Category: Miss Luo Yan’s Feet Are Buried With Corpses

Witch’s Night: Chapter 11 Siren’s Song

Luo Yan, who was mixing drinks by herself, suddenly looked up and towards a certain direction.

In that direction, she detected a strange, familiar aura, as if she had encountered it before.

But this aura faded away in an extremely short time, at an astonishing speed, until it vanished without a trace, as if everything before had been an illusion.

“What aura is this…”

Luo Yan frowned slightly, but ultimately didn’t pursue it further.

This was Lannister, not Yan City. As a special guest, it was best for her not to get too involved in Lannister’s affairs.

However, mixing drinks was quite fun.

Luo Yan seemed to have found enjoyment, happily following the cocktail recipes on the bar counter.

Unconsciously, she had already drunk seven or eight cocktails.

A slight blush appeared on Luo Yan’s face. Fortunately, the mental strength brought by “Envy” kept her conscious.

She was drunk, but not completely drunk.

The banquet in the distance finally began, slightly piquing Luo Yan’s interest, but she still didn’t leave her seat.

Since she had promised Norian that she wouldn’t wander around, Luo Yan wouldn’t break her promise.

Just then, a cold but polite voice sounded beside Luo Yan,

“Excuse me, may I sit here?”

Luo Yan looked up and saw a very beautiful, unfamiliar woman. Her tall figure, although not comparable to the unusually tall Hua Qiling and Qin Wen, was still outstanding.

A simple suit dress looked plain and unadorned, and the expression on her face was as cold as ice, but it still couldn’t conceal her striking beauty.

If this ice-cold woman appeared in the middle of the banquet, she would surely attract everyone’s attention.

But she didn’t; she walked to the most inconspicuous bar counter at the banquet.

“Please.”

Luo Yan nodded indifferently.

After the ice-cold woman sat down, she directly picked up a glass of high-proof base liquor from the bar counter and drank it on her own, making Luo Yan stare blankly.

Noticing Luo Yan watching her, she forced a smile on her cold face,

“I prefer something pure.”

“Oh…”

Luo Yan hadn’t tried that before; pure base liquor was still a bit too stimulating for her.

“Young man, you shouldn’t have come alone, right?” The ice-cold woman put down the glass in her hand and glanced at Luo Yan seemingly casually. “Where is your companion?”

“Sister Qingling? She’s attending the banquet.” Luo Yan pointed to the lively banquet, a stark contrast to the desolate bar counter. “Due to some special reasons, I can’t move around freely.”

“…That’s a pity.”

The ice-cold woman seemed to have just asked casually and didn’t pursue it further.

“What about you?”

Out of politeness, Luo Yan returned the question.

“I…” The ice-cold woman didn’t expect Luo Yan to ask back. She hesitated for a moment before saying, “I came with my family, but I don’t want to attract too much attention, so I’m hiding here.”

“What a coincidence, me too.”

Luo Yan suddenly sighed in sympathy.

“Since that’s the case, and we’ve met by chance, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know each other.” The ice-cold woman extended her hand. “My name is Tina Enar Easton Lequista. You can just call me Tina.”

“I… Luo Yan.”

Luo Yan extended her hand, very unaccustomed to this, and shook Tina’s hand briefly.

Tina’s hand was icy cold… as cold as her appearance.

But after this short exchange, it could be seen that her personality wasn’t actually cold; she was even quite talkative.

However, when Tina heard Luo Yan say her name, her eyelids couldn’t help but twitch.

You’re really just using your real name…

Then what was the point of this disguise?

Although Luo Yan’s disguise was very effective, the cognitive distortion of “Envy” was almost seamless, Tina recognized her true identity at a glance.

Tina couldn’t see through Luo Yan’s disguise, but like the waiter before the banquet, she deduced the black-haired young man’s true identity from various details.

“Mr. Luo Yan… it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Although Tina complained inwardly, she didn’t show any unusual expression on the surface. It was just that making her icy face smile was still a bit forced.

It could only be said that it was better if she didn’t smile…

“However, Ms. Tina, your name sounds familiar.” Luo Yan touched her chin. “Such a long name…”

“Only ‘Tina’ is my name,” Tina interrupted. “Enar and Easton are my father and mother respectively, and Lequista represents my family heritage.”

“Ah, just like Miss Chris?” Luo Yan remembered. “Both are divided into several parts and are particularly long. Speaking of which, the last names are both Lequista… Could you be her older sister? No, wait…”

What was Miss Chris’s full name again?

Chris… Tina…

Tina?

“It seems you’ve already met my daughter, Chris,” Tina turned her chair slightly and looked towards the banquet. “However, I’m surprised she told you her full name.”

Still not cautious enough, Chris… Sometimes, it’s very dangerous for certain beings to know your name.

However, it could now be confirmed that Miss Luo Yan herself wasn’t dangerous.

In fact, in the eyes of Lannister and Tina, Luo Yan’s danger almost entirely stemmed from the demonic power she carried, and she herself wasn’t that important in this regard.

Whether she was kind or evil wouldn’t change the dangerous nature of the demonic power.

“…Wait, in that case, should I address you as Mrs. Lequista?”

To Tina’s surprise, this was what Luo Yan was struggling about, and her expression didn’t seem like she was joking.

“No, the head of the Lequista family has always been a woman. My husband, Mr. Easton, married into the Lequista family.” Tina explained with a faint smile.

“So, there’s no problem with you calling me Ms. Tina. If you like, you can just call me Tina. I don’t value the cumbersome etiquette of nobles.”

“That’s rare…”

Luo Yan sighed. Even in stories, it was rare for nobles to choose a woman as their heir, let alone the Lequista family, one of the three great families of Noah.

“Because the ability passed down in our family can only be inherited by women,” Tina said softly. “Although this ability is like a curse flowing in our bloodline, it has also brought endless glory to the Lequista family for nearly a thousand years.”

“What ability?” Luo Yan asked curiously, but as soon as she asked, she realized it was inappropriate and quickly covered her mouth. “So-, Sorry… I’ve overstepped.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not an overstep, Miss Luo Yan. The Lequista family’s inherited ability is not a secret.”

Tina was somewhat amused by Luo Yan’s reaction. She then raised an eyebrow and gestured for Luo Yan to look towards the banquet,

“Chris’s performance is about to begin. This is a rare opportunity, even I haven’t seen it in person for a long time.”

Luo Yan followed Tina’s gaze towards the center of the banquet.

A young woman in a Lolita-style dress stood in the very center of the banquet hall. There was no stage beneath her feet, but all the nobles had made way for her.

Therefore, Luo Yan finally saw Chris’s true appearance—when they met before, Chris had been bundled up tightly, afraid of being recognized.

Now, her long, orange-red hair cascaded down slightly, the ends in front of her chest cut short in a style known as “hime cut.”

Her features, upon closer inspection, resembled Tina’s, but lacked the icy temperament, replaced by a lightness and vitality unique to young women.

Although Luo Yan’s sense of aesthetics was as bad as ever, if there was a point of comparison, she could still judge beauty and ugliness.

“She seems to be prettier than Hua Qingling…”

Luo Yan sighed, then took a sip of the cocktail she had just mixed, nodded, and continued,

“But she still seems a bit less beautiful than the Witch of Envy… Ah, the Witch of Envy seems to look like Mrs. Natalie.”

Hearing Luo Yan’s comments, Tina almost crushed the bottle in her hand.

Although it was indeed a very happy thing to hear others praise her daughter, Miss, were these words of praise… actually praise?

She even casually mentioned the “Witch of Envy”…

This was an existence that even the Twelve Saints didn’t dare to touch lightly. Even though they knew that casually mentioning Her wouldn’t be noticed, it still made people nervous every time.

And weren’t you trying to disguise your identity, Miss?

Why did you bring this up so easily?

Tina suppressed the urge to retort that kept welling up inside her, maintaining her icy composure on the surface, although she was almost at her breaking point.

“By the way, what kind of performance is it?”

Luo Yan turned her head and asked.

“Singing. Although Chris’s singing is slightly inferior to mine, it’s still enough to make her famous throughout the Free Federation,” Tina said indifferently, but with a hint of pride in her expression. “You’ll fall in love with her voice after just one listen.”

“Singing… I can sing too.”

Luo Yan recalled the nursery rhyme she heard on the way to Lannister. She still remembered the melody and lyrics very clearly and found it very interesting.

It was just that Hua Qingling hadn’t let her sing it, so she hadn’t hummed it these days.

“No, Miss Luo Yan, Chris’s and my songs… are not ordinary songs.” Tina said in a low voice. “The women of our family, the Lequista family, have another name.

“—’Siren’.”

Chris, in the center of the hall, finally began to sing. There were no lyrics, no accompaniment, only a soft hum echoing through the hall.

In an instant, all other sounds in the hall disappeared, whether it was the chaotic noise or the whispers, all drowned out by this mesmerizing voice, feeling the comfort it brought to their minds and souls.

The nobles closed their eyes, using their whole beings to experience this singing.

But at this time, Luo Yan frowned. “There seems to be a strange mental force field around.”

“Mr. Luo Yan is a mental ability user, right?” Tina asked knowingly. “This is the mental ability passed down through the Lequista family for a thousand years. My title is ‘Siren’s Song,’ and I specialize in using singing to cast various mental abilities.

“There was a legend in the Old Era, about an extremely dangerous place called the ‘Ocean’ in the depths of the Endless Wasteland. At that time, humanity still had the ability to challenge such dangerous places.

“There was a terrifying creature called a ‘Siren’ in the Ocean. They used their beautiful singing to lure humans who challenged the Ocean into losing their way… Indeed, the Lequista family, crowned with the name ‘Siren,’ can also do this. This is our ability.”

The melodious singing spread from the banquet hall, even birds and beasts stopped for this singing, immersed in it and unable to extricate themselves.

Almost only Luo Yan and Tina weren’t affected. The latter possessed this ability herself, and a stronger version at that. Luo Yan, however, could only sense the presence of the mental force field, but wasn’t affected by it.

Seeing this, Tina’s heart sank even further.

The demonic power “Envy” possessed by the Witch of Envy was indeed the pinnacle of all mental abilities. Even “Siren’s Song,” which was considered top-tier among mental abilities, couldn’t affect her in the slightest.

“Of course, this singing is still very pleasant,” Luo Yan nodded, agreeing with Tina. “However, I should also be able to… try it?”

Unfortunately, before the eager Luo Yan could start humming, Tina quickly changed the subject,

“By the way, Mr. Luo Yan, how did you and Hua Qingling meet?”

Just a random topic…

Who knew what would happen if this girl, who possessed the demonic power “Envy,” started singing? The singing of a mental ability user could be very terrifying, especially when singing with their soul.

To stop Luo Yan from singing, Tina decisively started making small talk.

“Sister Qingling… I actually met her younger sister first,” Luo Yan was still very polite, answering Tina’s questions seriously. “A lot of things happened, but in short, her younger sister saved me, and then I met Sister Qingling.”

Tina: “…”

She answered, but not completely.

It wasn’t that Luo Yan deliberately concealed the Ghost Town incident; it was just that the incident was too complicated to explain in a few words, so she just skipped it.

Not to mention the many things she wanted to retort about the omitted parts, Tina was also relieved that she hadn’t let Miss Luo Yan sing.

At this time, Chris’s singing finally ended. The nobles opened their eyes, and warm applause filled the entire hall. Even Norian nodded with satisfaction.

His fatigue from the past few days was swept away after listening to Chris’s singing; he even had the illusion that he could continue working for another seventy-eight hours.

Chris rarely used this kind of a cappella singing to use her ability, because it consumed too much mental energy. After each time she sang, she had to rest for a long time and couldn’t use her ability.

Correspondingly to its preciousness, Chris’s “Siren’s Song” not only had a healing effect on the mind that surpassed most mental potions, but also had no side effects.

Witch’s Night: Chapter 10 God’s Chosen – Cecilia

After the Calamity Tide swept across civilization, humanity barely survived this unimaginable disaster.

But this was wrong.

Humanity shouldn’t struggle but should embrace this destruction.

A wrong continuation would only lead to wrong results, and wrong results would truly endanger the entire world.

After destruction, there is rebirth. All hope should be left to the next civilization, waiting for the dawn of victory tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years later, to finally end this cycle.

This was the oracle issued by the Gods together, but ignorant humanity couldn’t understand and was unwilling to make the great sacrifice.

The emergence of the Church of the End Gods was to guide humanity towards proper destruction, to end the wrong continuation.

“Most humans are unwilling to wake up from this beautiful dream, and we are the few who have awakened.”

An old man dressed as a farmer said in a low, hoarse voice,

“The Gods let us witness this false starry sky with our own eyes, and the truth hidden behind it.

“When the Gods slumbered in the past, we never gave up. Now the Gods have returned, it’s time for our great and tragic civilization to meet its destined destruction.

“This is our mission, for… the Gods.”

He paused, “And for humanity itself.”

“Praise the Gods.”

Low voices echoed in unison, yet deliberately suppressed.

The followers of the Church of the End Gods, who had exhausted Norian recently, were gathered here.

Right under Lannister’s nose, they had escaped its gaze.

It was simple.

Because among these followers was an Elder, an Elder of the Council of Elders.

“Bishop, I have seen the Errant ni xing zhe (one who goes against the proper course) with my own eyes,” this high-ranking Elder, however, appeared respectful before the old man dressed as a farmer. “From her attitude, it can be seen that the ‘God of Hope’ has indeed descended upon Lannister.

“To avoid further complications, she has asked ‘Luo Yan,’ the only one who has come into contact with the ‘God of Hope,’ to temporarily stay in Lannister, and she will personally take Luo Yan away.”

The Errant in the Elder’s mouth referred to Elise, or rather, the Fourth Saint, “Illusion.”

“…A few days ago, I glimpsed the oracle of ‘Hope.’ She asked us to stay here and await Her return.”

The old man’s tone was somewhat strange, like he was chanting. “This is correct. We should move forward and welcome Her back to Her divine seat.”

“But… Norian has confined Her and designated the area as Restricted Zone Seven. No one is allowed to approach.”

The Elder seemed troubled. “Apologies, Bishop, even I have no way. Norian’s influence in the Council of Elders is already absolute, let alone the fact that the other Elders remain silent on this matter concerning Her.”

The old man, called Bishop, was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice,

“No, She will always return.

