Witch’s Night: Chapter 37 The Game’s Penalty
Knowledge beyond the scope of comprehension could bring disaster; Hamid and the other followers of the Church of the End Gods were prime examples.
They came into contact with the truth brought by the corrupted Gods, saw such a terrifying truth and a future filled with only despair, and completely became pawns in the Gods’ plan.
Destroying civilization, severing the Gods’ foundation, thus preventing the invasion and spread of “malice,” this was the Gods’ struggle and resistance against themselves.
Then everything would begin anew. A new civilization would be reborn from the decaying corpse of the old, once again carrying the hope of the Gods breaking free from their shackles, repeating the cycle over and over again.
“Tens of thousands of years of struggle, only to result in failure.” Illusion whispered,
“We don’t know how the Saint felt. She wrote three full pages about failure in her notes.
“The Gods’ struggle didn’t bring any change. The destruction of civilization brought about by the Malice of All Worlds still couldn’t break the deadlock, only delaying this destined, desperate end again and again.”
“So, she chose to betray the Malice of All Worlds and became a Witch who wasn’t a ‘Witch’?” Luo Yan whispered.
“She’s the Saint,” Illusion added. “Regardless of her past identity, to humanity, she is the Saint, the savior who allowed the civilization of the Old Era to continue.”
This forbidden, secret knowledge was extremely dangerous. Illusion had basically never told anyone besides the other Saints; rash contact could bring unimaginable consequences.
Fortunately, Luo Yan was a good listener, and this knowledge didn’t bring her any disaster.
However, she still had a question.
“Why are you telling me this?” Luo Yan asked in a deep voice. “Even if you didn’t tell me, it wouldn’t matter. I don’t know the Saint, and it doesn’t seem necessary to know this just to see her remains.”
“No, you need to know.” Illusion shook her head and said, “With factual knowledge, you can see more.
“If you don’t know someone, encountering them in a sea of people won’t leave any impression on you. But if you already know each other, a chance encounter would be called fate.”
Illusion hesitated for a moment and continued,
“But these things, you can’t tell anyone, I believe Miss Luo Yan understands this very well.”
“Of course.”
Luo Yan nodded slightly.
She had been in the present world for several months and had already learned a lot about it. She was no longer the naive girl from Ghost Town.
What should be said and what shouldn’t be said, Luo Yan could still distinguish.
“That’s all I have to say, Miss Luo Yan. Go back and prepare, we’ll be leaving for Noah soon.”
Illusion stood up and walked over to open the car door for Luo Yan. “If you have any other questions, you can ask me… I hope we won’t be bored on this not-so-long journey.”
“Mm,” Luo Yan nodded. “Goodbye, Elise.”
“I am Illusion.”
“…Alright, Saint Illusion.”
Luo Yan nodded, thinking to herself that the Saint was really strange.
What personality and disappearance… It was all nonsense. As a mental ability user, Luo Yan could naturally see that the soul and consciousness within Illusion, or rather Elise, hadn’t changed at all from beginning to end.
Perhaps the Saint’s desire for role-playing was a bit strong…
Although she thought this in her heart, Luo Yan didn’t say anything more and turned to leave the train car.
After Luo Yan left, a female silhouette gradually formed in Illusion’s shadow, sitting on the sofa in a contemplative pose.
“Shadow, were there any anomalies?” Illusion turned her head and asked.
“No, the seal in the Sanctuary hasn’t moved,” Shadow said in a deep voice, “And the Saint’s coffin is also as peaceful as ever.”
While Illusion was telling Luo Yan this forbidden knowledge, Shadow was simultaneously monitoring the seal and the Saint’s remains in Noah.
The perception of certain existences could lead to changes in reality. The most concrete examples were the Primordial Demons, and Luo Yan might also be such an existence.
“Whether there’s a reaction or not, it’s not surprising.” Illusion sighed softly. “Could it really be, as we speculated, that she is the source of the Gods’ ‘corruption’? She doesn’t look like it.”
“Why are you asking me?” Shadow spread her hands. “I’m not familiar with this Miss Luo Yan. To me, she’s just a pretty little girl… well, not just pretty, but I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…”
“Her appearance is identical to the Witch of Absolute Death.”
