Witch Redemption

Lerakin, who left in a hurry, only felt intense anger about what had happened after all the news from various sources became clear. She had never killed so many Imperial soldiers and Abyss monsters under the Fifth Apostle. Where did this culprit come from?

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

For about ten days, Li Lan continued along the border of the Viana Theocracy, heading west. He didn't know how many more days it would take to cross the border of the United Duchy of Ries.

Before nightfall, he led the two little ones, blond Yu Hui and black Yu Hui, to a temple ruin.

In this world, what is most abundant is the ruins of temples, which have become the best safe haven and transit point for adventurers.

Avoiding the large number of unfriendly adventurers who were huddled together for the night, Li Lan led the two little girls, who were also wrapped up tightly, to a secluded spot.

That's how the outside world is. You'll generally have no dealings with adventurers you don't know, but you can't rule out situations where they're tempted by money or beauty. So after taking the two little ones to a secluded corner, he didn't dare to be too conspicuous. He even had the black-haired Yu Hui set up a soundproof zone.

Since that day, the black-haired Yu Hui has been able to stay in the outside world for extended periods of time. In a sense, her collaboration with the blonde Yu Hui has indeed become Li Lan's strongest fighting force at present.

"Servant, where is the comic I requested?"

Yu Hui, with his black hair, stood expectantly in front of Li Lan.

"cough......."

Silently, she took out paper and pen from her spatial backpack, and several tens of minutes later...

"Damn it! Why is this happening? Servant, what kind of crap have you drawn? You haven't made any progress in the past ten days!"

With a resentful expression, Hei Fa Yu Hui was practically ready to grab Li Lan by the collar and yell, "If you don't have talent, don't try to draw! What are you doing trying to draw?"

"This isn't my fault. Anyway, the deal has already been made, and I've already drawn it up, haven't I?"

Isn't that obvious? Li Lan isn't a professional art student, he has no foundation at all. In Earth terms, what he draws has all sorts of "One-Punch Man style" elements. No, this stuff probably doesn't even qualify as a child's doodle.

"Then at least draw it well! You made me so excited, and now you've left me so disappointed. I can't take it! I want to read comics! I want to read exciting comics!"

"Yes Yes Yes......"

Li Lan was exasperated by this guy. He acted like a little brat, crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. He had no semblance of the demeanor of an evil god. Li Lan regretted bringing this guy "into the house."

"But you have to give me some time to practice, right? Rome wasn't built in a day, and this thing isn't easy to master."

Damn it, during the day you have to hunt all kinds of monsters in the monster area to increase your magic book experience, and at night you have to tell stories to this little guy and draw pictures for him. Who can stand it?

Besides, is it something you can just draw casually? Panel layout, composition, scene—each element requires a lot of practice. Now, in this godforsaken other world, there aren't even any reference videos or textbooks. You have to start from scratch. How can it be that easy?

You should know that novels, which are easier to create than comics, are not something you can just write whenever you want.

In that instant, Li Lan recalled a point made by a close friend from her past life: "Everyone likes to watch *****, but you can't actually act in it, right? It's the same with writing novels and drawing comics. If you ask me to watch it, I'll do it; if you ask me to do it myself, forget it."

Although it's a rather disgusting analogy, there's still a subtle similarity in our feelings.

After admiring her own comics again, Li Lan managed to muster a sliver of confidence. "Well, I think there's been some progress. At least you can tell whether it's a boy or a girl."

"Nonsense! I don't care what you think, I care what I think. If I think it's no good, then it's no good. If I think you need to practice, then you need to practice!"

"Aren't you asking the impossible?"

"Hmph! Fine, that's enough for tonight. Tell me a story."

Eat shit, you think you're some kind of princess?

Li Lan felt that this true god who had lived for tens of thousands of years must have died in his ass; the current silly art style seemed absurd no matter what.

"As usual, two hours. I need to sleep in two hours; I don't have that much energy."

"make a deal!"

No, I need to use something else to get this little one's attention and have Yu Hui go and play with her himself.

In an instant, Li Lan, who was getting a little annoyed, had an idea: Earth would become the number one entertainment universe!

These days, it's not just novels and comics that are available; other forms of entertainment can be created easily. For example, "Chinese Chess," "Ludo," and "Poker" are all excellent and captivating tools.

Indeed, Li Lan found that there was absolutely no entertainment in this world, which showed just how boring it was.

After two hours of brief commotion, the black-haired Yu Hui and the blonde Yu Hui snuggled together, seemingly fast asleep, while Li Lan opened the map alone and continued to plan tomorrow's itinerary.

"Ten days and you've only covered this little distance?"

Since Li Lan dared not venture deep into the many countries, he planned to travel around the borders of all the smaller nations, which actually increased his journey many times over.

Originally, it was planned to pass through the border of the United Duchy of Ries and then head directly to the Elf Kingdom in the western continent. Now it seems that it will probably take half a year to reach the orc kingdom of the United Duchy of Ries.

