The top courtesan raised the glass to her lips — then set it back down, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.
Absurd. Farcical. Utterly beyond belief.
The Witch Coven gathering point that every major faction had scoured heaven and earth to locate — and she had just stumbled upon it, just like that?
The moment the astronomical bounties posted on Witches crossed her mind, Li Fei almost wanted to report this den herself.
…Unfortunately, I'm a Witch too.
Li Fei puffed out her cheeks and downed her wine in one go.
She had always imagined that Witches — who committed every manner of wickedness yet moved like ghosts — would operate like some shadowy intelligence bureau. Members either looking utterly unremarkable on the surface, or keeping themselves carefully half-concealed, with a rigid chain of command and a cold, enigmatic operating style…
With that thought, her gaze swept once more across the glamorously dressed, thoroughly uninhibited hostesses. The table next to her had already gotten into the body-banquet portion of the evening. She clapped a hand over her eyes — then very honestly stretched out her arm, and speared a thin, delicate slice of meat.
As a side note: the woman serving as the "platter" was a Fire-element Witch who could control the temperature of flames along her skin — much like the iconic fire-type creatures from a certain beloved IP — making her perfectly suited for slow-roasting cuts of meat. And as a further side note: many of the guests who had booked her were perfectly willing to pay double the premium rate just to have the tavern's Water-element Witch join the party as well — so long as the total tab reached a certain threshold. Heh heh.
The top courtesan's mind wandered in seven directions at once, the corner of her mouth curling upward — yet a faint unease still lingered at the back of her chest. Were her sisters actually reliable? How had they managed not to get exposed all this time? And if one of them slipped up — would it blow back on her?
"Witches never betray Witches."
A voice drifted to her ear — the kind of voice that made your ears go soft — and she turned her head to find a beautifully rounded, chestnut-haired lady who had appeared behind her at some point without a sound.
"Lady Gneia."
Li Fei smiled sweetly.
Gneia exhaled a breath of smoke, raising her pipe in one hand, and with the other lifted the wine glass Li Fei had been drinking from. The top courtesan, reading the room with practiced ease, promptly refilled it for her.
"Tonight, we welcome one more compatriot, comrade, sister, and beloved into our fold."
Gneia surveyed the room, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. "To the Witches."
"To the Witches."
The Witches present raised their glasses as one and drained them.
Lady Gneia cast Li Fei a meaningful glance and walked out through the door. Li Fei carefully settled Isabella's head onto Agatha's thigh, then slipped out of the break room after her.
A single door's difference — and the temperature dropped by several degrees. The cool air sharpened Li Fei's senses, and she followed dutifully behind Lady Gneia.
Click. Click. Click…
Purple heels struck the floor in a crisp, rhythmic cadence, threading a thread of heat into the cool night air.
Lady Gneia wore purple again today — her silhouette graceful and lush from behind, like a ripe, juice-heavy peach. Her chestnut hair was pinned up at the back of her head, baring a flawlessly snow-white nape.
Her full, rounded legs were sheathed in deep black stockings, and a band of purple silk ribbon wound from her right ankle up to the back of her knee — breaking the symmetry in a way that shouldn't have been beautiful, yet was, adding a layer of mysterious, forbidden allure.
A pleasantly tipsy Li Fei bit her lip, following that figure all the way into the wine cellar. The sudden drop in temperature sobered her up considerably — just enough to prevent her from doing anything that might be described as "repaying a life debt with every spring in her body."
It was the top courtesan's first time inside the wine cellar. She glanced around with open curiosity, taking in the rows of wooden barrels arranged through the center of the space, and the floor-to-ceiling shelving lining all four walls, each slot quietly cradling a bottle of wine.
But the thing that truly drew the eye was the collection of specimens mounted along the left wall — skulls made from the heads of Transcendent beings of various races, each face frozen in the final expression it had worn at the moment of death: some contorted in ferocity, others locked in terror.
