Mystery: The Witch of Desire

"I will watch over you..."

The gaze of an angel is so reassuring.

While feeling satisfied, Livre couldn't help but feel a little emotional: between the past and the present, Miss Messenger still chose the present, which was also Michelle's choice... The Tinicol family has ultimately embarked on this path.

Livre stepped out of the mirror world, only to be startled by the sight before her:

Janice lay half-prone on the bed, fiddling with the silk threads in one hand, controlling Michelle with great interest, making her do things that made her very uncomfortable.

Michelle blushed with embarrassment, but could only let out indignant sobs, having no chance to resist whatsoever.

"Stop your vile behavior! This is an insult to a brave man!"

Liviel directly activated the Fallen Tree Spirit's power, controlling Janice's desires and preventing her from having these perverse thoughts again.

Jenny, slightly bored, retracted the silk thread and chuckled lightly without a trace of guilt:

"A vulgar fortune teller..."

Livre grumbled in dissatisfaction as she stepped forward to comfort Michelle and helped her straighten her skirt.

Although she was often called a lewd witch by the messenger, she considered herself far too innocent compared to Janice.

Janice showed no displeasure at being addressed as Livre, and said with a smile:

"Miss Pure Witch, how did your divination go? May we set off now?"

Livre snorted coldly:

"can."

With the messenger in her presence, she felt relatively at ease about the trip to the underground tomb.

Janice nodded in satisfaction and said:

“Well then, we can get started. You prepare to teleport first. I will have the Independents attack the external garrison and create chaos.”

With that, Janice set up a simple ceremony and summoned a messenger to deliver a message.

A few minutes later, the corners of her mouth curved into a smile:

"Alright, things are already in chaos over there, we can set off now."

"So fast?"

Liviel was a little surprised; the Independence Council's efficiency was simply too high.

"They have been lurking outside the Crystal Palace for a long time, and I have been waiting for this moment."

Janice said with a hint of pride, standing next to Livre. Michelle quickly moved to Livre's other side, trying to keep as much distance as possible from Janice.

It's time to set off.

Livre took a deep breath and anchored herself to the mirror in the image Janice was showing.

The next second, the three women disappeared together.

As soon as Janice landed in the corridor of the mirror world, she saw the worm that had turned into a white rabbit, bound by spider silk, struggling and twitching.

"My body is actually here!"

She exclaimed in surprise and reached out to touch the white rabbit, but the next second, the white rabbit vanished and appeared in Livre's hand.

"I will return her to you once we get the mummy."

With a smile on her face, Livre reached out and pinched the plump white rabbit.

"Waaah..."

Janice gasped softly, covered her left breast with her hand, and said rather affectedly:

Do you know which part of my body you're holding?

As she spoke, she pulled open her collar.

Janice's once full left breast immediately deflated, turning into a wriggling mass, with a piece seemingly missing inside.

How disgusting...

Livre tossed the white rabbit behind her as if it were burning her, but still maintained the connection with the spider silk to prevent Janice from suddenly snatching it away.

“What, you’re disgusted with me?” Janice said with a smile. “If I were to reveal my true mythical creature form, you would have already lost control.”

Really... I've even seen Chik's true form, would I let a demigod like you corrupt my eyes?

Livre didn't say much, but pointed to the exit not far ahead:

"If you don't want to encounter any mishaps, it's best not to stay here too long."

Upon hearing this, Janice's expression turned serious. She glanced around warily and reluctantly nodded.

"Indeed, this wretched place gives me a dangerous feeling..."

The mirror world is truly a 'good' place; angels find it disgusting, and demigods find it dangerous...

Livre suddenly had a bold conjecture: Could it be that all the mirror worlds are connected, and that the mirror world she was in and the mirror world Chick was in were actually the same space?

In that case, what if I run into Chick while taking a walk?

Livre suddenly shivered and quickly led the two through the corridor, exiting from the exit ahead.

Stepping out of the mirror, the three of them stood on the moss-covered stone floor. It was pitch black all around them, and behind them was the large door inlaid with two mirrors.

Janice let out a long sigh:

"Phew... I'm finally out of that wretched place. Staying there gave me the feeling of being immersed in the corrupted bodily fluids of a man."

What a strange metaphor!

Livre didn't have time to complain; she listened intently to the news coming from the outside world:

Explosions, spiritual fluctuations, and the cacophony of shouts and battle cries.

There were no military soldiers guarding their current location, but Liviel could sense that two extraordinary individuals of considerable rank were on guard outside the barrier not far away.

However, they probably didn't expect that someone would be teleported directly into the Crystal Palace. The battle outside also distracted them, preventing them from sensing the subtle spiritual energy disturbances emanating from within the barrier.

Janice glanced casually at the two guards outside the barrier and said nonchalantly:

“I’ll deal with those two guards. They’ll definitely notice the commotion we make when we enter the cursed gate. Miss Tinicol, you can prepare the blood.”

Upon hearing this, Michelle nodded heavily, a resolute look in her eyes.

Janice moved closer to the crystal. Outside the cursed gate, only Michelle and Livre remained. Taking this opportunity, Livre asked the question that had been on her mind for a long time:

“Ms. Michelle, why are there two mirrors embedded on either side of the cursed gate? Mirrors are usually considered a symbol of witches.”

Michelle looked on with a reminiscing expression, and after a long pause, slowly said:

"I heard that Death and the Primordial Witch once joined forces to occupy the Southern Continent and fight against the Seven Gods. Therefore, the Primordial Witch left a deep influence on the Southern Continent."

"After the fall of the Grim Reaper, the Tinicol family established the Highland Kingdom, relying on the Bound God, but the Primordial Witch still has a profound influence on the Southern Continent."

