Witch’s Night: Chapter 14 A Flurry of Anomalies
Back at the noble banquet, while Luo Yan and Tina were chatting pleasantly, Tina’s expression suddenly changed.
“What’s wrong, Ms. Tina?”
Luo Yan noticed Tina’s unusual expression and asked with concern.
“They’ve started? Why would they choose this time…”
Tina murmured in disbelief.
“Hmm?”
Luo Yan blinked.
“…Apologies, Mr. Luo Yan,” Tina took a deep breath and steadied her expression. “There’s an emergency I need to deal with. I enjoyed our conversation today, and I look forward to our next meeting.”
After quickly finishing the remaining pleasantries, Tina hurriedly left without even waiting to say goodbye to Luo Yan.
Her close-fitting suit dress didn’t hinder her movements at all, and soon, her figure disappeared among the nobles.
“So… sudden?”
Luo Yan picked up her glass and took another small sip.
It had to be said that, although she hadn’t been used to the slightly bitter and burning taste at first, after drinking more, it seemed acceptable.
However, Luo Yan still couldn’t understand why anyone would be obsessed with this stuff. She was just trying it out of curiosity for new things.
Compared to “drinking,” she was more interested in the process of mixing drinks. Using techniques and combinations to create different flavors with the same ingredients was very interesting.
Unfortunately, before Luo Yan could continue mixing the next cocktail, Norian hurried over.
He paced around the bar counter, his anxious expression suggesting he wanted to jump off a building, even with a hint of panic, but he still couldn’t find Luo Yan.
The “Envy” threshold Luo Yan used to hide her presence was set very high. Even if someone deliberately searched for her, before she spoke, no one would be able to notice her.
“Magistrate Norian, are you looking for me?” Luo Yan said softly, finally allowing Norian’s diverted attention to focus on her.
At the same time, the nobles who were secretly observing Norian saw Luo Yan for the first time. They were puzzled by this mysterious young man who had appeared at the banquet at some unknown point.
Not only because Norian had rushed over to find him, but more importantly… the banquet had been going on for a while, and no one had seen him before!
Feeling the intense gazes of so many people for the first time, Luo Yan felt a little uncomfortable, but she still didn’t use her ability.
Because her presence was too strong now, if she forcibly weakened it, she would have to actually use “Envy” on everyone present.
This was a demonic power that distorted souls and wills. It was hard to estimate what would happen if she used it, so Luo Yan could only endure it for the time being.
…Sister Qingling wasn’t having an easy time just now either.
Luo Yan, who empathized with Hua Qingling due to the coincidental circumstances, thought so.
“Hmm?!” Norian looked over and saw that Luo Yan was still obediently staying near the bar counter as before, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Miss Luo Yan, it’s good that you haven’t left.”
“What happened?” Luo Yan asked curiously. “Just now… someone else was also in such a hurry. Did something happen in Lannister?”
She didn’t mention Tina. Clearly, from Norian’s words earlier, when Chris was giving her closing remarks, he clearly didn’t know that Chris’s mother, Tina, had also come to Lannister.
Since Tina didn’t intend to reveal her presence, Luo Yan naturally had to respect her wishes.
“Who… was in a hurry?” Norian was stunned for a moment, but didn’t pursue it further. Instead, he composed himself and replied, “Indeed, a very serious incident has occurred… I kept suspecting you were involved, but from the looks of it, you really weren’t.”
“What…”
Norian didn’t explain immediately. He looked around, and his voice sounded directly in Luo Yan’s mind,
“Miss Luo Yan, have you heard of… the Church of the End Gods?”
When he said the name of the church to Luo Yan, Norian was a little nervous, worried that something unexpected would happen to her after she heard it, after all, her existence was too special.
Moreover, there were many people at the banquet, and Norian didn’t dare to directly say the name that put the nobles on edge, so he could only use this method of mental communication to talk to Luo Yan.
…He was a “Peril” level ability user, after all, although this “Peril” level had some water in it, and he might not even be a match for a stronger “Ruin” level ability user.
