Mystery: The Witch of Desire

The colonists and wealthy people of the northern continent could receive good medical treatment, and it was not difficult for them to resist this level of plague.

The impoverished indigenous people, on the other hand, were like lambs exposed to the cold wind, able only to pray to the gods, hoping their bodies would be strong enough to withstand the onslaught of disease...

……

In the following days, rumors about the 'dream sprite' spread throughout Fabre.

After nightfall, an incomparably beautiful and holy elf will appear in the dreams of the residents suffering from the disease.

She wore a long, emerald-green dress adorned with flowers and leaves, her figure was voluptuous and slender, her skin was as white as milk, and her aura was as fragrant as honey.

Sometimes she appears with an elfin beauty, and sometimes she transforms into the image of someone people admire.

She spreads the gospel in her dreams, bestows life, and allows people to experience the holiness and beauty of nature.

Those who have seen fairies in their dreams will experience varying degrees of improvement in their condition the following day.

Gradually, more and more people began to believe in the existence of dream fairies, rather than just regarding her as a rumor.

They began to kneel on the ground, light incense, and pray fervently, praying that the dream spirits would appear in their and their family's dreams and drive away all illness and suffering.

"A beautiful and holy dream fairy..."

"The sacred angel who governs health..."

"The goddess of dreams who brings hope..."

Their rituals are varied, with different prayers and titles. From a mystical perspective, they have no specific purpose; their only function is to bring some comfort to the patients.

It should be like this.

But to the astonishment of the 'dream fairy' herself—Miss Livre Monroe—she gleaned an extremely subtle connection from those prayers that lacked even the most basic rituals.

That connection was almost negligible and had no practical use, but Livre believed it might involve something important, such as the foundation of the divine belief system.

Those subtle connections are likely what the gods hope to obtain from their followers. Of course, Livre is currently too weak, and the prayers she receives are not clearly targeted, so she can only perceive a very limited amount of them.

Modric, the captain of the Fabre Port Punisher squad, was in a very difficult position regarding the situation that had arisen within the city.

On one hand, the matter of the dream spirit has alarmed the higher-ups, who have ordered a thorough investigation to prevent large-scale worship of unknown deities—a common occurrence in the Southern Continent, where many cities and villages still hold beliefs in various 'gods' of unknown origin.

On the other hand, the appearance of the dream spirits did bring tangible benefits to the people, playing a positive role in curing the plague, especially for the lower-class indigenous populations.

Official medical facilities and aid provided could only cover the wealthy among the Northlanders and natives, who suffered little loss during the plague.

The indigenous people at the bottom of society can only rely on their already unhealthy bodies to resist the erosion of disease. Without the healing of the 'Dream Elf', the situation in the slums would likely have worsened, causing widespread collapse and death.

After careful consideration, Modric came up with a solution that would benefit both sides.

He adorned a female member of a nudist sect he had previously captured with flowers and foliage, took her to the street, and declared her to be the bewitching 'dream sprite.' He then gave her a symbolic trial and burned her at the stake.

This way, they can both respond to the orders from their superiors and maintain the status quo, thus not depriving the lower classes of any hope.

However, Modric did not expect that when he lit the torch in his hand, and when the female member of the naturist sect let out a shrill wail, the surrounding natives seemed to change.

They were no longer as numb as before, no longer silently watching the colonists burn their chiefs, gods, and national heroes.

They began to shout, they began to protest, they began to loudly denounce the injustice of the colonizers.

Even though the military guards immediately used rifle butts and clubs to suppress them, they could not quell their anger and resentment. The waves of anger gradually rose, and more and more indigenous people began to gather at the execution ground.

"Release the dream spirit!"

"Release the dream spirit!"

"We must live too!"

We want freedom too!

The shouts of the indigenous people grew louder and louder, and countless angry eyes turned bloodshot from long-term oppression and pleasure. The entire execution ground seemed to have become a dry powder keg, ready to explode violently at the slightest spark.

Livre was anxiously busy in the crowd.

