Chapter 556: The Equivalent of Being Drunk?

Chapter 556: The Equivalent of Being Drunk?

Operation: Search for the Loli… No, wait, first I need to shake off the surveillance!

Zheng Yichen could not understand why his appearance, which should have given people a sense of security, made him a prime target for surveillance as if he were a terrorist. After holding up a mirror to look at his face, he still did not notice anything strange. He thought about it and decided it might be because the people of this Otherworld were not used to this cultural style.

Before long, members of the Sanctuary Church found Zheng Yichen. They looked at him from a distance, and the leader of the group frowned slightly. There was no evil aura, but his intimidating muscles and extremely rugged face gave off a strange feeling… like this guy might suddenly beat someone to death.

“…”

“…I’m a good person,” Zheng Yichen said to the church members from afar.

“…That sounds even less believable,” one church member whispered. “This guy looks exactly like a thug locked up in the death prison.”

Although the speaker’s voice was quiet, Zheng Yichen heard it. He gave the church member a sharp look, causing the latter to shudder. A chill shot from his rear straight to his brain, and he instinctively shouted, “What are you trying to do!?”

“I never thought members of the Church would judge people by their appearance! How hateful!!” After saying this, Zheng Yichen simply left the area while the church members were on guard, expecting a conflict.

Not long after, a traveler who looked completely ordinary arrived in the town. Everything seemed natural, and no one suspected anything. Alternatively, the people near the town entrance were still distracted by that brawny man whose appearance was anything but ordinary. With the sudden appearance of a normal person, the impact was greatly reduced.

Stupid humans… Hmph.

Letting out a soft snort, Zheng Yichen—who had now changed his skin and bones—refused to admit that the earlier blunder happened because he had not thought things through. That was just the opening move! Just the opening move!

After perfectly infiltrating Jora Town, Zheng Yichen began his search. He returned to his previous room at the inn, opened the Magic Weapon Summoning Book, and tried to contact Loris. To his confusion, she did not reply…

“Alright, quite the troublemaker…” Muttering to himself, Zheng Yichen wandered aimlessly through the streets, hoping to get lucky. When night fell, he would use the Nightmare Magic again, pulling everyone in the town into it to see if he could find her.

Late at night, a hidden ripple of Magic spread over the entire Jora Town. The town remained in its original state, with people going about their business as usual. Nothing seemed amiss. Had the Nightmare Magic failed?

No, no, this was the successful Nightmare Magic. The difference was that Zheng Yichen had applied some additional interference techniques, causing the manifestation of the Nightmare Magic to appear abnormal. It was a dual manifestation. Under this interference effect, the Nightmare Realm synchronized with the outside world.

The difference was that events in the Nightmare Realm would not affect the outside world—except for the people inside. Any action taken by the people inside would be reflected in the outside world. The requirement for this operation was that the environment in the Nightmare Realm had to be sufficiently synchronized with the outside world… Synchronization was not a big issue. When Zheng Yichen cast the Nightmare Magic, he also collected all the information around them at the moment of casting. Even if it was not a perfect 100% synchronization, a Synchronization Rate above 90% was enough.

Therefore, those who were still awake in the Nightmare Realm still believed they were in reality, going about their business. Whether they were having a midnight snack or doing something else, it would be reflected in reality because their actions were equivalent to remotely controlling their bodies.

Of course, if someone died inside, the person in reality would fall into a vegetative state. However, as long as the Nightmare Magic was not dispelled, those affected by the magic would not notice anything wrong… Zheng Yichen used this magic mainly to search for someone. Without excessive interference, he could seamlessly dispel the magic.

He was the one who cast this magic, so he could clearly see everything happening inside…

“Using Nightmare Magic to search for someone, that works,” Annie said, observing Zheng Yichen’s actions through the “Magic Eye” she had given him. “But it doesn’t seem very useful.”

Even if Loris was in an unusual state, a mere Nightmare Magic would not be enough to pull her in. Even if Irene tried, it would not be easy, let alone Zheng Yichen!

