CA - Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Although the Vampires and Black Witches had long been driven out, patrols within the capital of the Gosse Empire had become increasingly frequent. Tang Qiu, wearing a black cloak, avoided the crowds and knight patrols as she arrived in front of Mark's Grocery Store.
The street where the grocery store was located was very remote, with only a few pedestrians dressed like her. Upon seeing her, they retreated into the alleyways and cautiously departed.
The door to the grocery store was dilapidated and covered in cobwebs. Tang Qiu pushed her hood up slightly, glanced around, and then gently pushed the door open, slipping inside.
It was pitch black inside. Tang Qiu walked through a narrow aisle and tapped her fingers on the dust-covered counter. The dull sound broke the silence. She waited patiently for a while, but no one from the store appeared.
Previously, as soon as someone stepped into the shop, the teleportation array in the back room would activate. But this time, there wasn't the slightest fluctuation in the aura around the array.
The grocery store's "inactivity" confirmed Tang Qiu's suspicion: Erin had likely run into trouble again.
And it was probably very troublesome trouble.
Witch City, the Dark Key, the Garcia Witches... Several thoughts flashed through her mind. Tang Qiu frowned and muttered to herself, "What does 'letting darkness descend upon the Statu continent' actually mean?"
Summoning the Dark God?
Could the Dark God really be planning to descend upon the Statu continent? Tang Qiu had always thought this was a delusion of the Garcia clan. After all, whenever the Dark God was involved, the witches of their clan became fanatical and abnormal.
That frenzied emotion seemed very strange.
The Garcia witches only became abnormal when it came to matters concerning the Dark God. Erin, who had grown up in the Garcia clan, knew this better than anyone.
She was well aware of the Garcia clan's nature, yet she had naively chosen to trust Vera. After being teleported back to Witch City, Erin was plunged into deep regret.
Because Vera had acted so normally in front of her, it made her forget that this person was also fanatically and stubbornly devoted to the Dark God.
Witch City was vast, roughly the size of a medium-sized country. The total number of witches from the three major families was far less than the human population of a country, so the land was sparsely populated, and there were no territorial disputes.
The three families had peacefully divided the territory. Because the Garcia clan worshipped the Dark God, they occupied the area near the forbidden land, with the Anderson and Morgan families flanking them on either side.
The Garcia clan's territory was the most human-like place in Witch City. Although Erin was imprisoned, this time she wasn't locked in a cold stone room.
The furniture in the room was a bit old but fairly complete. The bed was soft and comfortable, and there was even a bouquet of fresh flowers on the cabinet beside it.
However, no matter how comfortable the environment was, Erin's mood was gloomy. She reached into her sleeve and stroked the little furball sleeping inside, her eyes filled with numbness.
Ever since arriving in Witch City, Little Fur Ball had become particularly lethargic, barely even eating. Erin had tried many methods to make it transform, but none had worked, which left her feeling dejected.
The door was gently pushed open, and a petite figure walked in from outside. She held a bouquet of freshly picked flowers, their petals still dotted with dewdrops. She walked to the cabinet by the bed and replaced the wilting bouquet with the one in her hand.
"Your favorite bauhinia flowers," Vera said in a low voice, staring at the bouquet.
Erin acted as if she hadn't heard her, keeping her head down without a word.
Ever since Erin had been brought back to Witch City, she hadn't spoken to Vera. Vera stood with her head down for a moment, then turned and sat down beside Erin.
Erin coldly scooted to the side, putting distance between them.
Vera placed her hands on her lap, her eyes fixed on the patterns on the table. The atmosphere in the room was solemn, the pressure so low it was suffocating. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly, "...Elder Noah will take you to the forbidden land in three days."
"She promised me she wouldn't hurt you. After you come out of the forbidden land, she'll let you go."
After she finished speaking, she waited for a while but received no response from Erin. Vera sighed and said quietly, "...I'm sorry."
The anger of betrayal had not yet dissipated, and Vera's apology only made Erin angrier. She stood up with a stern face, wanting to get farther away from Vera.
Her arm was suddenly grabbed. Erin frowned, glaring angrily at Vera. "Let go," she said coldly.
"I'm sorry..." Although Vera's face was calm, a careful observer would notice a slight tremor in her voice. "I didn't want to betray you."
"Elder Noah said we must go to the forbidden land to summon the Dark God..." At the mention of the Dark God, Vera's eyes suddenly became excited, but she forcefully suppressed it. She pressed her other hand to her forehead, her expression shifting several times before finally returning to calm. "I can't control myself, Erin."
"I really didn't want to betray you."
Her hand gripping Erin's arm tightened unconsciously. Suppressing her excitement made Vera's head throb as if pierced by needles. She lowered her head and tentatively leaned against Erin's arm, murmuring, "I'm sorry."
She kept repeating those two words.
Erin's arm twitched, but it was held tightly. The weight leaning on her made her feel very conflicted. Vera was acting strangely. Erin hesitated for a moment before asking reluctantly, "What's wrong with you?"
Vera looked up, her eyes somewhat dazed. "I don't know..."
