Witch Redemption

However, the situation was beyond Li Lan's expectations, because his tacit understanding with the twin witches was frighteningly high. He had just given them a wink, signaling the two little ones to seize the opportunity to "sell themselves," and they dared to sell themselves so seriously, even risking their own lives.

"Don't speak, I'll bring you back right away."

Because of her profession, Li Lan was unable to provide strong support on the front lines like Lana and the others, protecting everyone behind her and becoming their shield.

Even if he isn't the strongest spear or the strongest shield in the team, any witch who is willing to believe in him and shield him from everything can be pulled back from hell as long as they have their last breath, even if they have already stepped into the gates of hell.

This is the "Priest," a miraculous profession that is difficult to combat all crises, yet can give hope to anyone!

Li Lan pulled out the strange short sword stuck in the snow antelope's chest, tossed it aside along with Frien's thick left hand, and summoned two humanoid followers as she stood up again.

That's right. The skill he was going to use next was the one he unlocked after reaching level 25 in the magic book, a skill that he hadn't really used much until now.

"Life Link!"

As the natal magic book opened, countless emerald green lights transformed into numerous threads, binding and linking the twin witches and their humanoid attendants together. Then, within three minutes, all the twins' normally fatal injuries were transferred along these "life-linking threads," and were entirely absorbed by their two humanoid attendants.

Life Link is a special support skill that can be used on two targets. Once activated, it transfers all injuries suffered by one target to the other, who then unconditionally bears them. It can be used a maximum of three times per day.

Such a demanding skill requirement was nothing short of a miracle for Li Lan.

Unfortunately, he couldn't use such a miracle on himself, which can be described as "a doctor cannot heal himself".

It was precisely because he had such a powerful trump card to "protect his teammates" that he dared to make the decision to let the Twin Witches go up and "sacrifice" when he was almost at his wit's end.

Thankfully, they actually won the gamble in the end. If the other side had ignored the Twin Witches and been determined to kill Li Lan first, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Furthermore, what would be a fatal injury to a witch is not so for a monster.

After all, as long as the core of intelligence is not destroyed, one will not die easily. Therefore, with the "high-speed regeneration" talent of the two followers, such injuries are a piece of cake.

The two twin witches, who had just regained consciousness from their daze, were dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost. They could hardly believe that the foreign witch who had saved them was really this powerful. They had thought they were beyond saving.

Thinking back, when they were turned into monsters, it was this witch who saved them, and now... it's truly a debt of gratitude that's hard to repay!

At this moment, Li Lan was using "first aid" to quickly squeeze the fluid out of the three elven girls' abdomens. Without turning his head, he said, "Keep an eye on him. He's your good senior, an old witch who has probably been in this world for seven years. After I settle these three little ones, we'll interrogate him slowly."

Bai Ling was still touching the undamaged neck with lingering fear, as if she had just woken from a nightmare. "Huh? The old witch? But he's a man..."

Xue Ling was also pressing her chest, and upon hearing this, she became curious about the man who was wailing. "What's wrong with him? He's screaming so pitifully."

Although she was supposedly chopped into a human stick, if this person is truly an old witch, she must have suffered countless injuries. She shouldn't be unable to withstand such a minor injury, right? Moreover, this scream seems a bit too pitiful; even slaughtering a pig wouldn't be as tragic as this.

"It's nothing. I'm quite confident when it comes to dealing with men. I just exploited his weakness."

Two minutes later, seeing that the three elven girls' breathing had calmed down, Li Lan began to lead the twin witches closer to Frien. "Alright, it's time. Let's see if we can pry something out of him."

He had already made up his mind that no matter what information he could get, he would not let this guy leave alive tonight!

Chapter 40 Clash of Values

Li Lan opened her natal magic book and took out some life element. When this special liquid with an anesthetic effect relieved Frien's pain, he finally stopped his horrific wails, but his face was still extremely bad, even ashen.

