Mystery: The Witch of Desire

Reeves was genuinely happy for her, but a sudden, sharp realization dawned on him:

"You just said that Mr. Teyvat is an importer and exporter of goods?"

“Yes.” Emily nodded. “He has a fleet of ships that frequently travels between the North and South continents to trade goods.”

Levi was taken aback, inwardly thinking, "It can't be such a coincidence... Tingen City is located along the Tasok River and has one of the best inland river ports in the entire Loen region. There are many merchants importing and exporting goods, and quite a few trade with the Southern Continent. It can't just happen to be Mr. Teyvat..."

"However, we should always be cautious. Let's take some time to investigate Mr. Teyvat's house."

Reeves didn't tell Emily his thoughts, but simply reminded her to be more careful in the future.

After dinner, Levi took a hot shower to wash away his fatigue and lay comfortably on the bed.

"It's been so long since I've had a good night's sleep..."

Levi yawned contentedly and quickly drifted off to sleep.

…………

!!!

A tremor ran through Levi's heart, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

He found himself once again in that dark void.

Before me was that familiar, enormous mirror, reflecting my own cold and sinister expression.

"It's that lucid dream again! I had it after I was promoted to assassin last time, and now that I've become an instigator, I had the same dream again that night... Does every promotion trigger this dream...?"

As he pondered, Levi's hair began to transform into slippery tentacles, sweeping towards his body, while the maniacal woman's laughter echoed in his ears.

Compared to the last time, the laughter was even more manic, as if with each promotion, Levi's mind became more disordered.

Compared to his previous dream, Levi was much calmer now. After a moment of contemplation, he decided not to question the madwoman's identity anymore, but to try a different approach.

He spoke respectfully:

"Mysterious and great being, thank you for lending me your power twice."

He was met with a long silence. The surrounding darkness was thick and heavy, pressing down on his heart and sending a chill down his spine.

As Levi pondered his next move, chaotic murmurs arose from all directions, flooding his ears.

This time, however, the babbling in my ear was a little clearer than before, and I could vaguely make out some syllables. It was no longer a completely incomprehensible sound.

“XXX, XXXXX…”

Levi tried desperately to decipher the obscure syllables, but he couldn't make heads or tails of them. Gradually, his head began to throb, and his consciousness began to drift away...

The dream abruptly ended, and Levi sat up abruptly, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.

"What's going on? Did you have that dream again?"

"The being in the mirror seems to have something to say to me, but with my current level, I still can't hear it clearly. Will I be able to hear what she's saying once I advance further?"

Levi was deep in thought when a sharp pain shot through his chest, accompanied by intense desire, leaving him in a complex state of pain and stimulation.

He got out of bed, walked unsteadily to the bathroom, and looked in the mirror.

The image of herself in the mirror was more feminine, with fair and delicate skin, soft and petite features, and the black pattern on her chest was even more pronounced, shimmering with a faint luster.

Furthermore, its shape has also changed: the original rough outline has been gradually softened, the curve has become more rounded and full, the bottom has narrowed slightly, and the top has a slight inward curve. The direction of the pattern extends naturally along the outline, as if there is some kind of gestating energy hidden inside, as if something is quietly growing and taking shape under the skin along with the changes in the pattern.

Levi stared blankly at the familiar pattern, a strange thought suddenly popping into his mind:

"Why does this pattern on my chest look more and more like a uterus?"

The moment this thought arose, the complex feelings intensified, giving Rive an irresistible desire.

He sat on the toilet, eagerly waiting for the desire to subside, but after several minutes, the desire not only did not disappear, but became even stronger.

"Is that the only way to relieve desire?"

Levi gritted his teeth, stripped off his clothes, and turned on the shower. The October night was already quite cold, and the unheated cold water made Levi shiver uncontrollably as it hit his skin.

After a long rinse with cold water, Levi finally calmed down. He wrapped himself tightly in a towel and prepared to go back to his room to continue sleeping.

Just then, the bathroom door suddenly opened, and Emily, wearing only her pajamas, poked her head in, her eyes full of surprise:

"Rive, are you taking a shower? Why don't you turn on the gas timer? It's already autumn, you'll catch a cold if you take a cold shower!"

Levi was startled and turned to look at Emily. She was only wearing a loose silk nightgown, the white fabric as thin as a cicada's wing, and you could almost see the delicate glow of her skin through the hazy veil.

