Witch Redemption

then......

That's about it.

Li Lan wasn't a particularly cultured person, but she could still retell some stories she had read before without any problem, and she even showed some skill in doing so. She managed to cover a lot of material within an hour.

"How could this be? Human ethics are so chaotic! Fishmonger Qiang is actually Cow Dung Head's nephew? Is the old man's private life really that immoral? Unbelievable!"

Black-haired Yu Hui was extremely interested in this topic and wished she could stay there all night to listen. Unfortunately, her appearance was time-limited because Yu Hui's own magic power could not sustain her for too long.

"They're only a little over ten years apart in age, which, in reality..."

Well, Li Lan thought about it and realized that he had never actually seen a similar uncle-nephew relationship in real life. Moreover, for the people of China, illegitimate children have never been a very good term.

"Damn, this is so interesting! What about those positions you mentioned? Demonstrate them! Quick! I'm really interested!"

Overjoyed, the black-haired Yu Hui revealed a sly, excited expression, which made Li Lan wonder if this guy was a real ancient relic who had lived for a long time.

"How could I possibly pose like that? It's too embarrassing!"

If it were when she was younger, Li Lan might have been able to strike a few classic poses like the fishmonger Qiang in a childish way, but now, asking a nearly 30-year-old shut-in to do that, she definitely wouldn't be able to get over the psychological barrier no matter what.

"Hmph, stingy. Fine, I'll let you off the hook for today."

After saying that, Hei-haired Yu Hui waved her hand, and her gaze, which had been fixed on Mira who had been staring at her the whole time, fell on her with a playful smile.

She had no idea how long it had been, but this guy had been wary of her the whole time. The hostility that was ingrained in his bones was extremely pleasing to her. "Interesting! From being afraid of me at the beginning to now being able to muster the courage to face me directly and even showing me this kind of expression, this doll has really transformed. It deserves praise."

With the last glimpse of him, the figure of the black-haired Yu Hui turned into dust and vanished, as if he had never existed.

The room fell silent for several minutes before Mira spoke first, "You trust Him a lot?"

Her words were cold and devoid of any emotion; Mira had always been like this since they met.

Faced with this topic, Li Lan thought for a moment and said, "Whether she can be trusted or not is another matter, but the information she revealed may really be worth considering and has considerable value."

"He is an extraterrestrial evil god mentioned in the history of this world. His existence will only bring destruction to this world. He does not possess the emotions that humans should have. Even so, do you still believe in him?"

"..." Li Lan fell silent. He had been dealing with this ancient will for quite some time now. Based on his current understanding, the so-called "true gods" were just bored people who had lived too long and were looking for trouble. They lacked entertainment. If he could please them in some way, even true gods wouldn't be so difficult to talk to.

At least, that's the case for Yuuki with black hair.

"Roman, the true God is not worthy of trust. We are all ants before the true God. Our status is inherently unequal to that of the true God. Do you understand?"

How can people understand and respect each other when their social status is unequal?

No, even if there is equality in the world, the relationship between many intelligent beings is more about mutual exploitation, and in the end it is only about interests.

As an ancient relic that has lived for tens of thousands of years, how much ugliness has this apostle experienced? She herself has done countless despicable things just to avoid going against the tide of the times.

“Mira, I am a witch, a visitor from another world. My education is different from that of most people in this world.”

In terms of education, Li Lan could proudly say that his Earth represents the highest standard, with numerous literary works depicting interracial love and friendship, and praising various forms of justice and kindness. While this world may seem fantastical, in terms of thought and entertainment, it doesn't even deserve to be compared to Earth.

"Different educations lead to different thoughts. For me, trust has nothing to do with race or class. I have always believed in only one thing, a very simple thing: repay kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge. If I really have to give an answer, I believe in this true God just as I trust you. I have never cared about your background. I only care about the present and the future."

