Ten minutes later.
“Ehehe~☆ Prank successful!”
Shironaka Fueno reached out a hand, lightly tapped her own head, and playfully stuck out a tiny sliver of her tongue.
“Whack! Whack! Whack!”
Sophie wasn't buying it at all. She raised her hand and chopped it straight down onto the top of Shironaka Fueno's head.
“Ugh, ow, ow! I already said it was just a prank!” Shironaka Fueno whined, clutching her head.
“Stop with the baby talk, it's disgusting,” Sophie scolded without hesitation. “Even if it's a prank, you shouldn't be doing something like that to your Elder Sister!”
What was wrong with this girl? Who does this?
This was way too much.
“Put yourself in my shoes. If it were me handing you some weird drink like that...”
“Oh, oh! Is Elder Sister finally going to make a move on me? If so, Little Dino would definitely be forced by Elder Sister's absolute authority to drink that beverage filled with the scent of love~”
Tears welled in Shironaka Fueno's eyes. Her gaze revealed one part confusion, two parts fear, three parts fragility, four parts helplessness, and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety parts anticipation.
She sobbed, “If... if...”
Sophie: “?”
“If... if Elder Sister really fed Little Dino a twelve-herb raw extract brewed from a cup of Fluxweed juice, two drams of Knotgrass powder, half a cup of Crimson Heart Vine juice, seven drops of Honey-tongue Orchid nectar, three Kiss Berries, five Night-Weeping stamens, a pinch of Drunken Moon stamens, nine drops of Dream-Pillow Grass dew, half a dram of Pleasure Root powder, a patch of Lover's Moss, three drops of Red Silk Orchid juice, and twelve Marigold petals... and then added one portion each of Dream Moth scale powder, Drunken Dream fungus spores, and Depraved Jellyfish membrane filtrate, supplemented with three drops of Succubus Lord tail-tip dew and one dram of Moon-Horned Deer heart powder, and finally masked the smell with osmanthus honey...”
Shironaka Fueno shyly pressed her thighs together.
“And then, while Little Dino was completely out of her mind, carried Little Dino into your room, closed the doors and windows, and did things that wouldn't be appropriate for outsiders to know... Little Dino, even if she wanted to resist, definitely wouldn't have any strength left, right?”
“And what if, by some total coincidence, Little Dino accidentally left all those ingredients on her seat? What would we do then...”
Sophie: “...”
Before she could even say a word, Miaoyue's tearful voice drifted over from across the table.
“Finally!”
“Finally, I get to see a normal sisterly relationship!”
Sophie: “???”
“Yes, yes! This is exactly how sisters are supposed to behave!”
Miaoyue produced a handkerchief from who-knows-where. She wiped her tears with one hand while rapidly stuffing food into her mouth with a fork in the other, still managing to mumble.
“Sweet, so sweet. I'm totally shipping it.”
“Mmm! Shockingly delicious!”
Sophie: “...”
Scribble, scribble, scribble.
The sound of frantic writing echoed.
Sophie blankly turned her gaze toward Miss Hero.
At this moment, Miss Hero was rapidly transcribing into her notebook.
“Witch's weaknesses... alchemy potions...”
Mi... Miss Hero?
Noticing Sophie's gaze, Kaila startled, quickly snapping her notebook shut and putting on a face that insisted she had done absolutely nothing.
Just now, the Hero's Eye had determined that the Puppet Witch wasn't lying. Did that mean this alchemy potion actually worked on Witches? Although the Puppet Witch and the New Moon Witch weren't enemies right now, it was always good to be prepared.
By the way, was that what Sophie drank just now? She should have Miss Hill help research it. Just in case.
Kaila continued to eat her food with an expressionless face, pretending she hadn't heard a thing.
Sophie: “...”
Are there even any normal humans at this table?
Where on earth did she gather such a bunch of eccentrics?
...
After messing around for a while, only when the plates on the table were half empty did Sophie tap the rim of her cup with the handle of her spoon.
“Ahem, let's talk business.”
Miaoyue looked up, clutching her plate.
“Is there more main course?”
“No, pay attention to me.”
“Oh...” Miaoyue's hands didn't stop moving, but her ears twitched, indicating she was listening intently (probably).
“In any case, our initial goal was just to get the trade permit, but I didn't expect so many other things to get dragged into it. For now, though, it seems like the situation in Silvervein City has temporarily settled down. Goddess, did the Azure Sky King give us the trade permit?”
