Chapter 28: West Bay
The half-destroyed train had already traveled far into the distance. Su Xiao took out his map to confirm his bearings, then waited on the spot for the carriage behind to catch up. With nothing else to do, he opened his task list. The main mission, *The Origin of the Black Fish Worm*, had been completed, and he chose to claim the reward.
[You have received Soul Crystal (Large) x3.]
[You have gained +2 Reputation in the Dark Crow World. Due to the Hunter slaying Blood Curse·Mira, you have become somewhat known among the witches.]
Su Xiao directly stored away the Soul Crystal reward. As for the "Dark Crow World Reputation +2" reward, this was quite interesting.
After Su Xiao killed Blood Curse·Mira, because the kill occurred in a public place (the train), the news would spread quickly. This meant more witches or lords would learn of a Witch Hunter named Kukulin Bai Ye. It had both advantages and disadvantages.
Just as Su Xiao was planning his next route, Amu drove the carriage over. The three Dorkens were panting white mist, clearly exhausted.
Having just hunted a Fourth-Stage Witch, Su Xiao had expended a significant amount of stamina from unleashing numerous blade auras. Therefore, he decided to rest in the wilderness for 2 to 3 hours, at least long enough for the carriage-pulling Dorkens to recover their strength.
Three hours later, the three Dorkens were noticeably more energetic. Although these three Dorkens weren't fast at pulling the carriage, their endurance was extremely strong.
"Let's move out."
Su Xiao boarded the carriage first, while Bubu Wang jumped to the front of the carriage, apparently wanting to enjoy the scenery along the way.
"Can't we rest a little longer?"
Melody stretched her limbs. Among the group, she had the weakest stamina. After several consecutive days of travel, her whole body felt like it was falling apart.
"Where's the next stop? Or rather, which unlucky witch have you set your sights on now?"
Having traveled alongside him, Melody had come to understand one thing: any witch Su Xiao targeted was in for a very bad time.
"To West Bay."
"West... West Bay?"
Melody stared at Su Xiao in shock. She knew where West Bay was—in fact, it was her former hometown.
"You know West Bay well?"
On the slowly moving carriage, Su Xiao noticed Melody's unusual reaction. He put down his map and looked at her.
"Know it... a little."
Melody was somewhat evasive. She leaned against the inner wall of the carriage, sitting on a bag of gold coins.
"Is that so? Then tell me about the West Bay you know."
As a cigarette was lit, the carriage filled with wisps of blue smoke. Melody pushed open the window and took a deep breath.
"Before I turned seventeen, I lived in West Bay..."
Melody looked at the scenery outside the carriage, a faint smile on her face as she spoke.
"I have no interest in your life story. Skip the meaningless explanations and get straight to the situation in West Bay."
"Uh... fine."
The corner of Melody's mouth twitched. She had been about to recount her childhood misfortunes—how her parents were slaves, how she became a menial worker for some witch at a young age, constantly on the verge of death, and so on.
Clearly, playing the victim didn't work on Su Xiao. If Melody dared to keep rambling, Su Xiao would take coercive measures.
"West Bay is bordered by the sea on one side and surrounded by mountains on three sides. It's located at the westernmost edge of the Holy Healing Church's jurisdiction. It's almost completely isolated from the outside world. Or rather, it's a nail the witches have driven into the border of the Holy Healing Church's territory."
Based on Melody's description, Su Xiao gained a better understanding of West Bay's situation. First, West Bay was surrounded by mountains on three sides. Due to artificial construction, those mountain peaks were nearly impassable, covered with elemental and curse-type traps.
As for the sea behind it, for the residents of West Bay, the ocean was their main source of food. Not everyone there was a witch. Witches didn't like to work and were mostly ill-tempered, so they needed commoners to live in West Bay. As for where the commoners came from—simple, they bought slaves.
There was a rule among the witches of West Bay: they could not harm the local residents. As for outsiders, they could do as they pleased.
When those starving slaves first arrived in West Bay, they felt ninety percent fear and ten percent longing toward the witches. After all, they were in close contact with supernatural forces, so it was inevitable that some would harbor aspirations.
Over time, those slaves discovered that the witches wouldn't harm them. They would only periodically collect food, minerals, daily necessities, and so on. Although the amount collected was considerable, it was much more lenient than their former slave masters.
A benign ecological balance thus began. After a few generations, the descendants of those slaves had fully integrated into the witches' social system. They willingly labored for the witches, and the women among them even took pride in becoming witches themselves.
Eighty percent of the witches roaming the Holy Healing Church's territory did not come from the Witch Kingdom in the south, but from West Bay.
For this slowly growing tumor, the Holy Healing Church was equally troubled. However, the distance was too great, a large-scale siege was clearly impossible, and the terrain didn't allow it. As for attacking by sea—don't be ridiculous. On the vast Dark Crow Continent, over fifty percent of soldiers couldn't swim. Moreover, the Holy Healing Church's maritime technology was extremely backward. Diverting resources to naval development for such a small witch gathering point was completely not worth it.
The Holy Healing Church's greatest concern was the "Witch Kingdom" in the south, not gathering points like West Bay. Besides, West Bay was located at the border, with limited resources. Even if it could train witches, it wasn't enough to threaten the Holy Healing Church. As for the deaths of some commoners—though cold-hearted—it wasn't worth the Holy Healing Church going to great lengths. They had to consider the survival of all humanity.
West Bay sounded like a tumor, but in reality, life there wasn't easy either. Witch Hunters would occasionally pay attention to it, offer a routine greeting, and then withdraw.
"So, if you go to West Bay, every human you see will be your enemy. Including those commoners. They're like... livestock."
Melody couldn't help but clench her fists.
"Before I left West Bay, I always thought witches were sacred. I shouldn't be hostile toward Black Witches. They were just a bit extreme in personality..."
At this point, Melody let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"It wasn't until I saw the wider world that I realized the witches of West Bay were raising humans like livestock, corrupting their spirits, making them obedient to every command. Can you imagine being born destined to be a slave? Even more terrifying, the residents of West Bay take pride in it. They've forgotten how to resist. In their hearts, Morisha is a living god..."
Just as Melody finished speaking, she noticed Su Xiao staring at her.
"Morisha?"
"Yes, Morisha. The ruler of West Bay is Morisha."
"Does she know the location of the Death Ground?"
"Of course not. The Death Ground has nothing to do with Morisha. Although they're somewhat similar..."
Melody suddenly remembered something and quickly shut her mouth, a look of terror in her eyes. She had violated a taboo. At that moment, a hand pressed against her face, and Cyan Steel Shadow Energy enveloped her.
Almost instantly, Melody felt excruciating pain flooding her entire body. The pain was so intense that her whole body went numb.
"Mmph!!"
With her mouth covered, Melody let out a loud whimper, tears streaming from her eyes. Due to the collision of three energies within her, she blacked out. It took a full ten minutes for Melody to regain consciousness.
"I... wasn't killed by that old witch from the south?"