Millennium Witch

The clanging of spatulas quickly blended into the sound of rain, mixed with the sizzling of eggs frying in a pan. After combining the fried eggs, bread slices, bacon, and vegetables to make two sandwiches, she placed one on a plate, added a glass of water, and hurried up to the third floor, knocking on the door.

"Witch sister, I've brought breakfast."

"Hmm...come in..."

Soon, after receiving permission to open the door, she went inside and saw that the peerless witch sister was lying on her side on the bed, hugging a soft pillow, looking like she hadn't woken up at all, with her beautiful silver hair in a mess.

Without any particular gesture, she quietly placed the plate on the bedside table, then slipped out and closed the door.

This is one of the ways she has found "contribution" for herself so far: to participate in the daily life of the manor as much as possible. Although it is not even one ten-thousandth of what the witch sister has given her, as long as she can make a contribution, it will make her heart more at peace.

It must be said that since she received the "meditation method" from the witch sister last summer, she has been practicing diligently, and life in the manor has been undergoing tremendous changes.

Last autumn, the witch cleared a plot of land in a nearby city park to grow wheat, and even used magic to speed it up, resulting in bread recently appearing on the manor's menu. At the end of winter, the witch built a shed on the manor and planted vegetables, finally acquiring lettuce. Finally, the witch herself went hunting, and Rosalind collected bird eggs, thus completing the four essential components of a sandwich, allowing Rosalind to taste this new dish.

Two days ago, the witch announced that she had developed something called an "electric grid," which would soon be able to catch all the little thieves who came to steal vegetables. Although Rosalind unconditionally supported all of the witch's actions, she couldn't help but worry about the little deer and rabbits.

Please, you must stay far away from here... she prayed weakly.

……

Perhaps because her life was too comfortable, the witch's routine was very irregular. She often slept until noon, which was completely different from Rosalin, who had been used to a regular routine since childhood.

Today was relatively normal. After having a sandwich in the morning, I stayed in bed for a while before getting up. Although there was a strong sense of fatigue between my brows, my charm was not diminished at all. Instead, I had a unique lazy charm.

Noticing her coming downstairs, Rosalyn, who was meditating by the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor, immediately opened her eyes and showed a nervous expression.

The witch tilted her head, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"Witch sister, you said you'd give me my first test today..." Rosalyn quickly said, seeing that she seemed to have really forgotten.

In the trials promised by the witch, the annual increase in magic power is the only criterion for judgment. Although only half a year has passed since she began her training last summer, there will still be a small test, which is also to help Rosalin better understand her situation.

“Hmm… I remember now,” the witch said, her expression returning to calm. She walked up to Rosalind and said, “Come, give me your hand.”

—While one can test their own magic, Yvette must personally conduct external tests to prevent any falsification of results.

Rosalyn immediately tensed up, her heart leaping into her throat. She wasn't sure what kind of performance was considered passing, but she clearly remembered that the witch had emphasized that if her performance was poor, the witch would not accept her as a disciple no matter how close their relationship became in the future.

Clearly, for a reclusive powerhouse with countless legendary experiences, this couldn't be a lie, because in her long life spanning hundreds of years, she must have encountered countless geniuses of all kinds. Compared to those departed figures, she was neither special nor worthy of any extra pity.

Immediately, the procedure was initiated, and the trial began.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

After the answer was supposedly revealed, she tilted her head slightly and carefully observed the witch's expression, only to find that her expression was neither sad nor happy, and her dark red eyes showed no emotion, making her eerily silent.

It's all over... Rosalyn's heart sank to the bottom, and she almost cried.

Just then, the witch suddenly spoke up: "I will arrange a spellcasting ring for you in a moment. This is a reward for passing the test. You can get ready."

"A spellcasting ring?" Rosalind was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed with delight, "I passed the test?"

Yvette hummed in agreement.

Although her expression remained calm as always, in reality, when she saw Rosalyn's magic power value of "6", the sky seemed to fall down.

Back when she first encountered meditation, she trained arduously at the Abyss Base for a year and only gained a little over two points!

And now, she's already over 6 points in just six months, and 12 points in a year! If she had 60 years, wouldn't she have overtaken her teacher? What an ultimate genius! She'd feel bad if she didn't take him on as a student!

