The Gaze Worm possessed only two abilities: monitoring and live-streaming. While the Bishop could hear Wang Yue’s inner thoughts and share her field of vision, he lacked the means for two-way remote communication.
Consequently, passing intelligence and receiving instructions had to be done in Crowsnest Town, either through a face-to-face meeting or some form of dead drop.
Wang Yue took a winding path through the streets until she found Putin Lane. Counting the house numbers, she eventually stopped before an old red-brick house.
She knocked on the door handle—three long, two short.
A moment later, a heavy, raspy voice drifted from inside. “Who is it?”
“It’s the Goose. And you?”
“Tarantula.”
‘Goose’ was Wang Yue’s code name; the contact’s was ‘Tarantula.’
With the signal confirmed, the ancient, copper-clad oak door creaked open. A towering man stood within the threshold.
The house was unlit, and his hat was pulled low, obscuring all but the lower half of his face. He was a middle-aged man with a broad jaw and coarse, stiff stubble. He wore a high-quality black cotton shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows, revealing thick, hairy forearms.
A suede belt sat at his waist, adorned with a large folding knife and silver ornaments made of animal teeth. His trousers were tapered and tucked into sturdy buckskin boots.
This was the attire of a hunter.
Standing nearly two meters tall, he was imposing and upright, his muscles coiled like thick ropes. He exuded a suffocating sense of pressure.
In her transformed state, Wang Yue was barely 150 centimeters tall—a tiny thing whose waist was thinner than the man’s thigh.
The door shut. The two sat at a table, communicating by the faint light filtering through the window.
A faint scent of tobacco filled the air, though it wasn’t harsh; it carried the medicinal undertone of snuff.
Tarantula’s lips moved as he breathed heavily. “Hiss… before you, the Church has never had an undercover agent inside the Witch Academy.”
“I’m the first.”
“That is significant.”
“I have no intelligence yet,” Wang Yue said. “I won’t know the specifics until after enrollment.”
“True. We are currently blind.”
“Is that all for today?”
“Hiss… of course not,” Tarantula’s voice grew even lower. “As you know, the Bishop has two hobbies: lighting candles and preaching to harlots. These sinful, lecherous witches will eventually be swept up in one net, but distant water cannot quench a nearby thirst. He is already impatient… a well-equipped hunting squad is about to arrive in the Evernight Realm. They are the Bishop’s private retainers. Do you understand?”
“What are they here for?”
“To hunt witches,” Tarantula spat out the words, shifting in his seat until the chair groaned. “Of course, the Evernight Realm is the witches’ home turf. It remains to be seen who is the predator and who is the prey. Therefore… your assistance is required. Hiss.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Lure those cute little witches out of the school and into the traps laid by the hunters… that pink-haired little witch seems to trust you quite a bit.”
“Are you following me?”
“Hiss… you didn’t think I was the only Church agent in Crowsnest Town, did you?”
“Of course not. As the saying goes, if you find one cockroach, it means there are already a thousand.”
“If you weren’t an undercover agent, I would rip your belly open and let your sense of humor bleed out!” Tarantula said viciously. “Don’t waste her trust. Use it! This is a good thing. Fallen souls can only be purified within the holy flames.”
Dorothy had changed into a Tiffany-blue maid uniform. It featured short sleeves, a turned-down collar, and a whalebone petticoat. Her small apron was white with black trim—a simple, elegant palette.
She knew how a maid was supposed to act; her hands were folded over her skirt, her legs were pressed together, and her posture was dignified.
However, her eyes were darting around, searching for Wang Yue.
Just then, a graceful young girl stepped out from the registration office.
Her thick, golden-brown hair was pinned back with a gilded enamel olive branch headpiece. She wore a dark-patterned gold silk crinoline dress and cordovan thick-soled boots. She radiated an air of extreme wealth.
This expensive ensemble dealt a significant blow to the poor girl’s heart. Dorothy lowered her eyelashes, her gaze falling to the dust as she struggled to suppress a small surge of envy.
I’m already very lucky. Luckier than most, she thought.
In the Evernight Realm, girls were worth very little. In districts like Noel or Dugglin, there were morning markets every Saturday where children were sold. A boy went for ten Golden Spike Coins; a girl for five. Most of those girls were destined to be raised as “show-fillies,” to be sent to brothels once they came of age, spending their lives in courtyards filled with persimmon trees.
Thus, Dorothy was truly grateful to her Master. Twenty ounces of gold was equivalent to a hundred Golden Spike Coins—enough to buy twenty girls outright.
She didn’t think she was any more precious than the others.
The noble young lady walked past the little maid, her boot soles clicking pleasantly against the cobblestones.
She glanced at Dorothy, walked a few more steps, and then doubled back. With a faint smile in her eyes, she asked, “Whose little maid are you?”
“I serve Miss Wang Yue,” Dorothy answered with a bow.
“What a polite, good child. Do you know? Your hair is a rare carmine pink, and your eyes are an even rarer lavender. I quite like you. Want to change masters?”
“…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll buy you regardless of the price. Your master wouldn’t dislike money, would she?”
“Actually, I do.”
Wang Yue’s voice came from the side; she had returned.
The noble girl turned elegantly, though a flicker of irritation flashed in her eyes.
“You must be Miss Wang Yue,” she said, her voice turning cool.
“And who might you be?”
“My name is Lulu’anna.” The noble girl tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “You’re freshmen for Balor Academy, aren’t you?”
“Correct.”
