Witch Redemption

Hearing Li Lan say this, Lana gave a bitter smile, "I wish I could, but what if they become powerful and trample us underfoot, or follow the orders of the Witch Cult and eliminate us outright?"

The most frightening thing now is that there is no explicit law in the Witch Code that forbids witches from attacking each other. In other words, it is very likely that the Witch Cult tacitly approves of this, allowing witches to exploit such a loophole.

Li Lan fell silent once again. This was indeed a big problem, a difficult choice.

However, this is not without hope.

Li Lan knew better than anyone else that even those witch predecessors, after a year of hard work, only reached the strength of a Silver Magic Tome, which was simply not enough to resist the Empire, let alone escape this cage of death.

Uniting all available forces is the right way to confront this challenge.

Just because we can't win them over now doesn't mean we can't in the future. A few more Crimson Night Torrents will send those guys into despair; there will always be a chance. Thinking this through, Li Lan's mind gradually cleared, and he began to accept Lana's words.

“Lana is right. We can’t let those who are hostile to us get stronger and become our enemies. What do we care about their lives? However, those who are willing to cooperate are another matter.”

Lana nodded, "If they're willing to cooperate, we still need to assess them for a while, otherwise who knows if they might be a traitor?"

………………

The five speeding steam cars quickly returned to the border area of ​​Mori City. Since the team of the other eight witches had not yet returned, Robin, the vice president of the merchant guild, led everyone to wait at the city gate for a while.

"It's only 9:30? Richard, send someone to invite Priestess Monica over. That person needs to know about what happened over there."

Richard nodded, got out of the car, and immediately called over a somewhat shaken subordinate, gave him some instructions, and then the adventurer quickly headed into the city.

Richard then addressed the assembled adventurers, saying, "Gentlemen, today's situation is special. Each person will receive an extra hundred browns as payment. Now, line up to collect your rewards, and then you may disperse!"

No one mentioned the three witches who might have died on the plains. They all happily collected their rewards and left quickly.

"That's why I said Lolina is an idiot. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't do something so suicidal, and then stupidly turn back. See? These people have forgotten their heroic deeds afterward. What good does it do to play the hero?"

Ann Gnath thought somewhat dejectedly. Although the actions of everyone present made him feel a little uncomfortable, he did not criticize anyone. Instead, he stepped aside and waited for the other group of witches to return.

As agreed, after completing their mission, these witches were to wait here for Chairperson Monica to come and hand over the reins.

Soon, it was the Lane brothers' turn to collect their payment; they were the last two to do so.

"Reiner Little, right?"

“Yes.” Reiner smiled broadly, the panic from his near-death experience not long ago seemingly vanished.

The initial commission was 250 browns, plus the 100 browns promised by the team leader, and a final 100 browns as a distress compensation, totaling 450 browns.

This is an extremely considerable income for a bronze adventurer who spends most of his time surviving away from home. For a long time to come, Reiner will finally be able to work without having to work hard.

Ryan accepted his share of 450 Brown, but he couldn't be happy at all. He hesitated for a moment and didn't leave.

"Hmm, the number is incorrect?"

Richard saw that the burly man was still lingering in front of him, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, and assumed that the amount of the reward had been miscounted.

He was quite satisfied with this burly man named Ryan Little, and he certainly wouldn't refuse if the guy wanted to participate in a similar collaborative mission in the future.

"No, no, it's just that guy who died, and those three witches..."

“Haha, I didn’t expect you to be so kind-hearted,” Richard laughed, as if it were commonplace. “The Merchant Guild will send a condolence payment of five hundred browns to the families of the fallen adventurers. As for the witches, they all take on missions from the Witch Order to cooperate with us. Their lives and deaths will be handled by the Order, so we don’t need to worry about them.”

"Alright, you can go back now. If the Chamber of Commerce has any missions next time, they will be announced through the Adventurers' Guild. Do what you can."

Ryan's face was a little stiff. He forced a smile, thanked the leader, and then pulled his overjoyed younger brother Ryan toward the city.

"Ugh, I'm unhappy. No matter how I think about it, I'm still unhappy."

This is the second time. If it weren't for those witches, he would probably have died in the monster zone for the second time.

