Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1401 Western Continent

In a castle nestled deep in the mountains and forests of the Southern Continent, Emlyn stared motionlessly at the moon outside the French windows.

As early as the day after the end of the war, after the sun and other planets, which had been completely destroyed by the Outer Gods before the barrier disappeared, returned, Emlyn noticed that the moon began to show obvious changes.

The crimson moon that had accompanied the vampires since their birth, spanning four eras and symbolizing yin power and interaction with the spirit world, began to fade, gradually revealing its pure white color.

This process was not slow. In just half a month, the crimson light that had inspired spirituality in the night was no longer dominant, and a cold white light took its place, covering the earth with a phosphorescent color.

Now, not only the extraordinary individuals sensitive to spiritual fluctuations, but even ordinary people noticed the changes in the celestial phenomena. Astronomers from various countries began to observe the starry sky, trying to understand the planet that was not far from this planet and orbited it in a fixed period.

This time, however, neither the major churches nor the governments of various countries stopped this behavior.

Emlyn, who had become the youngest duke in the vampire clan and the "creator" of Sequence 2, naturally understood the reason for this change:

The "fallen mother goddess" who occupied the moon thousands of years ago and repeatedly fought with the "Mother Tree of Desire" for the "original moon" faith within the barrier has truly left.

Prior to this, the fallen Mother Goddess, who resided on the moon, corrupted it with her own symbolism, turning it red. This affected the extraordinary beings within the barrier who followed the "Mother" and "Moon" pathways. Meanwhile, the "Desire Mother Tree" cooperated with her on one hand, and on the other hand, used the "Shadow of the Goddess" held by the Rose School within the barrier to compete for the symbolism of the red moon. This resulted in the followers of the "Primordial Moon" being mixed with extraordinary beings from four different pathways, and the doctrines were extremely chaotic. Ultimately, this led to the formation of a cult organization with the "Hedonism" faction as its core in the Southern Continent.

The moon has simply returned to its original color.

Moreover, this slow change symbolizes the process by which several ancient beings on Earth truly eradicated the influence of that pillar, preventing it from affecting the extraordinary beings of the "Moon" and "Mother" pathways within Earth again.

When the moon truly becomes pure white, reflecting only sunlight instead of emitting its own crimson glow that stirs spiritual fluctuations, the vampires and the chosen ones of the Church of the Earth Mother will no longer need to worry about being influenced by the Outer Gods. Before the final battle, it was said that the Church's matriarch, Lady Roland, had begun to experience problems, but thankfully, everything is now over...

Emlyn was relieved that the Pope of the Church of the Earth Mother was no longer troubled by evil gods, but he was also worried about the vampires' faith after the Red Moon disappeared completely. After all, the Red Moon was an important symbol of this path, and many of the vampires' spells and abilities depended on it.

Now, many atheistic vampires who have settled in Emlyn on the southern continent are panicking, and their prayers to the progenitor Lilith are going unanswered, not even for the misleading dreams and revelations that were originally from the "Fallen Mother Goddess".

Of course, now the "Fallen Mother Goddess" has left this planet with her complete essence. According to the agreement, she cannot reappear for the next 2000 years, and the Progenitor has already perished in that battle...

Emlyn was momentarily disheartened, but then he remembered Mr. Fool's summary of the Doomsday War, knowing that under the "Mother Nest" source, the uniqueness and extraordinary characteristics of the "Moon" were preserved. Therefore, there was a high probability that Lilith, the progenitor of the vampires, would be resurrected through this path and thus be promoted back to the true "Moon" of Sequence 0.

Even if she cannot ascend to the Old Ones, her unique symbolism will allow her to once again become the moon of faith on this planet, providing protection for all vampires. The Church of the Earth Mother will be preserved with the permission of the other Old Ones. At that time, Lilith can use the "moon" symbol, which has been written into the Holy Scriptures, to once again become the source of faith for the Church and accept this legacy that belongs to her.

All of this requires a "Goddess of Beauty" trait. Emlyn has preserved a Sequence 1 trait from the Primordial Goddess. The Fool or the Goddess of Calamity likely also has one, along with the corresponding uniqueness. The last one, the Goddess of Beauty, has yet to be found.