Gneia finally came to a stop before the mounted skull of a Succubus.
The Succubus's eyes were wide and pitifully beautiful, her mouth hanging open — as though she had died in the middle of a sigh.
Gneia took Li Fei's hand and guided her index fingertip into the skull's open mouth, pressing it firmly down onto one of the sharp canine fangs — the sting made Li Fei's lips twitch, but the skin held.
"My, my — it seems our top courtesan has a rather extraordinary constitution."
Gneia kept her voice soft and gentle — and then abruptly applied far more force.
"Ow…"
Li Fei let out a small yelp. Her fingertip finally yielded, and a bead of blood welled up — at which point the eyes of the long-dead Succubus skull flickered to life with a rose-pink glow.
"Succubi possess a sensitivity to bodily fluids that no other race can match — which is precisely why Succubus remains make the finest raw material for identity-verification Transcendent items. It's analogous to the role Demon corpses play in spatial magic materials."
Gneia offered the explanation, and when she caught the top courtesan's thoroughly aggrieved little expression, she dipped her head and — using the warmth of her mouth and the antiseptic properties of saliva — attended to the small wound on Li Fei's finger.
A moment later, once Li Fei's expression had shifted to one of I'm fine now, Gneia unhurriedly spoke:
"Your identity has now been registered."
"Mergi."
Gneia gave voice to the simple syllable — and at once the rose-pink radiance blazed outward, enveloping them both.
When the pink light faded, the world around them had transformed entirely.
Before them stretched a dead and desolate wasteland — dim light, frigid air, not a single trace of life. It felt like the forsaken abyss of ancient legend, a place the gods had forgotten, untouched by living feet for ten thousand years.
The sky hung unnervingly low, as though one could reach up and brush it with an outstretched hand. Dozens of stars dangled from it, their light thin and feeble — scattering down in faint flickers, dimmer even than a roadside candle — trembling faintly, as though a single breath of wind might send them tumbling from the heavens.
To the left and ahead: a pale, writhing mound, heaving and shifting — and from it rose a continuous chorus of coquettish, unmistakably feminine voices. To the right and ahead: a massive, rough-hewn circular structure, from within which came a din of roaring, punctuated by weeping and wailing — a living hell on earth.
"Welcome to the Witch Coven, newborn Witch."
Gneia spread her arms wide. Her lips still held their graceful, measured smile — but her eyes shimmered and danced, every turbulent emotion within her pressing against the surface.
"This place — it's a folded space?"
Li Fei glanced around with frank curiosity.
As the textbooks described it: scattered across the boundless Continent of Enlos were certain special spatial nodes. Through specific rituals, objects, or spells, these nodes could be unlocked and connected to extraordinary folded spaces. Such spaces varied enormously in size — some were barren wastelands, others brimming with resources — and they had long been prized targets in the struggles between the continent's great powers. The Eastern Continent had similar folded spaces, though they were typically known there as cave-heavens.
"That's correct."
Gneia nodded. "The Witch Coven has seven gathering points. Most are built within folded spaces."
"You're just… telling me all this?"
Li Fei rubbed her temple. "Lady Gneia, you trust me rather a lot, don't you…"
"There are dead Witches, and there have always been dead Witches — but there has never been a Witch who betrayed another."
Gneia exhaled a slow breath of smoke. "And as for interrogation, mind control, hypnosis — there's no need to worry about any of that either. Every Witch who enters the Coven receives the Witch's Blessing."
"Oh?"
The top courtesan raised her eyes, silently prompting Gneia to continue.
"'Witch' is at once a class, a bloodline, and a lineage."
Gneia snapped her fingers — and a table and two chairs materialized before them, a pair of steaming cups of coffee already waiting on top. She settled into her chair, crossed her legs, and continued at a leisurely pace:
"The Witch's Blessing is a ritual, led by a high-Sequence Witch, that extends its benefits to other Witches."
