Mystery: The Witch of Desire

“Of course.” Emily breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve been planning this for a while now. I’ve changed my appearance and even given myself a pseudonym, Emily. What do you think?”

"That's good, Ms. Amy."

Reeves's tense mood also eased. Emily was more cautious than he had thought, and she could do a good job even without being specifically reminded.

"Then I'll go to Mr. Teyvat's house for the interview. Well, wish me luck! When we meet again, I'll be a successful lady earning four pounds a week!"

Emily smiled to cheer herself up and waved goodbye to Reeves.

Reeves was caught up in Emily's emotions and smiled easily, but after Emily left, he quickly fell into deep, tense thought again:

“There’s a big problem at the Riverside Theater—Princeton, the Pursuer, is hiding there. Should we go check it out? Hmm, the Riverside Theater is the most famous theater on Iron Cross Street, with a huge flow of people. If we're just going to see a play, it shouldn’t expose anything. But my Assassin’s Potion has been fully digested. I’ll be more confident in taking action after I advance to the level of Instigator…”

However, the potion recipes and materials for advancement are hard to come by, and it's unknown when they will be collected. They can only be obtained slowly through gatherings.

Thinking of this, Levi couldn't help but look forward to tomorrow's party even more. The £530 in cash in his pocket seemed to be burning slightly, eager to be spent.

Thinking about when he could be promoted to Instigator, Levi decided to go to the Riverside Theater to find out more.

He returned to the safe house on Iron Cross Street, changed into women's clothing, put on the butterfly of vanity, and went to the Riverside Theater, which was also located on Iron Cross Street.

Unlike the Kingfisher Bar, which is located in the slums of Lower Street, the Riverside Theatre is located in a more bustling area of ​​Upper Street. Tickets are inexpensive and affordable, and its customers are mainly ordinary citizens such as workers, small vendors, and some emerging middle-class people. As for those with higher incomes, they usually choose to watch performances in the upscale theatres in the Red Moon District.

However, from time to time, some well-dressed wealthy people would visit the Riverside Theatre, not for any other reason than to catch a glimpse of Miss Sharon, the most famous actress at the Riverside Theatre.

Some newspapers even commented that if the plays she performed hadn't been so vulgar and explicit, Miss Sharani could have been the most famous actress in the entire city of Tingen.

Her acting skills are exquisite and touching, resonating with people from the depths of their souls.

Reeve wasn't too concerned about this; most newspapers and drunks in bars would exaggerate.

Outside the Riverside Theater, a long line had already formed, bustling with people, all there to see the new play that the newspapers had been reporting on extensively—"Forest Spirits," starring Sharani.

Levi joined the waiting group. There were many ladies and wives watching the play, and the beautiful Levi blended in among them without standing out too much.

Ahead of him were several female college students, excitedly discussing the wonderful plots of Xia Lani's classic plays, and looking forward to becoming such outstanding actresses themselves.

One of the college students noticed Reeves behind him and struck up a conversation with him:

"Beautiful lady, are you also here to see Miss Sharon's performance?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I be queuing here..."

Levi inwardly scoffed, but outwardly smiled amicably, responding to the female college student's rather cheesy attempt at flirting:

"Yes, I have long heard of Miss Xia Lani's outstanding acting skills, and I came here today specifically to appreciate her talent."

“That’s great! My name is Lisa, and maybe we’ll have a lot in common.”

The female student who called herself Lisa was very excited, perhaps because Levi was dressed so beautifully. She was very friendly to Levi and warmly invited her to sit in the same row as them—so that the six of them could occupy a whole row of seats and not have to worry about being disturbed by strangers.

After a moment's thought, Rivero accepted Lisa's invitation, since having a companion would significantly increase the chances of taking advantage of the situation.

Half an hour later, he and the female students in front of him successfully bought a ticket for "The Forest Spirits" for 1 sulphur.

Upon entering the theater, Levi and the female students found seats in a row of six in the outer area. The theater interior was quite simple, with the wooden seats packed tightly together and the aisles rather narrow. Several gas lamps hung on the walls on both sides, casting a dim, warm glow over the entire space. The boxes on either side were more elaborately decorated, occupied by wealthy people dressed in fine clothes, who had apparently come specifically for Sharani.

