Mystery: The Witch of Desire

"Uh... actually, I did some divination, and the capture operation might not go too smoothly." Klein scratched his head. "If you really need to take action, then even if I use up this opportunity, if you don't need to take action, then I'll keep this opportunity, how about that?"

Livre sighed and shook her head, saying:

"Klein, Klein, were you really from the Great Foodie Country in your past life? You look more like a squid to me. How can you be so calculating? I don't have that much time to be your babysitter."

Before Klein could even begin to haggle, Livre continued:

"When you really need my help, just call me from above the gray fog, and I will do my best to help you immediately. Of course, if the distance is too far, then I can't help you."

As she spoke, she took out a small women's dressing mirror and handed it to Klein.

"Keep it safe and carry it with you wherever you go."

Klein took the mirror with some surprise. Suddenly, he glanced at the brass mirror on his desk and remembered that his lover had indeed appeared directly next to the brass mirror.

Could Miss Lover really travel through mirrors? That's how she was able to return to Backlund from the sea? That's unbelievable…

He was about to ask his lover what had happened when he looked up and found that she had disappeared, leaving only the small women's dressing mirror in his hand.

……

After activating Mirror Travel and leaving Klein's house, Livre couldn't wait to take out the Wriggling Hunger and begin to carefully examine this magical item that had created a pirate general:

From the front, it looks exactly like a normal glove, except for its slippery, almost human-skin-like texture. From the bottom, you can see a gaping maw in the palm area, with two rows of sharp teeth opening and closing, and a barbed tongue sticking out, greedily waiting to devour new souls.

This is far more terrifying than the Thirst for Blood gloves. If someone were to lick it... wait, why would I want to let it lick me? At most, I'd let it lick Fors once...

Liviel inwardly berated herself and continued to examine the extraordinary ability of 'Wriggling Hunger':

It allows the owner to control the souls it devours, thus utilizing some of the extraordinary abilities those souls possessed in life. It can "graze" up to five souls at a time, allowing for replacements. Currently, the following souls are being grazed by the Wriggling Hunger:

The soul of a Seer's Path Sequence 6 'Faceless Man' can alter his appearance and physique, which is also the key ability for Zilingus to disguise and infiltrate.

The soul of a Solar Path Sequence 5 'Priest of Light' can summon pure, blazing light to purify the undead and anomalies within a certain range.

A sleepless soul with a Sequence 7 'Nightmare' pathway can activate the 'Nightmare' ability to enter dreams, silently dragging the target into a dream, and the wearer can still move their body while in the Nightmare state.

One viewer, through the soul of Sequence 7 "Psychotherapist," can drive the target into a frenzy, provide psychological suggestion, and simulate "Dragon's Might" to intimidate the target.

The soul of an Arbitrator Path Sequence 7 "Interrogator" includes mastery of interrogation skills, becoming an investigative expert, and using "Mental Piercing" to attack target spirits.

What powerful abilities... It even includes Sequence 5 abilities that are higher than Zilingus's own rank, and Zilingus can still control them freely. I wonder what would happen if he were to herd the soul of a demigod?

Liviel couldn't help but daydream, though of course, it wasn't very realistic for her at the moment.

Of course, this magical item also has some drawbacks. First, the soul that is controlled can only use one to three abilities from its previous life. As for how many and which ones, it depends entirely on luck and becomes fixed after the first "herding".

Moreover, one can only command one soul at a time, and can only use the extraordinary abilities corresponding to that soul and one's own extraordinary abilities. If one wants to replace an original soul with a new one, the process will be irreversible, and there will be no chance to regret it.

Furthermore, this magical item must devour the soul and flesh of a living person every two days, or it will turn on its owner. In other words, Livre must find a living person for it by tomorrow at the latest; she can already feel the restless, writhing hunger within it.

Finally, Livre truly sensed the pain of the shepherded souls.

She paused for a few seconds, as if conversing with those souls, and then whispered:

"Once I kill those sinners, I will replace them with their souls so that you may rest in peace soon... Of course, this is on the condition that you are not the most heinous criminals."

The writhing hunger emitted a hissing sound like a small animal, whether it was the throbbing of the magical object itself or the resonance of those tormented souls, it was hard to tell.

Liviel had made up her mind that from now on, whether herding or feeding, she would only choose those who had committed heinous crimes. She wasn't worried that one day she would have trouble finding targets to feed, because the world was never short of evil, nor of people who deserved to die, unless she was stranded on a deserted island.

While searching for something to feed the 'wriggling hunger', Livre arrived at the small building at 46 University Street, the place where she and Emily used to live.

