang as a requiem priest, the fact that he could still work so diligently on the front line of his post suggests that he must be quite devout in terms of his faith.

"Good afternoon, Miss Nameless. Are you here to pray?" After the sermon, Hoyle picked up the water glass handed to him by the deacon, took a sip, and then saw Yvette standing in the corner. He walked over happily and asked.

“I’m not planning to believe in Death,” Yvette said.

“Okay, is there something you need?” Hoyle asked, somewhat disappointed.

"I need information about the Ghost Hand Society; I guess you should have it."

"I have some, but they're all very basic. Should I compile them and send them to you in a unified way?"

"Row."

After exchanging contact information with Hoyle, Yvette glanced at the magic ring on his hand and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Koss, may I ask you a question?"

“Please speak,” Hoyle said with a smile.

"Can you tell me what level of mage you are?" Yvette asked.

Unlike fantasy worlds where life and death are intertwined and people kill for treasure, the Origin Civilization is, after all, an orderly world with police and laws. So asking someone's mage level is presumptuous but not uncommon, much like asking "how many points did you get on the exam?" or "how much is your annual income?"

Even for most ordinary families, if their child obtains a mage qualification certificate, even if it is only the lowest level mage certified by the Mage Association, it is something to be very proud of.

Of course, Yvette herself did not verify this, but anyone who has seen her cast a spell would certainly not have the courage to investigate it.

“I am a level three mage,” Hoyle said frankly.

Yvette thanked her softly.

In the Origin Civilization, a mage's level is mainly determined by the type of spells they can skillfully cast.

比如入门级、一级、二级……乃至五级法师，代表的就是熟练操作0.5w、2w、4w、6w、8w以及10w以下规格的术式。

The next level down is Level 6, which is the highest level and has the most outrageous requirements, jumping directly to 160,000. There are very few of them in the whole world, and each one is a walking strategic weapon, such as the four "Death God Incarnations" of the Holy Spirit Sect.

It's worth noting that the emphasis here is on "proficiency" rather than "ability to use." The examinations required to obtain the corresponding mage level are generally very rigorous, testing the stability, variation, application, adjustment, and even originality of spells.

As for Yvette at the moment, it can only be said that she assesses herself as a level 5 mage, or even higher. However, as for a level 6 mage, due to the limitations of the magic terminal, she lacks experience in using and designing 160,000 standard spells, so she is not qualified at all.

"Miss Nameless, what level of mage are you?" Hoyle asked curiously.

"I am an unlicensed monk."

"..."

Are all Requiem Priests level three mages?

“No, the soul-pacifying priests in big cities should have a level four, it’s just that I’m relatively weak,” Hoyle said embarrassedly.

Ivy nodded, thinking that it might be possible to make a rough guess that the level of the Soul Requiem Priest was in the third or fourth level range, the five major Reincarnation Priests might be at the fifth level, and above that, the Three Holy Priests and the Pope were both at the sixth level.

As expected of the world's largest cult, this configuration is enough to completely defeat most countries on Origin Star.

After leaving the Church of Soulfire, Yvette obtained some information about the Ghost Hand Society through a message sent by Hoyle. Most of it consisted of the locations of some of their known businesses, both illicit and legitimate. The second part was information about some local officials and their covert informants.

Using this intelligence, Yvette quickly identified several locations, all situated around the town of Salin where Zero resided.

Those were small casinos. In the Ghost Hand Society's business activities, their main function was to lure foreign tourists to spend money. Once they had spent all their money and couldn't pay back their debts, they would be sent to the industrial park. The process was quite skilled and smooth.

But after securing these locations with solid evidence, new concerns arose—Liana and Zero were complete strangers in Salin Town, a young girl with seemingly no money to rent a house, and a puppet that appeared to have little to no fighting ability. Given these circumstances, how could the Ghost Hand Society not be watching them?

Of course, she wasn't worried about Liana or Zero; she was worried that Zero would act too quickly, and the gangsters would all be dead before she even arrived, leaving her with nowhere to interrogate them.

In the evening, upon arriving in Salin Town, Yvette discovered that her fears had come true. Several small casinos were deserted, with no relics left, not even magical terminals. Only the neon signs continued to glow, making the place resemble a huge, desolate haunted house.

Fortunately, because of her sudden disappearance, the fixed terminal equipment here was still turned on, allowing her to hack into it effortlessly and obtain some information. She learned that the town of Salin and almost the entire suburbs belonged to a regional supervisor named "Fire Ghost" Colby.

These regional managers are like contractors under a "general," having to figure out how to manage their own properties and territories. They are given tasks from time to time, and there are extra rewards for doing a good job.

In contrast to "Dead Eye" Bryce, "Fire Ghost" Colby's business was much better off. In addition to a transfer center, he also had multiple casinos, a fraud park, a nightclub in Fusjiang, and several legitimate bars.

This is also related to the two having very different ideas. Bryce believes in individual strength and likes to use the money he earns to do expensive cybernetic modifications. Although his mage level is not high, seemingly only level one or two, in terms of combat power alone, he is at least comparable to a level three mage.