Six months later, it will be winter again, which will be unfavorable for continuing to travel in the monster area.

"It seems we'll be spending the winter on the border of the United Duchy of Ries this year. Let's consider this tribe. Perhaps we can continue to utilize our identity as Dark Elf royalty."

"Oh, this place, in historical legends, was once sealed away a pillar god? Sequence number forty-two, Vipa, a race similar to the mermaids of mythical times..."

Overwhelmed by drowsiness, Li Lan closed her eyes slightly.

Unlike when he fled the empire, he is no longer alone or lonely on his journey this time. His longing for his former companions, however, only deepens with each passing day...

Volume 3: The Terrifying Beast Kingdom

Chapter 1 Ten-Man Squad

December 24, 10004 (Gregorian calendar), marks the ninth month since Violet transmigrated to this orcish duchy.

For the past nine months, ever since they were told that they were witches, they have undergone a series of high-intensity training programs organized by the United Duchy of Ries, and have been fighting in the monster zone almost every day.

Although the most powerful tribe in the Duchy, the "Rean Tribe," had given them many preferential treatments and shown unprecedented sincerity, Violet was still very dissatisfied with her current life.

As a corporate slave who transmigrated from Area 11 on Earth, he used to have to work his way up due to poverty, living a 9-to-10 life every day. Although he was tired of such a depressing and hopeless life, at least he didn't have to face any life-threatening crises. In any case, it was infinitely better than his current situation of "transmigrating to another world as a savior" and facing life and death every day.

Of course, if you transmigrate and become a ruler second only to the emperor, enjoying yourself to the fullest, that's a different story.

Unfortunately, the current situation is not as wonderful as Violet imagined. In the nine months since she transmigrated to this world, countless witches who were burdened with the mission of "saving the world" have died. She has seen countless unfortunate souls who died in the mouths of monsters because they did not want to work hard.

Putting aside the responsibility of "saving the world," just to survive, they must become stronger at all costs. If they cannot become strong enough, then death is the only way out.

Because this world is just too real. Even with a unique race and a natal magic book, as long as you step into an area ravaged by monsters, you can die instantly without any chance of trial and error.

It is precisely this cruelty and reality that has kept Violet on edge ever since she transmigrated, never daring to relax her guard once she steps out of the monster zone.

The pressures of life were one thing, but fortunately, besides him, there were three teammates who had traveled from the same world. To be precise, they were all from Earth's District 11. With the help of each other, the four of them managed to overcome many difficulties.

To be honest, after transmigrating to this world, many things from their previous lives could not be accurately conveyed. Therefore, both sides could only try to find out each other's origins by repeatedly probing and hinting. It actually took quite a bit of time for the four of them to come together.

Connie Joel is an ancient Naga, and her grimoire class is a fire archmage. In her previous life, this teammate was a hardcore shut-in, the kind who sponged off her parents. She had a poor mental fortitude and had several suicidal thoughts after transmigrating. Violet had to put in a lot of effort to keep her calm.

Helen Kingsley, a Night Owl, is a Grimoire Archer. It is speculated that she was likely the heiress of a large conglomerate in her previous life. She has an arrogance typical of the upper class, making her difficult to get along with. She is someone with extremely low emotional intelligence.

Of course, Violet could accept her low emotional intelligence and poor mental fortitude, but what she disliked was another teammate, who was also the captain of their current squad, Savashi Finn. This guy was an elf, a swordsman, and a very arrogant fellow.

Violet couldn't understand this kind of person who had been carrying a violent tendency ever since he transmigrated. He was unreasonable and would sometimes curse his teammates without thinking if things didn't go his way, or even turn his blade against them. Moreover, he occasionally liked to test his skills on the lowest-ranking Rune orcs of the Ries United Duchy.

This action, which earned the praise of the duchy, would be seen as an incomprehensible and inhumane method by modern people. However, to Violet's surprise, the vast majority of other witches agreed with this approach.

Perhaps it's because everyone was never on the same starting line from the beginning. At least for Violet, he was a salaryman with no background, so he naturally couldn't understand the mindset of capitalists with rigid class structures. Although they were teammates in name, they never actually shared the same ideas.

This is also a major reason why Violet often feels out of place.

Violet sometimes suspects that Savasi might be the descendant of a sword master in the real world. Otherwise, she simply cannot understand how monstrous this guy has become after acquiring the swordsmanship class in this world. His combat power far surpasses that of many witches of the same level, and even she would not be a match for Savasi.

Of course, as far as Violet is concerned, she is indeed a bit useless. Her race is a feline orc, and her magic book class is an axe warrior. When a race with a speed advantage is paired with a heavy weapon class, the result is definitely a negative bonus. She has to spend twice the effort of an ordinary witch to survive to this day.

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

Today, Violet, led by Captain Savasi and an army of lion-headed orcs, arrived at the border town of the United Duchy of Ries, which, in short, is the "Rune Tribe," the settlement of orcs. It is far from the true territory of the duchy and does not have to face the direct attack of the "Crimson Night Torrent," so it is much safer than other borders.