Zheng Yichen also realized this problem… It made him a bit troubled. Well, Nightmare Magic was interference magic, not mind-reading magic. Realizing that he could not pull Loris in, Zheng Yichen quickly flipped through his Magical Grimoire and added an Illusion Magic to the Nightmare Realm. This Illusion Magic was mainly to compensate for some shortcomings of his Nightmare Magic.

Since he could not pull her in, he would make everyone his informants. This Illusion Magic could manifest illusions that others believed existed. For those pulled into the Nightmare Realm, it might become a loophole over time, but in the short term, there would be no flaws. After all, everyone inside was normal—no madmen or Cultists. The church members had been stationed here for so long; how could any Cultists come here to seek death?

Without those two types of people, the magic was very useful. It could reveal any existence not pulled into the Nightmare Realm. Zheng Yichen used this as a basis to investigate… “I’m really a genius!”

Zheng Yichen chattered to himself, waiting for the magic to take effect. Soon, he locked onto a specific target. When he saw who it was, he could not help but curl his lip. Well, as expected of a “protagonist-type” existence, they really were fated. The target he locked onto was none other than the child named Rock, whom he had observed earlier.

Earlier that night, instead of sleeping, Rock waited until his parents were asleep, then quietly opened the window and sneaked out of his house. He skulked along the way, avoiding certain gazes, with two steamed buns tucked in his arms… That was not important. What mattered was where he went afterward and who he met. He went to an abandoned house. Because Zheng Yichen was unfamiliar with this house earlier, its construction in the Nightmare Realm was blurry.

However, under the manifestation of the Illusion Magic Zheng Yichen added later, when Rock arrived, the house became complete. The source of its completion was Rock himself—in his mind, he knew there was a house here and what it looked like. Under the effect of the Illusion Magic, the house naturally appeared!

This was also why this magic could not be used for too long. Extended use would become one of the Nightmare Magic’s weaknesses. After all, people had too many thoughts. If someone realized they could conjure whatever they imagined, the Nightmare Realm would quickly fall into chaos.

With a snap of his fingers, Zheng Yichen dispelled the Nightmare Magic. The events in the Nightmare Realm were synchronized with the outside world, so after seamlessly ending the magic, no one in the town noticed anything wrong. After all, the strongest person here could be sent flying with a single swipe of Zheng Yichen’s claw—discovery was impossible.

Not to mention, Nightmare Magic was a lost art, and few people understood it. The chance of discovery was even lower. After seamlessly dispelling the Nightmare Magic, Zheng Yichen immediately left his room and headed to the location he had discovered through the magic. By the time he arrived, Rock had already reached the spot… After all, what happened in the Nightmare Realm was synchronized with the outside world, so Rock’s actions inside were mirrored by his real self.

After arriving, Zheng Yichen did not reveal himself immediately. Instead, he observed from the shadows for a while. Rock cautiously looked around, confirming that no one was there, and then entered the abandoned house. When he opened the door, Zheng Yichen saw a little girl inside and could not help but twitch the corner of his eye. It was indeed Loris, but one side of her body showed obvious abnormalities. The dark, living-like patterns were something Zheng Yichen could not identify.

“Have you encountered this kind of problem before?” Annie looked at Irene, who had remained silent. She had been synchronizing the images Zheng Yichen saw, so when Zheng Yichen saw Loris, both of them saw her too. They could even remotely sense the unusual aura emanating from that place through the eye, originating from Loris herself.

“…A Soul Seal, but not entirely,” Irene said, frowning slightly as she pondered. There were few long-lasting ways to affect a Witch. Loris’s unaffected side looked normal, but the side covered in activated dark patterns showed a different state. The eye on that side revealed a chaotic, bewildered expression—simply put, she had lost her wits!

“It looks more like corruption,” Annie said after observing for a while. Then she looked at Irene. “Hey, if you were to deal with those Derivative Witches, would you encounter such a problem?”

“I wouldn’t give those Derivative Witches such a chance,” Irene said without hesitation. Knowing that these Derivative Witches were related to the Undying Witch and their main characteristics were Soul-related, if she were to act, she would take full protective measures and would not end up in Loris’s situation. “A Witch’s Soul is not so easily corrupted. Her condition looks bad, but at most it will only trouble her for a while.”

