Chapter 390: Headlines? Not Quite

Chapter 390: Headlines? Not Quite

There was no doubt about Qin’s efficiency. After arranging the solutions for the hidden drawbacks of the Semi-Awakening Potion, she contacted Zheng Yichen. What followed was the advertisement for this magic potion. Amidst the heated discussions about the Undying Witch on the forum, the appearance of this potion immediately caught the attention of a considerable number of people.

After all, while the forum was buzzing with talk of the Undying Witch, it wasn’t a Witch Hunt, and it felt somewhat distant to most. So when other topics emerged, the discussion around the Undying Witch briefly cooled down—even though the incident at Windwhisper Valley had been completely resolved, and the Empire had issued a statement pledging full cooperation with the Sanctuary Church to address the people’s troubles.

They offered personnel and funds willingly to support the Sanctuary Church’s subsequent actions. The reason was simple: Achille had acted as a mediator. He did not hide the fact that he had fallen for the “empty city” tactic. He had the courage to face his own shortcomings; hiding them wasn’t his style.

This alone made the Empire realize the seriousness of the situation. Even though Achille’s earlier persuasion had already pushed the Empire, which sought to further its own interests, to fully involve itself, they now understood that the Undying Witch’s elaborate scheme to create a major headline was purely to divert everyone’s attention.

Her real plan was to pull off a major incident unnoticed! If Windwhisper Valley hadn’t been within the Empire’s borders, the Empire might have claimed it had little to do with them. But now, the Empire couldn’t help but consider the possibility: Could the Undying Witch’s secret plotting have long-term consequences for the Empire?

It was worth remembering that her power was an extremely potent pollutant. Merely the aura of her power, without using any magic, could easily take lives… Because of this, the Empire’s king later went to the Empire’s Secret Vault to review some unedited historical records. None of his ancestors had ever offended the Undying Witch… So why did they have the misfortune of attracting her attention?

Wouldn’t it have been better if she had gone elsewhere? Well, it was possible the Undying Witch had planned to cause trouble elsewhere, but the Empire couldn’t determine how likely that was. In that case, why not issue a public statement supporting the Sanctuary Church? The Empire’s king was a decisive man. Since some things were unavoidable, he might as well show determination and ride the coattails of the Church.

Moreover, the Church wouldn’t engage in heartless behavior afterward. Even if the Undying Witch caused trouble later, the first to confront her would be the Sanctuary Church, not the Empire. So why not make a public show of support? Not only should they do it, but they should also make it appear sincere and impressive! Let everyone see it.

Some countries that had been watching and waiting found themselves in a dilemma. They weren’t foolish. At first, the Empire’s actions puzzled them—were they insane or what? But after carefully considering the gains and losses, they understood the Empire’s reasoning. The first to take action always gained more attention. Now, as the first to make a statement, the Empire undoubtedly received the highest level of attention, with the Magic Weapon Forum buzzing with discussions about it.

The dilemma for those watching countries lay in this: the existence of the Magic Weapon Summoning Book allowed information to spread rapidly. The old strategy of delaying information to control public perception no longer mattered. Even if they were to make similar statements now, people would likely call them copycats… Those with sharp political instincts might even start speculating about the truth on the forum.

Exposing someone’s secrets was commonplace on the forum. After all, as long as everyone hid their IDs or used aliases, no one knew who was who. So why hold back? As long as they didn’t violate the Creator’s rules—such as hurling insults or posting fraudulent information—the forum was quite free in terms of speech.

Because of this, people from many countries had engaged in countless arguments on the forum. Today, someone might feel bored and think, “I don’t like the look of you, so I’ll throw some mud at you…” Could the targeted country tolerate this? “If you have the guts, don’t hide your ID! Have the courage to use your real information! Cowardly as anything, throwing mud at ghosts!”

Forget it. If someone wanted to stir up trouble, let them. They were already used to it. Only Magic Weapon Summoners could log into the Magic Weapon Forum. Even though information spread quickly, ordinary people still had their limitations. Magic Weapon Summoners couldn’t be easily won over, but considering public sentiment was still possible.