"Once the ritual is complete, the blessed Witch's soul comes under protection — she won't be immune to mental-type spells, but her resistance will increase significantly. Furthermore, if her soul is on the verge of being overwhelmed by a mental-type spell, she may burn her soul as a cost to break free of the effect. Even if she cannot break free, she will automatically place a Curse Mark on the attacker. And, of course, should she fall into enemy hands and wish to avoid certain scenarios — the kind written about in those 'female knight captured by orcs' story serials — she may activate a self-destruct effect at will."
"Not even a Sequence 2 — not even the Seven Supremes themselves — can stop a Witch's self-destruction."
"Beyond that, there are additional benefits. The stronger the Witch who administers the Blessing, the greater the rewards for the Witch who receives it."
"So, Lady Gneia — will you give me the Blessing?"
At some point, Li Fei had slipped off her heels. Clad in pale grey silk stockings, she'd perched the balls of her feet on the edge of her chair, arms wrapped around her knees, toes curling and uncurling idly.
"Ah…"
Gneia's lips rose and then fell, her expression turning faintly rueful. "The ritual has two steps, and the first is the most important… A Witch far more powerful than I has already completed the first step with you."
"…Who?"
Li Fei leaned forward, toes now tucked into the heels resting on the floor.
"She asked me to keep it secret."
Lady Gneia gave a small shrug. "If you want the answer, there are only two ways: first — wait until you've advanced to the higher Sequences. At that point, you may consult the Coven's records on the Witch's Blessing ritual free of charge. Once you know the ritual's steps, the answer will be self-evident. Second — purchase knowledge of the Witch's Blessing ritual yourself, using your Witch Points."
Li Fei puffed out her cheeks. A thin film of moisture seemed to gather in her eyes, and she switched to a wheedling tone:
"Just a tiny hint… Do I know this Witch? What color is her hair? Oh — is it Sister Aurora?"
Gneia only smiled and said nothing. The top courtesan's fishing expedition had met a complete and utter dead end.
"There is one thing I can tell you for free, however."
Gneia raised her coffee cup. "The advancement ritual for the Witch class is to receive a Witch's Kiss. The back of the hand and the cheek both count."
Ah — so that's how it works…
A mystery that had puzzled her for days was finally resolved. Li Fei pressed her hands to her face in bemused contemplation.
The ladies back at the tavern were all dear sisters — and dear sisters kissed each other on the cheek as casually as saying good morning. It was the most natural thing in the world. The top courtesan's face had, all told, accumulated at least fifty lip prints over the course of her time there.
"Wait — then how did the very first Witch come to exist?"
Li Fei suddenly recalled the classic chicken-and-egg paradox and asked with genuine curiosity.
"From Lady Depravity."
Gneia's gaze drifted toward the writhing pale mound not far away. "Don't forget — 'Witch' is a lineage. It traces back to the lineage of the Witch of Depravity."
"She kisses those whom She favors, and bestows upon them the glory of the Witch."
She… Could the Witch of Depravity be a being on par with the gods themselves?
Li Fei's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Now then."
Gneia clapped her palms together with a crisp snap, then rose and extended her hand toward Li Fei. "Let's get the Blessing ritual done first — and I'll fill you in on the rest of the perks that come with being a newly inducted Witch."
Perks? Oh, wonderful!
Li Fei perked up immediately. She jammed her shoes back on, looped her left arm through Gneia's, and clasped her right hand: "What kind of perks are we talking?"
"First — the Witch's Blessing itself is an extraordinarily precious benefit."
"Second — a complimentary grant of one hundred Witch Points. Trust me: the value of Witch Points is fully on par with the academic credits of the Magic Academy and War Academy, or the contribution points of the Mercenary Guild… and in certain respects, exceeds them."
"Third — the access permissions corresponding to Sequence 9. Your permission level determines which knowledge you may access for free, which knowledge requires payment, and which features you are authorized to use."
"Fourth — a Tier-I Spell Crystal, or an esoteric art of equivalent value. While you may select freely from the spell library, we generally recommend choosing from the Witch-exclusive spells."
