Chapter 68: Painting, Painting Nails?
“Lady Agnes, welcome to my hometown.”
Shaya stood high up in the air, next to Witch Miss, and spoke softly.
The highly modern city built of steel and concrete before them was the miracle he wanted to show her.
When Miss Huo saw this scene for the first time, as a demigod-level existence, she was completely shocked.
Similarly, although she was of divine status, trapped in the Abyss Palace for thousands of years, Witch Miss had never experienced the changes of the secular world. She had spent her days reading books in that small space, fantasizing about things she had never seen in those books.
If one had never actually seen or comprehended something, it would be impossible to create the imagined things.
Moreover, the scene before them represented a dimensional blow from a parallel world.
At this moment, Witch Miss was somewhat dazed by the sight before her.
Her fair, slender fingers intertwined gently, seemingly at a loss in the face of this scene.
Clearly, in the outside world, she could easily wave her hand and engulf the entire city in black mist, bringing all life to an end; yet at this moment, a sense of awe towards another great civilization arose from the depths of her soul.
Noticing Witch Miss’s emotional fluctuations, Shaya said nothing, but lightly snapped his fingers.
In the consciousness space, he was a god-like presence, so teleportation only required a thought.
Agnes felt her vision blur and then found herself and Shaya both appearing on a sidewalk in the city.
Surrounding them were hurried pedestrians dressed in strange yet bold outfits. On the wide road beside them, strange vehicles passed by, incredibly fast yet smooth, even without being horse-drawn.
This is… his hometown?
As the view shifted from a high overhead to being amidst the city, Agnes began to feel a sense of reality even though it could strictly be considered a dream.
“What is this place called?”
After a moment, Agnes calmed her turbulent thoughts, regained her usual quietness, and spoke softly.
“Magic City,” Shaya replied. “Shall I take you around?”
Witch Miss nodded gently.
So they walked side by side along the edge of the sidewalk.
There were quite a few passersby around, and occasionally some would cast glances at Agnes as if they were stunned by her beauty.
“……”
Agnes subtly furrowed her brow.
Having not seen so many humans in over ten thousand years, she could be considered a seasoned shut-in. Although she did not have social anxiety, after such a long absence from human society, she still felt somewhat strange.
Especially since she was an Evil God.
Seeing this, Shaya explained, “After all, this is a space of consciousness. Although it appears lifelike, they are merely manifestations without self-thinking ability.”
In fact, even within the sea of consciousness, perfectly maintaining the operation of a city was still somewhat difficult for Shaya.
So he opened up part of his memory permissions to Miss Huo, sharing several methods of simulation with her to control the city in place of Shaya.
Of course, if he wanted, he could reclaim that power with just a thought.
Agnes nodded gently at this.
So the two continued to walk quietly down the street, as Shaya, reminiscent of his childhood, carefully stepped along the edges of the sidewalk with arms outstretched to maintain balance.
Agnes watched him, her mood gradually relaxing.
Upon reaching the end of the road, traffic lights and an intersection appeared before them.
Shaya thought for a moment and said, “Shall we try the local means of transportation?”
Agnes frowned slightly as she looked at the vehicles on the road: “Although it’s very different from a horse carriage… overall, it doesn’t seem like anything particularly new.”
After all, both modes involve sitting in an enclosed space while being powered by something other than human labor.
However, Shaya mysteriously shook his head: “No, no, no, it’s not that kind of transportation.”
Saying this, he extended his hand toward Agnes.
Witch Miss instinctively thought Shaya wanted her power to manifest that means of transportation. Without further thought, she gently took his hand.
But then she suddenly realized something and discreetly withdrew her hand.
She looked calmly at Shaya without speaking.
Shaya smiled awkwardly: “Sorry, I instinctively thought we were outside.”
Then, he snapped his fingers, and suddenly a brand-new bicycle appeared in front of them. Its shiny exterior elicited a look of confusion from Witch Miss.
