Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 348 - 317

Chapter 348: 317

Farosa returned from Nangong Island, after she and Lila had traversed the island, making it back just 10 seconds before the portal closed.

She walked into the top floor office of the Shijin Mansion with a subtle smile on her face.

"Nangong Island is indeed a very good place for settling down," she said, "In the future, we can move the Young Witches there one after the other, so they can be in close contact with nature. It’s really inconvenient to keep them cooped up in a building."

"The time has also come to fulfill our other important agreement," Xu Yang observed Farosa’s expression, "On December 22nd, the day of the Winter Solstice, we will go to the Xisheng Shrine to hold the Witch Transformation Ceremony."

"Great, let them witness the grandeur of the New Witch Council as well," said Farosa, her face full of smiles.

"The precondition is you go alone," Xu Yang said, "Xisheng doesn’t allow you to bring others."

"Then I simply won’t go," Farosa responded immediately.

She appeared composed, but to Xu Yang, she seemed more cautious, as he got up and approached her, Farosa didn’t move, allowing Xu Yang to brush aside the brown locks of hair in front of her eyes.

"They need absolute security," Xu Yang said, "They are unwilling to take the slightest risk."

"So I have to bear the pressure?" Farosa’s attitude was dismissive, "Why should we yield?"

"The fraudster Mack is not the only ally they could find," Xu Yang said, "If they realize you are uncooperative, they will definitely seek other extraordinary beings. If you could continue using the Godslayer Weapon, or if you could smoothly execute the Seven Witches Ritual, that would be another matter, but the situation now is very complicated."

"Are you blaming me then?"

"You were the one who put forward the suggestion in the first place, be responsible for your actions."

"You want me to go alone?"

"Of course, I won’t agree to such harsh conditions with them, I’ll go talk. But I need to know your stance first, what exactly are your requirements for the ceremony?"

"The seaside," Farosa blurted out, "Just by the sea, it doesn’t matter if I’m alone."

Farosa contained Divine Power linked to the sea within her, and indeed, it would be safer by the oceanfront. Xu Yang pondered. On the beaches in the Suburbs of Shangjing, surrounded by agents, drones, and satellite rays, Farosa’s ritual would be under Xisheng’s full surveillance, with no flaws to speak of.

"It’s as dangerous as walking a tightrope, a slight misstep and you could fall to pieces," Xu Yang explained, "Since you want to keep it secret, I won’t pry into what you want to do. So, are you ready?"

Fair trade, assassination, control. Farosa weighed the different options in her mind.

Every strategy came with its own opportunities and risks.

"I’m ready," she said.

"I trust you," Xu Yang nodded, "Then, I will bring this matter up with the people at Xisheng."

Farosa’s heart still hadn’t settled down, and she sat on the leather cushion nearby.

The matter with the fraudster Mack had given her a huge shock, the relationships of the Ancient Mystics were intricate, and while Mack’s strength was not outstanding, he had widespread connections, reflected in Mond’s attitude as well. With Mack gone, Mond, who had already disliked her, would now hold even more animosity.

And those neutral Mystics would each feel threatened, likely to adopt a hostile stance out of their fear of Farosa’s Godslayer Weapon.

She couldn’t return to the Throne of God’s Space to communicate with all the Mystics either, because the evil Goddess Dilnai would also be there, she had not only harbored her turncoat Angel, Chainsaw Angel, but also diverted the Sand of Stars to repair Nangong Island. Facing Dilnai directly was akin to courting disaster.

That is to say, her entire network among the Mystics had completely collapsed, leaving only a clueless Yan Duo willing to help.

What was more terrifying was that without Xu Yang, even the others and the Witches would not believe in her.

She would disappear alone in the end.

This thought made Farosa uncomfortable.

If she could not overcome this mental hurdle, she would never be able to become the Witch Goddess. Now more than ever, she felt the need to cause trouble, so while muttering curses against her enemies, she untied the straps of her dress and walked step by step toward Xu Yang.

Xu Yang distinctly noticed the difference, the old her was violent and wild, now she was soft like a true little black cat, extraordinarily tender.

After this, Farosa’s mind became clear.

"We Witches don’t even have descendants," Farosa said, "After death, we return to the stars, and then we descend to the Ground again... These characteristics all encourage us to seize the moment."

Xu Yang wrapped Farosa in a towel, every corner of her burning hot, indescribably charming.

"Humans are the same, there’s too much they can’t bring with them in life or in death," Xu Yang said, "So be yourself."

Farosa rubbed Xu Yang’s face, trying to pull him out of his calm, tranquil state, but to little avail.

"Always so composed," Farosa sighed faintly.

"I must stay calm to protect you and everyone else."

"About the ritual..." Farosa pondered.

"If you don’t want to go alone," said Xu Yang, "I will negotiate with them again to ensure your safety. They have their plans, and we have ours."

"No, it’s okay, let me go alone," Farosa said.

She realized that the ritual presented a perfect opportunity to prove her ability to act independently. Like the past, she would act alone and do it very well. To this day, Farosa relied on others too often to achieve her goals, which had damaged her confidence.

