Wang Yue nimbly stuffed a family bucket with fried chicken and fries, paired it with a cup of iced passion fruit juice and a stack of napkins, then sealed the paper bag. She slapped a flint shard onto it and gave it a firm shove.
“Your delivery has arrived.”
The void rippled, and the takeout was sent through.
She slumped back into her chair, glancing to the side as a thought crossed her mind: How did I end up as a fast-food server?
Still, Lord Aurora was paying far too much. At this rate, she wouldn’t just pack the meals; she’d personally cook whatever Alice wanted to eat.
If the mission succeeded, Wang Yue’s reward would be any Special Grade Relic from Lord Aurora’s private collection. She desperately wanted the Sword of Authority—it was impossibly powerful. With that in hand, she could simply stab any Lesser Lord to death the next time she encountered one.
Even if it failed, she would receive three Special Grade Relics as compensation. However, the Gaze Worm would be lost, making it essentially a one-for-three trade.
Not a bad deal at all, Ed, Wang Yue thought with a shameful bit of anticipation.
Around her, a crowd of people moved busily in and out—all elite Explorers summoned from various regions.
Some were tall and straight-backed, as thin and sharp as daggers; others were built like bears. Scars traced across many of their faces. The women among them were even more valiant than the men, their leather armor straining against their impressive curves.
Their cold, stern faces radiated reliability, and every movement was disciplined and purposeful. Any one of them was capable of leading an entire squad, yet here they were, all operating around a seated, dazed-looking little girl. The contrast was jarring.
The outpost had been expanded with several warehouses to store items that might be needed on the other side. Food, medicine, lighting, weapons—everything was accounted for.
As long as Wang Yue mentioned a need, the required item would be retrieved with maximum speed and delivered right to her. But this also meant she wouldn’t be able to leave the academy for a long time.
Fortunately, Wang Yue didn’t have any urgent business outside. This gave her the perfect opportunity to cultivate her magic and mental state to a more profound level.
Just then, several flint shards appeared in the stone vat.
Small pieces of flint could be passed back and forth, following the law of attraction where the smaller mass gravitated toward the larger. Since the Lord of Eternal Extinction was currently dispersed, the cluster here acted as the majority, pulling shards from the other side.
Wang Yue picked a Shell Coin out from among the shards and turned to ask, “Who is Lord Infinite?”
Her female assistant—the young lady in the beret—gaped at her, looking stunned.
It was clearly the name of a major figure.
“Lord Infinite… Schumail the Skeptic?” the assistant asked, her expression turning grave as she sought confirmation.
“That’s the one.”
Through the assistant’s explanation, Wang Yue learned that Lord Infinite was one of the “Big Three” at the Guild Headquarters. He was a Lantern-Bearer hailed as the “Highest Combat Power.” The other two titans were Archibold, who controlled the Ethics Committee, and Magellan, the First Commander.
Pinching the thin, cheap-feeling Shell Coin, Wang Yue considered flipping it like a coin trick but decided against it. If she dropped it and it shattered, she’d suffer total social death.
She called out, and several Night-Watchers hurried over. They gingerly took the Shell Coin and immediately moved to contact headquarters.
Next came the debriefing.
“A city?” The assistant’s eyebrows shot up in shock.
For those living in the Evernight Realm, a city was a foreign concept. Very few had ever seen one with their own eyes.
Wang Yue nodded, meticulously describing the scene of the giant city within the blood-colored twilight—the population, the scale, their daily habits, and the types of resources. she even provided a pencil sketch.
“This is an incredible discovery!” the assistant shouted, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Wang Yue was confused for a moment before realizing the cause of the girl’s fervor. For someone who had lived their entire life in small outposts and settlements, the idea of hundreds of thousands of people living side-by-side was bound to be exhilarating.
Wang Yue didn’t share that sense of novelty. After all, she had lived in cities with populations in the millions.
After handling the business at the outpost, Wang Yue took the Demon Realm passage directly back to the academy.
Over the past few days, Lilith had been clinging to her relentlessly.
Lilith’s pursuit of power was fanatical. Ever since her faith had shifted from demons to Wang Yue, magic replenishment had become an issue. She needed to touch Wang Yue’s tail almost every hour to sustain the magic she consumed during training.
To increase efficiency, Wang Yue had built a “charging station” for Lilith.