“As long as She awakens, everything will be set on the right track.

“The benevolent Lord doesn’t need us to save Her; it is we who need the Gods’ salvation.”

The Bishop glanced at everyone present, lowered his eyes, and said softly,

“The return of the Gods requires a grand celebration. Let us offer a little insignificant destruction for Their hopes, starting with Lannister.”

“Praise the Gods.”

The followers chanted in low voices again.

Afterwards, these followers quickly dispersed and left the place, blending back into the city called Lannister in inconspicuous ways.

Only the Bishop remained in the room, silent for a long time.

…Almost everyone had misjudged the Church of the End Gods. They hadn’t been declining over the millennia, but growing.

More and more people, after witnessing the truth above the starry sky, chose to side with the Malice of All Worlds.

The world thought that Devil’s Apostles and Devil’s Minions were keen on causing aimless destruction in major mega-cities to please their masters and pursue greater power.

However, in the eyes of the Church of the End Gods, this was a ritual, a ritual to awaken the Gods from their slumber.

After the War of the Witch of Absolute Death hundreds of years ago, these large-scale destructive actions were stopped because the Church of the End Gods had realized that this ritual couldn’t revive the Gods.

And now…

Another “miracle” had descended upon Lannister, sounding the horn of the Gods’ return.

“Hundreds of years, for the arrival of that day, we have waited for hundreds of years, and this waiting continues.”

The Bishop walked towards the window with his hands behind his back. Outside the window was a bustling market, the crowds coming and going like a tide, surging with the various aspects of life in the mortal world.

Such a prosperous civilization…

Yet, because it had taken the wrong path, it had to come to an end.

The Bishop looked up at the sky.

Even during the day, under the sun, the beautiful starry sky could still be vaguely glimpsed through the clouds.

If it were night, this starry sky would be even more dazzling, unchanged for tens of thousands of years.

The human civilization of the Old Era had touched the stars. Just one step further, and they could have crossed the heavens and entered a wider world.

…Would it really have been like that?

The Bishop closed his eyes.

Only a few in the Church of the End Gods had been taken to the stars by the Gods to witness the truth. The other followers learned about this truth indirectly through them.

But even these few had only glimpsed a small part of the truth; they couldn’t touch, and mustn’t touch, the more terrifying parts.

Looking up, one could see a beautiful and dazzling starry sky, but it was fake.

Created by the Gods to conceal the truth.

The human civilization of the Old Era broke through the false starry sky. They ecstatically glimpsed the truth, and also glimpsed despair…

They struggled, they tried, but in the end, they all failed.

The price of failure was the necessary demise of civilization, becoming part of this eternal cycle.

However, a traitor had appeared among the Gods back then, allowing these remaining humans to continue, and this mistake still hadn’t been completely eliminated, the hidden danger still existed.

“Gods… when will you respond to us again?” The Bishop sighed deeply. “Hundreds of years, how many devout followers can no longer bear the madness brought by the truth of that time, gradually fading away…”

Although the Gods hadn’t issued a clear oracle, from the brief descent and the small part of the truth revealed back then, the Bishop had already deduced many things.

The Gods had an enemy, an enemy they couldn’t defeat themselves, and could only rely on humanity’s hand.

But what was even more terrifying was that this enemy would gradually grow stronger with humanity’s growth. Once human civilization reached a whole new level, this enemy would also become so powerful that even the Gods would despair.

Therefore, humanity had to strike and defeat this enemy when their strength reached a balance point.

Clearly, this season of civilization had failed. They had witnessed the truth, making this enemy invincible.

The only way was to extinguish all the legacies of this civilization and completely start anew.

This was the result of the Bishop’s hundreds of years of dedicated research. He didn’t know if it was accurate enough, but at least it gave him the belief to persevere on the verge of madness.

“Bishop… Grandpa…”

Just then, a timid, childish voice came from behind the Bishop,

“Have those strange uncles and aunts all left…?”

A small pink figure peeked out from behind the Bishop, curiously looking at the world outside the window.

It was a little girl who looked about seven or eight years old. Her light pink, slightly curly short hair was a bit messy, and her gloomy bangs almost covered half of her face. A pair of amber eyes seemed to be flickering slightly.

“Cecilia, those aren’t strange uncles and aunts, they are your elders.”

The worry on the Bishop’s face dissipated slightly. He turned and tremblingly rubbed Cecilia’s hair. “You will also be like them in the future, taking on the important task of destroying civilization. You can do it.”

“Can I help Grandpa Bishop?”

“Yes.”

“Then Cecilia will do her best.”

The little pink Lolita clenched her fists, her childish expression extremely serious.

The Bishop smiled, the wrinkles on his face relaxing a little.

But just then, an unnatural blush suddenly appeared on Cecilia’s small face, and then she coughed violently.

At the same time, her amber eyes faintly emitted a golden light, and an indescribable power emanated from her body.

The Bishop’s pupils constricted, but he didn’t panic too much, clearly having witnessed this scene many times before.

He stood up, took a small bottle of potion from his pocket, carefully approached Cecilia, and gently fed it to her.

“Grandpa Bishop… cough… Cecilia, feels so bad…”

Cecilia coughed even harder after taking the potion, her frail body seemingly on the verge of collapse.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, good Cecilia, everything will be alright.”

The Bishop comforted Cecilia in a gentle voice, while his other hand pressed on her throat, pushing back the potion she was about to cough up.

From his actions, it was clear he had done this countless times before.

Finally, when all the potion was swallowed, and Cecilia coughed until her voice was hoarse, the strange power around her and the faint light in her eyes gradually dimmed.

“Have a good rest, Cecilia,” the Bishop patted Cecilia’s hair and said gently. “After taking the potion, you need to sleep.”

“Mm-hmm,” Cecilia nodded listlessly, her eyelids already drooping. “Grandpa Bishop, is Cecilia useless… Cecilia also wants… to destroy the world with everyone…”

“It’s destroying civilization, Cecilia.” The Bishop said in a low voice. “Our goal is to save this world, and before that, we must end the continuation of this civilization.”

“Mm… destroy civilization…”

Cecilia murmured the last few slurred words and swayed before collapsing.

The Bishop gently supported her small body and carried her to the bed in the room.

Soon, slight childish snores came from under the covers.

The Bishop looked at the sleeping Cecilia, his eyes gradually dimming.

He looked at the empty potion bottle in his hand and sighed deeply.

“Is this the destined fate of a God’s Chosen… How did Mister Nine of Dawn survive those long years spanning two eras? Unimaginable…”

Cecilia was a born demonically infected, or what could be called a God’s Chosen.

She had been able to control demonic power from birth. The moment she awakened, she killed nearly a hundred people in the entire settlement, including her parents.

Even she herself was in critical condition. The demonic power was eroding her young life. A human body could hardly bear this power, let alone a newborn baby?

If it weren’t for the Bishop accidentally discovering this “miracle bestowed by the Gods,” personally coming to the settlement and finding Cecilia, and rescuing her, Cecilia might not exist, leaving only another strange and abnormal Calamity phenomenon in the Endless Wasteland.

But even so, Cecilia’s life was still in danger, fortunately, she was saved by the Bishop, who understood the “Gods” the most.

Based on his understanding, the Bishop had prolonged Cecilia’s life for seven or eight years, but now, this prolongation was gradually coming to an end.

“If you can’t continue, Cecilia… then sleep peacefully on the ruins of Lannister’s civilization.”

The Bishop reached out, wanting to touch Cecilia’s face, but ultimately withdrew his hand.

He was still human, still possessing human emotions and feelings.

But he also knew very clearly that his identity was one of the three Bishops of the Church of the End Gods, shouldering the heavy responsibility of destroying the erroneous civilization.

In fact, the potion the Bishop gave Cecilia didn’t actually suppress the erosion of the demonic power, but rather enhanced it.

That was why Cecilia’s reaction had been so violent when she drank it.

But on the other hand, this enhancement was within the Bishop’s control, able to form a weak balance with the demonic power within Cecilia, ensuring she wouldn’t die from excessive erosion.

However, this method only treated the symptoms, not the root cause… No, it should be said that it made things worse.

After a period of time, when the potion’s effects were completely absorbed by Cecilia, the demonic power within her would reach a higher level.

The next time it acted up, only a stronger potion could maintain the balance.

This cycle repeated itself, and within Cecilia’s small body now resided terrifying power capable of severely damaging an ordinary mega-city.

Even Lannister would struggle to withstand the consequences of this demonic power erupting in the core area.

The current Cecilia was practically an “Ice Coffin Weapon” without the ice coffin’s restraints.

Was this the Bishop’s original intention?

Did he save Cecilia just to turn her into such a terrifying weapon of destruction?

Even the Bishop himself wasn’t sure.

“Perhaps, this is your destiny, Cecilia.”

The Bishop stood up and turned to walk towards the door of the room.

Before leaving, he looked at Cecilia again with some reluctance,

“This is also humanity’s destiny.”

“A destiny we cannot escape, and must never escape.”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 9 People Can Be Down-to-Earth, But Not…Down-to-Earth

Simply put, Yan City treated Luo Yan as “a person possessing dangerous power,” and all their measures stemmed from this understanding.

Lannister, however, regarded Luo Yan as the dangerous power itself, constantly trying its best to avoid contact, lest the “bomb” explode uncontrollably within the city.

In this accidental encounter… even Norian was constantly breaking out in a cold sweat.

He was afraid.

But he wasn’t afraid of his own death; he was afraid of the consequences that Luo Yan’s contact with Lannister might bring.

This caution wasn’t a problem, because Norian was responsible for the entire city.

But for Luo Yan herself… it was a little uncomfortable.

“Actually, there’s no need to worry too much. I know my own situation.” Luo Yan smiled gently, her gaze distant.

“I was far more dangerous in Yan City… At that time, I was on the verge of losing control. If it weren’t for Nine and One saving me with their lives, I’m afraid I would have had no choice but to go to the depths of the Endless Wasteland.”

The destination for every demonically infected person, every God’s Chosen, was the depths of the Endless Wasteland.

From beginning to end, the only thing that could seal the out-of-control body of a demonically infected person was One’s Ice Coffin; there was nothing else.

If it could be replicated, the other Misters of Dawn wouldn’t have met such tragic ends, one after another.

Norian was silent for a moment. His views wouldn’t be so easily changed by Luo Yan’s few words.

For Lannister, he wasn’t willing to take the slightest risk. This was the city he loved, the work of his life.

So he could only remain silent, even though Luo Yan’s words made sense.

“Of course, since I am a guest, I will abide by Lannister’s rules,” Luo Yan naturally saw Norian’s attitude. “I’ll return to the apartment shortly. I’ll trouble Magistrate Norian to send someone to take me back.”

“It’s best that you can understand our difficulties.” Norian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then his expression became slightly serious again. “As for the person who illegally entered the restricted zone and secretly spied on you, Lannister will do its utmost to find them.”

“Thank you.”

Luo Yan nodded.

After the serious matters were discussed, Norian finally couldn’t help but ask the question he had been curious about since Luo Yan revealed her identity,

“By the way… aren’t you a girl? Why are you now…”

“It’s a Life Hack.”

Luo Yan said seriously, her expression solemn, not at all like she was joking.

But just like everyone who heard Luo Yan say this for the first time, Norian’s expression was one of “Are you kidding me?”

“It’s just the application of a mental ability.” Luo Yan slightly loosened the influence on Norian’s perception, and the familiar silver-haired girl reappeared in his vision. “Look, it’s very convenient to use.”

Norian inconspicuously looked away, avoiding eye contact with Luo Yan, and said,

“However, Miss Luo Yan, since you don’t intend to hide your identity, why did you appear at the banquet in this appearance?”

If Luo Yan hadn’t told Norian her name, he would never have imagined that this handsome black-haired young man and the mysterious girl he picked up from the forest outside the city were actually the same person.

If she really wanted to hide her identity, she just needed to not reveal her name.

“It was my request.” Hua Qingling, who had been quiet all this time, spoke up. “With Miss Luo Yan’s appearance, it would be easy to cause a sensation at the banquet… So, I asked her to change her appearance.”

“It doesn’t really matter.”

Luo Yan shrugged. Anyway, she had Life Hacks, and at most, she could just increase the distortion a little.

Indeed, Hua Qingling wasn’t eye-catching, but that didn’t mean Luo Yan was the same. In terms of appearance, Hua Qingling was far inferior to Luo Yan.

Regarding Luo Yan’s appearance, back in Yan City, Hua Qingling’s sister, Hua Qiling, and Anna had both given the assessment that “even Miss Chris pales in comparison.”

In fact, this was still the result of Luo Yan deliberately suppressing her abilities. Back in Ghost Town, when she hadn’t suppressed her abilities, it had directly resulted in all those who looked at her suffering mental damage.

For such a stunningly beautiful girl with no background to appear at a high-profile banquet, it was hard to imagine the consequences.

Needless to say, there would definitely be no shortage of noble young men trying to strike up conversations, and there might even be some nobles with dirty minds who would have malicious intentions. Norian didn’t doubt their lack of morals.

Therefore, Norian was quite frightened after hearing this and secretly marveled at Hua Qingling’s thoughtfulness, raising his opinion of her even higher.

This young lady was very sensible!

…However, it would be even better if she were a little more sensible and hadn’t brought Luo Yan out of the restricted zone.

Of course, this was impossible. Norian knew after a little thought that Luo Yan’s decision to leave the apartment must have something to do with the discovery of being monitored.

Since things had come to this, he could only leave it at that.

“Granny Zoya has already set off to investigate this matter at your residence. So, Miss Luo Yan, please rest here for a while, and Granny Zoya will take you back when she returns.”

Norian quickly made arrangements. He agreed with Luo Yan’s words, but he absolutely couldn’t relax his caution.

If possible, Norian didn’t want Luo Yan to leave the area under Lannister’s control, not even an inch.

He really regretted not strongly rejecting the Saint at that time… although the result might not have been any different.

Norian had lamented this in his heart more than once, but now this feeling was even stronger.

“Mm, I’ll stay here obediently.”

Luo Yan nodded, looking quite docile.

Just then, the grand banquet was about to begin, and all the nobles had arrived.

Among them were some excessively young faces filled with excitement and nervousness. They were basically the outstanding young talents personally invited by Granny Zoya, subtly forming two separate circles with the nobles.