If she could independently perform all the procedures, her mindset would inevitably be clear and noble at the moment she completed the Witch Transformation Ceremony under the cold, professional scrutiny of those corporate people. Transforming an elderly human woman into a beautiful, pure, and powerful witch all by herself—this was precisely the miracle that the Witch Goddess was meant to bring about.

"Then we’ll change the location to the seaside... and you will appear alone, is that right?" Xu Yang asked.

"This is very important to me, let me go alone," Farosa murmured dreamily, "...I can do it, so please trust me."

"Then I’m off." Xu Yang kissed Farosa’s face.

Farosa turned over and looked at the mysterious white ceiling, silent for a long time.

Xu Yang was to negotiate with Kanako, who had arranged for a luxury hotel. He changed into his outdoor clothing, donned a metallic mask equipped with red-vision equipment, and wore a black long-sleeved suit that went down to his knees, complete with gloves and a hood. The Cloud Beast was hidden inside, and he put on a pair of black hard leather boots. He somewhat resembled a secretive street ronin—neither outstanding nor low-profile.

"Are you coming with me?" Xu Yang asked Du Qianqian, needing a clever companion, "You need to dress similar to me and use transformation to disguise yourself."

"Is it for a meal?" Du Qianqian was still eager about being treated.

"There will certainly be good food."

"I’ll be right there!" Du Qianqian applied her magic power, changed her appearance and instantly switched into a suit, like Xu Yang’s, also resembling a corporate person clad in black, and carried an empty briefcase, following behind Xu Yang.

He drove the Purple Wind to the location Kanako had arranged. She would arrive at night, but had already booked the 90th floor of the Anjiu City Junyue Hotel.

The hotel provided full service for guests. When the Purple Wind was halfway there, the hotel had already launched four security drones to escort them to the broad courtyard on the 90th floor. The shuttle machine landed on the diamond-shaped landing pad, and several attendant robots waited there to provide them with complete service.

The two side doors of the Purple Wind opened upwards, and Du Qianqian got off first. The courtyard was filled with robots that warmly welcomed her. She stuffed her briefcase with small gifts provided by the robots, including tissues, soft drinks, tea, and yukata. She accepted all the disposable items provided by the hotel without hesitation.

"Are all these free?" Du Qianqian was very surprised.

"Kanako has paid," Xu Yang said, "Enjoy as you like."

Du Qianqian nodded slightly. She had never been to such a luxurious place and was immediately captivated by the environment and service. Everywhere were robots eagerly providing service, bowing and scraping, fervent and ready.

"The view is truly amazing." She walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking up at the clouds within reach and down at the vast city. The corporate buildings were grand and magnificent, interconnected by glass corridors, with shuttle machines flitting through the gaps in the buildings like fish, and the luxury-decorated stations normally required effort to look up to, now appearing as miniature white branches connecting the commercial nodes of the city.

Du Qianqian stretched out her finger and touched the transparent anti-fall glass curtain wall. The wall was silky, creating ripples like water as she moved her finger along it. She immediately showed a look of delight; everything here was so novel that she almost wanted to live here forever.

Xu Yang entered the inner room and inspected the electronic equipment; everything was normal. A hotel of this caliber catered to guests they did not wish to offend. If anything had been tampered with, it would only have been arranged by Kanako. He sat in the empty conference room, focused on his work, sorting out and resolving the current security vulnerabilities of the company.

Du Qianqian wandered through the various rooms, ordering the robots to provide her with all sorts of services as if she were scolding slaves. These robots used first-generation AI and worked strictly according to set programs to ensure they wouldn’t cause any trouble for the guests.

This made Du Qianqian realize that her life had indeed undergone tremendous change, from a poor remote mountain area to the pinnacle of luxury in a corporate city.

All because she was a witch, and thus stood out from the humdrum mass of beings.

She enjoyed everything within reach, seizing the rare opportunity to experience the luxury of a double bed, a large indoor hot spring, a buffet bar, and a small lounge, lingering in the large conference room prepared for group meetings, running for a few minutes in the fitness area, and then lying on a blue floating chair in the infinity pool, basking in the artificial sunlight, feeling as if she were in the clouds, a deity of the present world.

After about two hours of play, Du Qianqian returned to where Xu Yang was, ashamed of her own laziness, and took over Xu Yang’s work. She helped him process documents, submit reports, and forge a variety of files to deal with the scrutiny of the Corporate Alliance.

"This place is interesting," Xu Yang said, "Because it’s a floor originally prepared for corporate negotiations, now booked just for us."

"...It’s even better than Shijin Mansion, where you still have to share with others," Du Qianqian had to admit, "Here, it feels like the whole world revolves around you."

"For you, it’s just a day of fun; others live in a similar environment every day."

"Thinking about it like that makes me a bit jealous again," Du Qianqian mused, "I want to live here every day too, but the expenses must be enormous. I can’t imagine how wealthy those people are."

"Soon you will see," Xu Yang said as he saw Kanako’s shuttle machine arriving.