She had used Transcendent Materials to cast magic storage blocks, arranging them into arrays and installing them into the training poles in the gymnasium. This way, Wang Yue only had to periodically replenish the station’s magic to meet the demands of Lilith’s long training sessions.
However, today was a special day. Lilith was about to break through.
The First Physical Augmentation had granted her Neural Partitioning. The Second Physical Augmentation involved the modification of the spine.
For a genius like Lilith, the process itself wasn’t difficult, but the magic consumption required for the breakthrough exceeded what the charging station could provide.
In short, there was no way around it. She needed the tail. She had to have the tail.
***
Inside the training hall.
Bright lights shone down on the brand-new flooring.
Lilith held a wooden sword, facing off against Prima. Both girls were highly focused, their gazes locked as their centers of gravity shifted in anticipation of the other’s move.
Clack! Clack!
Their figures blurred as they crossed. The hardwood swords struck with a sharp report. The girls’ snowy feet pivoted and slid across the polished floor, their soles flushing red from the intensity of the movement.
Wang Yue leaned against the doorframe to watch.
Lilith wore a sports bra and small hot pants, highlighting her balanced, athletic build. Her long legs and arms were a dazzling white. Her long eyelashes curved slightly over her beautiful wine-red eyes, and her golden hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
“Wang Yue!”
Prima turned her head in pleasant surprise. In that split second of distraction, the wooden sword was knocked out of her hand. She turned back to Lilith, pouting. “You cheated!”
“Eh?” Lilith tilted her head, her voice dripping with disdain. “You’re actually saying that to your master?”
“Sorry…”
Prima realized then that Lilith was teaching her. If they were actually fighting, her newly grown, tender limbs wouldn’t last through a few strikes.
“Are you here to learn?”
Lilith walked toward Wang Yue with a sword-dance step, her blade tracing elegant arcs in the air. Her posture was graceful, yet she radiated a sharp, piercing killing intent.
Wang Yue noticed that Lilith possessed an unstoppable aura regardless of the situation. Whether she was right or wrong, strong or weak, she intended to win.
Though Wang Yue wanted to practice swordsmanship, she decided against it. She was simply too busy lately to become a grand swordmaster.
Wang Yue pointed toward the nearby resting room. Lilith nodded and went to shower first.
Then, Wang Yue looked at Prima, her gaze falling on the girl’s newly regrown hands and feet. “How do they feel?”
Prima hopped in place, her training uniform and belt fluttering. “Better than ever!” she said happily.
Relic limbs were powerful, but they lacked the sense of unity that real flesh and blood provided. Besides, Prima’s original dream was to become a Witch, and now she finally had the chance.
Fifteen minutes later, Lilith emerged from the shower wrapped in a bath towel. The thick, plush fabric draped over her snowy body, revealing only her slender ankles. She was undoubtedly naked underneath, as clothing would only interfere with the augmentation process.
The blonde girl padded over in slippers and pursed her lips.
The two entered the resting room and locked the door. It was a large room equipped with beds.
Lilith loosened her grip, and the towel slid like water to the floor.
Seeing that skin as smooth as cream and the graceful proportions of her body, Wang Yue’s breath hitched slightly.
Lilith caught the subtle change in expression out of the corner of her eye. Her lips curled into a smirk, and she let out a soft, triumphant huff.
“Check it for me.”
The blonde girl turned her back and spread her arms, her chest rising naturally. Her snowy back tensed like a bow, and two mysterious, lovely dimples appeared where her waist met her hips.
Wang Yue approached from behind, holding a candle. Her expression was solemn and focused.
As the light passed through, the entire spinal column revealed a hallucinatory, magnificent purple hue. Though it still housed bone marrow, the bony structure had already begun to transform. Under the saturation of magic, it was turning into a high-strength Transcendent Material, looking almost like an artificial organ.
Physical Augmentation was the watershed for a Witch. There were three in total. Once surpassed, a Witch would become a truly cryptic existence. Many human limitations would vanish, making them extremely difficult to kill.
The third augmentation, which focused on the heart, was the key to performing a Resurrection Ritual.
Now, Lilith was prepared to complete the second.
Aside from acting as a magic battery, observing this process held great significance for Wang Yue. Soon, she would be walking this very same path.
