Mystery: The Witch of Desire

Why don't you do a divination yourself?

After saying this, she felt triumphant; for a long time, she had finally given a powerful and positive response to Ms. Marilyn Monroe's teasing.

Seeing that Edwina hadn't taken the bait, Livre didn't say anything more and pointed to the magic circle, asking:

What is this magic circle?

Edwina took a breath and said in a deep voice:

"This magic circle is the weapon I use to get rid of my inner demons."

"Inner demons? Weapons?"

Livre was a little confused.

Edwina stated bluntly, "But I also know that you are a witch, and in reality, I can't defeat you no matter what. However..."

She pointed to the faintly glowing magic circle on the floor:

"This magic array is called the Knowledge Illusion. Once you enter the illusion, everything that happens within it is an illusion. In this illusion, strength, charisma, and extraordinary abilities all become ineffective; only knowledge reigns supreme. The entrant can determine the course of events within the illusion based on their own knowledge."

Upon hearing this, Livre understood and couldn't help but chuckle: This really is how readers solve problems; even this requires knowledge.

She said with a slightly mocking expression:

"You don't actually think you know more about this than I do, do you?"

“I don’t know…” Edwina shook her head honestly, “But this is the best I can do. I’ve tried my best to create a relatively fair environment for myself in order to defeat you and get rid of my inner demons.”

In the illusion of knowledge, the two saw each other's figures.

This world is an illusion, devoid of any real-world elements, with only character-like symbols floating around, symbolizing endless knowledge.

Edwina struck first, flicking her finger to draw upon the invaluable knowledge she had acquired on the island; the dense array of characters around her transformed into chains.

……

After an unknown period of time, the illusion of knowledge collapsed.

Everything that happens in the illusion is an illusion, but

"Or...can't I do it...?"

She gently comforted her:

"You've done very well. The gap between you and the witch isn't so easily bridged."

Edwina nodded slightly, a smile appearing on her complex expression.

"No matter what, at least I have no regrets..."

Seeing her somewhat melancholic smile, Livre was deeply moved.

Unable to deceive Edwina any longer, she said mysteriously:

"Madam, I'll tell you a secret."

"What secret?"

Edwina wasn't very interested.

Livr smiled gently:

“I’m not going back to Backlund. I’ll go with you to the Gargas Islands to find the legendary Forsaken Land.”

Edwina's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked incredulously:

Are you telling the truth?

“Yes,” Livre confirmed with a smile. “The crisis in Backlund has been resolved, and I happen to have a place I’m looking for. Perhaps it’s located on that unknown continent.”

Liviel had a guess in her mind. No one knew the location of Binsi Port, which might mean that it was also located in the Forsaken Land, just like Silver City? Hmm, she could ask the Sun at the next Tarot meeting.

Edwina's eyes rapidly shifted between various emotions: shock, grievance, and joy.

She swiftly dispelled the illusionary array of knowledge, and the frost on her face melted away.

"What happened just now doesn't count. Everything that happened was just an illusion. Let's have a real match!"

……

Kingdom of Loen, Port Priz.

The waves gently lapped against the dock in the dead of night, making soft, rhythmic sounds.

Suddenly, a discordant splashing sound rang out, and a tall man covered in scales and with webbed feet emerged from the water and jumped onto the dock.

Chapter 183 The Witch's Surprise

After emerging from the water, the man's webbed feet and scales disappeared, revealing him to be a large man with a broad chin, an ancient knight's topknot, and a cold smile in his eyes—none other than Hurricane General Zilingus.

His figure quickly transformed into an ordinary-looking boatman. He went to the street, flagged down a horse-drawn carriage, and traveled to Backlund overnight.

Tomorrow is the day the Duke of Negan will hold a grand ball.

……

……

The next day at noon.

On the Golden Dream, Edwina wakes up in the captain's cabin.

She was still a little dizzy from drinking too much and being too wild last night.

She didn't rush to get up, but lay in bed quietly savoring the feelings of last night before getting dressed with a slightly flushed face and going to the restaurant.

Most of the crew members in the restaurant were listless, either because they had drunk too much the night before or because they were reluctant to leave land. Edwina searched around but could not find any trace of Livril.

At that moment, First Mate Blue Walls approached, holding a bottle of Olmere wine that he had just purchased on the island the night before.

"Captain, let's set sail after lunch."

He poured Edwina a full glass of blood-red wine, causing the undigested alcohol in her stomach to rise again.

Where is Miss Marilyn Monroe?

She initially intended to pretend she didn't care, but after hesitating for a moment, she still asked.

Blue Walls said with a hint of regret:

"She has already disembarked."

Edwina's face showed an unconcealable disappointment, making her look like a little girl who had lost her favorite toy.

“Oh, right.” Blue Walls suddenly remembered something and took out a small bottle of cosmetic liquid. “This was left by Miss Marilyn Monroe. She asked me to give it to you and said that if you miss her, just open it and take a look.”

Edwina silently accepted the small bottle. As soon as she opened it, a rich, fragrant aroma wafted out, and the sticky liquid inside shimmered with an alluring glow.

Edwina quickly turned her back to prevent Blue Walls from noticing anything amiss.

"That lewd witch, she actually does such a perverse thing..."

She cursed inwardly with some resentment, but carefully put the small bottle away, placing it with extra care in her inner pocket.

"First mate, set sail!"

The Golden Dream raised its sails and, riding the prevailing westerly winds of late autumn, headed towards the Gargas Islands in the east.

About half an hour later, Bayam behind them had become a barely visible black dot, and the ship was once again adrift on the boundless sea. Only a few scattered islands were visible around the shipping lane. After sailing a little further ahead, beyond the waters of the Rothschild Islands, even these islands would be precious lands that would only be seen after several days of sailing.