However, the lifespans on the two sides are different, so they are not very comparable... But no matter what, Rosalyn's talent is still enough to crush the ordinary people on Origin Star... Wait a minute, could it be that her talent is just due to the different physical constitutions of the two worlds?

Thinking about this, Yvette felt like she had found her anchor.

In Rosalind's description, the Radiant Continent is filled with epic myths and powerful super creatures like dragons. Does this mean it's a world of medium or high magic? Would people in such a world naturally have a high density of runes, thus creating a stronger rune siphon effect?

The possibility is very high...

……

A moment later, under Rosalind's expectant gaze, Yvette came down from upstairs with a ring-shaped magical terminal.

This is not her "Forge Ring x3" with 44,000 remaining space, but a "Sky Ring y2" that she recently found in the ruins, with 80,000 remaining rune capacity.

“I’ll be recording some high-level magic into your ring soon. You’ll be able to cast it instantly just by communicating with the ring with your mind,” Yvette said. “That way, even if I’m not by your side, you’ll have some means of self-defense.”

"Thank you, sister!" Although Rosalin was very excited, she still restrained her emotions and bowed respectfully.

Then she realized something and hesitated, saying, "But I've only been cultivating for a short time. My magic power... can I use magic?"

“If I say it’s possible, then it is.” Yvette pulled up a chair and sat down, her gaze softening. “Do you want to know why?”

"Yes!" Rosalyn nodded vigorously.

"This starts with the two forms of magic: internal magic within your body and external magic... The core of rune design is using internal magic to manipulate external magic, achieving a powerful effect with minimal effort... As long as the rune set is meticulous and without loopholes, nothing is impossible... However, sometimes you can't pursue perfection excessively. If the rune set functions normally, don't touch it..."

As a top rune compiler—no, more like a rune artist—who has studied rune design in the Abyss Base for nearly three hundred years, Yvette was sharing her experience and understanding with others for the first time. Although it was just what she considered "basic knowledge," she still ended up talking for several hours.

It wasn't until the sunlight gradually dimmed that she belatedly realized that neither of them seemed to have eaten lunch yet.

But when she looked at Rosalyn, she found that the little golden retriever's eyes were bright and sparkling. Instead of the pain and confusion of being forcibly taught knowledge, they were full of longing and anticipation.

"Do you understand?"

"I understood the beginning, but the rest... I just thought it was amazing..." Rosalyn scratched her head a little embarrassedly.

"So how do you feel? If you find it difficult, don't force yourself. I can teach more than just this."

"No, no! This knowledge is more profound than any book I've ever read. Although it's difficult, I really enjoy it!" She mustered her courage. "Can...can I learn this?"

"can."

"Thank you sister!"

"...Also, from today onwards, you don't have to call me 'sister' anymore." Yvette lowered her eyes.

"Huh?" Rosalind was taken aback, then understood. Observing the witch's expression, she cautiously probed, "...Teacher?"

Yvette hummed in agreement, nodded slightly, and looked out the window.

The rain has stopped in the manor.

Chapter 16 I got beaten up by a chicken

Two years later.

One sweltering summer morning, Rosalyn walked through a kilometer-long corridor covered with wisteria blossoms and came to a secluded corner formed by the collapse of an overpass. She parted the bushes and revealed a pile of thatch.

This is the mysterious hunting spot she discovered. Wild pheasants often lay eggs here, allowing her to steal a couple of eggs every now and then to improve her meals.

She was now 12 years old, and her adventure outfit made her figure look even taller. Compared to when she first arrived two years ago, she had lost some of her childishness and gained more of a girl's naivety. She was also over 1.55 meters tall and was rapidly approaching the 1.65-meter height of her teacher.

"Let me see... Hmm, there are five eggs this time? I'll only take two, Ms. Chicken, I hope you won't be angry..." She muttered to herself, took out two eggs from the eggs, smiled, and turned to leave.

Unfortunately, this time she was arrested, and the pheasant that was arrested was not quite the same as usual—

It grew to be about the same height as Rosalyn, with a bulging, sore-covered growth on its head, resembling a giant, proliferating gland covered in wriggling tentacles. Its naked body and fleshy wings were featherless, and oozed a foul-smelling slime.

“Um…you don’t seem to be feeling very well, Ms. Chicken…” Rosalyn said.