She lightly leaped onto the window and glanced into the room, where she spotted Emily sitting on a single sofa.

She sat there motionless, her gaze fixed quietly ahead.

Only the occasional blink of her eyes indicated that she was a living person, not a statue.

Just from her slightly melancholic eyebrows, it was clear that Livre had not yet moved on from what happened back then.

After silently watching from outside the window for a long time, Livr sighed deeply.

Perhaps, only time can heal everything.

Just as Livre was about to leave, Emily stood up from the sofa and walked to the dressing mirror.

She changed into a clean and simple dress, put on some light makeup, silently looked at herself in the mirror for a few seconds, and then walked out of the room.

Is Emily going out...? It's already evening, where is she going?

Livre was a little curious, so she quietly followed Emily westward along University Street until they arrived at a coffee shop.

Livre remembered this café; she and Emily had spent their free time there when they were in Tingen. It had a quiet atmosphere and was a popular date spot for couples.

A sudden surge of anxiety gripped her. Had Emily fallen in love?

However, even if Emily was in a relationship, it didn't seem like a big deal. After all, Jason had been gone for so long, and she couldn't stay a widow for Jason forever. The two of them didn't actually get married.

But the thought that Emily might be with another man still made Livre feel very sad.

As if to verify her guess, Emily walked straight to a coffee table and sat down opposite a handsome, well-dressed young man.

Livre had to admit that, for a moment, she had an impulse to feed the man to her 'wriggling hunger'.

"I'm sorry, Mr. White, I'm late."

Emily said with a polite smile.

The young man she called Mr. White spoke in a gentle tone:

"It's alright, I'm already very happy that you came."

Emily hesitated for a moment, then straightened her back and said solemnly:

“Mr. White, I am not here for a formal appointment, but to formally inform you that I appreciate your appreciation, but please forgive me for not being able to accept your advances.”

White was taken aback and asked, somewhat puzzled:

"Why? Are you dissatisfied with me? Please forgive my bluntness, but you're of marriageable age, yet you remain single..."

Emily shook her head:

“You are a very good gentleman, more than a match for a woman like me, but I really have no interest in romance, so please understand…”

Emily firmly rejected Mr. White's advances, much to the relief of Livre, who had been watching from the sidelines.

She didn't know why she felt this way. Considering Emily's happiness, marrying a suitable partner would be a better choice. However, deep down, she seemed unwilling for Emily to have such happiness.

However, Mr. White seemed to be an exceptionally devoted character. He stood up, bowed deeply, and said in a deep voice:

“Miss Emily, I will wait for you. I believe that one day my sincerity will move you.”

Emily remained silent, her expression complex. After a long while, she said goodbye and left the coffee shop.

However, Livre's heart clenched painfully.

Because she saw hesitation in Emily's expression.

This means that, deep down, Emily had actually considered whether or not to accept Mr. White's advances...

If Mr. White continues his pursuit day after day, she might actually agree.

What should I do? What should I do?

I have no reason, nor any right, to stop Emily from pursuing happiness, but I really don't want to see her in another man's arms...

A complex mix of emotions welled up inside Livre. After a long while, her gaze calmed down as she looked at Mr. White, who was still inside the café.

Let's test Emily. If he is truly a gentleman who is good in every way, then let Emily pursue her own happiness. But if he has any flaws, then use your persuasive skills to make him give up pursuing Emily.

Livre convinced herself and stealthily walked to Mr. White's side.

Mr. White, who was sipping his coffee with a melancholy expression, suddenly became dazed, his soul being dragged into the mirror world by Livre to communicate with spirits.

After a while, Livre returned Mr. White's soul, shook her head with a sigh of relief, and felt quite pleased with herself.

Sure enough, he's not a good man! Although he's handsome, healthy, from a wealthy family, never smokes or drinks, is discreet in his interactions with women, has outstanding personal abilities, a doctorate, and a respectable job, he actually dislikes canned wolffish! Being a picky eater is not a good habit, and it's best to keep him away from Emily if he has such bad habits.

At the end of her psychic encounter, Livre persuaded Mr. White to give up on pursuing Emily, then left the café and followed in Emily's footsteps.

She didn't hide herself or conceal her footsteps; she simply followed behind Emily.

Livre didn't know why she was doing this. Perhaps it was because she wasn't satisfied with just watching quietly from the sidelines. She wanted Emily to see her and say a few words to her, even though she herself didn't know what to say...

Emily, with her keen senses, quickly spotted her.

At first, Emily didn't pay any attention. But as Livre followed her across two intersections, Emily finally sensed something was wrong. She stopped, turned to look at Livre, and calmly said:

"Miss, is there anything I can help you with?"

