Chapter 68 Wilson Town
Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, falling on Li Wen’s face.
She opened her eyes, ending her meditation.
Her mana had fully recovered, and after annihilating the mercenary group, she gained an additional 250 experience points.
Calculating it, each mercenary only contributed a little over two experience points, which was truly meager. This was because Li Wen’s comprehensive level had already reached level 5, and she was dual-classing. Killing non-transcendent beings or those with magic yielded only one or two experience points.
Sir Wilson’s castle was located in Wilson Town ahead. It was said that the Wilson family had resided there for generations, initially with only the castle, and the town was built around it later.
Li Wen had no map; her arrival here was entirely due to Grandma Martha’s guidance. Li Wen no longer cared to ponder what schemes she might be hatching.
She walked straight into the town.
Wilson’s castle was built on the mountainside above the town. Li Wen did not intend to go there immediately.
Wilson was a hereditary viscount, capable of forming a private army of over a hundred and less than a thousand soldiers, possessing twenty knights, and large siege equipment such as heavy crossbows and battering rams.
Such military strength would be unstoppable in Black Dragon Territory, excluding transcendent beings. Li Wen was not afraid. However, if Wilson were just an ordinary noble, why was he collecting corpses?
Therefore, from the beginning, Li Wen had prepared for the enemy to be a transcendent being.
Since the opponent was a transcendent being, it was naturally impossible to rush in and solve the problem.
She needed to gather intelligence first.
The residents of Wilson Town were similar to those of Ark Town, as they were from the same region. However, compared to Ark Town, the townsfolk living under the lord’s domain in Wilson Town clearly had better living conditions.
Along the way, everyone Li Wen encountered had smiles on their faces.
“Are you preparing for a festival?”
To avoid being questioned, Li Wen had already lifted the hood of her Emerald Star Cloak before entering the town, revealing her cute, youthful face.
So, when she asked people, even if they didn’t answer, they wouldn’t verbally abuse her because of her face.
“Ah, what a cute little girl…” a middle-aged woman hanging mistletoe on her doorstep exclaimed involuntarily upon seeing Li Wen. “If you were my daughter, I’d be so happy.”
“Then it’s best you don’t die.” Li Wen silently complained, looking at the woman’s waist, which was as thick as a water vat.
“We’re preparing for a celebration!”
“A celebration?”
“Yes!” the aunt continued. “The old lord’s son, young Wilson… or rather, the current Lord Wilson, is holding a grand celebration to welcome this year’s harvest.”
Li Wen felt puzzled. Although it was indeed harvest season in the game at this time, there was no need for such a grand display.
Looking around, almost every household was hanging mistletoe on their doorstep. Mistletoe was a plant with sacred properties, and only on important religious festivals like the Holy Spirit Day would people hang mistletoe by their doors for blessings.
“This is a custom of our Wilson Town… You’re from out of town, aren’t you?” the aunt, noticing Li Wen’s confusion, explained.
“I’m from Ark Town and came here to find someone.”
“Ark Town? That’s quite far… If you’re looking for someone, you can ask around at the taverns. Many outsiders have gathered there recently… I heard they’ll do anything for money.” The aunt said the last sentence in a very low voice.
“Thank you.”
Li Wen nodded in thanks and left. For some reason, although the aunt had been smiling the entire time, Li Wen felt something was not quite right.
She was relatively sensitive to the emotional changes of others, able to roughly distinguish between goodwill, malice, or insincerity.
But this time was different. Every word the aunt said was sincere, and her suggestions were kind and valuable. Yet, Li Wen could sense a subtle, imperceptible, fleeting thread of elusive malice.
This was too strange.
Secretly noting this, Li Wen walked deeper into the town.
*
After she left, three more people entered Wilson Town.
Moria had changed into a black priest’s robe, followed by two listless wild mages.
“Don’t worry, I heard Viscount Wilson participated in the Fence Wood Battle and has a very kind heart. If we borrow a carriage from him to go to Leicester City, he surely won’t refuse.”
The wild mages exchanged glances, feeling helpless. This wasn’t the first time Moria had said this, but the results…
Moria had no other options. The only wealth he had on him was the Sun Crown currency, which had now been cremated along with Jotes.
Leicester City was not far from Black Dragon Territory, so he could travel on foot. However, the two wild mages were clearly not physically capable of doing so.
“Excuse me, what festival are you preparing for?” He also noticed the mistletoe hanging at the doorway, and his gaze immediately sharpened.
The middle-aged woman turned her head upon hearing his words, her face wearing an identical smile.
“Ah, what a handsome young man… If you were my son, I’d be so happy…”
*
Li Wen was unaware of Moria and the others’ arrival. She put on her hood again and found a tavern to book a room.
During her fight with Tilroghzakh, her Bone-Corroding Short Sword had been damaged by enduring the power of the Double Spell-less Arc Light, and now she didn’t even have a proper weapon.
However, fortunately, during the same battle, Li Wen obtained a demon’s loot: a blood contract.
The demon had summoned a terrifyingly powerful spear using this contract, nearly impaling Li Wen.
If that spear could be used by Li Wen, then she wouldn’t have to worry too much about lacking a suitable weapon for the time being.