Emlyn's mind was stirred by the thought of the "Goddess of Beauty" being preserved underground in the castle and always guarded by a vampire count and a saint from the Church of the Earth Mother.

He had considered using this characteristic to advance to Sequence 1. Once Lilith was resurrected and regained godhood using the three "Goddesses of Beauty," Emlyn's extraordinary path would come to an end, as he did not want to switch paths in order to maintain the purity of his bloodline. He would be stuck in the "Creator" stage forever, just like the other three vampire dukes.

But Emlyn did not attempt it because of his worship of the progenitor and his respect for Mr. Fool, who promised to resurrect Lilith and preserve her divine status.

What's more, the "Goddess of Beauty" is supposed to become a woman... He snapped out of his reverie and looked out the window at the full moon, which had quietly turned a little whiter.

Perhaps once the moon returns to its former state before it was controlled by the "Fallen Mother Goddess," the Progenitor can be resurrected within this trait I preserved... But what should I do next? Have a vampire with a spirit of dedication and sacrifice use this trait? Borrow the power of an ancient being? Emlyn's thoughts wandered once more.

Besides him, the other three "creators" of the vampire clan, namely the vampire dukes, are all old and frail. They usually have to lie in coffins to slow down their aging process, and even drinking blood rich in spiritual energy cannot cure them.

In the recent battle against the Outer Gods and Angels, they also suffered injuries of varying degrees and have now returned to the underground of their manor to fall into a deep sleep.

After that, they either choose to remain in a long slumber, only appearing when the vampire clan faces a major crisis, or they end their lives in a dignified "funeral," passing on this Sequence 2 characteristic to outstanding young members of the clan, like Emlyn.

Fortunately, Emlyn did not need to participate in this difficult choice. In order to escape the vortex of power and to prepare for the return of the progenitor, he took the initiative to come to the southern continent, which was in dire need of receiving the resources of the "primordial moon" and spreading the belief of the "Earth Mother Goddess", and moved into this gloomy ancient castle.

Of course, this is not entirely untrue. If Lilith is to be resurrected, the anchor of faith, the physical body, and the extraordinary characteristics are all indispensable. Emlyn not only has to protect this "goddess of beauty" characteristic, but also actively spread the faith in the southern continent, which is no easier than for his compatriots who stayed in the northern continent.

Fortunately, the Southern Continent had expelled the original colonists and restored the governments of various countries. They did not take too many outrageous actions during the colonial war. Instead, they helped improve the local agricultural level and were friendly towards the Earth Mother Goddess Church, which cracked down on evil god cultists. This allowed Emlyn's missionary work to proceed smoothly.

This is also largely due to the fact that the "Shadow of Order" does not have an urgent need for secular faith. Therefore, in addition to the "Earth Mother Goddess", the faith of the "Fool" and the "Goddess of Calamity" has also developed rapidly in the Southern Continent, with churches under construction in various places.

Competing with Mr. Fool and Miss Queen for followers always gives me a sense of dread, like I might die from some unknown disease in my dreams or attend the next Tarot meeting with some extraordinary ability... But preserving the faith in the progenitor and resurrecting Him as soon as possible is Mr. Fool's divine message, so there shouldn't be any problem, right...? Emlyn muttered to himself, then thought of the Temperance faction, which had close ties with the Church of the Fool and was essentially part of it.

Most of the organization that has cooperated with Emlyn on multiple occasions has moved into the Highlands Kingdom, which has regained its territory. The "Holy Angel," now a Sequence 1 "God's Abomination," Renette Tinicol, will naturally prioritize promoting the "Fool's" faith in her own country. If Emlyn wants the "Earth Mother" to be able to preach smoothly in the Highlands Kingdom, it will naturally have to win over important members of this faction.

His first thought was of Ms. Sharon, who was unable to participate in the Doomsday War because she hadn't had time to digest the Sequence 3 potion.

"By the way, according to Mr. Fool, the Tarot Society is planning to expand its membership to fill all twenty-two seats. If Ms. Sharon could also join..."

Emlyn muttered to himself, a plan gradually forming in his mind.

Suddenly, a hazy gray mist appeared before his eyes, and a familiar voice rang in his ears:

"The last 'Goddess of Beauty' trait has been located."