How does one ride a means of transportation that requires no external power?
Moreover, it didn’t seem to even have a place to sit.
Just as she felt puzzled, Shaya stepped forward, mounted the genuine leather seat, then pointed to the back seat and said, “You can sit here.”
“Sitting… here?”
Witch Miss glanced at the metal-framed back seat, instinctively taking a step back, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Used to sitting on sofas and crimson velvet chairs, the idea of having her back touch something so cold and hard was unthinkable. Agnes considered it impossible.
“I can teleport.”
Witch Miss thought for a moment before discreetly declining.
Shaya smiled and said, “You forgot, this is my sea of consciousness. Plus, you only came in as a consciousness; your power is significantly weakened.”
Agnes was momentarily taken aback, then shifted her gaze.
She suddenly realized that after Shaya had extended the invitation, her readiness to agree was perhaps a bit too quick, without even the most basic skepticism.
It was as if she subconsciously believed this young man would not harm her.
So she took a deep breath, remained silent for a moment, tidied her white dress slightly, and then followed Shaya’s instructions to sit sideways on the back seat.
Her small feet, enveloped in high-heeled sandals, slightly lifted and tapped the ground for support.
“You… forget it.”
Shaya looked at Witch Miss.
Her knees were slightly together, feet apart, revealing her fair, slender calves, while her hands lightly intertwined, resting on her thighs.
He initially intended to remind her, but after considering Witch Miss’s personality, he decided not to speak first.
“Hold on, we’re off!”
Shaya lifted a leg and then stepped on the pedals.
A cool breeze brushed across Agnes’s fair and delicate profile, lifting her black hair slightly. Once her legs left the ground’s support, she instinctively wrapped her arms around Shaya’s waist.
“……”
Feeling the strange transportation with two wheels swaying yet smoothly traversing the road, Agnes wanted to retract her hands but felt in the next moment she would fall off the bike.
She suddenly found herself in a dilemma.
She looked up at the young man’s tall back and didn’t know what to say.
But Shaya seemed to overlook Agnes’s hand movements, slightly turning his head and enthusiastically speaking, “Milady, how about I arrange our next itinerary?”
“Agnes…” Witch Miss hesitated, “If we’re just here, you can call me by my name.”
Perhaps to blend into the atmosphere of the city, or perhaps because she considered herself now just an ordinary woman with limited power, Witch Miss unexpectedly spoke up.
“Uh…”
Shaya was stunned for a moment, hesitating.
To be honest, although Witch Miss was very beautiful, Shaya didn’t have any strange lascivious thoughts about her typically, given the stark difference in their strengths; there was still respect.
Therefore, he hadn’t done anything overly presumptuous regarding how to address her.
But now it was different.
Witch Miss had actively requested Shaya to call her by her name, which was quite rare.
Rare to the point of being a bit abnormal.
Shaya silently thought.
But actually, to put it plainly, he felt somewhat embarrassed.
After a moment, as Shaya pedaled the bicycle, he quietly said, “A-Agnes…”
Shaya.
In a place he couldn’t see, Witch Miss remained calm, silently replying in her heart.
After asking Octave about Shaya’s name, this was something Agnes had wanted to do for a long time.
……
“Where is this?”
Gently stepping on the ground from the back seat of the bicycle, Agnes’s previously anxious heart immediately felt grounded.
She gazed at the store-like place ahead and asked.
“This is where you buy clothes,” Shaya said, propping up the bicycle and standing next to Witch Miss. “We still maintain appearances from the outside world, which feels somewhat out of place, so let’s shop for clothes first.”
Actually, Agnes was alright; her white dress and high-heeled shoes weren’t too unusual.
But perhaps due to some strange psychology, Shaya felt this outfit was too conservative. He wanted to have some modern trendy elements clash with Witch Miss to see what kind of sparks would fly.
“Welcome.”
She quietly followed behind Shaya into the elegantly decorated clothing store.
