Mystery: The Witch of Desire

Leonard shut his mouth in terror, his heavy footsteps echoing mechanically in the quiet night of Tingen.

…………

After disappearing into the shadows, Levi quickly sprinted away into the distance.

He had witnessed the Night Watcher's abilities many times. Whether it was Daly's psychic abilities or Dunn's dream entry, they were all impossible to guard against, and a slight mistake could drag one into the darkness.

Although the black tattoo on his chest allowed him to remain conscious during his spiritual communication, he was unwilling to put himself in danger again.

After running for about a kilometer, Levi stopped to catch his breath. He had exhausted both his spiritual and physical energy tonight, and had also exposed his disguised male attire to the authorities. He would have to change his appearance again for future events.

With some reluctance, he removed his large beard and clothes, burned them all away with a black flame, and then quickly touched up his makeup in front of the mirror in a secluded corner.

A few minutes later, a beautiful, capable woman with a bow on her arm, wearing a women's blouse and neutral-colored trousers emerged from the shadows.

"I finally got to act like a man for a while, and now I have to change back into women's clothes. Sigh, I wonder when I'll be able to be a man openly and honestly!"

Levi sighed helplessly, rummaging through a pile of roadside debris to find a tattered work uniform, which he then draped over his shoulders, pretending to be a female factory worker who had just finished her night shift. To avoid being tracked and revealing his location, he didn't plan to go back to University Street to find Emily tonight, but instead slowly made his way back to the safe house on Iron Cross Street.

Before his ability to manipulate spider silk disappeared, Levi sprayed a small amount of spider silk onto the doorknob and window, making a simple warning device. Then, without even washing up, he lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

……

The sunlight of Tingen shone on him, and Rivi slowly opened his eyes.

He slept soundly that night, and his energy and spirit were mostly restored.

Levi let out a sigh of relief, a somewhat complicated smile appearing on his face. He wondered when it had become such a rare and precious thing—sound sleep.

He quickly washed up, changed into smart women's clothing, put on an oil-stained canvas mask, and wore the vain butterfly on his wrist.

In this way, he looked like a well-built female worker, not particularly conspicuous in the dock area and slums.

Levi left the safe house and returned to the Kingfisher Bar first.

On the way, he felt a sense of tension and excitement, like a criminal returning to the scene of a crime. Although he set out with the good intention of exposing the inside story of the Kingfisher Bar, he did cause damage.

Although he had anticipated the horrific scene, his pupils still contracted sharply when he arrived at the outskirts of the Kingfisher Bar:

A huge crater had collapsed beneath the bar. After a night of cleaning, scattered limbs and charred vines remained around, and the air seemed to still carry the lingering smell of burnt blood.

Chapter 79 The Opposite of the Seven Gods

A conspicuous cordon had been set up within a few dozen steps, and many police officers were gathered around, questioning nearby residents and collecting evidence. Several horse-drawn carriages were parked nearby, continuously transporting groups of women and thugs to the police station. The thugs all looked tense and uneasy, while most of the women looked expectant. Although they didn't know what was about to happen, they were certain that, no matter what, it couldn't be worse than staying in the Kingfisher Bar.

Among the women, Levi spotted Lisa, along with several other women who had been brought to the auction with her. They were supporting each other, looking exhausted, and were being led by police officers into a carriage, seemingly heading to the police station as well.

"Great, Lisa and the others should be sent home by now."

Relieved, Levi continued to observe the situation.

Among the numerous police officers were several inspectors wearing epaulets, one of whom, a green-haired man in a black trench coat, was the night watchman Levi had seen the previous night. Several others wore navy blue uniforms, and one wore a wool suit decorated with gears, clockwork mechanisms, and metal rivets on the chest and cuffs.

"It seems that the Night Watchers, Punishers, and Mechanical Hearts have all arrived. This has finally attracted the attention of the official Extraordinary Ones. I just don't know if they can follow the clues and discover the problem with the Riverbank Theater."

Levi was quite pleased, realizing that his painstaking efforts in instigating the child had not been in vain.

He didn't dare linger too long near so many official extraordinary individuals, and after observing for a while, he left the Kingfisher Bar.

