“It tastes so strange…”
Dorothy’s cheeks were flushed, and her little head felt light and dizzy.
“Does it really taste that weird?” Her roommates were instantly intrigued, crowding around her one after another.
“Cough… mustard… mint… it’s spicy and cold at the same time… like eating wasabi-flavored ice cream…” Dorothy coughed as she spoke.
“I love wasabi ice cream!” Matcha shouted, raising her hand high.
This only piqued the young witches’ curiosity further. They each picked up a green candy and peeled back the wrapper. Unlike Dorothy, who had stuffed it straight into her mouth, they extended their delicate pink tongues to give the treats a cautious lick.
“Eee-yah—!”
“Gulp…”
“Haa-huu, haa-huu…”
Experiencing such an alien flavor for the first time, the girls’ expressions were a mix of wonder and shock, their large, round eyes sparkling with life.
“Master, won’t you try one?” Dorothy offered a piece to her.
Wang Yue took it and held it in her hand, but her gaze drifted elsewhere, her mind clearly occupied by other things.
The Academy was officially under lockdown, which meant the Hush-Name Witches had already departed. Those heading to the front lines were the experienced veterans—the Principal and the two Professors.
The ones staying behind were all newly ascended. It wasn’t that Wang Yue was being arrogant or dismissive of their skills, but in a situation like this, it was impossible not to worry.
Wang Yue had reported the matter of the Restorationists to the Principal in private and had no contact with the other Hush-Names. Now that the Principal was gone, the matter was effectively shelved. She could only rely on herself.
In times when control over the battlefield was necessary, the utility of the Crow Raiment truly shone.
In addition to the “surveillance cameras” scattered inside and outside the school, Decaying Aminata and Lilith each carried a crow to maintain communication.
Outside the school, a crow circled the towering Demon Tree, syncing its high-altitude perspective back to Wang Yue.
The Demon Tree drew power from the Outer God’s stoma, growing more powerful than ever before. The Academy’s sky and ground were completely encased by trunks and root systems, airtight and as solid as a fortress of gold.
Breaking through its outer wall would be incredibly difficult. Even if one managed to punch a hole through it, the wall would regenerate in an instant. As long as the Demon Tree’s core consciousness remained intact, it would continue to grow indefinitely.
As for destroying that consciousness, it was even more impossible. Its primary consciousness resided within the seed, which Decaying Aminata kept on her person at all times.
Furthermore, the Lord of the Origin, who accompanied Decaying Aminata, possessed a high-frequency teleportation ability called “Coordinate Space.” This was a pair that had been strategically calculated and verified for maximum efficiency.
Wang Yue’s thoughts raced. This oversized “treehouse” was quite reliable, but where did this lingering sense of unease come from?
Ultimately, it was the mysterious person who had infiltrated the school who worried her most—specifically that highly corrosive mental attribute. It felt as though they could invade the minds of the weak-willed in an instant, brainwashing them and turning them into one of their own.
A sturdy fortress is almost always breached from within.
Lunchtime arrived, and Wang Yue accompanied Dorothy downstairs to collect their daily rations.
Prima had moved back into Room 204, so they picked up six portions. The boxes were warm in their arms and came with fruit—starfruit and mangosteens.
The change from a buffet to boxed meals meant the food was slightly worse than before the lockdown, but the young witches were children of the Evernight; most of them weren’t picky eaters.
The only problem was that Dorothy didn’t feel full.
This was where the mangosteens came in handy. Wang Yue gave her a few extra, and the result was Dorothy’s stomach bloating until she looked like she was carrying a child.
Rarely finding herself amused, Wang Yue reached out and placed a hand on the girl’s belly, feeling the soft, taut sensation.
When the afternoon classes ended, the dinner boxes were delivered. The side dish was candied melon strips, which made Dorothy ecstatic; she loved anything sweet.
After dinner, Loran appeared at the door.
Wang Yue knew why she was there. She stood up and led her toward the lounge.
The two sat down on the sofa.