"Fifth — the advancement ritual and secret potion for the Witch of Pride class."
"And…"
Gneia's lips curved. "Your commission on wine sales increases tenfold."
Ugh…
The first several items — Li Fei had managed to keep her composure throughout.
The last one hit the top courtesan like a cannonball and sank her on the spot.
Starry-eyed and half in a daze — like an innocent girl who had just been hypnotized — the top courtesan allowed Lady Gneia to lead her by the hand toward that pale, writhing mound of flesh.
Humans, elves, Sirens, Succubi, beast-eared girls — women of every race were layered and intertwined in an unending mass embrace, forming a slick, pale mound that heaved and shifted without pause. Strands of hair tangled with other strands of hair, fingers laced tightly with other fingers; breathless sighs rose and fell in endless waves, heat rolling off in surges.
The scene was sensual and deeply strange — vivid and decadent, like roses blooming to the point of rot, like fruit so sweet it had turned to ferment, suffused with the scent of blood and venom.
Li Fei, not watching her step, planted a high heel directly into a small warm puddle of what was unmistakably orange juice. When she lifted her foot, a glistening, viscous thread stretched from sole to ground.
"What exactly is… happening here?"
The top courtesan stared, jaw slack.
"A wishing ritual."
Gneia answered with perfect equanimity. "Every Witch Coven gathering point has a burial mound — inside lies a part of Lady Depravity herself. Perhaps a single lock of hair. Perhaps an eye."
"A Witch once heard Lady Depravity's cry from somewhere beyond the veil: 'Water my grave with the fervent love of women!'"
"She did as She asked — and discovered that a woman's love, combined with Lady Depravity's grave, constituted a special wishing ritual capable of endlessly accumulating an almost inconceivable power… a power that could very nearly grant any wish. The greater and more ardent the love, the faster the wishing power accumulated."
"Every Witch may spend her Witch Points to redeem a certain amount of that wishing power."
"With wishing power, one can obtain rare materials, spells, wealth, lifespan… One can also reshape one's constitution, create servants… and one can even modify the advancement ritual and secret potion for the Witch class itself — producing an entirely different Witch variant."
"Aurora once used her Witch Points within the wishing ritual to redeem the 'Mad Witch' class."
So this is… a god among Witches.
Li Fei's heart surged. A profound and unfeigned reverence rose within her.
She had heard it said long ago: the higher a Witch climbed along the Sequence, the higher her Charisma rose — and the lower her Morality fell. But this Lady Depravity had actually done what Li Fei herself had only ever dared to dream of!
"Now — face Lady Depravity's grave and speak the word mergi. The Blessing ritual will be complete."
"Mergi."
Li Fei said it without a moment's hesitation.
A pillar of rose-pink light descended from the canopy of the sky, enveloping her entirely.
Li Fei felt a warmth wash over her — soft and enveloping, like being curled up swaddled in blankets. Deep within her mind, alongside the existing spell models, a grey mark quietly settled into place.
She discreetly opened her notification panel.
[You have received the [Witch's Blessing]]
Witch's Blessing Ritual Effect: When you lose dominion over your soul, your soul will automatically begin burning, breaking free of negative effects and branding enemies with a Curse Mark; may also be activated manually. Mental-type spell resistance +10; EXP acquisition rate +10%; Meditation efficiency +20%; Fortune +2.
Excellent.
Li Fei had barely let the delight show on her face when Gneia added:
"Additionally, you may select one Transcendent item valued at up to 1,000 Witch Points — paid for by her."
"What a generous Witch sister she is…"
The top courtesan offered her heartfelt admiration to that mysterious, magnanimous Witch.
"Every gift a Witch bestows," Gneia murmured, "has already had its price marked in the dark."
"That's all right."
The top courtesan ran her tongue lightly along her lips. "When it comes to repaying debts of gratitude — there's no one more skilled than me."
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