Although Derivative Witches originated from the Undying Witch, and their abilities came from her—and were single-focused, making them somewhat enhanced—the so-called enhancement did not make them truly powerful. It was like comparing a Computer and a Mobile Phone. Anything a Mobile Phone could do, a Computer could do too. The only thing a Computer could not match was the convenience of a Mobile Phone… Well, using a Mobile Phone as an example was a bit weak—let’s use a tablet instead.

That thing was also a kind of “enhanced product,” improving portability while retaining some functions of a Computer. But that was it. This was why, even though Derivative Witches’ abilities were single-focused and enhanced, they still stood little chance against the original Undying Witch.

A single outstanding trait could not compete with comprehensive performance that completely overshadowed it.

Therefore, if Loris’s condition were caused by the Undying Witch, it would be complex and difficult to resolve. But if it were caused by a Derivative Witch, it was merely troublesome, leaving her somewhat passive for a short time. Annie nodded, gently resting her chin on one hand. “Hmm, this junior doesn’t seem like the careless type. How did she end up in this situation… Oh, right! She’s still in a state of power suppression, so it’s possible. Other possibilities cannot be ruled out either, like doing it on purpose…”

Loris had always used a certain Arcane Art to limit her power. This restriction was very strong, even affecting her physical condition. Her restriction Arcane Art was likely related to regression—excessive regression of her power to the point that her body was affected accordingly. Without lifting the restriction, the power she could exert was only about a quarter of her original strength.

In such a state, dealing with those Derivative Witches, although the chance of encountering a dire situation was low, it was not impossible. “Hmm~ Even if she’s affected by Soul-related interference and her mind is impaired, she still wouldn’t easily interact with Humans. So… what’s the deal with that child?”

…

“Um, I saw you haven’t eaten all day, so I brought this for you,” Rock said quietly, looking at Loris. Although the girl’s face was delicate and beautiful, the living-like dark patterns on one side of her body were enough to scare many people away. After all, those wriggling patterns made people instinctively think of Cultists… Or perhaps it was a habit of the people in this Otherworld. Whenever they encountered something that looked extremely evil and beyond their understanding, those without knowledge would immediately think of Cultists.

Loris’s unaffected eye glanced at Rock, her gaze falling on the Ring on his hand. She had already isolated this place, so ordinary people could not find it. The fact that Rock could find it was not just luck; the Ring he wore… carried Zheng Yichen’s Mana aura.

“Leave. I don’t need to eat,” Loris said indifferently. Even though he carried a small item left by Zheng Yichen, allowing him to coincidentally find this place, it did not mean much. It was not some kind of bonus. Zheng Yichen used his Avatar to roam around all the time, so the things he left behind were plentiful. Having one more person like Rock did not matter, and losing one did not either.

The reason he could come here was purely because Loris was feeling “bored” and wanted to see who was carrying something Zheng Yichen had left. The dark patterns on her body were left by a Derivative Witch who had burned everything before being destroyed. It was very troublesome. These patterns, combined with her Arcane Art that suppressed her power, created a special circumstance.

The erosion from the dark patterns reduced her control over her own power. Maintaining her current state was not a big issue, but if she lifted the Arcane Art to quickly restore her power and dispel the patterns, her power would leak on a large scale. So, she decided to leave it as it was… After all, it didn’t feel bad.

Well, in this state, it was like being heavily drunk. She could remember some things clearly but would act in ways that did not align with her usual self-restraint. Blacking out? That would not happen. For a Witch, blacking out was too dangerous. If such a situation really occurred, even if her power leaked uncontrollably on a large scale, she would quickly eliminate the abnormality.

Besides, the appearance of these dark patterns… was not because she was careless or because her power suppression was too severe to cope. There was an element of intention involved. When that Witch used this move, Loris had the ability to avoid being affected so severely. However, at that moment, she realized there were some benefits to enduring it, so she did. Based on these dark patterns, finding the remaining Derivative Witches had become much easier!

“But you… Are you really okay?” Rock still hesitated.

“I’m fine.” Loris suddenly stood up and walked over to Rock. Rock wanted to say something more but found the air around him seemed to solidify. He moved his lips but could not make a sound. His blue eyes filled with fear and regret…

Loris stared at him for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on her usually indifferent face. Loris’s smile was beautiful, even though she usually kept a cold expression.