Levi's face flushed crimson instantly, and the desire he had barely suppressed surged up again.

"No, it's none of your business!"

He mumbled a few words, then hurriedly ran back to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Emily paused, glanced at the steam in the bathroom, and sighed with a complicated expression:

"Sigh, Levi's a big kid now..."

……

The next morning.

Emily prepared breakfast: slices of oat bread spread with cheese and applesauce, served with minced meat and pea soup and hot milk. It wasn't a big meal, but it was nutritious enough.

The two sat at the table eating in silence, neither of them speaking, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

After breakfast, Levi cleared away the dishes, while Emily put on a simple, light makeup in the bathroom.

"I'm going to Mr. Teyvat's house. I'll be back at noon. Are you having lunch at home?"

Emily asked as she prepared to leave.

"Ah, um... I guess they won't be coming back. Our company got a job doing repairs at the dock area, so we'll probably be busy for a while."

Reeve scratched his head and said somewhat awkwardly.

Chapter 65 Arrest Warrant

Emily didn't say much. After reminding Reeves to be careful, she went out.

After Emily left, Reeves also set off to investigate the dock area.

He wore a baseball cap that covered half his face, and a coarse cloth mask commonly worn by dockworkers, completely obscuring his features. Just in case, he wore a women's shirt under his men's clothing, and carried a vain butterfly and women's cosmetics with him, so he could easily disguise himself as a woman if he was being followed.

After taking a public carriage, changing carriages twice, and spending an hour and 4 pence, Rivi arrived at the dock area.

As soon as I stepped off the car, the noise hit me like a tidal wave. The bustling dock area was tinged with a bit of chaos. Warehouses lined both sides of the riverbank, and piles of wooden crates and burlap sacks stretched from the warehouses to the roadside. Some were marked with unfamiliar business names, while others were open, revealing the spices, cloth, and grain inside.

The porters, with their bare, dark arms, carried heavy goods back and forth, their rough shouts and calls rising and falling, mingling with the bells of horse-drawn carriages, the cries of vendors, and the whistles of ships leaving the shore, creating a noisy farce.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the wide Tasok River flows slowly along the edge of the dock area. Its waters, somewhat murky due to industrial wastewater discharge, gleam with a dark brown sheen. Carrying a constant stream of cargo ships, fishing boats, and passenger ships, it carries them downstream, highlighting its status as the economic artery of Tingen.

After taking a few seconds to let his nose adjust to the complex and pungent smells of the dock area, Levi decided to first gather some information and find out which cargo ships from the Southern Continent had recently arrived at the port. At times like this, a tavern was the best place to go.

Dockworkers, who engaged in heavy physical labor, needed entertainment and earned more than ordinary workers. As a result, the dock area had many pubs and brothels, and each of these places served as a small information hub.

Based on his intuition, Levi walked into one of the larger taverns in the dock area—the Sail Tavern.

Pushing open the door, Levi immediately sensed the atmosphere of a maritime civilization—a faint salty, fishy smell permeated the air, mingled with the rich aroma of malt liquor and the fragrance of roasted meat—a unique scent characteristic of people returning from the sea. Various faded sails, old ship's wheels, and fishing nets hung from the ceiling; beside the scattered tables and chairs, most were workers dressed in coarse cloth, while some sailors wore weapons at their waists and headscarves.

The most striking feature is the densely packed wanted posters on the mottled walls; some have turned yellowish, while others are brand new, as if they were just pasted on.

Reeve removed his mask, which stood out somewhat in the tavern, and casually glanced at the few interesting wanted posters:

"Blazing Danitz, bounty: 3000 pounds. That's expensive... enough to buy three doses of Instigator Potion."

"Tracy, the sick girl, bounty: 5000 pounds. This one is more expensive, even though she's a particularly beautiful girl..."

"Hurricane Apostle Ziringus, Bounty: 12000 pounds..."

Reeve was stunned. He had no concept of £12000. After calculating it in his mind several times, he realized that this price could buy several detached villas in Tingen, and in good locations at that.

However, he then saw the next arrest warrant:

"Admiral Cattleya, bounty: £37000."

……

Reeves stared blankly at the beautiful and elegant bespectacled woman in the portrait, unable to reconcile her with the notorious pirate with a bounty of 37000 pounds.