Standing on the deck gazing eastward, Edwina's thoughts weren't on the end of the Sunia Sea, but rather on that beautiful and charming face.

"I don't know when we'll be able to meet again..."

Edwina was muttering to herself when suddenly, a pleasant voice rang in her ears:

"Whom do you want to meet? The giants of the Forsaken Lands?"

Livre's hidden figure quietly appeared beside Edwina, looking at her with a smile.

"Miss Monroe!" Edwina exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you disembark? How come you're back..."

Livre smiled meaningfully and said:

"I still want to go to the end of the Sunya Sea with you."

"Because there are people on this ship whom I can't let go of."

……

……

A grand ball is being held at the Duke of Negan’s mansion in Queen Backlund.

Audrey Hall, who had skipped the opening dance, was standing on the second floor of the ballroom, staring blankly at the huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the candles on it. But when she noticed that many people were eager to come over and ask her to dance, she wisely left and stepped onto the corridor leading to the guest room area.

Ever since becoming a spectator and seeing the lust in their eyes, I never want to dance with men again… but I can't not participate… Ugh, can't they just let me observe quietly? I must say, some people's expressions while dancing are truly expressive; they always remind me of animals courting…

Audrey leaned against the railing in a relaxed posture, observing the diverse guests with great interest, thus enriching her own perspective and knowledge as an audience member.

Before long, Audrey started to get bored. The young woman was 18, the age when she was most curious and energetic, and even as an extraordinary being, she couldn't concentrate on one thing for long.

If only I could chat with Fors and Hugh...

Audrey thought lazily that, in order to repay Fors and Hugh for helping investigate Zillingus, Audrey promised Fors that she would take her to the ball, and Hugh would also come along with Fors to join in the fun.

However, Fors and Hugh attended as attendants and did not enter the main hall of the ball. Instead, they stayed in a side hall with a group of guards, mid-ranking officers, movie stars, and businessmen.

These people are already considered to be in a higher stratum than the middle class in society, and are almost touching the threshold of high society.

But at the Duke of Negan’s ball, they could only stay in the side hall and were not even allowed to enter the main hall.

It wasn't that Duke Negan was putting on airs; rather, the main hall was already packed with members of the royal family, dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, barons, government officials, big businessmen, bankers, and factory owners, leaving no room for more people.

Just as Audrey was contemplating whether to go to the side hall to find Fors and Hugh, she caught a glimpse of a figure approaching out of the corner of her eye. She quickly straightened her back and instantly transformed back into the elegant and demure Miss Hall.

"Hello, Baron Gramir."

Audrey greeted him with a flawless smile and impeccable manners.

Baron Gramir, with sparse eyebrows and light blue eyes, smiled and bowed.

"Hello, Miss Hall, you are the brightest and most dazzling jewel of this ball."

Audrey was not pleased by such praise, for the nobles generally referred to her as 'the most dazzling diamond in Backlund,' yet Baron Gramir had downgraded her. Of course, she didn't care about such empty titles, but she did find Baron Gramir somewhat strange.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Baron Gramir headed towards the ballroom, while Audrey remained leaning against the railing, reflecting on what had just happened.

After thinking for a while, she suddenly frowned, her emerald eyes filled with doubt:

"Baron Gramir is acting a little differently than usual..."

“In the past, when he saw ladies and women of higher status and more beautiful than himself, he would look away, not daring to look directly at them, and would keep stealing glances… But today, he seems very confident…”

Chapter 184 The Audience's Intuition

"Also, his perfume smelled wrong. When he used to attend parties, he always wore the base notes of 'Amber,' a pure and light musk, understated yet elegant. In other words, he would spray perfume several hours in advance so that the top and middle notes would dissipate before the event. But just now, the scent on him was the middle notes of 'Amber,' rich and elegant..."

Audrey's doubts deepened. As a viewer who had fully digested the potion, her keen sense of detail was unmatched by any other extraordinary individual.

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her, and her bright green eyes froze:

"Could it be Qilingus in disguise?"

"The 'wriggling hunger' has the ability to transform a person into different appearances!"

"But Zilingus has already left Backlund. Could I be overthinking this..."

……

Audrey felt uneasy. She wanted to tell her father, Earl Hall, about her idea, but she felt it would be too abrupt and could cause unnecessary panic. After all, the Church of Storms had specifically mentioned to her father that Zilingus had left, and it would indeed be hasty to make such an unfounded conclusion based on a little uncertainty.

After some thought, Audrey decided to seek out Fors and Hugh, two Beyonders with higher Sequences, to help her make a judgment. Moreover, they had contact with Zillingus, albeit only briefly, and therefore knew more about him than Audrey did.

Having made up her mind, Audrey looked around to make sure no one was watching, lifted her long skirt, and quickly ran down the stairs. Then, she regained her elegant demeanor and strolled leisurely through the main hall, down a short corridor, to the side hall.

Her appearance undoubtedly caused a sensation in the side hall. The young ladies and wives of the aristocracy cast envious or jealous glances at her, while the young men rushed around, fantasizing about whether they would have the chance to win the most dazzling diamond in Backlund.

When Hugh saw Audrey arrive, he realized she must have come to find him and Fors, so he took the initiative to go up to her and, with the authority of a sheriff, gave Audrey some peace and quiet.

"Thank you, Ms. Hugh."

Audrey thanked him quietly, and once again she felt that this woman, who was only 1.5 meters tall, was so reliable.

"Miss Audrey, is there something you need from us?"

After several encounters, Fors also changed his address for Audrey Hall from 'Miss Hall' to 'Miss Audrey'.