Its head was distorted, and its flesh was exposed. By the teacher's standards, this was a typical characteristic of a basic aberration. But on the Radiant Continent, such a monster was enough to kill four or five adult villagers. Even more terrifying was that once scratched by it, the filth would spread and eventually devour the entire village.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!" Soon, accompanied by a loud crowing, the mutant rushed over, its sharp beak like a dagger piercing the air.

Rosalyn remained calm. The instant the aberrant creature approached, she was enveloped in a blue aura, instantly shifting to the side with effortless ease. Then, she gently raised her hand, and a dozen or so blue bullets, each the size of a little finger, rained down like shotgun pellets, freezing the pheasant into an ice sculpture.

“…Let me help you find relief.” She sighed softly, snapped her fingers, and crimson flames swept out, engulfing the pheasant.

Although the mutated pheasant was still howling in its final moments, it soon collapsed to the ground, turning into a charred corpse.

After dealing with the mutated pheasant, Rosalind felt somewhat melancholy. Although she had been severely humiliated by Ms. Chicken when she came here to steal eggs before, they had become acquainted through a fight. Now, a year later, Ms. Chicken was gone, making her, who already had no playmates, even more lonely.

I wonder what kind of life the teacher led before I came... But a reclusive master like her probably wouldn't be as restless as I am. Even without me, she could live a leisurely and happy life. It's me who needs her...

Rosalind bowed deeply to Ms. Pheasant, then stood in silence for a minute before turning to leave, clutching the eggs. But just as she was about to move, another pheasant blocked her way, glaring angrily at her, its small body brimming with immense energy.

Rosalyn looked at the hen that looked even more familiar, then at the ugly corpse not far away where she had been bowing and mourning, and her expression froze for a moment: "...Huh?"

……

"Where have you been? You didn't run outside the safety boundary again, did you?" Yvette asked, sitting in the manor's tea room, holding a book, looking at Rosalyn whose hair was much more disheveled than usual.

Two years ago, after gifting Rosalind a Sky Ring Y2 and continuously improving and adding magic to it, she now possesses a certain degree of autonomy and no longer needs Yvette's constant supervision. Therefore, Yvette has specifically divided the map of Ish City into zones: a three-kilometer radius around the manor is a safe zone where free movement is permitted; further out, exploration of the central area requires prior approval; and all areas beyond this zone are strictly prohibited.

The reason for her caution was that during her recent explorations, she discovered some high-level aberrations in the Ish Mountains and Luya City, among other places. Due to the unknown nature of these aberrations and the sheer number of ordinary aberrations nearby, she didn't approach them. However, this didn't stop her from suspecting that even higher-level boss-level aberrations existed in the high-risk areas she had marked. Since aberrations evolve by devouring each other, the entire Ish Island was essentially a giant breeding ground for such aberrations; the emergence of high-level aberrations was not surprising, and perhaps even inevitable.

"No, no, teacher, you warned me, I won't go!" Rosalyn quickly explained, then scratched her head sheepishly, "It was from being hit by a chicken..."

Yvette fell silent, glanced at her a few times, and continued reading her book until half an hour later, when Rosalyn, who had fried the eggs, brought them over along with the rest of the lunch. Only then did she close her book with satisfaction in the tea room and leisurely enjoy the lunch her apprentice had presented.

The sun was shining brightly, and perhaps because of its location far from the equator, the summer heat wasn't particularly intense; in fact, it was quite comfortable. A strong wind blew, and the clouds dispersed, revealing a clear, azure sky.

After the meal, Yvette stood up and said, "Let's go to the place where the fog is."

……

The "fog" Yvette referred to was a dream fog, or at least in her view, it should be a dream fog, just like the fog she saw three hundred years ago when she cautiously explored the tenth basement level of the Abyss Base.

That came from a recent exploration of the "Blackwater Zone." In a ruined building that had not yet collapsed, Rosalyn took the lead and went in. Then she discovered the pervasive mist on the second floor. When Yvette walked up the old stairs, she was shocked to find that the girl was already in the white mist.

but……

Why didn't it trigger?

Yvette didn't understand, but she was certain of one thing: it definitely wasn't normal fog, and there was no reason for fog to form there. Rosalyn's ability to move freely in and out of the fog meant either the fog's power to pull people into dreams wasn't strong enough, or—

The dream fog only works on her.

Considering that she once brought things from her dreams back to the modern world from the mist, even though they were just simple clothes, it still proved that she seemed to have a strange connection with the dream mist, a connection that others, at least people from other worlds, could not reach.