Emily glanced at Livia following behind her and felt a sense of disorientation, as if the woman were a goddess from a myth, giving her an unconscious urge to cherish and get close to her, even though she herself was a woman.

But soon, Emily realized something was wrong. She quickly bit her tongue, letting the slight sting awaken her soul from its reverie, and then cautiously reached for the pistol at her waist.

"I meant no harm."

Livre's voice was as clear and melodious as flowing water, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment: Emily really didn't recognize me at all in this state.

At this moment, she felt a sense of 'silence before and after' from a past life; too many words were left unsaid. Finally, she whispered in a slightly hesitant tone:

"Madam, are you lonely?"

Emily was taken aback by his words and frowned. After all, this question sounded just like the opening line a playboy would use to woo a married woman.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. If you think I'm as boring as you, then you should go see a doctor and get your eyes checked."

Emily's voice was icy as she turned to leave.

Livre regretted it and quickly took a step forward, calling out:

"Wait, how about we grab some late-night snacks together?"

Emily didn't respond, leaving Livre standing there, watching her familiar figure hurry away.

A bitter smile appeared on Livre's lips:

As expected of a hunter, Emily has actually learned to provoke...

Well, I guess I didn't come for nothing, at least I helped Emily digest some of the potion.

With a self-deprecating thought, Livre raised the sapphire ring, activated her mirror-travel ability, and returned to a grocery store on Minsk Street in the Jowood district of Backlund.

Then, she put the writhing hunger on her hand, activated the Faceless Man's power, and changed her appearance into an ordinary-looking woman.

In comparison, Livre discovered that there was a significant difference between the Faceless Man's abilities and the actor's abilities.

The Faceless Man's transformation is more free; he can transform into the target's appearance without needing to know enough about the target. Moreover, in the transformed state, it does not affect his ability to use extraordinary powers.

An actor's transformation requires a deep understanding of the target; the greater the understanding, the better the transformation, even allowing them to mimic weakened extraordinary abilities. However, in the transformed state, only half of their original power can be utilized. Furthermore, an actor's transformation is based on performance and imitation, requiring a reference point; the transformed appearance cannot differ too much from the original.

Overall, No-Face's ability to transform and imitate is more practical, while the actor has the advantage of being able to master certain extraordinary abilities of the other party, so they each have their own strengths.

After transforming, Livre prepared to walk to the East District to find an unlucky bastard to feed her wriggling hunger.

As she passed by Mr. Waffle's residence at 26 Minsk Street, Livre sensed an unusual aura, an unusual aura belonging to that evil god.

Liviel frowned. Had those official extraordinary individuals still not resolved the issue of dreaming with tree spirits?

Chapter 190 The Proactive Mirror of Arodes

After a slight hesitation, Livre stepped forward. With the blessing of 'wriggling hunger', she was confident that her strength was already above that of the tree spirit she had met in her dream. Although she had always avoided contact with beings related to that evil god, she could not stand by and watch them run rampant.

After a divination confirmed that the danger was not high, Livre activated her mirror-traveling ability and entered the mirror world. She had visited Mr. Waffle's house many times and knew many of the mirrors in his house.

But instead of rushing out of Mr. Waffle's mirror, she began to observe her surroundings.

Meanwhile, outside Mr. Waffle's house, on the road in another direction.

Two unmarked carriages were parked beside the lawn. Inside the carriages sat members of the Mechanical Heart team, dressed in heavy, dark leather robes adorned with metal decorations such as gears, pistons, and circuits. They carried steam rifles with tubes connecting to backpacks on their backs.

These members were led by Iconsel Bernard, captain of the Queens Mechanical Heart squad, and the captain of the Joewood Mechanical Heart squad. The two teams joined forces and set their sights on Mr. Waffle at 26 Minsk Street.

With his hair disheveled and looking somewhat exhausted, Ikonser held the Mirror of Arodes and asked with an air of resignation:

"Your Excellency Arrodes, what is Mr. Waffle doing inside?"

The dim light inside the carriage suddenly dimmed, and ripples of water appeared on the surface of the silver mirror.

Then, the water shimmered violently, creating a hazy atmosphere.

Ikonser frowned in surprise. The Mirror of Arodes had never experienced anything like this before. What was going on?

Just as he was about to ask a question, a line of seemingly animated text suddenly appeared on Arrodes' mirror:

"Oh, I smell a wonderful scent..."

Just by looking at this line of text, Ikonser was infected and felt a joyful atmosphere, as if Arodes was currently in a wonderful state, enjoying indescribable sweetness.