Witch Redemption

"Impossible! Who else could threaten Koenidick? He's the strongest!"

Ha, with your IQ, you probably haven't even seen many truly strong people. As a mere legendary adventurer, in the Empire, there are at least four figures who could crush this guy without any pressure.

Arnold didn't show his disdain, but instead changed the subject, asking about Ivan Hank's recent activities and a lot of information about his adopted daughter, Lachesis.

Since the opportunity was rare and the prince had come knocking, they certainly couldn't leave empty-handed.

"Lachish? You have no idea, her true form is a monster. I came to the border when I was a child, and I stayed at Ivan Hank's villa. I met her daughter there, and then..."

Sure enough, this guy is a complete scumbag!

Why did Randall know Lachesis's true identity? It's because when he was a child, he and Ivan Hank's three sons bullied this adopted daughter who was not related to him by blood. They even went too far once and killed Lachesis, which triggered her resurrection program. They were all terrified by her terrifying appearance.

Randall still vividly remembers how, at that moment, he went mad and smashed the body with a blunt object before finally hiding in fear with Ivan's three sons.

Later, because Randall cleverly created an alibi, he escaped punishment, and all the blame was placed on Ivan's three sons. Because of this incident, Randall's memory wasn't erased by Ivan Hank, and he successfully brought Lachesis's secret back to the royal family. Unexpectedly, the royal family later strongly encouraged his marriage to Lachesis.

"I see. From that time on, the theocratic royal family knew that Lachesis was related to the Goddess of Darkness. Judging from last night's situation, there is a high probability that Lachesis is a vessel created by the Goddess of Darkness. This vessel has a trace of divinity, so it is difficult to kill."

In an instant, Arnold had already determined that this Lachesis Wagner was of great research value!

Perhaps we should report this to the imperial high command and see if we should seize this container.

An hour later, Arnold dismissed the prince, dispatched several colonels to help escort him, and then summoned a capable lieutenant.

"Report what happened last night to the higher-ups, detailing the location where the Goddess of Darkness disappeared and the aftermath. Also, give a separate report on the matter of Lachesis being the vessel of the Goddess of Darkness."

...... ...... ......

It was a bizarre dream in which she saw her true form. She was not human, but a horrible mass of rotting flesh and blood, with bloody tentacles at every turn.

Despite being human, she had no idea why she had such a dream. She was born in the endless dark void, and she was a monster created by some great being.

Her real name shouldn't be Lachesis, but rather, Black Goat's Egg...

Suddenly awakened, the blood-red dream felt more real than ever before, and Lachesis's usually cold and beautiful face showed an unusually strong fear.

She suddenly raised her right hand, and in that instant, she saw a blood-soaked, grotesque tentacle. But soon, her vision blurred for a long time, as if time and space were out of place. Her trembling gaze switched back and forth like slices of paper, and her bloody, mangled right hand returned to its original form several times.

"You're awake? Don't be afraid. Your brain suffered severe trauma before, and your self-perception may be slightly flawed. The method to correct this is very simple: please recall what kind of person you used to be, and remember your appearance."

A slender hand grasped her left hand, and an extremely gentle voice, like heavenly music, instantly dispelled all the fear in her heart.

Memories flooded back into my mind, my vision stopped trembling, and everything returned to normal.

"Dr. Roman?"

Lachesis let out a weak gasp of surprise, never expecting that the first person he would encounter after waking up would be Roman Hydra.

"Well, it's me."

"How long have I been asleep? Where's Yu Hui? Have you found her yet?"

Faced with this urgent voice, Li Lan, concealing her inner fear, pulled the little girl Yu Hui over and made her meet with Lachesis.

The little girl already knew that a terrifying being was living inside her body, and that this terrifying being could control her body at any time. She had been living in a state of fear and doubt all day, and her complexion was naturally terrible.

Li Lan could only offer her condolences and words of comfort.

Upon seeing that Yu Hui was alright, Lachesis's anxious mood finally eased. She once again recalled the scene of being killed by Connie Dick. Even though the body in her field of vision had returned to normal, it was impossible for Lachesis not to notice her special characteristics.

Ever since she gained her memories, she has been wondering if she is truly human, or if she might be some kind of terrifying monster that cannot be seen by others.

Today, even though the kind dark elf didn't say it explicitly, Lachesis could more or less guess some of it.

Seeing the guy's disappointed mood, Li Lan simply shook her head. "Don't think too much. What determines gender and race is not the body, but the soul. As long as you recognize yourself as human and don't lose yourself, you won't go astray."

