Mystery: The Witch of Desire

Tracy finally broke free from the lingering spiritual threads, ripped the spider silk stuck to her lips, and looked at her mother.

Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions: disgust, anger, hatred, and grief. Her once powerful and respected mother now lay there like a lowly woman who had just finished serving a customer.

What humiliated her even more was that her mother claimed that everything she did was for her own benefit…

The lust in Katarina's eyes faded, replaced by the tenderness of a mother for her child, and she spoke softly:

"My child, untie me."

Tracy shuddered and turned her head away in disgust, seemingly lacking the courage to face her mother in this posture.

She tossed the key to Katarina, her body still trembling slightly from the inner turmoil, and said through gritted teeth:

"I will never forget this!"

Katarina removed her shackles, draped a white robe over her shoulders, and regained her holy appearance.

She smiled slightly and said:

"Pain is inevitable. The more pain you experience, the more you will feel your own weakness. When the pain reaches its extreme, the desire to change yourself will become strong enough to help you withstand the potion, gain divinity in the ritual, and become a demigod..."

Upon hearing this, Tracy suddenly remembered something, her expression froze, and she blurted out:

"So, you were with that woman in front of me because..."

Katarina smiled faintly and said:

“You are my youngest child, but the one most likely to become a demigod. As your mother, of course I want to help you.”

Tracy's facial muscles twitched, and she said in a distorted voice:

"Could it be that Elaine was able to escape the Black Death because..."

Katerina's smile grew ever brighter:

"As a witch, you should spend more time with men..."

……

……

The Golden Dream, Captain's Room.

Edwina stood solemnly by the desk, staring blankly at the full-length mirror opposite her.

A group of deputies sat around the table, talking with various expressions.

Danitz, his body wrapped in bandages, asked in astonishment:

"What?! You mean, Miss Monroe is actually a very powerful Extraordinary Being, and she's the one who told the captain I was captured and came with him to rescue me..."

First Mate Blue Walls nodded:

“Yes, she not only saved you, but she also saved me. She also killed ‘Iron’ McVitie. Although I helped in that battle, I feel that even if Miss Monroe faced Iron alone, she could defeat him.”

"'Steel' McVitie..."

Danitz muttered to himself, a chill running down his spine. He knew exactly how strong the second mate of Blood Admiral Senor was.

So, Miss Marilyn was such a strong woman. Was she just playing with me all along...? But in the end, she still came to save me without hesitation. She did care about me...

Danitz thought silently, his heart filled with mixed feelings of grievance and emotion, his expression a complex mix of emotions.

Just then, the full-length mirror opposite Edwina flickered, and a tall, beautiful figure walked out from it.

"Miss Marilyn Monroe!"

Danitz and Blue Walls shouted in unison and rushed forward eagerly.

"Are you alright, Miss Marilyn?"

The two men flanked her, one on each side, eager to shower her with all their attention.

"Mr. Dart, congratulations on your return."

Despite her weariness, Livre still wore a charming smile. She glanced knowingly at Danitz, then ignored the two of them and walked straight towards Edwina.

"Miss Marilyn Monroe..."

Danitz felt a lump in his throat and almost burst into tears.

Edwina stood up from her desk and went to meet Livre, a hint of emotion finally appearing on her usually icy face.

She looked Liviel up and down, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw that her clothes were intact and she was unharmed.

"That witch didn't make things difficult for you, did she?"

"I asked with concern."

“No.” Livre shook her head, and said carefully, “We have some history together, and things have been resolved peacefully for now. However, Tracy must hate us to the core, so we must be careful of her revenge in the future.”

Actually, the only person Tracy truly hated to the core was me...

Livre muttered to herself, thinking that she must be promoted as soon as possible and then get rid of Tracy, this major threat.

Edwina nodded slightly:

"None of that matters. The best outcome is that we're all still alive."

She looked around and addressed her crew:

"You all go and rest first. I have something to say to Miss Marilyn."

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat: Oh no, is our captain going to be seduced? But then again, if it were Miss Marilyn Monroe, it wouldn't be so bad; at least she's a woman…

After everyone left, Edwina walked up to Livre and bowed deeply.

"Please accept my gratitude. Without you, I might have lost an important companion."

“It’s two people,” Livre corrected with a smile. “So, what’s your reward? Let me make it clear first, it won’t do if it doesn’t satisfy me.”

Edwina thought for a moment and said:

"I will do everything I can to help you advance to Sequence 5, including but not limited to: gathering potion ingredients for you, holding the subsequent advancement ceremony for you, and helping you digest the Pleasure Potion..."

Livre was taken aback by what she heard:

"Help me digest the pleasure potion?"

"You, you mustn't misunderstand..."

Edwina quickly blushed slightly and clarified:

"What I mean is, to help you digest the pleasure potion using the effective method I mentioned. I will capture some heinous pirates and criminals, and you will kill them at the right moment while you are having sex with them. This way, you can digest the pleasure potion to the maximum extent."

Livre was taken aback, then gave a wry smile with a hint of helplessness:

Do I look like that kind of casual person?

Edwina stared intently at her, as if to say: That's right, aren't all witches like this?

Livre sighed, offering no explanation, and said softly:

“I’ve already digested the potion of pleasure, so you don’t need to worry about it. As for the ingredients for the potion of pain, I’m only missing the blood of the flower-faced bat. As for performing the ritual, I do need your help.”