Walking back to Iron Cross Street, Levi boarded a public carriage and headed to the Sail Tavern.

He ordered a glass of absinthe at the bar and received a note left by Danitz:

"There are likely items related to the evil god in Teyvat's house. Be sure to attend the gathering on Friday and take the opportunity to investigate related information."

A thought struck Levi, but he calmly put away the note and slowly finished his absinthe.

Then, he walked out of the Sail Tavern, and with a flick of his finger, he turned the note into countless dust particles, which drifted towards the slowly flowing Tasok River.

Once again boarding a public carriage, Rivi headed straight for the Flamingo Bar.

He passed through the familiar secret passage and arrived at the door of the hidden room. Levi pushed the door, only to find to his surprise that it was locked.

"Ms. B is not here?"

After thinking for a moment, Levi wrote down the information that there was a high possibility of problems in Mr. Teyvat's house on a piece of paper and slipped it under the door.

Just as he was about to leave, he turned around and bumped into Ms. B, who was returning from outside.

She was currently standing very close to Reeves, her beautiful face framed by Cynthia's, and was observing him with great interest.

Levi was startled and quickly took a step back, looking rather awkward.

"Miss Cynthia, you're back?"

Ms. B smiled and said:

"What are you doing? You're acting like a high school student secretly slipping a love letter into the desk of their crush."

While feeling somewhat embarrassed, Levi keenly noticed a subtle hint of fatigue hidden beneath Ms. B's smiling face.

What did she do?

Levi pondered this to himself, but did not ask aloud. Instead, he brought up the matter of Mr. Teyvat:

“I have received intelligence that Mr. Teyvat’s house may contain items related to that being. I will take advantage of Friday’s gathering to go to his house to investigate.”

Levi used "that being" to refer to the evil god in order to prevent the Book of Notarial punishment.

Ms. B fell into deep thought, and after a long while, she slowly asked:

"Did that pirate tell you that as well?"

Levi didn't hide anything and nodded in agreement.

Ms. B began slowly:

"Have you ever thought about this: if Mr. Teyvat is really connected to the Hyena Gang, then why are you still able to talk about him so freely, and even go to his house to investigate?"

Reeves had actually thought about this question himself, and after careful consideration, he began to speak:

“I think it’s possible that the restrictions of the Book of Notarization are not so absolute, and the scope it covers is not so comprehensive, so there are still many loopholes that can be found. Or, Mr. Teyvat and that being have no direct relationship, and the Book of Notarization was weakened by the transmission of a medium. Or, Mr. Teyvat was actually unaware of it and was transporting those goods under a state of deception.”

Ms. B nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes some sense... but you still need to be careful of those pirates."

Thank you for reminding me.

Reeve was genuinely grateful, believing that Ms. B had reminded him out of concern for his safety.

He suddenly had an idea and tried asking:

"Could you perform a divination on Mr. Teyvat directly, and determine whether Mr. Teyvat has any problems based on the divination results?"

Upon hearing this, Ms. B smiled somewhat helplessly:

"What do you want me to divine? Is there any connection between Teyvat and the evil god? This kind of divination pointing to the evil god will directly and fatally corrupt me, leaving me with no chance of survival. What, you're already eager to take over my extraordinary ability?"

Reeves was taken aback, then gave a somewhat awkward smile:

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through."

He then added:

"Did you know that the Kingfisher Bar has been shut down by the official Extraordinary Ones?"

Ms. B nodded, and said with a somewhat solemn expression:

“I must remind you that, to some extent, we are no different from the Hyena Gang in the eyes of the official Beyonders. If you don’t want to be executed or used as a test subject for sealing artifacts, you’d better reduce the frequency of your contact with the official Beyonders.”

Ms. B paused for a moment, then continued:

"The Seven Gods do not represent justice. They have merely seized the power to rule the world from our Lord. As the executors of our Lord's will, we are bound to stand on the opposite side of the Seven Gods."

Levi was startled. This was the first time since he met Ms. B that he had truly felt what she was like as a follower of a secret organization.

He hesitated for a moment, his tone tinged with reverence and piety, before tentatively probing:

"My Lord... who exactly is this great being?"