Colby, on the other hand, was more inclined to develop industries and build connections. His own combat ability was not much different from that of an ordinary person, and he relied entirely on bodyguards for protection.

But it was precisely this mindset that allowed him to far surpass Bryce, becoming one of the biggest local tyrants in the entire Frost River region, and also to navigate between various gangs with ease, making virtually no enemies.

If we can capture him, we should be able to obtain more information about the general, and perhaps even lure the mastermind out of hiding and bring him to the forefront.

Chapter 114 Neon Nightmare

While Yvette was plotting her capture, in a private room at the "Red Pepper" nightclub in Fusjiang city, a slightly overweight middle-aged man was leisurely planning two sure-fire attacks while embracing a beautiful woman in his arms.

—He was none other than "Fire Demon" Colby himself.

In the past two days, through the general, all the supervisors within the Fusijiang area have received two optional missions: one is to kill the silver-haired female mercenary "Nameless", and the other is to capture two little girls, one blonde and one silver-haired.

As for the former, Colby knew the cause and effect, and it was related to the death of that idiot Bryce. Given the General's personality, he certainly couldn't allow that "Nameless" to continue operating so arrogantly within Rustbone's territory; otherwise, where would the Ghost Hand Society's face be, and where would the General's authority be?

Colby, however, didn't quite understand. He stroked his shiny double chin, lost in thought. According to the information he had, this seemed to be a deal between the General and Black Tower Pharmaceuticals. Black Tower Pharmaceuticals would send a secret team to cooperate with the General's men in capturing the two little girls.

However, for the local managers under their command, if they believe they are capable, they can complete the task before the Black Tower team arrives, and the rewards will be several times greater.

Colby was immediately tempted. Unlike Bryce, who worked hard to improve himself but ended up dying, Colby was very rich and had a lot of resources. He could outsource the task to others.

For example, to deal with the female mercenary "Nameless," he planned to spend a fortune to hire members of the world's number one assassin organization, "Neon Nightmare," to hunt her down. They were a group of monsters lurking in the shadows, with their "top assassins" possessing combat power comparable to a level five mage or even a high priest of reincarnation. While such high-caliber monsters weren't easy to hire, he was confident that with a premium, some top assassin would be willing to take the job.

And we can't just let this "nameless" woman stay in Fusijiang forever. What if she sets her sights on our business?

As for the two little girls who were highly valued by Black Tower Pharmaceuticals, he planned to use his connections in Fusijiang to join forces with other gangs to ensure that the two had nowhere to escape.

His views on this task differed somewhat from those of the other supervisors. He believed that the difficulty lay not in the two little girls' abilities, but in the fact that they were very good at escaping and were slippery and difficult to catch, which was why even a large company like Black Tower Pharmaceuticals was having such a headache.

Otherwise, it's unrealistic to say that these two kids are so powerful that even the Black Tower can't do anything about them.

He believed that as long as they used sheer numbers to leave them with nowhere to escape, he would be able to defeat them, which would be the easiest part of the mission.

……

A few more days passed. Because Colby suddenly went to Silver Mirror Continent, Yvette did not get the chance to arrest "Fire Demon" Colby. Instead, she went to Salin Town several times and had a pleasant chat with Liana.

During their casual conversation, Liana clearly showed an interest in becoming a mercenary, or more precisely, in upholding justice, and she certainly possessed the ability to do so. However, Yvette and Zero surprisingly agreed on this, neither of them really supporting it.

The reasons differed. Zero felt the world was not worth saving, and that Liana's attempt to be a good person would only lead to her own demise. Yvette, on the other hand, was simply worried that the change in the world line would affect her progress in the story, and made up a flimsy excuse.

Liana was very disappointed, but judging from her expression, Yvette felt that she would definitely go down that path in the future.

It was another damp and chilly night as Yvette returned to the city from Salin. Under the inky sky, the rain fell in fine, drizzling threads, which were illuminated by the sparse streetlights as a pale, misty haze.

On the muddy path where the lights were only a long distance away, the motorcycle sped by, leaving two ruts in its wake. Only the pale blue wind element barrier kept Yvette's dress from getting wet.

She had been driving for a while and was about to turn on the high beams when a faint sense of crisis suddenly welled up in her heart. A long, dark spike emerged from the woods beside the road, like an elusive shadow, piercing straight toward Yvette's temple.

Yvette immediately left the motorcycle, soaring into the air, and raised her hand to grab the barb just as it approached.

The next second, her body shone brightly, and red runes appeared one by one, flashing incessantly on her bare skin and clothes, as if a very dangerous and explosive switch had been triggered.

"Who?" Yvette landed lightly, letting the cold rain slide down her body. She looked down at the long spear and found that it was a simple magical device, covered with intricate magical circuits.

This is clearly part of a combined spell, using long fibers engraved with magic circuits as projectiles, and the spell to launch them. Since a large number of these engraved fibers need to be prepared, the actual combat effect is naturally much stronger than a pure spell; this is the advantage brought about by the tedious preparation.

"The one who's come to take your life." A cold voice echoed from the dark forest. The other party was clearly a professional assassin, still concealing their presence at this moment.