“That’s it! No wonder she’s so beautiful,” Shadow clapped her hand. “Anyway, taking her to directly see the Saint’s remains is still a bit risky, Illusion. I think we should reconsider.”
Illusion nodded in agreement, then said, “I’ve already reconsidered.”
“You…”
Shadow gritted her teeth and exclaimed in a low voice.
“Don’t worry, I’ve prepared for the worst.” Illusion said indifferently.
“The worst… is taking all of humanity down with us?” Shadow said with a helpless expression.
“Whether it’s right or wrong, we have to do something before the irreversible end arrives.”
Illusion whispered, her deep gaze falling on Shadow,
“Shadow, don’t forget, our mission is to free human civilization from this tens-of-thousands-years-long cycle of despair, not to escape like the Gods.
“If we only focus on maintaining the status quo, what’s the difference between us and the Malice of All Worlds?”
Shadow was silent.
In some ways, the Saints were very similar to the Church of the End Gods. They had both come into contact with the truth, knew the relationship between the Gods and the Malice of All Worlds, and were aware of the end that civilization was about to face.
But the difference was that the Church of the End Gods chose to heed the call of the Gods, continuing this cycle that had lasted for tens of thousands of years.
And the Saints, just as the followers of the Church of the End Gods called them “Errants,” wanted to break free from this hopeless cycle with no future in sight, and resolve the root of everything in this season of civilization.
This was a crazy act in itself, carrying the fate of the world and rushing towards an unknown future.
Whether it was right or wrong, there was no answer yet.
“Sigh, I’ll gamble with you.” Shadow’s expression was somewhat helpless. “Really, you’re the leader among the currently awake Saints, what else can I say?”
“I’m the Fourth Saint, not that old.”
“It’s almost the same, you’re much older than me… fine, I won’t say anything more.”
……
This was the first time in hundreds of years that the Twelve Saints had officially visited a mega-city. When Illusion appeared in Lannister, the entire Free Federation was shocked.
Because the last time the Saints left Noah was during the War of the Witch of Absolute Death.
And now… it was very likely that another “War of the Witch of Absolute Death” was about to occur.
The mega-cities, which had been skeptical about the Ten Cities Council, now convened emergency meetings among their higher-ups, closely following the news from Lannister.
The various mega-cities finally had to seriously consider the possibility of war and its potential consequences, not just the survival of the city-states, but also the interests after the war.
There was no helping it. Shouting slogans about fighting for the survival of humanity was one thing, but when it came down to it, the various mega-cities also had to consider their own interests.
The last War of the Witch of Absolute Death was a major reshuffling… many mega-cities declined, and some newly rising mega-cities rose from the ashes.
Besides the mega-cities, some large settlements and various organizations, such as the Sword Saint Sect and Dawn, couldn’t stay out of this matter either.
Because the Ten Cities Council wasn’t just inviting mega-cities, leaders from all sides had received invitations.
At this moment, in Lannister, the center of attention, Norian, along with all the Elders of the Council of Elders and a majestic honor guard, came to the Lifeline station to welcome the Saint.
And outside the station’s security cordon, many citizens waited eagerly for the Saint’s appearance.
The Saints, who hadn’t appeared for hundreds of years, were shrouded in an aura of mystery to the outside world, as grand and noble as could be.
So not only were the citizens curious, even the well-trained honor guard couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Luo Yan and the others arrived at the station a bit earlier, before the news was announced, otherwise Hua Qingling’s sign would have actually been useful…
Of course, the subsequent series of events had nothing to do with Luo Yan. Before the main group arrived, Luo Yan took Anna and returned to Restricted Zone Seven.
The main purpose of this trip was for Illusion to tell Luo Yan the truth in that specially isolated train car. Picking up the Saint was secondary, more like an excuse.
Because even Norian couldn’t know about these things, not even that “the Saint told Miss Luo Yan some secrets.”
On the way back, Anna chattered endlessly, clinging to Hua Qingling and occasionally saying a few words to the quiet Luo Yan. Even more surprisingly, she quickly became friends with the shy Cecilia after just a few words.