She switched her agonizing hunger to that of a psychologist, using her soothing abilities to calm the emotions of more than a dozen indigenous people, but this was undoubtedly a drop in the ocean compared to the total number of people gathered at the execution ground.

She knew that once a conflict broke out, the kingdom's military and police would definitely use the most brutal methods to suppress the natives, which would inevitably cause large-scale casualties.

"No, this atmosphere is not right..."

Livre murmured to herself, sensing that something was amiss.

Although various demonstrations and unrest frequently broke out in the colonies, the indigenous people were not as fanatical or fearless as they are today.

A thick, intense heat permeated the air, as if a master orator was silently releasing a seductive signal.

This is... the effect of extraordinary abilities...

Where, where...

Suddenly, Livre sensed a strong spiritual fluctuation.

She glanced to the side and saw a three-story building on the street corner. Behind the window stood two somewhat familiar figures.

Liviel vanished from her spot, and a few seconds later, she emerged from the mirror inside the three-story building and stood before the two figures.

"Is it you?"

In Livre's astonished eyes, she saw the figures of Janice and Duval.

Janice was waving a tattered flag stained with blood, and waves of highly inflammatory, fanatical spirituality emanated from the flag, drifting into the street and towards the gathered natives.

The flag was exactly the same in shape as the flag in the rectangular box that Señor had stolen, but unlike the flag, it possessed a powerful spiritual presence and truly extraordinary characteristics.

Sensing Livia's arrival, Janice turned around, her once playful eyes now filled with fervor:

"Ah, you've come."

Duval, standing nearby, was equally fervent, seemingly captivated by the ever-fluttering flags, and proclaimed in an almost reciting tone:

"Look, what a beautiful sight! The indigenous people are walking the streets, bravely resisting the atrocities committed by the colonists. Before this, they were just a bunch of cowardly cowards who just wanted to get by..."

Livre said heavily:

“I should have guessed it sooner. The ‘Spirit of War’ is in the hands of Lieutenant General Gamour, and the reason you hired me to attack Lieutenant General Gamour is to steal the ‘Spirit of War’…”

Janice slowed her flag-waving, the fervor in her eyes waned slightly, and she chuckled softly:

"It's not too late to know all this now. I actually really like you. How about it, do you want to consider joining us?"

"Who exactly are you referring to, 'you all'?"

Livre remained vigilant and asked cautiously.

Duval smiled slightly and said in a proud tone:

"An ancient organization, whose heritage and history are in no way inferior to those orthodox churches... Join us and together we will seize the authority that rightfully belongs to us from those gods who have usurped the high positions. Don't you think this is a very sacred thing?"

Liviel swallowed hard. She had long known that Janice and Duval were not ordinary businessmen, but she never expected that they were backed not by the Intis government, but by such a huge organization.

Her mind raced, and she carefully considered her words before speaking:

"You want to overthrow Rune's colonial rule? Even if you can stir up the emotions of the people through this sealed artifact, such an unprepared action is doomed to failure and will only cause bloodshed in vain. Stop your actions."

Upon hearing this, Duval revealed a cold smile:

"Yes, that's right, what we want is bloodshed."

"Only blood can liberate slaves. Let the blood of these natives stain the earth; they will become heroes sung by future generations."

Janice also smiled mysteriously:

"Only war can liberate slaves, and what war doesn't involve bloodshed and sacrifice? Let blood drown the kingdom's corrupt rule. If 100,000 isn't enough, then a million; if a million isn't enough, then ten million..."

As she spoke, she swung the Soul of War in her hand, and a fierce wind immediately arose, with an even more violent and restless spiritual energy sweeping out, continuing to incite the anger of the people outside.

A large-scale conflict is just one last membrane away.

Livre's expression turned cold as she drew 'Last Whisper'.

"You are not liberators, you are just executioners."

She was confident she could handle a Sequence 5 Reaper and a Sequence 6 Schemer. Her only concern was what the Duval siblings had done to the 'Last Whisper'.

