Chapter 33: What kind of thing can be exchanged for a nationwide wanted order?
Shen Jiang unilaterally rejected his uncle's proposal.
Although the eldest cousin assured her that his son was honest, dutiful, and strong, Shen Jiang noticed that he unconsciously touched his nose when he said this. People only touch their noses subconsciously when they feel guilty, so Shen Jiang suspected that this cousin was not just home recently, but had been living off his parents since graduation.
Shen Jiang met her cousin's eyes without changing her expression. He shook his head vigorously to express his opposition, as if he was afraid that she couldn't see it.
Shen Jiang almost burst out laughing. She had a good eye, so why did her cousin have to tell her so blatantly?
This little incident was of no importance to Shen Jiang at the moment. She was only thinking about where to find musk for her grandmother. She had checked the secretions of the mule deer last time and it was indeed very high-quality, first-class musk. Unfortunately, it was scattered all over the ground and she only had time to take away some crumbs.
It was three o'clock in the morning. Shen Jiang got out of bed neatly dressed, carrying the familiar small backpack on his back, and quietly waited for the arrival of the golden gate.
The courtyard outside the window was dark, with only a few shadows. The tools my cousin had gathered were placed on a table beneath a tree, reflecting a faint, cold light. Shen Jiang's previously cold eyes softened as they passed over them.
After a few moments, there was no one left in the house.
The place where Shen Jiang left last time was not far from Ellis's house, so this time she landed at the same place.
As soon as Shen Jiangcai appeared, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Feeling a warm and powerful touch, Shen Jiang subconsciously reached back to pull out the sickle in the backpack.
"My Lady Witch, it's me! Go!" The voice under the veil was very familiar.
It was Catherine who spoke. She slightly lifted the wide hat on her head, revealing a face full of anxiety.
What happened? This was the first time Shen Jiang had seen Catherine dressed so strangely, wearing a robe that covered her face and body, obviously because she was afraid of being recognized.
She was successful; at least Shen Jiang didn't see her face. But that only made her more noticeable, didn't it?
Not only that, Catherine took off her own robe and put it on her, and pulled the wide brim of her hat down until it was completely covering her hair and eyes.
Shen Jiang did not resist and followed Catherine obediently to Ellis's cabin.
The old hunter watched all this silently from a distance. What his daughter had just pulled was worth a hundred-acre manor, which could also raise their family's social status by several levels.
Yes, this black witch was very valuable now. If he reported her whereabouts to the Knights in the city, he would receive a large bounty. If he could kill her and hand her over, in addition to a hundred-acre manor, he might even have the opportunity to be knighted.
The old hunter didn't understand why the black witch had suddenly become so popular, just as he didn't understand why the mule deer had suddenly disappeared from the Misty Forest. However, the frequent appearances of the city's magicians and the church's knights around the Misty Forest might be related to this incident.
These days, he found his daughter very strange and always liked to wander around this area, but she just strolled back and forth with nothing to do. Once, she was even stopped and questioned by a magician.
The old hunter never expected that Catherine's purpose was to meet the black witch, and he happened to see this scene today. The old hunter immediately checked the surroundings carefully to make sure that no third person saw what happened here.
The witch had saved his wife, and his daughter Catherine had told him she had also cured Cecilia, who had been cursed by a demon for years. The old hunter didn't believe it at first, until a week ago, when he saw Cecilia clumsily practicing walking in the sunlight...
This was a generous and kind-hearted witch, so perhaps he could turn a blind eye, provided that this kindness did not affect his family's normal life.
At this moment, Shen Jiang, who took off his veil, received very warm greetings from the Ellis family, especially Beatrice.
She completely forgot her previous restraint and came over with her furry little head to rub Shen Jiang. "My dear witch, have you been well recently? We are all very worried about you."
She asked the question that everyone was most concerned about.
Shen Jiang saw Cecilia smiling at him. Although she was still very thin, there was obviously a different glow on her face. Compared with the previous two times, she was like a different person.
Ellis' injury seemed to have recovered well. He was in good spirits today. The look in his eyes when he looked at Shen Jiang was different from before. He looked more eager and he looked very sunny.
"I'm fine. What happened?"
Why does it feel like the world has changed during the time she was away? The atmosphere suddenly became tense and depressing. Is there going to be a war?
"My Lady Witch, the whole country is now looking for black witches, and the royal court has offered a very generous reward. It is very dangerous for you to appear outside openly like this." Catherine said worriedly.
She was worried that this would happen, so she often wandered around there these days.
Shen Jiang learned from Catherine that a big event had happened in the Rose Empire recently. Now there were magicians and royal knights everywhere who were hunting down black witches. The originally large number of black witches had been hunted down and killed by the hundreds in less than a month.
Not only that, Ellis went to the Misty Forest alone a few days ago and found that all the mule deer in it had disappeared.
"What!" Shen Jiang exclaimed, a rare solemn look on his face.