It's Mr. Fool... Emlyn was taken aback, then a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

"It is not on the North or South continents, but on the West continent, which has just been unsealed."

The Fool spoke in a lighthearted tone. ————

"The Western Continent...a mysterious continent shrouded in mist, inaccessible by any ship, and difficult to reach even by flight or teleportation..."

"The Hermit" Cattleya leaned against the intricately carved wooden gunwale, gazing at the misty sea, which was impossible to see with the naked eye, and muttered to herself.

She was not on her own "Future" at this moment, but on an ancient ship that was longer than any three-masted sailing ship of this era, and even larger than many ironclad warships equipped with steam engines. She was sailing westward through the Misty Sea, heading towards the Western Continent, which was surrounded by countless legends.

Beneath her feet was the only surviving ghost ship of the angelic rank, the "Queen Anne's Revenge," belonging to Princess Yates, now the "Mysterious Queen" Bernadette Gustav. It was currently carrying representatives from various political entities in the Southern Continent, officially embarking on exploration and exchange with the Western Continent.

Strictly speaking, this team did not include Cattleya, but because she could spend a long time with the Queen, she brought along several extraordinary individuals from the Future, as well as researchers from the reorganized "Mors Penitentiary," who "hitched a ride" on the ship to the Western Continent.

Of course, Cattleya also expressed her confusion as to why they didn't simply use the angels' abilities to fly or teleport to the New World, and Bernadette's answer was as follows:

"Because in the culture of the Western Continent, this is considered 'rude' behavior... That's what Dad said."

Since even the great "Shadow of Order" had said so, Cattleya naturally dared not have any objections. She withdrew her gaze from the seemingly endless mist and turned to walk towards the captain's cabin.

On the way, she encountered Frank Lee, the first mate of the "Future," a robust man with hairy, bare arms. He had originally been commissioned by the Church of the Fools to conduct an experiment on transplanting edible mushrooms into different gravity environments, but upon hearing that he could explore the unknown western continent, he immediately applied to go with Cattleya on this ghost ship.

Watching Frank secretly stuffing the roots of a plant that swayed in the wind into the gaps of the pure black deck, Cattleya opened her mouth to speak, but in the end, she didn't know what to say.

She only hoped that Anne would be lenient and not throw Frank and those strange plants into the sea.

Losing a major mate is a small matter, but if those strange plants proliferate in the sea and cause an ecological disaster, that would be quite troublesome.

Lost in thought, she approached the captain's cabin. Before she could even knock, she heard rapid conversation coming from inside.

That was the ship's true form, the voices of Anne Gustave and Bernadette. Originally, they had basic methods of concealment, but Cattleya, who was also a Sequence 2 "Sage" like the Mysterious Queen, acted faster than she thought and cracked this method of concealing information, allowing the original conversation to enter her ears.

"I just subconsciously... found a plausible reason for my eavesdropping," Cattleya quickly understood the focus of their conversation.

That was a debate that had taken place many times during the journey to the Western Continent regarding the ownership of the last "Knowledge Emperor" attribute.

In the apocalyptic war in which the entire Tarot Society participated, many disasters were averted due to the protection of the entire planet. Gadriya had already digested most of the "Sage" potion and advanced early. Bernadette, who also participated in the battle, must have gone even further and was ready to advance to Sequence 1.

In the battle of "Hidden Sage", this "Mysterious Queen" obtained the Sequence 1 "Knowledge Emperor" trait of that evil god and also possessed the corresponding blasphemous card. She should have been promoted immediately after the battle, but she did not do so, which puzzled Cattleya.

It wasn't until she boarded the Queen Anne's Revenge that she realized Bernadette intended to leave this precious Sequence 1 attribute to another Roselle Gustave, the empress in the mirror.

The origin of this being in the mirror can be traced back more than a hundred years. Before Roselle, the "Knowledge Emperor," attempted to jump to godhood, he was influenced by the underground source power of Trier. The power of the special mirror world left by the "City of Calamity" and the Primordial Witch gave Roselle an additional mirror image, a person with reversed gender.

