Witch Troupe and the Undead

"Ha~~~~" The little witch yawned, rubbed her eyes, turned the book back to the first page, and ran her fingers over the title. Each letter seemed to wriggle on the page, rearranging itself.

The previously obscure and difficult-to-understand text gradually became orderly, while the insane and delirious content became even more incomprehensible. However, the text itself constituted a symbolic ritualistic field.

Simply put, these words and letters refer to the corresponding ritual components, and their arrangement and position between the lines constitute the content of this unfamiliar "alchemical ritual configuration." After all, some spells really cannot be arranged on the pages of a book and can only be conveyed through this kind of abbreviation and terminology.

The entire manuscript, once reinterpreted, became an introduction to the secret alchemy of the local natives on the southeastern side of the continent, as well as some of the author's experiences there. In addition, it contained methods for making magical items and potion recipes. However, Livia showed a look of disgust because these potions did not conform to her aesthetics and used a lot of strange and disgusting materials.

Furthermore, the side effects are quite severe. For example, one potion that can heal burns and magical burns comes at the cost of reduced intelligence and sanity. For up to several months, the user will remain in a dazed state until the effects of the potion wear off or the injury is fully healed.

The witch took out a piece of paper and a quill pen and began to copy the valuable parts, preparing to rewrite it into a more normal alchemical notebook. Some special alchemical knowledge was copied into another encrypted notebook, because this part of the knowledge was too evil and cruel.

It is clear that the recorders and local users did not know much about arcane alchemy, and they knew very little about arcane sorcerers, especially flesh and blood alchemy. As a result, these alchemical rituals came at a high price and had terrible side effects. However, it did have some unique features.

"Good children should not learn these evil alchemical tricks," Livia wrote on the cover of her transcribed encrypted notebook. Little did she know that the more she said this, the more "bad children" would seek her out to learn it.

"Ha~" The witch stretched, crumpled the now worthless manuscript into a ball, and quickly disappeared into the shadows she had summoned, completely destroyed. Only then did she return to bed satisfied.

The following day, the exit route from Kabel City.

"Are you alright?" Alessina stuffed the last bag of supplies onto the carriage. The carriage had been reinforced by the witch and Roach with alchemy, so it could carry a little more weight without any problem, but the horses pulling the carriage were another story.

"..." Hei Ma glanced at her sideways, then looked at the large and small bags of luggage tied together in the car, as well as the three large wooden barrels on the roof of the car, his eyes revealing a very clear meaning, "Do you think there's a problem with bringing so much?"

"There's no other way. The bandits outside the city haven't been dealt with yet, so there's a high chance we won't find towns or villages to resupply along the way. Therefore, we have to purchase more supplies." In particular, these supplies include not only food and medicine, but also a lot of industrial products and metal products.

Since the Warren family simply didn't have any extra manpower to spare, the convoy, just like when they arrived, consisted of only two vehicles, six knights, and two dwarves. In Roach's eyes, the dwarf girl Jasmine was merely a temporary warrior; after all, compared to her wretched potion skills, she was much better at wielding a hammer, having smashed several unfortunate souls in the previous battle.

The Warren family soldiers escorted the convoy all the way to Stonebridge Town, south of Cabel City, before turning back. After passing through Stonebridge Town, they left Ruby County and entered the territory of the Southern Province.

The Southern Plains are the largest plains region in the empire, and the endless farmland and sparse woodlands are the most typical landscape of this area.

Of course, there are also villages and windmills scattered across the farmland and plains. Due to the lack of stone, most villages in the southern plains are mainly wooden structures, and being located in the heart of the empire, they are unlikely to be attacked by enemies or monsters. Therefore, most villages only have simple fences and wooden enclosures as a means of keeping wild animals away.

Upon entering the Southern Plains, you'll see the Empire's magical version of the steam train. The Empire only has two lines, the oldest and longest of which is the line from the Imperial Capital to "Lake City," the capital of the Southern Plains Province.

