OBS Chapter 4131 Guests of the Fragrant Residence
Chapter 4131 Guests of the Fragrant Residence
Chapter 4131 Guests of the Fragrant Residence
A steady red moonlight appeared in Shad's palm, and as the life force emerging from the brand on his palm merged with it, the pure red moonlight gradually became eerie. Shad recalled the feeling two days ago in the False Man's Labyrinth, when he used "Withering" to taint the "Rotting Moon Flower," and let the dim yellow light floating on the [Withering Fire Ring] blend into the moonlight in his palm.
He guided the power from the relic with great restraint, and the crimson moonlight floating in his palm like flames gradually changed from red to a filthy dark red in the process.
His right hand then pulled out "Moonlight Water" from his pocket, uncorked the bottle, and controlled the silvery-white liquid to fly to his left hand. The moonlight and "Moonlight Water" blended seamlessly, and when the liquid turned into a filthy color, he exhaled a chill, freezing the liquid in his palm into an ice ball.
The sphere wasn't large, and its filthy color lacked any sense of the sacredness of moonlight. Perhaps because it seemed to have been infused with the flame of life, this ice sphere, though floating steadily above Shad's palm, gave anyone who saw it the illusion that it was beating, as if it were a heart.
Simply possessing the ice puck wouldn't solve Sister Lopez's current problem. Implanting it into her body, ideally near her heart, would be the best option. Of course, Shad himself wouldn't do it; even if the Church trusted the "Caller of Gods," there was no reason for him, an outsider, to do such a thing.
So Shad handed the puck to Mr. Conte, adding the following instructions:
“Let’s call it ‘The Withering Moon.’ These frigid ice crystals won’t melt easily, but the crimson moon’s light will eventually fade. I’m not sure how long this ice ball will last. If Sister Lopez’s condition worsens, she can come to me for help again.”
But this is only suppression; the best approach is still to reverse the life form. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do about that.
Mr. Conte expressed his gratitude to Schade:
“We understand that, but reversing the life form of a thirteenth-ring warlock would probably require finding a sage-level or even angel-level relic, and doing so would likely leave hidden dangers. The church is discussing whether to pray to our Lord for this, which should be the safest approach at present.”
The old nun was neither injured nor had her life force corrupted. Since she was not in any negative state, most divine rituals were useless against her. While a blessing from the true God could certainly restore her to full health, divine grace doesn't appear in every situation. Unless absolutely necessary, the Church rarely directly prays to God for help.
Mr. Conte was taking Sister Lopez back to the Vatican for "surgery," so after a heartfelt thank you, they left first. Although no payment was mentioned, Shad knew that the Witch Council would receive the payment soon.
As they parted, Xia De was surprised to see the old nun's great-granddaughter blush and wink at him, even glancing back at him as she left. "She" chuckled softly in Xia De's ear. Xia De stared at the girl's retreating figure, and after a long while, he silently wondered:
"Could she be Vige's mother?"
"Absolutely impossible!"
This was Vige's first reaction after Xia De returned to Fragrance Mansion and told her what had just happened and his sudden guess. She stood up abruptly from the sofa, then slumped back down due to a violent cough.
Xia De quickly and gently patted her back, then brought her a drop of red tea infused with blood wine.
"Okay, okay, this is all just my guess, I have no evidence."
“My mother would never do something so tasteless. Pretending to be a young girl is one thing, but how could she possibly pretend to be a young girl and then go around lewdly?”
Wei Ge's face flushed red, whether from anger or shame, it was hard to tell. Xia De also knew he shouldn't make such wild guesses.
"I've been thinking a lot about your mother lately, and I misspoke. Don't get so worked up, I won't do it again."
Outsiders don't resist admitting mistakes, but Wei Ge shook her head:
"I was just scared. My mother wouldn't do something like that, right?"
She thought about what she knew about her mother before, and now she hesitated.
"Definitely not."
Xia De comforted her, and Wei Ge then took the teacup to drink the tea, and then hugged Xia De.
"Miss Annat and the others will arrive with the [Stadium of Destiny] in a little while. She and Bella will then perform a divination on your mother. The divination bonus from the Unknown-level relic will be enough for them to obtain some information, and there might be some unexpected gains this time."
"My biggest worry right now is an accident. What if I am my mother, and I actually have amnesia?"