He never imagined he would be defeated here tonight, nor did he expect this foreign witch to be far more ruthless and powerful than he had imagined.

If he had known from the beginning that the alien witch possessed a skill similar to "resurrection," then his initial target would not have been the twin witches.

Now look what happened! The Twin Witches, who should have been declared dead, have been "fully resurrected." All their hard work has been in vain, and they themselves have been reduced to a human stump and are now paralyzed here.

"The situation is dire. I need to find a way to stall until dawn, until others can come to my aid, otherwise..."

The numerous summoned creatures summoned by the foreign witch Roman Hydra surrounded him menacingly. His body was pinned to the ground, and two sharp longswords were held to his neck. If he dared to put up any fierce resistance, his head would surely be severed instantly.

that's terrible!

Since Frien transmigrated to this world, he has never felt so desperate, never been so close to death, and never been so terrified.

"Calm down! Calm down! My star goddess, Gaia, once said that we are all chosen saviors. As long as we accept the kingdom's supreme ritual, we will all enter the dream world after death, and the goddess has the means to resurrect us, so..."

He had the thought of bravely sacrificing himself many times, but he could not make up his mind for a long time and could not overcome his fear of death.

This conflicting feeling caused Frien's face to turn pale and then purple, a truly fascinating sight, even somewhat pathetic.

“Fryn Itty, is it?” The foreign witch Roman Hydra, this hideous old hag, looked down at him, her words cold and devoid of any emotion. “You don’t need to ask me how I know your name. Just answer my questions honestly. Of course, you can choose to refuse. I admire those who are tough, and I especially enjoy torturing them.”

A perfectly timed curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, and this guy's smile sent a chill down Frye's spine.

This guy is ruthless!

Not long ago, in order to subdue Frien, her henchmen crushed Frien's testicles, almost causing Frien to faint completely.

For now, Frien could indeed act tougher, but he was already convinced of the torture the foreign witch had mentioned. This woman was probably capable of anything, and in the end, she might not even let him die a quick death.

"If I tell you everything, will you spare my life? Since we're both time travelers, can't we just let each other go?"

With his life at stake, Frien disregarded his pride and tried his best to lower himself to gain sympathy.

His true thought was that he should stall for as long as possible, and if he could hold out until dawn, that would be best, when the kingdom's reinforcements would arrive in time and he would be saved.

"It depends on my mood and the quality of your response."

The guy responded coldly, as if he didn't want to waste time on this, and went straight to the point, "First question, why are you lurking here? Why do you want to kill us?"

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

It turns out that ever since Li Lan rescued the Twin Witches, the Elf Kingdom has issued the highest level of arrest warrant and dispatched a large number of troops to penetrate deep into the monster-infested area as quickly as possible and garrison various temple ruins.

As a Grand Duke stationed in Margaret City, Frien was also the closest to Skandar, which is why he blocked the way immediately and then clashed with Li Lan and his two companions who had arrived.

Perhaps this guy was simply stalling for time; he started speaking slowly and occasionally pretended to be deep in thought, pausing for quite a while.

Li Lan wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, there were still several hours until dawn, so she had plenty of time to slowly wear him down. No matter what he said or did, once he had squeezed out all his value, he would have to die!

Subsequently, Li Lan learned from the man's fragmented words that the main force had arrived at the border and had pinpointed their approximate location, and would be attacking here the next day.

"Gentlemen, I have a suggestion. I am the Grand Duke of the kingdom, with a very high status. If you don't kill me, you can take me hostage tomorrow, which will make it easier for you to escape. What do you think?"

Li Lan nodded and agreed, "That's a very good idea, I'll consider it. So why do you want to kill us? Didn't you just ask why we can't let each other go?"

“This…” Fryen’s face was pale. He remained silent for a long time, as if he were organizing his thoughts. “Do the three of you really want to hear the truth?”

"Please feel free to speak."