But judging from her expertise as an appraiser, there was nothing wrong with this magical item.

Duval raised an eyebrow, his gaze defiant:

"Oh? You really think you can handle us?"

Janice slowly raised her hand, a sickly smile playing on her lips:

"Don't you want to liberate those poor indigenous people?"

"Of course I want to liberate them, but in a way that sacrifices fewer lives than to build up suffering and fuel hatred."

As Livre infused the 'Last Whisper' with spirituality, she said:

“What the indigenous people need is a spiritual leader, a program of action, a well-trained army, and a practical plan.”

"All of this takes time to prepare. They will shed blood one day in their pursuit of independence and liberation, but not now. Stop your incitement immediately. Don't let them shed blood in vain!"

Duval shook his head, straightened his collar, and remained expressionless.

"With your obsession with the life and death of a small group of people, it's difficult to embrace divinity and ascend to demigodhood."

"If divinity means disregarding life, then I would rather be an ordinary person forever."

Before she finished speaking, Livia vanished from her spot. Duval, however, showed no sign of tension, merely glancing around with a half-smile.

Suddenly, Livre appeared from the void, releasing a large amount of spider silk from her fingertips, which rushed towards Duval, who was standing still. The latter still did not react at all, as if he had completely given up resisting.

Livre swallowed hard, a bad feeling creeping over her. She continued with her original plan, and while the spiderwebs were flying everywhere, she quietly released a few colorless spiritual threads, which crawled along a hidden corner toward Janice's ankle.

caught!

Liviel was delighted. She flicked the puppet's fingers and then quickly moved around Janice to prevent her from breaking free of the spiritual threads and escaping.

Janice raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, a playful smile appearing on her face:

"I never imagined you had such a magical item! How terrifying! Are you going to turn me into your secret puppet?"

Livre was very wary of Janice's nonchalant attitude, but still said in a deep voice:

"I can let you and your brother go as long as you stop inciting the public."

Janice giggled and put away the 'Soul of War' in her hand.

"Okay, I agree."

“However, I have a question for you.” She glanced at Livia, her light green eyes deepening. “After turning me into a puppet, what do you plan to do to me?”

What should we do? Is that a really important question?

Livre was somewhat confused, but she maintained control over Janice and dared not let her go easily.

Janice, however, said with a smile:

"It seems to you that you have absolutely no idea how to use this magical item?"

With a flick of her finger, as if ignoring the entanglement of the spiritual threads, she slowly stepped closer to Livia.

Control doesn't work on her? Is it her immune system's ability to handle abnormal conditions, or something else...?

Livre took a step back and increased the control over the spiritual threads, but Janice remained unmoved and continued to move closer to her.

Let me share my thoughts.

Janice seemed completely unconcerned about Livre's control, and continued speaking to herself:

Her eyes gradually turned frantic:

"Of course, I won't completely turn you into a puppet, that would kill you completely. I'll preserve a sliver of your consciousness so you can feel everything I've done to you... How about that, isn't that a pretty good way to die for a witch?"

There's something wrong with Janice!

She is definitely not just a Sequence 5 hunter. She is either extremely powerful or has a strong resistance to abnormal statuses. In either case, we should not continue to entangle with her.

Liviel quickly anchored herself to a nearby mirror, preparing to use her mirror-travel ability to leave.

Suddenly, Janice flicked her finger, and the spiritual threads that had been wrapped around her seemed to turn against her, acting back on Livr.

A strong feeling of stiffness suddenly came over her, and almost instantly, Livre felt her joints ache, her breathing stopped, and her consciousness faded.

Such strong control! It's several times faster and stronger than the control of puppets!

Liviel's body shattered rapidly, turning into specks of light and dissipating, leaving only a magic wand in the spot.

The next second, she appeared in a mirror outside the street. Livre didn't dare to pause for a moment. She immediately raised the sapphire ring and activated the ability to travel through mirrors, appearing several kilometers away. Then she activated the ability again and teleported to Vantoric in one go.