“The Azure Sky King... ugh.” Miaoyue leaned back, looking slightly fearful of the name. Ultimately, she nodded in silence. “Yes, I had Little Kong... the Azure Sky Queen stamp it. According to her, it's ready to use.”
“What do you mean, Azure Sky Queen?”
“Just the Azure Sky Queen,” Miaoyue said vaguely.
What in the world?
She didn't recall encountering this Azure Sky King on the battlefield.
What had happened?
Was the Azure Sky King actually a woman in disguise all along?
Surely he hadn't ended up no longer being a bro due to some accident, just like her?
Sophie wasn't close with the Azure Sky King, so her eye merely twitched. Seeing Miaoyue's "I don't want to talk about it" expression, she didn't press further.
As long as they got the item, that was all that mattered.
“Now that we have it, I still plan to continue expanding the chamber of commerce. First, we need to find Modi and recount the surviving people, carriages, money, and goods. Then we'll open up the trade route to Discord. As for the snowfield, I don't have a way to resolve the curse of forgetfulness yet...”
“Merchants have always traveled between Solitude and Discord. The distance is short, and the routes are relatively established. They have factories, machinery, and many things Solitude lacks. Once we get in touch with the middlemen and permit brokers, the New Moon Far-Trading Chamber of Commerce can officially open for business.”
They were a silver-mining nation, after all, so they wouldn't have to worry about not being able to sell their goods.
A chamber of commerce could provide a steady stream of wealth, bringing in enough intelligence and profit to free her from a life of being kept by Shironaka Fueno today, kept by Shironaka Fueno tomorrow, and kept by Shironaka Fueno the day after.
“Plus, we have some extra reinforcements. Claire and those adventurers from Black Gallows are all willing to work under me from now on. This way, I won't have to overwork Modi too much.”
Sophie put down her pen and nodded in satisfaction.
Of the original three Archbishops of the New Moon Sect, two positions were now vacant, and a batch of noble supporters had been killed by Sophie. Currently, Modi was handling all affairs single-handedly, making Sophie feel a bit guilty about ordering him around too much.
Now that she had Claire and the four adventurers she had rescued, it would save a lot of effort.
“In short, let's set a small goal first.”
“I'll personally head over to Discord for a few months. Do you guys want to come along?”
Sophie looked up at Miaoyue and Kaila.
There was no need to ask Shironaka Fueno; she was already running around everywhere.
Miss Hero would most likely accompany her as well.
The main question was Miaoyue. She wasn't sure what this lazy, shut-in glutton of a goddess would do...
“I'll go with the Saintess.”
“I won't go.”
The two replies came one after the other.
Sophie, who had been overjoyed upon hearing that Miaoyue would go, froze in place.
Miss Hero... wasn't going?
Kaila looked at Sophie calmly.
“I am too weak. I will drag Sophie down,” Kaila said softly. “So, I will go train first.”
“I don't care about that...”
“I care. So, no,” Kaila shook her head. “I must train.”
Sophie stared at her blankly.
Miss Hero, how could you fall into the trap of obsessing over stats?
Stats didn't matter, right? The scenery along the way was the main point.
Putting stats aside...
Ah.
Sophie couldn't put them aside.
“I understand,” Sophie nodded in empathy. “Then Miss Hero can stay in Solitude. I'll prepare a training regimen for you...”
“I will go to the snowfield.”
“The snowfield?”
The expression on Kaila's face remained calm, and she did not avoid Sophie's gaze.
“Miss Hill told me to go there,” Kaila said. “And I have some things I must confirm there.”
“Can't you confirm them while staying in Solitude?”
“No.”
“But...” Sophie swallowed the rest of her sentence.
But the answer Miss Hero had given wasn't exactly suitable for someone who had just confessed.
Yet before she could finish her thought, Miss Hero's feelings were conveyed through her gaze.
—Precisely because she couldn't give Sophie an answer right now, and because Kaila didn't want to reply half-heartedly, she needed more time to think everything through.
Miss Hero wasn't someone who was very good at thinking for herself, so when it came to her own matters, she always needed a long time to contemplate.
Sophie stared at her for a few seconds before finally letting out a slow sigh.
“Alright.”
“Then we'll split up. We'll go to Discord, and Miss Hero will go to the snowfield. I just didn't expect us to be separated again so soon.”
Kaila nodded.
“If Sophie needs it.”
“I can help prepare some maps and such for your chamber of commerce.”