Ryan couldn't get over it no matter what. He should have been numb to such things like everyone else, but today he just felt a chill in his heart, and he couldn't breathe it out no matter how hard he tried.

He began to recall the four witch corpses he had seen in the inner city on March 15th of the Gregorian calendar, and the many lifeless witches he had seen over the years, whose thoughts he could not fathom, who had long since vanished into the annals of history.

When Ryan came to his senses, he suddenly realized that his palms were covered in cold sweat.

"No, the abnormal thing isn't this world, it's me! I shouldn't be like this!"

………………

At ten o'clock in the morning, the eight witches who had gone to another plain in the southern part of the Mori Defense Forest returned on time.

Soon, the guild's apothecary and many leaders exchanged pleasantries for a while, and after distributing the mission rewards to the other team of adventurers, they quickly dispersed, leaving only the eight witches from Della's group and Ann Gnath alone.

Della, codenamed 013, glanced coldly at the petite, taciturn witch not far away, then led the people around her to bow to the chairperson Monica in front of her.

"You've worked hard," Monica nodded expressionlessly. After noticing that three witches were missing, she already knew what was going on. "The merchant guild will deliver the mission rewards tonight. You can go back now, or you can continue your training."

The team led by Della (codename 013) was quickly dismissed. They looked at the lone witch several times, feeling a sense of surprise, wondering what had happened to the three people who might have died.

However, since Chairperson Monica had already given the order to leave, they couldn't stubbornly stay there. So the eight of them quickly embarked on their journey home, secretly delighted.

"It would be better if those two guys who hurt Britney were dead."

Monica ignored the eight departing witches and instead beckoned Ann Grenas to her side. "Code 098, I've already heard the details from Robin, the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. You were surrounded by a large number of monsters in the plains, right? What's the situation with the witch who fought with Code 001 and 002?"

After a moment of contemplation, An began to explain, “That witch should be codenamed 073. I heard that her race is vampire, her profession is berserker, and her real name is Payne.”

Although Ann Gnath doesn't talk much, she has an excellent memory. Being around other witches all the time, she naturally remembers a lot of details, such as names, code names, races, and professions. Once she remembers something, she won't forget it.

"I see," Monica thought to herself after hearing the information. "I originally thought that the witch wouldn't cause too much trouble after being devoured by the mimicry of chaos, but now it seems that the Inquisitors might have to deal with it personally."

"I understand. You can go back now. As for your reward, come to me tonight to collect it. There will be an extra bonus."

Regardless, the witch in question survived a near-death experience in that hellish place and even escorted these employers for quite some time.

As the saying goes, rewards and punishments are clearly defined, and Monica will not make things too difficult for these witches.

"Thank you, Chairman."

Ann Gnath bowed, and before leaving, he thought to himself, "My strength is still not enough. After I receive the relevant rewards, I will have to consider how to improve my strength."

From this moment on, he considered the three witches dead, while Ann Gnath's immediate priority was to become stronger, strong enough to face situations like today's with composure...

Monica did not leave. Instead, she remained silent for a while before walking straight to the heavily guarded border gate, entering the area teeming with monsters, and finally reaching a desolate, uninhabited place.

She took out a pure white note from a hidden pouch at her waist, and then a tremendous amount of magic surged from her fingertips, transforming into a fiery red light that completely burned the pure white note to ashes.

"Sensing Talismans" are items that can be used to notify the nearest Inquisitors of Heresy immediately.

And right now, the heretic inquisitor monitoring the Mori Protectorate Forest should be...

The black trench coats with red trim swayed gracefully with the steady steps of the two tall figures.

“It’s been a long time, Priestess Monica. You’re still as young as ever.”

Upon seeing the old woman from afar, Jeno greeted her with a smile, while Eisen beside him maintained his usual cold expression, as if others owed him a fortune.

"Can I interpret this as irony?" Monica's expression remained calm.

"No, no," Jeno said, showing considerable respect for the priests, even though they were equals in terms of authority and responsibility. "So, what task do you have assigned to us?"

"Witch codename 073, real name Payne Tanya, was killed by the Mimic Chaos three days later. Afterwards, the monster seemed to have gained intelligence and took control of most of the Mimic Chaos. It invaded the territory of the Shadow Monster in the ruins of Mo City. Its strength is probably beyond what these witches can handle. I hope you can step in to deal with it."

