Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 301 The Other Side of the Lake
Winter didn't originally like traveling. Her ideal state was to stay at home, preferably with meals delivered to her door. But there were occasional exceptions.

For example, right now, standing on Ethan's shoulder, feeling the damp air outside Mistywood County, she was able to calm down and appreciate the unique scenery under the fog. Mistywood County is surrounded by forests, and following the secluded paths, you will go deep into the mountains. There is a lake in the mountains, which is the place where the Mistweaver Antelope is most often seen.

Winter felt that time could slow down a bit.

For the first time, she carefully examined the shape of the leaves and the distribution of the bushes and flowers. She also noticed the speed of the stream's flow. If she shifted her gaze further into the depths, she could see...

A small bat sneakily scurried behind a tree.

Winter thinks that foggy days are good for practicing Frost Arrow.

"Hey, Winter, Old Sen, what a coincidence, you're out shopping too."

A moment later, a purple bat with an ice arrow on its head flapped its wings and flew in front of Ethan. It seemed to be a carefully planned encounter, full of theatricality, and the tone was like that of a West Coast rapper.

"unfortunately."

The cat's eyes were wide open, almost spitting fire. "It wasn't a chance encounter."

Clearly, only by following her all the way from the Misty Forest market town could such a chance encounter have been created. Rowena's perseverance is astonishing, but it is often used in the wrong way. Winter really can't understand what kind of obsession could support Rowena to risk being attacked by ice arrows just to act as a third wheel.

Winter waited until Rowena fell asleep before leaving the house, but she didn't expect that this was also a deliberate illusion created by the other party.

In her opinion, if Rowena could put that energy into dating, with her outstanding appearance and current status, she might very well have a dozen or so romantic relationships, just as she fantasized. But this girl's personality is so twisted that she didn't even glance at the flowers and love letters that others sent her before before throwing them into the trash.

Then continue to maintain your state of not dating and not wanting anyone to date.

This twisted emotion... why does it feel so strangely familiar?
Winter suddenly fell into deep thought.

She had definitely met someone like Rowena before, perhaps even to the point of seeing her every day, but when she really thought about it carefully, she couldn't recall any clues.

Just like the weather in Fogwood County, everything seemed to be shrouded in thick fog.

"What did you overhear just now?"

"I heard that some people here want to lay eggs, so I came here specifically to observe."

"hiss--!"

For a moment, Winter wanted to return to her wild nature. According to the laws of nature, cats should be able to eat bats, right?
"Actually..."

Rowena coughed lightly and said, "I think what Old Sen said before was very good. Humans are generally afraid that their brothers will suffer, but they are also afraid that their brothers will drive a Land Rover."

As a partner and friend, she was genuinely happy for Winter's encounter with Ethan. Seeing her former gloomy companion become optimistic and cheerful, and even occasionally throw a little tantrum like a hissing cat, warmed her heart.

"I think your relationship has progressed to about this point. Taking it any further would be a bit impolite."

Rowena had to point out that Winter's current behavior was like driving a Land Rover behind his friends' backs... no, considering Ethan's status, it should be a Rolls-Royce.

Although she had never seen a Rolls-Royce, Ethan had mentioned that it was the best luxury car. She had pre-ordered one from Ethan long ago, and when the Rolls-Royce was released, she would drive one around the streets of the capital.

"Lovina..."

Winter's gaze grew increasingly dangerous. "I can give you one more chance to explain. Please seize this last opportunity."

"Actually, I came here in pursuit of that 'crazy robot'."

The little purple bat immediately changed its tone and said seriously.

Rowena knew Winter well; seeing the cat brandishing its claws, it was really going to scratch her.

"go on."

The cat grabbed Rowena's wings with its two paws and glared at her menacingly.

"Aren't you curious where he went after summoning a thick fog?"

"Not curious."

Winter remained expressionless. She was in the middle of something and had no interest in anyone except Ethan. Only the third wheel who had deliberately come to ruin her plans needed to be taught a lesson.

"He actually came along too!"

Rowena struggled and yelled, saying that she could take the Frost Arrow, but she really couldn't take Winter's defensive technique. If she continued to provoke Winter, this cat might really tear off her wings.

Winter's grip lessened, and the little bat seized the opportunity, flapping its wings to escape the clutches.

"Where is he?"

"Right by the lake."

Before leaving Misty Forest County, Rowena had already gathered relevant information. The first person to discover the "Frenzied Robot" was Mr. Whiteband, their first friend after arriving in this plane. It was also deep in the mist, before they explored a lake.

"Look there!"

Rowena flew forward and landed in front of the traps set by the poachers. Further ahead was the lakeside they had mentioned, where they discovered an unusually large weaver antelope.

She saw it too.

The unusual weaver antelope, much larger than the average one, with its abdomen ripped open, still lingered by the lake. Hearing the commotion behind it, it turned around and quietly looked at Ethan and the others in the woods. After a moment of eye contact, it finally turned away and went into the cabin that the white-turbaned group hadn't mentioned.

This appears to be the Crazy Robot's residence.

The unusual Mistweaver extended an invitation to them. Winter and Rowena stopped arguing and followed Ethan, one on each side, toward the simple wooden hut.

"You are here."

The "robot" was inside the wooden cabin, sitting in the most conspicuous spot. The entire cabin was empty, with only a basic table and bed, making it look like a hermitage for ascetics. In stark contrast to the simple furniture were the walls covered with dense writing.

"Ancient script" has appeared once again.

But the "robot" was clearly not a "player" or a time traveler. Ethan glanced at the "ancient script" on the wall, which was full of grammatical errors, inappropriate word choices, and incoherent speech, like rough notes left by a beginner in the learning process.

