Chapter 540: Competition

Chapter 540: Competition

The next day, everyone in the town got up late. Quite a few felt dizzy and headachy, lacking strength to do anything. Some even considered stealing their wives’ dresses. Hmm… the reason? Those involved said they weren’t sure why, they just thought those clothes were pretty and they would look even prettier wearing them.

After looking in the mirror, the side effects of the Nightmare Magic vanished… Yeah, not a chance anyone could look pretty with their big, manly face like that. Anyway, everyone in the town was prepared for a completely idle day. Waking up, everyone felt low on energy; the feeling of tiredness clung to them. In such a state, they felt particularly weak, unable to accomplish anything.

Moreover, people from The Church had specially explained that an evil presence had appeared in the town last night. It was because of that evil presence that everyone in the town ended up in their current state. But they didn’t need to worry; the problem had been dealt with. After a good rest, everyone would return to normal without any side effects, blah, blah, blah.

“Hmm! Not bad. Don’t forget to call me next time something like this happens.” Zheng Yichen examined the new materials in his Personal Space. The materials had been handed over by The Church. As for verifying that the Derivative Witch in town had been eliminated? That wasn’t necessary. Because the Contract had ended…

Hmm, the Contract stated that Zheng Yichen would solve the problem of the Derivative Witch in town, and The Church would give him sufficient… reward. Now the Contract’s binding force had disappeared; both parties could sense that. It meant Zheng Yichen had fulfilled the Contract, so naturally, there was nothing left to confirm.

Therefore, The Church handed over the money with remarkable speed.

“I feel like I forgot something. Don’t you feel the same, Oro?” The bodyguard rubbed his head, looking conflicted. Oro glanced at him from the side.

“What do you remember?”

“…Not much. Seems I fought another version of myself in some strange place… and I lost.” The bodyguard frowned.

“Oh, you remember that little?” Oro said, sounding unsurprised. He also sensed part of his memory was missing. Maintaining his current power level wasn’t just about personal reasons; another factor was the ability to dream… or rather, a higher chance of dreaming. After all, truly powerful beings, with both their Mana and Spiritual Power being tremendously strong, had a very low chance of dreaming. How long is one night anyway? Hardly enough time for dreams. But if it were like a Giant Dragon, capable of sleeping for years, then dreaming would be almost guaranteed. After all, sleeping for so long without any dreams would just feel empty and unpleasant.

“How much do you remember?” the bodyguard pressed, frowning.

“I don’t remember anything.”

The bodyguard couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Then why were you babbling? He looked down at his hands, an uncomfortable feeling lingering. He remembered confronting himself. The details of the process were gone, forgotten, but he had some impression of the ending: he lost. He wasn’t clear why he lost, only vaguely recalling it wasn’t through combat defeat, but something else. What it was he didn’t know.

But precisely because he didn’t know, it bothered him extra.

“So, it’s better to forget such things entirely. Half-remembering some bits like you just causes unnecessary worry.”

“No, what bothers me is… has that Dragon gotten that powerful?” The bodyguard’s brow remained tightly furrowed.

“When you’re with a Witch, even… uh, even a mortal can ‘take off’, let alone that Dragon,” Oro replied nonchalantly. “So forget about it. Wasn’t the outcome what we wanted anyway? The Derivative Witch issue is resolved. Next step is to send that Dragon on his way.”

“We’re staying?”

Oro chuckled softly and shook his head. “Why did that Derivative Witch linger in this town anyway? Because there was something she wanted here. What a Derivative Witch wants is likely connected to the lingering… legacy… of the Undying Witch. If we don’t find that, and it falls into the wrong hands… Well, maybe they could create a Legend like some knight novels, or maybe create a ‘Demon King’.”

“Demon King? Hmph!” The bodyguard scoffed at the word. The Church had records of things calling themselves Demon Kings. Every troublemaker claiming that title had been conveniently dealt with by other Witches before The Church even had a chance to step in. Looking through the records, The Church was involved hardly ever. Not because they didn’t want to, but because they never caught up.

“Leave? Why leave? I think the ‘feng shui’ here is quite good. Planning to buy some property, use it as a vacation spot.” Zheng Yichen stated very seriously to Oro. Oro gave a light chuckle, not surprised by Zheng Yichen’s response.

“Very well, let’s get straight to the point. There is a remnant of the Undying Witch within this town. The Church forbids such things from being lost to outsiders.”

“That refers to the usual ‘outsider’. I am not an outsider,” Zheng Yichen countered, looking straight at Oro. “So, is The Church trying to compete with me over it?”

“Of course,” Oro nodded. “It is our duty.”

“Then let’s each rely on our own skills.” Zheng Yichen declared. Regarding the Undying Witch’s legacy? Well, most of it had probably transformed into Derivative beings. As for secret stashes… well, someone like that pretty much carried everything important on them. A Personal Space wasn’t some detached pocket dimension; it was a Space Fragment integrated with one’s Soul, residing inside the body. So, wherever you were, as long as your Soul existed, you could access your Personal Space. Hiding important things in a physical location? Not as reliable as keeping them directly on yourself.

