Chapter 274: The Goddess’s Hair Stirs
In a split second, countless thoughts flashed through Angelica’s mind.
This eerie woman, even standing motionless before her, even without any detectable mana fluctuations, made Angelica’s hair stand on end.
The feeling was like facing a venomous viper.
Her throat constricted, her heart nearly stopping.
An invisible pressure intensified, stealing Angelica’s breath. Only her long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Although she didn’t know the woman’s identity, Angelica had a distinct feeling: danger.
The scene seemed to freeze, the world solidified, time ceased to flow.
This eerie silence lasted for an unknown duration. Then, Angelica suddenly raised her hand to press her ear, ready to use Information Magic to notify Qin Chu, even if it meant risking exposure to the consorts by releasing mana fluctuations.
The moment Angelica raised her arm, the woman opposite her moved.
She raised her head. Disheveled hair obscured her face, but through the strands, Angelica glimpsed azure eyes, similar to Anastasia’s. Pale lips parted slightly:
“Hah…”
She breathed on Angelica.
Instantly, Angelica felt a bone-chilling cold engulf her.
Accompanied by a crackling sound, frost bloomed from her feet, creeping up her slender legs and spreading across her body.
Angelica’s body froze almost instantly. Her raised arm remained suspended in mid-air, immobile. She couldn’t even scream.
She knew that in a matter of seconds, her heart would stop completely, her body frozen solid.
The power was overwhelming. Yet, at that moment, a strength Angelica didn’t know she possessed surged within her… perhaps the strongest, most tenacious will deep within her heart.
She wrestled back a sliver of control over her frozen body… just a sliver… mana surged within her.
However, this forceful exertion of power sent a violent shock through her.
The surging mana strained her heart, a sharp pain erupting in her chest. Angelica couldn’t suppress a mouthful of blood, spraying it onto the ground.
“Trying to resist?”
“It’s futile!”
The woman opposite her spoke, her voice soft yet like cracking ice.
The frost spread rapidly along Angelica’s slender waist, reaching her chest, her neck.
An invisible fire seemed to burn in Angelica’s eyes, an eerie heat.
Carol, please!
Ability activate!
Dead or Alive!
High-Rank Ability: Upon death, there’s a 90+% chance of dying, and a 10+% chance of regaining a heartbeat!
In the final moment before losing consciousness, Angelica offered a fervent prayer:
Goddess of Holy Light, protect your most devout follower.
Then, only infinite darkness remained.
…
Though subtle, the mana fluctuations caught the attention of the two consorts beneath the pavilion.
Their beautiful faces changed instantly: “Who’s there?”
With low shouts, they rushed out, mana coursing through them, ready for battle.
However, upon seeing the scene, they froze in surprise.
A woman, frozen solid, devoid of life.
A tall woman with disheveled hair.
Shock filled their faces. The next moment, they knelt before the woman: “Vice President!”
“Why are you here?”
This mysterious woman was the Vice President of the Blissful Witch Society.
A true high-ranking member of this mysterious and terrifying organization.
The woman’s face was icy, her gaze filled with bone-chilling indifference. Yet, deep within her eyes, an almost uncontainable excitement flickered.
Revenge!
She wanted revenge.
Qin Chu and Wadsworth had killed her son.
She would drag these damned bastards into an endless abyss.
The moment was almost here. She longed to see the pain and despair on their faces.
The hidden excitement vanished as quickly as it appeared, her eyes returning to their chilling indifference: “Sharon, Angela… you’re too careless.”
Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
“Someone was eavesdropping on your conversation, and you didn’t even notice?”
“Don’t you know to set up surveillance beforehand?”
Her tone wasn’t harsh, but Sharon and Angela, kneeling on one knee, trembled uncontrollably. They knew the Vice President was furious.
Indeed, they had been negligent, and they had no excuse. If the Vice President hadn’t appeared and dealt with the eavesdropper, the plan to assassinate the Hero would have been exposed, costing them their lives.
Their faces paled, cold sweat drenching their skin.
The Vice President’s methods were cruel and merciless. She showed no pity to members who failed.
However, this time, perhaps because of the important task these two carried, she spared them punishment.
“Dispose of the body.”
“I don’t want to see this mistake repeated.”
With those words, she vanished without a trace.
Sharon and Angela breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging glances that revealed their lingering fear.