The two appeared to have collaborated at some point, but ultimately parted ways because Roselle was inclined to become a god as the "Black Emperor," while the Roselle in the mirror was influenced by the "Primal Witch" in the mirror. It wasn't until Chick's fall and the emergence of a new ruler of the mirror world that the latter regained his freedom.

Bernadette's feelings toward this feminine Roselle are undoubtedly complex. On one hand, her real father, the "Black Emperor" Roselle, has returned from the Astral Plane and become an Old One. His humanity seems to have been somewhat restored, and he is no longer as withdrawn and paranoid as he was before his fall. Her yearning for fatherly love has been fulfilled. On the other hand, Empress Roselle also possesses complete memories. Apart from being somewhat extreme, her love for her daughter is equally intense, making it difficult for Bernadette to abandon him.

Currently, Empress Roselle possesses a complete body and the power of the "Knowledge Emperor" in the mirror, but she cannot truly enter reality, and is even inferior to some spirit beings. If she is to become a true being, she needs to regain her body, just like spirit beings do, requiring both extraordinary characteristics and a physical body.

However, compared to the easily obtainable physical body, the extraordinary trait of the "Knowledge Emperor" is the biggest problem. This is because the ancient "Knowledge Demons" of the Hermit and Perfection paths naturally require a Sequence 1 trait, while the other one, originally held as a sealed artifact by a certain righteous church, has recently returned to the hands of "Steam," supposedly to be reserved for an important figure in the Western Continent.

Therefore, Bernadette's promotion to Sequence 1 and Empress Roselle gaining a real life are two difficult choices.

If it were up to Cattleya to choose, she would definitely promote her queen to Sequence 1. As for that empress, she has lived in the mirror for over a hundred years and is doing well, so it doesn't matter if she waits a little longer!
Unfortunately, the decision was not in her hands, and Cattleya knew that Bernadette would definitely choose to bring Empress Roselle into reality.

Finding her father's whereabouts and resurrecting him is the "Mysterious Queen's" long-cherished wish. Even though her father has now become two, and one of them seems to have become her "mother," her will will not change.

I wonder how the real Emperor Roselle views His female form. Will he force Bernadette to give up this idea, or will he exchange resources with other Great Old Ones so that the Queen can both resurrect the Empress and have the hope of advancing to Sequence 1, such as... those pathways in the starry sky...? Cattleya felt a little lost for a moment.

She suddenly understood why the "Shadow of Order" was so eager to explore the Western Continent before the other Great Old Ones. Among all the Great Old Ones, Roselle had the fewest "resources." The dynasty he had built was long gone, and all the angels under his command were on this ship. Although the Southern Continent had been liberated, it was only a secular power and political system, which was of little help to the transcendent.

If they could initiate exchanges with the civilization of the Western Continent earlier, they might gain some advantages. Moreover, the existence of the "Shadow of Order" is based on the help of the Western Continent, and Emperor Roselle might want to give some feedback on this matter... Just like more than a hundred years ago, when he opened up a safe sea route to the Southern Continent and single-handedly promoted the colonial era, bringing a century of suffering to the people of that land... Hopefully, this trip to the Western Continent will not end like this... Cattleya's thoughts kept wandering until they were interrupted by a loud voice.

“…This is my decision, and I believe my father would think the same way.” Bernadette sighed and said, “The ‘Emperor of Knowledge’ will be given to the one in the mirror, so that she may have a complete body and a complete life.”

"Then, He will be able to help you, and upgrade the Queen Anne's Revenge beneath your feet, infusing it with the extraordinary characteristics of your father's 'Prince of Order Slayer,' making you a true archangel, possessing a physical body through the power to distort order, rather than relying on this ship."

So that's what the Queen was thinking. That really is the way to have both parents... Hearing this, a smile suddenly appeared on Cattleya's lips.

While the Queen and Anne were unaware, she quietly turned around and left the captain's cabin, arriving at the deck where few crew members remained, but many researchers from the "Morse Penitentiary" were looking around and taking notes, gazing at the mist-shrouded sea.

Suddenly, a ray of sunlight pierced through the sea fog high in the sky, and the outline of a continuous mountain range appeared ahead of the fast-moving ship.

They found the western continent.

(End of this chapter)