Zheng Yichen was interested in the Undying Witch’s legacy, but not that interested. His primary goal right now was the core within the Stone Forest, not some mysterious legacy in town. Stirring things up here was all part of the act. If The Church thought he was staying for the Undying Witch’s legacy, their attention on his activities at the Stone Forest would lessen. Even a slight reduction was convenient. It benefited his subsequent actions. Even though Oro was sharp, with the existing information imbalance, some things he simply couldn’t deduce.

“Alright…” Oro nodded, saying no more. Forcing others to change their minds wasn’t his style. He preferred persuasion. Force was pointless; it just pressed down a spring that could snap back harder when you least expected. Sometimes, letting things flow naturally was best. Zheng Yichen sought the Undying Witch’s legacy. The Church also had its reasons for acquiring it. So, fine, they could compete. After all, he was just one Dragon here through a proxy, not even his true self. Even if he had a Witch advising him… The Church wouldn’t lose. Would they lose? Well, if they did, Oro felt he’d need intensive Church retraining, fearing his IQ had dropped perilously from lack of challenge. Otherwise, he’d risk being totally wiped out by someone’s scheme someday.

After Oro uploaded his summary report, the town matter largely concluded. Church reinforcements would arrive soon. The Cursed Witch investigation was also wrapped up. Overall, his mission was done. But what had Oro mentioned earlier? Competing with Zheng Yichen to find the Undying Witch’s legacy first, right?

“See, this is why I usually avoid taking on too many Church quests.” Oro held his Magic Weapon Summoning Book out for his bodyguard to see. The bodyguard took one glance and let out a small laugh. Oro continued, “Especially the troublesome ones! Every time you poke into one investigation, a whole tangled mess of follow-up events pours out!”

Shown on the page was a new Church directive appointing him to assist the arriving reinforcements in resolving the Undying Witch legacy issue. And after that? Well, if anything else popped up with the Cursed Witch, he likely wouldn’t get his well-deserved restful vacation. “Worse still… once external matters are dealt with, the Containment Zone situation remains unresolved. I might get dragged over there again. Sigh.”

“Come on,” the bodyguard said with amusement, “Just think how much time you spend slacking off each year. An incident like this might not even happen once a year for you.”

“True. Maybe not once a year. But when it does happen, it hands me a whole year’s workload.” Oro sighed again. “As if I don’t have enough meetings scheduled… Nevermind. Let’s wrap up the town business quickly.”

“What about the Dragon? Need someone to follow him?”

“No need. Following him isn’t meaningful. If he notices and creates a new Alchemical Avatar, you couldn’t stop him anyway.” Oro lightly stroked his chin, pondering. He wondered why Zheng Yichen had such preference for this specific Alchemical Avatar appearance? He’d used it consistently: inside the Containment Zone, out here… Was it sentimentality? Or some other quirk? Hmm… anyway, it was noteworthy. Oro’s years of analytical experience and… adventurous tendencies told him there was definitely a significant, hidden secret here. Ah, considering his own strength and other circumstances, he decided to just take notes. He could reveal it all when he felt he was getting too old.

“Something else?” Oro asked, noticing his bodyguard’s hesitant expression.

The bodyguard’s frown eased slightly. “It’s about what you mentioned earlier… those crystals. How exactly did you handle them?”

Under the bodyguard’s stunned gaze, Oro pulled out four small, deeply colored Magic Crystals from an Expansion Pouch and tossed them onto the table.

“Wh-wh-what?!” the bodyguard sputtered. “You gambled with the lives of everyone in this town?!”

“Nonsense! Am I that kind of person?” Oro retorted coolly. “These things were meaningless from the start, purely a decoy… As for the full truth~” He rapped his knuckles against his head. “No memory of last night, so I don’t know. But before that, they were just bait to lure out a certain presence in town.”

“So earlier… you were genuinely just playing?”

“Playing while planning simultaneously,” Oro clarified. “Did you think tricking myself was easy?”

“Huh? Isn’t that your usual routine?”

Ahem. Anyway, these are basically useless now. If you’re concerned, let’s go outside and use them up together.”

The bodyguard hesitated, then nodded. The two left town. Oro picked up one Magic Crystal, poured his Mana into it. Stimulated externally by the Mana, the crystal reacted violently, shifting instantly from deep blue to blazing red. Without a second’s hesitation, he threw it far away, moving with extreme speed to take cover behind his bodyguard – highlighting his ‘follow the heart’ instinct!

The thrown crystal flew several dozen meters through the air, bounced and rolled another dozen meters on the ground, then lay still. It gave a little ‘BOOM’ and puffed out a cloud of white smoke in the shape of a miniature mushroom.

“That’s it?” The bodyguard felt deeply fooled. He’d been so worried about the crystals’ danger. And it was just… this fart-like effect? Could it be any more anticlimactic?

