novelraw Chapter 144 - 142: As Expected of a Witch, She Gets It Too Well
Chapter 144 - 142: As Expected of a Witch, She Gets It Too Well
The wails of his unworthy ancestor faded as Westheid moved farther and farther away from the Purity Forest.
Now that he knew the Pure Holy Spirit’s current situation, Westheid had a better grasp of things. With his approach, the main Chaos forces would have to split up; they couldn’t possibly intensify their assault on the Purity Forest.
Therefore, he didn’t have to worry about the Pure Holy Spirit suddenly dying. As long as she didn’t keep using the Magic Power meant for defense to tend to her garden... ’Damn it, I’m not so sure about that.’
’Westheid was starting to regret telling the Pure Holy Spirit he was coming to save her. What if she misunderstood, popped the champagne early, and lowered her defenses?’
In any case, to avoid getting dragged down by his unbelievably terrible teammate, Westheid had to immediately draw Chaos’s attention. He needed to pull their fire onto himself, because he was genuinely afraid his unworthy ancestor would just throw her life away for nothing.
After crossing a stretch of land scorched by the Flame of Extinction, Westheid returned to the newly established forward base.
As Westheid steamrolled through his solo campaign, forward bases were being furiously constructed one after another behind him. Most were built on the sites of former towns in the Qinghui Territory, as these locations were already important hubs.
Although the Chaos Tide would obliterate any creation representing civilization and Order, not even leaving ruins behind, this actually saved them the trouble of demolition.
With efficient, automated modular construction technology and dozens of Shadow Fire Technicians working around the clock to manually craft materials, the Purity Liberation Army had become so proficient they could build a fully equipped forward base in just ten days.
Under the watch of black and silver-gray gun turrets and watchtowers, Westheid entered the base, which was enclosed by steel walls. The camp bustled with people. Knight Apprentices, Shadow Fire Technicians, Guard members, and ordinary Purity People—everyone had their own tasks.
Even as Duke Qinghui walked past, the crowd, busy with the feverish construction, had no time to bow or offer greetings.
Westheid went straight to his sister, who was overseeing the camp’s construction, and said concisely:
"I’ve basically purified all the corruption outside the Purity Forest."
Yolanda nodded.
"Thank you for your hard work, Brother. We’ll dispatch the engineering teams at once."
"No, don’t rush to expand just yet."
Westheid shook his head and instructed, "Reinforce our current lines. Our focus now is on defense. We’ll advance steadily."
’He didn’t know who was commanding the Chaos forces, but even a beast acting on pure instinct would have to react with its Domain being purified like this and a gun at its back.’
"Is it already time for the final battle? Yes... I understand."
Yolanda’s eyes glazed over for a moment as she, too, realized the state of the war had shifted from offense to defense.
"By the way, there’s one more thing, if you have a moment..."
Just as Westheid was about to turn and leave, Yolanda spoke up.
"The Ring of Clear Skies has finally given us a reply. You can set a time to meet with the Witch."
"Then I’ll see her immediately!"
When it came to the Ring of Clear Skies, an ally he had long since counted on, Westheid didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Besides, he was in desperate need of more help right now.
There was no other choice. His unworthy ancestor’s boneheaded move had pushed his original plans forward by two years, maybe even more. He had no time to train his own core team and had to do everything himself. Even with limitless energy, he felt he was spread too thin.
If he could secure the support of the Ring of Clear Skies, the pressure on him would decrease dramatically.
The journey from the edge of the Purity Forest to the Ying River wasn’t long, especially since the area had already been purified. Westheid soon returned to the main rear base by the Ying River.
There, he met the Witch from the Ring of Clear Skies.
In the mansion’s reception hall, Roy, Rozana, and other key personnel managing logistics from the rear stood off to one side.
On the other side, by the window, a woman stood with poise and elegance. Her bright red hair cascaded down like a waterfall, reaching all the way to her ankles.
The Witch had a tall, mature figure, and even when in the same room as the green-haired Half-Elf Maid, she was no less striking in comparison.
Her fine figure was outlined by a dark black leather dress with a short hem. Her full, rounded thighs were encased in ultra-thin pantyhose, with a garter cinched so tightly it made an indentation. From the knees down, she wore a pair of sharp, angular metal boots.