“I've traveled around Discord and taken the old northern road. In some places, the map makes it look passable, but in reality, you'll run into monsters, broken bridges, impassable passes, or bridges and cities that I accidentally demolished.”
That was indeed very "accidental."
“Once I get to the snowfield, I'll map out those routes as well,” Kaila said. “If I find any new safe routes, I'll send them to Sophie too.”
“Miss Hero, you must remember to come back, okay?”
“I will.”
The Hero's reply didn't carry the slightest hesitation.
Sophie reluctantly withdrew her gaze.
She rubbed her temples, seemingly contemplating how to bring up the next topic.
After a long silence, she finally spoke:
“By the way, I wanted to ask about the Witches over at the Destined Sanctuary.”
This question had been lingering in her mind for a long time.
From the memories Kaila had shared, although the Destined Sanctuary was cursed, the Witch there seemed to be gone. For hundreds of years, affairs there had been managed by some High Archon named Miss Hill.
Hill's appearance was also in those memories. Although Sophie felt a faint sense of familiarity for some reason, she was certain the woman wasn't one of the Witches she had raised. She at least had that much confidence.
Where was her Little Shi?
Sophie had also seen the "Little Shi" Kaila spoke of. However, when Sylvia approached, her bond token didn't give any feedback whatsoever. Furthermore, Sophie herself didn't feel any impulses that would trigger Pure Lust toward the girl named Sylvia.
Was it just a coincidence that they shared a name?
Just sharing the character "Shi" in their names, probably. Though they both had similar red hair.
Theoretically, since Kaila was determined to challenge all the Witches, the very first one should undoubtedly have been Little Shi, who cursed Destinos.
Sophie intended to get a clear answer.
“So, does anyone have any information regarding the Witch of Destinos over at the Destined Sanctuary?”
Sophie asked seriously.
Kaila was the first to respond.
The Hero tilted her head, sat up straighter, and began to recall the historical documents and Holy See records regarding the continent's various factions—texts she had memorized countless times back in the Silent Sanctuary.
“Long before I was born, official records from both the Holy See and various nations confirmed that the Witch of Destinos had died.”
“Dead?” Sophie's eyes widened. “Who killed her?”
“The records make no mention of any slayer,” Kaila shook her head. “The common belief there is that under the weight of endless madness and curses, she chose to end her own life. Suicide. Therefore, although Destinos is called a Witch's territory, there are actually no Witches active there in any true sense. There is only the curse.”
Suicide?
Sophie's expression didn't change, but a seed of doubt sprouted deep in her eyes.
This conclusion was rather strange.
Putting aside whether Witches who had become demigods could even end their own lives, the sheer power of their overflowing curses spoke volumes.
That bone-deep obsession and love was a madness that would never let go, even if the world collapsed.
Would such an existence commit suicide due to madness and pressure?
Someone like Little Yue would just eat when she should eat and worry when she should worry; she would never even consider the concept of "letting go" or "giving up on life."
Moreover, Little Shi wasn't a simple human.
Sophie turned her gaze toward Miaoyue, who was currently focusing all her attention on a grilled steak.
“Goddess, do you know anything about what happened hundreds of years ago?”
Miaoyue swallowed the chunk of meat in her mouth with some effort, picked up her napkin to messily wipe her mouth, and blinked her purple eyes in obvious confusion.
“Other Witches?”
“My Saintess, don't you know? Information that has nothing to do with filling my stomach is just useless garbage to this Goddess. My brain capacity is limited; it must all be used to remember the best cooking methods and eating times for various ingredients.”
That made a lot of sense. It was impossible to refute.
Sophie hadn't expected a fool who could even forget her own magic to remember such things anyway.
“Little Dino?”
Sophie finally looked at Shironaka Fueno, who was sitting beside her.
Sensing Sophie's gaze, Shironaka Fueno set down her teacup. She lightly tapped her chin with her pale, delicate finger, wearing a contemplative expression.
“As for that woman from Destinos...”
Shironaka Fueno sighed softly.
“I haven't been there myself, but my threads gave me an answer. Shortly after the Witch War ended, the source of mana there dissipated. All life reactions and signs of law distortion vanished completely within an extremely short period.”
“It seems no one cared when Miss Shi, who couldn't understand human speech, died so carelessly. How truly pitiful.”
Even Little Dino said so?
Had Little Shi really died?
How was that possible?
Sophie frowned.
She gestured.
