Chapter 52: Chapter 9: The Black Witch (Part 1)
The Great Elf in the small town have already begun preparing a sumptuous and delicious dinner.
However, Su Ziyu clearly has no appetite today. He feels uncomfortable looking at the enthusiastic smiles before him, but he cannot show it, so he has to rely on his acting skills to forcefully maintain his image. Pick seems to have forgotten everything that happened today; he starts bragging about things in the Chessboard Realm, particularly about the beautiful and captivating White Queen, as if he holds great reverence and admiration for her. Based on Su Ziyu’s current understanding, the Chessboard Realm is inhabited by humans, while the Dream Forest belongs to the Elf.
"Doesn’t the sunflower field need tending?" Su Ziyu asked casually.
The Great Elf’s area of activity is mainly concentrated around the small town. Every day, they tend to the mushroom field, with the farthest point they reach being the riverbank waterwheel. During the day, Su Ziyu noticed that none of the Great Elf approach the sunflower field; it’s as if they instinctively avoid it.
The only Great Elf who runs amok is Pick, whom the other Great Elf refer to as ’Rebellious Pick.’
"It’s dedicated to the Spring Witch." Pick seemed startled for a moment, then said with a cheerful smile, "That sunflower field has been enchanted with magic, you know!"
"Don’t go there if there’s no need."
Magic?
Su Ziyu couldn’t help but recall the distorted, aged faces he saw on the sunflowers last night, along with their eerie, ghastly smiles. Such an evil, strange place is dedicated to the Spring Witch?
That’s right.
Pick seems to have mentioned that the first missing witch was the Spring Witch.
Everything is quite normal during the day.
The Great Elf have a very regular routine; as soon as dusk falls, they each begin yawning, ready to go obediently to sleep. During the day, they have a childlike, simple nature, as if some force protects them from turning into monstrous, hideous creatures like those at night.
"Tomorrow I’ll take you to play in the forest," Pick said sleepily before returning to bed.
At some point.
A thin layer of mist shrouded the small town once again.
Su Ziyu lay in the cabin without the slightest bit of sleepiness, yet he did not go out, for venturing out now might alarm the Great Elf. The situation in this world is still unclear, and he has to stay here for over a month. Recklessly disrupting the peaceful situation in the town would not be a good thing.
Crunch, crunch.
Su Ziyu sat on the ground, silently checking his ammunition. He had also taken out the BTL82M Anti-Material Sniper Rifle, though the bullets had all been replaced with high-explosive rounds. He mostly carried armor-piercing bullets, as they are more effective against radiation mutants.
He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and feigned sleep for a while.
Strangely, Jack didn’t appear today, and outside remained silent.
The system’s task did not have mandatory requirements. Su Ziyu did not complete the task to eliminate the Fusion Monster at first. But this time, he intends to try his best, as obtaining permission to record plane coordinates might lead him to find a way home. Since the Hourglass of Time can traverse time and space, it’s also possible to return to where it initially appeared.
Time passed by, second by second.
Su Ziyu glanced at his wristwatch, then cautiously stood up. He checked his equipment, then took out an Energy Bar and ate it.
There are two unused Czech-03s.
Pasha cautioned him not to use them anymore, as these things impose a heavy burden on the body and have some adverse side effects.
Squeak.
Su Ziyu quietly pushed open the door and went out. The fog outside had thickened further. As he passed by a window, he saw the sleeping Great Elf, their aged faces, shriveled skin, emaciated figures, and sharp black nails looking just like what he saw yesterday.
Within the wailing wind, some subtle sounds seemed to mix.
Su Ziyu could not hear them clearly, nor did he dare to venture over and investigate, for the direction was from the sunflower field.
The river is not far from the town.
As Su Ziyu’s figure appeared near the tall waterwheel, a faint female voice came through: "You’ve come..."
A slender figure cloaked in black appeared.
Su Ziyu focused his gaze on the presence before him, seeing a pale and beautiful face, black lips, and a crystal clear white glow deep in her pupils. Her appearance was almost identical to the witch Su Ziyu saw during the day, the only difference being her hair was now silver-white.
"Are you the Winter Witch?" Su Ziyu gibbered as if he’d realized something.
The witch before him did not answer his question but calmly said, "Human."
"Though I don’t know how you entered the Dream Forest, I’ll find a way to send you away."
"You just have to pass through the Black Forest, and you can return to the Chessboard Realm on your own."
During the day, the Great Elf are normal, while the witch guarding this place is mad.
At night, the Great Elf turns into monsters, but the witch before him looks completely normal.
Su Ziyu felt like he was grasping at some crucial clues.
"I hope you can give this to the White Queen." The witch’s expression hesitated slightly before she took out a peculiar Crystal Earring and said.
You want me to deliver a message?
Su Ziyu felt a bit embarrassed on hearing this, for although he’s a human, he’s not from the Chessboard Realm, does not know the way there, nor has he met the legendary White Queen.
"What’s going on here?" Su Ziyu couldn’t help but ask.
The Winter Witch’s face revealed a trace of pain and regret; she gently shook her head and said, "Don’t ask too much. Knowing too much isn’t good for you."
"This isn’t something a mortals can meddle with."
"Give this to the White Queen, and she’ll know what to do."
Tap, tap.
As Su Ziyu was about to speak again, an odd sound suddenly emerged from deep within the mist, sounding somewhat like hoofbeats, but from across the river.
This strange sound of hoofbeats grew closer, and the Winter Witch’s expression became increasingly grave, she slowly said, "Leave here first."
"It found me!..."
In the darkness.
A point of dark red flame appeared, and then suddenly a Unicorn enveloped in blazing fire emerged, with what seemed to be a red-robed Knight on its back.
.........