After a brief opening speech, "Forest Spirits" officially began.

Chapter 45 The Performance Begins

A line of supporting actors dressed in new green costumes filed out, softly chanting incomprehensible tunes. The plot was simple to the point of being simplistic—a group of humans, singing, dancing, or kneeling, offered their utmost respect to the so-called "forest spirit," begging for her protection and favor. Levi listened with utter boredom, finding nothing of interest whatsoever.

The other audience members were clearly uninterested, with only sporadic applause and some even openly yawning. Lisa and her companions couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"When will Sharon appear...?"

At this moment, as if receiving a command, all the supporting characters slid down to their knees to form a green circle, while several other supporting characters gathered in the center of the circle, forming a flower bud about to bloom.

All the supporting characters kneeling on the outside spread their arms and shouted passionately:

"Forest spirits, great mother, we call upon you, we yearn for you, we pray for your arrival!"

As the cheers reached their climax, a dazzling emerald light burst forth from the center of the stage—the giant flower bud at the center instantly bloomed, its petals unfolding layer by layer, like a dream.

Charlene, dressed in her finest attire, slowly walked out from there.

She wore a long, emerald-green dress, the hem adorned with delicate leaf patterns. Her long, black hair was loosely tied up, adorned with a few vibrant red flowers, which made her face appear even more fair and captivating. She slightly raised her eyes, her gaze shifting, a half-smile playing on her lips—both aloof and alluring, like a forest sprite, breathtakingly beautiful.

The entire room fell silent, all eyes fixed on her.

Levi, who had been feeling a bit tired, was instantly jolted awake. His burning gaze was fixed on Sharani, and he couldn't look away for a second.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Xia Lani stepped lightly out from the throng of supporting actors, her skirt swaying. She parted her lips slightly, unleashing her beautiful voice, and softly sang:

Roots are deeply embedded in the chaotic soil.

The branches grow into the depths of nothingness.

Her fruit is the teardrop of the night.

Her flower buds are the folds of a dream.

In the ancient forest, she whispered,

Whispers are hidden in the gaps between the wind and the mist.

All who drink her juice will forget hunger and thirst.

Those who entwine with her vines will surely prosper.

She is not light, yet she allows the blind to see longing.

She is not a road, yet she brings peace to those who are lost.

In her embrace, everything sheds its disguise.

At her feet, life and death belong to their fellow countrymen.

Listen—that silent roar,

It flows through every vein.

She is the root, the fruit, and the endless night.

It is the abyss that every thirsty seeker will eventually reach.

Great mother,

Great Father,

We call upon you,

We yearn for you.

We pray for your arrival…

The singing faded, but the lingering notes still echoed in the air, like vines wrapping around the ears of every listener. The lights seemed to dim for a moment before slowly returning to normal. Sharani lowered her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips, as if she had just sung a fable from an ancient forest.

There was a few seconds of silence, followed by unprecedentedly enthusiastic applause.

The applause was like a heatwave, overwhelming and sweeping across the room wave after wave, pushing the atmosphere to a climax. Lisa and her companions even stood up, shouting excitedly and clapping their hands until they were red and swollen.

However, Reeves remained seated, his face extremely grim.

From the moment Sharani began chanting, he felt a strange sensation within him.

As the chanting intensified, the strange phenomenon within him gradually grew stronger, as if he had swallowed a seed that blossomed and bore fruit within him, its tendrils spreading throughout his blood vessels, penetrating his flesh, and drawing upon his life force.

Rive's face grew paler and paler, as if his body were about to burst open at any moment, like Samira covered in pus-oozing flower buds.

His breathing grew weaker and weaker, a stark contrast to the boisterous revelry around him.

At this moment, Lisa noticed that something was wrong with Reeves and asked him with concern:

"Livia, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Reeve nodded with difficulty, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

Just as he was about to give up, a sharp, intense pain suddenly shot through the pattern on his chest—the pain was so intense that it instantly plunged Levi into extreme agony, yet at that moment he relied on this pain more than ever before. Under the suppression of that pain, the strange sensation within his body gradually subsided, and the feeling of being about to burst also dissipated.

After the stinging pain persisted for a while, Levi, drenched in sweat, let out a long sigh of relief. He knew he was safe for the time being. But he couldn't help feeling a lingering fear.

