The Virtuous Dark Witch

Chapter 43

Not a single deer had been sold since the shop opened, but she had used them for promotion. As a witch with a strict moral compass shaped by the laws of her past life, she thought it only reasonable to offer proper compensation now that the owner had come—reasonable, of course.

At the mention of black crows, Duke Becky Cotton's head was filled with cawing. He shook it hard, glanced in disgust at the lump of black feathers dozing on the counter, and flicked Cinderaven's head roughly. "Is this ugly, stinky thing supposed to fool me?"

He was already ready to return the two deer as well.

Jolted awake by the flick, Cinderaven nearly lashed out to peck him. He suppressed the urge, flapped his wings, and moved to a shelf, staring coldly at Becky Cotton with his black bean eyes.

The throbbing in his head reminded him: Becky had just flicked him and insulted him. If things were different… if times were not what they were, he would have beaten the blind fool to death with his wings.

Elara Dessey turned to look at Cinderaven, who stood drooping on the shelf. There was sympathy in her eyes. Was this what they called a tiger fallen to the plains, a dragon stranded on the shore?

"Because we still have an unfinished deal," Elara looked back at Becky Cotton, "I'll give you some advice. Don't look down on black crows. You'll regret it sooner or later."

This was the second time she'd said that today. Did Austin Corell hold grudges?

"Regret or not, I don't want black crows," Becky Cotton still looked repulsed. He glanced at the motionless crow and said, "Three black crows for one young deer." Deal?”

Was that how you bargained? What was wrong with black crows? Elara refused firmly: "No. The deer are for sale. Your only choices are to help promote the shop for free, or take the three crows."

So the crows counted as "free"? Becky Cotton thought the shop owner was terribly shrewd. Thinking about the swarms of black crows flying everywhere the day before, he wondered how many deer she would have to sell to get rid of all of them.

"Can I return them?""No," Elara said. Her earlier instinct had been right—she should have closed the door without hesitation when she saw him coming. "No returns on living creatures once they're reserved."

"What kind of rule is that?" He was once again witnessing the infamous "charm" of Dessey Clan business dealings after thousands of years—unapologetically domineering and rude. Becky Cotton wanted to leave immediately, but he had come for another reason.

Elara's gaze drifted past him to the street outside. The lively atmosphere felt completely unrelated to her shop. "If you think you're losing out and want to recover your loss," she said, "I suggest you also buy the three divine scepters I put outside." I hear the Light Witches will soon have a new Light Priest. You won't lose money reselling them."

"Thanks for the tip," Becky Cotton was certain she meant no good. He licked his lower lip, looked down at his neatly trimmed nails, and asked casually, "Do you sell dark artifacts here?"

Elara's eyes flickered with confusion. "That depends on what you want to buy."

Becky Cotton paused for a moment, then looked straight at Elara. "Umbra Soul Cord." He stared unblinkingly at her face, studying the expression of the Lord of West Sea Forest.

Umbra Soul Cord? Elara's face remained calm, but her confusion deepened. "What do you want this for?"

The Umbra Soul Cord was a dark soul artifact successfully refined by her great-grandmother, Lord Vaelthara, using notes left by the West Sea Witch Ancestor.

It acted like a chain connecting one's physical body and soul. No matter how separated they were, the cord kept them tightly linked.

She had long suspected that Cinderaven's soul and Austin Corell's body were connected by an Umbra Soul Cord. She just hadn't expected Becky Cotton to come specifically for it.

"I need it for something, of course." Seeing no unusual change in Elara's expression, Becky Cotton shrugged helplessly. "For my own use. Just in case."

Elara nodded and did not press further. "The Umbra Soul Cord is not cheap. Are you sure you want to buy it?" She had to ask—Becky Cotton always gave her the impression of not being very wealthy.

"I know," Becky Cotton breathed a sigh of relief at her question. "Just name your price."

"For your personal use?" The Umbra Soul Cord was not an ordinary dark artifact. Since it linked body and soul, the materials had to come from the user's own body and soul. Elara considered herself an honest merchant—she took responsibility once she took the gold.

"Something this expensive," Becky Cotton said, "do you think I'd buy it as a gift?" He was not that charitable.

Elara understood and stated the price directly. "Five hundred thousand gold coins."

