Even though Wang Yue had lectured her in public like a child, Lilith decided not to get angry.
The odds weren’t in her favor, so getting angry was useless anyway. Besides, she wasn’t the type of girl to throw a petty tantrum; she would simply memorize this grievance in her heart.
Lilith remained expressionless, glancing at Wang Yue from the corner of her eye. She thought disdainfully, Hmph, there she goes again, overflowing with kindness. Helping these two pathetic Explorers who would have otherwise turned into monster dung. What a predictable pattern of behavior. She’ll definitely be plotted against in the future, and just when she’s on the brink of death, I’ll step in and save her. Then she’ll cry and swear never to be a ‘good person’ again…
Lilith’s unusual silence gave Wang Yue a slight sense of unease, but the latter didn’t feel she had done anything wrong.
Lilith’s act of stepping on the man’s hand had been malicious. Generally, even standard villains didn’t resort to such petty cruelty. Wang Yue felt she couldn’t let Lilith continue down this path of depravity, or justice would eventually catch up to her.
Wang Yue picked up the Explorer’s severed hand. Blood was still seeping out, and gruesome, dark red clots had formed near the shattered bone.
“I’m sorry. My friend is a bit of a jerk, and I apologize on her behalf,” Wang Yue said with a slight bow. Then, pointing to The Low-Crawler Colin behind her, she added, “As compensation, I will perform surgery to reattach your limb and then drive you and your companion home. Please, get in the vehicle.”
The man had no choice.
Even if he were stubborn enough to refuse, how could he safely lead his disciple back with only one arm? Moreover, these people had killed the Invisible Fiend, which meant they had essentially saved their lives.
Once on board, Wang Yue brewed a cup of sweet hot cocoa for the young girl. The aroma, sugar, and warmth would help soothe her nerves.
“Thank you…”
The girl gave a soft, weak murmur as she took the cup. But before she could even warm her palms with it, Lilith snatched it away. Wang Yue sighed and had to brew a second cup.
During their introductions, the man introduced himself as Sally, and the girl was Gwyneth. They lived in Scissor Town and were a Master and Disciple pair of Explorers.
Explorers didn’t have formal schools, but they operated on a Master-Disciple system where veterans mentored newcomers, for which the Guild provided certain rewards.
Wang Yue tossed a tube of nutritional paste to Sally and led him to the mid-deck, telling him to sit in the aeronautic chair.
She then pulled down a horizontal board from the adjacent bulkhead, revealing a built-in medical cabinet filled with various magic potions and surgical tools. This was a mobile operating table; the chair could be reclined or sat upright.
The fibrous layer at Sally’s stump was a natural fiber released from a dried fruit called “Bandage Fruit.” When crushed and pressed onto a wound, Bandage Fruit could rapidly stop bleeding and stabilize an injury, making it an essential item for Evernight expeditions.
Medical classes in the first year were taught by Professor Tone. Under her strict tutelage, reattachment surgery was no problem for Wang Yue, even without relying on Mystic Arts. Although she had manipulated her scores during the monthly exams to stay low-profile, she had maintained a perfect record in classroom practicals.
She first sprayed a softening potion on the plant fibers, peeled them away, and tossed them into a waste bin, allowing the dark red stagnant blood to flow out.
With agile movements, she debrided and disinfected the wound. She then picked up a slender Shuttle Wand and tapped lightly in the air above the severed ligaments, blood vessels, and bone. She marked them with mana for alignment, sprayed a healing potion on the surfaces, and finally cast a simple Traction Witchcraft. With a snap, the pieces pulled together and fused perfectly, leaving only a faint circular scar.
Soon, Sally was able to twitch his pinky finger slightly.
“Miraculous… Witches really are incredible!” His eyes shone with disbelief.
In the lounge area, Lilith was busy tormenting the young Explorer girl.
“Your shoes are getting dirt all over the floor. Don’t you know to take them off?”
“I-I’m sorry, I’ll take them off right now…”
“Taking off your shoes in the cabin? Do you want to stink us all to death?”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… W-What should I do?”
“Keep your feet in the air. Yes, just like that. Keep them held up.”
A look of humiliation and embarrassment appeared on the girl’s face. Sitting on the sofa, she struggled to keep her feet six inches off the floor, not daring to let them touch the ground. It was a ridiculous posture.
After a while, her calves began to cramp. Her muscles grew stiff and painful, but she didn’t dare lower them. Her toes curled tightly and she trembled violently, her eyes welling with tears.