A pair of long, black mesh gloves covered her forearms, her hands resting before her flat stomach. A rather daring off-the-shoulder design exposed a large expanse of smooth, snow-white skin, creating a stark contrast with her dark attire.
Westheid took a single glance before politely averting his eyes.
’As expected of a Witch. Side-boob, garter, long gloves, an off-the-shoulder top, and black stockings... she really knows what’s what, huh?’
"My Lord, this is the Ring of Clear Skies Witch who extended a helping hand to me, Lady Hecate."
Roy walked up to Westheid and introduced her in a low voice.
’Hecate?’
Westheid searched his memory. Fortunately, she was no nameless figure, and he immediately recalled this important Witch from the Ring of Clear Skies.
The future president of the Ring of Clear Skies council, a Great Witch, and a famous anti-Chaos fanatic.
’If it’s her, then the matter of support... has a very high chance of success!’
Just as Duke Qinghui was secretly rejoicing, Hecate’s cool, alluring voice reached him:
"Lord Westheid, I originally had no intention of coming... but my Apprentice, Liliana, repeatedly mentioned the benefits of an alliance with you. It is only at her strong recommendation that we are meeting today."
Hecate gently pushed back her hooded veil, revealing an expectedly exquisite and aloofly beautiful face. The Miss Witch’s eyes were quite unique; an uncanny, bewitching dark violet replaced the whites, while her black irises were rich and deep.
Beneath her left eye was a single teardrop-shaped black mark.
Demonic features like these signified that the woman before him was an expert who had walked far down the path of a Witch.
To Hecate’s left was a lovely young woman dressed in a short Wizard’s robe.
It was Liliana, the Witch Apprentice Westheid had met in White Rock City. Noticing the man’s gaze, the young woman nodded to Duke Qinghui.
’Excellent, excellent. Not a single drop of the massive amount of research material I lavished on Liliana was wasted!’
Westheid smiled and extended his hand to Hecate.
"I believe this meeting will be a pleasant one for both of us, as I have always believed that a solid foundation for cooperation exists between the Qinghui Territory and the Ring of Clear Skies."
Hecate glanced at Westheid’s outstretched hand with her uncanny, cold eyes. She didn’t shake it directly, but instead lightly touched it with her slender, pale fingertips, then immediately pulled away.
Only then did she meet Westheid’s gaze:
"Duke Qinghui... What do you mean by that? In my view, you used vulgar means to deceive my Apprentice, disrupting our plans."
"If the Ring of Clear Skies wishes to establish connections within the Imperial court, a Pioneer Territory is far too low-level. As it happens, I have some influence in the Imperial Capital. I can pull some strings for you. It might not even be impossible to have the Imperial government rescind its warrant for the Ring of Clear Skies."
Westheid smiled, completely unbothered by the hostility Hecate was showing.
After all, what she said... was more or less the objective truth. The Ring of Clear Skies had already established ties with White Rock City. They were preparing to support the Pioneer Territory’s elevation in status and spread their influence into the Imperial interior, which would make it easier for them to operate in the Borderland.
But a certain ’Branch of Prosperity’ unreasonably brought White Rock City under his own jurisdiction. He also thoroughly ’defiled’ their Direct Lineage Witch Apprentice, leaving her so utterly infatuated that she turned around and began singing the praises of this interloper.
It was enough to make the blood pressure of the mastermind behind the scenes skyrocket.
Therefore, Hecate made her stance clear from the very beginning:
"Duke Qinghui, what’s done is done. We will forgo the matter of White Rock City, as well as any aid for the Qinghui Territory. Maintaining a state where we mind our own business is best for both of us. As for this talk of rescinding warrants... Heh. I am not young and naive like Liliana, to be deceived by a man’s sweet words."
"Spare me such empty promises. No matter how nice it sounds, you don’t have that kind of power. Or perhaps... you can secure a pardon for the Ring of Clear Skies first?"
Westheid shook his head. "Not right now. You are quite right; under the current circumstances, it is an empty promise."
"But I still believe we have a solid foundation for cooperation."
The red-haired Witch raised a delicate eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Because the Great Chaos Enemy is our common threat."