Even though he expected it to be expensive, the price still shocked him. But he had no choice—only West Sea Forest could craft it. He winced, took out a Crimson Moonflower Crystal Card, and placed it on the counter. "This is a deposit: two hundred thousand gold. When can I pick it up?"

Accepting the crystal card, Elara's mood brightened. "Leave seven hairs with roots intact and two drops of blood. Come back in five days with the rest of the money."

"Very well." Becky Cotton did not delay. He quickly plucked seven rooted hairs and handed them over. "Where do I give the blood?"

Elara checked the hairs to make sure they were usable, then held out her right hand. "Give it to me directly." Freshly drawn blood had to be merged into the hairs immediately to preserve its vitality.

“Okay.”

Becky Cotton watched as his blood seeped from the roots into the hairs, then left in peace.

Elara summoned a small Nether Box, carefully placed the seven glowing hairs inside, sealed it, and used witchcraft to send it to the secret chamber.

Cinderaven, still perched on the shelf, was thinking about why Becky had bought the Umbra Soul Cord. Just then, Alexandra and Thea Dessey came down from upstairs.

"You look happy," Alexandra leaned on the counter. "Got a big customer?" Thea was also curious, staring at the smiling Elara.

Elara was quite pleased. "Business relies on real skill." She would never waste her grandmother's three years of careful teaching, nor the notes written with the blood of past Dessey witches.

"You just landed a big order." Alexandra had seen Duke Becky Cotton enter. He hadn't paid much attention at first, but now he was curious. "Did Becky Cotton order a hundred deer?"

Elara glanced at him. A hundred deer hardly counted as a big deal—and he called himself an Andros Count?

She thought his vision did not match his status. Still, since the topic was raised, she decided to be cautious. "Becky Cotton came to buy an Umbra Soul Cord."

"What?" Alexandra and Thea both froze. Their expressions turned serious, and they asked in unison: "Did he say why he wants it?"

"I have a guess." Elara's gaze passed Alexandra to her aunt. "I don't think we'll get more business today." Let's close up."

From what she knew, Becky Cotton and Brett Hall had always been close. They were born together in Saporaya Grove and had been through a lot together. Fysher might be a master of disguise, but he could not fully become Brett Hall. It was only natural that Becky Cotton noticed something was wrong.

After closing the shop and going upstairs, Alexandra sensed they were hiding something. Thea glanced at Elara; seeing no objection, she told him about Roxane Mullin.

"You mean Brett…"

Alexandra crossed his arms, his face heavy. The founding Duke of Andros had his body seized by Fysher's soul. That was a disaster for the Andros. Worse, the one who could suppress Duke Brett with bloodline power was missing.

"Why panic?" Elara did not see this as entirely bad. "We should be glad Fysher has come out of the shadows. Trapped in that body, he can no longer communicate with nature."

"You told Benelli Larissa about this too?" Thea guessed Elara's plan. "Can Benelli Larissa hold Fysher back?"

Elara shook her head."Benelli Larissa and I share a goal, but our positions differ. I have no intention of using an unstable force to restrain Fysher. I told him only because, as a Twin Witch, Benelli has a deeper understanding of the Twin Spirit Curse than we do."

"We can't alert Fysher." Alexandra stroked his chin. "After the wedding, I still need to find Duke Austin Corell." If Fisher's secret exploded, the Andros would face mass internal s*******r—and they might lose their founding duke bloodline.

The seven petals around the blood core of the Saporaya Mother Tree could not be missing. No one knew if losing even one would cause the entire flower to wither.

"Don't be so tense." Elara glanced at Cinderaven, pretending to be dead on the cabinet, and comforted him."In my opinion, Fysher found a loophole. He used a soul projection to put Brett Hall's soul to sleep and took over his body. If we find the right way, Brett Hall can still wake up."

Thea stood aside with her arms crossed and added: "Once Brett Hall's soul awakens, Fysher will have no choice but to leave." That was Brett's body; two souls could not coexist.

Alexandra knew they were right, but he still felt uneasy. He sighed heavily, looked at Thea, then turned to Elara. "How much is the Umbra Soul Cord? Give me several."

Such wealth! Elara wondered if she should give him a discount. "Five hundred thousand gold per cord."

Thea stared. She finally understood Elara's good mood. Half a million gold coins was beautiful—shining, golden beauty.

Hearing the price, Alexandra swallowed hard. Had he really just said "several"?