Count Spencer gave a speech on stage, melodious music drifting through the hall, played live by a classical orchestra from Noah.

The long and tedious opening speech was coming to an end, and it was time for Norian to appear.

Even though Norian hated this cumbersome etiquette, this was, after all, the nobles’ home ground, and since he didn’t intend to fall out with them, he could only comply.

“Ladies, I must take my leave. May you two… oh, no, Miss Hua Qingling, may you have a pleasant time at this banquet.”

Then Norian looked at Luo Yan, giving her a meaningful glance,

“—As for Miss Luo Yan, I can only say that I hope when you visit Lannister again in the future… it will be as an ordinary guest.”

“…Perhaps.”

After this brief conversation ended, Norian hurriedly left the bar counter.

At the same time, many enthusiastic gazes were still lingering on Hua Qingling… Luo Yan, rather unkindly, increased the distortion. Even if someone consciously looked at her, their gaze would shift away.

But this situation didn’t last long. Soon, these restless Lannister nobles were attracted by another figure who suddenly appeared.

“It’s Miss Chris! Miss Chris has really come…”

“It’s rare for Magistrate Norian to attend, and there’s also Miss Chris’s appearance… This banquet is worth it!”

“Wuwuwu, Miss Chris… take me away… I want to be your dog…”

There seemed to be some strange words mixed in.

However, Luo Yan now understood why Chris had been dressed like that when she saw her outside the venue earlier.

Compared to Hua Qingling, who might only have aroused Magistrate Norian’s slight interest, Miss Chris’s status was obviously more important.

“Miss Chris seems to be really popular.”

Luo Yan craned her neck, but still couldn’t see Chris among the moving heads.

“Not seems, Miss Chris is a top star in the Free Federation, and she’s very rich.” Hua Qingling said with emotion,

“The place where she treated me to a meal wasn’t particularly delicious, but the prices were so expensive that I wanted to dig a hole and escape. But she ordered everything without batting an eye, without even asking what I wanted to eat. I was so scared I thought it was a scam.”

Sis, I know you have no image anymore, but please pay attention to your language as a lady…

As soon as there were no outsiders present, Hua Qingling immediately let loose, making Luo Yan even more certain that this person was indeed Hua Qiling’s older sister.

Luo Yan touched her chin. She suddenly thought of Chris’s inexplicable hostility towards her earlier, and Hua Qingling’s descriptions,

“Why… the more I listen, the more I feel like you two are having an affair. Even if it was for buying clothes, there was no need to treat you to a meal, right?”

“What are you thinking? She just admired my work, I could tell.” Hua Qingling said proudly, hands on her hips. “When I put on the sample for her to see, her eyes were glued to it.

“Besides, that was the first time I met Miss Chris; we had no interaction before that.”

“Really?” Luo Yan asked suspiciously. “Could you have remembered wrong?”

“Heh, Miss Luo Yan, I can see you don’t understand at all,” Hua Qingling tsked. “If Miss Chris were just a popular idol, that would be one thing, but she has another identity.

“The second daughter of the Lequista family, one of the candidates for the next head of the family… Although it’s highly likely she’s just a backup, it’s enough to show her noble status, even Norian has to take her seriously.”

Seeing that Luo Yan still looked puzzled, Hua Qingling continued to explain,

“The Lequista family is one of the ten families that founded Noah with the Saint, and also one of the only three Noah families that have survived to this day.

“Her ancestors built the city with the Saint. What qualifications do I have to know her? We wouldn’t even use the same toilet!”

“Sister Qingling, I know you’re trying to illustrate the difference in status, but please change your analogy… Let me keep my last bit of impression of you.”

Forget about a knowledgeable older sister or something, she was at least a prodigy with the potential to reach “Destruction” level, why did she talk like this in private?

But it was also understandable. Compared to being a young lady from a prominent family, Hua Qingling had been traveling outside all these years, and the people she interacted with were mostly adventurers and the like.

Being down-to-earth didn’t seem so incomprehensible anymore…

“You’ve already seen everything about me, so whatever.” Hua Qingling waved her hand, looking like she had given up.

“I only know Miss Chris because I make good clothes. She even offered to hire me full-time to make clothes for her, and the salary she offered almost made me kneel.”

“You didn’t agree?”

Luo Yan blinked. After Hua Qingling’s persona collapsed, she also learned about this older sister’s extreme lack of money.

“No, I left Yan City… because I have more important things to do,” Hua Qingling’s expression suddenly became a little serious. “For the future of Yan City, I must keep moving forward… But thinking about all that salary gone, it still hurts.”

…Originally, in Luo Yan’s mind, Hua Qingling was a strong person traveling everywhere. Now she had gradually become the image of a poor worker wandering around looking for jobs.

Of course, this was just Hua Qingling’s way of recounting these experiences in a more lighthearted manner. She was indeed imitating the Saint who established the title system, traveling around and growing.

Not just in combat, Hua Qingling was using her own eyes to observe everything in the New Era of humanity, the achievements of the major mega-cities, thinking about where Yan City’s future should lie.

Looking at Hua Qingling’s tearful expression, an almost imperceptible smile appeared on the corner of Luo Yan’s mouth.

“Sister Qingling, since you’re here to attend this banquet, you shouldn’t stay here with me all the time.” Luo Yan said softly. “This is a precious opportunity; the entire upper class of Lannister is gathered here.”

Hua Qingling shouldered a lot; she shouldn’t stop moving forward for her sake.

“But you…”

Hua Qingling hesitated.

“Do you think I’m a child who can’t leave her parents, Sister Qingling?” Luo Yan raised her glass and smiled. “Or is it that, like Magistrate Norian, you think I’m dangerous and can’t leave your sight?”

“Of course not. Although Magistrate Norian’s words are not unreasonable, I’m more inclined to believe what happened in Yan City.”

Hua Qingling shook her head and stood up. “Since Miss Luo Yan doesn’t mind, I’ll leave for a while.”

If she wanted to see the higher-level landscape of Lannister, if she wanted to know how Lannister had developed to its present state… more detailed than any written materials, the answers were hidden within certain individuals at this banquet.

For example, Magistrate Norian.

Hua Qingling’s words earlier weren’t just polite; she greatly admired the “Norian Reform.”

“Remember not to say anything like digging holes in toilets or kneeling again…”

Luo Yan kindly reminded.

“…I won’t!”

……

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous corner of Lannister.

Dozens of silent figures were crammed into a small, exquisitely decorated suite.

Most of them were dressed as commoners: porters, cooks, all kinds of professions.

But what was even more chilling was that some of them… were wearing Lannister official uniforms.

These people of different identities gathered together, but their eyes all flickered with a similar light.

Because they were…

The Church of the End Gods.

Witch’s Night: Chapter 8 Talking Behind Someone’s Back, To Their Face

Due to Luo Yan’s special nature, neither Granny Zoya nor Norian had approached that area in the past few days, and they had also strictly forbidden anyone from approaching the apartment.

The situation in Lannister was very different from Yan City, and Luo Yan’s arrival had indeed been too alarming.

Before the Saint arrived in Lannister, Norian didn’t intend to change the current situation and wanted to maintain the status quo as much as possible.

It was best to leave this thorny matter to the Saint to resolve.

But this didn’t mean that Norian wasn’t paying attention to Luo Yan’s situation.

In fact, he had many questions about this mysterious girl, but due to caution, he hadn’t voiced them.

—Unnecessary knowledge could bring disaster, and forbidden knowledge could drive people mad.

No matter what, all matters related to the Primordial Demons had to be treated with the utmost caution.

“Um…”

Hua Qingling hesitated for a moment, glanced at Luo Yan, who was frowning and fiddling with a cocktail next to her, and nodded,

“It should be fine.”

…What kind of answer was that?

And, following Hua Qingling’s suddenly shifting gaze, Norian finally saw Luo Yan, who had been previously ignored.

The presence that Luo Yan had reduced through “Envy” was almost like invisibility. Even if someone was very close, without deliberately looking, they would be forced to overlook her.

It wasn’t until Hua Qingling’s glance that Norian had the chance to notice Luo Yan.

He was startled. A black-haired young man was sitting right next to him, and he hadn’t noticed at all.

Norian didn’t suspect that this was Luo Yan’s ability, but rather attributed it to his scattered attention due to exhaustion and mental fatigue from the past few days.

“Oh… sorry, young man, I didn’t see you just now.” Norian looked at Luo Yan and nodded apologetically. “You must be Hua Qingling’s partner? You two are a good match.”

Just as Granny Zoya’s information suggested, it was indeed a handsome young man.

Norian had only said this out of politeness, but before Luo Yan could say anything, Hua Qingling hurriedly denied it, her cheeks slightly flushed,

“No, no, we’re not… that kind of relationship.”

“We are friends.”

Luo Yan looked up slightly and said seriously.

The clear voice was very pleasant, but Norian felt that it was somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard it before.

He didn’t connect it to Luo Yan, mainly because of the gender…

If Granny Zoya were here, she would have seen through Luo Yan’s appearance hidden by the mental distortion at a glance. Unfortunately, Norian’s strength wasn’t nearly enough to reach that level.

“Hmm?” Norian was a little taken aback, but he quickly adjusted. “Alright, it seems your relationship hasn’t been confirmed yet. I’ve spoken out of turn.”

“It’s not… forget it.”

Hua Qingling didn’t want to continue down this path, although Luo Yan didn’t seem to mind.

She took a deep breath, her voice slightly lower,

“Magistrate Norian, before that, there are some important questions I’d like to ask you.”

Even though she had the right to question, facing the renowned Chief Magistrate of Lannister, Hua Qingling was still somewhat nervous.

Admittedly, Norian wasn’t particularly strong, but in the New Era… there were many things just as important as strength.

Norian could make Lannister powerful, and that was enough.

“It seems… these aren’t friendly questions.” Norian’s expression also became slightly serious. “Ask away. Even if they are offensive questions… I will try my best to answer your doubts.”

He had a good impression of Hua Qingling; she was indeed an outstanding young talent.

“May I ask, Magistrate Norian, why did you secretly send surveillance personnel to our residence?”

Hua Qingling’s tone wasn’t strong, but her attitude was quite firm.

“If this is Lannister’s way of treating guests… I can only say that there are some serious flaws in the impression you and Lannister have left on me.”

“Surveillance personnel? No… I never authorized such actions.”

Norian’s pupils constricted, and his expression became serious. “This is a very serious incident. I… Lannister will investigate this thoroughly.”

After saying that, Norian immediately took out his communicator. After a few rings, Granny Zoya’s surprised voice came through,

“Norian? Why are you suddenly contacting me through the emergency line? Did something unexpected happen at the banquet?”

Although Granny Zoya had left the room with Norian, she hadn’t entered the banquet hall.

On the one hand, she wasn’t interested in these things due to her age, and on the other hand… her status was rather special.

To use a somewhat inappropriate but apt analogy, Granny Zoya was to Lannister what the Saints were to all of humanity. Someone who usually didn’t appear, and when she did, it was a big deal.

Moreover, she was also of a very high seniority. Even the oldest elder in the Council of Elders had to address her as Granny. Her presence at the scene would create too much pressure.

“No… Granny Zoya, this is much more serious than an accident at the banquet. I need you to investigate this matter immediately.”

Norian said in a deep voice.

“What is it?”

Hearing this tone, Granny Zoya immediately became serious as well.

“Someone has quietly infiltrated Restricted Zone Seven and has already made contact with Miss Hua Qingling and Miss Luo Yan. I suspect it’s… their doing.”

Although Norian didn’t explicitly say it, Granny Zoya knew at once that “they” referred to the Church of the End Gods.

These troublesome cultists had often caused chaos in major mega-cities in recent years, and there had been several difficult incidents in Lannister as well.

Moreover, these cultists had been gathering in Lannister recently. Coupled with Luo Yan’s identity, it was hard not to make further associations.

“Alright, I’ll set off immediately.”

Granny Zoya didn’t waste any time. This matter concerned the safety of Lannister, and there was no room for ambiguity.

After hanging up the phone, Norian looked at Hua Qingling apologetically,

“I’m very sorry, this was our mistake. It won’t happen again. Please believe in Lannister’s sincerity. We treat every guest with the same sincerity.”

“Uh… I can see that…”

Hua Qingling was somewhat dazzled by Norian’s actions.

Usually, when officials said they would launch an investigation, or that there wouldn’t be a next time, or expressed that the higher-ups hadn’t authorized it, they were just covering up the truth.

But Norian…

Clearly, he wasn’t.

Even if it were a staged act, it wouldn’t be possible to involve a “Destruction” level ability user…

However, was it necessary to go to such lengths?

“It seems we’ve misunderstood Lannister,” Hua Qingling breathed a sigh of relief, but was still somewhat puzzled. “But, is it necessary to trouble Granny Zoya with this matter?”

“Of course it’s necessary, very necessary,” Norian looked deeply at Hua Qingling. “Young lady, you have no idea how dangerous the young lady beside you is.”

Hua Qingling: “?”

Luo Yan: “?”

Seeing Hua Qingling’s bewildered expression, Norian sighed deeply.

In his opinion, Hua Qingling didn’t believe him.

Indeed, during the short time he had spent with the mysterious girl from the forest outside the city to Lannister, it was hard for Norian to associate her with the terrifying Primordial Demons.

No matter how you looked at it, she was just an ordinary girl who was a little frail.

However… Norian had thoroughly learned about everything that happened in Yan City through various channels, combined with the on-site intelligence brought back by the rescue team he had casually sent out.

Norian had come to the truth known only to a few, that Luo Yan had used the body of Dawn’s Mister “One” and entered the Void to confront the Witch of Envy in the final battle.

No one knew what happened in the Endless Void, only that Luo Yan eventually returned to the present world alive.

But there was another point. Granny Zoya had seen Luo Yan in her crimson dress form, and the unknown and terrifying feeling she felt when looking directly at her was very similar to the Witch of Envy.

Coupled with the Saint’s specific instructions…

It was hard not to suspect whether the one who returned to the present world was the original Luo Yan, or the Witch of Envy.

Or perhaps both.

“Anyway, just take my advice, it’s best to keep your distance from her,” Norian composed himself and continued,

“After this matter is over, don’t have anything more to do with her. Even a slight connection could bring unimaginable disaster—it’s precisely for this reason that I designated your residence as a restricted zone, absolutely forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.