Ms. B's lips curled slightly, revealing a meaningful smile:

"He is the first one born from chaos, and He will also be the final one to end everything. As for the rest... I cannot presume to do it for you. You only need to be devout and wait for my Lord to guide you personally. I believe that as long as you always walk in the path that pleases Him, that day will eventually come."

Reeve's heart sank.

He already had a premonition that the great being Ms. B spoke of was very likely the same person as the being in the mirror who had given him power, or that they had some close relationship.

After all, the Mutual Aid Society is an organization that primarily uses the Assassin's Path, and the power granted to her by the entity in the mirror all comes from the Assassin's Path. She... no, it is very likely that she is Him, possibly a high-ranking figure in the Assassin's Path, or even a great figure like an angel.

Chapter 80 Misunderstanding

"So, does Ms. B know about the black pattern on my chest? And is she aware that I can pray to the being in the mirror for power? Ms. B once said that the gifts of fate do not come from her, so do they come from the being in the mirror?"

Reeves' mind raced, and he couldn't help but feel an urge to ask Ms. B directly.

But after careful consideration, he held back. Although he trusted Ms. B to some extent, the black pattern might be related to the origin of his time travel, which was his deepest secret that he could not easily reveal to anyone in this world.

He composed himself, adopted a devout expression, and said:

“I wish to continue walking in the way that pleases my Lord, so that I may hear His teachings soon.”

Upon hearing this, Ms. B's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

She said slowly:

"It's alright, one day you will sincerely dedicate yourself to my Lord."

"Um, does Ms. B have the ability to read my mind? How does she know I'm not truly devout?"

Levi glanced at Ms. B furtively, a mixture of worry and embarrassment in his eyes. She was still smiling and seemed to have no intention of judging the disloyal believer.

He quickly made an excuse, hurriedly said goodbye to Ms. B, and left the Flamingo Bar.

Once Levi's figure had completely disappeared, Ms. B's relaxed brows instantly furrowed, and a look of undisguised fatigue and haggardness appeared on her face.

She slowly took out a cross from inside her robe. The original silver cross had been stained black and covered in disgusting filth, faintly exuding a twisted aura of desire.

"This pollution is really stubborn..."

She murmured to herself, slowly activating her spirituality to cleanse the impurities clinging to the cross.

……

After leaving the Flamingo Bar, Levi arrived at the Tingen City Library, located on University Street.

He now attaches increasing importance to the Friday gatherings at Mr. Teyvat's house, and has selected books from the library that teach etiquette for aristocratic parties and ballroom dancing.

In addition, he also borrowed occult magazines such as "Spiritual Communicator" and "Magic Mirror," hoping to gain some unexpected knowledge from them.

However, he didn't have high hopes, because if these occult magazines contained anything genuine, they would have been banned by the authorities long ago, since the Church is very secretive about the extraordinary world.

As he reached the exit, Reeves caught a glimpse of another magazine: Sea Secrets.

This magazine recounts many anecdotes from the high seas, including information about some well-known pirates.

This was exactly the kind of knowledge that Levi needed to learn recently, so he took it with him.

Upon arriving at the front desk, the librarian politely began:

"Miss, please show me your identification so I can register you for borrowing."

Revi was immediately in a dilemma. He only had one identity document, Revi Garcia, which obviously couldn't be used while he was dressed as a woman.

He had no choice but to try to persuade her, and smiled gently:

"I didn't bring my ID with me today. Could you please make an exception and let me register next time?"

The librarian was instantly captivated by Rivi's radiant smile, nodding repeatedly in adoration:

"Okay, you can register whenever you want!"

He even shoved five books into Levi's hand, forgetting to even paste the borrowing barcode.

Levi walked out of the library with his books in his arms, a subtle yet slightly guilty sense of smug satisfaction washing over him.

"Disguising oneself as a woman... seems to be even more effective in instigating people."

Back at his home on University Road, Levi sensed Emily's presence at the door; she hadn't returned yet.

He then confidently took out his key, opened the door, went inside, and began to change his clothes.

However, just as he took off the women's stockings, he heard familiar footsteps outside the door.

"Emily's back! Why so early today!?"

Levi was startled and hurriedly grabbed his clothes, opened the window, and jumped out.