"Although it may sound blasphemous, according to some ancient texts I've read, the Bound God's rank seems to be lower than that of the Primordial Witch, which is why He was constrained by the Primordial Witch. Later, all authority gradually returned to the Mother Tree of Desire..."

So the Witch Cult has such a deep influence in the Southern Continent... Could Tracy have other purposes besides seizing the 'Soul of War' and starting the plague when she appeared in the Southern Continent?

The Bound God is of a lower rank than the Primordial Witch... Could it be that the Bound God is not a true Sequence 0, but an angel? That's not impossible, after all, angels are fully qualified to be called gods.

Just then, Janice returned to the Gate of Curses and said with a hint of sarcasm:

"Ladies, I've already taken care of those two guards, and you haven't bled yet? Now is not the time for idle chatter."

She looked at Michelle, her expression turning somewhat cold:

"Do you want to keep your dignity intact, or do you want me to do it?"

Chapter 228 Bodily fluids replace blood

Upon hearing this, a flicker of fear crossed Michelle's eyes.

However, her expression immediately became resolute.

She stood before the dark, heavy "Gate of Curses," in the center of which was a strange vortex-shaped device, its surface covered with winding, dark red lines like veins, resembling a dormant mouth waiting to be nourished by the blood of future generations.

Michelle took a deep breath, raised her hand, drew the short blade she carried, and slashed her wrist. Warm, bright red blood gushed out, dripping between her fingers and slowly flowing into the swirling groove.

The moment the blood touched the device, a dull tremor emanated from the depths of the stone door. The blood-red patterns instantly glowed with an eerie red light, spreading and intertwining along the door's surface. For some reason, as Liviel looked at the patterns, she felt a familiar, eerie, and alluring sensation.

However, the crimson patterns covering the entire stone gate only lit up about one-fifth of their length before abruptly stopping, and the stone gate also ceased trembling.

Seeing this, Janice was not disappointed at all; instead, she looked at Michelle and laughed almost maniacally.

"Haha, at this rate, you're definitely not going to make it!"

Liviel's heart sank, and she pondered before saying:

"Could we hold off for a bit and wait until Michelle recovers a bit before continuing? She's on the Prisoner Path, so her self-healing ability is very strong. I also have a magical item here that can enhance her recovery ability..."

“Impossible!” Janice interrupted Livre firmly. “Blood can regenerate, but can the mystical imagery of the Tinicul family contained within it regenerate? Besides, look at that door; if it doesn’t continue to be infused with blood, the crimson patterns will soon fade again!”

Liviel glanced at the 'Gate of Curses', and the blood-red patterns that had already lit up began to flicker, showing signs of dimming.

Michelle gave a bleak smile and quickly accepted this cruel reality.

She shook her already severed wrist, and the blood was absorbed by the vortex-shaped mouthparts as if dripping into a bottomless pit. Soon, no more blood dripped from the severed wrist, like a dried-up stream.

Michelle sighed and said softly:

"Kill me..."

Her face was pale, her voice weak and barely audible, and she looked at Livre with a tender gaze that evoked pity in one of them:

"Miss Marilyn, you must successfully bring the mummy back..."

Livre felt a jolt upon hearing this, as if her heart had been squeezed hard.

“What a pity, beautiful Ms. Tinicol.” Janice showed a regretful expression, whether genuinely or feigning it. “If you wish, I can turn you into a puppet after your blood has drained away, so that you can still enjoy the pleasures of being human after death.”

"Thank you, but I would prefer to die peacefully."

Michelle muttered under her breath, annoyed, and simply closed her eyes, awaiting death.

Janice didn't say anything more, and threw out a piece of white paper, which turned into a paper knife that gleamed coldly in the air.

With a flick of her finger, the paper knife spun in the air and hurtled toward Michelle's neck!

Upon hearing the whooshing sound, Michelle trembled and nearly fainted from the shock.

However, she waited in vain for the blade to slice through her neck, and opened her eyes in surprise, instantly stunned:

She saw Livre standing in front of her, holding the paper knife between two fingers.

"Miss Marilyn Monroe..."

Michelle murmured, her eyes welling up with tears. Although she was willing to die, she was still deeply moved to see Miss Monroe willing to save her.

Janice frowned and said with displeasure:

"Let's stop with the dramatic scenes of life and death; we need time now!"

Livre threw the paper knife on the ground and calmly said:

Do you know what's inside the Crystal Palace?

"What if there are still mechanisms inside the Crystal Palace that require the Tinicol family to open, and Michelle dies? What will we do then?"

Janice's face darkened upon hearing this, and she said coldly:

"If she hadn't died, we wouldn't have been able to get into the Crystal Palace at all, let alone the mechanisms behind it."

Liviel glanced again at the patterns on the 'Gate of Curses' and said carefully:

“The abrupt mirror, the familiar patterns… I’ve been thinking about the relationship between this Crystal Palace and the Witch Cult ever since.”

What exactly are you talking about?

Janice narrowed her eyes, looking very displeased.

Livre said seriously:

“What I mean is, if this Crystal Palace is really connected to the Witch Cult, then it may not necessarily require the infusion of blood to open this ‘cursed gate.’ From a mystical perspective, bodily fluids can sometimes have the same effect as blood.”

Livre took some of Michelle's sweat and put it into the vortex device.

The mouthparts quickly absorbed the sticky sweat, and then the previously subsided roar resounded again, as the blood-red patterns continued to spread and extend.

At that moment, Liviel clearly saw the shape of the lit-up pattern: a small hand-shaped design. She recognized that design perfectly; it was just the tip of the iceberg of the pattern on her lower abdomen!