Chapter 63: The Sorceress

Telling a lie definitely would not work. That would only affect future cooperation. Zheng Yichen had already experienced the convenience of working with this Tavern, and he didn’t want to ruin this reasonably good relationship they had maintained. As for telling the truth… that would purely be revealing his own background. Being too reckless wasn’t good either. Therefore, this answer had to have a certain degree of truth to it…

“She is a very talented Magic Weapon Summoner. Our side is very focused on her.” Wanting to answer truthfully without revealing his own identity, Zheng Yichen thought it over and could only come up with this reason.

Using the Magic Weapon Summoning Book as a cover was important enough. Of course, he also had to be prepared for the answer. The Tavern was involved in intelligence work. Zheng Yichen’s words had already revealed a very important piece of information—the Magic Weapon Summoning Book was related to him!

Zheng Yichen used “we,” but that was more of a cover… He couldn’t very well say that there were only two people who truly controlled the Magic Weapon Summoning Book.

“Understood. Our side will find useful information for you as soon as possible.”

“How long?” Zheng Yichen asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. He had discovered Petty was missing too late, and now he really didn’t want to delay.

“There will be news by this afternoon.” Belin gently flicked the earring on her right ear and answered very confidently. “You can have a couple of drinks here first.”

“I’ll just wait.” Even though he said that, he still had Belin bring him a glass of water. Anything else? Anything else could wait until there was news. Zheng Yichen was very curious. How exactly had Petty disappeared? The connection of the Contract was also fine, indicating she hadn’t suffered any harm. If her life were in danger, Zheng Yichen could sense it through the Contract.

However, communication through the Contract was being blocked by something unknown. Under normal circumstances, by consuming a certain amount of Mana, one could communicate to a certain degree with the Summoner through the signed Contract. Although it wasn’t as simple as talking face-to-face, the general meaning could still be conveyed.

Now, any information Zheng Yichen tried to send over all vanished without a trace, like clay oxen entering the sea—there was no feedback at all.

He said it would be by afternoon, but Zheng Yichen waited until almost evening before getting news from Belin. The reason was still related to the people from the Sanctuary Church she mentioned earlier. Petty was taken away by those people. Due to the special nature of the Sanctuary Church, the fact she was taken was kept largely secret, so it was very difficult for the Tavern to investigate.

“People from the Sanctuary Church… Where are they?”

“You started your search too late. The people from the Sanctuary Church covered their tracks. It’s impossible to find them now.” Belin replied.

“Understood.” Nodding, Zheng Yichen left the Tavern feeling rather troubled. Being taken away by people from the Sanctuary Church… this was probably the worst possible scenario. The Sanctuary Church was quite famous in this world, its purpose for existing was very special, and its influence went without saying.

Even the comparatively Dark Church had to lurk in the shadow of the Sanctuary Church’s glory…

On the way back, Zheng Yichen tried again to contact Petty through the Contract. The result was, unsurprisingly, a failure again. He was very puzzled. Why would the people from the Sanctuary Church seek out Petty for no apparent reason?

As for finding her… Zheng Yichen now had no clues whatsoever. Searching blindly would be completely pointless. After returning to the Castle and worrying for a long time, he could only finally sigh and wait for a response from Petty.

“Did you find anything?” Looking at the girl lying on a simple bed, a man in a long robe walked over and asked a woman sitting by the bedside.

The woman, who had her eyes closed, slowly opened them. Her eyes revealed a hazy, Mist-like color. “A Witch will cover her tracks. Being able to discover this girl through Tracing was just luck. Do you really think you can rely on her to find the Witch?”

“Hmph! There are clues related to a Witch on her!”

“Ha? Do you really think Witches are all stupid? How many years ago was the last time a Witch was executed? Thirty years? Fifty years?” The woman glanced at the man behind her. Her originally serious expression instantly turned frivolous as her tone changed. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Dan Marina! Whether I’m tired or not is my business. You just need to do your job properly!” The man said coldly, his face dark.

“Being so harsh with me? I’m not a member of the Sanctuary Church. What right do you have to order me around?” The woman said casually.

“You are not a member of the Sanctuary Church, but the Sanctuary Church is the entity that provides you shelter. Remember that clearly.”

“Tch!” The woman lightly pouted. The chaotic color in her gray eyes became a few shades more intense. “There’s no trace of the Witch. They aren’t that stupid. However, I did discover something very interesting…”

“Speak!”

“It’s about the Magic Weapon Summoning Book.” The woman said with a trace of a peculiar smile. “I remember you guys are also very interested in that book, right?”

“Is it related to the Witch?” The man asked, frowning slightly. If she were changing the subject, the woman before him wouldn’t use such a pointless method. Since she brought up the Magic Weapon Summoning Book, which had been causing quite a stir recently, then this matter was related to the Witch.

“The Magic Weapon Summoning Book has some connection to the Witch, but compared to its true master, that connection is rather insignificant.” The woman shrugged, reached up and gently rubbed her eyes. The gray chaotic color filling her eyes dispersed. Even though her normal eye color returned, a layer of grayish tint that was hard to conceal remained.

The man wanted to inquire further, but the woman cut him off without even turning her head. “You want to ask me who that master is? What a pity. I can’t see any information about him at all. So I don’t know either.”

After saying that, the woman turned around with a giggle. “According to the Contract, I’ve told you all the information I could gather. Can this little girl be sent away now?”

“I don’t believe a Witch would be so kind-hearted!” The man stared at the woman for a moment. “Until the Magic Weapon Summoning Book is found, you will all remain here.”

“Hey! I’m not a babysitter!” The woman stared unhappily at the man’s retreating back and snorted lightly in her mind. As expected of the old thing she had been dealing with all along. She indeed hadn’t hidden any information—of course, this information was all confirmed. As for those unconfirmed bits, they weren’t covered by the Contract’s restrictions.

She had discovered some very interesting things on Petty. For example, that equal Summoning Contract of hers. Through her own ability, she could Trace back to the object of the signed Contract. For instance, Petty’s first Summoning Contract was with an extremely ordinary and common Harefolk. However, she was completely unable to Trace back to the object of the second Summoning Contract.

Even when her ability reached into the past, the information she obtained was just a Mist. The ability extending into the past gave no feedback at all, as if it was swallowed by some specific presence within the Mist. Even though she used many methods to try and cleverly obtain some information, that Mist seemed to have no flaws. She couldn’t break through it to see the existence behind the Mist.

Even when she paid a small price, using methods akin to sugar-coated bullets, it didn’t work. Instead, she suffered a bit of damage herself. Such an existence greatly increased her interest. So far, besides those who left no trace to follow, among these people whose traces she could grasp… there was actually one who could avoid her Tracing?