Chapter 531: A Very Important Matter

Chapter 531: A Very Important Matter

The next day, Oro opened his eyes, looked at the man who hadn’t slept all night, rubbed his eyes, and sat up. He took out a piece of paper. “What? Still brooding?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“What’s there to brood about? Think of it this way—just consider it as protecting me, okay?”

“……” The man looked at Oro with an expressionless face. “Actually, the Church really should know about this.”

“The problem is, even if the Church knew, it wouldn’t mean much.” Seeing the man’s puzzled look, Oro continued writing. “Let me put it this way. You’ve noticed it too, right? The Church’s efforts against Witches have decreased a lot these past few years.”

The man nodded. The official reason was that the number of Witches had decreased dramatically, so the intensity had been lowered to prevent Witches from fully uniting under pressure, especially in recent records. The Church only actively dealt with Witches during Witch Hunts.

Even when searching for regular Witches, the related efforts had also diminished.

“Don’t overthink it. It’s not that the Church has decayed… Well, there are other reasons.”

“You mean this matter could become a trigger point?”

“Hmm… The thoughts of the Fate Witch are hard to decipher. Knowing that our current actions are within her calculations and still proceeding as usual would be rather foolish.”

“But what if you’re also being manipulated by the Fate Witch in this?”

“I’m just a Human. Isn’t it normal to be outsmarted by a Witch? So, the most important person in this matter is still you.” Oro patted the man’s shoulder. “For the current situation with Witches, maintaining the status quo isn’t so bad. Instead, some sudden stimulus that muddies clear water would lead to many more problems.”

Currently, Witches were like existences hidden beneath the sand in clear water. As long as Witches made even slight movements, they would affect the sand’s changes, easily visible through the clear water. But once the water became murky, any further actions by Witches would be difficult to detect directly.

“So, for the sake of the water’s clarity, staying silent is best. If the Fate Witch really uses this to muddy the water, do you think that would be good for the Church?”

“……Alright, why didn’t you say this yesterday?”

The man looked at Oro with lingering resentment. Because of what was on yesterday’s report, he had brooded the entire night—all night! If Oro had said this earlier, he could have gone to sleep sooner.

“I thought you could have figured that out yourself? It’s a very simple analysis of the situation.”

Simple? The man looked at his own hand, which could slap Oro to death with one strike. From what mindset do you tell someone like me it’s simple? Showing off your intelligence?

Temporarily convinced, the man didn’t dwell on the matter further. The problems in the Town still hadn’t been resolved. The team already had issues; the Soul Synchronization Witch had synchronized with someone in the investigation team. How many victims there were currently remained unclear.

But once such a team was taken back, everyone would face scrutiny. If no problems were found? That was even simpler—just handle them with information isolation. Send them to a small island, provide food and clothes, but ensure they couldn’t leave.

After all, the abilities of a Soul Synchronization Witch were too troublesome, so they had to investigate thoroughly before that. It would be best to find that Derivative Witch and eliminate them completely. Otherwise, the possibility Oro had mentioned would be too easily realized. The Human Forms at the Containment Zone were of a rapidly spreading type. The Church had taken immediate action. Encountering a Derivative Witch here would be equally troublesome, with its strong camouflage.

Simply returning as if nothing had happened was a major blunder in itself, and receiving such treatment would also be a punishment.

For the sake of a better future, they had to find a way to solve the problem. It wasn’t a hopeless dead end yet; they still had considerable advantages. After all, the Cursed Witch was dealing with the Derivative Witch. The Derivative Witch in this Town was surely one of her targets as well.

What needed consideration was how to avoid involving the people in the Town. Once the Cursed Witch took action, everyone in the entire Town would turn to sand, or even…

“Well, don’t worry. That Derivative Witch won’t leave this Town for now,” Zheng Yichen said, tapping the list in front of him with his pen. “For this statement, increase the original reward by tenfold.”

“Alright.” Oro nodded without bargaining. There was no need to haggle since this wasn’t about that. Zheng Yichen’s words revealed too much information, and it was extremely valuable. If the Derivative Witch wouldn’t leave the Town for now, there was no need to worry about them quietly escaping.