After selling two Umbra Soul Cords in a row, Elara had a thought that went against her morals: Fysher's existence might actually be useful. She walked Alexandra to the door, reminding him repeatedly: "Don't forget to promote my shop when you get back."

The man who'd talked about buying multiple cords had surrendered to reality and only bought one for himself.

Alexandra smiled bitterly at Thea. "Aren't you going to talk her into lowering the price?" At this rate, Elara Dessey, Lord of West Sea Forest, would soon be known not just for cruelty and strength, but also greed.

"Why lower the price when she earns it honestly?" Thea put an arm around Alexandra's waist and looked up. "You need to understand: not everyone can craft the Umbra Soul Cord." She was not exaggerating. "I'd say even with the recipe, at most three living Dark Witches could make it."

But the Umbra Soul Cord had been developed by generations of Dessey witches based on the West Sea Witch Ancestor's designs, refined through trial and error until her grandmother, Lord Vaelthara, succeeded. The method would never be leaked. If you wanted one, you had to buy it.

"I'm just feeling the sting." Alexandra knew how it worked. "Monopolies are easy business."

Thea did not return to Stirling Manor that night. After seeing Alexandra off, she ate dinner with Elara and went to her room to practice. Elara went to the secret chamber, took Becky Cotton's hair, and appeared on her windowsill. "Aren't you afraid?"

Cinderaven, curled on the cabinet by the door, lifted his eyelids to reveal calm black eyes. "Afraid of what?" He could barely save himself. What else was there to fear? They would go first if anyone did.

"Afraid Fysher will use Brett Hall's founding bloodline to summon the Andros and fight the other founding bloodlines?"Elara opened the small Nether Box. Her fingers hovered gently above the full hairs, then lifted slowly. The seven rooted hairs rose with her touch.

"Fysher is arrogant." Cinderaven flapped to the windowsill. "He has complete faith in his disguise and acting. He won't abandon Brett Hall's body easily unless Alexandra and the others push him too far."

Elara agreed. "A strong body is hard to come by." The fact that he hasn't made big moves for years shows he truly treasures this vessel." She exhaled, cleared her mind, and slowly closed her eyes. "Tomorrow, after selling the Sunfire Scepter, we'll go to Stirling Manor."

Was she going to solicit business in person? Cinderaven watched her hands move quickly. Crafting an Umbra Soul Cord required precise control of witch power—and that was effortless for the young Dessey.

Stream after stream of glowing moonlight poured into the seven hairs. As the moonlight merged, the tangled strands slowly fused. The red in the hair faded, turning dark and ethereal…

At the top of the central castle in Redney Manor, a passionate encounter had just ended. Brett Hall lay on his side, loose wavy shoulder-length hair falling around him. His distinct fingers stroked the woman's swollen lips in his arms.

The woman was Roxane Mullin. The intense affair had burned through her. She lay with her eyes tightly closed, breathing rapidly, crystal tears clinging to her thick, curled lashes, traces of wetness still on her face.

"Why don't you want to be transformed?" Brett Hall kissed the tears from her lashes. His left hand left her lips, slid down her arm, took her soft hand, and laced their fingers together.

Roxane Mullin was silent for a long time. When her breathing steadied, she opened her charming amber cat eyes—even clearer after being washed by tears. She just looked at Brett Hall.

Brett Hall loved those clear eyes more than anything. He leaned down to kiss her again. "Little one, tell me why you don't want to be transformed." Isn't it good to escape the lowliness of the Rozin People and become a noble Andros?"

"Uh…" Roxane Mullin shivered under his touch, her clear eyes dimming. "Being Andros is wonderful… but I… I'm afraid of blood… so afraid… Brett… mm…"

"You like to lie, little one."

At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight slanted through the crystal window into the room, Elara stopped moving her fingers. A one-inch thick cord glowing with faint light slowly fell into the small Nether Box that had held the seven hairs. She exhaled deeply and opened her eyes.

Crafting the Umbra Soul Cord had gone smoothly, but after working all night, she had only fused the hairs and blood into Blood Soul Essence. Next, she needed to embed the Soul-Binding Witch Curse to lock the blood and soul together to finish the artifact.

Sealing the Nether Box and sending it back to the secret chamber, Elara opened the shop and enjoyed the warm sunlight. It was a nice day—business should come.

By midday, a beautiful woman with floor-length white hair and a white robe arrived outside the Dessey shop. She stood quietly before the three divine scepters, gazing at them reverently.