An obsessive faith and devotion to the Dark God was etched into the very bones and blood of every Garcia witch from birth. Their lives were only for the Dark God; summoning him was their sole purpose for living.
No one knew why. No one thought about it, no one investigated it. They were controlled by this mad ideology, yet the thought of breaking free never occurred to them.
Vera wasn't lying when she said she didn't want to betray Erin. The thought of betraying Erin had never crossed her mind, but... she couldn't control her actions.
All because summoning the Dark God required Erin's "help."
Erin couldn't see the inner struggle in Vera's dazed eyes, but she knew Vera's personality. This was the first time she had ever seen her look so vulnerable. Erin was silent for a moment, then raised her hand to push Vera away. "You should leave," she said in a low voice.
She didn't dare to trust Vera anymore. What if she was deceiving her again, just to gain her forgiveness, and then... push her into another abyss?
The rift between them could no longer be repaired.
Erin sat down on the edge of the bed with Little Fur Ball, her back to Vera. After a moment, footsteps sounded, the door creaked shut, and the room returned to silence.
Little Fur Ball was still sleeping soundly, showing no signs of waking. Erin grabbed its paw and squeezed it for a while, then sighed.
In the Elf territory.
Delphine's proactive "peace offering" had made Patricia abandon the thought of giving up her duties as a guardian. She was allowed to stay in the territory, but the other Dark Elves were still forbidden from approaching the forest.
Patricia was not satisfied with this outcome, but her relationship with Delphine had just eased a little, and she couldn't risk another falling out over it. She could only temporarily suppress the desire to have her companions return, waiting for a suitable time to bring it up.
She hadn't spent a single night in the territory since coming of age. As a guardian, her treehouse was built next to Delphine's. Elves were always light sleepers, and she was up at the first light of dawn.
Delphine's residence was relatively quiet; only the young elves would come over to play. The growth period for elves was quite long, and they had no ability to protect themselves before adulthood. They could only follow the older elves, learning combat skills bit by bit.
The young elves were very fond of Delphine, so they liked to play and practice near her treehouse. Patricia watched the young elves seriously practicing their archery, her gaze deep. She had been just like that when she was young...
"You also liked to run here with your bow to practice when you were little." Delphine's voice suddenly came from behind, interrupting Patricia's reminiscence. She unconsciously straightened her back and offered an excuse, "That's because everyone else came, so I just followed."
"Oh?" It was the first time Delphine had heard this reason, and she was a little surprised. "I thought it was because you liked me."
Patricia's expression froze, but seeing that Delphine's expression was normal, she knew the "like" she spoke of was the same as the young elves' affection for her. This made her feel a bit downcast.
A young elf ran up to Delphine with a bow, handed her a flower, and then ran off shyly.
Delphine lowered her head to smell the flower. The relaxation she felt had eased the fatigue in her eyes, and the smile on her face became much more genuine. "You've been excellent since you were a child."
She recalled Patricia's childhood. Back then, she wasn't always so cold-faced. The young Patricia was very clingy, always hugging her leg, begging to be taught archery.
Delphine had only taught Patricia, and she had not failed her teachings, growing into an outstanding elf.
Faced with Delphine's praise, Patricia remained expressionless, but the tips of her ears, not quite hidden by her long, silver-gray hair, grew warm. It just wasn't very noticeable due to her darker complexion.
She glanced at Delphine out of the corner of her eye, her hand at her side fidgeting with the hem of her clothes. After a moment of hesitation, she said in a low voice, "Actually, I..."
Before she could finish, Delphine interrupted her. "Come, I'll take you somewhere."
Delphine gestured for Patricia to follow her. Patricia looked at her back, frowned slightly, and followed.
The two of them, one after the other, arrived at the location of the Tree of Life. Patricia hadn't seen the Tree of Life since she left the territory, and seeing it now left her somewhat astonished. She frowned and asked, "What happened to the Tree of Life?"
Before she left, the Tree of Life was already bearing fewer fruits, but it had shown no signs of withering.
Delphine reached out and touched a slender branch of the Tree of Life, shaking her head. "Because this continent has been too severely eroded by darkness."
"...Is it the Black Witches?"
"It's hard to say. The Black Witches are certainly the culprits stirring up trouble on the Statu continent, but the Vampires are also watching from the sidelines, and then there's the Holy See..." Delphine's eyes grew cold, and she spoke indifferently, "The light might end up being destroyed by the Holy See's own hands."
Patricia didn't care whether the Statu continent was dominated by light or shrouded in darkness, but the Tree of Life in their territory was still in its growth phase. If the continent were to be enveloped in darkness during this period, it would only cause the Tree of Life to wither.
"...Is there no way to isolate the Tree of Life from the darkness?"
Delphine shook her head. "The Earth Mother's Godhead might be able to do it, but unfortunately, I didn't get it."
Patricia pursed her lips, saying nothing.
Seeing her grave expression, Delphine reached out and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry," she said softly, "I won't let the Tree of Life wither."
Her tone was so certain that it made Patricia suddenly uneasy. "What are you planning to do?"
Delphine smiled but didn't answer. She rubbed her wrist and said softly, "Get yourself ready in the next few days. I need your blood essence to reproduce."
Patricia was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly.
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