“As for surveillance, that’s even more absurd. Lannister doesn’t want to take unnecessary risks, and neither do I.”

After Norian finished this series of earnest words, Hua Qingling’s expression became even more bewildered, while Luo Yan remained expressionless.

Talking bad about someone in front of them.jpg

“It shouldn’t… be that serious,” Hua Qingling coughed lightly, trying to defuse the awkward situation and salvage Luo Yan’s image in Norian’s eyes.

“Miss Luo Yan stayed in Yan City for several months and resolved many Calamity events for the city… including this war. If it weren’t for her, Yan City might not have survived.”

Luo Yan, upon hearing these words, slightly turned her face away, a faint blush appearing almost imperceptibly.

Being praised to her face… was still a bit awkward.

“No, no, Miss Qingling—please allow me to address you as such. From various perspectives, Yan City was just a lucky exception, and we absolutely cannot expect such an exception to occur a second time.”

Norian shook his head and said seriously, “Admittedly, Miss Luo Yan is a very good young lady. Putting aside these external factors, even I admire such a young person very much… However, her personality doesn’t change her essential nature.

“No matter how kind a person is, they are dangerous when their pockets are full of explosives. The danger of explosives doesn’t change because the person holding them is kind. In my opinion, the power Miss Luo Yan possesses is this ‘explosive.’

“You can choose to believe that her kind nature will prevent her from using the ‘explosives’ recklessly, but you can’t guarantee that these ‘explosives’ will never fall on your own head.”

Although he was speaking ill of Luo Yan, Norian’s words made a lot of sense.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard such an analogy, it’s quite apt.”

Luo Yan said softly, finally putting down the cocktail glass she had been fiddling with for a long time.

…She really didn’t have any talent for mixing drinks; the several glasses she had made all tasted quite strange.

“Power indeed has no inherent good or evil, but it does possess a certain degree of danger. When this danger exceeds control, it doesn’t matter who holds the power, what matters is… the ‘explosive’ explodes.”

Luo Yan continued along Norian’s line of thought. “The result of the explosion won’t be weakened because the person who triggered it is kind… Therefore, when such terrifying power appears in the present world, one must always be prepared for it to lose control.”

Were the Misters of Dawn good people?

Undoubtedly, in the general sense, they were all good people.

However, when the demonic powers they possessed went out of control, could the fact that they were good people prevent the consequences of that loss of control?

No.

All the contradictions of tragedy stemmed from this.

Luo Yan had been quite ignorant of these things before, until Norian’s words enlightened her, summarizing these things that she vaguely understood but couldn’t express.

“Oh?” Norian turned his gaze to Luo Yan (black-haired young man face) again. “Unexpectedly, young man, may I ask your name?”

“Luo Yan.”

“Alright, Mr. Luo Yan… Luo Yan?”

The glass in Norian’s hand trembled.

“Or you can just call me Luo Yan, or Miss Luo Yan.”

Luo Yan picked up the juice used for mixing cocktails next to her, filled her glass, and slightly raised it to touch Norian’s glass,

“Apologies, Magistrate Norian, I left the restricted zone without permission, but I have already gotten the answers I wanted and will be leaving here soon.”

“…My words just now may have been offensive.”

Even a seasoned veteran like Norian couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when caught talking behind someone’s back, especially to their face.

Norian blushed, at a loss for words.

“But those were all truths,” Luo Yan said indifferently, her gaze falling on the scene of clinking glasses not far away. “Hmm… so this is what it’s like to hold a banquet in a hall. I’ve never seen it before.”

Everything in Natalie Manor was desolate, and even the spacious hall never had any guests.

Even though the memories left in Ghost Town were heartwarming, Luo Yan knew very well that if she were still immersed in Ghost Town to this day, even more terrifying consequences might have occurred.

She couldn’t guarantee that when facing the Witch of Envy, she would still be able to wake up from the whispers of divinity.

These… were all “explosives,” unstable factors that could lose control.

Feared by others, causing panic… This was who she was, and the nature of the power she possessed.

“What a peaceful scene, Magistrate Norian,”

Luo Yan turned to look at Norian, a faint red glimmering in her dark eyes,

“Just as you said, my power is dangerous ‘explosive,’ and it will destroy so many beautiful things like this…

“But avoidance can’t solve the problem, I’ve already tried… And, you underestimate my danger, and you underestimate me.”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 7 Miss Luo Yan is Watching You (Secretly)

Although highly regarded by an important figure like Norian, Hua Qingling was actually quite inconspicuous at this banquet.

Ordinary nobles weren’t like Norian, interested in young talents. To them, Hua Qingling was just an ordinary stranger.

As for her appearance?

Except for those with particular preferences, Hua Qingling’s appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding.

She could be considered beautiful, but to the well-traveled Lannister nobles, especially when it came to women, this kind of beauty was quite common.

Moreover, this banquet had gathered almost the entire upper class of Lannister, and there were many who were more beautiful than Hua Qingling.

For example, Miss Chris, who had just greeted Hua Qingling, was highly regarded among the new generation of nobles, both for her appearance and popularity, especially since her family was also prominent and not to be underestimated in the Free Federation.

But none of this had anything to do with Hua Qingling. She sat bored at a bar counter in the corner of the hall, while Luo Yan next to her was asking the bartender about the origins and stories of various cocktails, eager to try them.

Although bars, a phenomenon from the Old Era that had only recently re-emerged, were generally looked down upon by the self-proclaimed noble nobles as lacking class, there were still some nobles who liked them.

To cater to this small group of nobles, a corner of the banquet hall was specifically set aside for a bar counter.

Moreover, they had specially invited the chief bartender from the most famous bar—the one Luo Yan was currently questioning.

“Screwdriver… why is it called that?” Luo Yan stared at the golden liquid in the cocktail glass and looked up at the bartender curiously. “If I remember correctly, that should be the name of two tools.”

“Um… that’s a name from the Old Era… it seems to have been the original inventor’s mixing tool?”

The bartender stammered, wondering if this person was trying to make things difficult for him.

The New Era had lost most of the historical records from the Old Era. Most of what had survived was passed down through word of mouth, and there were naturally not many records about cocktail names.

Even though this bartender specialized in classic Old Era cocktails, even he didn’t know much.

But the black-haired young man in front of him had a very serious expression, as if he really just wanted to learn about these cocktails.

But… why was his heart beating faster and faster?

Whether it was due to embarrassment from being excessively questioned, or some other reason, the relatively young bartender was already blushing.

His eyes timidly avoided Luo Yan’s direct gaze, but his heart couldn’t help but pound. The gentle voice made him feel slightly intoxicated, but then he was awakened by the terrifying reality.

Could it be… that he had been bent?

Just as the bartender was lost in thought, and Luo Yan picked up the cocktail glass to try it, there was quite a commotion from the banquet in the distance.

“Hmm?”

The commotion was so loud that Luo Yan and Hua Qingling couldn’t ignore it. Several minor nobles even showed quite undignified excitement, scrambling towards the source of the commotion.

At this time, the bartender next to them also became excited. He had just been worried about being bent, but now he had completely thrown this inexplicable thought to the back of his mind.

“It’s, it’s Magistrate Norian! I didn’t expect the rumors of Magistrate Norian attending this banquet to be true!”

The bartender was elated and even wanted to drop his work and push through the crowd, but he ultimately held back.

This was the place where the Lannister nobles held their banquets, not a place where a commoner like him could mess around.

“Norian?”

Luo Yan hadn’t been paying attention at first, but hearing this name, she put down the glass in her hand and looked towards the center of the banquet hall.

With her eyesight, she naturally quickly found the thin old man surrounded by a group of nobles, especially with his signature handlebar mustache. It was undoubtedly Norian, who had picked her up from the forest outside the city and brought her back to Lannister.

“You… don’t know Magistrate Norian?” The bartender was surprised to hear Luo Yan call Norian directly by his name. “Aren’t you a Lannister noble?”

“No, I’m just a guest who was brought along to see the world.”

Luo Yan said indifferently, taking a sip of the Screwdriver in her hand.

Hmm, a bitter taste, not very pleasant.

“I know him, but I didn’t expect Magis-… Magistrate Norian to be so popular.”

Even Lin Cheng, who had a very good reputation in Yan City, rarely received such a warm welcome from the commoners upon his appearance.

Judging from the bartender’s attitude, Norian’s image among the commoners wasn’t just that of Lannister’s Chief Magistrate.

“That’s because of the Norian Reform a hundred years ago,” Hua Qingling explained before the bartender could answer.

“That was a reform proposal put forward by Magistrate Norian when he first joined the Council of Elders. The general idea was to give commoners a path to upward mobility. Before that, Lannister’s upper class was completely controlled by the nobles.

“This reform was naturally met with collective resistance from the nobles, but the Council of Elders rarely unanimously supported Norian’s reform plan.

“By this time, the conflict between the nobles and the Council of Elders had become irreconcilable, until the Constantine family’s rebellion failed seventy years ago, and the nobles were completely defeated in this political struggle, gradually forming the current structure of Lannister.”

Before Luo Yan entered Lannister, Norian had proudly introduced the city to her, because it was a mega-city he had single-handedly shaped.

Although its upper-class nobles were still decadent and corrupt, it had been injected with new vitality and was no longer stagnant.

“You even understand this?” Luo Yan was a little surprised this time. “Hua Qiling… seems to know nothing about this kind of thing, she can’t even explain the concept of the Free Federation clearly.”

Luo Yan remembered that when she first arrived in Yan City, Hua Qiling had talked for a long time without explaining these concepts clearly. She did, however, know a lot about unofficial history and gossip.

“She’s not interested in these things… Although I don’t like them either, I will eventually return to Yan City. I need to learn about how to build Yan City’s future.”

Hua Qingling smiled reservedly, but from her expression, it was clear that she was quite proud of being able to surprise Luo Yan.

The bartender nodded in agreement and took a few more glances at Hua Qingling… although mostly to avoid Luo Yan’s eyes.

“It seems this young lady isn’t a noble either?”

“I am.”

Hua Qingling took the cocktail from Luo Yan’s hand and took a small sip.

She seemed to enjoy this drink, which Luo Yan didn’t like.

“…”

The bartender’s expression visibly stiffened.

“But not a Lannister noble, just a declining branch of a noble family in an insignificant small city-state.”

Hua Qingling smiled gently. “Don’t mind me, I’m just a country bumpkin in Lannister.”

Although the Hua family in Yan City was indeed one of the major families, Hua Qiling and Hua Qingling had separated from the Hua family since their parents’ generation.

Even though both sisters later demonstrated varying degrees of value, and Hua Qingling even had the potential to become a “Destruction” level ability user, a pillar of humanity, they hadn’t planned to return to the Hua family.

This was a digression, but even so, the bartender still felt a little uncomfortable after hearing Hua Qingling’s words.

He almost couldn’t help but say some bad things about nobles…

Before the Norian Reform, the nobles controlled everything in Lannister. Even though it had been a hundred years ago, they were still deeply hated by the commoners.

Just then, Norian, in the distance, was dealing with the flattering minor nobles who kept approaching him and was becoming impatient.

Although he was the one who had cut off the era of the nobles’ absolute rule, Lannister was now governed by the Council of Elders. As the Chief Magistrate, Norian was naturally the most powerful person in Lannister.

The thousand-year-old noble families naturally didn’t care about Norian, as long as he guaranteed not to purge all the nobles and maintained their extravagant lifestyle.

But these minor nobles, whose families were gradually declining, were eager to climb up Norian’s social ladder, even if it was just to show their faces and leave an impression.

Norian didn’t hate nobles, and he naturally wouldn’t reject some outstanding young nobles, such as Miss Chris, who had recently been invited.

But obviously, the minor nobles currently chattering around him weren’t.

But as Chief Magistrate, Norian had to consider his image and could only suppress his dissatisfaction, perfunctorily responding to the greetings of these minor nobles.

Just as he was becoming increasingly impatient, he caught sight of Hua Qingling in the corner, sitting gracefully at the bar counter.

…Don’t doubt Hua Qingling’s public image. She was a perfectly well-mannered and knowledgeable older sister in every aspect except for her height, even though she was a hopelessly sloppy homebody in private.

“Finally found an opportunity.”

Norian breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile,

“Everyone, everyone… please stop for a moment. Although I know you still have many things to discuss with me, I apologize, I have to excuse myself for a while. A very outstanding young lady is waiting for me.”

After saying that, Norian’s gaze fell on Hua Qingling and he nodded slightly.

Hua Qingling looked blankly at Norian, who suddenly looked up and nodded at her. She then politely raised her right hand to her left shoulder and slightly bent down, elegantly returning a noble’s greeting.

This caused quite a stir. Almost all the minor nobles turned their attention to Hua Qingling, and even the bartender next to her was shocked.

My goodness… unimaginable, what kind of person was this young woman, to actually have an appointment with Magistrate Norian!

For a moment, the gazes towards Hua Qingling were filled with doubt and envy.

Almost every young person personally received by Magistrate Norian could rise rapidly within Lannister’s upper echelon.

Even if they weren’t from the city, gaining Magistrate Norian’s favor meant gaining Lannister’s friendship.

And this friendship wasn’t to be taken lightly…

For example, if Yan City had been on good terms with Lannister before, Dawn might not have launched this war.

Because Lannister could have, without hesitation, used a large-scale Teleportation Array to send a large number of troops, and even Granny Zoya might have helped. The presence of a “Destruction” level ability user was beyond what Dawn could handle.

Of course, this was just wishful thinking. For Lannister to go to such lengths, the relationship would have to be incredibly close.

And at this time, Luo Yan opportunely used “Envy” to greatly reduce her presence, letting Hua Qingling enjoy this attention alone.

Hua Qingling: “…”

Although she didn’t know why, she felt a strange chill next to her, quite creepy.

She could only force a smile and nod to the people around her.

Seeing this, Norian immediately walked through the crowd towards Hua Qingling.

The minor nobles next to him didn’t continue to crowd around. They were here to make friends with Norian, not to pester him.

To still stick to him at this time would be foolish.

But the attention was still there. All kinds of indistinct gazes were cast towards Hua Qingling, sizing up this unfamiliar woman, wondering what aspect of her had attracted Norian’s attention.

“Sorry, young lady,” Norian said to Hua Qingling with a slight apology as he approached, casually picking up a cocktail glass from the bar counter and mixing himself a drink. “I had to use this method to escape… I’ve caused you some trouble.”

