Chapter 43: The Taste of Being Sponsored
Ah, this.
Shaya was stunned.
He looked up at Witch Miss, only to find her staring at the sculpted stone pillars at the edge of the palace, as if what she just said hadn’t come from her mouth at all.
To be honest, Shaya was quite surprised.
Although he felt that his interactions with Witch Miss were relatively harmonious, he believed that their relationship hadn’t reached that level of intimacy.
After all, the other party was a deity-level existence, a mental entity that would not fall short against the God of Elements with a vertical pupil—how could such a powerful being care about the strengths and weaknesses of a minor character?
Would she even actively help improve his strength?
Cautious by nature, Shaya preferred to believe that there must be additional factors at play here.
Clearly, he seemed to lack a clear understanding of what he had done for Witch Miss previously.
“You…” he hesitated, “why?”
Noticing that her previous words might have been inappropriate, Witch Miss gently lowered her head, thought for a moment, and then spoke in an unsettlingly calm tone, “The first time we met, you liberated my true body from its seal.”
“The second time we met, you took the initiative to share part of the curse’s backlash with me.”
“And just now, although your actions seemed foolish to me,…” Witch Miss paused briefly and then looked directly at the young man below, “you have never once demanded any reward from me.”
“Thus, perhaps I should be the one asking, ‘Why?'”
Her cold gaze seemed to pierce through Shaya’s very soul.
It was evident that Witch Miss did not fully believe his previous statements.
Or perhaps she still harbored some degree of suspicion, because throughout their interactions, Shaya had displayed an overly righteous demeanor, seemingly not considering his own feelings at all.
At her words, Shaya let out a soft sigh.
Yes, his purpose for coming here was not pure. What qualifications did he have to question her?
Thus, he bowed slightly and smiled, “In that case, thank you very much for your generosity, my lady.”
Witch Miss lightly nodded and did not speak.
However, she then raised her hand slightly, and her snowy white wrist peeked out from the long sleeves of her black gauzy dress, a wave of invisible energy emanated.
“Slap! Slap!”
Sensing that Witch Miss was about to take action against him, the Smelly Mud began to thrash wildly, trying to break free from the binding of the black mist, wanting to escape the vicinity.
But in the face of such a presence, all resistance was ultimately futile.
“Buzz—”
With a resonant sound, a magical array with a diameter of several hundred meters quickly sketched itself on the ground, instantly encompassing the entire hall!
With Shaya’s limited knowledge, he couldn’t determine the source of the incantations on this array; it seemed to belong to no known language from the outside world.
If Tilius were here, he might have recognized it, after all, linguistics was his field of study.
The crimson magic array gradually emitted a dazzling radiance, causing Shaya, who stood nearby, to narrow his eyes slightly.
Although Witch Miss said nothing, Shaya still stood up and proactively stepped out of the array’s range, walking a few steps up the staircase.
Unknowingly, he stood not far from Witch Miss’s side.
“……”
Agnes glanced at him but didn’t say anything.
At this moment, the Invisible Demon within the array seemed to feel the heat of a glowing branding iron. Upon lightly touching the ancient and cryptic characters, the entire mass of goo began to churn violently, cold, ghostly breaths wafting out from within it, causing distortions to ripple across certain areas.
These breaths were formed from the unwilling souls of grievances, accompanied by screams and murmurs that made Shaya’s face go pale.
This was the murderous intent and resentment from the Invisible Demon, being purified one by one.
“It is preparing to counterattack.”
At that moment, Witch Miss suddenly spoke out of the blue.
The next second, the mass of black goo shot upward, expanding instantly into a towering, gigantic fire dragon, filling the vast palace and roaring fiercely!
“Roar—!!!”
A severe pressure and storm radiated outward.
Accompanied by a fiery breath capable of scorching all things, the menacing dragon head and bright flames came charging forth, giving the impression of truly facing an ancient creature!
But unfortunately, no matter how terrifying the dragon’s momentum was, the effects it caused could not break through the confines of the magical array.
Ultimately, it was just impotent rage.
Seeming to notice that its attack could not even breach the defenses, the dragon’s form quickly dissolved, transforming back into a pool of black goo flowing across the ground.
However, upon touching the array, it twitched again.
For the next few minutes, Shaya watched in awe as the Invisible Demon continuously switched forms, including but not limited to: Titan Giant, Deep Sea Python, Lich King, Skeletal Knight…
All beings that were rarely seen in reality, each transformation perfectly showcasing the characteristics of that being.
Shaya felt as though he had experienced a grand performance, both expanding his knowledge and finding it highly entertaining.
This guy… might be able to join the circus someday.
He thought to himself.
And so time passed.
Throughout it all, the Invisible Demon was unable to escape the refining magic array, like a bird in a cage.
Finally, after expending too much power, the frequency of the Invisible Demon’s transformations slowed, resembling a pile of muddy refuse lying on the ground, occasionally twitching, utterly devoid of the ability to resist.
