Chapter 657 - 418: White-haired Witch

Chapter 657: Chapter 418: White-haired Witch

As Fowler was recounting his ordeal, a new notification popped up before Zhou Chen.

[You have triggered the Main Quest — "The Darkness Lurking Outside the Magic Academy"]

[Quest Type: Event]

[Quest Difficulty: Hard]

[Quest Description: After a long and arduous journey, you have finally arrived at the Butonbus Magic Academy, only to find it shrouded in a mysterious Darkness. This is the very same Darkness that attacked you before.

A Mysterious Woman seems to be familiar with that Darkness. Continue your investigation.]

[Quest Reward: 3,000 Experience Points.]

Then, a second notification appeared.

[You have triggered the Side Quest — "The Mysterious Woman"]

[Quest Type: Investigation]

[Quest Difficulty: Hard]

[Quest Description: You learned from Fowler about a Mysterious Woman who is familiar with the creatures of the Darkness. To obtain more information about that Darkness, you must find her.

She was once seen in a nearby church.]

[Quest Reward: 1,000 Experience Points.]

’A main quest and a side quest.’

Fowler, his face still pale with fear, continued his story. "I had no choice but to hide in a large chest inside the church. A few seconds later, I heard those terrifying roars enter the church, searching everywhere for me."

"I was so scared I didn’t dare to breathe... Oh, heavens, do you know what that’s like? A fat old guy like me, hiding in a cramped chest, stuffy and narrow. All my joints were aching, and there were deadly monsters outside... It felt like being locked in an iron box and sunk into the sea."

’At least you weren’t in a tourist sub controlled by a video game controller, going 4,000 meters deep to see the Titanic...’ Zhou Chen thought to himself. Although Fowler had spent half an hour in terror, at least he had survived, unlike those tourists who ended up becoming part of the Titanic.

"That monster searched the church for a long time. There were several times I felt it was right above me..." Fowler recalled the terror of that moment, his body trembling uncontrollably. "A long, long time later, the monster finally went silent. I waited another half an hour before climbing out of the chest, only to find the church covered in the monster’s black footprints."

"After that, I left the church and returned to the outskirts of the academy. I watched for a long time but couldn’t figure out what that Darkness was. I wanted to go back to the church to find the Mysterious Woman, but I waited and waited, and she never showed up. So, I had no choice but to run here and set up camp."

"Did you notify the Alliance?" Blei asked.

The Alliance was a coalition formed by several of Gaia’s major powers to resist the Abyss’s invasion. If one member was in trouble, the others were sure to come to their aid.

"I did. They said they’d send someone to investigate. They should arrive today or tomorrow," Fowler said.

"Hmm, then let’s just wait for them here." Blei opted for the safer choice, to wait for reinforcements.

Of course, Zhou Chen wasn’t about to just sit around and wait. He offered to go to the church to find the Mysterious Woman, so Fowler marked the church’s location for him.

After bidding the two farewell, Zhou Chen summoned his Spirit Horse, Bao Li, and hurried to the church.

A little over ten minutes later, a dilapidated church came into view. It was called Hyde Church and belonged to the Holy Hall Church, but it had been abandoned for many years.

Zhou Chen entered the church. Just as Fowler had said, it was covered in black monster footprints.

"Eva, run a model simulation."

[Wish Value -500]

A hideous silhouette was quickly sketched out before Zhou Chen’s eyes. Its figure was tall, thin, and hunched, with a serpentine neck and a draconic head. It had a ghastly green face, protruding Tusks, and long, slender limbs ending in knife-sharp claws. A tattered black robe draped its form, and its exposed skin was covered in black pus.

The ethereal model followed the real footprints, walking through the church. Its gait was bizarre, looking like a large, bipedal lizard.

’So it’s this thing...’ "Accelerate."

The model’s movement speed suddenly increased. It lingered for a long time in front of a large chest, as if it knew Fowler was hiding inside, but was prevented from opening it by some kind of restriction.

After half an hour, the lizard monster departed, seemingly reluctant.

’A single swipe of this thing’s claws would have shredded both the chest and Fowler to pieces, but it didn’t attack... Was it because of the game’s Rules? Then leaving after half an hour must also be part of the game’s design, probably because its aggro reset... It seems that woman is no simple character. She knows so much inside information. I have to find a way to get to her.’

Zhou Chen ended the model simulation and lit the bonfire in the church, activating the save point. Seeing that it was getting late, he sat down to prepare some food—the game had a hunger meter, and if you didn’t eat or drink for a long time, it would drop to zero, and you’d start losing health.

Zhou Chen simply roasted some meat. After eating, his hunger meter returned to a healthy level.

He looked up and could see the myriad Stars rising in the night sky through a hole in the church roof, twinkling brightly.

But after staring for a while, his vision would blur. In a trance, the Stars transformed into venomous, bloodshot eyes. Countless eyes, far more numerous and dense than the Stars, crowded the night sky, gazing down upon the desolate land. The twinkling lights were merely the blinking of those malevolent eyes.

The fall of the Star Empress had caused Gaia’s starry sky to be corrupted. Anyone who gazed up at it would suffer mental corruption. Fortunately, the Players of the Star Association later created a psychic barrier, which, once activated, made Gaia Land immune to the mental corruption and bewitchment from the heavens.

"Outlander, is the night sky in the outside World like this too?"