Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 278 - 250 Nangong Island

Chapter 278: Chapter 250 Nangong Island

A splendid evening. The pressure was released, and the soreness in her muscles had completely eased. When Lady Farosa opened her eyes, she felt that this moment was particularly wonderful.

There had been fear.

The society she was familiar with was built upon hand mills and ox-driven plows, yet when she awoke, humans had already locked the Mystics away in prisons, consigning everything that went against the tide of history to the scrapheap.

The world’s changes were too drastic, meaning she had to uproot her original knowledge structure entirely and start from scratch, digesting all the insights of this era.

Village girl, God Slayer, Supreme Witch, Witch Goddess, Farosa had to switch between different identities, playing too many roles, and the slightest misstep could ruin everything.

It was like walking alone on a tightrope in the dark, with cliffs on both sides, where each step was a gamble with her life.

Rash actions would lead to death, while playing it safe would slow down her growth.

Now was no different—her strength wasn’t strong enough. Farosa sat up; as the Supreme Witch, she was comparable to an Empress when leveraging Divine Power for release. But her magic power was flawed. Harvesting life meant emitting a wave of slaughter which needed to be manually guided, and its range was far from ideal. By contrast, the Law of Recovery brought her closer to a Reality Manipulator. This indefeasible power could reverse reality, but its application was not broadly versatile.

The method to reverse the situation was also clear: execute the Seven Witches Ritual. And Farosa had to focus her efforts on it, allowing no margin for error. Various degrees of irritation and anxiety piled up in her heart, finding relief only at this moment.

The splendid room, the comforting atmosphere, and the presence of her beloved one.

The existence of Xu Yang saved everything—her mindset, her fate.

Farosa leaned towards Xu Yang, and when he opened his eyes, he felt his view blocked by something huge and adorable, smelling Farosa’s fragrance. He sat up and gently kissed her on the face.

"What would you like to eat?" Xu Yang got out of bed and found a pair of brown slippers.

"Bread, citrus, and coffee." Farosa brushed her hair back, set her worries aside, and sat at the desk, repeatedly comparing a black stone slab with a photocopied document.

Xu Yang brought breakfast, and also stuffed the fridge, disguised as a treasure chest, with cola and coffee. He noticed Farosa’s work; she was obviously deciphering some ancient passages.

"What is that?" Xu Yang observed.

"Nangong Island," Farosa jotted her findings in another notebook, "Pan Ruiyi’s disappearance site. According to the news, the island has ’disappeared’, and the company is blockading it with maritime security ships, making it impossible to enter. This indicates that the space structure of the area is no longer safe."

"Doesn’t that mean there’s no way to start?" Xu Yang sat beside her.

"We can only enter from a different angle; that’s why I’m looking at ancient texts. Myths and legends often contain hidden clues." Farosa lifted the stone slab, a high-precision replica—originally a museum exhibit, copied using 3D printing technology, "This slab reveals the second entrance to the time vortex leading to Nangong Island, related to the ancient witches of the place."

"In the Archipelago Continent, ancient witches were akin to shrine maidens, right?" Xu Yang said.

"Indeed, when I first came to the Archipelago Continent, I owed much to the local ’shrine maidens’ for their care." Lighting the fireplace, Farosa wasn’t wearing any clothes, and Xu Yang, watching her silhouette, had no doubt that she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"So, they’re the ones who buried you in the ground?" Xu Yang speculated.

"Yes, the witches and the tricks at the shrine," Farosa sat back at the table, "Many of the witches there were killed in a monster attack. I brought them back to life, which is how I earned their friendship. In return, they took responsibility for putting me to sleep, hiding me away from disaster for a long time."

"I guess you must have caused some trouble there too. You wouldn’t be willing to lie dormant just like that."

"Indeed, I wasn’t too popular. A stunning person like me arouses jealousy wherever I go," Farosa stretched lazily, forwarding a website address to Xu Yang.

"Eternal Cherry Blossom Shrine on Mingge Mountain." Xu Yang saw the official website of this shrine, which was not at all popular, "The binding ceremony of Honma Noriko before was held on Mingge Mountain."

"That mountain has a significant status in ancient history, mostly as a site for witch rituals," Farosa pondered, "Compared to the Eternal Cherry Blossom Shrine personally hosted by Honma Noriko, this Thousand Blessings Shrine seems quite unpopular. But according to the results decoded so far, they inherit the duty of guarding Nangong Island, becoming the location of the second entrance."

Farosa set the stone tablet down, taking a deep breath.

"So," she looked at Xu Yang, "once I’ve decoded all the text on the stone tablet and have a general understanding of that place, we’ll set off to rescue Pan Ruiyi."

"Entering an area where space is unstable?"

"Yes, spatial rifts, which would have been akin to a suicide adventure, but I have a way to deal with them," Farosa said, "I found a bottle of ’Sand of Stars’ from the treasure that the little dog had buried. It’s a special item used to stabilize alternate spaces, even transforming an uncontrollable space into a stable haven. If used properly, even a rogue rift can become a brand new foothold."

"Just like the burning hot world Yan Duo initially led us to," Xu Yang recalled their previous adventure.

"Exactly," Farosa nodded slightly, "By all logic, we shouldn’t be able to enter alternate spaces actively, but the rifts on Nangong Island have turned into a great opportunity. If I’m not wrong, the entire island has already fallen into the gap. For any other Mystics, corporate troops, and ordinary life, Nangong Island has become a massive trap. But since Pan Ruiyi is still showing vital signs after so many days, it suggests that the environment there is somewhat stable... If we jump in, with the help of Sand of Stars, we could completely take over Nangong Island, turning it into a new home outside this realm."

"And also solve the problem of the spatial rift spreading," Xu Yang thought.