“……”
Just as Shaya was about to speak, he suddenly noticed that the Invisible Demon within the array was once again exhibiting the fluctuations from before its transformation.
Then, to his astonishment, the mass of goo slowly spread out, sketching out a human silhouette.
As the outline gradually became clearer, the originally black goo transformed into fair and tender skin, long cascading black hair sprouting out of nowhere and trailing down to the ground.
It was an extraordinarily beautiful woman with a cold demeanor, sitting on the ground in a duck-like pose, her arms crossed over her chest, gazing at Shaya with indifferent eyes.
The most critical detail was that this figure was completely naked.
Yes, truly completely naked.
Seeing the scene before him, Shaya was immediately stunned, and cold sweat broke out.
This… isn’t this Witch Miss?
He instinctively glanced sideways, finding her expression unchanged, as if she didn’t mind at all whether Shaya closed his eyes.
But a bone-chilling and piercing aura gradually rose.
“Help… me…”
The “Witch Miss” in the magic array whispered coldly, her gaze toward Shaya laced with hints of helplessness.
Shaya decisively turned his gaze away and felt no desire for the beautiful sight before him.
I’ve seen it all, why would I care about this impostor?
Noticing the indifferent expressions of the two, the “Witch” in the magic array slowly revealed a look of resentment.
Then, it turned back into a mass of black goo in human form.
But this time, she maintained a vaguely discernible feminine silhouette, standing in the center of the array.
“I curse…”
“I curse you, curse you all to die a horrible death!!!”
Accompanied by the pained scream of the unfamiliar woman, the Invisible Demon slowly knelt on the ground.
“Boom!!!”
Witch Miss raised her hand once more, and an irresistible force came crashing down from above, instantly crushing the Invisible Demon that had assumed a female form, splattering black goo in all directions.
At the same time, the array glowed a fierce red, so dazzling that Shaya had to close his eyes.
Until finally, there was no sound at all.
It was finally over.
The magical array covering the center slowly dimmed and disappeared from the ground.
Although a very intense scene had just played out, the hall remained as tidy as new, as if it had never been damaged.
At the very center of the floor, a drop of black liquid, shimmering with strange luminosity, floated in the air.
The drop was pure, as if it were an exquisitely crafted black gemstone.
Shaya looked at the droplet and then back at Witch Miss, remaining silent.
“Go accept that power.”
Witch Miss did not mention the embarrassing scene from before, saying only a brief comment, then lowered her head to continue reading.
Shaya nodded and walked slowly toward the center of the palace.
The droplet hung quietly in midair, and upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was quite small, only the size of a human pupil.
It was hard to imagine that the Invisible Demon, which could transform into a dragon just moments ago, had been reduced to such a minuscule form after being refined.
Shaya reached out and grasped the droplet in his hand.
A cool sensation surged through, and then, under his gaze, the droplet gently transformed into a puddle of liquid, melting into Shaya’s palm before gradually seeping downward, disappearing into flesh and blood.
The entire process lasted only a few short seconds, and there were no strange sensations.
Is that it?
Just as Shaya was filled with confusion, moving his hands and feet, a prompt from the system resonated.
【Detected that you have obtained a new equipment “Invisible Demon: Ashes (Stage One),” successfully integrated into the system.】
【Invisible Demon: Ashes (Stage One): You can transform it into any non-conceptual inanimate object based on your thoughts. When it is converted into equipment, it will provide the host with a 200% boost in strength.】
A divine artifact!
Glancing at the explanation provided by the system, Shaya couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.
This unrestricted power doubling was utterly exhilarating, and it seemed this was only the effect of the first stage.
Is this what it feels like to be sponsored by a wealthy woman?
So enjoyable, right?
“I have placed a part of a seal on it, so the effect you can currently unleash is only a small portion.” Witch Miss said softly as she slowly turned a page in the book on her lap, her head bowed. “You are too weak to control this powerful force.”
“Thank you for the gift, my lady.”
Shaya bowed once more.
“I said, this is an equitable exchange.”
Witch Miss replied flatly.
In truth, he had already benefited from Witch Miss’s generosity, yet she seemed unaware, graciously giving him a divine artifact. This made Shaya feel a bit guilty.
After that, a long silence fell between the two once again.
Originally intending to have Witch Miss unleash the black mist to kill him, Shaya thought carefully and chose not to do so.
If he simply left here, she would be alone in the palace once again.
Witch Miss was not someone who liked to speak spontaneously, but she also didn’t seem to mind conversing with him.
Feeling a strange sense of guilt in his heart, Shaya glanced at the book in Witch Miss’s hands.
Recalling their second meeting, she had transformed the entire hall into an immense library that seemed endless.
“Do you enjoy reading?”
He attempted to strike up a conversation.
Witch Miss didn’t even look up, seeming disinclined to answer such an obvious question.
Shaya took a deep breath and continued, “Although it may sound a bit boastful, my identity in the outside world is that of a bestselling author, and I have written many popular stories.”
“Are you… interested in hearing one of the stories I wrote?”
