Chapter 359: Ruins in the Suburbs of the East District
The two-wheeled carriage, without any markings on the outside, drove all the way from the West District through the Cherwood District. When it approached the East District, as Angel expected, the right front wheel fell off the axle and rolled a long way along the cobblestone road, causing a small chaos in the carriage.
Forcing a smile, she watched Sylvia angrily scold the outer member of the sect who was driving the car, and then when another carriage of similar appearance arrived, she took Angel and got in it again.
"Fortunately, we were planning to change cars nearby, otherwise we would have had to hire a carriage to go to the suburbs."
Sylvia explained with a gloomy face, but Angel always felt that she was another carriage called at the last minute, because the coachman was not familiar with their destination and had to correct the direction under her constant instructions.
The carriage circled the eastern district, arriving at a small road on the eastern outskirts of Backlund. It stopped at a small town just as the sun was high in the sky. Angel, led by Sylvia, left the town on foot from the other side. After a detour along a mountain road, they entered a hidden cave beside a tributary of the rushing Tussock River.
"I initially thought I'd meet Ms. Despair in a luxurious villa in Queens, and then I thought a hidden alley in the East Side would be nice too, but I didn't expect..."
Angel looked around the pristine caverns, which showed no signs of artificial digging, and said with a hint of joking:
"...in this damp and cold cave."
"Just tell me what you're saying. When you see Ms. Panatia later, you'd better put away your thorns."
To her surprise, Sylvia did not refute these words, but instead whispered a reminder, her face no longer showing her usual seductiveness and indifference, but a serious expression.
The two walked through the moss-covered cave, one in front and the other behind, and entered a narrow tunnel. When the sound of flowing water outside could hardly be heard, the tunnel suddenly became clear, and at the end there appeared a flat stone road, artificially carved stone pillars and a heavy gate.
This looked like an underground palace, or at least a large stronghold. Could it be the base where the Witch Cult hid and transferred slaves? But why were there no guards, not even lights on?
Angel was a little surprised to see Sylvia push open the door on one side and slip through the gap. Then a dull voice came from behind the door:
"Hurry, Ms. Despair is down there."
She followed as she was told. There was direct sunlight behind the door, which did not look like it was underground at all. There were thick stone pillars surrounding it. They did not look like they were made recently, but had a history of at least hundreds of years. The gray stone slabs on the ground were neat but covered with cracks, which was not much different from the age of the stone pillars.
Looking up, I saw that part of the center of the tall stone dome had collapsed, revealing the branches swaying in the wind and the sun hanging high in the sky.
Below the gap, in the center of the hall, stood a stone altar with some wooden boxes scattered on it. The blood that seeped out from under the boxes had long dried up, and it was unknown how long they had been there.
Could this be some ancient ruins that were discovered, excavated, and then "recycled" by the Witch Cult?
Even with her limited historical knowledge, she knew that there were many ancient ruins from the early Fifth Epoch, or even the Fourth Epoch, near Backlund. The ruins she was currently in were only a few kilometers away from the East District, and the ruins from the Fourth Epoch Tudor period, where the sealed evil spirit she encountered last week was located, were actually located underground in Backlund's Queen District.
If the entire Backlund and surrounding areas were hollowed out, there might be dozens of ruins and mausoleums of varying styles underground... Did the Witch Cult choose this place out of some planning, or were they just randomly searching for an uninhabited area?
Angel followed Sylvia in silence with confusion, leaving from the stone door on the other side of the ruins hall, and walked down the winding passage for a few minutes until he came to a windowless room.
On the way, she didn't encounter any guards, as if they were the only two people in this ancient, hidden ruin.
It was not until she stepped into the room that she saw the target of her trip, Panatia, the "Lady of Despair" who was repeatedly mentioned in the words of the two witches of joy, Severia and Lola.
The latter was wearing a white robe, with his hair casually tied behind his head. He had his back to the door and was facing a full-length mirror. The edge of the mirror was smeared with a dark red sticky substance, which was dissolving and evaporating at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Knowing that this was a mirror communication, Angel instinctively glanced at the center of the mirror, but the angle was not good and he could only see the occasional darkness that appeared from the shrouding fog.
"Ms. Despair."
Sylvia half bowed respectfully and greeted him.
Angel followed her example and stood by the door without saying a word.
Time passed in the silent conversation between Panatia and the person in the mirror. Until the mirror returned to normal and the communication potion was completely exhausted, the woman in white robe turned around and looked at Angel with a pair of sparkling eyes.
She had a bright appearance, but not a trace of vulgarity, like an angel who had fallen into the mortal world. This gradually aroused Angel's primitive desire for women, which had almost been buried in his heart. This desire also contained some violent impulses, wanting to destroy her beauty and holiness.
Obviously, this is a temptation far greater than "pleasure"...
"Are you Irene Watson, the witch who came to Backlund from Tingen?"
A pleasant female voice sounded beside his ears, and Angel nodded involuntarily. Then he realized with horror that the action just now had not passed through his mind at all, and it was a completely subconscious response.
Was it the effect of some magical object, or the influence of her words? Or was it some kind of "divination" using conversation, but it was resisted by the anti-divination in me?
At this moment, she was full of thoughts, but before she could come up with an answer, Panatia's next words made her heart beat slower:
"Then, drop your disguise, new witch of pleasure."
"What?"
The one who exclaimed was Sylvia, who was standing obediently by the side. She was even more surprised than Angel whose identity was revealed. She subconsciously stepped sideways and her eyes lingered on the ordinary-looking witch for a long time.
"Yes, Ms. Despair."
Angel, on the other hand, looked calm. She held the crazy ring between her fingers and gently took it off. In an instant, her black hair and round face returned to her "real appearance": the long brown hair belonged to Ms. D, the lake blue eyes belonged to Laura Swan, and her facial features were somewhat similar to Audrey's, but she had also made minor adjustments to avoid being recognized by Sylvia.
She believed that as a high-ranking member of the witch sect, Lady Despair must have met the Witches of Pleasure, such as Mitis and Madam Sharon. Therefore, she did not use them as materials to fabricate the extraordinary characteristics of the "Faceless Man". Instead, she pieced together a new face and hid it under the effect of the "Ring of Madness" as another layer of insurance.
Sure enough, the demigod easily saw through her psychological disguise.
If the Faceless Man is also seen through, he will be forced to reveal his true face. However, if they have divined the cause of Lady Sharon's death, they may know that Tingen's many plans were destroyed due to my betrayal. That would be the worst case scenario...
Angel thought a little nervously, but apart from Sylvia's eyes widening in surprise, the lady of despair in the plain white robe did not make any further moves.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Despair, I... I'm ashamed of not being able to see through her disguise."
The most nervous person in the room was Sylvia, who had met Angel no less than ten times but had never doubted the ordinary appearance of the "witch". A few drops of sweat had seeped out of her face, and her eyes kept moving between Angel and Panatia.
"Don't worry, Sylvia," Panatia said softly, her gaze lingering on Angel's face for a moment before looking at the frenzy ring in her hand. "She's now at the same level as you, and she's been disguised with magical items. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably just think of her as an outlier among witches, rather than hiding her true appearance."
"But compared to the origin of this magical item, I'm actually more curious about where you got the complete recipe for the 'joy' potion?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com