Wang Yue flicked her wand from a distance, creating an invisible air wall beneath the girl’s feet, allowing her to rest them on thin air.
“No fun.” Seeing the interference, Lilith grumbled and retreated to her room in the tail-trap.
Because she couldn’t use mana, she couldn’t act as the driver, and The Low-Crawler Colin remained stationary.
The vehicle’s control console consisted of several joystick-like Pivot-Comb Spheres and two rows of buttons. Anyone could manipulate them, but the mana systems would only activate through Faith Authentication. For those without faith, pressing the buttons was useless; the mana would remain stagnant.
In other words, the Witch could drive, but Lilith could not, and Ed-Bear—who was currently guarding the exterior—couldn’t either.
Lilith closed her door and threw herself onto the double bed. She bounced softly, rolled over, and pulled out her deck of cards from her bag. Staring at them while lying on her back, she murmured to herself:
“Does the ‘Deconstruction Faith Method’ really work? If I truly start believing in Wang Yue from the bottom of my heart, won’t my previous actions look like those of a total moron? I’d be completely tamed! Just like Lulu’anna… she’s just a stupid little brat now, not cool at all.”
She hesitated repeatedly and decided not to try it for the time being.
A knock came from the door. Wang Yue’s voice drifted in.
“We’re heading out. Fasten your seatbelt.”
“I know, I’m coming out!”
The two went to the cockpit, making sure the two Explorers were buckled into their aeronautic chairs. Otherwise, a sudden stop could send them flying straight into the cockpit.
Wang Yue sat in the pilot’s seat and placed her hands on the joysticks. Beneath the vehicle, four gecko-like disc-toes began to move like the wind. Under the influence of transcendent power, even swamps, vertical cliffs, or all-consuming quicksand could be traversed as if they were level ground.
The top speed of The Low-Crawler Colin was five hundred kilometers per hour, equivalent to a top-tier supercar. However, Wang Yue only dared to accelerate to sixty kilometers per hour; this was off-roading, after all, and the terrain was complex.
She wasn’t afraid of obstacles; the immense torque driven by mana could snap a metal backbone if pushed too hard. If she couldn’t dodge in time, she could simply enter a Spatial Fold.
What she feared were “un-civic” Invisible Fiends or human stealthers. However, the wilderness was vast and boundless; the probability of colliding with a stealthy traveler was nearly zero.
Half an hour later, the “Crawl-along Hitchhike” arrived at the entrance of Scissor Town.
Scissor Town was built along a lake. The lake’s embankment was shaped like an acute angle, causing the town’s layout to extend in two directions, resembling a pair of scissors.
Upon approaching the settlement, Wang Yue turned the “car key” on the console and withdrew the transcendent power. The colorful mimetic body of the vehicle revealed itself, looking quite intimidating.
The Witch Academy’s crest was painted on the exterior. No one blocked them as they entered the town, and they drove straight to the local Explorers’ Guild.
After getting out of the vehicle, Sally performed a hand-to-chest salute toward Wang Yue. In a deep, powerful, and emotional voice, he said:
“Thank you for your help, powerful and benevolent Witch Wang Yue.”
“What about me? Why don’t you thank me?” Lilith asked crossly.
“Oh. Thanks,” Sally said dryly.
Hearing that perfunctory thanks, Lilith almost failed to suppress her rage.
Wang Yue quickly pulled her inside, finding an official in the Guild’s administrative area. After checking the records, they found that the task concerning the Secret Window Society had not been completed yet, so she requested to take it.
The fat man behind the desk looked hesitant and asked cautiously, “Are you second-year Witches? A Grade 3 difficulty assignment might be too hard for you.”
“We are first-years.”
“Eh?”
“Is there a problem?” Wang Yue asked.
“Well… I’d like to ask, have you ever done an Extracurricular Practice before?” the fat man asked, scratching his head.
“No,” Wang Yue answered truthfully.
“This…”
Sweat began to bead on the fat man’s forehead. These two little Witches looked about the same age as his daughter.
When he thought about his own daughter throwing tantrums every day, eating enough candy to get cavities, ignoring her tutors, and sneaking out to see the circus, the idea of these two little Witches trying to handle an extremely dangerous, medium-scale cult was simply surreal.
“You talk too much!”
Lilith’s expression darkened. Her Mystic Art activated, and the fat man’s body began to move uncontrollably, forcing him to sign the application form immediately.
