Chapter 21: Burning City and Black Fish Insects
Su Xiao was certain that he would encounter other curse-type witches in the future. Moreover, this type of witch was too bizarre. During battles, he inevitably left behind hair, bloodstains, and such. If a witch of this kind obtained them, the consequences would be endless, even allowing her to kill him from a distance.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao decisively chose reward B. In this world, he could obtain many treasure chests, so he wasn't short on this one golden chest.
"Is that... it?"
Melody stepped forward to examine the corpse of Feast. This notorious ogre witch had simply keeled over like that, even sending out a distress call before her death, as if she had seen something terrifying.
Due to the several loud noises earlier, the surrounding civilians had scattered like birds and beasts. Soldiers clad in scale armor rushed over. After a preliminary assessment of the situation, they withdrew, cordoned off the area, and dispersed all civilians within several hundred meters, forming a defensive line. This wasn't to prevent Su Xiao from escaping but to help him secure the scene. Witch hunters held considerable prestige among the people.
Su Xiao approached Feast's corpse. He extracted blood and palm prints from the body and picked up a few black crystalline shards. With just these three items, he could prove he had killed the Feast Witch, Keith.
"Your payment."
Su Xiao tossed a small pouch of gold coins to Melody. Compared to promises, heavy gold coins were more likely to motivate people.
And indeed, that was the case. Melody's face bloomed like a flower as she tucked the pouch of gold coins into her bosom.
"There should be valuables in Feast's residence. Leave it to me."
Melody quickly ran into the warehouse. Not far away, Bubu Wang revealed a mischievous grin. When he entered Feast's lair, he nearly threw up.
Five minutes later.
"Ugh~"
Melody bent over, supporting herself against the wall, one hand pressed to her chest. Large teardrops rolled down her face, the result of dry heaving.
"Even for a... black witch, Feast was too cruel. This bastard deserved to die here!"
The scene she had witnessed a few minutes earlier made Melody question life itself. Nearby, several soldiers were also dry heaving. These were battle-hardened soldiers, which showed just how horrifying the scene inside Feast's lair was.
"Esteemed Witch Hunter sir."
A pale-faced white witch spoke. Her name was Aini Claudia, the lord of this territory—the very figure Melody had once tried to impersonate.
"This is my token of gratitude."
Aini Claudia handed over a wooden box. As she spoke, the soldiers had already begun processing the remains beneath the warehouse. The wails of the deceased's family members were incessant.
Soon, the cordon was surrounded by civilians. After confirming there were no curse mechanisms underground, Su Xiao stepped out of the warehouse.
Just as he entered the crowd, a five or six-year-old little girl blocked his path. She looked up at him, her big eyes pure and clear.
"For you to eat."
The little girl handed him a fruit that looked like an apple.
"Thank you," Su Xiao said, taking it. He then slowly disappeared into the crowd.
...
Outside the city, in front of the carriage, Melody stood with her arms crossed, smiling at Su Xiao.
"So, how does it feel to be respected?"
"The civilians don't respect me; they respect the witch hunter. That honor belongs to the witch hunters."
"Feast was notorious. Not a few white witches and witch hunters died at her hands. Besides, aren't you a witch hunter?"
"Who knows. Stop wasting time. Let's move on."
Su Xiao entered the carriage. Although he was nominally a witch hunter, he had his own goals, which set him apart from those who fought for their beliefs. Even though they were doing the same thing, this was also the main reason Su Xiao had accepted that withered apple.
The witch hunt continued. Su Xiao's next destination was Nicododo City. Recently, several witches had arrived there, seemingly preparing something in secret.
...
A day later, in a desolate rocky city.
Gray smoke drifted slowly from houses that had turned to charcoal. By the time Su Xiao arrived, half of Nicododo City had been reduced to ashes.
Inside a magnificent hall, a sallow-faced old man sat slumped in a chair, covered with a blanket. Several attendants beside him held bottles and jars, occasionally giving the old man a sip.
"Witch Hunter sir, you've finally come."
The old man trembled as he tried to sit up, but after several attempts, he couldn't complete this simple action.
"Plague?"
Su Xiao stood before this old lord.
"No, far more terrifying than plague. Insects."
The old lord waved his hand. An attendant brought over a glass bottle containing a black beetle, about the size of a soybean.
"Once bitten by this insect, you die within three to five days. That's right, I was bitten by this little thing too."
The old lord lowered his head, signaling an attendant to pull open his collar. On his chest was a black pattern resembling a sea urchin, looking like a black tattoo.
"I ordered half the city burned. Unfortunately, those little things weren't completely wiped out. Witch Hunter sir, whatever you do next, blame it all on me. Avenge my people. It must be them, no doubt, it must be..."
The old lord grabbed Su Xiao's hem. His body gradually went limp. The attendants beside him turned away, tears in their eyes, showing how beloved this old lord was.
"Let me... sleep for a while."
"Huh?"
The attendants were stunned, thinking the old lord had already died.
By observing the old lord's symptoms, Su Xiao determined this was indeed not a plague. The thing on his chest looked like a spell or curse mark. It was slowly absorbing the old lord's life force and gestating something.
Su Xiao's two fingers hooked like claws, plunging straight into the old lord's chest.
"You!"
The attendants' eyes immediately reddened. At this moment, they selectively forgot Su Xiao's identity as a witch hunter; saving the old lord was the priority.
Su Xiao withdrew his fingers, pinching an egg-sized ovum between them. Inside this black ovum, something alive was squirming.
With a squelch, Su Xiao crushed the black ovum. A sweet fragrance spread. This thing contained a large amount of life force, so the smell was naturally not unpleasant.
The old lord opened his eyes again. His body was completely weak, but soon, snoring came from his mouth. He slept exceptionally soundly. His life was out of danger, but the absorbed life force couldn't be recovered.
"Black fish insects. The goal is to collect life force, huh. If that's the case, then..."
Su Xiao roughly understood the situation in Nicododo City. Several elemental witches were collecting life force. That black beetle was called a "black fish insect," an aquatic insect that originally parasitized under fish bellies in rivers. After being modified by witches, this thing was turned into a "collector."
The modified black fish insect laid eggs and then died. Its larvae didn't hatch but continuously absorbed the host's life force. These larvae were in an energy form. If not for Su Xiao's Cyan Steel Shadow ability, he wouldn't have been able to catch this thing.
"How many rivers are in the city? Flowing gently, clear water."
"There's only one such river!"
A young attendant stepped forward and answered Su Xiao's question.
"Do more than thirty percent of the city's water come from there?"
Su Xiao was verifying his conjecture. Earlier, while reading books in the Holy Healing Church library, he had learned a lot about witch hunting. Hunting witches wasn't just about combat strength.
"More than seventy percent."
"Seventy percent..."
Su Xiao pondered for a moment and basically judged the level of the witches in the city. If it were a fourth-stage witch, even if only forty percent of the drinking water came from that river, the entire city would have no living people within three days. That was how terrifying it was.
But there was one thing Su Xiao couldn't figure out: how did a few third-stage witches have the audacity to ravage a large city with a population of over ten thousand?