Elara, behind the counter, had noticed her long ago. The holy light radiating from her left no doubt identified her as Silvia Larissa, the new head of the Larissa Clan mentioned by Benelli. Elara wondered if her heart was as pure as her appearance.

Finally finished looking, the white-haired woman stepped into the shop. She ignored Elara and first inspected the interior. When she saw the empty shelves, her dark brows furrowed slightly.

Elara did not mind her rudeness—after all, she had come to bring gold coins.

"Don't you sell Shadowflame Burst Grenades here?" The white-haired woman lifted her lashes slightly and turned to face Elara. Her clear yellow pupils declared her strength and status among the Light Witches.

"Are you looking to buy?" Elara knew why she mentioned the grenades. Did anyone say witches couldn't use them in battle?

The woman looked into Elara's mysterious dark black eyes and introduced herself: "I am Silvia Larissa, head of the Larissa Clan of the Light Witches."

Elara nodded, too lazy for small talk. "Are you here to buy the three scepters, or to question where I got them?" She cut straight to the point. "If the former, pay the gold and take them." If the latter, I'll play along."

Silvia Larissa clearly disliked the younger witch's arrogance. "These three staves rightfully belong to the Light Witches." Is it appropriate for you to sell them openly?"

“Inappropriate? How so?" Elara scoffed. "They were unowned when I found them. If they were unowned, how can they 'rightfully belong' to your Light Witches?"

Silvia Larissa's face darkened. She fell silent for a long time before speaking. "The price is too high."

"Too high?" Elara did not think so. Her tiny Umbra Soul Cord cost five hundred thousand gold. "The Larissa Clan has worked with the Andros for years. Surely you can afford three million gold for the three?"

At the mention of Andros, Silvia Larissa's expression soured further. "The Larissa Clan has long occupied the barren Alsace Mountains. We are not as wealthy as your West Sea Forest." Please show mercy, Lord Dessey."

"Mercy?" Elara mocked. "Since you took over the Larissa Clan, you should know how I obtained these scepters. Isn't it a little late to talk about mercy now?"

"But two Light Priests, one clan head, and seven talented witches from the Larissa Clan have died at your Dessey witches' hands. Is that not enough?" Silvia Larissa clenched her hands at her sides, barely restraining her rage.

"Your mother, Merlyn Dessey, may have sealed herself, but with your talent, she will wake up sooner or later. And from what I know, Thea Dessey's transformation also went wrong—she can still wield the Silverfrost Moon Staff."

Elara looked coldly at the resentful Silvia Larissa and spoke softly. "You are mistaken. Their deaths were their own fault. They attacked without the skill to back it up. That is suicide, and has nothing to do with West Sea Forest."

"You…" Silvia Larissa's eyes reddened from frustration, but she could not refute her.

"A warning first." Elara twirled the Life Ring on her finger and narrowed her eyes toward the street. "You are no match for me. I will not hold back."

Silvia Larissa practically ground her teeth. "Eight hundred thousand gold for the Sunfire Scepter."

The Sunfire Scepter had been crafted personally by Robonar Larissa, the first head of the Larissa Clan. It gathered sunlight and was a symbol of the clan leader's identity. She could not leave it here.

"One million gold. Not a coin less." Elara leaned forward, elbows on the counter, chin resting in her hand. "Beryl Larissa died serving Viscount Ana Stirling." If you truly can't afford it, I'll show you a way."

"No need." Silvia Larissa closed her eyes, calmed her raging emotions, and pulled a small stack of gold notes from her white robe pocket."This is eight hundred thousand gold. I also have a piece of information—one worth at least two hundred thousand gold to you."

Elara raised an eyebrow. "Don't say it yet. A message worth two hundred thousand… I'm not sure—"

"Two thousand years ago, your great-grandmother, Lord Vaelthara, secretly left West Sea Forest and went to Glass Fireless Forest. Shortly after she left, the former chief of the Charlotte Tribe died. He shouldn't have died so soon."

"You want twenty hundred thousand gold for that?" Elara looked at Silvia Larissa as if she were crazy. "Dream on."

Still, the message was vague. As a merchant, Elara did not want to leave her shortchanged."I'll give you a message too. The Larissa Clan found a way to extend life from the Andros. Do you want to know how? Twenty thousand gold."

Silvia Larissa's face turned black. "Lord Dessey, please mind your status and refrain from nonsense."