Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1421 Kidnapping!

After a bit of commotion with her sister in the dark but no longer frightening coffin, Christina waited until the coffin slowly came to a stop and the lid was opened from the outside.

They had arrived at the steam train station south of Jiefang Port.

As the most popular and convenient mode of transportation at present, the train station in the Southern Continent is not much different from the ones Tina has seen in Tingen and Backlund. Countless carriages and coffins travel and stop on the road in front of the station. Passengers, some dressed plainly and others with imposing manners, enter the hall, queue to buy tickets, wait in the station, and board trains heading in different directions.

Unlike other cities where stations were planned long ago, Jiefang Port has undergone multiple expansions, which have incorporated the original station on the edge of the port city into the city center. This allows people in the city to watch huge locomotives trailing thick smoke and whistling as they pull carriages through buildings and across busy roads, rolling over rails with a regular, gradually increasing clanging sound as they head into the distance.

Tina and Dorothy stepped off the coffin carriage amidst the noise. The latter took out a stack of souvenirs and pennies, counted out the agreed amount, and handed it to the coffin puller dressed as a local.

The city's predecessor, Caesar Port, was occupied by the colonial army of Intis. Although it has now been taken over by the local government and a new currency has been unified, it is still in the stage of accepting all kinds of currencies. Intis's Fairkin and Cope, as well as Rune's Gold Pound and Soler, can all be used smoothly, and the exchange rate does not fluctuate much.

Unfortunately, although the sisters could use the money they had, they still needed proof of identity to buy tickets for the steam train.

This time, it seems we'll have to trouble the "genie" again... Tina touched the sealed artifact through her handbag, about to beckon Dorothy to enter the nearby train station, when she heard a low, urgent voice from the other party:
"It feels like someone is watching us, no, following us."

Come again?

Tina immediately recalled her experience in the East District of Backlund, instinctively clutching her handbag tighter. Then, following Dorothy's gaze, she looked away, her eyes instantly lost in the bustling street, not noticing anyone staring at her.

However, she still decided to trust her sister's judgment. After all, both of them were dressed in clothes different from those of the Southern Continent, had outstanding appearances, were alone with any adults, and had just inadvertently revealed their valuables, making them easy targets for those with ill intentions.

Not to mention the Southern Continent, which has just restored order, even in the Eastern and Southern Districts of Backlund, there are still many thugs who roam around and specifically target children and women.

Having figured this out, Tina quickly looked at the bustling steam train station and noticed a black church with a tall bell tower next to the station.

Above the massive main entrance, between the red and blue lattice windows, is a constellation of stars, surrounded by sharp blades, with a holy emblem at the center depicting arms supporting an invisible river.

That's the church of the "Church of Eternal Darkness"!

After the liberation of the Southern Continent, the new regime restricted the extent to which major faiths were involved in secular affairs, but allowed free missionary work. As a result, the Church of Eternal Darkness, the Fool, the End Times, and even the secondary Church of Earth and the Church of Storms established churches in major cities, or continued their previous parishes and maintained their original faiths.

Luckily, the familiar "Eternal Darkness" church was right next to the train station, not the church of steam or the sun god... Tina immediately made a decision, grabbed Dorothy's hand, and ran towards the church.

The reason she didn't choose to go directly into the train station was that buying a ticket would waste a lot of time, and in an unfamiliar city, she instinctively felt distrustful of everyone.

Just now, Anne Gustave said that all gods are benevolent!

Once you enter the church, you will be protected by the goddess of night, or at the very least, you can seek help from the local bishop.

As the daughter of two devout followers of the goddess, she could still recite a few verses of doctrine and pretend to be a believer.

Before they could even run into the square in front of the church, a four-wheeled carriage drove past them. Two strong arms reached out from the already open carriage door, grabbed Tina and Dorothy one after the other, and pulled them directly into the carriage.

boom--

The carriage doors closed, and the carriage turned and drove into the alley opposite the church, quickly leaving the street and disappearing from the sight of passersby who were just beginning to react.

……

"Quiet down, don't move, or I'll stab you all to death!"

The deep, husky voice brought Tina back to her senses. She cautiously looked around and found herself sitting on the floor of the swaying carriage, with Dorothy close beside her and four casually dressed, light-brown-skinned men on either side.