[Blood Contract (Spear of Death Curse)]
[Consumable – Contract (Tilroghzakh) – Rare (Purple)]
[With a contract made in blood, it shall be an everlasting bond.]
[Consume 50% of your life or kill one person as a sacrifice to summon the Spear of Death Curse. Duration: 1 day, Cooldown: 1 day. Cannot be used.]
As long as the contract’s owner is alive, the contract can only be used by the contract’s owner; otherwise, it is just waste paper in others’ hands.
Li Wen did not feel dejected by this. She knew there were many ways to forcibly alter or even destroy a contract.
However, with her current conditions, she was not capable of doing so.
Therefore, Li Wen returned to her original plan: she needed a suitable weapon to ensure she wouldn’t be at a disadvantage when facing other transcendent beings.
“This isn’t that hard?” After Li Wen inquired, the Ghost Fairy sneered and flapped its wings.
It shed a black feather, and the moment the feather landed, it transformed into a pitch-black dagger.
“If enchanted, this could also be a sharp weapon. You can use any materials from the bag.”
With that, Martha uttered a squawk and flew off somewhere, disappearing.
Author’s Note
The book is ready to be put on shelves. First, I would like to thank all readers for their support since the book’s inception. Without all of you, I probably wouldn’t have reached this day.
This is likely my first time putting a book on shelves, and also my first time writing an author’s note. I don’t know what to say, so I’ll talk about this book.
The original intention of this book was to write an ordinary isekai novel. The gender-bending content is a personal preference of the author. I can only apologize to readers who are confused by this, but I will not change it. If it were just a plain isekai novel, it would be too bland, so I incorporated elements from games and the Great Convergence, where billions of players descended upon an异世界 (different world) at the same time, triggering various conflicts and clashes between natives and players, players and players, and natives and natives.
This way, it sounds very… like trashy light novels. If you add in a protagonist with a useless garbage class, looked down upon by classmates who also play the same game, then silently endures it, unexpectedly obtains a divine artifact, and thus achieves a dramatic comeback, with all sorts of face-slapping or fan-service scenes following… that would be a typical isekai trash novel template.
I have no feelings for such writing, so I will definitely not write it that way.
So, I added what I am good at, or rather, what I like: doomsday theories and fate. Using the grand narrative of the world’s end as the theme and the protagonist’s driving force saves time and effort, eliminating the need to overthink why the protagonist is doing something or what their next move should be, which is a kind of clever workaround.
Speaking of doomsday theories and fate, we must mention Norse mythology.
I really like the sense of fate in Norse mythology, where the prophesied Ragnarök is bound to happen. Even a chief god like Odin cannot change anything, and all his actions even become the driving force for Ragnarök’s arrival.
Not only that, but the focus of fate is not on destiny itself, but on the part that resists fate, which is what I like. Even knowing that the doomsday or similar narrative ending in the prophecy will eventually come, with no power to resist, the protagonist will not give up but will try their utmost to strive for it… it sounds rather bleak, but it has a unique charm that highlights the essence of humanity.
So, the game’s name in the book is “World Tree: Origin.” The World Tree is the stage where Norse mythology takes place; the nine realms, various races, and gods are all born from the World Tree. One of the reasons for Ragnarök’s arrival is that the poisonous dragon Níðhöggr gnawed at the roots of the World Tree.
After discussing fate, let’s talk about the Pillar Gods.
The twelve Pillar Deities are one of the most important settings in this book. Each of them represents one of the elements that constitute the world, possessing various symbols or imagery. Rather than concrete forms, they are more like embodiments of rules or patterns, similar to the “Stars” in “Cultist Simulator.”
The number twelve is because there are twelve chief gods in Greek mythology.
The storyline about the Pillar Gods is for later content, so I will skip it for now.
Let’s talk about what everyone cares about more: the protagonist Li Wen and her romantic relationships.
When I first conceived this book, Li Wen in my mind was a paranoid and even somewhat pathological person. As the title suggests, she is a “witch” in every sense of the word. She bears an unimaginable burden and pressure that no one can share, which is to save the world and everyone in it. Therefore, she is paranoid and crazy, resorting to any means to achieve her goals, lacking empathy, and unable to connect with others.
However, a paranoid madwoman is clearly not suitable for the role of a savior. She should be on the sidelines, watching the world explode, waiting for its destruction. So, after putting pen to paper, Li Wen became more three-dimensional and complex.
She appears cold and unsociable, but in reality, she is suppressing her emotions, focusing her energy more on her responsibilities rather than social interactions. Yet, even so, she is touched by others’ small acts of kindness, is bewildered by excessive enthusiasm, expresses genuine emotion in her interactions with her sister, and loses control of her emotions when the pressure increases…
Li Wen is a lonely person. Due to her rebirth and the impending Doomsday Twilight, no one can understand her feelings or share her burden. Over time, Li Wen is bound to accumulate pressure to the extreme, leading to a mental breakdown.
So, Moria was born at this juncture.
He is the Eldest Son of the Holy See, a very orthodox holy knight. Since his story has not yet unfolded, I cannot say much. However, one thing is certain: Moria and Li Wen’s story and entanglement will revolve around the entire book, and it will be a crucial part of the overall main storyline.
I think I’ve covered enough, so I’ll stop here.
Finally, I once again thank all readers for any form of support they have given. Thank you very much.