Strong conviction and willpower are very important.

In reality, Lachesis's injuries from the time of her death were so severe that she would have difficulty recovering in a short period of time. However, Li Lan could use life elements to accelerate her recovery. If left unattended, Lachesis would not die, but she would likely remain in a state of flesh and blood for more than a week.

To be honest, it's perfectly normal for a modern person to feel fear the moment they realize their friend is actually a terrifying monster, right? Even if this monster friend doesn't pose a life-threatening threat, the first instinct would definitely be to stay away.

Fortunately, Li Lan managed to restrain herself. As a transmigrator, what kind of storms hadn't she seen in her past life? A shut-in could get aroused by ships, airplanes, and animals, not to mention even more extreme tastes, such as the rumored "energetic dragon maid"? "Dating a monster"?

"Lachish might be similar to Saya? The difference is that her physical body can actually transform into a normal human. This appearance is not an illusion, but a real human body."

For a fleeting moment, Li Lan was reminded of an old adult game he had played back in Earth's time, "Saya x Uta," because of Lachesis's special circumstances. Although he didn't like the setting and ending of that adult game, he had been deeply moved by its plot.

If a creature possesses intelligence and emotions, even a hideous monster, does it deserve to be called human?

Li Lan is not a philosopher; he never thinks about such boundless and meaningless questions. He has always firmly believed in only one thing.

That is, a friend is a friend, and it doesn't matter what their status is.

Friendship represents sincerity and mutual support; it is a special emotion that can only be felt with the heart, and its sincerity may even transcend race.

With that thought, the fear in her heart was suppressed. Li Lan helped the weak man up and said, "Let's go out first. Your father, Viscount Ivan, has been waiting for you for a long time."

...... ...... ......

In Ivan Hank's study, Ivan and Li Lan are talking face to face.

"First of all, things are probably not going to be peaceful in the Viana theocratic kingdom recently. I don't know what happened last night, but one thing I'm sure of is that the goddess of darkness who protects our country has disappeared."

Ivan got straight to the point, explaining some recent developments.

Li Lan was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, and dared not explain what had happened last night. "What problems will arise from the disappearance of the Goddess of Darkness?"

"The Divine Kingdom has always been protected by the Goddess of Darkness. The Goddess of Darkness's exclusive realm of life and death will separate two worlds after 9 PM. One is the real world, and the other is a realm world that can only be entered and stayed in after reaching a certain level of strength."

"Within the Theocracy, regardless of the type of intelligent being, their souls linger in this realm of life and death after death, becoming immortal vengeful spirits. The majority of the native inhabitants of the Theocracy can gradually grow stronger by enslaving the vengeful spirits within the goddess's realm. But now, the Theocracy's unique realm of life and death has disappeared. What do you think will happen?"

Li Lan was puzzled by this. "If it's gone, it's gone. Just find other ways to get stronger. All intelligent beings have some kind of magic power. You can also get stronger by using magic, right?"

“That’s right, but how can a cultivation method that has been passed down for thousands or even tens of thousands of years be abandoned so easily? This is what I’m most worried about. The gray industries that once existed underground, such as human trafficking, may be brought into the open. In addition, the theocratic kingdom may directly open its borders to welcome a large number of adventurers from other countries and accept more foreign people.”

A chilling feeling washed over Li Lan. "You mean, with the loss of a large number of vengeful spirits, some powerful beings are planning to use living people as materials?"

"Correct!"

"this......"

This is so barbaric!

Li Lan didn't even dare to think about it. In order to become stronger, she directly used living people to fill the gaps, just because of the half-spirit physique of the natives of the Divine Kingdom.

"Human trafficking is rampant, which has led to a decline in public security and the creation of more criminals. This will become the mainstream in the future. It is truly a terrible era."

Ivan paused for a moment. He had to admit that his sense of smell was very sharp. He realized that he was probably nearing the end. He had to warn the witch in advance so that she could make the necessary preparations, because he could not protect her for the rest of her life after that.

With the disappearance of the Goddess of Darkness, regardless of what those above are thinking, Ivan Hank has lost his reason to be feared, and it's time to kill him.

Of course, Ivan's daughter Lachesis was also present, so Ivan would never mention the despairing future at that moment.

"In the end, plans can't keep up with changes, alas."

Concealing his inner bitterness, Ivan continued, "Dr. Roman, just keep an eye on that; everything else is pretty much the same as usual."

“I understand. But there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to ask Viscount Ivan.”

"Oh?"