Right now, it seemed like Li Lan was the only one putting on a show, while the Twin Witches simply stood guard on either side, holding the Libra Cross Greatsword, silently listening to their conversation.

"Now that you know my name, do you also know my past?" When this was mentioned, Frien was actually quite surprised.

He believed he had never seen this foreign witch before. Even the twin witches didn't know his identity. So where did this foreign witch, Roman Hydra, get to know him?

It's understandable to guess that he was once a witch based on Frien's strange book, but it's a bit too far-fetched to identify his name based on the first time you see his face.

At that moment, Frien began to wonder if this foreign witch might still have a profession like "fortune teller," but then he thought, she's already a summoner with a priest, how could she still be a fortune teller?

Li Lan knew this guy was probably up to some trick, trying to play the victim, so she immediately replied, "I do know that the witch summoned by the Elf Kingdom on March 15th, 10000 of the New Calendar, had a close friend named Itisa at the same time. At the end of the same year, under the arrangement of the current god of the Elf Kingdom, you began to prepare to possess a royal man named Frien. Am I right?"

Frien remained silent for a long time again, this time filled with shock. "How did you know? Impossible, this is your first time here..."

"Yes, this is my first time in the Elf Kingdom. I also know that the coup that occurred there, which resulted in the deaths of many witches, was also due to people like you who possessed half of the royal family. I'm just curious, why can't we show some mercy to each other when we're all witches? Before, it was your best friend Itisa, and now it's me, the Twin White Antelopes, and the Snow Antelope. We all come from the same world! Why can't we let each other go?!"

More than curiosity, there was anger, an anger that was hard to control!

"..."

Frien remained silent. He had never expected that this foreign witch knew so much about his past, making it difficult for him to make a fuss about it now.

Faced with this question, hadn't he questioned himself many years ago? The conclusion is that he has never regretted doing it; he had no other choice!

"You should know the history of witches from various countries, right? Since you know it, why don't you take the initiative to end this tragedy? Why do you still serve the kingdom? Do you know how much blood of your own people you have on your hands?"

After the resounding question, the atmosphere in the damp space became extremely heavy. The two people staring at each other remained silent, surrounded by the sound of torrential rain. Apart from that, there was nothing else.

Frien remained silent. He had come this far without ever fearing the questions of his compatriots, and today was no exception. He was simply pondering how to respond. "No, showing weakness won't win her sympathy!"

Having made up his mind, he finally spoke, "I have no other choice. Besides, I am no longer a witch, but a member of the royal family of the Elf Kingdom, Frien Itty. I only represent the interests of the kingdom, and saving my former compatriots is not my duty."

With a calm voice, Frien's sapphire-like eyes stared directly at the aloof foreign witch without any politeness. "I don't intend to persuade you. People can't understand each other. But I might as well analyze my past experiences. What do you think?"

Suppressing her anger, Li Lan couldn't help but think of Ann Gnath. Does evil need a reason? No, after all, everyone has selfish desires, their own pursuits, and different values. In this world devoid of law and morality, people's pursuits will undergo drastic changes.

If killing one's own compatriots can make one stronger and allow one to survive, then for some people, it wouldn't be a psychological burden.

"I see. So this is your choice? Fine, I won't use my own morality to bind you. Tell me."

Preaching is meaningless. If it were, Anne Gnath wouldn't have gone down that path, and the witches of the Elf Kingdom wouldn't have become executioners who slaughtered their own kind. Li Lan detests preaching and doesn't like to preach to anyone, not even his own kind. If they stand on the opposite side, his only response is always his fist.

"You know, right? A witch's body is not that of an ordinary person. As a witch grows stronger, she will one day lose control and become a monster without any consciousness. In other words, living as a witch will only lead to death. The only way to save us is to take over someone else's body. But taking over someone else's body means taking on everything that belongs to them for the rest of their life, whether it's their identity or their status. This is the condition that the current god, the star goddess Gaia, has given us, and it is also the oath we must take."