Not daring to delay, Sharon clapped her hands, summoning two guards to drag away the frozen corpse.
The guards’ faces were blank, like puppets, clearly under control.
These guards had both been intimate with Sharon.
This was another terrifying aspect of the Blissful Witch Society. They obtained the Lord of Pleasure’s favor through indulgence and depravity, gaining immense power. They could also influence and control men they were intimate with.
The highest-ranking members could achieve this effect even without physical intimacy, through simple contact, conversation, hugs, or even just talking.
Of course, this only worked on men with weaker willpower and strength.
Like Wadsworth. Although Sharon and Angela saw him as a crude fool, impulsive and easily angered, his power was too great for them to control.
Looking at the maid’s body being dragged away, Angela spat, disgust and annoyance on her face. This wretched woman had nearly caused them to be punished by the Vice President.
The thought of the Blissful Witch Society’s punishment for failure sent shivers down her spine.
Sharon, slightly more composed, looked at the bloodstains on the ground and the receding body of the maid. A sense of unease settled in her heart.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the churning anxiety: “Alright, Angela, that’s enough.”
“Go prepare. We cannot afford any mistakes in the next task.”
…
Elsewhere.
The meeting concluded in a pleasant atmosphere.
The nobles had departed, Augustus and Saint Monique had returned to their respective domains.
Qin Chu was about to leave as well, but Wadsworth stopped him.
“Something else, Your Majesty?” Qin Chu raised an eyebrow, suspicious of Wadsworth’s request.
The matter had been resolved. Qin Chu saw no need for further discussion. But Wadsworth apparently had no intention of dwelling on the Demon Beast girl incident. His brow furrowed: “Brother Qin, Warren should have told you about the Blissful Witch Society, yes?”
Qin Chu nodded.
“That organization might be even more terrifying than Warren described. I suspect even my palace has been infiltrated.”
Wadsworth spoke gravely, not bothering to save face.
The threat posed by the Blissful Witch Society far outweighed any concerns about appearances: “These past few days, I’ve had my most astute investigators scrutinize every woman in the palace.”
“And guess what?”
You haven’t been cuckolded, have you?
Qin Chu wanted to make the sarcastic remark, but refrained to spare Wadsworth some dignity.
After all, these were his consorts. And the members of the Blissful Witch Society… well, with indulgence as their primary tenet, they didn’t care about their own social standing, be it noble lady, miss, or consort, nor did they care about the status of the men they were with, be it knight, servant, or commoner…
If even one consort in Wadsworth’s harem was a member, Wadsworth would have a whole collection of hats.
Green ones.
“We haven’t found a single clue. None of my consorts, daughters, or maidservants have any connection to the Blissful Witch Society.”
Wadsworth spoke calmly. This seemed like good news. No connection meant no cuckolding. Yet, Wadsworth’s face held no joy, only a deeper frown.
Qin Chu understood. The Blissful Witch Society was too thorough.
Even a duchess had been a member, and only a mid-ranking one at that.
Countless nobles were members.
It was impossible for Wadsworth to believe his palace was untouched. The Blissful Witch Society thought they could erase all traces and allay Wadsworth’s suspicions, but they only made him more wary.
It meant this sinister organization was even more terrifying and deeply entrenched than imagined.
After a brief pause, Wadsworth continued: “While we could continue investigating, and I’m confident we’d eventually find something concrete, it would take too long.”
“And since the Blissful Witch Society seems to be targeting you, Brother Qin, don’t you think this is a good opportunity?” A glint appeared in Wadsworth’s eyes.
Qin Chu understood immediately. Wadsworth wanted to use him as bait, to lure the snakes out of their holes and eradicate this cancerous growth within the Empire.
He hadn’t proposed this during the meeting for a simple reason: it would have been met with opposition from Augustus and Saint Monique.
That’s why Wadsworth had kept Qin Chu behind to discuss this privately.
Although being used irked Qin Chu, it was indeed a good opportunity to eliminate the Witch Society.
As Qin Chu pondered, he suddenly felt a strange sensation on his wrist.
He glanced down. The area where the Goddess’s Hair was wrapped around his wrist felt hot.
As if stimulated by something, the power of the Goddess’s Hair had been activated.
Moreover, the small sapling within him swayed its three emerald leaves!
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