The reason? Probably still related to Zheng Yichen. This statement basically confirmed some connection between him and the Undying Witch.

After answering Oro’s question, Zheng Yichen saw him out. Controlling the Alchemical Puppet at the Containment Zone, he sat across from Dan Marina. The demand for increased rewards earlier had been her suggestion. Although the gains were sufficient, it exposed some issues…

“It’s fine. It’s already exposed anyway. The person you met is called Oro, right?”

Zheng Yichen nodded. Dan Marina lightly tapped the table. “Then there’s no problem. His strength is average, but his capabilities are quite good. When I was under the Church’s control before, I paid attention to some of his deeds. With his intellect, from the moment you were looking for Loris’s trail and encountered him, he had already started wondering about your role in this matter.”

“If you had simply cut off further contact with him back then, there wouldn’t be any subsequent problems.”

“The problem is, I’ve had quite a bit of contact with him.”

“Then the matter of your connection with the Undying Witch is exposed, huh.”

“……Let’s kill him.”

“Pointless. Even if he dies, the problem will still arise. Having him alive isn’t much of an issue. Of course, if you have the ability to kill him, you can try. But… he’s probably prepared for that. Taking action would only expose more things.”

“Headache. Let’s leave it at that.” Zheng Yichen rubbed his head. Damn it, how did looking for someone lead to this?

“Hehe, it’s a headache you brought upon yourself. Remember this experience. Some things don’t necessarily bring good results just because you worry and take action.”

“I feel even worse.” Zheng Yichen sighed. Dan Marina’s meaning was understandable: if he hadn’t meddled this time, this whole mess wouldn’t have happened.

“Though it’s partly your responsibility, it’s not entirely your fault.” Dan Marina smiled. “Anyway, since you encountered Oro in this matter, the impact can ultimately be minimized. If it were someone else, there’d be more trouble.”

“The main reason for this matter is that you’ve never truly delved deep into understanding the strength of Witches. Even now, you’re stuck at a superficial level, which leads to unnecessary worries.”

“I’ve been trying very hard to understand.” Zheng Yichen rolled his eyes. The concept of a Witch’s strength, explained solely through descriptions for him to comprehend—Zheng Yichen could only use his imagination. After all, his own strength and realm were limited; no matter how clearly it was explained, it would remain that way.

“Take it slow. This can’t be rushed. Strength limits one’s perspective too severely.”

Dan Marina nodded gently, giving Zheng Yichen a mischievous smile. “By the way, have you ever been curious about Ti Xiya?”

Zheng Yichen paused, then asked in return, “Who’s Ti Xiya?”

“The Chief Supervisor of the Containment Zone.”

“A little. Her inexplicably strong opinion of me is strange. I wonder where that opinion comes from.”

“Heh, simple. She has a special relationship with Loris, so of course she has a big issue with you. Why don’t you go ask her? Just don’t say I told you.”

“No!” Zheng Yichen’s eyes widened as he flatly refused. With that look on her face now, he knew things weren’t simple. Even if he was dying of curiosity, she clearly wanted to use him as a pawn at this moment. How could he walk into such an obvious trap?

Of course not!

“She might be a love rival, you know.”

“!? What the heck?” Zheng Yichen, influenced by the various modern information from Earth, instantly, with his enhanced mental power boosting his brainpower, pictured countless scenarios.

“Heh, seems like the world you’re from is really open. I’d love to visit sometime.” Dan Marina chuckled at Zheng Yichen’s stunned expression. “This isn’t a joke, you know. It’s very likely true.”

“You’ve only worked there a few days and learned all this?” Suppressing his shock, Zheng Yichen asked suspiciously. Even if it were possible, it would be a deeply buried secret, right? She wasn’t an idiot; why would she reveal it to Dan Marina?

Her previous battle of wits with Ti Xiya also meant Dan Marina didn’t have that “understanding big sister” persona. Something like a heartbroken older girl confiding her long-held feelings to a caring big sister… didn’t exist!