“It’s alright, Magistrate Norian, I understand.”

Hua Qingling said with a gentle smile. “On the contrary, I should be grateful for the opportunity to talk to you in this way. I’ve admired you for a long time. It was a pity I didn’t have the chance to talk to you in detail last time we met.”

“Hahaha… I’ll take that as you not just being polite,” Norian laughed heartily, then looked at the bartender beside the bar counter. “Young man, can you leave for a while? It’s… not convenient for others to be present during our conversation.”

The bartender next to them was already completely stunned.

The Chief Magistrate, whom the commoners admired the most, was standing right in front of him, talking and laughing…

This shock caused the young man’s brain to short-circuit, and he couldn’t recover for a long time.

It wasn’t until Norian looked at him and spoke that the bartender slightly recovered from this dreamlike unreality, stammering,

“N-, No problem! I’ll leave right away!”

Before he finished speaking, the bartender fled from the bar counter as if escaping, afraid of delaying Norian’s matters.

“There’s no need for that,” Norian was a little speechless and shook his head. “I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, Miss Hua Qingling from Yan City. I hope you’re comfortable in Lannister.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern, Magistrate. The scenery in Lannister is quite unique,” Hua Qingling replied appropriately. “I like it very much.”

“Where is… Luo Yan?”

Norian’s eyes suddenly sharpened.

Witch’s Night: Chapter 6 Are the Gods Dead?

The Church of the End Gods.

An ancient church with a history almost as long as the Noah Holy Church, they referred to the ten Primordial Demons as Gods and didn’t acknowledge humanity’s naming of them.

They called Witches “Gods” and Sovereigns “Saints,” collectively referring to them as Gods.

At its peak, the Church of the End Gods had over twenty Devil’s Apostles, each at least at the “Peril” level and above.

In that barbaric era of humanity, “Destruction” level and above was still a legend, even the First Saint’s strength was only barely close to “Destruction” level.

Facing “Destruction” level disasters, most mega-cities couldn’t resist even by self-destructing their Embers.

Even powerful Noah could only barely survive “Destruction” level disasters.

However, with the Primordial Demons falling silent, the Devil’s Apostles of the Church of the End Gods became fewer and fewer, until finally, no one could sense the presence of the “Gods” anymore.

Are the Gods dead?

The Gods are not dead!

Even though the Gods they believed in no longer responded to their prayers, and the followers of the Church of the End Gods were dwindling, they never completely disappeared.

It was worth mentioning that not all Devil’s Minions were followers of the Church of the End Gods; a large portion of them chose to fall for the sake of power.

But the Church of the End Gods was different. They knew very well what the Primordial Demons were doing, and they also knew the consequences.

And what they were doing… was carrying out their will, letting this season of civilization come to its destined end, ending this erroneous and absurd continuation.

Generally speaking, the Church of the End Gods’ specific actions were like those of terrorists who used demonic power to cause destruction everywhere…

It’s just that with the decline of the church’s power, this destruction was becoming less and less impactful.

To this day, they didn’t even dare to approach ordinary mega-cities, let alone Lannister.

However… they had appeared, but not to wreak havoc as usual. They were just silently gathering in Lannister, without taking any action.

If it weren’t for a martial law accidentally uncovering the existence of a Devil’s Minion, and then following the clues to discover the actions of the Church of the End Gods, Lannister would still be completely unaware of all this.

However, this situation gave Norian an even bigger headache.

Widespread destructive actions were easy to deal with, just send out strong individuals to suppress them.

With Granny Zoya around, even if the entire Church of the End Gods intended to invade Lannister, they would only meet their doom.

But the problem was… they weren’t doing anything!

The Church of the End Gods was just quietly lurking in Lannister. So many people came and went from Lannister every day, how could they check each one to see if they were Devil’s Minions?

But they couldn’t just ignore it. Lannister wasn’t afraid of the destruction caused by the Church of the End Gods, but no matter what, casualties and panic would occur, which was a situation Lannister absolutely wanted to avoid.

All dangers should be nipped in the bud.

The nobles’ fear of Devil’s Minions wasn’t unreasonable, because Lannister wasn’t afraid of the Church of the End Gods, but they were.

What if, one day, these lunatics accidentally blew themselves up?

As members of Lannister, they didn’t think the Church of the End Gods had even a sliver of a chance against this long-dormant war machine.

But as individuals…

The nobles weren’t willing to face death.

“Magistrate Norian’s courage is with Lannister, we don’t doubt that in the slightest.”

Count Spencer’s attitude was still humble, but representing the noble group, he couldn’t back down in front of Norian. “However, regarding these matters, I… we need an explanation.”

“Hmph, you will have one.”

Norian snorted coldly and stopped talking.

Seeing this, Count Spencer knew that continuing to ask would only displease Norian, and these answers had already barely addressed the nobles’ concerns.

Therefore, he didn’t continue to stay in the room tactlessly and quietly exited, leaving Norian alone.

“Tsk, these nobles haven’t made any progress in hundreds of years.”

Norian curled his lip disdainfully. They only cared that the Council of Elders could guarantee their safety and weren’t concerned about other issues, not even bothering to understand the details about the Devil’s Minions.

Unfortunately, the current Lannister couldn’t do without these nobles, and the Council of Elders had to prioritize their safety.

However, although Norian’s words just now were full of momentum, his haggard appearance couldn’t be faked.

The appearance of the Devil’s Minions had kept Lannister’s Anomaly Investigation Bureau busy for several days, and Norian, as an example for the Council of Elders, didn’t dare to neglect the matter.

Coupled with Lannister’s already busy affairs, even a “Peril” level ability user’s physique couldn’t handle it.

As for why these followers of the Church of the End Gods had appeared in Lannister, Norian actually knew.

Their traces had appeared in Yan City before. Before the Yan City war began, there had been some signs of Devil’s Minion activity in the city, but these scattered forces were quickly suppressed by the Yan City Anomaly Investigation Bureau.

“Miss Luo Yan…”

Norian silently repeated the name in his heart. What kind of relationship did this mysterious girl, who suddenly appeared in the forest outside Lannister, have with the Primordial Demons?

“The Saint has really caused us quite a bit of trouble.”

Norian sighed.

“You can tell Illusion in person, maybe she’ll feel guilty.”

A raspy voice sounded from outside the door, and then an old woman tremblingly pushed the door open.

Even though she was attending a noble banquet, Granny Zoya was still dressed in her usual simple attire, but with her status… no one dared to criticize her attire.

“She’ll only tell me ‘good work,’ and then tell me to hold on for a while longer with a blank expression.” Norian said with a wry smile. “The Saint is concerned about the safety of the entire human civilization. The survival of a single city naturally wouldn’t catch her attention.”

“Speaking ill of a Saint in private is disrespectful, Norian,” Granny Zoya raised an eyebrow. “However, what you said is indeed true. Illusion’s temper… is still as strange as ever.”

As someone from almost the same era as Illusion, Granny Zoya had witnessed her growth and therefore knew how terrifying Illusion was.

Even among “Destruction” level ability users, there were differences in status and strength.

If Granny Zoya was at the bottom of the “Destruction” level, Illusion’s strength was already approaching the ceiling, much stronger than the old Sword Saint.

Perhaps only Mister Nine, before his death, could have been confident of defeating the current Illusion.

“So, let’s focus on the banquet for now,” Granny Zoya said cheerfully, her hands behind her back. “It’s good to relax occasionally, even as the Chief Magistrate of Lannister.”

Hearing this, Norian smiled faintly and shook his head.

He stood up and walked to the window of the room.

The lounge that Count Spencer had prepared for Norian was, of course, meticulously arranged. There were no eavesdroppers here, and the environment was very similar to the style of Norian’s residence.

Even the layout and size of the room were deliberately designed according to Norian’s preferences, so as to maximize the relaxation of this most powerful person in Lannister.

It could be said that this room was designed specifically to receive him.

Even though Norian might only visit once every ten or even several decades.

There were two windows in the room, one facing outwards and one facing inwards.

The outward-facing window could be turned into a French window at any time, overlooking the entire Lannister.

The inward-facing window could provide a bird’s-eye view of the entire banquet hall.

The banquet hadn’t officially started yet, but many of the nobles attending had already picked up their pre-dinner drinks, savoring them while socializing.

Many minor nobles were trying to get closer to the major nobles. This was a rare opportunity, and they also wanted to make more connections for the future development of their families… and their personal development.

“Heh, I was indeed wrong just now,” Norian watched for a while, then closed the window, out of sight, out of mind.

“These nobles haven’t changed in hundreds of years, but rather regressed—the Constantine family at least plotted to use the power of the nobles to seize control of the Council of Elders. This generation of nobles is left with only this unsightly groveling and incompetence!”

“That’s because the Constantine family was wiped out by the previous Chief Magistrate of the Council of Elders… And, you’re also a noble, Norian.”

“…Just a declining noble. My family’s glory is long gone, and I’ve never thought of polishing the dust-covered family crest again. I won’t try to hold onto something destined to disappear…”

Despite his words, Norian still felt some emotion when mentioning his family.

“Of course, Norian, I know you don’t like these things.” The smile on Granny Zoya’s face never faded; it seemed she was always this cheerful.

“So, in addition to the nobles, I also invited some outstanding young talents—even commoners, as long as they have sufficient qualifications, I sent them invitations.”

“Oh?” Norian’s interest was piqued. “What kind of young talents are they?”

“Basically, they are all ‘Peril’ level ability users under the age of seventy. Not only are there locals from Lannister, but also many guests.” Granny Zoya raised an eyebrow. “You always prefer dealing with young people, it’s always been like this.”

Although it sounded a bit outrageous, in reality… “Peril” level ability users under seventy were indeed worthy of being called “outstanding young talents.”

The physique of high-level ability users was much stronger than that of ordinary people. A seventy-year-old “Peril” level ability user was only equivalent to an ordinary person in their early thirties. For Granny Zoya, who was several hundred years old, and Norian, who was one hundred and fifty, they were indeed young people.

As for the relationship between Granny Zoya and Norian…

Ever since Norian could remember, Granny Zoya had been a revered figure in Lannister. Their relationship was somewhere between elder and junior, and also friends, a kind of mentor and friend.

“This is finally some good news after all these days.”

Norian smiled knowingly. Compared to the increasingly decadent Council of Elders and the increasingly rigid Lannister nobility, he got along better with these young people who often dreamed of changing the world.

Being with young people always allowed him to be infected by their unique vitality, making him feel younger.

However…

Norian suddenly remembered something.

“That Hua Qingling who knows ‘Luo Yan’… you didn’t invite her too, did you?” Norian frowned slightly.

Norian had a deep impression of Hua Qingling, not only because she knew the mysterious girl who caused the chaos, but also because she was a “Peril” level ability user under forty.

Even in all of Lannister, there was no younger “Peril” level ability user than her…

“Of course, the list was finalized and the invitations sent out before the trip to the forest outside the city.” Granny Zoya nodded. “I didn’t think it was necessary to change it, so I didn’t withdraw her invitation.”

“But… won’t she bring ‘Luo Yan’ out…”

Norian was still hesitant.

“Don’t worry about that,” Granny Zoya smiled slightly. “I believe that little girl will know her limits, and… Shivis has already told me that she’s only accompanied by a young man.”

Shivis was the scarred woman driver that Granny Zoya sent to pick up Hua Qingling. Of course, she wasn’t just there to pick up Hua Qingling.

Otherwise, why would Shivis have left so hurriedly after dropping off Hua Qingling and Luo Yan?

“You-, Young man?”

“Yes, Shivis said it was a handsome young man. It seems it’s not ‘Luo Yan’.”

“If that’s the case… then it’s fine.” Norian’s heart, which had just risen to his throat, settled slightly, and then he teased, “However, Granny Zoya, it seems you have one less target for promoting your youngest son.”

“She was never a target. I know my limits. My Kyle is not worthy of such a person, even if I am his mother.”

Granny Zoya wasn’t embarrassed at all when this embarrassing matter was brought up; on the contrary, she seemed inexplicably proud.

It was unclear whether she was proud that she could still have a young son at her age, or proud that her young son wasn’t worthy of Hua Qingling…

“Now that you mention it, I can’t wait any longer.”

Norian stood up again and walked impatiently towards the door. “I have to go and interact with these young people quickly. This is a rare opportunity…”

Norian was usually very busy, and there were very few young people in the Council of Elders.

Moreover, opportunities to gather so many outstanding young talents weren’t common. After hearing Granny Zoya’s arrangements, Norian had been itching to go.

Just as Granny Zoya said, even though he was already in a high position, Norian was still the same as before.

Looking at Norian’s departing back, Granny Zoya was momentarily lost in thought, recalling the first time she met Norian.

“This kid… after so many years, he’s still the same.” Granny Zoya shook her head helplessly and followed him. “Alright, I’m already an old woman, and I still have to run around with you youngsters…”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 5 Gods

A young woman stared blankly at Luo Yan and Hua Qingling, her gaze shifting back and forth between them, her pupils trembling in disbelief.

“Sister Qingling… he, who is he?”

“…A friend.”

Hua Qingling murmured, seeming somewhat uneasy for some reason.

“Yes, I’m Sister Qingling’s friend,” Luo Yan politely extended a hand towards the young woman. “Nice to meet you.”

She had a good impression of this young woman, but not because she was beautiful.

It was impossible to tell anyway. The young woman wore a thick mask and sunglasses, and a large, exaggerated gauze hat, as if afraid of being recognized.

What made Luo Yan even more curious was the clothes the young woman wore.

…An Old Era Lolita-style dress.

Not to mention Luo Yan’s mysterious attachment to dresses since her time in Ghost Town, Little Tini’s dresses were mostly of this style, and the young woman’s clothes evoked memories for Luo Yan.

Many things in Spencer Manor felt quite familiar to Luo Yan, the architectural style, the decorations… and so on. It was hard not to remind her of Ghost Town, where she had lived for an unknown amount of time, and Natalie Manor, which held her memories.

After all, Luo Yan had only left Ghost Town for a few months, but she had been entangled with that illusory yet real fragment of time for a long time in the first half of her life.

Initially, she was only dissatisfied with Lannister’s possible surveillance, but now Luo Yan had decided that the trip was worthwhile.

Regardless of the Lannister nobles’ attitude towards these legacies, at least they had achieved a high degree of restoration.