Now, she is going to uncover the true nature of that fog. If it is indeed a dream fog, then she will definitely enter a dream there, and Rosalyn, who is unaffected, can be by her side to protect her sleeping body in reality.

Taking on apprentices is indeed useful.

……

For this trip, Yvette and Rosalind's vehicle had been upgraded and was now a magical vehicle capable of low-altitude flight, with a hovering height of up to 200 meters.

However, compared to the land mode, the magic power consumption in the flight mode is drastically reduced. In addition, the elemental capacitors will experience "elemental decay" over time. The magic motorcycle, which once had a range of thousands of kilometers, now has a range of less than 100 kilometers. This forces Yvette to stop halfway each time and use herself as a battery to recharge the magic motorcycle.

Fortunately, the technology of "element replenishment" was developed before the apocalypse. Capacitors experiencing elemental decay can be fully restored simply by replenishing the lost elements... Hmm, if I can successfully travel back in time this time, I'll take the opportunity to gather some technical knowledge in this area... Knowledge changes destiny...

She quietly began to plan, feeling that she was one step closer to becoming a professional "magical mechanical engineer".

An hour later, Yvette and Rosalind landed the magical motorcycle in a wasteland next to the facility where the Dream Mist was located.

Then, as planned, the two carried out a thorough sweep of the area, eliminating all the mutants that might threaten them in advance.

Finally, they used wind magic to move some large objects into the building and blocked all the entrances, thus completing all the security preparations for the operation.

"Teacher, I still don't feel anything." Rosalyn said, turning her head as she walked up the stairs to the second floor and entered the fog.

Seeing this, Yvette hesitated for a moment before tentatively going up to the second floor. However, just as her body was completely swallowed by the mist, the drowsiness she had experienced before swept over her again.

"You stay here... and watch over... me..." After struggling to finish these instructions, she lay on her side on the ground, her head resting on her arm, and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 17 The Heinous Crime Duo

The night rain was slightly cool, tapping on the awning with a hollow, mechanical clatter.

Yvette slowly opened her eyes, her vision immediately filled by a massive holographic projection—a half-naked virtual beauty was licking her lips with a stylized, seductive gesture. Holographic particles swirled around her waist, forming a flashing advertising slogan: "Tired of the coldness of reality? Craving a more passionate touch? Seventh Heaven, equipped with the latest spirit synchronization technology, makes every caress so real it sends shivers down your spine! Blackwater Zone coordinates 47.9, we cordially invite you to experience it!"

Yvette's pupils contracted slightly as she stared at the advertisement for a few more seconds before turning her gaze to her surroundings.

This is a dark alleyway soaked by rain, stretching out to both sides in the night. The towering building facades are covered with matte alloy plates, and the magical circuits etched on the surface flow with streams of neon light in shades of dark blue, indigo, and crimson, outlining the silhouette of the entire building.

In the corner, piles of discarded gear-shaped magical parts, dusty pipe fittings, worn-out flexible screens, and foul-smelling household garbage were stacked against the wall. A prosthetic hand with exposed alloy joints was mischievously stuck into the mountain of garbage, as if a mechanical life form was about to crawl out of the filth.

"Is this... the Blackwater Zone before the apocalypse?" Yvette murmured to herself, her long, slender fingers brushing the damp, silver hair clinging to her shoulders behind her back.

Just as she was pondering her next move, a familiar yet surprised voice sounded behind her: "Teacher, where is this? How did we suddenly get here?"

Yvette turned around abruptly and saw Rosalyn, dressed in adventure gear, standing behind her.

Her clothes were soaked by the rain, and her blonde hair clung to her cheeks, but her eyes sparkled, like a fawn that had wandered into the future, curiously observing this bizarre new world.

"How did you get in?" Yvette asked in surprise.

"I saw you sleeping directly on the floor, so I wanted to put something under you. But as soon as I touched you, I started to feel sleepy..."

So that's how it is. Only people who have been in contact with me can enter my dreams. That only further confirms the special connection between the dream's mist and me... Yvette pondered.

As the rain intensified, the two had to move towards the alley entrance, where pedestrians began to appear occasionally. Compared to the modern and trendy clothing of the passersby, Yvette, in her white dress, looked quite out of place, almost inevitably attracting stares.