Chapter 10: Dark Moon, High Wind, Murder and Plunder

Chapter 10: Dark Moon, High Wind, Murder and Plunder

Seeing her pocket the gold coins, Griffith finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then excitement bubbled up in him again.

These hair-growth potions, if sold to the dignitaries in the town mansion or those traveling wealthy merchants, could fetch at least ten times their value!

"Griffith’s gaze towards Fei Yi grew increasingly greedy, thinking if he could find out the location of her potion ingredients, he could make a fortune in gold!"

"But the girl seemed to sense something and suddenly raised her head, locking eyes with Griffith."

"Her pupils, glowing with a dark purple light, radiated an intense, icy chill."

"What kind of eyes were those! Griffith felt as if he’d plunged into a grave in an instant! His back was drenched with cold sweat!"

"Years of experience made him instantly realize that this young girl was far from the fragile and gullible appearance she presented!"

"He suddenly remembered a crucial fact: The arrival of witches had spread throughout Ninihui Town, and everyone was too scared to go out at night, only daring to flock to the monastery."

"Even though he had spent a lot of money on a protective crystal from the monastery, he didn’t dare to leave his shop at night."

"Yet this girl, moving freely, showed no sign of fear or nervousness."

"And how did such a young girl acquire materials from the Abyss?"

"Griffith’s heart started pounding."

"Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he reached under the counter."

"Daring to keep his shop open after the witch's arrival, Griffith naturally had means to protect his life."

"He had bought a fragile Holy Spirit Crystal at a high price from the monastery; just a gentle crush, and the great magicians there would immediately get the message and come to his aid."

"This crystal was hidden in a blind spot under the counter. Now, Griffith’s hand was slowly reaching towards it."

"If this young girl truly was a witch in disguise, he could strike a lucrative deal with the monastery…"

"Suddenly, there was a loud 'bang' on the counter."

"Griffith jumped at the sudden noise, only to realize the girl had placed an open thin leather-bound book on the counter, with a line of writing on it."

"'Hmm, fresh blue octopus secondary brain, Common Grade healing potion, Gargal's millennium holy lake water, phoenix tail feather, gold dust from holy garments…'"

"Griffith was puzzled; aside from the first two, the rest of the materials were of the light attribute, used almost every time by the monastery's monks, mages, and deacons in expelling dark creatures."

"He hesitated for a few seconds, then withdrew his hand from the Holy Spirit Crystal."

What witch would come to buy high-level Light attribute materials? Each of them could directly scorch a witch's soul.

Perhaps he was overthinking. The girl might just be a regular young girl, and the hair-growth potion could have been made by her family...

In the end, Griffith chose to take a gamble in the face of profit.

After all, today it might be hair-growth potion; tomorrow, it could be some other rare potion, right?

The potion shop owner, trembling, moved his hand away from the crystal and sold all the materials and potions to Fii for 8 gold coins.

The materials were packed by Winnas in special shell cases that were opaque, which greatly relieved Fii, now a witch-in-training.

She indeed did not want to touch these Light attribute items herself, as they might alert the entity around her neck.

Not wanting to delay and risk complications, Fii took her things and left.

Just before stepping out, she turned her head slightly to glance at Winnas.

The 11-year-old girl, due to long-term malnutrition, was as thin and small as she was.

At this moment, after completing a transaction, she was being ordered by the potion shop owner to climb the high shelves for cleaning.

Struggling to lift her arms, her ankle-length trousers moved up, revealing wounds of varying depths on her legs.

"You're so slow!" As soon as the customer left, Griffith, no longer holding back, shouted angrily, "No wonder they say women are a loss! You're as useless as your runaway mother! You haven't even finished counting the materials in the back store yet? Dinner's not ready? What on earth are you doing?!"

As if verbal abuse wasn't enough, Griffith got up and slapped Winnas on her waist.

"Hurry up! You lazy bug! Finish up and go to the back store to restock! Then go buy me some booze!"

The girl on the ladder suddenly lost her balance and crashed to the floor!

"So clumsy! If you were a boy, you wouldn't have messed up even this simple task! I really should sell you and buy a boy instead!" Griffith's obese body loomed over Winnas like a massive mountain.

Winnas looked up in terror, continuously apologizing, slowly getting up with pain in her waist and back.

Oh, God...

Large tears streamed from little Winnas' eyes. Her head hit the ground in the fall, causing her vision to darken and swirl, yet she still staggered towards the back store to lift the heavy goods.

"She couldn’t be sold… To make more money, Griffith wouldn’t sell her to a reputable place."

"Behind the potion shop was a beautiful courtyard, in the center of which stood an exquisite and luxurious statue."

"It was a piece Griffith had purchased from the monastery for a hefty sum, a lavish arch with the dignified and sacred half-bust of the deity carved on it."

"The deity’s expression was forever loving and compassionate, like a gentle father, able to dissolve all despair in the world."

"Winnas knelt before the statue, tears wetting the porcelain base."

"Oh deity… can you please help her…"

"The poor girl knelt there every day, desperately praying, when Griffith only fed her once a day, when there was endless work to do until late at night, and when the violent, drunken owner beat her continuously."

"She prayed over and over, earnestly, desperately, hoping the deity would grant her even a little help."

