Chapter 555: The Vibe Is Off

Chapter 555: The Vibe Is Off

“Get stronger?” Zheng Yichen looked at this red dragon who spent all day not thinking about proper business but only about how to be a lazy bum. If there were things that could make one stronger quickly, would he still need to study, study, and more study?

Even if there were such things, he wouldn’t give them to you! And buy them at a high price? Zheng Yichen had long seen how stingy this dragon was. So the phrase “buy at a high price” coming from his mouth was really just that—not very appealing at all… Ah, bah!! If there really were such things, where could they be bought with mere money!

“Is there?”

“No!” Zheng Yichen answered quite bluntly.

“…”

Finally shaking off Augusta who was complaining, Zheng Yichen expressed sympathy for his frequent beatings. But sympathy was one thing; for a dragon, getting beaten up might help him grow a little… which was good, right? At least he wouldn’t become as cowardly as before?

Anyway, saying that he still had many things to do, Zheng Yichen regretfully chose to say goodbye.

Arriving at the Purple Vine Bar and discussing some matters with the madam proprietress, Zheng Yichen returned to the Underground Base. He got his hands on that so-called upgraded Nightmare Magic book. After just one glance, he felt a headache and looked at Irene. “This… really isn’t a new magic?”

Besides seeing a few traces, the rest of the information was something Zheng Yichen found rather incomprehensible.

“It really is the upgraded version of Nightmare Magic. You study it well yourself.”

Thus, Zheng Yichen’s difficult courses gained another new one… a Spatial Expansion technique plus this super-tier Nightmare Magic. Zheng Yichen’s eye twitched. He decided to put the Spatial Expansion technique aside for a while. Scratching his head, he picked up the book and started reading.

Hmm… the Magic Rune Array was still somewhat understandable. But this was the first time Zheng Yichen had seen magic beyond the High-Level Magic. Although Bona Kaine’s Magic Book recorded many, many magics, the limit was High-Level Magic. Now suddenly encountering something not in the current version, Zheng Yichen felt utterly speechless…

Zheng Yichen memorized the Magic Rune Array. However, this Magic Rune Array wasn’t the usual flat type. It was more like the three-dimensional mana lines that appear when a summoning magic calls forth a certain being. But that form was just the result after casting. This one was pure.

Going from 2D straight to 3D difficulty, Zheng Yichen’s initial feeling was nothing but headache. “Hmm, the time to grasp it initially… probably a week!!?”

Damn, Zheng Yichen himself was shocked. Ordinary magics, if he could handle them, he could learn directly, or just mimic and align them to cast. But this one couldn’t be cast simply by relying on his Talent.

“Uh… er, ouch!? I’d better take it slow.” Zheng Yichen rubbed his aching head. He had to learn this magic. Although he could indirectly get what he needed with Irene’s help, he wasn’t like before. For something not urgent, it was better to do it himself.

Putting down the book, he took out that huge watch big enough to smash someone and checked the time. He planned to go out for a change of mood, like checking if Loris was back. Then he caught sight of a familiar figure. “Huh? Annie, when did you get back?”

“Mmm, just got back.” Annie answered half-heartedly. She was currently unpacking some things, like some weird Aberration heart, unknown Magical Beast eyes, blood-vessel-like tubes, and so on. Even the Human Form created by the Undying Witch was brought over.

“You didn’t move your entire household here, did you?” Zheng Yichen couldn’t help but ask. Annie had always treated this Human Form like a treasure. If he wanted to touch it, she would stare at him the whole time. Others? If others had such ideas, they’d probably be eliminated by Annie the moment the thought occurred!

“Isn’t my household with me all the time? I just suddenly thought keeping it in my Personal Space wasn’t easy to maintain, so I took it out to store here. Your place is quite safe too.” Annie said casually. Safe? This place wasn’t just safe. After Loris returned later, anyone breaking in would find three Witches here. Probably even other Witches would be utterly shocked.

“Anyway, I’ve found some ways to solve the problem. I’ll try more later… But your matter over there is settled.”

Zheng Yichen briefly recounted the events in the town to Annie and Irene. Both wore indifferent expressions. Having seen and experienced much, they had witnessed such things too many times. “Hmm? You seem quite affected? Get used to it sooner.”

Annie spoke to Zheng Yichen in a tone of someone who had been through it all. Zheng Yichen rolled his eyes. “Is it wrong that I care?”

“Oh, then your life will pass very slowly.”

I’m originally Human, so passing a bit slower is fine, right? Zheng Yichen muttered to himself, taking out the Magic Weapon Summoning Book to contact Loris. “Loli, are you online?”

“…No.”

“Ahem.” Zheng Yichen couldn’t help but cough lightly, immediately feeling an unnatural vibe hit him. How could an emotionless loli answer like that!!

Greatly alarmed, Zheng Yichen wasted no time asking for Loris’s location. Just one day apart, and the vibe changed so much; something must have happened!! What made Zheng Yichen even more stunned was that Loris actually replied to his question, telling him her location!

Jora Town…

“What the heck!?” Zheng Yichen looked at this familiar name, his mouth twitching. So, why did he have his No.2 Alchemical Avatar return so early for no reason? He looked at his legs, feeling an urge to hit them hard with a stick. Why so hasty, why so hasty! Why leave so early!!

“I… I’m going out for a bit.” Zheng Yichen straightened his face and returned to the Laboratory, speaking to Annie and Irene.

“Hmm? What happened?” Seeing Zheng Yichen’s somewhat poor complexion, Annie asked immediately. The Witches’ long experience told them that if something seemed off, they had to ask directly. Straightforward was good. After living long, they were quite rational. Even straightforward questioning could sort out the relationships, unlikely to cause follow-up problems due to such “face-disregarding” behavior.