Subtly, Li Lan's wariness of Hei Fa Yu Hui did indeed decrease. "Perhaps I find it difficult to answer the question of whom to trust, but Mira, I believe in what I have seen and heard, I believe in my feelings, and I believe in my judgment. My judgment is that the true God may not be as wicked and despicable as you imagine."

In just a few words, Li Lan expressed her trust, and her words touched Mira slightly. Unfortunately, this touch of emotion was quickly buried by the despair brought about by the memories of the past.

"Roman, you don't know the truth of this world, you don't know how desperate it is. Whether it's the ancient gods, all the intelligent beings of today, or witches, they are all just tools living in a cage. In the future, they will all be destroyed along with this world, with no way out."

Mira always liked to reveal her despair in some inexplicable way, but she wouldn't say it outright, and Li Lan gradually got used to it.

"What's wrong with the destruction of the world? Wouldn't it be better if this shitty world were destroyed? It's a pity. If I had the chance, I would like to take you to experience the real paradise, a paradise that can even completely capture this goddess of darkness."

Mira was clearly moved; the heavy, oppressive feeling that had been building up in her chest melted away. She silently thought to herself, "Yes, for witches, this world brings them only pain and tragedy, and leaves them only with endless resentment."

Perhaps sensing that Mira seemed to be in a bad mood tonight, Li Lan quickly changed the subject after estimating the time, "Mira, don't think too much, I'll know what I'm doing. It's time to sleep now, goodnight."

She casually turned off the magic crystal lamp on her desk, plunging the room into darkness. Li Lan simply tightened her heavy clothes, leaned back in her chair, and immediately drifted into a hazy sleep.

Mira hadn't expected the witch to be so direct. Another reason she came to "attack" her tonight was that she suspected the dark goddess who had appeared recently might use some dirty tricks to enter Li Lan's room and completely bewitch her.

But she never expected that the witch would actually fall asleep sitting in the chair, which made her feel inexplicably disappointed.

"Roman, does she believe in me too? I can help Roman return to his original world, but if I do that..."

Li Lan, destined to be alone for life, fell asleep quickly while leaning back in her chair, completely unaware of Mira's subsequent mutterings.

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

The six young men sent by Archbishop Christian of the Dark Order finally arrived, and they all began to receive instruction from Lachesis in the second floor of the Roman Clinic.

The so-called "scientific knowledge" is actually similar to Li Lan's understanding in her previous life, which is basically a step-by-step process. However, this world is a magical world. The more gifted an intelligent being is in terms of magic, the better their memory is. Therefore, they learn at an astonishing speed. In just two weeks, they have mastered most of the basic knowledge and even started to conduct experiments in various aspects.

Afterwards, Archbishop Christian sent out several more groups of people under the guise of "medical treatment" to secretly carry out multi-faceted learning.

March has arrived in the blink of an eye, early spring. More than a year has passed since Li Lan and the others transmigrated to this world.

During this time, the relationship between Li Lan, the little loli Mira, and the black-haired Yu Hui became somewhat delicate. It's hard to say exactly what happened, but these two guys now show up almost every night, just to wait for him to tell them some novel stories.

It's not just the story of a villain who saves the world; it's also been featured in many online novels, from "Battle Qi Transforms into Horses" to "Flying Four-Hit Combo" keyboard masters.

Putting aside the fact that Chinese online novels are ahead of the world, even in this godforsaken alternate world, it is extremely captivating, completely outshining all the entertainment Mary Sue novels in this world, and incredibly enjoyable.

It was only after that Mira gradually understood why this guy called "Goddess of Darkness" was so obsessed with this witch. It was because it was interesting, so incredibly interesting! The wonderfully detailed settings, plot, and tropes directly enriched their lives, fueled their dark and profound fantasies, and made them unable to extricate themselves.

Unbeknownst to them, both of them had gradually developed a strong dependence on the witch, and their relationship seemed to have improved considerably.

This dependence wasn't just due to the witch's silver tongue, but more so to her affability. Just as the witch said, her trust never cared about the other person's race or social class; she always treated all beings equally.