One of them was holding a gleaming dagger, and it was he who made the threat earlier, but the other three also showed expressions of agreement, clearly indicating that they were all vicious people.

In the future, I should remember to carry some pennies when I go out, and not easily show large sums of money. I should also change into casual clothes that don't reveal my identity or age... But who knew we would come to the Southern Continent today? I originally thought it was just a small adventure in Tingen City... Many thoughts flashed through Tina's mind in an instant, and then she felt a little frustrated.

This was the second time she had been robbed that day, and the third time she had been confined to a small area.

Compared to the mere experience of having her possessions stolen and being locked in an interrogation room or a confined cabin, this time was far more dangerous. She and Dorothy were both taken away in a carriage and found themselves in an unfamiliar city. It's not hard to guess what would happen next.

Fortunately, I also have a Level 0 sealed artifact... A look of fear appeared on her face, and she shrank and twisted her body, trying to shout in her heart:
"The genie?"

"I'm here," the sealed artifact, which had failed repeatedly before, finally responded. The voice, which only Tina and Dorothy could hear, rang in their ears. "Give them something, just a copper coin, and leave the rest to me."

Was He going to use that unreasonable "transaction" again? To buy my and Dorothy's lives for a penny? Tina had a guess. Dorothy, who was squatting back-to-back with her behind her, fumbled in her pocket, her face also contorted with tears, pleading:

"We didn't bring much money, we'll give it all to you, can you let us go?"

Her beautiful face and vivid performance failed to move any of the robbers. The burly man with the dagger even sneered, holding the weapon in front of Dorothy as a further warning:

"Take your hand out of your pocket, slowly, or I'll chop it off. Losing a hand shouldn't affect the sacrifice."

Dorothy's expression stiffened as she slowly withdrew her arm from the bag. A copper penny slipped from her fingers, rolled across the wooden floor, and fell through the crack in the door at the edge of the carriage.

In contrast to her nervousness, Tina was drawn to a certain word uttered by the robber, repeating it with a puzzled expression:

"Sacrifice?"

The four robbers, sitting on the cloth-covered seats at the front and back of the carriage, looked at each other and laughed.

“That’s right, little girl, aren’t you honored?” another man, arms crossed and leaning against the window behind the curtain, said. “You are about to be offered to the great gods, and our wishes will be fulfilled.”

"..."

Looking at the four robbers who seemed to be plotting some kind of evil ritual rather than after money, Tina silently touched her handbag, feeling the outline of the "wishing lamp" inside, and muttered to herself:

"Genius, can I make a wish in advance?"

She knew that she could no longer rely on Arrodes, who had saved them by severely injuring the robbers with lightning last time. If Dorothy were to take out the silver mirror from her pocket, she would probably be seriously injured by the robbers with daggers.

It seems the only hope is a wish granted by the "wishing lamp"...

This time, the genie, who had previously been stingy and insisted on freeing himself before granting Tina's wish, gave an affirmative answer:
"can."

Tina secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she didn't believe that the "genie" who had been unwilling to budge before had suddenly become kind-hearted.

This guy must have realized that if things continued like this, they really would die! "My wish is for Dorothy and I to escape safely from this awful kidnapping and sacrifice!"

She cried out in her heart.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The carriage drove into the courtyard of a detached house on the outskirts of the city. Tina and her companion were forced off the carriage by four robbers. Before they could even observe their surroundings, they were immediately led into the underground area of ​​the house and walked deeper into the damp, narrow passage.

Fortunately, there were old-fashioned oil lamps hanging on the walls of the passage, their dim yellow light illuminating the surroundings and preventing Tina from being too frightened.

But she soon discovered that, in addition to the fifth robber who had joined the group after driving the carriage earlier, there were many more people waiting underground.

A dozen or so mysterious figures, draped in black robes and hooded, with only their sharp or bloated chins visible, were crammed into a not-so-spacious basement. They were busy around a huge circular pattern drawn on the floor, adding essential oil to the brightly lit ritual candles and arranging auxiliary items on the altar, all in a silent and orderly fashion.

The "robbers" who had captured Tina and Dorothy led them to the center of a pattern painted with dark red, blood-like paint, and then joined in the preparations, seemingly unconcerned that the two could escape from under the noses of more than a dozen adults.