"Blood from a flower-faced bat? No problem."

Edwina readily agreed.

"You now possess the blood of the masked bat?"

Livre was somewhat surprised. Although she knew that Iceberg was known for its rich collection, she didn't think that Edwina could just produce any rare material.

Edwina shook her head and said:

“I don’t have any readily available materials, but I know of a place where flower-faced bats inhabit. These are extraordinary creatures whose strength is between Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 of human extraordinary beings. The vast majority of the species are female and possess the ability to cause pain; while a very small number of males possess the ability to charm…”

Edwina seemed unable to stop talking once she started, and she went on and on to introduce the knowledge about the flower-faced bats to Livre until Livre had fully grasped the knowledge about them.

"The island inhabited by the flower-faced bats is about 900 kilometers away from here, located on Shorttail Island, south of Tiana Island. It is close to the edge of the turbulent sea, with unpredictable weather and strong currents. However, these are not major problems, and the Golden Dream can overcome this level of sea conditions."

Edwina composed herself and asked in a calm tone:

"So, would you like to come with me?"

Livre couldn't help but chuckle to herself:

"This is to help me find materials, how could I possibly refuse?"

Edwina nodded slightly:

"Okay, let's head to nearby Tilynius Island to replenish our food and fresh water supplies first, and then head directly to Bobtail Island. The journey isn't long, and if the wind is favorable, it should only take about two days to get there."

“As you command, my lady captain.” Livre curtsied gracefully like a theatrical actress, her eyes full of smiles. “Perfect timing. I’d like to send a telegram. There should be a telegraph office on Delineus, right?”

Edwina scrutinized Livre for a moment, then calmly said:

"There is a telegraph machine on this ship. If you want to send a telegram, you can do so directly on the ship. This way, you can receive a reply in a timely manner."

Livre paused for a moment:

"A telegraph machine on board the ship? Does that technology already exist?"

“Yes,” Edwina explained, “The Church of Knowledge has been investing in various new inventions and creations, and the shipborne telegraph machine is one of them. Although it is still in the experimental stage, my ship carries a prototype. It is quite reliable and can send and receive telegrams normally, but the power is a bit low, and it may not be usable in stormy weather…”

Livre was somewhat surprised and asked in confusion:

"But how are the ship's telegraph machines connected to cables? Does your Golden Dream have an undersea cable towed to the mainland by its stern?"

Edwina continued to explain:

“As you should know, there are now multiple submarine cables laid across the seabed of the five seas. When I use the telegraph machine, I only need to use ritual magic to connect the telegraph machine's electromagnetic signal to the nearest submarine cable. This involves the principles of radio stations. Do you know what a radio station is? This is also a project invested in by the Church of Knowledge…”

After listening for a while, Livre finally understood the general function of the ship's telegraph machine. With Edwina's help, she sent a telegram to Fors and Hugh, who were far away in Backlund. This urgent telegram would be transmitted to the Backlund telegraph office, and then the postman would deliver the letter to Fors and Hugh, who would then send a reply from the telegraph office along the original route.

This is really troublesome. I hope Fors and Hugh can get a messenger soon...

Livre couldn't help but inwardly grumble.

In the telegram, Livre inquired about Fors and Hugh's recent situation and subtly asked if they had recently met a noble lady.

If they answer yes, then Livre can basically confirm Miss Justice's true identity.

Thinking that she might soon uncover the identity of another member of the Tarot Club, Livre couldn't help but hum a little tune excitedly. She discovered that she seemed to have an unusual interest in snooping on other people's privacy.

After sending the telegram, Edwina said gently:

"Go to your guest room and rest well. I'll have them bring the food to your room."

"You're so thoughtful. If Danitz and the others knew, they'd probably be jealous."

Livre smiled and waved goodbye before pushing open the door to the captain's cabin.

Edwina watched her departing figure, her cheeks suddenly flushing slightly, and she murmured to herself in a barely audible voice:

"Then let them be jealous."

……

Chapter 176 A Date for Two?

Backlund, Hillston District.

"A distinctively broad chin, the hairstyle of an ancient knight, eyes that hold a cold smile..."

Hugh Deercha sat half-reclined on the sofa, studying the sketch that Miss Audrey Hall had given him with Fors.

It was a portrait of General Ziringus from the hurricane; to the two women, it was a living, breathing gold pound. Audrey had said that even a simple clue would earn her a reward of 1000 gold pounds.

After etching the image of the great pirate Zillingus into his mind, Hugh continued reading the accompanying description:

"The portrait is only for reference, because the target has the ability to transform into the appearance of others, and the duration is unknown."

A portrait is only for reference... the target can be transformed into someone else... only for reference, transforming someone else... then what is the meaning of this portrait?

Hugh and Fors froze, as if they had sensed the malice of the world.

Fors lay languidly on the sofa, talking to himself as if to himself:

"There's no way to find them. We don't know what they look like. All we know is that they're outsiders. The number of new outsiders arriving in Backlund every day is simply uncountable."

As she spoke, Fors strained her waist, trying to sit up, but failed three times in a row.

She mumbled something and reached out to press down on the back of the sofa, successfully turning from lying down into sitting up.

"If only Miss Marilyn were here, maybe she could use the magic mirror to divine and find Qilingus's whereabouts in no time..."

Fors said with a hint of melancholy.