Accompanying Violet and her three companions was another squad of six witches, who were said to have traveled from another world.

Where there are people, there will be disputes. It's normal for cliques to form. So, although the two sides came together, they did their own thing and kept to themselves, let alone had any in-depth exchanges.

Violet didn't care about any of that. All she could think about was how to finish this mission as quickly as possible, get more rewards, and return to the Rean tribe in the Duchy as soon as possible.

To be honest, this mission was rather strange. The relevant officials of the duchy did not provide any detailed mission information. They were only instructed to station themselves at the border "Rune Tribe" and search for the sealed place of an evil creature in the Rune Desert and Lanno Ancient Forest. It was said that as long as this evil creature was killed, they would obtain great benefits.

It's probably due to the large amount of grimoire experience. Having been in this world for so long, Violet had noticed long ago that as long as the Duchy's beastmen assigned them a task, hunting the relevant monsters alone would grant them a large amount of grimoire experience, at least much more than if they went out to hunt on their own.

It is precisely because of the preferential treatment provided by the duchy that their magic books are currently of a high level.

Violet's grimoire is level 15, while her other teammates are mostly at level 16, and it's said that the strongest, Savashi, is almost at level 17.

"It seems I have to work even harder. If I can't keep up with them in the future, the consequences could be dire."

Violet had a strong intuition that in the Orc Duchy, a country where the strong were respected, the weak were often abandoned, and it wasn't just a matter of discrimination.

After she had been lost in thought for a long time, a lion-headed orc leading the way suddenly stopped. "Gentlemen, we have arrived. Please wait a moment."

This lion-headed beastman is named "Ulysses Rean," and is the temporary leader of their ten-woman witch team. He is of royal lineage from the "Rean Tribe," is very powerful, and is highly respected by the witches.

Taking advantage of this brief moment of leisure, Violet finally saw clearly where she was. They had traveled for about half a month, crossing an incredibly long jungle, and finally arrived at the Rune tribe, which was at the very bottom of the duchy's caste system. Looking around, the vegetation had become somewhat sparse.

To be precise, this is a tribe built on the edge of a desert buffer zone. The vegetation is sparse, and each towering ancient tree is fifty meters apart. These pig-headed orcs built rough treehouses on these widely spaced ancient trees, some hollowed out and others expanded with a lot of wood. Although they look ugly, they have a unique style.

Perhaps it was because they saw these witches and the large orcish army brought by the royal family, Ulysses, that all the fat-headed, big-eared pig-headed Rune orcs hid in the treehouse and observed in secret with fear. Only one middle-aged pig-headed man with the air of a leader came to greet them with some trepidation.

"Lord Ulysses, I've kept you waiting!"

Chief Peter Rune of the Rune tribe, sweating profusely, took the initiative to say a few polite words.

In the United Duchy of Ries, the lowly Rune tribe was the lowest level of slavery, and they had to obey the whims of the nobles above them in everything they did, leaving them with no choice.

"There are three things that need your immediate attention!"

Ulysses let out an arrogant voice, his golden beastly eyes revealing a look of contempt for trash.

"First, immediately arrange accommodations for these witches and treat them to your best food! Second, report how many newborns you have this year. Also, the King of the Rean tribe has ordered me to bring back one hundred able-bodied men from here. You know what will happen if you can't come up with that! Third, register all the outsiders recently. I need to verify their identities!"

It's the end of the year now, and the entire territory of the United Duchy of Ries is covered in heavy snow. It's so cold it's almost unbelievable. For safety reasons, many wandering adventurers choose to temporarily stay in border cities and leave in the spring. Their stay naturally brings considerable benefits to the United Duchy of Ries.

Therefore, the implication of Ulysses' third point is that he must also get a share of the profits.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Peter Runn dared not disobey in the slightest and remained humble throughout.

He quickly summoned several fully armed subordinates and selected a dozen or so treehouses in the tribe that weren't too dilapidated to accommodate the witches and soldiers from the Rean tribe.

The original owners of those treehouses, upon seeing this large, menacing group, harbored resentment, but under the pressure, dared not show any emotion. They practically scrambled away, fleeing a great distance, and could only await the tribal chief's next move.

"The arrangements for the warriors will take some time, Lord Ulysses. Also, this is the list of adventurers who will be spending the winter here in the Rune tribe this year..."

In the rather backward Ruen tribe, paper and pen are considered luxuries. They are usually reluctant to use them, and Peter will only take them out when registering some important information.

Ulysses flipped through the somewhat tattered roster, feeling a bit disgusted, but since it was pure money, he endured the dirty feel of it.

"Captain Savasi, and Captain Yin Anni, you two take them to choose their accommodations first. We'll be stationed here for a while, as there's still a long way to go. The rest of you, follow me!"

There were about thirty Rean soldiers who followed Ulysses, all of whom were powerful subordinates and could be considered his confidants.