Loran lowered her eyelashes, nervously fidgeting with her fingers. It took a long while before she spoke, and when she did, it was an apology.
“I’m sorry… I… I’ve come to trouble you again…”
Wang Yue signaled her understanding. After all, Lord Aurora was Loran’s only relative. It was only human to want to ask questions.
Given the massive movements from the Explorers’ Guild and the Hush-Name Witches, it was easy to guess that a critical moment had arrived.
“It’s no trouble. I’m happy to help,” Wang Yue replied with a smile.
“Really? That’s wonderful! Student Wang Yue, you’re so kind!” Loran said, surprised.
“There’s no need for such formality. Mr. Wright is doing something great. How could I be heartless toward his daughter?”
Wang Yue had secured a Special Grade Relic from Lord Aurora, so she certainly wasn’t going to be ungrateful now that the deal was struck.
She was quite warm toward Loran, almost wishing she could ask, “So, exactly how many Special Grade Relics does your father have?”
“Then…” Loran hesitated.
“The battle hasn’t begun yet. Your father is still on his way. He likely has a way to summon his companions to his side—perhaps the Cardinal Light of Recall.”
To enter a place completely cut off from the rest of the world, traveling via a “Path of Light” was the best method. It was instantaneous.
***
The mountains.
A shimmering figure leapt between the jagged, treacherous crags. A winged cloak allowed him to float weightlessly, ascending with a continuous, powerful momentum.
The mad, hallucinatory Crimson planet loomed before him. The massive craters and undulating mountain ranges felt close enough to touch, yet they also looked like ethereal phantoms. One could see the churning, crawling leaden clouds of the sky right through the celestial body.
Near the lower half of the planet, a blood-red, glowing ring—as perfect as if drawn by a compass—faced forward. Ink-black tears surged from it, flowing through the gaps in the mountains, trickling and spreading into a rolling river that looked like a sprawling ink painting.
The material of the ring was part glass, part enamel. Judging by the intense sense of order it projected, it was clearly not a natural formation, nor was it a creation that could be achieved by human hands. It was like a divine miracle.
If an ordinary person were to trek up this mountain on a pilgrimage, bowing every three steps until they reached that sacred ring, their soul would surely be washed clean by the experience.
“Hahahaha!”
Wright let out a boisterous laugh.
A Lantern-Bearer had no emotions and could not feel joy. He laughed because the scene before him triggered a programmed instruction labeled “Happiness.”
In life, had he walked this path and stood before an existence that overturned everything he knew, he would have laughed just as loudly.
The soul imprint buzzed against the transparent glass shell of his being, an echo of the past vibrating within.
Wright slowed his pace and picked up the Gaze Worm in his hand, speaking solemnly:
“This is the final message, Wang Yue.”
“I have a daughter. She is your classmate.”
“I have no memory of her.”
“I only know her name is Loran.”
“Because the technology is limited, upon becoming a Lantern-Bearer, one can only preserve the important memories regarding a single person.”
“At the time, I chose my beloved, my wife Charlotte. Though she passed away from illness, as the person who loved her most in this world, I will forever preserve the beautiful times we spent together. Of course, I love my daughter too—who wouldn’t love their own daughter? But I could only choose one… Wang Yue, I beg of you, take care of her. You can take proof of this to the executor of my will to exchange for Special Grade Relics. As many as you want.”
His voice was gentle and sorrowful, yet lacked true emotional depth. It sounded like an old tape recording, rasping through a radio.
Having finished, Wright’s toes kicked off the ground, and he vanished from the spot instantly.
A golden, zig-zagging silhouette flashed, darting along the mountain ridge. The black cloak behind him fluttered into a long, trailing ribbon.
His speed grew faster and faster, like a bolt of golden lightning striking toward the dark, profound sky!
Wright had reached the summit!
Behind the mountain lay a long, continuous, yet illusory and transparent form connected to the blood-red planet. It was as rugged and undulating as a river terrace, embedded with red rings of various sizes.
In a split second, the tide-like Crimson Phantom Light swallowed him whole!