Unfortunately, just when everyone thought that these peaceful days could continue indefinitely...

In the central sanctuary of the Witch's Prison in the Imperial City of Kate, the capital of the British Empire.

The old woman, Iris the Immortal, dressed in a black and white religious uniform, is issuing orders and making various deployments to several Imperial Major Generals.

"The witch summoning has begun once again. Due to the impending collapse of this world, the passage connecting to the other world will become increasingly unstable. Starting this year, the number of witch summoning slots will decrease year by year. It seems that a corresponding decision needs to be made. We have never lacked artifacts and sealed objects. What we lack now is only fighters who can take the lead when the prophesied day arrives."

"If that's the case, then from now on, we must change our approach to dealing with witches."

Within a year, nothing that happened on any continent could escape the Empire's notice. This included news of "three elusive adventurer assassins on the western continent," "the powerful and destructive Youji on the southern continent," and "a strange mercenary group that has gained fame at the junction of the continents." It also included news of a certain elf who resembled a witch from the Viana Theocracy on the eastern continent.

The immortal Iris wouldn't be foolish enough to think all of this was a coincidence. Even though she firmly believed that all the previous batch of witches were doomed, she couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong.

"Very well, the best way to deal with witches is to use the same witches. This was the Empire's unchanging plan before the day of the prophecy."

Although the warden of this witch prison had considered sending assassins to investigate, the Undying Iris dared not make any rash moves in this regard due to the recent signs of the "Ross royal family" making a comeback in many places, and simply let nature take its course.

After all, we have reached the critical period of "creating gods," and all the powerful officials in the empire must be withdrawn.

"General Arnold had previously reported whether to take this woman named Lachesis, whose relationship with the Dark Goddess Shub-Niggurath was unusual. However, after my numerous divinations, it is highly likely that she is the Dark Goddess herself. General Arnold has absolutely no way to deal with such an immortal being, so he had no choice but to give up."

"In addition, the abyssal monster that is suspected of killing the previous batch of witches, as well as the severely injured Sixth Apostle, are still in Kobe City, a border city of the Viana Theocracy. This makes many forces hesitant to take action, which is a big problem. We must find a way to get rid of this scourge immediately."

After pondering for a considerable period of time, the Immortal Ely finally wrote a "secret letter" to the relevant messengers.

The secret letter demanded that Major General Arnold Hopkins immediately unite with the Dark Order of the Theocracy, the Pillar God Leragin, and the messenger of the Fifth Apostle to discuss matters of cooperation. All concessions were to be made, but the most important thing was to kill the Sixth Apostle, Kalamiti, immediately.

Her life or death will determine the continuation of the eternal vow. As long as a small part of her body is obtained, the hidden passage to another world will surely be found.

Only the true passage that facilitated all "witch summons" can become the last hope for this world!

Chapter 72 A New Round of Witch Summoning

On March 15, 10004 (Gregorian calendar), the monthly full moon arrived once again, but unlike in the past, tonight's situation was extremely special.

Although the entire Viana Theocracy is different from those large kingdoms and will not be affected by the "Crimson Night Flood," the absence of the Dark Goddess's domain of life and death as protection has filled the Theocracy with an extremely unsettling atmosphere compared to the past.

It was a strange feeling, like a thorn in my side, and I could never get used to it no matter how many times I experienced it.

Tonight, while keeping a watchful eye on the situation outside, Li Lan took out her natal magic book and waited for midnight to arrive.

"My lord, can you hear me?"

The instant the clock struck midnight, a familiar female voice echoed in Li Lan's mind.

"Slime, how's this month?"

"A new batch of witches has arrived in Mori City. The ceremony a while ago was extremely grand. I was fortunate enough to go to the steam train station with Mr. Rainer to witness the welcoming ceremony."

Upon hearing this, Li Lan immediately frowned. What the heck? A welcoming ceremony?