"In addition, codename 001, real name Karen Elf; codename 002, real name Lana Sivir; and codename 099, real name Lorina Yuffie, are suspected to have died at the hands of this evolved mimicry Chaos."

Immediately after Monica dropped this bombshell, Geno's expression turned serious, and he quickly exchanged a glance with Eisen.

"First consult the 'Codex of Cause and Effect' before making a decision."

Eisen's voice remained unchanged, and even with a major crisis looming, his expression remained icy cold.

Geno nodded, and his raised right hand burst into a pure white magical flame. He then clenched his fist, and the pure white karmic fire vanished as sparks, leaving only a small black book in his right hand.

After flipping through the documents for a while, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. "Code 001, Code 002, and Code 099 are all alive, while Code 073's cause and effect have been severed."

"What?" Monica exclaimed in surprise.

The fact that cause and effect have been severed means that the pseudo-chaos that codenamed 073 has become has been destroyed. However, judging from the strength of those three witches, they are simply no match for this nascent demon.

"After all, two of them were led by the previous batch of elite witches. They are indeed extraordinary!"

Although he hadn't been monitoring those two for a while, Jeno wasn't too surprised to hear news about them again.

“Experience determines everything; this is something other witches can’t match.” Eisen nodded, a rare occurrence for her.

"Priestess Monica, please return first. We'll make a trip to the ruins of Mo City; we can't leave this mess unresolved. Remember to warn those witches to be careful and not to risk their lives. Their lives belong only to the Witch Cult! To the Empire!"

Chapter 41 This is the real recovery medicine

As dusk fell, after a harrowing but safe journey across the vast monster territory, Li Lan, Lana, and Lolina finally arrived at the defense zone of Mori City, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Their condition is currently very bad; their severe injuries have made them somewhat delirious.

In reality, only Li Lan and Luo Lina fared somewhat better. Li Lan possessed a unique physical constitution, with a hidden ability to heal herself. Luo Lina, on the other hand, was fortunate to have better treatment and was equipped with a recovery potion when she went out, which allowed her to barely stabilize her injuries.

However, one bottle of recovery potion is far from enough for Lolina; it can only treat vital areas.

Lana, on the other hand, is in a rather pitiful state. She now needs Li Lan's support to even walk, and her breathing is somewhat weak.

As they walked along the noisy street, people only glanced at them briefly before quickly looking away, as if it were commonplace.

Indeed, we've seen the witch's corpse that was carried back countless times, let alone one that's so badly injured.

After walking for another hour, the three of them finally arrived at the witch's residence just before nightfall.

Upon entering this familiar yet no longer belonging building, the witches, including Della, looked up in astonishment at the book's code name 013, as if they had seen a ghost.

Monica, on the other hand, seemed to have anticipated this, and took out three portions of the reward belonging to the three witches.

The total reward was 130 Browns and a recovery potion, which was 50 Browns more than the originally agreed-upon reward.

Li Lan expressed her gratitude and then handed over three pre-prepared mission cards, five magic cores of simulated chaos, and one wisdom core of simulated chaos.

After receiving their respective rewards, Li Lan helped Lana turn around and step into the hazy moonlight.

Lolina caught up with him, "Why don't you come to my place..."

Lana didn't seem to be in a good state, and Lolina was very worried. She originally planned to invite Li Lan and the other person to her building. Anyway, there were only her and Ann Gnath there, so it shouldn't be a problem for two more people to stay for one night.

"No need. Just remember what we told you today. If you want to conduct experiments, try not to let others know."

Li Lan knew very well that rules were inflexible. Since he and Lana had been expelled from the witch's residence, they absolutely could not linger there for long. If they were to cause trouble because of this, it would be bad for everyone.

Lolina hesitated for a moment, but ultimately watched Li Lan and Lana disappear at the end of the road. She pondered for a while, her feelings complicated, and could only sigh before turning around and walking towards the side path, thinking to herself, "I wonder what An will think when I see him later."

………………

Back at the rented hotel, Lana had completely lost consciousness. Li Lan hurriedly filled a large basin with hot water and began to treat Lana.

This was the second time Li Lan had lifted Lana's clothes, completely exposing her to him.

It was truly an unbelievable feeling, but after gradually getting used to it, he remained completely calm about it.