“What?” Luo Yan was a little puzzled. “It sounds… like a cult?”
“Yes, they refer to the ten Primordial Demons as ‘Gods’ and have been trying to destroy the entire world, even in the nearly thousand years since the Primordial Demons have all fallen silent, they haven’t stopped trying.”
Seeing Luo Yan’s reaction, Norian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then explained to her.
It was good that Miss Luo Yan hadn’t come into contact with the Church of the End Gods, otherwise something might really happen…
Thinking of the terrifying aura that had appeared in the forest outside the city, if that thing were to appear in the core area of Lannister, it would really be the end.
“Gods…”
Luo Yan suddenly recalled the Witch of Envy’s title for her, and her expression immediately turned strange.
“Anyway, they suddenly started taking action in Lannister, and reports have come in from various districts,” Norian didn’t notice Luo Yan’s expression and continued seriously. “Granny Zoya, whom I entrusted to investigate your residence, has already encountered their Bishop-level figure and can’t get away now.”
Now he was glad that Luo Yan had secretly left Restricted Zone Seven. If she hadn’t left, Granny Zoya definitely wouldn’t have gone to investigate there, and wouldn’t have encountered Hamid head-on.
What was even more terrifying was that Hamid would have directly encountered Luo Yan. The consequences of that situation were unimaginable.
At this moment, Granny Zoya’s battle with the Bishop of the Church of the End Gods in Restricted Zone Seven was deliberately confined to a certain range by her to prevent it from affecting Lannister.
However, Bishop Hamid Surian was from the same era as Granny Zoya, and his strength back then was even greater than hers.
Coupled with the avatar of the “Sovereign of Terror” descending upon Hamid, even though Granny Zoya had the support of Lannister’s “Ember Cluster” and had reached the “Destruction” level, the pinnacle of human limits, this was all she could do.
When Hamid decided to unleash this destruction, the followers of the Church of the End Gods, who had been waiting for a long time, appeared one after another. Several “Ruin” level Calamity warnings were issued from various districts in an instant, and even “Peril” level warnings near the core area.
“Apologies, Miss Luo Yan, due to these incidents, you cannot leave here for the time being.” Norian continued mentally. “I will organize a team to deal with this trouble. Since these matters have nothing to do with you, please don’t interfere with Lannister’s actions, even help is unnecessary.”
Luo Yan herself was a risk. The situation in Lannister was different from Yan City. They weren’t lacking in powerful forces and didn’t need to desperately send out even Luo Yan.
“Mm, I understand.”
Luo Yan nodded. Actually, since a while ago, she had vaguely sensed a familiar aura appearing in Lannister.
Now that she thought about it, it was somewhat similar to the Witch of Envy; it should be another Primordial Demon.
“I’ve already commissioned Miss Hua Qingling. Her combat power is very important to Lannister. This is a very standard employment procedure,” Norian continued. “I’m informing you of this to avoid any misunderstandings.”
“What misunderstandings?”
“…Forget it.”
Looking at Luo Yan’s puzzled expression, Norian felt like he had wasted his breath. She didn’t seem to care about Hua Qingling.
“Sister Qingling is short of money, it’s normal for her to take commissions, I know.”
Seeing Norian’s choked expression, Luo Yan knew that this old gentleman was once again treating her as someone with a strange temper.
But this was understandable. Norian was cautious by nature and always considered everything as thoroughly as possible.
“Mm, since Miss Luo Yan is so understanding, Lannister will express its gratitude.” Norian nodded and said, “The situation is urgent, I have to leave immediately to deal with this matter.”
Norian didn’t continue with the pleasantries and turned to leave after explaining the situation.
These conversations were all done through mental communication. To others, it looked like Norian had just exchanged a few glances with Luo Yan before turning to leave.
Of course, these nobles weren’t ignorant; they knew about mental communication.
What was so important that the Chief Magistrate of the Lannister Council of Elders needed to convey it in such a secretive manner?
The nobles became serious. They didn’t know what was happening outside at the moment. Norian had quietly sealed off the entire banquet hall; no information could enter or leave.