Compared to Luo Yan, the young woman’s impression of her… him wasn’t so pleasant.

Although her good upbringing allowed her to quickly calm down after the initial shock and anger, and she didn’t lose her composure, no matter what, how dare he get so close to Sister Qingling…

So what if he was good-looking? She had to humiliate him severely!

The young woman gave a proper smile, extending her white-gloved hand to lightly touch Luo Yan’s palm, as a handshake.

“This gentleman, my full name is Chris Tina Elizabeth Lequista, representing myself, my parents, and the heritage of our glorious family. I hope you can remember my name; it’s basic respect for me.”

“Alright, Miss Chris.” Luo Yan replied immediately.

“…..”

Chris’s expression twisted almost imperceptibly. She had never seen such a shameless noble!

Although it was somewhat deliberate, at least… it was in line with noble etiquette!

According to old noble etiquette, when meeting, one had to address the other party by their full name and title, along with a series of cumbersome greetings.

However, most of these had been simplified by now.

Chris’s upbringing limited her humiliation to the scope of nobility, otherwise she would have wanted to immediately take off her gloves and throw them at Luo Yan’s head!

“I must throw these gloves away when I get back…”

Chris took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

Of course, Chris didn’t show any of these feelings. On the surface, she had only had a friendly interaction with Luo Yan.

“However… I seem to have seen this name somewhere before?”

Luo Yan touched her chin and started searching through her memories.

“Miss Chris is a very popular idol in the Free Federation,” Hua Qingling explained, then looked at Chris and smiled slightly. “Miss Chris, long time no see, still wearing the same clothes.”

“Long time no see, Sister Qingling! It can’t be helped, it would be troublesome if I were recognized.”

Chris immediately beamed, but her smile seemed to stiffen slightly when she saw Luo Yan next to her.

“By the way, Sister Qingling… you haven’t properly introduced this gentleman to me yet.”

For some reason, Luo Yan felt that Chris’s gaze towards her seemed somewhat hostile.

But thinking about it carefully, she had been staying put in Lannister recently, so there was no reason to offend someone she had never met before.

Moreover, she also knew Sister Qingling…

And after being reminded by Hua Qingling, Luo Yan also remembered where she had seen Chris’s name.

…It was in Anna’s fashion magazines.

As a tailor, or rather, a fashion designer, Anna had many fashion magazines in her shop. Luo Yan had also browsed through some out of curiosity, but she hadn’t read much, and she wasn’t interested in them either.

That was why she didn’t have much of an impression of Chris’s name.

“She… he, is actually a friend of my younger sister, staying with me for a while.”

As for Luo Yan’s name, Hua Qingling hesitated for a moment and didn’t say it, because it sounded like a girl’s name…

“Sister Qingling’s younger sister? I remember she’s in that… what’s it called, Yan City…”

“Yes, my hometown. She hasn’t traveled much.” Hua Qingling nodded. “I’ll introduce you sometime; she’s quite cute.”

Cute…

Luo Yan was a little startled. She couldn’t associate Hua Qiling with the word cute at all.

And since Chris hadn’t met Hua Qiling, based on Hua Qingling’s image, she could only imagine Hua Qiling as a more youthful and petite version.

It seemed… indeed quite cute.

“Mm-hmm, I’ll look forward to it.”

Chris nodded repeatedly.

Just then, a woman in a straight formal suit hurried over, stopping breathlessly in front of Chris, panting,

“Mi-, Miss Chris, why did you come here? You must go and prepare immediately…”

“I know, I know. Can’t I even say a word to my friends?”

Chris frowned slightly and said with dissatisfaction.

“Bu-, But… today’s banquet, Chief Magistrate Norian of the Council of Elders will attend in person… It’s very important!”

Hearing this, Chris didn’t react much, but Hua Qingling and Luo Yan exchanged glances.

It seemed that today’s banquet… might be more lively than expected.

“Oh, I understand.”

Chris pouted, but she still knew the importance of the matter.

She looked apologetically at Hua Qingling, her voice immediately softening,

“Sorry, Sister Qingling, I have to excuse myself for a while… After the performance, I’ll come find you immediately!”

“Mm, good luck.”

A standard, gentle, big-sisterly smile appeared on Hua Qingling’s face, but Luo Yan couldn’t help but think of how she drooled and kicked off the covers while sleeping.

The gentle and considerate big sister image that she had left on Luo Yan during their brief interaction in Yan City had been shattered during these few days of living together.

Finally, Chris glanced at Luo Yan almost imperceptibly and turned to leave with the woman in the suit.

“Does she seem to dislike me?”

Luo Yan asked. She was quite sensitive to emotions. Even though Chris hid all her emotions with good manners, Luo Yan still sensed them.

But this dislike… didn’t seem to be resentment or dissatisfaction. It was another emotion that Luo Yan had never encountered before.

A bit sour…

“Miss Chris seems to be a bit spoiled with strangers, but after getting to know her, you’ll find that she’s actually quite a cute girl.” Hua Qingling chuckled. “Speaking of which, it was quite a coincidence that I met her…”

“Oh?”

Luo Yan raised an eyebrow.

“Remember I said before that a thief, famous for his thieving methods, inexplicably paid me a visit, and only took the silver coins I had prepared for the next day’s meal, leaving other more valuable things untouched?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“The next day, I was so hungry that I had no choice but to pick a less valuable piece from my works, intending to sell it.” Hua Qingling recalled the embarrassment at the time, her expression still carrying a hint of helplessness.

“Then I happened to run into Miss Chris, who was out buying clothes. She fell in love with my work at first sight, not only buying it directly at a price far exceeding the market price, but also treating me to a meal at… Linglong Mansion, yes, that high-end restaurant where one meal could cost me a month’s food expenses.”

Luo Yan nodded thoughtfully,

“I see… that really is a coincidence.”

The silver coins happened to be stolen, she happened to run into Miss Chris, and the two became acquainted because of this…

It felt like it had been planned.

“You don’t suspect that Miss Chris stole my silver coins, do you?” Hua Qingling couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Luo Yan’s contemplative look.

“How could that be? First of all, with her noble heritage and status as a popular idol, there’s no need for her to do such a thing. Even if she wanted to, her strength isn’t even at ‘Ruin’ level. How could she steal my silver coins right under my nose?”

Because she often lost money, Hua Qingling kept a close eye on her purse and never let it go.

…Although it was useless, what was lost would still be lost.

“Indeed, impossible.”

Luo Yan nodded in agreement, but within the absolute impossibility… there was always a sliver of possibility.

Of course, this matter had happened a long time ago, and there was no need to dwell on it further.

The banquet was about to begin. Many nobles in the manor were walking in twos and threes, and many servants were bustling about, preparing to go to the banquet hall.

At the same time, there were some indistinct gazes sweeping around, seemingly observing every guest attending the banquet.

Seeing this, Hua Qingling reached out and gently held Luo Yan’s arm, lowering her voice,

“Do you mind this? We should act more intimately when walking together, so as not to arouse suspicion.”

“I don’t mind,” Luo Yan shrugged. “Hua Qiling seemed to want to hold me like this before, but unfortunately, she’s too tall. This posture looks like she’s trying to put me under her arm, so we had to give up.”

Hua Qingling imagined the scene and chuckled.

Indeed… quite comical.

However, regarding her younger sister, Hua Qingling rarely had the opportunity to meet and interact with her. She had gradually changed a lot without her realizing it.

“After the matters at hand are settled, I’ll go back to Yan City for a vacation.”

Hua Qingling put aside her sentimental thoughts and walked towards the banquet hall with her arm around Luo Yan.

Behind them, an imperceptible gaze disappeared.

……

“Magistrate Norian, this way please.”

Count Spencer, the host of the banquet, personally opened the door for Norian, his attitude even bordering on humble.

Although Norian seemed somewhat worn out in front of Luo Yan and Granny Zoya, no matter what, he was undoubtedly the number one person in Lannister, holding the highest authority. Even the elders who opposed him in the Council of Elders couldn’t deny this.

Count Spencer was indeed a so-called noble, but unfortunately, the nobility passed down from a thousand years ago had actually changed quite a bit, only the Council of Elders remained standing.

Before the Council of Elders, even the most esteemed nobles had to lower their heads.

“Thank you, Count Spencer…”

But the current Norian looked somewhat haggard and exhausted. As soon as he entered, he sat directly on the sofa, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

Seeing Norian’s appearance, Count Spencer hesitated for a moment and said,

“Magistrate Norian, if it’s inconvenient for you to attend…”

“No, I never change my schedule easily.” Norian opened his eyes and exhaled. “Besides, there was indeed quite a bit of chaos in Lannister before, and many nobles fled in panic… At least my presence at the banquet can put your minds at ease.”

It was precisely because of this that Norian had unusually decided to attend this kind of noble banquet.

Because the news of his decision to attend the banquet had been released, almost all the families in Lannister had immediately decided to attend and sent carefully selected family members to participate.

But unexpectedly, before this banquet was held, Lannister encountered more trouble.

Norian’s haggard appearance showed that he had been troubled by these matters.

“Magistrate Norian, I shouldn’t be asking you this, but now I have to understand some of the situation,” Count Spencer took a deep breath and carefully chose his words, saying what he had already prepared. “There are rumors that Devil’s Minions have appeared in Lannister…”

“The rumors are true, but please don’t spread them.”

Norian glanced at the middle-aged man. He knew at a glance that these questions were asked on behalf of his noble class.

Just a few Devil’s Minions… Even Yan City could handle them. How could these nobles be so frightened that they had to ask him about the situation?

Most of these nobles were fat and oily, good-for-nothing waste who only knew how to enjoy themselves, but unfortunately, the backbone of Lannister was made up of this waste. They were the ones supporting Lannister and preventing it from collapsing.

Hearing this, Count Spencer’s expression became even more serious, and he said in a low voice again,

“Forgive me for asking again, Magistrate Norian, there are other rumors that these Devil’s Minions come from an ancient cult that has been hidden within humanity for thousands of years, impossible to eradicate.”

“—The Church of the End Gods.”

“Indeed, but so what?” Norian snorted coldly, his tone quite displeased. “They are just some insignificant remnants, a group of sewer rats who only dare to hide. Can they actually make you nobles, who also claim to have a thousand-year heritage, feel panicked?”

“There is only one end for them coming to Lannister, and that is to meet their ‘Gods’!”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 4 Eh, Who Are You?!

It must be said, whether in the Old Era or the New Era, what nobles couldn’t change was holding banquets.

Of course, these banquets weren’t for eating, nor were they just for fun.

More importantly… they were for communication.

Banquets provided a platform for communication, and the people who could participate were all dignitaries and nobles.

These people were basically all high-ranking and influential, their every word and action attracting attention. It was often inconvenient for them to communicate privately, as it was easy to be caught out.

Therefore, banquet socializing came into being.

Because of its short history, and the fact that its major families traced their roots back to refugees before the pioneering era, the so-called nobles in Yan City were more like nouveau riche, so there were rarely such banquets.

If there were any, they would probably really be for eating…

Lannister was different.

It was an ancient city with nearly a thousand years of history, built by the first generation of pioneers who responded to Noah’s call. It was the oldest mega-city besides Noah.

The gradually solidified classes over nearly a millennium had given rise to true nobility, who restrained each other with all kinds of cumbersome etiquette and rules, to show their difference from commoners.

But this restraint only applied within the noble class. It could be said… that in the eyes of the nobles, commoners weren’t even considered the same species as them, let alone refugees.

Hua Qingling knew this very well, so she didn’t like to participate in these noble banquets.

However, the invitation was personally issued by Granny Zoya… Hua Qingling had to accept. This was basic respect for a pillar of humanity.

Of course, the invitation didn’t say she couldn’t bring another person, right?

Hua Qingling frequently glanced sideways at the black-haired young man who was a head taller than her, making Luo Yan feel a little uncomfortable.

“Sister Qingling, there’s no need…”

Being looked at like this by Hua Qingling, Luo Yan inexplicably felt a sense of shyness.

“Ahem, sorry, I’m just a little surprised.” Hua Qingling sighed. “I never thought ‘Envy’ could be used this way… No, that’s not right, who would use it like this?!”

“…Actually, basically every Devil’s Minion who has mastered ‘Envy’ has used it this way, but they distorted their own will, causing irreversible mutations to both body and soul.” Luo Yan added.

People who hadn’t used “Envy” always misunderstood it, thinking that this ability could only be used to create monsters.

In fact, demonic powers weren’t evil; they represented the pinnacle of an ability system.

However, this power was easy to lose control of, and coupled with its difficulty to use, one could only resort to the will of the “Witch of Envy” to wield it, thus resulting in distorted outcomes.

The reason why those infected by demons, that is, God’s Chosen, weren’t affected by Primordial Demons when using demonic powers was because their powers originally belonged to them and didn’t need to rely on the will of Primordial Demons.

However, precisely because of this, God’s Chosen usually had short lifespans, and their abilities were extremely prone to going out of control.

These were naturally not problems for Luo Yan. Compared to the recently acquired “End,” her use of “Envy” could be said to be masterful, to the extent that it could be used as a Life Hack.

…If she were this proficient with “End,” Luo Yan wouldn’t have gotten lost in the Void.

Their idle chat didn’t last long. Soon, a luxurious car drove towards them.

This was a vehicle specifically for transporting nobles, here to take Hua Qingling and Luo Yan to the banquet venue—Granny Zoya couldn’t possibly make her distinguished guests walk there.

This was the first time Luo Yan had ridden in such a vehicle. In Yan City, she had only seen that unlucky Young Master Liu (the one stabbed by Red Butterfly) ride in one. Others, including City Lord Lin, hadn’t used them for travel.

There were only three people in the small car compartment, Hua Qingling, Luo Yan, and a tall, silent woman in the front.

Unlike the equally tall Qin Wen, she looked more powerful and had a fierce scar on her face.

Perhaps to avoid suspicion, Granny Zoya had sent a rare female driver to pick up Hua Qingling, but she hadn’t expected to pick up two people.

The scarred woman’s expression was serious, and she would occasionally look at Luo Yan (black-haired young man face) through the rearview mirror, frowning.

Unfortunately, no one had told the scarred woman that it was best not to keep making eye contact with Luo Yan, even though her condition had improved.

After being scrutinized several times by the scarred woman, Luo Yan also noticed the strange gaze constantly falling on her.