Why not just lead them back to the real world?

The robot looked up and stared directly at Ethan, its eyes filled with confusion and a hint of disappointment.

It sounded like he really intended to overthrow the entire Mistywood County, and the way he was leading the people was something Ethan couldn't compliment. Spreading disease and turning everyone into half-flesh, half-machine monsters—that was the real world he spoke of, but… what truly intrigued Ethan was how the "robots," as natives, had managed to break free from the Scarlet Queen's influence and become aware of the rewritten rules.

Does learning "ancient characters" have the effect of refreshing the mind?
I want to know your reasons.

"reason?"

The robot's eyes showed even deeper doubt. "Because this world is fake, what's the reason for that?"

In his view, no one should indulge in a false world, no matter how beautiful it may seem on the surface. The more one indulges, the deeper one sinks, until one is completely assimilated by the false illusion and becomes a part of it.

"Assuming your theory is correct and you have successfully awakened everyone, what happens next?"

"after……?"

The robot lowered its head, seemingly lost in thought.

He hadn't considered things that far ahead. The Crimson Queen was the root of all illusions, and severing that root would require an unimaginable price. He would fall midway through this transformation and never witness the real world, but someone would surely carry on his legacy.

Ethan is the chosen one, and the dragon hatched from the dragon egg is the key to the real world.

"After that, your long lives will come to an end, you will often fall ill, battles will cause casualties, sow the seeds of hatred, and eventually evolve into war."

Ethan explained to the "robot" what would happen in the real world.

If this were a "real" world, then their new friend, White Headband, whom they met in this dimension, would be smashed into a pulp after their first meeting.

Ethan admitted to having some biases; he disapproved of the Golden King's brainwashing-style rule, but the world created by the Crimson Queen... so far, those mechanical monsters that suddenly appeared and attacked towns seemed more like heretics.

As a former Pokémon enthusiast, Ethan has longed for a Pokémon-like world at various stages of his life.

While studying, he was captivated by countless Pokémon, immersing himself in the joy of training his team and growing together with his companions. But when he stepped out of the school gates and into society, he discovered even more in the world of Pokémon.

That was absolutely a fairytale world.

According to his observation, the people living there do not need to work at all. They can embark on adventurous journeys from a young age. If they run out of money along the way, they can rob weaker trainers by battling Pokémon along the way, and no one will hold a grudge. In each new city, you can even freely enter and leave private residences, and the local residents will not panic if a stranger suddenly breaks into their home.

What's even more appealing is the villainous organization. Although they claim to be the evil side, when you break into their headquarters, you'll find beds where you can just lie down and sleep. No one will ever sneak up on you while you're sleeping. And even if you're not skilled enough and lose to a member of the villainous organization, they won't take advantage of you when you're "out of sight." Instead, they'll send you to a rescue center in a nearby city so you can challenge them again once you've fully recovered.

Ethan felt that only an extreme romantic could create such a world.

If such a world were to become a reality, he wouldn't think it would be a bad thing. If he could choose where he traveled to, he would prefer it to be a peaceful and harmonious world like Pokémon.

To be fair, the former empires were not a very good place to travel through time.

If the time travelers are unlucky enough to land in a bad location, they may very well be burned alive at the stake as heretics before they even develop.

"That's it, that's it..."

The robot seemed to vaguely understand Ethan's thoughts, and murmured something. After a short while, it got up and walked outside to lead the group.

The destination was the lakeside outside the cabin.

As you get closer, you can see that the lake is calm and the water is without ripples.

The clear lake surface reflected a blurry image in the mist, and Ethan saw himself.

But it wasn't him standing by the lake at this moment. It looked more like... a high-tech research station with computers, but the working environment was completely different from the scene he remembered. The people working in the office were all wearing the same white lab coats, not the ordinary employees he remembered.

Researchers, including himself.

Ethan squinted and looked even more closely.

Before he transmigrated, he was handling an important project, but strangely enough, he couldn't recall the details of such an important project when he tried to think back on it.

"Memory can deceive you; this is the Scarlet Queen's trick."

A voice came to his ears; the "robot" was right beside him, but the voice seemed to come from a very distant place.

Guided by this distant voice, reality and the scene on the lake were reversed.

The scene in the lake became clearer. Ethan was facing a mirror, which reflected the lake, and three people and a bat were standing on the shore of the lake.

"I heard your project has gone off track again?"

Someone nudged his shoulder, and although it was a gloating, teasing tone, the concern in their eyes was unmistakable; they were also holding a cup of coffee.

"Here, I bought it across the street. I added a small cup of milk and three sugar cubes. There was a buy-one-get-one-free promotion, so I got an extra cup."

This female colleague accurately described his coffee-drinking habit.

But at that time, he probably wouldn't have realized it, because he was immersed in the bitterness of the project being rejected.

“Mistwood County, a small town shrouded in mist, hmm... I personally find it quite interesting.”

Their relationship should be closer than that of colleagues.

Ethan didn't respond, perhaps because he wasn't going to respond at the time, he was just focused on drinking his coffee and inwardly cursing those high-ranking officials who knew nothing but had the power to make decisions as a bunch of idiots.

Now, he carefully observed the figure slowly returning to the table.

Black hair, black eyes, yet so familiar.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

A comment came from next door: "I don't remember ever having a buy-one-get-one-free promotion across the street."

"What, are you jealous?"

Jealousy? Me? You must be joking.

The woman next door, hidden behind the partition, suddenly raised her voice, a hint of gritted teeth in her voice, "How could I possibly be jealous of you? After all, I'm an experienced woman with over a dozen relationships, and you're nothing compared to me."

(End of this chapter)