Shad laughed:
"What are you saying? Only completely pure girls can become witches; those who have given birth definitely can't. Ellie likes you a lot, isn't that enough proof?"
Wei Ge blushed slightly, then whispered:
"Actually, I didn't mind if you had spoken to me directly the day before yesterday afternoon."
She didn't have the heart to finish her sentence:
"Is it possible that my mother's soul is actually hiding inside me, that she has become one with me, and that she disguises herself as my 'other self' to guide my actions?"
She voiced her most terrifying suspicion:
“In fact, the whispers I heard and the guidance I received were all my mother’s deliberate manipulation of my destiny. She used me as a tool to achieve her so-called great purpose. She was right behind my soul, seemingly with me, but she was just using me as a puppet.”
The "she" beside Shad seemed to sigh, and Shad sighed too, embracing the trembling girl:
"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no one will hurt you."
Galina and Luvia will arrive before evening. Shad doesn't know exactly how many people will show up, but Vigo is planning for everyone to come together.
"When His Excellency the Speaker appeared the day before yesterday evening, there were ten people in the family having dinner together. It has never been so lively here before. Unfortunately, only Galina stayed in the end."
When the topic of everyone's upcoming visits came up, Viggo's mood immediately improved. Although Shad said she didn't need to make any special preparations, she still hummed a song as she went to choose clothes at four o'clock in the afternoon, showing how much she valued Luvia's arrival.
Luvia and the others had told Shad beforehand that he didn't need to go to greet them, so Shad waited at the Fragrant Residence. Fortunately, the ladies' arrival went smoothly. As the last rays of the setting sun appeared on the horizon, Miss Rowling was busily instructing the maids to check each room and prepare for the dinner party when the caravan drove up the gentle slope to the entrance of the Fragrant Residence, located high in the city.
The maids who were already waiting at the door immediately came out to greet them. After the carriage came to a stop, the doors were opened one by one, and the young ladies and women, whose appearances were all different but who were all graceful, stepped down from the carriage.
Luvia, Dorothy, Daniste, Iluna, and Winnie rode in one carriage, while Sylvie, Miss Eliza, Silris, and Vanessa came together.
Bella, Claire, Flora, Galina, and Tifa alighted from the third carriage. Shad, who also came to the door to greet everyone, was the only one who did not see Megan and Sylvia.
“Megan and Audrey have been called away by the Speaker again to help out. Sylvia ran into some trouble in Willendale, and I told her we had enough people here, so I didn’t ask her to come. We also wanted to invite Grandma Cassandra, but it’s too far away, and she declined.”
As Galina stepped out of the carriage, she smiled and said to Shad, "Tifa is handing Mia, whom I'm holding, to Shad. Shad asked us to bring Mia along, since we probably won't be going home tonight."
Luvia and Dorothy brought Shad's "Night Watchman" and other equipment that might be needed. Although Lacey didn't come, she was on standby in Topsk at any time.
Following Iluna off the carriage was Daniste. Shad had expected her to appear as an eighteen-year-old, but to his surprise, she remained in her original form. Seeing Shad looking at her with astonishment, the caretaker in her red dress even smiled.
“This house looks really nice; there are always tasteful buildings like this in old cities.”
Everyone greeted Shad together. Miss Rowling and Miss McDonald welcomed them, especially Danist. Adelina stood obediently beside Shad, but still secretly waved to Iluna.
As the girls and ladies entered the mansion's foyer, Viggo came down from the second floor to welcome them.
She had specially chosen a beautiful purple dress and, unusually, had even put on light makeup. As she stepped out of the restaurant, her first glance was at the strangers in the crowd, and Daniste's long, fuchsia hair immediately caught her attention:
"Professor Daniste, good afternoon."
She greeted the building manager, who smiled and shook her head.
"Please don't be so polite. I should thank you for taking care of Shad all this time. Miss Astley, your beauty is in no way inferior to Shad's."
Seeing her so easygoing, Vige was somewhat surprised but mostly pleased. She then searched through the crowd for "Luvia Annette," whom Shad and Galina had mentioned many times. She was initially worried that she wouldn't be able to recognize her immediately, but when she saw those purple eyes, her expression faltered for a moment, as if she saw infinite possibilities in the chaotic future reflected in those eyes.
"What a beautiful purple. It was those eyes that attracted Shad. Oh no, I should have chosen a different color dress at a time like this!"