Another route is from the capital to the western Golden Port. However, it was only one-third completed before construction was halted due to rebellions in the Hot Sands Province and the port area. Currently, it only extends to Chadao Town, a small town on the border of Emerald Province that has flourished because of its station.

The magical version of the train wasn't the kind Roach had imagined, pulled by a steam-powered or some other kind of engine. Instead, it was pulled by two large, steam-powered magical puppets made of metal—an upgraded version of a horse-drawn train. It has to be said, watching those two magical puppets race along the tracks was surprisingly exciting.

"So why don't they use this power to drive the wheels directly?" Roach asked curiously, watching the train roaring across the fields.

"I don't know. It's possible that this puppet uses soul essence crystals as its power source." In other words, what drives it is something like an artificial soul, which is a biological structure, so it can't be directly fitted with wheels. It's probably similar to how EVA is essentially an apostle wearing armor, rather than a real robot.

“However, it could be some other special insistence. I’m also curious about that, after all, there are alchemical puppets that use wheels as their chassis,” Rhine said with a longing expression. “But I think it’s more likely that it’s easier to get funding this way.”

"..." Luo Qi and the others watched the train gradually disappear into the distance, and they all sighed in unison.

"Next, we don't need to go to Lake City. We just need to get to the nearest Water Tower Town, and then we can take the train to the capital." Rhine changed the subject. Walking or riding a horse would be too slow, and it would take three days and four nights to get to the capital by train.

"Won't there be bandits on the road?" Roach looked at the old train and the vast plains, and the melody of Red Dead Redemption was almost unbearable in his head. Trains, railways, towns, and wooden towns made his Volcano Pistol spin, especially when Roach actually had a hand cannon. He felt like all he was missing was a cowboy hat and a good horse.

“There will definitely be,” Rhine said calmly. “It’s just that our defenses are usually sufficient, and… robbers are generally concentrated on the new routes in the south.” The routes in the north are too old, which means that most of the towns and stations along the way have been developed, making it difficult to rob without being noticed.

"Moreover, the patrol cavalry are not to be underestimated. Small-scale robberies are possible, but large-scale ones are unlikely. And even if these robbers were to infiltrate our carriages, it would be unlikely."

After all, this was not a real coal-powered steam train. The first-class cabin was not at the rear, but near the front. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the VIPs, in the event of robbery or other problems, the rear carriages could be abandoned, leaving only the first-class cabin and the engine compartment, and then the train could be accelerated away.

The price of first class is naturally three to five times more expensive than that of ordinary carriages, but this is not a problem for Roach and his companions, since the money is paid by the imperial family.

"Hmm, it's okay~" Livia glanced at the black horse, which calmly chewed on hay and stared at the distant white clouds, seemingly lost in thought.

The livestock cars were at the rear of the train, so if any unlucky soul jumped off or the train abandoned the rear cars, these railway bandits would have to play a tense and exciting battle royale game with a great demon in the desolate wilderness.

The attire and towns of the Southern Plains were completely different from the medieval style of the East that Roach and his companions were used to. They were closer to the flavor of the American West during its development. Most of the men wore dark wool coats, while the women, due to the season, did not dress very revealingly. They wore thick, long skirts, often with embroidered hems, and a beautiful shawl draped over their shoulders.

Most of the houses are built of wood, and it is rare to see medieval-style castles or fortresses made of stone. Only the occasional watchtowers along the railway line are built of stone.

Shuita Town developed from a station for refilling water for trains. When the trains were refilled, passengers would get off to stretch their arms and legs, and nearby villages and farmers would come to sell their local specialties. Merchants would also drive their caravans over to trade. Over time, it transformed from a station into a market, then into a village, and finally into a rather prosperous town.

Rows of wooden houses spread haphazardly along one side of the station, dotted with colorful mushroom-shaped tents and curtains. Even before getting close, the stench of livestock and the mixed smells of various goods hit you. The sounds of arguing and haggling blended into a strange buzzing noise. This was probably what a bustling place looked like.