“I once lived in the British Empire and had the privilege of seeing its cannons, warships, firearms, and various magic crystal-powered steam locomotives. Does the theocratic state have something similar?”

Regardless, firearms are definitely stronger than cold weapons. Li Lan had wanted to touch a gun since the time of the Empire.

For a transmigrator from Earth, no matter how ignorant they are about modern warfare, they understand one principle: "No matter how high your martial arts skills are, you're still afraid of a kitchen knife; no matter how good your kung fu is, one shot can take you down."

When facing the Empire's army, Li Lan and her group of witches were actually quite cowardly, and their eventual escape was largely a matter of luck.

"No, as far as I know, only two countries in the world possess this kind of unseen technology: the British Empire and the mechanical nation in the Steel Lost Land in the southern continent. The Theocracy considered learning similar technology thousands of years ago, but unfortunately, it could not be replicated."

Li Lan listened and began to understand a little. This was probably what was called the "technological gap" or "civilization gap." To put it in analogy, it was like a feudal society trying to learn the knowledge and technology of a modern society, completely at a loss, even if it had a large number of related books and blueprints, it simply couldn't understand them.

Because the core technologies have always been in the hands of the empire, something that other countries could never steal and learn.

Explaining "advanced mathematics" to a primitive man? How could that primitive man possibly understand it? Li Lan didn't consider herself a primitive man, and she didn't understand advanced mathematics, let alone people of this era.

"That really is a hopeless gap."

"Indeed, the empire's status, if all goes well, will probably remain unchanged for thousands of years. Of course, you lucky guys might be able to change this situation, provided you can live longer."

Ivan clearly guessed that there couldn't be only one traitorous witch, so his words were also loaded with meaning.

"Thank you for your kind words, Viscount Ivan. I was originally thinking about whether I could get my hands on these things, which might be a great asset to Viscount Ivan." To put it bluntly, Li Lan really wanted to study this area, as it would greatly help him improve his servants.

"Imperial warships are classified and impossible to obtain, but steam guns and steam locomotives are achievable. They can be purchased from the Empire's underground black market at exorbitant prices. I can help with those kinds of needs."

Ivan agreed without hesitation and promised to get it within a month.

"And the compensation?"

“I will leave Lachesis someday. After all, she has grown up. A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. I hope that if there comes a day when I can no longer take care of her, I hope Dr. Roman can lend a helping hand. In other words, all I want in return is a promise, regardless of whether the promise can be fulfilled or not.”

Completely taken aback by Viscount Ivan's words, Li Lan was once again stunned. "I can't stay in this country forever, and I'm afraid I can't take Lachesis with me when I leave. She will find her own place someday."

A promise is a promise, and some promises must be kept for a lifetime, even at the cost of one's life.

Li Lan is a serious person. He never makes promises lightly because he is afraid of the moral guilt that comes with breaking them. He has always been an honest and trustworthy citizen. You could say he is honest, or you could say he is naive to the point of being foolish.

“Then, before you’re still in this country, how about providing support for Lachesis? Just like you did this time to save her.”

Ivan's words always made Li Lan feel inexplicably uneasy. In the end, he did not give a complete answer, but said, "I will do my best."

“That’s enough,” Ivan pondered for a long time again, then got up and went to the desk, taking out a wooden box made of red ironwood. “As payment for saving my daughter today, I would like to give you this great gift. I think you will like it.”

Ivan had wanted to give this item to the witch for a long time, but he hadn't been able to find a good opportunity.

"This is?"

"Seeds are the lifeblood of many nations, controlled by them. To a certain extent, they will never be passed on to outsiders. And they have a drawback: they cannot be planted in monster-infested areas and must be grown in soil from safe zones."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Lachesis's marriage has been definitively called off with the death of Conniedick and the disappearance of the Dark Goddess. The biggest problem, however, is that Ivan Hank may not live much longer.

All of this was to make arrangements for his death, a fact that even his daughter Lachesis was kept in the dark about. Only Li Lan could vaguely sense Ivan's unusual behavior.

This anomaly weighed heavily on his mind!

Chapter 58 The Returning Followers

On October 20th, 10003 of the Gregorian calendar, the servants Thomas, Cozmo, and Debbie, who had been traveling in the monster region, returned once again. Accompanying them were two muscular elven beauties, Rebecca and Susan. Their return brought Li Lan a large amount of monster materials.

It is precisely because of these magical materials that Li Lan has created more than 350 low-level servants using the "Life Creator," which is extremely astonishing.

In the sealed "operating room" on the second floor, Li Lan first met privately with her three servants.

"Thomas, how have things been lately?"