"What on earth is going on? It seems that my body is reacting to Sharani's singing, which is why this terrible change is happening... It seems that the Riverside Theatre is indeed not simple. In addition to Princeton and the head of the Riverside Theatre, this Sharani is very likely also an extraordinary person."

Just as Reeves was pondering this, Lisa reached out and touched his forehead, saying with some concern:

"You're sweating a lot, are you sick? Let me take you to the clinic."

Levi paused for a moment, somewhat embarrassed:

"But the performance isn't over yet..."

"It's okay, you can watch plays anytime, but once your health is ruined, there's no going back."

Lisa greeted her companions, helped Reeves up, and walked out through the crowd of spectators.

Levi felt a warmth in his heart. Although he was no longer in serious danger, he didn't dare to stay at the Riverside Theater any longer, so he took this opportunity to leave with Lisa.

On stage, Xia Lani continued her performance in the next scene, her watery eyes gazing at the sea of ​​people in the theater, revealing an exceptionally charming smile.

And under this alluring charm, people's enthusiasm rose even higher, burning like a raging fire...

……

Revi and Lisa went to old Chalk's clinic together. As an ordinary person, old Chalk naturally couldn't see anything wrong and just thought it was a common cold.

"Take one 'Croton' capsule, along with carbolic acid pills, mixed with water and ground from oxtail bone powder, once a day."

Old Chalk, somewhat dejected, wrote down the prescription for Rivi.

"It seems he hasn't recovered from Rowling's threats. Should we try to comfort him?"

Reeves, claiming to have some knowledge of fortune, pretentiously performed a divination for old Chalk and concluded that the long-standing troubles would soon be resolved and that his luck was about to change.

Old Chalk actually believed in Rivi's divination, and his earlier dejection vanished. He happily prepared medicine for Rivi.

Levi took the medicine with amusement, and couldn't help but sigh: medicines in this era are still too abstract. Although, thanks to Russell's efforts, there are already synthetic drugs similar to capsules, people still seem to retain the habit of using various bone powders as medicine.

Among them, the famous mummy powder is touted as a boon for improving male function. As a result, the pharaoh's tomb in the southern continent has suffered, often being illegally excavated and mined, and has been forced to offer its remains to benefit those men who are willing but unable to perform.

Lisa was also very curious about the 'divination' that Levi was showing, and begged Levi to do a divination for her as well.

Just as Levi was about to quietly tell her that he was only pretending, a man in a police uniform rushed into the clinic:

"Old Chalke, quickly prepare plenty of bandages, iodine, and hemostatic supplies!"

"what happened?"

Old Chalk asked, looking completely bewildered.

"Something happened at the Riverside Theater."

Chapter 46 Disaster

Reeve and Lisa both looked at the policeman in shock.

He looked very nervous, clearly not joking.

“But just half an hour ago, Lisa and I were watching a performance at the Riverside Theater, and nothing unusual happened except for me… Could it be that Sharani’s singing had a negative impact on ordinary people? But she has performed so many shows before and nothing has ever happened.”

The policeman instructed old Chalk to prepare enough first-aid supplies to send to the Riverside Theater, and then hurried to the next clinic to collect medicine.

Lisa looked at Reeves and said somewhat anxiously:

"Livia, you should stay at the clinic and rest. My companions are still at the theater, and I'm worried about them."

Reeve nodded and said:

"Let's go, I'll go with you."

"But your illness..."

"I'm all better now, let's go. I'm also curious about what happened at the theater."

Revi showed Lisa his agile stride, and after a slight hesitation, Lisa followed in Revi's footsteps, and the two hurried towards the Riverside Theater together.

A hundred meters from the theater, the area outside was already a chaotic mess of people—shouting, yelling, wailing, and groaning were everywhere. Many people, disheveled and staggering, fled from the direction of the theater, looking dazed and shouting as if they had just experienced something terrifying.

There were about a dozen police officers maintaining order, but this number was far from sufficient.

"The situation is worse than I thought."

Levi weaved through the chaotic crowd and continued toward the theater.

When he was about fifty meters away from the theater, he smelled blood.

The closer you get to the theater, the stronger the smell of blood becomes.