“Your girlfriend is so beautiful; she’s simply a born clothes hanger. Would she like to try on our new styles?”
Although she knew the people and things here were all fake, the enthusiastic demeanor of the sales assistant made Witch Miss somewhat uncomfortable.
Moreover, the title made her feel somewhat uneasy.
“What is ‘girlfriend’?”
She inched closer to Shaya, speaking softly.
“Uh… it’s a special term from my hometown,” Shaya paused for a moment, “it refers to a close but still platonic relationship with someone of the opposite sex, someone you can hang out with.”
“Mm.”
Witch Miss’s confusion was answered, and she nodded gently.
I am Shaya’s girlfriend?
That’s quite novel.
Agnes thought silently.
If it were her past self, the idea that she would become friends with some weak human in the future would have been unbelievable.
But now, things were happening mysteriously before her eyes.
Shaya wiped away his cold sweat, seeing he had cleverly navigated through that, then pointed to a set of clothes in the display case and said, “That one, bring it for her to try on.”
“Sure, sir.”
The sales assistant left and returned with a set of clothes and a pair of shoes.
Shaya pointed to a small partition in the distance: “Over there is the fitting room. You can change clothes inside and then come out.”
Hearing this, Witch Miss cast a puzzled glance at him.
After a moment, she softly asked, “I… alone?”
What else could it be?
Are you going to let me check your body development?
Of course, Shaya wouldn’t say anything like that.
“The curse of the Goddess of Beauty shouldn’t extend to my sea of consciousness.”
Shaya thought for a moment before answering.
Witch Miss was taken aback, then abruptly took the clothes from the sales assistant’s hand, saying nothing, and turned to leave.
Once inside the fitting room, Agnes let out a deep sigh.
Perhaps she had received too much shock today, leading her to forget such a basic thing.
Would he think I’m relying on him?
Witch Miss slightly furrowed her brow, feeling displeased with her prior lapse.
After a little while of internal struggle, Agnes gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror, gently pulling down the straps of her dress.
The fabric slowly slid over her fair, graceful body and fell to the ground.
Then, Agnes glanced at the set of clothes she had hurriedly taken a hold of.
Her expression instantly turned to surprise.
W-why is this so revealing?
……
Ten minutes later, a crack appeared in the fitting room door.
A delicate white hand stretched out, but the person seemed to shy away from facing reality, hiding at the door.
Shaya, who had been attentively watching, froze for a moment and then stepped closer, quietly asking, “Do you need help with anything?”
“It’s too revealing…”
A cool yet hesitant voice came from behind the door.
Upon hearing this, Shaya smiled: “This is our dressing style; actually, no one on the street would look at you with strange eyes.”
“……”
After a moment of silence, Agnes slowly stepped out of the fitting room.
Gazing at the completely transformed Witch Miss, Shaya’s eyes lit up.
At that moment, Agnes’s upper body was adorned with a slightly oversized white lady’s shirt, the fabric cinched at the waist into a knot, exposing a small portion of her delicate waist and a cute belly button.
Her lower half was slightly bolder, as denim shorts that barely reached the top of her thighs hugged Witch Miss’s curvy hips tightly. Her two perfectly proportioned slender legs were flawless and pale, her delicate feet in wedge sandals.
Overall, it was a style that balanced urban chic and youthful vibrancy.
A maturity sprinkled with a hint of youthful beauty.
This transformation also successfully shifted the otherwise ageless Witch Miss toward a younger appearance.
“Wow, your girlfriend is just stunning!” the female sales assistant exclaimed, clapping her hands with bright eyes. “She seems way more beautiful than the contracted star models from the brands!”
As she spoke, she pointed at the European and American models on the promotional posters.
They were simply outclassed.
Shaya glanced at the blonde model on the poster, disdainfully thinking.
In terms of looks, Witch Miss leaned more towards a blend of Asian and European features, with black hair and black eyes. However, her facial features were relatively three-dimensional, with no sense of incongruity.