A banner reading "Welcome to Water Tower Town" hung on a wooden post at the entrance. Natalia dismounted and stretched her legs; she had never ridden a horse for so long in her life, and she felt completely exhausted.

"Miss~" The warrior carrying a giant axe approached her, "Don't buy anything recklessly. We don't have much money left. When we get to the capital, you'll have many expenses."

She went to study at the Imperial Royal Academy of Mystic Arts in the capital. This wouldn't be of much help to Natalia, who was unorthodox, since her supernatural system and the Empire's mystical system were completely different. However, even so, she had to go.

Because her father is now the acting lord of Rock Tower County, the official investiture document has not been issued for some reason, which is quite normal. After all, the emperor will delay such matters as long as possible. However, the matter can be taken on first, and Natalia must also go to the capital to study.

On the one hand, she is now considered a descendant of a high-ranking noble family, and a proper aristocratic education is essential. However, given the circumstances of the Talos family, they are clearly unable to provide a qualified lady's education, which means that finding a husband in the future will be a very troublesome matter for her.

On the other hand, there's... this thing, to put it bluntly, is hostages. While the Imperial Academy provides high-quality education, it's also instilling loyalty to the royal family in the offspring of these nobles. Of course, it's hard to say how effective it is, but the role of hostages is definitely there.

"I know, I didn't buy anything useless. If it weren't for the crucian carp I bought, we would have lost all our money." She didn't know why the spell that should have had a "temporary amnesia" effect turned into a huge ice ring spell after using the correct materials, "fish" and "incantation".

However, in a sense, it was a success, because the thief who stole their luggage, the onlookers, and the knight who had just drawn his weapon were all frozen to the ground.

When the town guards arrived, their first reaction was to arrest Natalie Adam as a dangerous element who attacked the town. Fortunately, she had all her noble documents, badges, and rings, as well as testimonies from onlookers, so she escaped without much loss of property.

Of course, while her Ice Ring spell has a large range, its destructive power is not great; it only freezes the legs and feet. If it were the authentic Ice Ring spell, especially the one cast by a certain blonde witch, it wouldn't just freeze someone and prevent them from moving; it would be enough to bury them instantly. The extreme cold would kill any creature without cold resistance.

"However, your magic cannot earn us travel expenses, and I have heard that although the Imperial Academy is free of charge, there are many places inside where you have to spend money."

The tuition fees for the Royal Academy were subsidized by the Emperor's private treasury. For the nobility, this was an act of appeasement and hostage exchange. For the talented children of commoners or minor nobles who were selected, it was a form of recruitment and an important way for the royal family to acquire and obtain talent.

However, although tuition, clothing, and food expenses were covered by funds provided by the royal family, the national treasury, and the nobles, the rest of the expenses were paid by the students themselves.

For example, the various additional services offered by the college, especially food and accommodation, as well as other daily services, coupled with the fact that the students are all from aristocratic families, their competitive spirit leads them to spend money like water.

For this reason, the burden of the academy on the emperor was not as great as it seemed on the surface—no one was more deserving of the title "foolish and rich fat sheep" than these competitive noble children.

"Yes, yes, I understand!" Natalia said dejectedly.

Chapter 189

The market in Water Tower Town was packed with people, more than any market Roach and his companions had ever seen. People were shoulder to shoulder, their feet pressed together, and the air was thick with the stench of excrement and livestock. Roach had to carry Livia, a short woman, on his shoulders, otherwise she would disappear in the blink of an eye.

In those days, train stations were hotspots for human traffickers and petty thieves. He wasn't worried about the little witch being taken away; he was worried that if she got angry or slipped, she might set the entire station on fire.

He still vividly remembered the scene in Fengzhu Village. It was just a small-scale fire, but because the witch was frightened, the flames got out of control and the entire farmland and even the forest were burned to ashes. Here, there are flammable materials everywhere, so the scene would be much more difficult to manage if a fire started.