Besides, issuing a statement and symbolically sending a few personnel wouldn’t incur any losses. As for the threat of Witches… Honestly, if a Witch really wanted to cause trouble in their country, she wouldn’t bother finding a reason—she would simply act without cause, caring even less about the consequences.

Of course, not every country could issue such a statement. Smaller nations absolutely dared not act like the Empire. The Empire was powerful and could withstand the consequences. If a smaller country tried to ride the wave of attention, it might work—but then again, those Witches might not have even been aware of such an insignificant country’s existence.

But if they tried to make a splash, well, if a small fish wanted to jump and turn over, it might just end up as dinner. For smaller countries, they could be wiped out before the Sanctuary Church’s support arrived. Therefore, even if they knew this was a good opportunity, they dared not make too much of a show. This was different from a Witch Hunt.

Originally, if multiple countries had taken a stand, they could have competed for the second spot on the Magic Weapon Forum’s headlines… but now they could only settle for third place. The second spot was taken by the newly emerged Semi-Awakening Potion. As for the Empire’s statement, many Magic Weapon Summoners said it was their business. After they made their move, the forum was flooded with “expert analysts” dissecting the reasons behind the copycat countries’ actions from every angle…

They looked incredibly professional at first glance, making people think, “Wow, that makes so much sense!” Of course, the specifics were open to interpretation.

Setting those matters aside, let’s talk about the Semi-Awakening Potion. Its unique effects were something they had never seen before. Did ordinary people envy those with innate abilities?

Of course they did! Those with innate abilities could achieve with one effort what took others several times the work. Who wouldn’t envy that? Unfortunately, innate abilities were natural. There were ways to acquire them later, but none were particularly reliable. Otherwise, a rather bloody method of transferring abilities, with strict conditions and a low success rate, might have been used. Even if successful, it only resulted in a degraded version of the ability.

Then there were actions similar to creating Cursed Dragons. However, the incident involving Cursed Dragons had escalated so wildly back then that it infuriated the Dragon Clan. Not only were all Cursed Dragons eradicated, but anyone even remotely related to them met the same fate. All methods of “taking over” abilities were destroyed by the Dragon Clan, making them lost techniques with negligible chances of revival.

It was worth noting that the Dragon Clan’s bounties still existed today. If someone using such methods appeared and was exposed, there was no need to deal with them directly. Simply leaking the information to the Dragon Clan would not only earn the bounty but also eliminate the enemy without lifting a finger—no, not eliminate; by then, they would already be dead.

The Dragon Clan would not allow even the slightest hint of Cursed Dragons to resurface. Given the Dragon Clan’s extremely long lifespan, many dragons who participated in the war were still alive and well. So, don’t expect time to fade memories or events—for the Dragon Clan, it would take thousands of years for so-called “time to heal all wounds.”

Thus, when the Semi-Awakening Potion appeared, although the advertisement didn’t provide detailed information, it allowed everyone to understand its effects. For a certain period, it could randomly activate an innate ability. Of course, the ability activated wasn’t just any ability—it depended on how remarkable one’s ancestors were and what kind of abilities they possessed in past generations.

The richer the family history, the more random the activated ability could be.

Even so, this was enough to pique the interest of most people in this magic potion. Shortly after the advertisement appeared, many began searching for related information. Unfortunately, it was just an advertisement for now, with no clear release date specified. The stir caused by this potion was even greater than that of the Fixation Potion!

The Fixation Potion only stabilized one’s physical condition, but the Semi-Awakening Potion genuinely enhanced one’s abilities. This was especially enticing for ordinary people without innate abilities, as it offered a chance to experience having one. Of course… most people only fantasized about it. Given its unique effects, the price was sure to be steep.

“It didn’t even make the headlines? Disappointing,” Zheng Yichen muttered to himself as he observed the Magic Weapon Forum. Well, expecting a single potion to overshadow the uproar caused by a Witch was a bit difficult. After all, Witches were rarer than giant pandas, and matters concerning them inevitably attracted attention. Otherwise, a single Witch Hunt back in the day wouldn’t have drawn “crowds from all directions.”

The more he learned, the more he realized how reckless he had been back then. It was purely a case of a newborn calf not afraid of a tiger. If the circumstances hadn’t restricted everyone at the time, he would have been finished long ago.