Still hiding behind the bodyguard, Oro proceeded to throw the remaining crystals. The ground outside now boasted four patches of different colored mushroom puffs – and absolutely nothing else changed. The bodyguard stared back at the scene impassively. “That Dragon… he’s bound to become a menace someday.”

“So, are you going to eliminate him? Do away with a future scourge for the world?” Oro countered.

The bodyguard shook his head seriously. “My duty is solely to protect you. Other matters aren’t my concern.”

Back inside town, the bodyguard spotted Zheng Yichen. Zheng Yichen held a Luopan. Oro hadn’t seen this before. The patterns drawn on it were probably some kind of mysterious Runes? Hmm, maybe utterly useless doodles, though it undeniably looked secretive. A pointer spun at its center as Zheng Yichen appeared to be using the strange object to try and locate something.

“Is this a Magic Artifact? Where’s it sold? I might pick one up someday,” Oro inquired, moving closer with apparent interest. He did detect a faint Magic ripple. So, likely magical?

“Oh, I’m tinkering with this myself. Still a work-in-progress, currently testing,” Zheng Yichen answered casually. “Might list it in my Online Store later. Want one? If you can snatch it when it drops.”

“And its function?”

“Pay me first.”

“…” Oro gave Zheng Yichen a thorough once-over. “Honestly, even among Auxiliary Profession Practitioners, none are as obsessed with money as you… Didn’t you just grab a massive windfall earlier?”

“Grab? That was honestly earned with my skills!”

Oro acknowledged this with a nod. “Fair point. Opportunistic extortion is indeed a skill.”

Zheng Yichen didn’t refute it. That scheme involving Dan Marina had been precisely about opportunistic blackmail. It had succeeded mostly because, during turbulent times like this, The Church prioritized speed in resolving Witch-related legacies. Wealth could always be regained; the energy saved from managing Witch legacies could be redirected elsewhere to recoup previous losses.

“So, do you want to pay for the information?”

Oro thought deeply for a moment, displaying a mix of hesitation and resolve, then finally shook his head. “Better not. While I am intensely curious… my gut tells me this gadget is completely useless. Paying just to learn that is self-inflicted loss.”

Tch, Zheng Yichen mentally scoffed. The guy’s intuition wasn’t wrong; the Luopan was utterly useless. No point dwelling on it. The Luopan was something Zheng Yichen had built based on fragmented memories. His initial idea was to create a fortune-telling tool. After all, possessing Dan Marina’s Mana could make that feasible. But Dan Marina had sternly warned him: avoid using any Prophecy Art… it would just invite trouble unnecessarily.

So, he reluctantly scrapped the fortune-telling plans. The Luopan remained a prototype, though imbued with Dan Marina’s Mana and his Magical Modification Runes. Examining closely revealed intricate Magic Rune Arrays forming patterns like the Eight Trigrams. They were so tightly interwoven they looked seamless. Essentially… it was just a prop. The working part was purely the Magic Rune Arrays hidden beneath.

Currently, its sole function was finding specific people, with severe range limitations (max one kilometer) and requiring a special ‘key’ – like the target’s date of birth. Names also served as keys; why else were True Names used in Contracts?

Later on, he’d just toss it to Dan Marina. Let her decide whether to be a fortune-teller or medium… ahem.

“So, dealt with? How’d it go?”

Inside the Containment Zone, Dan Marina smiled at Zheng Yichen, extending her hand palm-up without ceremony. Zheng Yichen manipulated his Mana Threads to weave a Magic Rune Array, projecting an Illusion Magic effect. Dan Marina offered no resistance, allowing the illusion to wash over her. While Illusion Magic excelled at trickery, its narrative application proved remarkably convenient.

When recounting events felt cumbersome verbally, using such an Illusion Magic was perfect. The caster could immerse the recipient into a reconstructed experience mirroring their own. This was akin to explorers encountering ghostly echoes in ancient Ruins, largely remnants of Illusion Magic. Calculative minds could even orchestrate ‘conversations across millennia’ – possible through predicting the explorer’s mental state and meticulously triggering pre-set spell conditions upon meeting numerous specific criteria. A difficult, profound method, essentially elaborate showing-off.

“Not bad, not bad,” Dan Marina watched Zheng Yichen’s reconstructed process via the illusion. “Planning a new trick already?” She caught hints from Zheng Yichen’s mannerisms during the act; he seemed highly satisfied with this Magic and eager to develop further applications.

“Seriously, everything feels pointless around you Witches!” Zheng Yichen grumbled, brows furrowed. His new plan remained unspoken, yet Dan Marina had already sensed its direction!

“Your dominant intentions broadcast too clearly. Plus… heh.” Dan Marina chuckled, leaving the thought hanging…

The other half? Zheng Yichen was too earnest. Even when using Illusion Magic to recount events, meticulously recreating every minute detail wasn’t necessary. Maintaining clarity on core aspects while blurring peripheral ones was more efficient. Overly fleshing out irrelevant parts connected to key events only risked leaking unintended extra information!