Witch’s Night: Chapter 1 – Journey to Lannister
“One guard went crazy, two guards were biting, three guards were all alone, four guards went hand-in-hand to heaven~”
“Stop, stop, stop, Miss Luo Yan, please stop humming! What kind of song is that?!”
“I don’t know, I just heard it on the street. I thought the melody was nice.” Luo Yan blinked innocently. “It seems to be a Lannister children’s rhyme? Everyone’s singing it… It’s a story about ten guards.”
“I didn’t hear anything…” Hua Qingling said, her expression odd. “Are the people of Lannister this intense…? Even their children’s rhymes are so morbid…?”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.”
Luo Yan nodded calmly.
Hua Qingling felt a bit embarrassed and waved her hand dismissively.
“It’s fine, aside from the strange lyrics, the melody is quite nice…”
Well, it’s probably because Miss Luo Yan has a nice voice.
Norian and Grandma Zoya, listening nearby, were sweating nervously, vigilantly scanning their surroundings for any unusual phenomena.
Norian was certain he had never heard this so-called children’s rhyme before, having grown up in Lannister, but Grandma Zoya knew its origin…
The melody was identical to the “Song of the Soul” from before, only with lyrics added!
From the forest outside the city to Lannister’s gates, Norian and Grandma Zoya had kept a low profile, not even entering through the main gate, but taking a secret passage.
Such caution was necessary when dealing with an unknown entity like Miss Luo Yan.
Fortunately, Miss Luo Yan had cooperated, not even questioning their actions, obediently following behind them.
She chatted casually with Hua Qingling, like a pair of ordinary friends.
However, their conversation occasionally touched upon some alarming topics.
Like…
“Oh, you mean Mister from Dawn? Well… I witnessed his passing, but he seemed happy. Perhaps for Nine, death was a long-awaited release.”
“The Witch of Envy… I don’t know how to describe her. Her existence is beyond words, but I have to say, facing her directly was the most dangerous moment of my life… And then? I think she died… if a Primordial Demon can even die.”
“Void traversal is so convenient! I’m just not very good at controlling it yet, I tend to get lost. That’s how I ended up in Lannister. I’ll take you on a trip through the void once I get the hang of it!”
“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe. I’ve taken people through the void before, the City Lord and Uncle Sun! I just don’t know why they all seem to get… void sickness…”
Well, everyone gets void sickness, unless they’re a spatial ability user with an affinity for the void… And just how strong would that affinity have to be, to bring others through the void safely?
And all of these shocking revelations were delivered by “Miss Luo Yan” in a casual, even cheerful, tone.
Norian and Grandma Zoya had initially been shocked, but they had gradually grown numb.
And even more terrifying, what Miss Luo Yan said was likely true… except for the part about the Witch of Envy?
…That was hard to confirm.
Of course, despite their numbness, this information was still valuable.
Norian silently made a mental note of everything, while Grandma Zoya paid close attention to Luo Yan.
Setting aside their initial fear, Luo Yan’s strength and aura were clearly only at the entry level of “Calamity” level.
But how could someone who caused such chaos in Lannister be only “Calamity” level?
This mysterious girl, shrouded in so many secrets…
And so, this strange group—two adults with hidden agendas, and two girls chatting casually—entered Lannister.
Norian had carefully chosen Luo Yan’s temporary accommodation.
It couldn’t be too luxurious, nor too simple, and the location also had to be carefully considered.
In the end, he chose an ordinary apartment and, after compensating the other tenants, had them vacate for a few days.
…Lannister had made the same decision as Yan City.
Seeing her temporary home, Luo Yan nodded indifferently, seemingly unconcerned.
And she truly wasn’t; her apartment in Yan City had been similar.
“If Miss Luo Yan needs anything, please inform us,” Norian said with a gentle smile, his mustache twitching. “We will do our best to make you both feel at home in Lannister.”
“Thank you for your concern. I’ll try not to trouble you.”
Luo Yan bowed respectfully, and Hua Qingling quickly followed suit.
…Although Hua Qingling held a high position in Yan City, she was currently traveling.
And she was only a “Destruction” level potential; such talent wasn’t rare, and until she actually reached that level, it was just potential.
Therefore, Hua Qingling rarely had the opportunity to meet important figures like Grandma Zoya and Norian, and she was more reserved than Luo Yan.
After giving their instructions, Norian and Grandma Zoya hurriedly left.
They had much to deal with: the aftermath of the Lannister incident, and the arrival of the Fourth Saint.
After they left, Hua Qingling sighed in relief and turned to Luo Yan, chuckling.
“Thanks to you, Miss Luo Yan, I was worried about where I would stay, and now I have free accommodation.”
“Big Sister Hua… also has to worry about rent…?” Luo Yan blinked in disbelief. “I thought you were a ‘Peril’ level ability user…”
Luo Yan had met several “Peril” level ability users: Sun Biwu from Yan City, Grifres and Alyxsia from Dawn, and Rhine…
None of them seemed to worry about such mundane matters.
“I am a ‘Peril’ level ability user, but I’m always broke,” Hua Qingling sighed, her face full of frustration.
“And to get back to Yan City quickly, I spent all my savings on those expensive teleportation arrays. Now I only have a few silver coins left, and I haven’t even received my payment for the last mission yet, I wonder if they forgot…”
This complaining Hua Qingling was completely different from the reliable older sister figure Luo Yan had seen in Yan City, but it also seemed… more real.