"Right... If we leave the crisis on Nangong Island unattended, it will continue to expand until it swallows up the entire Archipelago Continent," Farosa wrote down more new characters in her notebook, "The Ancient Archipelago Continent civilization’s observations of Nangong Island contain valuable information, but it’s recorded in secret script."

"It should be almost over," Xu Yang noted most of the characters on the stone tablet had been marked, with symbols only Farosa could understand.

"The day to set off is not far," Farosa murmured, "I will personally go deep into Nangong Island to find Pan Ruiyi and establish a new home."

"I’ll go with you," Xu Yang said firmly.

"For a mortal like you, it’s far too dangerous," Farosa leaned her head on her hand, "After all, that is a place beyond this world."

"I can’t bear to leave you alone," Xu Yang shook his head, "I won’t let you go back to adventuring alone."

Farosa stood up and embraced Xu Yang, holding on for a long time before they separated. She sent Xu Yang a file, containing just about ten lines related to the Witch Transformation Ceremony.

"Take this and use it to deal with Kanako’s family," she said, "During our trip to Nangong Island, we’ll use these plans to delay their attention. Once the Seven Witches Ritual is complete, we’ll have the chance to deal with Xisheng properly."

"No problem," Xu Yang glanced over as Farosa concisely introduced the Witch Transformation Ceremony, pointing out the optimal time was at the end of this year, and wrote some knowledge about astral mysticism. The content was genuine but probably unrelated to the ceremony itself; its purpose was likely just to stall for time.

It was somewhat of a usable document, Xu Yang had to expand it into a 10,000-word business proposal and then hand it over to Kanako, who would use it to deal with Honma Noriko.

After Xu Yang left, Farosa contemplated the stone slab for several minutes, then changed into her classical palace dress. She walked towards her audience chamber where a finely decorated throne awaited, and then she summoned Du Qianqian.

Du Qianqian entered the corridor, initially feeling at ease with her new room and environment, the pressure gradually dissipated, but once she heard Farosa had also moved in, a sense of unease began to crawl up her spine, chilling her to the core.

Especially when she stepped onto the carpet of the audience chamber, Farosa sitting on the throne at the end made her tremble all over. In an instant, she thought of her own reckless and bold actions these past days; she had made a grave mistake, something the Witch Goddess would not wish to see.

Without a word, Farosa simply looked at Du Qianqian coldly, the pressure from her gaze alone made Du Qianqian feel completely disoriented. Farosa was now wearing a classical dress more beautiful than ever, truly embodying the majesty of the Witch Goddess.

Face with Farosa, Du Qianqian lost her courage, filled only with remorse that followed her like a shadow. That contemptuous look in Farosa’s eyes, like a silent mockery, made Du Qianqian feel an urge to kneel down.

—And then her knees lost the strength to support her, Du Qianqian knelt on the ground, her heart filled with despair and pain.

"Forgive me," her voice trembled.

"New hairstyle, new clothes," Farosa laughed, "I really want to know who you intended to impress, who did you wish to seduce?"

"I..." Du Qianqian couldn’t finish her sentence, "I didn’t mean to... I... I never intended..."

After being reminded by Lila, Du Qianqian had no such unrealistic thoughts, but guided by Farosa’s words, she couldn’t help but reflect on her own actions.

Blasphemous.

Du Qianqian was doubly afraid.

"You can shapeshift, can’t you?" Farosa got up, picked up a small knife from the side, and approached Du Qianqian, handing her the knife with one hand, "If you have a thousand faces to choose from, what use do you have for the original one?"

Looking at the knife, Du Qianqian’s breathing became rapid.

"Do you listen to me?" Farosa whispered into her ear, "Do you remember your vow?"

Yes.

What use is the original face, after all?

An agonized smile appeared on Du Qianqian’s face as she shakily picked up the knife.

Quite sharp, indeed.

"I..." Du Qianqian said, "... I obey Farosa, the Witch Goddess."

Then, with a sideways slash, she thrust the knife into her own face, cutting horizontally. She screamed, the sound escaping from the wound on her face, blood splattered, she convulsed, and the blood-soaked knife dropped to the ground.

Tears welled up in Du Qianqian’s eyes, and piercing pain emanated from her face.

She didn’t need this face; she could shapeshift. Crying, she sought the Witch Goddess’s forgiveness.

Farosa would have preferred to keep her that way, looking on coldly. But she still had her uses.

As Du Qianqian sobbed, Farosa stroked her hair.

In an instant, the wounds on her face vanished without a trace, and she felt her magic circuit within becoming further refined, with more magic power growing and filling it.

She had grown from a Cub-Class Witch to a Low-level Witch!

The already outstanding magic power, after advancing, would have even more wonderful effects and applications.

Breathing heavily, the euphoria of surviving calamity made her thoughts even more chaotic. She raised her head, her gaze fixed on Farosa, and knelt on the ground crawling forward, bowing deeply to her.

"Lady Farosa..." Du Qianqian’s voice choked with tears, "Lady Farosa!"

"I am the protector and enlightener of witches," Farosa said softly, "I forgive your impulsive actions."

"Yes... yes..." Du Qianqian was truly fearful. In that moment, from the outside in, she felt even more obedient.

"So, next time, don’t do things that can easily cause misunderstandings, okay?" Farosa smiled faintly.

Farosa felt like human hearts were just like toys.

Watching Du Qianqian’s retreating figure, Farosa realized that all the means of influencing human hearts were reflections of the essence of her own insecurity. To avoid harming herself, she had to torment others.

She returned to her workstation, still with final tasks to complete.

On the path to pursuing power, there was no moment of rest.

After all, to surpass the end of all fears,

One must become a true deity.