Chapter 4: Two Choices
Su Xiao had not been in the witch's bedroom for long before he heard sounds of fighting from outside the room. Upon hearing this, the witch, whose neck was pressed against by Dragon-Slaying Flash, 'breathed a sigh of relief.'
In less than a minute, Amu dragged a half-conscious young man into the room. Blood dripped from the frost-covered warhammer in his hand.
The young man's body twitched unconsciously. Amu's eyes flashed with red light as his large hand exerted force.
Crack!
The young man convulsed once before his body went limp. Amu had snapped his neck. On Amu's chest, dense slash marks could be seen, but his defense was too strong; the attacker could not damage the core formation array inside his body.
Amu's method of engaging enemies was simple: ignore the enemy's attacks while smashing them with his warhammer. If an enemy was grazed even once, they would be affected by that disgusting slowing ability. Reduced speed made it easier for Amu to hit them, and the slowing effect would only grow stronger, creating a vicious cycle.
"The young sword saint of Kask City... so weak."
The witch was disappointed. This young man was not her subordinate but a servant sent by a neighboring city-state to protect her. From the looks of it, this young 'sword saint' was already dead cold.
With a thud, Amu tossed the young man's corpse to the ground and casually picked up a wooden carving as a snack, crunching it with unusual relish.
Watching Amu chew through a half-human-tall wooden carving in a few bites, the witch, who had been squatting on the bed in a defensive position, changed to a kneeling posture. Her will to survive was strong.
"Now then, let's begin."
Su Xiao took out a metal collar and began to adjust it.
"What... is that?"
The witch swallowed hard. She instinctively sensed that what Su Xiao held was not a good thing.
"An item conducive to friendly communication."
The moment Su Xiao finished speaking, the [Endless Darkness] collar opened, and a ring of blue indicator lights lit up.
"As civilized beings, can't we negotiate in a more civilized manner?"
The witch swallowed again. Su Xiao's intrusion was nothing short of a 'calamity from the sky.' She had been in the middle of self-exploration when she was suddenly interrupted. From the looks of it, this intruder intended to do something strange to her.
"Fine."
Su Xiao put away the [Endless Darkness] and sheathed Dragon-Slashing Flash. The witch, still kneeling on the bed, breathed a sigh of relief.
Bubu Wang leaped in through the window. In a few bounds, he positioned himself behind the witch to prevent any sneaky moves.
"Sir, are you here to plunder my belongings or to do me harm?"
The witch asked this in a very natural tone, which showed just how chaotic the laws of this world were.
"I'm here to ask you some questions."
"That's it?"
The witch looked at Su Xiao in surprise. She had even mentally prepared herself to be forced onto the bed. From the looks of it, things seemed simpler than she had imagined.
"Where is the Death Land?"
The moment Su Xiao finished speaking, the witch's expression changed. She was afraid, deeply afraid from the bottom of her heart.
"I... I don't know."
A clumsy lie. Clearly, this witch knew something about the Death Land, which was the location of the Blade Demon's sealing device.
The witch's gaze began to waver. From her expression, she seemed unwilling to hide it, but she was afraid of something.
"Is that so? Then forget it."
"No."
The witch raised her hands in front of her, her expression extremely conflicted. It could be said that this witch was the weakest of all witches, a weakling among weaklings.
"I..."
The witch struggled with her thoughts for a while before finally letting out a long sigh.
"My name is Joan Aethera. White witch, life witch, plant type. As you can see, my abilities are not suited for combat, but I can save many people..."
After Joan Aethera's initial introduction, Su Xiao roughly understood her situation. Aethera was a white witch of the prophecy school. Although her abilities had nothing to do with prophecy, the strongest ability among white witches was language, so they were collectively called the prophecy school.
Aethera's ability was very special. She could control plant growth. This ability seemed suitable for combat, somewhat reminiscent of Hashirama Senju, but that was not the case. She could only assist plant growth, not accelerate it quickly. However, the range of her ability was very wide. The fields outside this city were all within her influence.
This ability to increase crop yields was very powerful in this technologically backward world. She didn't have to worry about other kingdoms attacking her territory. Every autumn, she would provide grain for free to over a dozen surrounding cities. In gratitude, 'Madegao Settlement' became a neutral territory.
In Aethera's words, her ability alone fed over a dozen surrounding cities. Unfortunately, her combat power was very weak. In this chaotic continent, developing her influence to this extent was already her limit.
Originally, the surrounding kings and lords wanted to send people to protect Aethera, but she flatly refused. She knew in her heart that if she accepted their protection, she would become a vassal. Therefore, she had always wanted to cultivate her own power. The young man killed by Amu was a hired thug from a neighboring city, somewhat famous there. From the looks of it, it seemed to be a false reputation.
Su Xiao certainly wouldn't take Aethera's words at face value. After using the Apostle's Eye to examine her information, although there were slight deviations, Aethera's abilities were basically the same as she had described.
Su Xiao had been wondering earlier why the witch bounty he had seen clearly depicted a wicked criminal, but Aethera's style was completely different. This peach-like mature woman was not only timid but also had a normal personality. Her earlier fierceness was just an act.
Of course, Aethera was timid. She was the 'shame' of the witches. Some black witches, upon hearing that she was farming, nearly fainted from anger. Some even wanted to kill her to stop her from disgracing the witches further. But after these black witches arrived, they all left the same day without killing Aethera.
No matter how bizarre Aethera's methods were, she had found a way to survive in this chaotic continent and was living quite comfortably.
Just as Aethera was narrating her 'bitter history,' Su Xiao interrupted her. Such a peculiar witch was rare. Su Xiao planned to use her to learn about the abilities of other witches and find clues about the Death Land.
"Two choices. One: get thrown out from here."
As Su Xiao spoke, Amu pushed open the window. The rain had lessened, and a cool night breeze blew into the room.
"I choose the second option."
Aethera's tone was very certain.
"Tell me the location of the Death Land."
"Uh~"
Aethera's expression became coy, her eyes seductive.
"Sir, don't be so rough. I just... Wait, let me go! Help! Waa~"
Half a minute later, Aethera was hanging upside down from the ceiling by a bedsheet, held by Amu. Amu gripped his frost warhammer with both hands, assuming a striking posture. At Su Xiao's command, Amu would smash Aethera to pieces. Amu didn't care how beautiful she was.
"3, 2..."
As Su Xiao counted down, the muscles on Amu's arms bulged. Through initial contact, Su Xiao had basically figured out this woman's personality: typical of someone who yields to force but not to kindness.
"Isa knows where the Death Land is!"
With a whoosh, the frost warhammer stopped right in front of Aethera.
"Isa?"
"Yes, the black witch Isa, my good friend."
Aethera betrayed her friend without any guilt. From start to finish, Su Xiao had never intended to use the [Endless Darkness] on her. This piece of equipment was very special. Its irreparable nature meant that each use required careful consideration.
In other words, after checking Aethera's information, Su Xiao had no intention of harming her, provided she was willing to divulge information.