In terms of figure, she was miles ahead of them!
With these thoughts, Shaya couldn’t help but shift his gaze to the area around Witch Miss’s chest.
He then froze slightly.
He quickly looked around and found no one else except the female sales assistant, letting out a sigh of relief.
Even in the sea of consciousness, he cared about such matters.
Then, Shaya positioned himself in front of Witch Miss and quietly said, “Are you… not wearing a bra?”
“Bra?”
Witch Miss regarded him with a puzzled expression, digesting the term.
It seemed that before she was sealed, human society had not evolved such convenient items for women.
Thinking back, during their first meeting, the other party had merely conjured a tattered black gauze dress from black mist, appearing to have no other consciousness about protecting her body.
So Shaya cleared his throat and explained this to Witch Miss.
She initially paused, seemingly struggling to accept that reality, before deeply lowering her head.
Her black hair concealed her current expression.
After a while, Agnes covered her chest with her hand and gradually walked back into the fitting room.
……
“Sir, I recommend pairing some darker nail polish and lipstick with your girlfriend’s outfit because the overall style leans more towards light colors and a forest theme, bringing out a better sense of layering.”
Taking advantage of Witch Miss changing into a bra, the sales assistant began to make recommendations to Shaya.
Seeing that Shaya seemed not very knowledgeable about these matters, the sales assistant smiled slightly: “If you need, we can provide matching cosmetics and a makeup artist.”
“I think that’s not necessary for now.”
Shaya shook his head.
Witch Miss was already incredibly beautiful; makeup would only overshadow her beauty, and that Shaya could be certain about.
Moreover, even if it were another woman, Witch Miss likely would not agree to let someone else touch her face.
So far, she had only allowed physical contact with Shaya.
But…
Shaya thought for a moment and said, “Uh, if you have recommendations for nail polish and lipstick, give me a set.”
“Sure, please wait a moment.”
“What are nail polish and lipstick?” Just then, Agnes’s voice rang out.
She had changed into her bra and calmly stepped out of the fitting room, as if nothing had happened.
Looking at the slender ten fingers and the delicate, cute white toes of Witch Miss, with their naturally light pink polish, Shaya patiently explained.
Witch Miss nodded thoughtfully.
She hadn’t expected that in this world, human women would go to such lengths to enhance their appearance through adornments.
After considering it for a while, she felt no aversion, and together with Shaya, they quietly awaited the sales assistant.
After a while, the sales assistant returned, holding a small branded paper bag.
“Here, this lip glaze and nail polish are the officially recommended pairs; the model in the poster used these.”
Once she finished speaking, the sales assistant left quietly, leaving time for the couple.
Due to the impossibility of transferring items from the consciousness sea to reality, and Witch Miss’s lack of recognition, she couldn’t manifest them.
So, Shaya took out the lip gloss and nail polish and asked, “Shall we try it now?”
Witch Miss gazed at the shiny cherry blossom pink liquid in the transparent bottle and gently furrowed her brows: “How do I… use this?”
Shaya thought for a moment, feeling that the other party might not be able to bend down and apply polish in front of others.
After hesitating a few seconds, he softly said, “Do you need me to help you?”
“Sure.”
Agnes agreed with a nod without much thought.
She then walked back into the fitting room and sat on the chair inside.
Nail polish, from its name, should relate to the feet.
Agnes looked at her pair of snowy, fair feet and, without hesitation, slowly slid her bare feet out of her sandals, slightly lifting them up to present to Shaya.
Her feet had been seen or touched many times by Shaya, so it had become a non-issue.
There was even no feeling of resistance.
Shaya found a small stool, sat slightly lower than Witch Miss, and gently held her warm, delicate foot. The skin there was incredibly smooth, as white as snow.
Her toes were slender, closely arranged, slightly curling inward, exuding a hint of reserved shyness.
Using an ancient saying from a past life, “Three-inch golden lotuses,” could not have been more fitting.