How could it be such a coincidence that two things happened at the same time involving her? She was supposed to be so low-key that she had never even met other humans except for Catherine's family and the Ellis family.
No, the last time she came here, she saw four magicians!
Ellis pursed his lips before speaking, "I heard there's a magician of noble birth in the city who narrowly escaped death from a giant dragon not long ago..."
Was what existed in his memory a dream or reality? Did the witch in front of him really raise a giant dragon?
This is too magical!
As soon as Shen Jiang heard it, he knew that it was indeed the magician from last time who did it.
She didn't know what means the other party had used to escape from Godwin's hands. If she reported this to Lord Dragon, given Lord Dragon's temper, he might kill her immediately to silence her.
"Do you know where those missing mule deer went?" Shen Jiang looked solemn. The purpose of her coming here was to find those mule deer. She had just confirmed that the secretions were usable, but the mule deer were killed by someone.
If she had used up all of it, she would really instigate the dragon to silence them.
Beatrice raised her hand weakly and said uncertainly, "A few days ago, some passing robins told me that there's a manor outside the city to the north where many magical creatures have suddenly appeared. They look very similar to the pattern on it."
She pointed to the piece of paper with a photo of musk deer printed on it that Shen Jiang had left behind.
Seeing Shen Jiang's incredulous expression, Ellis quickly explained, "What she said is true. My brother and I both have our own special abilities. Mine is as powerful as a bear, and hers is the ability to communicate with some animals."
Shen Jiang didn't expect that this little cutie Beatrice would give him such a big surprise.
She asked, "Do you know the exact location of that manor? How many people are guarding it?"
Beatrice nodded. "I know. The birds say it's a very secluded place, and few people go there except them. It's especially busy these days. The captured mule deer are kept in the stables behind the castle."
Even Ellis was impressed by his sister now; he hadn't expected her to be able to gather so much information from those little birds. In the past, when he'd gone hunting with Catherine's father, he'd left Beatrice at home to take care of their mother, and he'd never seen her skills come in handy.
I didn't expect that I would provide such crucial information to the Witch for the first time.
Sure enough, Ellis saw the witch reach out her hand again and rub her sister's head vigorously, praising her with great appreciation: "You are such an excellent girl, Beatrice. You have helped me a lot, you know that?"
Beatrice did not resist the witch's intimacy with her, and narrowed her eyes contentedly. She liked this extremely capable and kind witch very much, and could not help but want to perform better.
"By the way, Master Witch, I've dried and stored the things you asked us to find last time. Do you think this is enough?"
After saying that, she dragged out a sack full of things from the corner with great effort.
Ellis and Cecilia didn't know what they were, but Catherine did, and she thought that maybe it was time to take Ellis out for some fresh air, or else his screams might blow the roof off.
Fortunately, Beatrice, overwhelmed with joy, didn't open the bag directly.
Shen Jiang couldn't help but start a new round of admiration for the orc girl in front of him.
"Beadori, perhaps you would be interested in doing something for me?" Shen Jiang said, "I can pay you, and please continue collecting them for me."
"I'd love to, but I'd like some white flour as a reward. Mom loves the bread she makes with that flour. Is that okay?"
"Of course." Shen Jiang was very generous. "One bag of this for a bag of white flour. I can also bring you some delicious food and interesting toys."
Ellis had never imagined that his sister would be favored by the witch before him. He had never dared to even think about such a precious food as white flour. Last time in the Misty Forest, he subconsciously thought the witch was talking about two bags of the most common, low-quality black flour.
You know, even ten bags of dark flour cannot be exchanged for a small bag of white flour. Fine grains are only enjoyed by the nobles, and their family currently has two bags of white flour. They are simply the richest family in the village.
If he had performed better last time, the witch would have wanted to hire him now.
This was the most outstanding person he had ever met. Not only did she master healing magic, she could also tame dragons and easily give them two bags of white flour. Most importantly, she had a kind heart.
No, he must fight for an opportunity to perform for himself.
"My dear witch, Beatrice is just a young child. Please give me a chance. It's not convenient for you to show up in public right now. I am willing to go to that manor for you."
He knew how to get what she wanted from the deer. The witch had demonstrated it to him in person last time. And she hadn't harmed the deer. If she was cruel enough, she could just cut open the glandular sac.
Since the big-eared deer escaped alive and well, it meant that he could obtain the item without anyone noticing. This task was not difficult for him.
"I don't agree!" Catherine said firmly, "Your body isn't fully recovered yet. Even if I go, it should be me. And you forgot the most important thing. They won't hire an orc. You can't get in."
Shen Jiang watched them arguing over how to help him make this trip, and couldn't help but find the scene a bit funny. He wondered if the young couple knew that this mission was very dangerous.
In the chaos, Cecilia opened the sack that was tied tightly with a rope.
She really wanted to know what kind of thing could be exchanged for a generation of white flour.
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