Then, a short, blonde girl with a pointed hat stood out from the crowd, curiously looking around. The little witch rode on Roach's shoulders, one hand holding the hat to prevent it from falling off, the other grabbing Roach's hair, while her staff was in Roach's hand. The entire group's money pouches were also hanging on her belt, since she was the tallest... To steal a money pouch, one would have to raise their hand and stand on tiptoe, the action was too obvious.

The sweet scent of roses lingered around me, dispelling the seemingly ubiquitous odor. The only slight drawback was that it was autumn and winter, and the thick trousers layered with the padded harem pants underneath felt like having a cold, soft cushion around my neck.

Behind Roach was Alessina, a fox-girl carrying a giant sword who split the crowd in two like splitting firewood, thus protecting Leslie, who was also not very tall. As for the tall Vilandera, she looked a bit awkward, with one hand protecting her chest and the other tightly gripping the scabbard to protect her back.

She was the one who suffered the most unwanted physical contact. After all, the little witch was high above her, and if she were to touch her, it would be too much of a move, and it would be difficult for her to dodge or run away. Since she was high up, she could easily see who was reaching out.

As for Alessina, because of the low temperature, she is in fox-person mode, the kind of level 4 Fury. She is a completely upright, furry humanoid fox, exuding the aura of a battle-hardened mercenary. No one would dare to lay a hand on her, and even if they did, she wouldn't care; she would just consider it as being petted.

So, right now, only Leslie and Vivi seem to be the easiest to bully. Because Leslie is a mermaid, she has pointed ears and carries a complex-looking magic bow and magic crossbow, making her look like an elven archer. Elves have extremely keen senses, so they probably won't be able to touch anything if they reach out to the elven girl.

Thus, Vilandela became the only member of the team to be targeted by concentrated fire. After all, she was a tall, beautiful girl with silver hair and twin ponytails, and because she was a dragon, she had a slender figure that made her appear slimmer when dressed...

"...Ah!" Vivi finally couldn't hold back anymore and grabbed a hand that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Her wrist transformed into the shape of a dragon's claw. Because of the crowd, few people saw it. "Ah!!! My hand!!!!" A bloody smell immediately filled the air, but it was quickly dispelled by a strange, fishy stench.

"Hmm~" Livia loosened her thumb and ring finger, which had been pinched together. Originally, she only needed to place her middle finger on the finger and make a flame gesture to precisely burn someone's clothes off. However, since Vivi had already done it, there was no need for that.

"Do you all think I'm easy to bully?" Weiwei glanced at the crowd, and several pairs of lewd eyes involuntarily drifted to the other side. She had just crushed the other person's hand with her dragon claw, and then sprinkled a bottle of herbal essence to mask the smell of blood. Without causing too much of a commotion, she scared away the few thugs who had been following her all along.

This strange combination naturally attracted the attention of Natalia, who was wandering aimlessly through the market. She wasn't afraid of any thieves or thieves, since she had brought her father's old friend with her.

Protected by four or five tall "bodyguards" dressed as knights but not like knights, who looked more like bandits, Natalia was surrounded by a blank space about three meters wide.

These people were guards and attendants sent to her by Count Talos, and they themselves were very interested in the prosperous capital. They were enthusiastic about escorting the young lady to study in the capital, and the Count even covered the expenses.

Since becoming the acting lord, Count Talos has developed a certain... estrangement from his old friends. In particular, many things he is about to do will be difficult to keep from these friends he spends every day with. Moreover, as the acting lord, he is no longer the ordinary pioneering knight he once was, and he will need to deal with various merchant guilds and nobles.

No one knew the nature of the aristocracy better than him. If he were to bring these former lumberjacks, bandits, and deserters to a meeting, the other party would certainly make things difficult for him and these people.

If we don't protect these old comrades, their loyalty will crumble; if we do protect them, we'll offend the surrounding nobles, even the higher-ranking ones, making it much harder to maintain our position in noble circles and transform this "acting lord" into a "lord."

Therefore, after consulting with many capable people, Count Talos finally came up with a win-win solution: he would pay out of his own pocket to send these people to the capital under Natalia's name.