Only now did Tina finally have the real feeling of being kidnapped and used as a "sacrifice." Under the candlelight, and under the occasional gazes cast by these seemingly calm but repressed fanatics, she trembled.

"Genius, why hasn't my wish been granted yet?"

She wondered to herself whether the "Wishing Lamp" was truly a Level 0 sealed artifact and whether it could actually grant her wishes.

Could my wish be fulfilled in a twisted way, like Dorothy and I being sacrificed to some god to "escape" this incident...? She comforted herself.

"It will happen."

A majestic voice answered in my mind, then fell silent.

Behind Tina, Dorothy, using her body as cover, reached into her pocket again, trying to take out the "Mirror of Arodes" and use this sealed artifact, which, although only a level 2 item, had helped her many times, to get out of her current situation.

But before she could make any further moves, hooded figures surrounded her.

They have completed the necessary preparations and are about to begin the sacrificial ceremony!

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the man with the dagger suddenly shouted, making Tina and Dorothy tremble. "The offerings are ready, the ceremony is complete, and today is the best day to offer prayers to the great gods and ask for their blessings!"

"Sacrifice!"

"My wish is about to come true..."

"Why two sacrifices? We can keep one..."

The other people, their faces hidden by hoods, whispered among themselves, but quickly succumbed to the frenzied atmosphere, gathering around the huge circular pattern and kneeling before Tina and Dorothy.

Of course, both of them knew that these people were not worshipping them, but the god who was about to be sacrificed.

Only the man holding the dagger remained standing, but he was also standing outside the circular pattern.

"Which god are you going to offer sacrifices to?"

Influenced by the eerie atmosphere, Tina asked hesitantly.

She knew she had to stall for time, either to give Dorothy a chance to use the magic mirror or to wait for the wish, which might never come true, to take effect. So she tried to interrupt their sacrificial ritual through conversation.

Furthermore, aren't all gods benevolent? Why would believers need to kidnap innocent people as sacrifices? Ultimately, which god do they worship? The Grim Reaper of the Southern Continent legends?
The man presiding over the ceremony ignored him, and simply took out a small metal bottle that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and poured out a stream of dark red liquid.

Tina immediately smelled a bloody odor.

Was that blood? She was startled, then relieved that the other party hadn't directly harmed her or Dorothy to take her blood.

This was slightly different from the bloody and sinister sacrificial ritual she had imagined.

The next second, the man began to chant a prayer in a language that Tina couldn't understand at all.

What language is this? Is it the language of the Southern Continent, Dutan? Or the language of Intis? Tina, who only speaks Rune, sensed the rhythm and intonation of the other person's voice, but she couldn't understand what they were saying at all, and couldn't help but mutter to herself.

She tried to escape, but found that all the hooded men in black robes were tightly surrounding the circular pattern, giving her and Dorothy no chance.

The "genie" then whispered in Tina's ear:
"This is Ancient Hermes, the language most commonly used in ritual magic, but they completely misunderstood the ritual process, it's impossible... Huh?"

He suddenly raised his voice out of curiosity.

At the same time, the words of the ceremony officiant seemed to be translated, entering Tina's mind in a way she could understand:

"...I pray for your gaze, I pray for your blessing, and that you grant us endless strength and wealth!"

"The Great Uncertain Fog!"

"Ah."

The genie in her mind chuckled.

Although she didn't understand the specific reason, it seemed that the group's sacrifice was wrong, so the genie responded with an indifferent attitude instead of truly granting her wish? Just as Tina was beginning to understand, she felt as if a gaze from an infinite distance had fallen upon her.

It contains endless malice, and also a kind of inexplicable resentment, as if someone had been awakened from a dream.

This sent a chill down Tina's spine. A cold sensation surged from her limbs to her chest, making her stiffen. She felt as if she would melt into the mist that had risen around her at some unknown moment, becoming a part of the gap between light and darkness.

Before this, she had only ever felt a similar, but not malicious, gaze from her angry mother.

"You're not my mother..." Tina, emboldened by some unknown source, raised her head and glared back in the direction the gaze was coming from.

Suddenly, the malicious gaze recoiled.

(End of this chapter)