Chapter 144: Conversation

Chapter 144: Conversation

“I thought you would have come to me earlier.” Dan Marina smiled as she looked at the two women standing before her. They were extremely beautiful, but their expressions were icy cold. A bar was usually a place where people easily got hit on, but these two women carried such a chilling aura that no one dared to approach or start a conversation with them.

Even people passing by could feel a piercing cold emanating from them, and they hurried away, avoiding the area entirely.

“The leader wants the location intel on that Little Dragon.”

“Oh? Let’s go, we can talk back at the base.” Dan Marina stood up proactively, paying no mind to the women’s cold expressions, and followed them back to the Sanctuary Church. There, she met the man who had once brought Petty back—the leader of the Sanctuary Church’s demon-hunting squad.

“That Little Dragon really gave you all a run for your money this time,” Dan Marina said with a smile, looking at the man whose face was dark and grim. Upon hearing her words, his expression stiffened even more.

“The location of that Little Dragon!”

“I don’t know,” Dan Marina replied plainly. As soon as the words left her mouth, an intense killing intent enveloped her. Her body tensed slightly, and some of the natural ease faded from her face. “I had contact with his Alchemical Avatar before, but that was just an avatar. His true body? I really don’t know where it is.”

The man continued to stare at Dan Marina with cold eyes. He was well aware that over the years, this Witch had been trying to break free from the Sanctuary Church’s control. However, the Contract the Sanctuary Church had signed with her back then was not something that could be easily dissolved—not even a Witch could do it!

“Then find it now!!” the man said coldly. Previously, the Sanctuary Church had sought out the Dragon Clan for an explanation merely to put on a show of due diligence. The many peculiar traits that Little Dragon had displayed had led the Sanctuary Church to classify him as a being that must be controlled. The reason for demanding an explanation from the Dragon Clan was to test their stance.

As expected, those arrogant big lizards—who rarely showed themselves on the Continent—still held onto their pride and their protective nature fiercely. The Dragon Clan insisted that this Witch Rampage incident hadn’t caused significant damage, so the Sanctuary Church had no grounds to condemn their kin. It was utterly unreasonable…

But perhaps because they were being too unreasonable, and because the aftermath of this incident was considerable, the Dragon Clan eventually loosened their stance a bit. They would allow this disobedient junior of theirs to be taught a lesson, but if things went too far, the Dragon Clan would not stand by idly. And that was enough. Once they caught that Little Dragon, the Sanctuary Church had many ways to control him while making the Dragon Clan swallow their grievances silently.

“Alright, alright, I’ll do my best.” Dan Marina had already gauged the man’s reaction. This Little Dragon had really stirred up quite a mess this time. She didn’t even have a chance to slack off now, but… this suited her just fine!

The man didn’t notice at all the strange, expectant smile that flickered across Dan Marina’s face as she left.

“First, let’s not talk about the Witch. She saved my life, so she’s worth this much from me. Besides, she saved me from Humans. Even if I don’t hold a grudge against all Humans because of it, don’t expect me to give you any information about her.” Having found a place to talk, Zheng Yichen spoke bluntly to the young girl before him. He was somewhat relieved now that all the Alchemical Avatars he used to spread the Magic Weapon Contracts didn’t bear his real appearance. Even though many of his Alchemical Avatars had been compromised, they were all fake appearances anyway.

“Then, don’t expect any cooperation from me. Even if most of what your Sanctuary Church does is truly for the sake of Humanity, I am not a Human right now…” Well, I used to be!

“Finally, considering how firm my stance is, could you let me go?”

“…” The young girl stared at Zheng Yichen in a daze, eventually unable to hold back a laugh of exasperation at his shamelessly stubborn attitude. “Do you think that’s possible?”

“Anything is possible! Witches aren’t all bad, so why insist on hounding them and wiping them out?”

“Maybe it’s as you say, but a Witch’s Power is inherently a kind of sin. If not eradicated, it will eventually endanger the entire world.” The young girl looked at Zheng Yichen. “This time, you might think the impact of the Witch Rampage was minimal, but that was only because the Sanctuary Church was well-prepared. The damage caused by an uncontrolled Witch Rampage is beyond your imagination.”

Huh? Beyond my imagination… Could it be more impressive than a Nuclear Bomb… Ahem, well, this is an Otherworld. Thinking about it, it might really be possible. Zheng Yichen shook his head, his expression troubled as he muttered inwardly, “Really no room for negotiation? I just want to live an ordinary, lazy, and carefree life…”

“Once you become involved with a Witch, that possibility is gone.” The young girl looked at Zheng Yichen with slight surprise. Unfortunately, what stood before her was merely an Alchemical Avatar he controlled. As a member of the Dragon Clan, he actually wanted a lazy, carefree life… Wait, no, given the Dragon Clan’s long life spans, as long as they weren’t facing life-threatening or clan-wide crises, many dragons probably had similar thoughts.

“So there’s no talking this out?”

“There’s no room for compromise. Even if the Sanctuary Church stopped pursuing this, other factions wouldn’t easily give up.”

Although, the Sanctuary Church couldn’t possibly stop pursuing it. If they gave up, it would only make other factions more brazen. After all, with the biggest competitor out of the picture, Zheng Yichen shouldn’t expect much peace anytime soon. The Witch had been taken away by Zheng Yichen, but nearly all her power had been erased. It would take a long time for her to recover. During that time, which faction wouldn’t be tempted?

Even if they couldn’t do anything directly to Zheng Yichen—since he had the Dragon Clan’s protection—the Witch was a different story. A Witch weakened to the extreme, and still alive, was far more valuable than a Witch executed by the Sanctuary Church. Moreover, many factions had paid a heavy price in this Witch Hunt. Because of Zheng Yichen’s interference, they didn’t even have a chance to break even. Many of them were now furious and wanted to tear this Little Dragon apart.

“You say that, but you’re the least likely to give up the pursuit, right?” Zheng Yichen crossed his arms and snorted lightly. “You shift the blame onto unrelated bearers instead of solving the root of the problem. That’s all you’re capable of!”

Zheng Yichen had thoroughly studied materials about Witches. The emergence of a Witch was random. Although it never occurred in males, among females, a Witch’s birth seemed almost like a joke. There were no signs before a Witch appeared. Even a girl from an ordinary family could suddenly “mutate” into a Witch at some moment. The probability was close to zero, but given the vast population of the Continent, as long as the chance wasn’t absolutely zero, it would happen…

This was a Newborn Witch. Newborn Witches often, due to suddenly possessing a Witch’s Power while having previously been ordinary with almost no exposure to any special abilities, ended up causing tragedies. They couldn’t control this power when it first emerged, and a Witch’s Power was particularly dangerous. Uncontrolled, even a small action could trigger a massive disaster!