Shaya gently twisted open the cap of the nail polish, dipping the small brush into the cherry blossom color polish, then said, “I… am starting?”
“Mm.”
Feeling her foot gently enveloped by a warm hand, even the smell and touch were fully grasped, a slight tremor resonated in Witch Miss’s voice when she replied.
To be honest, I’m not a foot fetishist… well, maybe I am.
Shaya thought shamelessly while gazing at Witch Miss’s delicate foot.
So fragrant.
From any angle, it was.
……
Royal Capital, Church of Light, Heretic Tribunal.
“What do you want from me?”
Facing the graceful woman in a moon-white mage robe, Chief Justice Nidro frowned.
A full week had passed since the ancient god’s revival incident.
In that week, he had been incredibly busy, dealing with urgent matters.
Moreover, he had also sent people to vigorously investigate matters related to the mysterious person.
As the hero who saved the royal capital, the mysterious individual bore the aura of three deities. Did this indicate that the chosen ones of the gods were about to reappear on earth to exercise their powers?
This was an urgent signal.
Because as a believer of light, Nidro had not discerned the aura of the Goddess of Light during that incident.
Now, seeing Mevis come to him, he felt somewhat annoyed.
“Has there been any result?”
Mevis inquired.
Clearly, she was asking about information regarding the mysterious person.
“What if there is?” Nidro furrowed his brow. “Are you and those behind you going to do him harm?”
“I’ll tell you, although I don’t know that person’s true identity, he is the hero who saved the empire and prevented the Evil God’s descent, and he is also the favored vessel of the gods.”
“To go after him, you’d better weigh carefully whether you and those behind you qualify.”
Upon hearing this, Mevis chuckled lightly: “How could I ever do such a thing?”
“Heh, you who are deeply trusted by His Majesty, what wouldn’t you be capable of?” Nidro shook his head. “I truly don’t understand why the Emperor would trust the nonsense you promised.”
“As for what was promised, I can guess, it’s probably just a gimmick like immortality.”
“It seems there are no results.” Regarding his sarcastic remarks, Mevis smiled and chose not to respond further. “Then how about listening to my speculation?”
“During the incident that day, you should have sensed a very strong aura of the Moon God, right?”
This statement caused Nidro’s brows to furrow tightly.
After pondering for a moment, he quietly answered, “Are you saying… the Red Moon Cult?”
Mevis nodded: “Since the investigation has hit a dead end and the only clue related to the Blood Moon is that boy, why not start from this point?”
“Perhaps this time’s incident, and that mysterious person who saved the royal capital, are related to the Red Moon Cult and Mansfield.”
“And as far as I know, the young man named Shaya has not appeared in the academy for almost two weeks… perhaps he did not involve himself in this matter, but he is definitely intertwined with the Red Moon Cult.”
Having said this, Mevis said nothing more, her figure abruptly disappearing within the Heretic Tribunal.
Her relationship with Nidro was somewhat complex; she could be considered half an enemy and half an ally.
Thus, at this moment, she subtly reminded him.
And this guess was quite reasonable.
Unfortunately.
They did not know that the hero who saved the royal capital and the heretical boy related to the Red Moon Cult were, in fact, the same person.
Chief Justice Nidro sat at his desk, pondering for a long time.
Finally, he summoned his secretary.
“Clenwell, you go deal with this matter.” He wearily removed his glasses and rubbed his temples. “First, issue a warrant for the capture of that boy. Bring him in as soon as possible, but don’t be too rough. Do not harm him.”
“After bringing him back, check if he carries the Blood Moon emblem of status.”
“If he doesn’t, let him go.”
“If he does…”
A dark glint flashed in Nidro’s eyes.
At that moment, he recalled that night of the Blood Moon massacre when countless companions perished at the hands of Mansfield.
“Then let him accept the judgment of the fire of light under the Faith Pillar amidst the people’s curses.”
