Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 400 - 360: Calling the Supreme

Chapter 400: Chapter 360: Calling the Supreme

As the New Year dawned, the witches of the Scarlet Reconstruction Company held a ritual, desperately calling upon the Witch Goddess.

This was their annual fixed ceremony, a practice carried out for over a century. Everyone prepared in deep contemplation and with the utmost respect, ensuring not a single detail was overlooked. Every member signed hundreds of pages of confidentiality agreements to keep this from those outside.

As the only colossal enterprise in the world led by witches, the Scarlet Reconstruction Company specialized in the business of human body modification, possessing outstanding technological reserves and financial strength. It pushed many protection projects for witches, to a certain extent guaranteeing a baseline for their survival.

They urgently wished to preserve the witch’s spark of survival, supported numerous reform initiatives, took a middle path, involving in the revision of Corporate Alliance terms, facilitating deep cooperation between witches and corporations so that witches could hold important positions and own private assets—things that were unimaginable in the early days of the Alliance.

The Scarlet Reconstruction Company propelled these processes to ensure that the witches’ influence wouldn’t completely fade away.

However, only a greater power could rip apart the corporate system and restore the witches’ golden age; thus, they eagerly longed for a new era’s Witch Goddess.

So they secretly assembled, surrounding the carefully crafted shrine, lifting torches used in the ritual, burning leaves that enhanced spiritual concentration, unifying their wills, hoping the grand Witch Goddess would respond.

On this matter, there were disagreements among the management; many believed that it was pointless and would rather spend funds and manpower on something more practical because the Witch Goddess had not appeared for ages, and the last one who became a Witch Goddess was an Empress from 16 centuries past.

Others didn’t think so.

They believed that there would always be a brilliant witch who could pierce through the fog of history and forge divine might. This had been quite common in the past, and even in the corporate era, they remained convinced that such a thing would happen.

The Witch Goddess would appear—

She would protect the witches, save them, and raise a weapon of vengeance against humans.

Rebuild the greatest Witch Empire!

Witches are a strong, exceptional race, never to be crushed by human chains, and they are destined to overcome multiple challenges! They believed this so firmly that, holding their torches aloft, they chanted in Secret Script in unison:

"Amdei uh, gese tow ou digoxes!"

These spiritual summons grew more tangible, attempting to connect with the soul of the Witch Goddess. They were eager to find her, to offer their most devout beliefs and, under the Witch Goddess’s guidance, to drastically alter the witches’ survival in this century.

Elsewhere, in Shijin Mansion, after making a wish, Farosa returned to her room, exhausted. She felt as if all the moisture had been drained from her, lightweight and unsteady on her feet.

Today she felt especially drained, the calls and entanglements making her uneasy.

She stumbled onto the bed, grateful that the sanctuary still existed. Everything, from the wallpaper to the walls, had been specially processed. Although she could not afford top-grade anti-magic materials, she still had a special type of plating that weakened magic power; the walls were a complex hive-like maze, originally designed for soundproofing, now also serving to deflect various mental influences.

Farosa was deeply thankful for that, Xu Yang’s best gift to her—a tranquil space isolated from prying eyes and interference.

Now, she completely understood all that Xu Yang had done for her. He had been so careful, so intensely focused on guiding Farosa’s growth to prevent her from falling into the abyss of destruction, erecting a high wall between her and endless madness.

How could she not love such a person?

Therefore, when Xu Yang came in, a soft smile immediately appeared on her face.

"New Year’s is the best holiday," Farosa said with ease.

"No," Xu Yang leaned against the door, "...Farosa, you’ve clearly encountered something. Tell me."

The smile faded, and Farosa instantly began to dislike Xu Yang for poking his nose into her affairs.

"I can handle it," she emphasized.

"Prove it to me," Xu Yang said as he sat beside Farosa, taking her hand.

Farosa was silent for a moment.

"...It’s those calls," Farosa looked down, "When people face danger, they may wish for a deity’s blessing, seeking help in the face of disaster and great challenges. Now that I’ve become the Witch Goddess, the thoughts of the witches have become whispers, echoing in my ears. But I can adapt; I’ll get used to it."

"Does that mean you plan to turn a deaf ear, refusing to help?" Xu Yang shook his head, "That will just add to the burden in your own heart."

"Fine," Farosa closed her eyes, "If you really want me to listen to those wails, I’ll give it a try."

Farosa calmed her mind and listened carefully; most of the voices were too faint to discern.

So this is what a deity feels when listening to believers? she thought. Tiny humans and witches, like ants, making such a racket, disturbing the peace of the divine.

She felt the powerful ritual power connecting with her soul, which made her realize that there was a group of people in the world who knew how to perform the rituals to call upon the Witch Goddess, at least understanding the esoteric traditions.

Following the psychic link, Farosa tried to observe the ritual site.