"But the statue only smiled at her, as her life gradually worsened."

"The beatings became more frequent, the monastery's monks never looked her in the eye, and the orphanage director refused to help a child with parents."

"Winnas knelt on the ground, every part of her body aching."

"'Anyone will do…' The girl sobbed, covering her face, tears streaming through her fingers, splashing on the cold ground."

"'Who can help me…'"

*

"Fei Yi was unaware of what happened next, as she left the potion shop and returned to Little Gold Lane like a wandering spirit."

"Thankfully, her outing was brief and didn’t attract any attention."

"Occasional students passing through the corridor paid no mind to someone stepping out of a dorm room."

"Suppressing her racing heart, Fei Yi nonchalantly opened the dorm door again, this time having removed her ring in advance."

"Hill, sitting elegantly at her desk reading, turned her head at the sound."

"Upon realizing it was her annoying roommate, she expressionlessly turned back, fixating on the open 'Basics of Magical Manifestation' on her desk."

Tomorrow's class is on Magical Manifestation, and the Golem butlers have just delivered the textbooks.

Hil tightly grasped a corner of the book, her mind set on one goal: to study! She was determined to devour the book entirely!

Wyatt would never allow anyone's name to overshadow his own!

Her roommate — the only dimwit among the freshmen — had somehow managed to be the only one to concoct a potion of the ordinary level!

For this, Instructor Gaia awarded Fii Roga ten points!

To think that as the first to complete the assignment, Hil had only gained three points, just because hers was of a cheaper grade!

With red eyes, Hil frantically memorized her textbook in a corner unseen by her roommate.

She was convinced Fii's accomplishment was mere coincidence, just a stroke of luck. But Magical Manifestation was different; it required genuine skill!

So Hil was determined to regain the point difference in the next Magical Manifestation class! Wyatt must always be first!

Clearly repelled by her roommate, Fii couldn't have asked for anything better.

She first ordered tomorrow's breakfast on the magic scroll (which grumbled about being woken up), then rushed into the bathroom for a quick wash before nestling into bed, awaiting midnight.

She had glanced at the new textbook too, but after flipping through a few pages and realizing she couldn't understand a thing, she quickly gave up.

No rush.

The depths of the abyss were pitch black at midnight, everyone sound asleep.

Fii tiptoed to the door, ensuring her roommate's breathing was steady and deep, then gently pushed open the dormitory door.

After a few seconds adjusting to the darkness, she relied on her morning's memory to find her way back to the potion-making room.

Her black bag, bulging with contents, Fii slowly began to take out its contents.

First, the ingredients for an intelligence potion.

In the game, this was the best item to boost intelligence. With the right ingredients, she could concoct it blindfolded.

Potion furnace, activate!

Next was the "gift" for the Death Singer.

Fii could feel that with time, the necrotic entity around her neck was getting heavier. What initially felt like a string of ice on her neck now felt like a chunk of frozen stone.

Even turning her head brought unbearable pain.

This was the Singer's way of warning and urging her, she understood.

But Fii's hand, holding the shell case, remained steady. Her eyes shone brightly in the darkness, like the fiercest flame in a furnace.

"It's either you die, or I live."

Whispering this mantra to herself, Fii used the special tools provided by the potion shop owner to place all the Light attribute materials into another, unused potion furnace.

A faint, bright light emanated from the furnace.

She waited anxiously and expectantly, so much so that she barely registered elevating the intelligence potion to [High Quality].

Perhaps it was the Abyss repelling all Light attributes, or maybe the dark power of the Witch Academy was too overwhelming.

In any case, the concoction process took an exceptionally long time, so long that Fii, struggling to keep her eyes open, thought she had failed, until the furnace finally ceased operating as dawn approached.

The light vanished.

Pinching her thigh to stay alert, Fii quickly approached the furnace.

It had to be a success.

If not, she might not even overcome the first dungeon boss.

Fii slowly opened the furnace, and a crystal-clear transparent potion calmly met her gaze.

The potion resembled the purest lake water, so clean and transparent it left one speechless.

Success!!

She jumped up excitedly, waving her fists in the air.

[Blessing Potion]! The legendary potion said to possess the same effects as the divine blessings!

Such a potion was an absolute treasure, capable of dispelling most negative states with a single dose. Prolonged use could even enhance one's magical reservoir (mana pool), purify the soul, and fortify the body (enhancing attribute panel), making it an essential elixir for leveling up in Light-based professions.

"But in contrast—"

"Fei Yi’s face, obscured in the gloom, seemed ominously dark. She carefully cradled the 'poison apple' potion and placed it into her bag like a true witch."

"—Blessing potions are deadly to any dark profession."

"Light attribute materials can directly burn dark souls, categorized as [True Damage] in the game."

"No matter how high the defensive gear, it couldn’t withstand the burning effect of a blessing potion."

"This was the 'gift' Fei Yi selected from her vast game knowledge for the Singer."

"In front of a nearly dead 30-level necromancer, probably no poison potion would be effective."

"Only the unexpected – a potion with pure light energy, impossible to find in the Abyss – might deal a fatal blow."

"The slender girl stood up in the darkness, her gaze determined and cold."

"Next month, on a dark and stormy night, she would strike."