“I’m the Fate Witch, you know! You shouldn’t doubt me like this!”

“Fate Witch? Tsk, your real body is still lying in a coffin… Want me to take a couple of photos for you to see?”

Dan Marina held out a hand, signaling Zheng Yichen to hand over the photos, which made him hesitate. He had just been talking; in reality, he hadn’t taken any photos.

“Am I that unattractive? My sleeping face didn’t even make you want to keep a photo?”

Zheng Yichen thought about it and decided not to mention that after placing her body in the Crystal Coffin, he hadn’t even gone to check on it during this time and didn’t know if it had gathered dust.

“Ahem, back to the main topic. How did you confirm it?”

“Simple. Just this particular jealousy alone is quite obvious. She met you for the first time, yet harbors such inexplicable jealousy. The possible connections are very limited. You don’t have many friends; the people you’re connected to are only Witches. The only Witch confirmed to be related to you is the Cursed Witch, so the source of this jealousy is pretty clear.”

“But that still doesn’t necessarily mean it’s about being a love rival…”

“But you can’t be sure it isn’t, either.”

“Take your time investigating.” Zheng Yichen clapped his hands together, offering strong verbal support for Dan Marina’s investigation.

“What about asking her, then?” Dan Marina had even prepared a script for Zheng Yichen. If he went to ask, she wouldn’t be exposed unless he was dishonest and betrayed his teammate, agreeing face-to-face only to sell her out immediately afterward.

“No.”

Zheng Yichen refused just as firmly. Regardless of whatever relationship Ti Xiya had with Loris, the fact that she was part of the Church was problematic in itself. If she had issues, she definitely wouldn’t be the Chief Supervisor of the Containment Zone. This immediately made Zheng Yichen think of another possibility—the Curse of the Betraying Witch…

Damn it, so he wasn’t the first? Now there’s some sort of ‘ex-girlfriend’ popping up? Although the Curse of the Betraying Witch didn’t target those the Witch cared about, but rather ordinary beings with sufficient ties to the Witch.

But what Zheng Yichen just thought wasn’t completely impossible either.

“Even if it’s jealousy, you should be happy.” Seeing Zheng Yichen’s troubled expression, Dan Marina grabbed his hand. “Think about it this way: once a Witch truly cares for someone, she almost never changes her mind. In your case, if there really was a predecessor, wouldn’t that mean your charm is even greater?”

“……Even if you say that, I still can’t feel happy at all. You’re just messing with me, aren’t you!” Zheng Yichen abruptly stood up, trying to pull his hand back, but failed. The strength of a genuine Avatar was far superior to the low-spec Alchemical Avatar he was using.

Tsk—

A faint sound seemed to pass through the air.

“Little Dragon, you’re not as innocent as you used to be.”

Zheng Yichen rolled his eyes. He had never been innocent, okay? Otherwise, why would he have wild thoughts while sleeping with a pseudo-Loli? If not for this Dragon Body that had the will but not the means, forcing him to be a giant body pillow for the pseudo-Loli… Tsk!

Anyway, the woman before him had given him a misleading hint from the start. Being love rivals was basically impossible. Ti Xiya held such a strong opinion of him; Dan Marina said it was mainly jealousy, but it had to be for other reasons. Asking Loris about it—Dan Marina suggested it, and Zheng Yichen thought about it too, but he wasn’t planning on it for now.

Mainly because Loris had never mentioned this matter. Ti Xiya was now a mid-to-high-level member of the Sanctuary Church; their identities were inherently opposed. Her attitude… “So… people who had ties with Witches and then betrayed them, are they all like her?”

“Not necessarily. There are many, many reasons for betrayal by those connected to Witches—rich enough to fill a book. Someone like her is one type, but the situation is a bit strange, which is why I suggested you ask Loris.” Dan Marina spoke very seriously.

“I don’t believe your nonsense!” Zheng Yichen remained unmoved.

Her solemn expression immediately crumbled. “Aiya, even though I know you’re saying it on purpose, it’s still infuriating. Go on, go ask her properly. This matter is very important!”