Yvette glanced in a certain direction in the woods and said, "Do you know who I am?"

"Of course, the well-known new mercenary 'Nameless' who's recently become quite famous in New Eden, am I right, Miss Nameless?" the person in the darkness said in a slightly mocking tone.

"Then you still dare to come looking for me?"

“I never kill nobodies. Only by hunting down famous figures like you can I make my resume even more illustrious. Of course, it’s also your honor.” The assassin chuckled.

He seemed to be trying to provoke Yvette and force her to reveal a weakness, but being a cautious person, Yvette completely disregarded the provocative meaning in his words and asked bluntly, "Who sent you?"

"You're talking too much. A dying man doesn't need to talk so much. All you need to know is that you died at the hands of a top assassin who is about to become a nightmare for Japan," the assassin said impatiently. Perhaps his chat request wasn't getting a positive response, because his voice suddenly turned cold.

He seemingly "inadvertently" gave the information about "neon nightmares" and "soon to become a top assassin," but in fact, it was intentional.

The reason is simple: this is what makes him feel good.

Assassins usually live in the shadows of the world, rarely having the opportunity to reveal their identities to others, which inevitably leads to some degree of psychological repression. When their prey is about to die, they let them know, with a touch of smugness, that they are members of the infamous Neon Nightmare, the world's number one assassin organization, and even a silver-ranked assassin, second only to the gold-ranked assassins. This is one of the few moments they can release their emotions.

Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed tonight, because Yvette had absolutely no idea what a neon nightmare was.

“What is Neon Nightmare?” Yvette asked.

"Heh... Pretending won't work. I can see the fear in your heart." The assassin chuckled contemptuously.

Clearly, he simply couldn't believe that Nameless, who had risen to fame since the Werewolf Killer incident last year, would be unaware of Neon Nightmare to this day.

That's a place where many top mercenaries work part-time—after all, the identities of mercenary and assassin can often be switched, and rune hackers are also in this category.

He felt that the silver-haired girl was doing it on purpose. Her doubts and composure were all to cover up her fear of hearing the name of the organization, Neon Nightmare. Her heart was already trembling, but she was still refusing to believe the truth.

Now, he's going to burst this bubble.

Chapter 115 Spell Hijacking

The assassin's codename in Neon Nightmare is "Dead Finger." He belongs to the second tier of silver-ranked assassins and is the mainstay of most of Neon Nightmare's assassination orders.

The reason he was given this code name was that, as a genuine level four mage, he had long since combined his own style with a set of exclusive spells centered around the sharp weapon, the "iron rod."

He calls his unique magic "Piercing Technique," pursuing ultimate speed and penetrating power. Although the range is not far, it is almost indestructible at medium range. Even 8-level defensive spells of the same level, as long as the quality is lower than S-level, will be instantly pierced by his iron piercing technique, resulting in an instant kill.

Of course, the pincer attack just now did not break through the silver-haired girl's defense, and she even blocked it with her hand.

However, Deadham wasn't surprised, because this wasn't exactly a well-prepared ambush. He was still searching for the nameless man when the nameless man appeared on his own. It was just a chance encounter, a hasty and casual strike. If the nameless man had any real skill, it would be normal for him to be able to stop it.

Moreover, based on the red light flashing around the girl just now, he could roughly judge the level of her defensive technique.

A high-quality defensive spell centered on "force field magic," huh? That's a bit challenging... He sneered inwardly, lurking in the darkness as he quietly activated the spell.

Because he had taken special precautions to disguise himself, his spellcasting did not involve runic rings. Instead, it looked as if iron spikes flew out of his pouch and lined up in rows on his side, ready to strike.

On the muddy dirt road outside the woods, under the dim light of the streetlights, the silver-haired girl still stood in the same spot, bathed in the rain falling from the sky, seemingly unaware of the impending attack.

After waiting a while and not hearing Deadham explain what Neon Nightmare was, the girl said again, "I've never heard of it."

The tone sounded almost honest, making Deadham want to laugh. He thought to himself that such a clumsy excuse, coupled with such an innocent look, meant that Miss Nameless could switch careers to the entertainment industry instead of becoming a mercenary.

"It's a pity there will be no future," he thought, then waved his hand forward, as if commanding soldiers, to make the iron rods spread out and shoot towards her from different directions.

"Die!" Dead Skewer muttered to himself, as if he could already see the silver-haired girl being pierced through the heart by a thousand skewer blades and dying in agony.

A barrage of iron spikes rained down on the silver-haired girl, blinding red light flashing across her body as countless cracks appeared. In just a few breaths, her high-quality defensive spells were already crumbling, and she seemed close to death.

Just when Deadham thought he had completed his mission, the red light shattered, and instantly, another layer of defensive magic composed of countless red runes appeared on the silver-haired girl's body, protecting her from injury.

There's another layer? Dead Chisel was surprised, but the attack didn't stop. He still had two-thirds of his specially made iron chisel in his pocket, more than enough to take down this target.

Continuing to manipulate the iron rod to launch attacks, one layer shattered after another. After breaking through three layers of defensive spells, seeing that there was still one layer below, the expression on the dead rod finally changed.