So, Luo Yan raised her head, and the pale red eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses met the scarred woman’s serious gaze.

At this moment, the scarred woman’s mind went blank for a split second, and she slammed on the accelerator.

But she quickly came to her senses. Seeing that the car was about to crash into the corner ahead, she quickly slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel.

“Screech—”

With a sharp, ear-piercing screech of brakes, the car narrowly turned the corner.

After the situation stabilized, the scarred woman said in a low voice,

“…Sorry.”

“What happened just now?”

Hua Qingling frowned. Logically, although the person Granny Zoya sent was a female driver, she shouldn’t be unable to handle a civilian vehicle.

In fact, almost all drivers were military personnel, because only the military had the qualification to teach driving skills.

As for driving for nobles… that was something retired veterans did to earn extra money, and this scarred woman was obviously one of them.

“I was distracted,” the scarred woman said in a deep voice. “If I disturbed the guests, I’m willing to accept punishment.”

“It’s not that serious, just be more careful.”

Luo Yan said softly. Her original voice was too gentle, so she could only deliberately lower and soften it to sound more androgynous.

“Since you don’t mind, then I don’t either.”

Hua Qingling nodded. The near-accident just now wasn’t a big deal to her, and obviously, it wasn’t to Luo Yan either.

The scarred woman was silent for a moment, then nodded and said,

“Thank you.”

After this little interlude, and with an outsider present, Luo Yan and Hua Qingling didn’t continue their conversation.

The scarred woman, after that scare, also became much more honest and didn’t peep at Luo Yan again.

As for what she was thinking in her heart, it was unclear.

The banquet venue wasn’t far away, about a ten-minute walk, so this awkward atmosphere didn’t last long.

After the car brought Luo Yan and Hua Qingling to the banquet venue and dropped them off, it left directly.

“…Huh?”

Luo Yan looked up at the location of this banquet and was instantly stunned.

“Is this… Natalie Manor?”

Then she immediately denied it herself.

“No, it just looks like it.”

Indeed, what appeared before Luo Yan and Hua Qingling was an Old Era, Western-style manor. To be precise, it was indeed almost identical to Natalie Manor.

Whether it was the layout or the castle-like mansion, even the servant’s quarters outside the manor were almost perfectly replicated.

“Some of Lannister’s pioneers came from the West of the Old Era, so their descendants also have a special fondness for this style of architecture.” Hua Qingling said in a low voice. “Of course, it’s also possible that they want to subtly express… that as nobles, they have heritage.”

The prominent families in Yan City didn’t have so many twists and turns, which was partly why they were seen as “nouveau riche.”

Seeing Hua Qingling, a sharp-eyed waiter nearby immediately walked over quickly and bowed gracefully,

“Respected ‘Wind’s Favor’ your acceptance of the invitation adds a touch of airy grace to Count Spencer’s manor. The master is very concerned about you and eagerly awaits your arrival. He specifically instructed us to carefully attend to you if we saw you.”

After the elegant and natural string of words, Hua Qingling nodded, indicating she understood.

Luo Yan, on the other hand, was bewildered. She tugged at Hua Qingling’s clothes secretly,

“Sister Qingling, weren’t you invited by Granny Zoya? Why is this Count Spencer… also concerned about you? Also, why didn’t he just call you by your name, but instead used that nickname?”

“…It’s just polite conversation, and it’s not a nickname, it’s a title.”

Hua Qingling gritted her teeth and said in a low voice. “Every ‘Peril’ level ability user has their own title. In such occasions, they usually address each other by their titles.”

“Oh.”

Luo Yan nodded thoughtfully. No wonder when Hua Qiling first met Grifres in Ghost Town, she called him “Soul Spear.”

Luo Yan had always thought it was a nickname.

…Actually, there wasn’t much difference. It was said that this trend was started by a certain Saint.

When that Saint walked among mortals, he had used many titles, such as “God of Black Dragon Flame,” “Dragon King of Ruin and Illusion,” “Hero Chosen by Light,” and so on.

Later, after these were made public by a certain published book, the trend of giving titles to ability users above “Peril” level started.

Until finally, it was embarrassing to say you had reached “Peril” level without having a title.

The waiter politely waited for Luo Yan and Hua Qingling’s whispered conversation (actually, their voices were loud enough to be heard) to end before speaking again in a gentle and refined manner,

“‘Wind’s Favor,’ who is this…?”

“Is it necessary to report?” Hua Qingling said with narrowed eyes.

“Since they are a guest brought by you, of course, it’s not necessary. I just wanted to ask, how should I address this esteemed… gentleman, so that we can properly receive him?”

Even though the waiter was experienced and had received countless guests, he couldn’t help but pause when he said the word “gentleman.”

There was no helping it. Even though Luo Yan had used “Envy” to distort her image in the eyes of others, her demeanor and actions couldn’t be faked.

Moreover, using “Envy” in this way, distorting one’s image also had a limit. It couldn’t completely transform her appearance.

However, the observant waiter had already seen that Luo Yan intended to appear at the banquet as a male.

Since that was the case, regardless of her true gender, she would be treated as a gentleman at this time.

Most of the plots in stories where noble servants judged people by their appearance were unrealistic. The first rule for a noble’s personal attendant was to hide their true emotions.

Even a fake smile had to appear sincere.

While his words were pleasant, Hua Qingling’s tone was somewhat aggressive, but the waiter defused the awkwardness with a few words.

“You can call me Luo Yan.”

“…Luo, Luo Yan?” The waiter’s smile seemed to crack slightly.

Miss, if you want to crossdress, please show some respect… At least change your name, okay?

This was obviously a female name!

“Yes.”

Luo Yan nodded matter-of-factly.

The waiter could only sigh inwardly, then stepped aside, made a proper welcoming gesture,

“Alright, Mr. Luo Yan, ‘Wind’s Favor,’ this way please. The gates of Spencer Manor are always open so that our esteemed guests can visit at any time.”

“…Wouldn’t that attract thieves?”

Luo Yan’s untimely remark was genuinely a question she wanted to ask.

“Uh…”

How could that be? They were usually closed, okay? How could you take polite conversation literally?!

“Duke Spencer’s reputation resounds throughout Lannister. Petty thieves are scared away, so naturally there can’t be any thefts.”

The waiter’s tone was calm and proud, but he was nervous inwardly, afraid that Luo Yan would ask any more strange questions.

“Oh, that’s amazing.”

Luo Yan nodded and didn’t say anything more.

“…”

Why did it feel even stranger that she suddenly stopped asking?

Forget it, he had received many strange guests over the years, and this one was still relatively normal among them.

The waiter thought this but didn’t reveal any of his thoughts on the surface, leading Luo Yan and Hua Qingling into the manor.

“Didn’t you used to do this too? Your maid etiquette is very standard.” Hua Qingling whispered in Luo Yan’s ear. “Why do you seem so unaccustomed to these polite conversations?”

“Natalie Manor doesn’t usually have guests. If there are any… it’s on ‘Redemption Day,’ the day to pray to the ‘Witch of Envy.’” Luo Yan also leaned in and whispered.

“It always felt somewhat unreal, based on your descriptions of Natalie Manor and Ghost Town.”

Luo Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled,

“Perhaps, but to me, the memories are real. Whether it’s Mrs. Natalie or Little Tini, I truly interacted with them.”

Even though she already knew that Ghost Town was just a fragment of memory peeled from the depths of the Witch of Envy’s consciousness by the “Luo Yan” of that time, in order to seal her.

The residents of the town wandered lonely in this fragment for hundreds of years until Luo Yan freed them all.

Hua Qingling looked at Luo Yan’s rare heartfelt smile and couldn’t help but be stunned,

“Beautiful…”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

The waiter tactfully distanced himself from Luo Yan and Hua Qingling, who seemed to be whispering to each other.

Respecting every guest’s privacy was basic etiquette for a servant in a noble household.

Besides, which of the guests weren’t important figures? Who could afford to offend them…

Just then, a cheerful voice suddenly came from afar, accompanied by the sound of (da-da-da) footsteps,

“Sister Qingling! Over here, over here—Eh, who are you?!”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 3 – Luo, Miss Luo Yan’s Other Side?

Honestly, Hua Qingling felt the need to salvage her image in Miss Luo Yan’s eyes.

Even if she wasn’t a proper “big sister,” she shouldn’t be a comedic relief character either.

And she had rested enough these past few days; attending a social event wouldn’t hurt.

Since Miss Luo Yan wanted to tag along to that stuffy noble’s banquet, there was no harm in bringing her. It wasn’t her problem if it inconvenienced Lannister.

On the contrary, a boring banquet might be more bearable with Miss Luo Yan’s company.

“Of course you can come. Get ready, we’ll leave soon.”

“…Shouldn’t we inform Lannister?”

“You think they don’t already know?”

“Right.” Luo Yan nodded. “I don’t have anything to pack, I’m ready.”

“Just… like that?”

Hua Qingling looked at Luo Yan in her simple white dress, gesturing with her finger and shaking her head.

“That won’t do~”

Even without dressing up, Miss Luo Yan was beautiful, so beautiful that Hua Qingling almost wanted to give her unflattering makeup to avoid attracting too much attention.

But a noble’s banquet was different; it was full of formalities. An ordinary dress wouldn’t be acceptable.

“You need formal attire, or you’ll be turned away,” Hua Qingling muttered, her eyes glinting with an idea. “Miss Luo Yan, you wouldn’t want to be denied entry, would you?”

“Isn’t this dress formal enough?”

Luo Yan tugged at her dress. She liked these simple dresses and had ordered several from Anna.

Although Anna had seemed reluctant to make them…

“Of course not, this is casual wear, for everyday use,” Hua Qingling explained.

“Is that maid outfit considered formal?” Luo Yan recalled the combat maid dress Hua Qingling had designed. “It seemed quite formal, but I didn’t bring it.”

She hadn’t had time to change; she had left in her ordinary dress.

“…That’s called cosplay.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t worry about it; you can’t wear that to a formal event either.” Hua Qingling pulled out her suitcase, rummaged through it, and took out a neatly folded dress. “Here, this is formal wear.”

Luo Yan unfolded the dress and her eyes widened in realization.

“So this is it…”

“Have you seen it before?”

Hua Qingling raised an eyebrow.

“The Witch of Envy wears something like this,” Luo Yan said seriously.

And she wasn’t joking.

Hua Qingling had taken out a black strapless evening gown, similar to the one the Witch of Envy wore, although the style and the… aura… were different.

Luo Yan thought for a moment, then added,

“And Mrs. Natalie also wore this kind of dress sometimes.”

…Those are some… interesting examples.

Hua Qingling facepalmed. Miss Luo Yan still had a long way to go…

She hadn’t seen Luo Yan right after she left Ghost Town; otherwise, she would realize how much progress she had made.

“Is this for me? It’s… a bit small… and why is the chest area so loose?”

Luo Yan fiddled with the dress, her brow furrowed.

“Because it’s mine,” Hua Qingling took the dress back. “But don’t worry, you’re still growing, unlike my little sister… ahem.”

“Hm?”

Luo Yan didn’t understand, and Hua Qingling continued quickly,

“Don’t worry, I’ve prepared formal wear for you as well. It might be a bit big… I’ll just adjust it a little.”

Hua Qingling rummaged through her suitcase.

“You prepared beforehand?” Luo Yan asked, surprised. “I only decided to come to the banquet at the last minute…”

“No, I made this for my little sister, but when I returned to Yan City, she was already 1.8 meters tall, it was too small… So I kept it, but it should fit you.”

Hua Qingling pulled out another outfit and clapped her hands. “Here it is! It’s been in my suitcase for years, brings back memories.”

“This… this one?” Luo Yan’s eyes widened. “Are you sure this is… for Hua Qiling?”

“Yes.”

Hua Qingling nodded matter-of-factly.

“But… if I’m not mistaken, this is… men’s clothing,” Luo Yan said, a bit amused. “The butler in Ghost Town had several similar outfits, I think they were called tailcoats…?”

“Oh, you know about those?”

Hua Qingling held up the black tailcoat and held it against Luo Yan, nodding in satisfaction.

“Good, when I made this for my little sister, she was only a little over 1.7 meters, not much taller than you. It should fit with some alterations.”

“…”

Luo Yan was speechless.

“What, you don’t like it?” Hua Qingling paused, putting down the tailcoat.

“My clothes probably wouldn’t fit you, and for someone like you, who hasn’t… developed much yet… a more mature dress would be too… early. That’s why I made this for my little sister.”

“It’s… not that I don’t like it, I just don’t know… if it suits me,” Luo Yan took the tailcoat and looked at herself in the full-length mirror. “Wouldn’t it be strange… for me to wear this?”

The Luo Yan who had just left Ghost Town, who had casually strolled around in a flamboyant maid outfit, was now hesitant about a tailcoat.

“Don’t worry, Miss Luo Yan, it’s hard to find clothes that don’t suit you,” Hua Qingling said with a mischievous smile. “But to complete the look, we might need… to make a few small changes…”

“Huh?”

Luo Yan turned around and saw a makeup kit in Hua Qingling’s hand, her smile making Luo Yan feel a sense of unease.

“Don’t worry, Miss Luo Yan… it will be quick.”

“That… makes me even more worried, Sister Qingling.”

…

Meanwhile, in Lannister’s core district.

The bustling crowds and towering skyscrapers were far more impressive than anything in Yan City.

The recent panic was just a minor blip; after the alarm was lifted, life returned to normal.

An inconspicuous dark figure moved through the city, unnoticed, finally landing on the roof of a tall building, slightly breathless.

“A rare failure?”

A mocking voice, distorted and almost unrecognizable, came from behind a small storage room on the rooftop.

But the amusement in its tone was clear.

The dark figure was silent for a moment, then replied in a similarly distorted voice,

“No.”

“Stubborn? I rarely see you so disheveled.” Another, slightly taller figure in the same dark blue nightclothes emerged from behind the storage room, its face completely masked. “Shadow sent us here… not for your personal amusement.”

“…She’s with her.”

“Of course I know that.”

“So… I was also monitoring her.”

“There’s no need for you to monitor her. Lady Illusion will be arriving in Lannister soon to take her away. Our mission is to maintain the status quo, Shadow Guard One Seven Five Six,” the taller figure said in a lecturing tone. “If you were exposed, you should have reported it immediately. I would have handled it.”