Besides, those whom Witches asked directly were either equals or those they overshadowed. Zheng Yichen was the latter, but currently, Annie and Irene regarded him as an equal. His speed of getting stronger early on was far less than an Awakened Witch, but that didn’t mean he lacked equal or even greater potential. The only thing Zheng Yichen lacked was time!

“Don’t avoid it. We’re not outsiders. If this matter exceeds your ability to solve, hiding it does you no good. If you can solve it, we won’t intervene. After all, you really need real practice.” Annie said.

Zheng Yichen nodded. “I find that all you Witches are very suited to be teachers…”

Dan Marina was like that, and now Annie’s behavior and words were like that too. Irene was a complete woman of action, the type who would work without much talk. The upgraded Nightmare Magic book she gave Zheng Yichen was extremely complete, with annotations covering any question he could think of. What wasn’t covered?

That would be his new ideas based on this magic combined with Earth knowledge. This was another treasure that could be an inheritance book!

“Some things come naturally after living long. What exactly happened?”

“Uh, it’s about Loris. I feel her vibe has changed.” Zheng Yichen recounted his contact process with Loris. Even Irene stopped what she was doing to listen. The two Witches pondered for a moment.

“From what you said, she might really have a problem, really crashed? Impossible…” Annie sounded uncertain. Loris was her junior in terms of age, but after all, she had lived a long time. The experience accumulated from age alone wouldn’t let her crash easily. But what Zheng Yichen said wasn’t false; there was chat history!

Was some other being impersonating Loris’s ID, specifically fishing? The main body of the Magic Weapon Summoning Book was in Zheng Yichen’s hands. After repeated upgrades and improvements, it had become a special Divine Artifact that even Witches paid attention to. Enhancements to the book only made it more flawless. Impersonation was impossible. So she really had a problem or encountered something!

“Witches are not invincible. If targeted, I can be passive too.” Irene said from the side. Having Witch’s Power didn’t mean one could do as they pleased, so she remained relatively calm. “If contact is possible, the problem isn’t huge. Clarify the issue first.”

“Oh, right. Take this with you.” Annie wiped the corner of her eye. A drop of blood fell from her eye to her fingertip. This drop grew into an eyeball… Come to think of it, Zheng Yichen had never seen Annie truly act. Like Dan Marina, a mystery enthusiast, he knew they were powerful but never had the chance to see them use their power.

He had seen Loris in action, but that kind of battle was just raising a finger and firing some Light Cannons, which Zheng Yichen could do too…

Zheng Yichen carefully took the eyeball and looked at Annie again. The eye color was the same grey as Annie’s. When it landed in the center of Zheng Yichen’s claw, it rolled gently. Finally, the eyeball and Zheng Yichen stared at each other—What the heck?

“It’s alive?”

“Mhm, something like the Magic Eye you once made. But what you make has a style others can hardly imitate, so I made something suitable for myself.” Here, Annie gave Zheng Yichen a somewhat dissatisfied look. “Also, although I don’t rush you, haven’t you forgotten something?”

“Huh? What…”

“You’re still young, how do you already have a forgetful problem?” Gently stamping her foot, Annie stared fixedly at Zheng Yichen.

Zheng Yichen suddenly realized and made a hammering motion… uh, he had an eyeball in his hand, couldn’t hammer. Somewhat awkwardly, he withdrew his clenched fist. “Knowledge of the Life Domain. I feel helpless. I had it all planned nicely, but the various events I encountered piled up a bunch of must-learn things… Yeah, that’s it.”

He wanted to add that since a bunch of must-learn things piled up, naturally the less important ones had to be set aside, but he thought saying that might get him beaten, so better not.

“Alright, I don’t need explanations. Just don’t forget. Remember, this knowledge is very important to you, even more important than the Spatial Manipulation techniques you want to learn.” Annie said seriously. “Don’t think I’m saying this deliberately to make you learn it. I can’t guarantee the future, but for this Transformation Magic, even if developed successfully, you must not lack Life Domain knowledge to use it perfectly.”

“So weird.” Zheng Yichen, controlling the No.3 Avatar, muttered while walking. This avatar didn’t use his own appearance but another modified style… a much more rugged one, like… Fist of the North Star… Ah, anyway, to avoid attention, any appearance was fine as long as it was convenient for movement. Besides, with this rough, strong look, people seeing it wouldn’t dare provoke him.

Zheng Yichen’s each step covered at least twenty meters. This wasn’t Spatial Manipulation skill, but a movement-type Earth Magic. He was walking, but the ground under his feet acted like a skateboard. Each step made his stride larger, making walking very efficient.

Walking along, he looked at the eyeball in his hand. It moved around, not very well-behaved. In the end, Zheng Yichen pressed it back into its socket. With this thing, Annie and Irene could monitor his situation in real time. Moreover, this eyeball was also a preparation by Annie.

If Zheng Yichen encountered a sudden situation, or if Loris’s problem was serious, this eyeball could directly jump out and become a temporary body Annie could use. This was considered a clone, not an avatar. The quieted Jora Town, on this day, gained someone who looked very not to be messed with, no… it should be said that the moment he arrived, the town residents immediately reported to the mayor, who directly marked him as a dangerous person for key monitoring!

Even those Mercenaries with fierce faces weren’t as attention-grabbing as this brawny man with a clearly off vibe!

“Hurry… hurry and notify the people from The Church, let them come take a look!” The not-very-assertive mayor, upon hearing this news and seeing this astonishingly vibed brawny man with his own eyes, also became uneasy.

“Is it a bit too much?” Being key-monitored, Zheng Yichen also found it strange. His design style was very realistic. Even if a bit brawny, not made into some outrageous caricature, shouldn’t be that attention-grabbing, right? Never mind, focus on the main task…