As expected of Hua Qiling’s sister; besides their appearance and physique, they were practically the same person.
“By the way, aren’t you a tailor?” Luo Yan asked. “Like Anna, Hua Qiling said she’s quite wealthy now… You’re more skilled than her, you should be earning even more, right?”
Hua Qingling’s expression stiffened, and she looked away, dejected.
“Don’t mention it… Little Anna is rich because she’s good at business, it has nothing to do with tailoring. Actually… the ‘Flower Shop’ she took over… I was the one who bankrupted it.”
According to Anna, Hua Qingling had practically given her the shop out of charity, which was how Anna became so wealthy.
But the truth… was slightly different.
Back then, Hua Qingling had urgently needed to leave Yan City, but she didn’t have enough money.
For certain reasons, she didn’t want to ask the main Hua family for money, nor could she ask Lin Cheng.
So, she had to sell her assets.
At the time, Anna was already a well-known tailor… fashion designer, and unlike Hua Qingling, she had many wealthy clients.
Even Lin Cheng had commissioned her; she had considerable savings.
That’s how Anna ended up with the Flower Shop.
“I don’t know why, but I can never save money,” Hua Qingling sighed, counting on her fingers. “Whether it’s my own earnings, or gifts from others… it always vanishes quickly, one way or another.
“Sometimes it’s unavoidable expenses, other times I just lose it, I’ve even been robbed by the King of Thieves himself… and he only stole the coins I had set aside for my next meal.”
As if Luo Yan had opened the floodgates, Hua Qingling poured out her woes, her resentment palpable.
Luo Yan could only conclude…
—Big Sister Hua was cursed when it came to money.
She hadn’t expected the glamorous Big Sister Hua to have such… relatable problems.
“Big Sister Hua, are you sure you should be telling me all this…?” Luo Yan’s lips curved upwards slightly.
“Huh?”
Hua Qingling was taken aback.
“I’m Hua Qiling’s friend,” Luo Yan winked playfully. “You wouldn’t want her to know that her idol-like sister is actually…”
“…”
Hua Qingling’s face turned bright red, and she covered her mouth in embarrassment.
“These things… It’s best if my little sister doesn’t know…”
The thought of Hua Qiling learning that her sister couldn’t even hold onto her savings… Hua Qingling wanted to die of embarrassment.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Hua Qiling,” Luo Yan smiled gently. “I didn’t expect you to have such a… relatable side. I’m glad.”
“Ahem… that’s good,” Hua Qingling patted her chest, relieved. “I’ve only ever told you these things. Miss Luo Yan, just like Qiling said, being around you is… comforting.”
She snuck a glance at Luo Yan.
“You really won’t tell, right?”
“Of course, let’s keep it our little secret,” Luo Yan nodded and smiled. “And besides, Big Sister Hua, you’ve helped me a lot in Yan City. I’m very grateful~”
If it weren’t for Hua Qingling’s help, Luo Yan wouldn’t have had access to those classified files, and none of the subsequent events would have happened.
“It was nothing,” Hua Qingling waved her hand dismissively, then paused, her expression turning strange. “By the way, could you please stop calling me ‘Big Sister Hua’? It felt weird when Anna called me that, and now you too… It makes me feel old.”
She wasn’t even forty, even younger than Alyxsia, Dawn’s youngest “Peril” level Cadre.
“Then… I’ll call you ‘Sister,’ just like Hua Qiling,” Luo Yan looked at Hua Qingling, who was half a head shorter than her, finally understanding how Hua Qiling felt looking up at her, and nodded with satisfaction.
Hua Qingling was speechless, then sighed.
“Whatever you want, as long as it’s not ‘Big Sister Hua’…”
…
The vast, desolate wasteland.
Since the “Calamity Tide” ravaged the world millennia ago, most of the land had become like this.
Initially, almost eighty percent of the land had been covered in poisonous gases and strange, maddening phenomena, but over time, the situation had improved.
And after discovering the “Ember,” humanity had been using its energy to restore the ecosystem.
Around Lannister, forests had even begun to grow, although they were inhabited by terrifying, mutated beasts, which were still preferable to the frenzied calamity monsters.
Due to the nature of the “Ember” energy source, most mega-cities were far apart, rarely close enough to support each other directly.
Therefore, to facilitate travel and trade between them, the Free Federation had established “lifelines.”
Similar to the trains of the Old Era, but powered by smaller “Ember” nodes along the route.
And to protect against sudden disasters and calamity monsters, each lifeline required an elite team led by a “Peril” level ability user.
Therefore, the operating costs were high, mainly used for trade, rarely for civilian travel.
For civilian travel, there was the circuit lifeline, which passed through each mega-city once every fifty days.
This lifeline network, like a spiderweb, connected the entire Free Federation.
Besides this, there were also teleportation arrays for faster travel, although they were expensive.
Only the Holy Knights could afford to use them regularly.
Unfortunately, Yan City couldn’t build teleportation arrays yet. The Holy Knights, wanting to reach Lannister, had to take the circuit lifeline, hence the delay.
The lifeline sped across the vast wasteland, Elise looking out the window with her chin resting on her hand, Anna beside her, curiously observing the scenery.