Extremely terrifying social skills.jpg
Only Chris, despite Anna’s several attempts to strike up a conversation, always felt that Miss Chris’s gaze towards her was somewhat hostile, so she wisely kept quiet.
Anna was also puzzled. She shouldn’t have offended this national idol, whom she had never met before, so why did she harbor hostility towards her?
She couldn’t understand it.
If Luo Yan knew about Anna’s doubts, she would also sigh that Miss Chris was really unfriendly to strangers, after all, she had also experienced this before.
However, this was actually a misunderstanding of Chris.
Although Chris was the second daughter of a hereditary noble family, she didn’t have the usual bad habits of nobles.
When interacting with others, even if she had a lot of dislike in her heart, she could at least maintain politeness on the surface.
So, her undisguised hostility towards Luo Yan and Anna stemmed from another reason…
After learning the reason why Anna came to Lannister with the Saint, even Luo Yan found it a bit absurd.
For such an important matter, Yan City actually just casually sent someone over.
Chris found it even more unbelievable. If it weren’t for the fact that this matter was proposed by the Saint herself, she would have suspected that Yan City was treating the war against the Primordial Demons as a child’s play.
Hua Qingling, on the other hand, marveled at how playful Grandpa Lin and Grandpa Li were, actually agreeing to such a whimsical request without a word.
Since things had come to this, the matter of Anna, as Yan City’s envoy, attending the Ten Cities Council was settled.
“Are you really just an ordinary commoner? Not some descendant of a noble family? This kind of thing seems like gilding… a pair of aces!”
Chris held the cards in an unskilled manner, with several paper strips stuck to her face.
After returning to the apartment, because they were too bored while waiting to depart for Noah, Anna took out her playing cards, and the group happily started playing a four-person version of Dou Di Zhu (a popular Chinese card game), with only Cecilia watching from the side.
“Hey, I’ll beat that!” Hua Qingling immediately played her cards, continuing Chris’s words, “Actually, Anna used to be a refugee.”
“That was a long time ago. Big Sister Hua saved me and even taught me fashion design, allowing me to live on my own in Yan City, and even save up quite a bit of money!” Anna said proudly, raising the corners of her mouth. “Pass.”
Hearing this, both Hua Qingling and Chris shuddered slightly. The former because Anna could actually save money, the latter… self-evident.
“There’s actually such a story.” Chris remained calm on the surface, but her hand holding the cards was trembling slightly. “It seems you and Sister Qingling… have a very good relationship.”
“It’s not bad. Sister Qingling and Anna even collaborated to make me an outfit before, although it seems a bit embarrassing now that I think about it.” Luo Yan nodded and put down her cards. “Pass.”
Chris trembled even more, feeling like she had many potential rivals in love.
“Straight, full house, plane! Haha, Miss Luo Yan, you lost again!”
Hua Qingling played all her cards in one go and then took a white paper strip and stuck it on Luo Yan’s forehead.
Luo Yan’s face was already covered in white paper strips. Her luck didn’t seem to be very good; she lost most of the time.
Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting their card game.
“Who is it?”
Luo Yan frowned slightly and asked in a low voice.
“It’s me, Norian.”
A familiar voice came from outside the door. The group looked at each other. Why would Magistrate Norian come to the apartment at this time? Shouldn’t he still be welcoming the Saint?
Could it be something urgent?
Thinking of this, Luo Yan immediately stood up and walked to the door to open it.
It was indeed Magistrate Norian standing at the door, accompanied by Granny Zoya.
This was the first time Norian had come to Restricted Zone Seven since the lockdown, and he was inevitably a little nervous.
However, when he saw the scene behind the door, he wasn’t nervous anymore.
Anyone who saw a group of beautiful girls with paper strips all over their faces wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face…
“Hello, Magistrate Norian.”
The beautiful silver-haired girl’s gentle voice rang out, accompanied by the rustling of the white paper strips.
“Miss Luo Yan, could you please take off these paper strips before we talk…”
“No, this is the penalty for losing the game.”
