Chapter 99: A Single Black Hair
After hearing the confident response from the girl, Fisher returned to the bedside. He sized up the “girl” in front of him from top to bottom, pausing for several seconds on her soft, protruding chest, causing Carlo to blush slightly as she called out to Fisher,
“What are you looking at? I’ve completely turned into a woman! Do you want to have a taste of what a manufactured sorceress is like? Or are you really just a closeted homosexual from Shivali?”
Fisher was too lazy to respond to his bravado. He sat on the chair next to the bed and said to Carlo,
“The deal can continue, but I must confirm your sincerity. You need to tell me the clues about the Undying Sorceress, or there’s nothing to discuss.”
Carlo pursed her lips and sighed in agreement, as if recalling something. She said,
“Our Sorceress Research Society has been chasing after the footsteps of the Mother for a long time. I also believed like those crazies that the immense magical power of sorceresses was the only way to approach the Mother, so when they asked to conduct human experiments, I impulsively agreed.”
“Those incomplete manufactured sorceresses, like Bart, are the result of having my flesh and blood implanted into their bodies.”
Upon hearing this, Fisher frowned and said,
“Are you saying that simply taking your flesh and blood and implanting it can create a manufactured sorceress?”
“No, no, that’s not it,” Carlo shook her head and explained, “It’s not a simple grafting; it’s a very complex technology. I’m not sure how they do it. The parts implanted into those people’s bodies are not just physical; there are also portions of the magical circuit grafted onto them, and it can prevent rejection, becoming a brand new part of their bodies.”
“I’m not sure how the Sorceress Research Society acquired this technology, but I can guarantee that it came from outside the society.” Carlo gritted her teeth, and her dislocated hand slowly returned to its original position, causing her to frown in pain,
“Using that technology to implant part of a sorceress will indeed create a new sorceress. They gain their unique [characteristics]. So they locked me away, constantly extracting my flesh and blood to cultivate one manufactured sorceress after another.”
When mentioning this, a deep hatred flashed in Carlo’s eyes,
“I became a sorceress, the perfect sorceress in their eyes, yet I didn’t feel any calling from the Mother, not at all! All I felt was the pain of having my flesh and blood taken! That’s why I escaped from there and fled to Nali.”
“I’m not here to listen to your sob story; I want real clues about the Undying Sorceress.”
Fisher reminded Carlo out of place, eliciting a glare filled with resentment from her, and she continued,
“I mentioned before that I too was created using that technology, but the reason I succeeded and am different from others is that the implanted part came from a real sorceress. That sorceress is terrifying. Unlike the others who create new characteristics, I inherited part of that sorceress’s characteristics, so I can affirm that the master of the implanted part is definitely the Undying Sorceress you are looking for.”
“Where is the implanted part you mentioned?”
Facing Fisher’s inquisitive gaze, Carlo gently lifted her long brown hair, revealing a long black hair implanted in her scalp amidst the brown hair. Oddly, it was just a single strand of hair, but in Fisher’s eyes, he instinctively felt that the hair did not belong to Carlo, as if it was out of place.
“Did you see that? I just implanted a single black hair. That hair invaded my body like a monster and transformed everything about me—my gender, my magical circuit, even a part of my thoughts have all been invaded by this simple hair. In the beginning, I could still often feel the presence of that hair; it was truly terrifying.”
“Feelings? What feelings can a single strand of hair have?”
“No! It’s the feelings of the hair’s owner. I felt her discover me; I could feel her cold gaze! During that time, I couldn’t sleep at night; I felt so cold, as if I was the only one in the entire world. That’s why I’m certain that the owner of this hair is still alive, and she is exactly the Undying Sorceress you are looking for.”
Fisher stared at the hair in silence for a while before continuing,
“Do you still feel that sensation now?”
Fisher wanted to follow the connection between Carlo and that sorceress to trace the latter’s whereabouts, as he sensed that the typical magical method of measuring the hair’s owner would definitely lead to the same result as the previous face of the usurper.
Although he didn’t know if it would succeed, it was worth trying.
Carlo nodded and then said,
“Sometimes I can still feel it, but it’s becoming increasingly vague. I can’t feel her coldness anymore; perhaps her mood has been good these past few years, so she has become lazy and stopped tormenting me, which is why I’m not feeling as clearly.”
“This hair was discovered during our search for ancient ruins, and I was on site at the time. If you’re willing to help me escape from the Pink Pavilion and the Sorceress Research Society, I’ll tell you where that ruin is located. Or if you have other tracking methods, like magic, I can cooperate with you. What do you think?”
Carlo put her hair down and said to the contemplating Fisher.
Fisher nodded and said,
“Alright, I’ll help you escape. You should continue to stay in the Pink Pavilion and pretend nothing happened. Our transaction is secret; if the Pink Pavilion discovers it, you’re on your own. I’ll tell you the detailed plan later.”
“How do I contact you?”
Fisher shot her a glance, then picked up a piece of writing paper beside the bed and wrote down an address for her.
“Tomorrow afternoon, go to this place. I’ll use a magical messenger to deliver the message. You’ll fetch the items needed to summon it there. When I send you a message, that item will light up, and you can use it to summon the messenger to communicate with me.”
Carlo took the address-like piece and nodded, but then looked at Fisher suspiciously. In her impression, this guy was incredibly cunning; who knew what tricks he might pull.
Fisher pondered over the information he had received today without even looking at Carlo, as if he knew her concerns. He slowly stood up and reassured her,
“Don’t worry. That sorceress is far more important than you. I have no reason to toy with you using clues. Be careful after you go back; the Pink Pavilion is not simple. If you expose any flaws and get locked up, I won’t be able to save you.”
“Hmph, rest assured, I’m not a fool.”
“Let’s hope so.”
This time Fisher really had to leave. He placed his gentleman’s hat on his head and exited the hotel room. After paying for the room, he walked into the bustling Saint Nali street.
Not far from there, he could already see the place illuminated with a pink glow, as if it had tainted the night sky, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.
Fisher glanced in that direction, preparing to walk far out before taking a carriage or tram.
At that moment, recalling the previously acquired information, Fisher thought of that simple black hair, and a long-buried suspicion rose in his heart.
Could it be possible that that girl, Renee, was the Undying Sorceress Fisher had been searching for all along? Everything she said was a lie, meant to deceive him?
In fact, the Undying Sorceress he had been looking for was right beside him; her characteristics, her level of magic, everything was fake. She just enjoyed watching him fumble around, searching for the so-called Undying Sorceress, unaware of the fact that she was standing right next to him.
Recalling Renee’s extremely terrible personality, Fisher suddenly found it very plausible.
There was another question: why did the Pink Pavilion want Carlo to try and assassinate the Shivali diplomatic mission, a task that seemed impossible?
Were they unaware of this manufactured sorceress’s intelligence?
While Fisher thought, he suddenly took out a small photo from his wallet. The photo was entirely black and white, depicting a simple scene: a lark perched on the windowsill of Fisher’s rented room.
But this item was actually a communication tool left behind by Renee, allowing him to contact her when she was not around.
He held the photo in one hand while reaching toward it with the other. Instantly, the photo illuminated with a deep purple glow, and Fisher unexpectedly grasped a tangible form from within the illusory light, pulling out a purple lark that appeared in his palm.
“Fisher! Fisher! Is there anything you need Hart to do?”
Hart’s voice rang out, and Fisher patted Hart’s head, saying,
“Go call Renee back; I have something to ask her.”
“Okay! Okay!”
The lark tilted its head, a circle of purple light illuminating around it, and its small figure slowly dissipated, shooting straight towards the clouds.
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(End of Chapter)