“I'm done speaking. Let's eat first.”
...
After lunch, Sophie returned to her room.
“So, why did you follow me in?”
Sophie looked back at Shironaka Fueno.
“Because this is 'home,' Elder Brother. Isn't this perfectly normal?”
“Even at home, we have separate rooms. You can't just enter your brother's room whenever you want,” Sophie said, keeping a straight face.
“I'm basically always in here, Elder Brother, you just didn't know~” Shironaka Fueno said with a nasal, slightly muffled tone. “But setting aside those unimportant details, didn't Elder Brother tap Little Dino's head three times during lunch?”
Those details are very important, okay?
Sophie was stunned for a moment, then replied, “Tapping your head was me warning you to stop doing those weird things.”
“Whoa, was that really all?” Shironaka Fueno blinked, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. “I still remember a very interesting Eastern story Elder Brother told me a long, long time ago. In the story, the monkey was tapped on the head three times by his master, which was a hint for him to sneak through the back door at midnight to learn about his master's deep foundations and whatnot...”
“The monkey studied so diligently, he didn't close his eyes all night.”
Shironaka Fueno whispered.
“Elder Sister tapped Little Dino three times. Wasn't that hinting for Little Dino to sneak into Elder Sister's room after the meal to do some things... that only the two of us can do?”
This little sister was completely broken. Could she just put her up for recycling?
Sophie was speechless.
Even Patriarch Subhuti would buy a standing-room-only train ticket to flee Mount Fangcun overnight if he heard this.
“Stop fooling around, I'm doing something important right now.” Sophie pressed her hand against Shironaka Fueno's forehead, ruthlessly pushing away the small head that was trying to burrow into her chest. “It's actually quite important.”
“Hmph, isn't it just for that smelly redhead?”
Shironaka Fueno pouted in dissatisfaction.
“Achoo!”
Before she could complain further, a loud sneeze shattered the atmosphere in the room.
Shironaka Fueno rubbed her nose, which had turned slightly red from the cold, pulled a white silk handkerchief from her wide sleeve, and slowly wiped her nose.
“Just a heads-up,” Shironaka Fueno sniffled. “Little Dino is very, very weak right now. If some bad guy pops up, Little Dino's threads might become sluggish because of her cold, and she might not be able to protect Elder Brother.”
“If Elder Brother gets broken to pieces then, don't blame me.”
Then don't try to grab a share when I'm shattered into six pieces.
“I still want to confirm something,” Sophie said.
She was still somewhat skeptical.
Putting aside whether demigods even had a concept of death.
Just looking at the curse that was still being maintained was enough to prove something was amiss.
If Little Shi had truly ended her own life, then Destinos, as the physical manifestation of her punishment and curse, shouldn't have merely maintained its current state of forgetfulness. Whether it worsened or faded, there should have been some kind of reaction.
Yet, the curse remained exactly as it had always been.
Logically, there should have been a much more violent collapse of laws.
Sophie took a deep breath and flipped her wrist.
Accompanied by a faint flash of light, an object appeared out of thin air in her palm.
It was a tiny harp carved from an unknown dark wood, its strings made of some translucent mana threads that emitted a faint glow.
The surface of the harp was covered in ancient and complex runes. Just holding it in one's hand evoked a sense of ancient sorrow and grief.
【Bond Item: Strings Carrying Poetry】
【Strings Carrying Poetry (Bond Item) (Soulbound): Within 100 meters, you can sense the presence of Shiyin. With this item, you can summon Shiyin's descent. She will be friendly toward you and assist you. Duration: 1 day. Cooldown: 300 days.】
The moment Shironaka Fueno saw the tiny harp, she frowned.
Even in her weakened state, she still reached out and sealed the room with her threads.
“Thank you, Little Dino,” Sophie said softly. Then, she channeled her mana directly into the tiny harp and gently plucked the translucent string.
Zing—
A crisp, ethereal chime echoed throughout the room.
The sound seemed to pierce through the barriers of space, turning into invisible ripples that spread deep into the void.
Sophie stared at the air in front of her.
However, one second passed.
Two seconds passed.
Still, there was only the lingering echo of the chime in the room, accompanied by Shironaka Fueno's slightly heavy breathing from her cold.
Nothing happened.
Just as Sophie frowned, preparing to channel her mana once more, a cold, emotionless system notification drifted across her virtual panel.
【Log: Summon failed.】
【Log: Target has died.】
Rate on N.U.