There was no welcoming ceremony when this group of witches arrived; everything was exaggeratedly low-key, and they also suffered a lot of discrimination.

"Please explain in detail."

"Alright, the specific time is March 11th. It's said that only about fifty witches have arrived at the border. Some of them are dressed similarly to Lady Della and the others, not like the Lord's attire. Others are wearing Imperial army uniforms. According to information I gathered from Mr. Reiner, it seems that from now on, witches will be incorporated into the Imperial military rank system, and will be granted corresponding ranks and positions based on their strength..."

This unusual situation made Li Lan's heart tremble inexplicably, and an extremely ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

This is impossible! With the Book of Fate's Judgment, Lana and I should never have been found out. Why is this happening?

"Slime, is there any word from the Empire about the previous batch of witches?"

The slime, far away in the empire, pondered for a while, then suddenly said, "My lord, no one in the market talks about the dead witches. They usually only talk about the living witches and various rumors about the continent. However, there are a few pieces of news that I am a little concerned about. One is that three elusive adventurer assassins have appeared in the western continent, led by a woman with fairy-like features. They are currently wanted and have bounties on their heads by multiple countries."

"The second piece of news is that a powerful demigod has appeared on the southern continent, capable of controlling a large number of the dead. In one night, he killed two demigod-level powerhouses and destroyed a small country. He has since been known as 'the Ghostly Concubine who destroyed a country'. Some survivors who witnessed the true form of this powerhouse said that this powerful demigod had a huge body that was ten meters tall and wielded sixteen pairs of giant claws like a mantis with a long scythe."

"The third piece of information is that in the central location where the four continents meet, there is a large and renowned mercenary organization. Its leader is a dragon descendant who has survived from the mythical era and is currently searching for the legendary Dragon Kingdom. She leads a large number of subordinates to accept all kinds of mercenary and hunting missions, and is currently very famous. I heard that the name of this mercenary group is also a bit strange, called 'Transportation Society'."

Damn, a copycat company? This chuunibyou guy probably doesn't even call himself Rugal or Clarke, does he?

With just a few pieces of information, Li Lan was able to immediately identify the corresponding witch. On the one hand, she was relieved that her teammates were all safe and sound, and on the other hand, she finally understood what kind of situation she was facing.

That is, the Empire must suspect that all of them, this group of witches, are still alive!

"Damn it, they shouldn't have been so high-profile! The fairy race should be Matilda, right? And the one who destroyed the country is Lorina? How is Lorina so strong? And that idiot Lana, I'm impressed! Isn't being so high-profile just asking for trouble? This is going to be a bit difficult!"

Man proposes, God disposes; no matter how well you plan, you can't compete with the unpredictable nature of the world.

Li Lan's face was unusually dark. Rather than blaming his comrades, he was most worried about their safety. The more high-profile they were, the more dangerous it was, and the more likely they were to expose their true identities.

Of course, Li Lan didn't know how badly Lana's luck had exploded, or how badly Luo Lina and her group had fared; they were lucky to be alive.

“I understand the specifics. There’s one more thing I need to tell you, Slime: don’t easily approach these witches. We’ll see how things go in the future. Also, try not to call out to any witches at the coordinates I gave you earlier.”

Why...?

The slimes on the Empire's side were quite surprised, as this was different from what the Creator had said when he left.

"The reason is simple: people are complex and will only believe what they see in front of them, even if it's just an appearance. Slimes, you are like family to me. I worry about your safety more than anyone else. If nothing unexpected happens, what you are about to face is likely a trap, a huge trap."

Li Lan wanted to carry on the last wishes of the predecessors number 47. His inner belief gave him a responsibility that was more important than his own life. He would spare no effort to save his comrades and comrades who were in tragedy, but he would never waste his life on a "traitor," even a "passive traitor."

The Empire's "witch summoning" this time is definitely similar to the batch of girls like Della before, and may even be more intense.

If that's the case, will the summoned individuals unconditionally trust the Empire? And will they become Li Lan's comrades-in-arms?