Watching from the shadows, Zheng Yichen’s heart let out a loud exclamation!! Damn, why did he suddenly feel so jealous? Maybe he should just get rid of this kid!!

“Not bad. I understand why he gave you this little trinket… item,” Loris said with a gentle smile. The child before her had a hidden potential, a kind of Talent for growing stronger. However, he was too young now, so it had not manifested yet. It would only truly appear when he reached adulthood.

But generally, such individuals often wasted their time because of this. After all, if a Talent only manifested after adulthood, much of the time before that was usually wasted. Although Talent could bring growth beyond others, the lack of early training meant that those who started cultivating from a young age could narrow the gap.

“Work hard. You can become very powerful… Oh, but consider this incident a lesson. When you lack strength and ability, if you encounter something unusual, don’t think about approaching it. Stay away. Next time, you might not be so lucky.”

Loris’s unaffected hand gently flicked in front of her. Rock felt as if his world was spinning, and he tumbled across the ground, rolling away. Watching Rock roll on the ground, Loris’s smile froze, and her eyes revealed a coldness Zheng Yichen had never seen before… Killing intent!

Rock, who had been sent tumbling away, eventually crashed into a small, withered tree before stopping. Once he stopped, he felt a burning pain all over his body, with many scrapes and scratches.

Rock felt utterly wronged. He had only meant well, so why did this happen? The injured areas burned with pain, but soon the pain eased under a gentle force. The minor wounds began to heal slowly, followed by the larger ones.

The healing speed was not fast. It would take about half an hour for the injuries to fully recover. This was enough time for him to return home and become lively again. Scratching his head, Rock fearfully glanced at the abandoned house. He rubbed his sore knee and tried to stand up, but his hand pressed against something. “What’s this?”

Puzzled, he picked up the book and gently flipped through it. Under the dim moonlight, he saw many Human Form illustrations. These were poses, and there were also words written beside them. However, he did not know many words. Some were taught by his grandfather to his father, and then by his father to him.

In short, he only knew enough to write his name and some simple things. Most of the words in this book were unintelligible to him! Rock felt frustrated. He decided to wait until he learned to read better in school before looking at it again… But these illustrations—maybe he could try them out?

Carefully putting the book away, he staggered slightly as he jogged back home. With every movement, pain signals shot through his entire body. This pain… was worse than when he made mistakes as a younger child and his father scolded him. Halfway home, Rock could not hold back his tears. Even though he only had a few scrapes, why did it hurt so much!?

If he ever encountered such obviously unusual things again, he would absolutely, absolutely not get involved easily!!

After “seeing off” Rock, Loris sat back down in her previous spot. She indifferently glanced at the steamed buns Rock had dropped on the ground when he left. Commoners’ food was not particularly refined. These steamed buns were made of coarse flour and were difficult to swallow, but they were popular among commoners.

She had memories of such food since she could remember. Seeing it again now brought some nostalgia… but no attachment. The two steamed buns on the ground quickly decayed and turned to dust, scattering across the abandoned house.

Afterward, Loris gently swung her small feet. Her unaffected hand gently rested under her chin as she looked toward the open door, watching the figure approaching. “Did you deal with the Derivative Witch here?”

“I haven’t told you about this yet, have I?” Zheng Yichen asked, looking at Loris, who was acting strangely. Whether it was her tone, personality, or the killing intent she had shown earlier—something he had never seen before—she was not the type to casually show such feelings toward a Human child.

“I’m too familiar with your Mana. Even after it was cleaned up, I could still detect it… Also, don’t ask me if there’s anything wrong.” Loris lightly tapped her cheek and looked at her other hand, covered in dark patterns. “Even though it looks a bit scary, I’ve already removed the most frightening part. My condition is probably like a Human being heavily drunk. It’s not a big problem.”

Zheng Yichen’s eye twitched. “This is not a big problem!?”

If a Witch did not want to get drunk, she would not. But if a Witch was truly heavily drunk… He wanted to ask Loris about her drinking manners!