“Once we agree to this condition, there is no turning back. We cannot break our oath or do anything that goes against the interests of the kingdom. The only thing we can do is to overthrow the kingdom’s government and make it the world we envision. To achieve this dream and save this corrupt country, it is worth it even if many of our compatriots die.”

"Do you think we're unwilling to perform the possession ritual for subsequent witches? Not at all. Only when you stand in our position do you realize the cruelty of reality. Where there are people, there will be struggle. As more and more witches join the ranks of rulers, they will fight over power, bang on the table because of differing political views, and quarrel over the original owner's status and position. Yes, I don't consider myself a good person, but that doesn't mean that every transmigrator who participates in possession is a good person. We're all the same!"

"What do you mean by fighting for the interests of our compatriots? In the end, aren't they all just extremely selfish? We're fed up with these compatriots, so we, along with all those with aspirations, all true compatriots from the same world, overthrew everything. Only those who are also transmigrators from the same world, sharing common values, are qualified to be called compatriots, and are qualified to stand on the same side as us!"

Frien's meaning was quite clear: all the witches who successfully possessed other beings and survived to this day were transmigrators from the same world, and most likely even from the same country.

Li Lan was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. He could understand the man's actions, but that didn't mean he agreed with them. "Heh, I understand now. Since we both come from the same country, I know the principle of not harming innocent people. But what about you? After the coup you participated in succeeded, what did you do to the witches afterwards?"

A witch from the same world, the same country? Frien gained some confidence. He felt that he might be able to persuade this witch. Gaining sympathy and begging for mercy wouldn't last long. Only a shared set of values ​​could give him a glimmer of hope.

"Are you trying to condemn me from a moral high ground? This is another world! Not our original world! Even though we have successfully possessed the body and become part of the royal family, we are still ultimately controlled by those gods of this world, they are our pawns! You might ask, why don't we resist? What's the point of resisting? Our lives are in the hands of others, why try to resist? Why seek our own death?"

Faced with this self-righteous guy, Li Lan realized that reasoning with him was pointless. "So you represent the interests of the Elf Kingdom and continue to harm wave after wave of witches?"

"That's right. I've said it from the beginning: I'm no longer a witch, but an elf from the Elf Kingdom's royal family, Frien Itty. Saving future witches? I'm not a saint, and I would never sacrifice my life for so-called 'compatriots.' Isn't that human nature? Everyone has the desire to survive, everyone is selfish. As long as I can live in this world, I would give up everything! You're the same, aren't you?"

It's not about right or wrong, it's a matter of perspective.

Li Lan had no intention of continuing the discussion on this topic of conflicting values; it was pointless. Since the other party held this view, what was the point of his anger?

"So, you know the true history of witches, right? You also know that you were once deceived by the present god of the kingdom, right?"

"Of course! But knowing doesn't mean we have to change her. There's a saying in my homeland: a person's destiny depends on their own efforts, but also on the course of history. If we give the current witch a break, we're challenging the history of the entire kingdom, and the only outcome will be annihilation. We might have the ability to save the witch, but definitely not now, definitely not something we can decide. But believe me, at least I'm willing to stand on your side, even if I don't have the strength yet!"

After all, even the royal family of the Elf Kingdom was nothing more than a dog.

Li Lan realized that this guy was planning to change the subject, so she immediately cut off the conversation.

“I understand, and I’m not interested in your past. Now I’ll only ask you one last question. You know about the Lost Jedi, right? What happened to the three foreign witches who used to be there?”

"..." This old fox isn't buying it!

Frien's expression changed, and it wasn't just because of the foreign witch's attitude.

"Speak, and I will consider whether to spare your life based on your answer. You'd better tell the truth."

"Before answering, I need to know what your relationship is with these three foreign witches?"

Frien's change in expression surprised Li Lan. A thought struck him, but he calmly replied, "This is not something you should know. If I must give an answer, I can tell you: they are my enemies! They are the ones who deceived us. I'm here simply to demand an explanation!"