In a place far away, Farosa could see a considerable number of people; the leading Witch wore classical robes, while the other Witches held high torches, and the staff in the distance were dressed in corporate uniforms, emblazoned with the company’s emblem.

"What company’s emblem is that?" Farosa asked with her eyes closed, describing to Xu Yang, "It’s like an octopus but entirely scarlet."

"I’ve heard of it, it’s the internal elite mark of the Scarlet Reconstruction Company," Xu Yang said. "The ’Flying God 4’ processor in my head is their product... They are very skilled at human body modification."

It turned out that the people from the giant Witch corporation were seeking her help; no wonder the whispers were so intense. Farosa linked her hazy consciousness with their secret ritual and entered their psychic circle.

—The ritual to summon the Witch Goddess, successful!

Farosa was extremely cautious, merely leaving behind her divine light. The galaxy’s brilliance lit up on the shrine in the center of the hall as if the stars had all burst into light at once, causing them to scream with excitement and satisfaction.

"We did it!"

"The Witch Goddess has responded!"

"So good, so good—"

Tremblingly, many of the older Witches uncovered their hoods, their eyes brimming with tears as they looked at the glowing galaxy on the shrine before them. They had survived the fires and slaughter of the Witch wars and lived into the post-war era, waiting for this moment for who knows how long.

They interrupted the ritual for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Their understanding of the ritual was not complete. They only knew that this would establish a connection with the Witch Goddess, yet they did not know what to do after the ritual succeeded. Thus, they just prostrated silently on the ground, hardly daring to breathe, worshiping the shrine imbued with Farosa’s spirit.

Farosa despised them for their stupidity, not even knowing how to perform the secret ritual, but she suddenly felt a powerful force gathering towards her. The Witches’ worship surged into her body. These members truly believed in the authority of the Witch Goddess, and now they were prostrating in her presence, offering their reverence to the Witch Goddess.

So much power, too much... too powerful! Farosa took a deep breath, allowing her divine soul to withstand the baptism of these novel forces.

"One ritual per day, without fail," Farosa issued a faint command through the shrine. Her voice was distorted and transformed but still carried the true intent of a deity, filled with majesty, echoing throughout the entire hall. The members of the Witch’s Secret Society listened in silence, with utmost respect.

Afterwards, Farosa withdrew her spirit, sweating profusely. She gasped for air, feeling her divine power expanding. It was like the growth of flesh and blood, consuming many resources.

But it was so wonderful.

Farosa smiled lightly.

"Look... Xu Yang... I’ve collected the power of reverence," she said, extending her hand. From her hand emerged that divine power shining with cosmic brilliance, which before could create a single sword, and would then be completely depleted. But now it was different; after she reconstituted the Divine Sword "Star Tamer," the remaining divine power was still quite plentiful, shining like liquid jewels.

"In time, ’Dewdrops’ might appear," Xu Yang said.

"Ah..." Farosa nodded gently. Dewdrops, the crystallization of believers’ faith, which could grant tremendous power when consumed, but would also be contaminated with the impurities of faith accumulated inside the Dewdrops. It needed careful planning to avoid wild conjectures from the people.

Having tasted the sweetness, Farosa delved deeper into her soul, searching for those mysterious existences calling out to her.

The concept of the Witch Goddess was met with devout calls and sorrowful prayers alike. This time, she encountered even more plaintive Witch voices, some especially intense as if filled with strong resentment, waiting for Farosa’s protection and purification.

"There are many suffering Witches waiting for me..." Farosa whispered softly.

"You probably don’t want to help, do you?" Xu Yang said. "You would never want to expend your energy for someone else’s benefit, let alone go through fire and water or pay a price for them."

"Why not give it a try," Farosa said. "I’ve always been a good person, haven’t I? Have I really done anything utterly unforgivable to this day?"

She listened carefully, the Witches’ wills and souls were pure and strong, often producing quite mysterious effects, resonating endlessly like an echo.

Farosa closed her eyes, her mind sinking into the depths of her divine soul, as if relaxing her body and mind, entering her subconscious. Only in this way could she make a deeper contact with those voices.

In this state, halfway between dreaming and waking, she suddenly saw tens of thousands of spirit lights surrounding her. They twinkled faintly, on the verge of extinction, not quite real.

Farosa found herself standing in a phantom-like lake, with all the spirit lights gazing at her as if they wanted to project their hopes onto Farosa. What could she offer them? Farosa sensed the demands of these ethereal green glows, but she also couldn’t instantly appear in another corner of the world to rescue them from peril.

Farosa felt pressure, and she lay on the ground, taking deep breaths, feeling extremely fatigued. Her eyes wouldn’t open, dulled by worry and weariness.

"We are the Witch Matrix." These spirit lights flickered at the same frequency, tens of thousands of voices merging together, as if coming from the abyss, mysterious and distant, "We are a great machine connected by the brains of Witches."