At this moment, a drunken man who looked like a crew member approached:

"Stunned, aren't you? Let me tell you, this is nothing. The bounties of the Four Kings are much higher than those of the Seven Generals! Not to mention Nast, the King of the Five Seas, and the mysterious Queen Bernadette, even the lowest bounty, the Undying King Agarito, has a bounty of 100,000 pounds!"

"One hundred thousand pounds!"

Levi's heart skipped a beat, his eyes filled with disbelief. This was an astronomical figure for him. These pirate kings and generals were definitely extraordinary individuals. If they were ordinary people, they would have been captured by the authorities or bounty hunters long ago. He just didn't know what level they were in the sequence.

The crew member patted Reeves on the shoulder, looked him over with his somewhat effeminate face, and said mockingly:

"A sissy like you could be flicked away with just a little finger! But don't worry too much, apart from Flame Danitz, no other famous pirates have shown up in this inland city of Tingen lately! Hahahaha—hiccup~~~~"

The crew member laughed loudly as he let out a long, pungent burp, which emitted a series of unpleasant odors.

Reeves waved away the unpleasant smell, but he wasn't annoyed by the crew member's offense. He suddenly felt that this was a good opportunity to test his ability as an instigator—drunk people should be easier to instigate than normal people.

He looked at the crew member and said with a smile:

"You're right. But since you're so manly, how about buying me a drink so I can learn from you?"

The crew member was stunned for a few seconds, feeling the figure of the thin, effeminate man in front of him begin to blur, changing and changing, until he seemed to turn into a woman! Moreover, his voice was so beautiful, as melodious as a lark, that the crew member couldn't help but want to listen to what the other person was saying.

"Okay, no problem, what would you like to drink?"

Levi laughed:

"A glass of Ronzi beer, thank you for your generosity."

The crew member warmly invited Reeves to sit at a small table, then casually went to the front desk and ordered two Ronzi beers, which he shared with Reeves.

"The effect is really good..."

As Levi sipped his flavorful beer, he pondered how to use his persuasive abilities to extract information from the crew.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke:

"Can you tell me about your life on the ship?"

Upon hearing this, the crew member immediately launched into a long, detailed account, from his own trivial matters to important information such as the route and types of cargo on his ship, as well as interesting anecdotes he had heard—he recounted everything in one go. Aside from the nonsense and crude jokes, Levi listened with great interest, gaining a considerable amount of knowledge about the sea.

According to the crew, his name was Meyer, and he was an anchor handler on the cargo ship "Seagull," a medium-sized cargo ship that usually traveled between the Rothschild Islands and various ports in Ruen, transporting bulk raw materials such as grain and ore.

Upon learning that the ship did not travel to and from the Southern Continent and carried ordinary goods, Levi lost interest in Meyer. Although this attempt had not yielded much useful information, Levi was still quite satisfied, having not only acquired a great deal of knowledge but also absorbed a trace of the Instigator's Potion.

Before ending the conversation, Reeves casually asked Meyer one last question:

Do you know which ships are preparing to head to the Southern Continent recently?

Chapter 66 The Great Pirate

Meyer frankly stated:

"Southern Continent? Not many ships go to that wretched place, but I heard that several merchant ships from Teyvat are preparing to return from the Southern Continent. I also heard that the old man has made a lot of money recently. If he had more assets, he could even become a nobleman!"

Reeves's relaxed expression suddenly tensed:

Teyvat!

Emily's employer, Mr. Teyvat!

Reeve, his face tense, said anxiously to Meyer:

"Tell me the details about the Tevat cargo ship quickly."

To everyone's surprise, Meyer looked puzzled upon hearing this, and then said with some annoyance:

Why should I tell you about this sissy!

Levi was taken aback and instantly realized his mistake: he had been so shocked that he had asked Meyer in an anxious tone, which led to the failure of his instigation.

This also gave him some important insights:

Instigation should not be rushed; it should be done patiently and gradually to get closer to the other person's heart.

In an instant, Levi felt the potion in his body loosen up a bit. This unsuccessful instigation was much more effective at digesting the potion than the previous successful instigations!

"Could this be what they call summarizing the rules of role-playing? I've only taken the potion for two days and I've already summarized the first rule of role-playing? Could it be that I'm a genius at instigation?!"

An excited Reeves quickly composed himself and spoke to Meyer in a gentle tone:

"What are you talking about, Meyer? Aren't we best friends?"

Meyer paused, his angry gaze turning blank again.