Chapter 113: Only Rely on Yourself

Chapter 113: Only Rely on Yourself

As the Witch Hunt Day approached, many factions lay low, including the Dark Church, which had always opposed the Sanctuary Church. They halted many cult development efforts and toned down their other activities. Of course, these were only changes at the top. For ordinary people at the bottom, the world remained as it always had been.

In the bar, Qin quietly flipped through an ancient book that recorded many secrets. “Witch Hunt Day… Hmph!”

The Witch Hunt was established by the Sanctuary Church, and its timing was irregular. It could happen once every decade or even once every few decades. Each occurrence attracted many young talents or other factions to participate, as the reputation of Witches was truly not good.

Even those Witches from the Conservative Faction could cause disasters due to their inability to fully control their powers. If such disasters occurred in remote wilderness areas, the impact was minimal. But imagine if they happened in crowded places—even if the consequences were involuntary, the blame would still fall on the Witches.

Over time, the reputation of Witches naturally did not improve. Coupled with the long-term guidance of the Sanctuary Church… it was no exaggeration to say they were like rats crossing the street. Therefore, every Witch Hunt became an opportunity for young talents to quickly gain fame. Unfortunately, this event did not occur regularly. With intervals of at least ten years, each occurrence made people eager to seize the opportunity.

The Sanctuary Church made no effort to hide the upcoming Witch Hunt Day. So, a month ago, many people began preparing for it. Aside from the fame that participating in the Witch Hunt could bring, the potential benefits were also a major driving force for various factions to get involved.

Each Witch possessed an extremely deep foundation. Moreover, it had been over fifty years since the last Witch Hunt. So, the Witch targeted in this hunt must be an established, veteran Witch. With risk came opportunity. Although veteran Witches were more dangerous, the wealth they possessed was undoubtedly more abundant.

Even if the Sanctuary Church took the lion’s share, the remaining benefits would still allow participants to gain substantial rewards. Success in the hunt meant gaining both fame and wealth.

Now, as she sat in the bar, she could hear many young men and women discussing this matter. Quite a few expressed their desire to participate. Little did they know that their conversations were being overheard by another Witch.

“You haven’t come to me for over a month, Connor.” Looking at the young man in front of her, Qin’s previously somber expression finally showed a hint of a smile. This Witch Hunt had nothing to do with her, and she had no intention of participating. However, a hunting day targeting her own kind inevitably made her feel a sense of sorrow… and a certain realization.

Fortunately, her abilities were not the type that were severely uncontrollable. As long as proper isolation was maintained, there was no risk of losing control.

“I’ve been busy preparing some things recently,” Zheng Yichen said. He had already taken care of all the necessary preparations. All that remained was to mass-produce forces and enhance equipment when the final time arrived.

He had come out today only to gather recent news, but the information he obtained was not very optimistic. The Sanctuary Church had initiated this Witch Hunt, and many people supported this “event.” If most people had opposed it, there might have been room for manipulation. However, the Sanctuary Church had a very good reputation in this world, and hardly anyone objected to the Witch Hunt.

This neatly cut off any possibility in that regard!

Zheng Yichen had considered borrowing a knife—such as the Dark Church. But after receiving a warning from Dan Marina, who was like a living encyclopedia, he gave up on the Dark Church. Approaching them at this time would not yield any help; instead, they would likely kick him while he was down.

Even if Zheng Yichen did not seek them out, they would still do so. Therefore, if Zheng Yichen wanted to do something during the Witch Hunt, he would not only have to face the main force, the Sanctuary Church, but also the Dark Church and various other factions… It was like starting a game on the hardest difficulty.

As for the Witches, he shouldn’t even hope for their help. If the Witches’ community could truly cooperate, the Sanctuary Church would not have developed to its current state. It wasn’t that the Witches had never tried this before; a long time ago, such an event had indeed occurred—a war recorded in history.

Of course, the outcome of the war was like the battles between good and evil in novels: evil initially gained the upper hand but ultimately failed due to the resistance and struggle of the righteous side… That’s right. At the beginning of that war, the united Witches held various advantages, but in the end, they suffered a crushing defeat.

The reason was that during the middle of the war, a traitor emerged among the Witches. The cause of this betrayal was related to the characteristics Dan Marina had told Zheng Yichen about—once a Witch became attached to someone… It was also because of this that an unwritten rule arose among Witches afterward: “Kill the person a Witch cares about.”

It was because of that great defeat that the number of Witches greatly decreased, and a severe trust crisis emerged among them. For a long time afterward, no united counterattack by Witches occurred again. Now, almost all Witches operated alone.

The only ones by their sides were some completely trusted “servants” who would never betray them.

“You really plan to participate in the Witch Hunt too,” Qin said with a slight sigh. When Zheng Yichen had inquired about Loris before, she had already anticipated this. Now, having confirmed it completely, she still felt a bit regretful. Yes, regretful. In her view, the Sanctuary Church was almost certain to win this time.

The longer the interval between Witch Hunts, the more prepared the Sanctuary Church became. Loris was also the type of Witch who operated completely alone. She had no friends. Once she became the target of the Witch Hunt, she would have no reinforcements to speak of. Perhaps Zheng Yichen could be considered a reinforcement, but his strength was too weak. At most, he was like a small stone thrown into a river—splashing a little water was easy, but could he make the river flow backward?

Better to give up and go to sleep.

“I have a reason I must go,” Zheng Yichen said. He didn’t ask Qin for help either, as the possibility was too low. Her words made it clear she was aware of the situation. If she had any intention of helping, she wouldn’t have spoken this way. “So, our cooperation will have to be put on hold for a while.”

“It’s fine. I truly hope our cooperation can continue for a long time,” Qin nodded, not trying to persuade Zheng Yichen to stay. She paid close attention to him but could not force him to change his mind. Even if it were someone else, she could easily make them give up on participating with just a few words. Zheng Yichen was different—he was not affected by her abilities.