This was a lesson learned from the previous incident in the forest outside the city. Never trust these nobles; they were the first to run when something happened, which would only cause more serious chaos.
Lannister was far from its demise, and now they had to unite to face this difficult situation.
Just as these nobles were puzzled and planning to find an opportunity to talk to the black-haired young man, they found that he had disappeared.
Within the hall, they couldn’t find him anywhere.
……
Of course, Luo Yan hadn’t left the banquet hall; she had just found an opportunity to use “Envy” again for cognitive distortion.
She wasn’t used to attracting attention; over the years, Luo Yan had become accustomed to being alone.
Luo Yan sat back at the bar counter, but she was no longer in the mood to mix cocktails.
The “Church of the End Gods” that Norian mentioned made her inexplicably think of the Witch of Envy. In the Endless Void, she had revealed her true name.
“Hope.”
Regarded as the culprit behind the destruction of the world, one of the creators of the Calamity Tide, the true name of the conceptual entity of the Witch of Envy actually represented hope.
“Gods…?”
Luo Yan pondered the meaning of this title. Coupled with the words the Witch of Envy had declared to her, she vaguely grasped some unclear information.
“It seems that this cult called the ‘Church of the End Gods’ might really know something.”
However, Luo Yan didn’t intend to look for them.
Admittedly, perhaps these commonly perceived cultists didn’t devote themselves to the Primordial Demons just for selfish desires or the pursuit of power.
They had their own ideals, their own pursuits, that led them to side with the so-called “Gods.”
However, these motives or reasons didn’t change the nature of their actions. The Church of the End Gods was indeed acting to destroy human civilization, and the countless tragedies recorded in the archives proved this point.
Just as Luo Yan felt she was lost in thought, a figure unknowingly approached her, its gaze finally focusing on her with great effort.
At this moment, the uncomfortable feeling of being the center of attention descended once again, and Luo Yan shuddered involuntarily.
“Hey, you… where’s Sister Qingling?”
A familiar, arrogant voice rang out. Luo Yan turned her head and saw Chris looking at her with her arms crossed, a hint of difficulty and obscurity in her eyes.
…Chris had barely broken through the cognitive distortion set by Luo Yan, and because she herself had been under the close attention of other nobles, Luo Yan was once again exposed at this moment.
“Huh?”
Luo Yan was a little surprised. She was quite confident in “Envy”; this was the first time it had been broken through… the second time?
Tina seemed to have broken through it once just now.
It seemed that the Lequista family’s inherited ability did have something unique about it.
“I want to ask, where did Sister Qingling go? I still have something to ask her.” Chris suppressed her displeasure and asked again in a deep voice. “And didn’t you go back? Why are you still… here?”
After quickly ending the tedious and uninteresting socializing with those nobles, she wanted to find Hua Qingling.
It was a rare encounter, and Chris wanted to spend more time with Hua Qingling.
But for some reason, she couldn’t find her. Chris even secretly used her ability, “Siren’s Song,” to search for Hua Qingling, but to no avail.
However, it wasn’t entirely fruitless.
In the feedback from “Siren’s Song,” an abnormal mental fluctuation appeared in the banquet hall, forming a strange void.
So, Chris came looking and, using the soul perception commonly used by mental ability users, finally discovered Luo Yan’s presence.
“Something happened at my residence, so I can’t go back for now.”
Luo Yan replied, looking curiously at this famous idol and young lady of the Free Federation.
Even though the other party clearly had hostility towards her, for some reason, she still hadn’t expressed it directly.
…Luo Yan didn’t know what was considered proper aristocratic elegance and upbringing, although most of the time, it was just for show, and in private, these nobles weren’t exactly clean.
“As for Sister Qingling, she took a commission from Magistrate Norian and left earlier.”
“Le-, Left?”
Chris immediately deflated, then glanced at Luo Yan, who still had an indifferent expression, and frowned slightly.
Wait, wasn’t this guy a man?
When ordinary men saw her face, shouldn’t their reaction be different…
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