On the one hand, it can protect his daughter and establish a base of operations in the capital. Although these people are separated from him, who has become a true nobleman, by a sadly thick barrier, they are still trustworthy.

On the other hand, if something were to happen to these people, he wouldn't lose their support. After all, if something happened on his own territory, it would be his problem. But if it happened in the capital, thousands of miles away, he couldn't say that Count Talos was heartless and ungrateful—because he simply couldn't reach them and didn't have the ability to do so.

It has to be said that ever since he brought his brother's whole family together, this brute has gradually learned the tricks of intrigue and the scheming of the nobility.

"Uncle Kanger, look over there." "Oh~" The tall captain of the guard looked at Livia, who stood out from the crowd, and narrowed his eyes slightly. "A very pretty little girl, and the clothes she's wearing are quite unusual."

Although he couldn't tell if the cloak she was wearing was a genuine archmage's cloak, his extensive experience in robbery and plundering allowed him to appraise stolen goods.

Livia is currently wearing a standard high-level magic cloak, a relic from her mentor, Niel Riley, custom-made by the Elven Kingdom's royal tailor over at least fifteen years. Her earliest title of "witch" originated from the Elven Kingdom, which is why no one has been able to trace the origin of Livia's teacher's badge.

Of course, he immediately stole the national treasure-level book and ran away. As for the grudges and entanglements, right and wrong, Livia said she didn't know. She only knew that the Mad Elf had bad pointy ears, while the ordinary elf had pointy ears that weren't so bad.

Considering the witch's half-elf race, Roach guessed that her elven bloodline was probably unusual, since similar cases are common on Earth.

The most typical example is Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, who had half Zhao blood, but what kind of treatment did he receive in Zhao, and how did he retaliate after becoming the King of Qin? Therefore, Luo Qi was very open-minded about the old witch stealing the book.

Similarly, it's not surprising that someone with such an awkward bloodline could still obtain this cloak. After all, there's a world of difference between nobles and commoners, especially for the conservative Elven race. Due to differences in production capacity and population, their commoners don't live as badly as other human nations, but correspondingly, it's almost impossible for an Elven commoner to become an Elven noble.

Moreover, Nellie was already a Gold-rank witch at that time. People of this rank deserve basic respect and treatment, even in public. Even among the Dark Elves in D&D, male Archmages receive considerable preferential treatment, at least materially.

The black fabric shimmered with silver flecks; upon closer inspection, one could see that these were silver-white threads embroidered on the second layer of the fabric. These threads, from the giant spiders of the forest, had been treated with a magical potion and had no special function; they were simply for decoration.

The edges are decorated with hook-shaped golden patterns, representing the status of high-ranking elven mages and court mages. However, few people in the human world are knowledgeable enough to recognize the meaning of these patterns. After all, most humans do not have decades to study the subtle differences between these patterns and heraldry, especially the heraldry of the elves... It can only be said that it is all about tormenting their own people.

"Can you get it for 50 gold coins?" Kanger leaned closer to his companion, who was chewing on a blade of grass. The latter shook his head. "I think it would cost more than that, even if you added a few more coins to the front."

Kanger's expression immediately changed, revealing an eager look. However, after seeing the knight Livia was riding, he finally sighed. It was hard to say how strong the knight was, but his armor was definitely not ordinary.

When the difference in strength is not as great as the difference between an ordinary soldier and a knight, this level of equipment difference is enough to make up for any lack of strength and experience. Anyone who has experience in combat knows that having armor or not makes a world of difference, and the difference between light armor and heavy armor like Roach's is even greater.

“What are you talking about?” Natalia frowned. “I mean, did you notice the badge on that little girl?”

"What is that?" Kanger and his group had hardly ever interacted with spellcasters, especially high-level spellcasters.

"I wanted to ask, can you tell if it's gold or copper?"

"Gold," the thief knight said without hesitation, "from this angle, the light is bright but not dazzling, with a slight reddish tint, it's gold, not brass."