The other figure was silent for a moment, then said hesitantly,

“She… discovered me. Her aura is… strange, I couldn’t sense it.”

“‘Luo Yan’? She’s a special case. Shadow personally instructed us to avoid any involvement with her,” the taller figure crossed her arms. “You took a great risk, One Seven Five Six.”

“But, but… the thought of her… being with ‘Luo Yan’…”

The figure stammered, clearly agitated.

“Even so, One Seven Five Six, that’s no excuse for your unauthorized actions,” the taller figure’s voice was cold. “‘Luo Yan’ is a high-risk individual. Until further instructions from above, we must avoid direct contact.”

“I know.”

“Remember that, One Seven Five Six.”

“…Yes.”

“However,” the taller figure touched her chin. “You were discovered, but I have a feeling Lannister will be the one facing trouble… I need to talk to Norian.”

She glanced at One Seven Five Six. “You stay here, don’t do anything, at least not while ‘Luo Yan’ is still in Lannister.”

“Alright, Mother.”

“Hm?”

“Yes, Commander!”

“You must remember, when wearing this uniform, you are Shadow Guard One Seven Five Six, not my daughter,” the taller figure said sternly. “During missions, I am your superior officer, so you must address me as Commander. This is your final warning!”

“…Yes.”

One Seven Five Six nodded sullenly, seemingly upset.

Seeing this, the taller figure’s expression softened slightly.

“Isn’t there a noble’s banquet in Lannister tonight? You’re invited. Go and enjoy yourself.”

“I don’t really want to…”

“She’ll be there too.”

“I’ll go get ready!”

…

If Anna was talented in makeup, clothing design, and coordination, then Hua Qingling was simply on another level.

Although her shop had failed, it wasn’t due to a lack of skill…

…She was simply cursed when it came to money.

Within moments, Hua Qingling had finished Luo Yan’s makeup and adjusted the tailcoat to fit her perfectly.

A few strokes of the eyebrow pencil added a touch of sharpness to Luo Yan’s gentle features.

The light makeup accentuated her facial features, and paired with the sleek tailcoat and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, just like the butler’s…

But even so, it was still difficult to describe Luo Yan as “handsome.”

Her inherent gentleness and softness couldn’t be completely masked, even with these additions, creating an androgynous beauty.

However, the most troublesome part was Luo Yan’s long silver hair.

Although Luo Yan had suggested cutting it off, after breaking three of Hua Qingling’s scissors, they had given up.

So, she had compromised, tying it up in a neutral-style ponytail.

“I did my best…”

Hua Qingling looked at Luo Yan’s reflection in the mirror and sighed.

Even with all her efforts, she couldn’t completely erase Miss Luo Yan’s inherent beauty…

“Actually, there’s no need to go to so much trouble.” Luo Yan had seen through Hua Qingling’s intentions, but she seemed to be enjoying the process, so she hadn’t interrupted her. “I can use a life hack.”

“A… life hack?” Hua Qingling looked at her blankly. “Are you planning to fix the toilet with instant noodles?”

“What?” Luo Yan blinked. “I mean ‘Envy’.”

Her eyes flashed crimson, and a red strapless gown flickered around her, the terrifying crimson eyes on its skirt swirling.

But in the next moment, the vision vanished, before Hua Qingling could even react.

And now, standing before her, was a handsome young man with short black hair, the well-fitting tailcoat accentuating his elegance, a hint of a smile in his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses.

“L-Luo… Miss Luo Yan…?”

“Yes, this is one of the applications of ‘Envy,’ to influence others’ perceptions,” Luo Yan nodded. “After that battle, my control over ‘Envy’ seems to have improved. I can now… distort perceptions.”

Luo Yan herself hadn’t changed; there were no illusions. What changed was how others perceived her.

“So powerful? Even I, a ‘Peril’ level ability user, couldn’t detect it!” Hua Qingling exclaimed, then frowned. “But influencing others’ perceptions… isn’t that dangerous?”

“Dangerous? It shouldn’t be. I’ve used it many times in Yan City. It’s not directly interfering with their perceptions, just… adjusting what they see, and the adjustments are limited.”

The black-haired youth spoke with Luo Yan’s voice. Although his face still retained some of her features, Hua Qingling still felt it was strange.

“Where did you get this… look? It seems a bit… old-fashioned.”

“I based it on the butler from Natalie Manor.”

“…Good thing no one here knows him.”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 2 – The Other Side of Hua Qingling

The first time one rides a lifeline, the sight of a lone train traversing the desolate wasteland is a marvel. People living in mega-cities rarely see the Endless Wasteland; their world is confined within the city walls.

But sadly, over fifty percent of the Wasteland remains forbidden territory, and even the explored areas are filled with danger, civilization and wilderness coexisting in an uneasy balance.

The once-thriving civilization of the Old Era, after the Calamity Tide, was reduced to scattered embers, stubbornly clinging to life.

Witnessing these strange and wondrous sights makes one appreciate the comforts of the mega-cities.

Anna, however, wasn’t seeing the Wasteland for the first time. As a former refugee, she was no stranger to its harsh realities.

But the lifeline was a novelty, a marvel of human engineering. She peppered the Holy Knight-Captain with questions, clinging to his armor.

“Yes, yes, little girl, but I don’t know much about these things,” the Knight-Captain said, glancing at Elise, who had suddenly closed her eyes, seemingly meditating. He sighed and continued to humor Anna. “If you’re interested, I believe the… what was it called… the Cardinal Council’s… one of their departments… will have the answers you seek.”

“Don’t you know, mister?” Anna asked curiously.

“M-Mister? Well, that’s a new one,” the Knight-Captain shifted uncomfortably in his armor. “As you can see, I’m a knight.”

“…Don’t knights know anything?”

“I…”

The Knight-Captain was speechless, looking pleadingly at Elise.

Unfortunately, even Elise found Anna’s chatter annoying and left the Knight-Captain to deal with her.

“These are relics from the glorious Old Era, only those fellows in the Cardinal Council understand them,” the Knight-Captain shrugged. “We knights just use them; we don’t research them.”

“Oh, okay.”

To his surprise, Anna stopped questioning him and sat back down obediently.

At the same time, Elise opened her eyes and resumed looking out the window, her chin resting on her hand.

Holy Knight-Captain: “…”

Oh, my Saint…

However, he was still puzzled by the Saint’s decision to bring this seemingly ordinary little girl to Noah as Yan City’s representative.

Anna was just an ordinary person, not even an ability user.

If it was simply because she was a friend, as her “Elise” persona claimed, it didn’t seem sufficient. The Knight-Captain believed the Saint understood the gravity of the situation.

Of course, he wouldn’t question the Saint’s decision.

The Holy Knights’ duty was to carry out the Saint’s will, and after the Saint’s passing, the Twelve Saints were the highest authority of the Holy Church.

“We’ll be seeing Miss Luo Yan in a few days. How are you feeling?”

Elise suddenly asked Anna.

“Huh?” Anna was caught off guard. She fidgeted nervously. “I… I don’t know.”

She truly didn’t know how to face Miss Luo Yan now.

Yan City hadn’t revealed the full truth, but as their representative to the Grand Council, Anna knew some things.

And knowing these things had left her confused.

She remembered how Miss Luo Yan had tricked her into cooking, then slipped away.

And after that, the news of Luo Yan’s death had filled Anna with guilt.

If she hadn’t gone to cook, if she had stopped Miss Luo Yan, would the outcome have been different?

She had cried, even though she had experienced many such losses as a refugee.

Only after learning that Miss Luo Yan was still alive had her guilt subsided slightly.

And then she learned the partial truth about Miss Luo Yan, leaving her feeling even more confused.

Her excitement on the lifeline had been partly due to the novelty, and partly to mask her anxiety.

Was the current Miss Luo Yan… still the same Miss Luo Yan she knew?

The Miss Luo Yan from those stories, from the incident at the Ember Furnace… She felt… unfamiliar.

Elise saw this and understood Anna’s confusion, but she still found her slightly annoying…

So, she only spoke to Anna after she calmed down.

“Elise, I know you’re an important person, that you know many things, but I’m just… not very smart,” Anna scratched her head. “I only know how to make clothes, and that Miss Luo Yan is beautiful and kind, but other things… I don’t understand.”

“She is indeed a beautiful and kind girl. Knowing that is enough,” Elise looked at Anna intently. “Do you know why I chose to bring you to Noah? Even though Yan City is in ruins, they could have found a more… suitable representative.”

“Wh-why?” Anna asked, also puzzled by this. “It can’t be because… we’re friends, right?”

The Holy Knight-Captain also listened intently, his curiosity piqued.

“What else could it be?” Elise smiled. “I really like the clothes Anna makes…”

The Knight-Captain shuddered almost imperceptibly.

“…The clothes,” Elise glanced at him, then patted a nearby box filled with clothes Anna had designed for her. “Even if Yan City hadn’t agreed, I would have brought you to Noah, if you were willing.

“Of course, there’s another, secondary reason. On this long and boring journey, Miss Luo Yan also needs a companion, doesn’t she?”

“That… seems reasonable.”

Anna nodded thoughtfully (or rather, dazedly).

The Knight-Captain was speechless. The “secondary reason” was clearly the main reason!

To prevent any unexpected incidents with Miss Luo Yan, they had chosen a companion for her, right?

Other candidates, like Hua Qiling and Qin Wen, were unavailable, so only Anna remained.

Poor Anna, played like a fiddle by Elise.

Of course, the Knight-Captain didn’t dare say this aloud, his helmet hiding his expression.

“Little Anna is so cute.”

Elise pinched Anna’s cheek, then resumed looking out the window.

No matter how many times she saw it, the Endless Wasteland was still…

A chilling sight.

…

Unexpected things always happen at the most unexpected times. Like when Luo Yan opened her window to wash her face and saw a rather unusual visitor perched outside.

A thin figure clung to the wall, its dark blue nightclothes making it difficult to discern its shape.

And its face was completely covered by a black cloth, its eyes concealed by some kind of illusion, erasing all distinguishing features.

However… he didn’t seem to notice Luo Yan’s approach, and when she opened the window and their eyes met, he was clearly startled.

Luo Yan looked at the figure and waved.

“Hi?”

“Hi…”

He replied instinctively, then immediately covered his mouth.

At the same time, Hua Qingling’s voice came from behind Luo Yan.

“Miss Luo Yan, who are you talking to?”

Hua Qingling, still sleepy, walked over, rubbing her eyes, her pajamas revealing a bit too much, a large teddy bear clutched in her arms.

Sometimes, prying too much into someone’s private life could shatter their image.

Especially Hua Qingling’s “big sister” image, which had completely crumbled during her time living with Luo Yan.

She liked to sleep in, she was grumpy when woken up, she needed a teddy bear to sleep, and her sleeping posture was… questionable.

She was also completely useless in daily life, unable to do laundry, clean her room, and sleeping until noon (or rather, early afternoon)…

Luo Yan had been taking care of her like a mother, almost like her former life as a maid.

Even her younger sister, Hua Qiling, didn’t know about this. After all, Hua Qingling had already been an adult when Hua Qiling was born and rarely stayed in Yan City.

And whenever she returned, she would maintain her usual “big sister” and elegant noblewoman facade.

Since Luo Yan now knew all her secrets, Hua Qingling had given up on pretending, indulging in her laziness to the point that even Luo Yan thought she shouldn’t be called “Sister,” perhaps “Little Sister” would be more appropriate…

Luo Yan tugged at Hua Qingling’s messy pajamas, then turned and pointed towards the window.

“Look, over there… eh? He’s gone?”

The spot where the figure had been was now empty.

“Was that… an intruder?”

Hua Qingling’s drowsiness vanished, and she pulled a short sword from her teddy bear.

…Don’t ask why there was a weapon inside; when adventuring alone, even sleeping required constant vigilance, and Hua Qingling simply kept her weapon with her most comforting item.

“It felt more like… someone peeping, not an intruder,” Luo Yan recalled the figure’s reaction. “But who would peep on us? Lannister?”

The figure had clearly been an expert at concealment; even Luo Yan, with her heightened senses, hadn’t noticed him until she opened the window.

And after he fled, she couldn’t find any trace of him.

“I’ll question Lannister,” Hua Qingling’s expression turned serious. “They arranged this place.”

“There’s no need, we’ll just ask,” Luo Yan shook her head and closed the window. “But peeping is indeed rude. If Lannister doesn’t want to investigate, we can simply leave.”

After all, the recent chaos in Lannister had been her fault, which was why she had agreed to wait here.

But if they were being secretly monitored…

Even surveillance… if they were honest about it, like Yan City, explaining their concerns about her potential danger, Luo Yan could understand.

But doing it secretly… that was different.

“By the way, Sister Qingling, why are you up so early today?” Luo Yan looked at Hua Qingling, who was clearly still sleepy, her eyelids drooping. “You usually sleep another four hours…”

“Well, I didn’t want to…” Hua Qingling forced herself to stay awake, walked over to the sofa, and practically collapsed onto it. “Grandma Zoya sent me an invitation, to a Lannister noble’s banquet… A ‘Destruction’ level ability user’s invitation… I can’t refuse.”

“Really… did I get one?” Luo Yan pointed at herself.

“Miss Luo Yan, do you really think you would?”

Hua Qingling asked, her expression strange.

“…Right.”

It made sense. Lannister probably wanted her to stay put in the apartment; an invitation to a banquet was unlikely.

Not wanting to cause trouble, Luo Yan had been staying in the apartment obediently.

But this peeping incident… It made her suspicious.

“Does the invitation specify how many people can attend?” Luo Yan suddenly asked.

“You actually want to go? I wouldn’t even bother with those stuffy events even when I was in Yan City…”

“I’m curious. Although there was a banquet hall in Natalie Manor in Ghost Town, you know the situation there… I’ve never been to a real banquet,” Luo Yan smiled faintly. “Things I haven’t seen before… are worth seeing, aren’t they?”

But if you go, the Lannister higher-ups will be in a frenzy, especially Norian.

Miss Luo Yan seems to be learning bad habits… she was so innocent back in Yan City.

Hua Qingling sighed inwardly, then said,

“There’s no limit on the number of attendees. As long as you have the invitation, you can bring as many people as you want, even your entire family—of course, no one who receives such an invitation would do something so unrefined.”

She saw Luo Yan looking at her with a strange expression.

“…And neither would I!”