"How did you figure that out?" Natalia looked at him suspiciously. This Uncle Encore had identified it as gold with just a glance. How did he do that?

"You'll be able to tell the difference after you've seen enough." He was joking. For people in his line of work, using the similar luster of brass and gold to make Fool's Coins to fool people is a basic skill. When he was learning this craft, his master made him search for gold coins among hundreds of mixed-color brass and copper coins every day. Moreover, the gold coins were the kind that were plated with gold, to prevent him from cheating by using weight.

"Is it really gold!?"

“Absolutely, and it’s high-purity gold, with some magical metals added.”

"How did you figure that out?!" Natalia was already amazed that you could distinguish between copper and gold from this distance, but how did you manage to tell that there were magical metals inside?!

"So, young lady, you still haven't answered me, what exactly is that badge?"

"Oh, right, that's the arcane mage's badge. If it's gold, it means it's a gold-level... uh, witch."

"A witch!? You mean the kind that turns people into frogs?"

"No, it means 'Daughter of Magic,' the one that's on par with the title of Sage."

"And you still dare to stare at them!?!" Kanger's scalp tingled. He wasn't quite clear on the power levels of arcane mages, but what did it mean to be on par with a sage, the highest honorary title for spellcasters?! You actually dare to stare so directly at such a powerful being, and even let them stare too? Young lady, are you really that good at courting death?!

"what!?"

“Experts of this level have extremely sharp senses; they probably heard everything we were discussing.” Kanger quickly turned his gaze away, pulling Natalia’s shoulders around. “Luckily, we didn’t say anything offensive, or we would have turned into frogs by now.”

“Mystics won’t turn people into frogs,” Natalia replied weakly.

"That means being scorched by a fireball!"

“…” Natalia fell silent.

"...?" Livia looked at the strange group of people surrounding Natalia in the distance, who were extremely nervous. She hadn't actually heard their discussion. Other powerful individuals might have had this ability, but she didn't, because in her perception, not only were people talking, but the soil on the ground, the goods on the stalls, and even the passing wind were all talking.

With so many sounds or "information" mixed together, her perception was not as good as that of a purebred Muggle like Roach. However, in the realm of magic, her perception ability was somewhat exaggerated.

Most of the goods at the market were local specialties from the surrounding area, and the prices were at least twice as high as those in the village. However, the advantage was that the selection of goods was very complete. Livia bought a large jar of locally produced cream, some spices with magical properties, and some things that little girls would obviously like, such as trinkets.

However, the most expensive thing she bought was an exquisite wallet, which she then gave to Weiwei. The latter was stunned for a few seconds before she understood what she meant: now that she was an independent dragon, she could start accumulating wealth on her own.

"Your Highness Livia, and Master Roch, the ticket issue has been resolved." Buying first-class tickets wasn't easy, especially with so many people. Rhine had to use some connections and the military intelligence's influence to get so many first-class tickets, which meant that there wouldn't be much room for anyone else in the first-class cabin besides them.

When do we get on the bus?

"Judging from the situation, the train should arrive after dinner."

Dinner was at a restaurant called "Pig Face" in Water Tower Town. The dishes were very much in the style of the Southern Plains, including a local food called "Basil," which is made by grinding, cooking, and drying grains to form a rice noodle-like sheet, layering them up, each layer filled with a thick meat sauce, stacked like a cone-shaped tower.

There's also a product similar to braised pork, where pork chops are cooked in a spiced sauce and then baked in an oven. Aside from being a bit salty, Roach thought it was alright.

Then there was a rice bowl-like dish made by mixing local vegetables, eggs, and salted fish flakes, pouring it over rice, and then drizzling it with sauce. Roach could only describe it as "weird, but not bad." After all, this world doesn't have the rich variety of spices or advanced seasoning technology that Earth does, so relying solely on natural broth to enhance flavor is unlikely to achieve any good results.

Moreover, he couldn't get used to the locals' eating style of treating rice as a dish rather than a staple food, especially since the sauce and toppings for this rice bowl were separate, which made him feel like he was eating beggar's food.