The Virtuous Dark Witch

Chapter 40

King Sawyer caught the hint and quickly agreed: "Yes! One per month—and even that one was…" He trailed off, his eyes darting to the black gold ring on Duke Becky Cotton's left little finger.

Elara understood. She looked down at Becky Cotton's left hand.

"So how much did you pay for that ring?" That was all she cared about.

"Little Dessey, I think we could have been friends if you hadn't asked that," Becky Cotton said, twisting the ring on his little finger. His lowered lashes hid the coldness in his eyes.

The price must have been astronomical. Elara decided she needed to reevaluate the value of Moonlight Rings. She turned back to King Sawyer.

"Two thousand gold coins each. Are you sure you won't buy?" She was offering a wholesale price, a clearance sale. "This opportunity won't come again."

What did that mean? King Sawyer asked hesitantly: "Are you planning to raise the price?" When he saw her glance at Duke Becky Cotton's hand, he sensed trouble. Things had backfired.

"Stop looking at Duke Becky Cotton. The one on his finger was personally forged by the Witch Ancestor Selah. It's worth twenty thousand gold coins, and only two exist on the entire Mal Continent."

One had been given to Duke Lisandra for free, of course. The reason only two existed was not because Selah had only forged two—but because, besides the gift, she had only sold one.

"Twenty thousand gold coins?" Elara was only sensitive to numbers for now. To leave open the possibility of future trades, she decided to give King Sawyer one last chance.

"A low price of one thousand nine hundred ninety-nine gold coins each. Are you really not buying?"

Cinderaven's black bean eyes stared coldly at the cowardly King Sawyer. Were the Andros poor? Did their king have any idea what chaos would ensue if those Moonlight Rings left the capital?

"Lord Elara, ten thousand years ago, Moonlight Rings were extremely rare on the Mal Continent." Those old prices could not compare to today's. King Sawyer raised his right hand. "Can you lower the price a little? Just a little, and I… I will buy all of them on behalf of the Andros nobles."

Buy them all? That was negotiable. Elara frowned, pretending to hesitate.

“Fine. One thousand nine hundred ninety-nine gold coins each. No lower." These Moonlight Rings were not forged by her, but they were her spoils of war.

Duke Lisandra laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"After ten thousand years, the Dessey witches' business style hasn't changed at all. They don't open for a long time, but when they do, they profit for years."

They squeezed every last coin from a customer. Thinking of Selah back then and Elara now, she thought it was rather nice. At least the Dessey witches never actively meddled in political schemes.

Finally, someone with authority had spoken. King Sawyer immediately turned around. "Shall we buy?"

Duke Lisandra did not look at the others. She gave a direct answer: "Buy them." She glanced pointedly at Ana, still collapsed on White Stone Plaza. "Do you want another Ana, forcing us to give away two more cities as compensation? Or let some other force take them?"

He did not. With Lisandra's approval, King Sawyer quickly teleported back into the hall. In less than five seconds, he returned with a blood-red glass card imprinted with the Saparaya Mother Tree.

Now that the deal was struck, Elara did not delay. With a flick of her right hand, the Nether Boxes she had just retrieved flew out again.

"Two thousand seven hundred thirty-eight in total." You may count them."

King Sawyer bent down with the blood-red glass card and examined them closely. After a moment, he asked: "Lord Elara, where are the Moonlight Rings you forged?" I don't see the black mandalas."

"I did not forge any Moonlight Rings," she said, having no intention of. "All of these were taken from Ana and her son."

What? King Sawyer froze. Even the Andros founding dukes were left speechless. After all that talk, she was making a profit with no cost at all.

Becky Cotton laughed out loud, impressed. "Little Dessey, you've truly outdone your ancestor." He felt better now. At least the ring on his finger was personally forged by Selah, one of only two in the world.

"Shall we make a deal?"

Elara took the blood-red glass card from King Sawyer's hand and looked up at Becky Cotton. "What deal?"

"After today's success, you can keep selling Moonlight Rings," Becky Cotton said, wanting to make up for the twenty thousand gold coins he had spent ten thousand years ago. "But you must not sell the ones forged by Selah."

He was protecting their value. Elara understood. "Rest assured." The remaining Moonlight Rings forged by Selah had long been taken as crowns by the spirits in the ancient tomb. West Sea Forest would not forge more unless necessary.

Since none were Selah's works, King Sawyer no longer hesitated. He randomly picked up a Nether Box, closed it, stepped back, and smiled.

"Please destroy all the rest."

Thinking of Anastas City and the Luohe Plains changing hands, he realized Duke Austin had been right to strictly control Moonlight Rings.

Without so many rings protecting her, Ana would never have dared to encroach on West Sea Forest. Now she had been completely defeated. The Andros nobles would likely show more restraint from now on.

"Very well." Consider it after-sales service. Elara channeled witchcraft power into her left hand and squeezed tightly. The remaining Nether Boxes and their Moonlight Rings turned to dust in an instant. The transaction was complete. She did not wish to stay any longer and turned toward her carriage.

For some reason, watching Elara's straight yet slender back, Lisandra could not help but picture Selah. She stepped forward involuntarily.

"Lord Elara, if you wish, you may stay temporarily at Stirling Manor."

"Thank you for your kindness," Elara stopped but did not turn around. "I will stay at the Dessey shops."

"You've already sold the Moonlight Rings. Do you have other items to sell?" Lisandra sincerely wanted to host her. "Thea and Alexander will be married soon. You could help with preparations if you stayed at Stirling Manor."

Elara turned around. "The Dessey shops are not far from Stirling Manor. I will visit my aunt when I have time." She was not used to staying in others' homes.

"If nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow I will open my shop to sell three great sacred artifacts of the Light Witches: the Light Divine Staff, the Brightfire Divine Staff, and the Sunfire Divine Staff. If any of you are interested, you may come to the Dessey shops."

What? King Sawyer, still holding a Nether Box, thought he had misheard. He looked around at the shocked faces and tightened his grip on the box.

"Lord Elara, how much is the Light Divine Staff?"

"One million gold coins." Elara smiled at King Sawyer. "Do you want to buy it?"

"No, no!" King Sawyer stumbled back in fright. "I'm just curious."

Suddenly, he felt Andros had not lost out in this deal. One million gold coins could buy five hundred Moonlight Rings. At least they had quantity on their side.

Very well, if you don't want it. Elara turned back to her carriage—but after two steps, she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Do any of you want deer?" They're bred from the mounts of the former Light Witch Priestesses Talina Larissa and Sophia Larissa. Excellent bloodlines, and not expensive."

Even the stern Duke Alexandra could not maintain her composure. "Truly Selah's descendant." She squeezed every coin from a rich target—and dared to treat them like that.

"No one wants to buy?" Elara's eyes swept over them. "Bred from Talina Larissa and her daughter's mounts. Every one is tall and strong."

Lisandra pushed Becky Cotton forward. "Give him two—one male, one female." West Sea Forest must truly be struggling. But it was not their fault. Ever since Selah's time, no Dessey witch had been good at earning money—and all loved forging dark weapons that drained coins like water.

Why me again? Becky Cotton looked utterly defeated.

"Very well." Elara had full confidence in her deer. "Payment upon delivery. Rest assured, they will not disappoint you."

Would the Light Witches approve of this? Becky Cotton twisted the Moonlight Ring on her little finger. Lord Elara was even more ruthless than Selah. He was curious to see how the Dessey shops would look tomorrow.

Selling another pair of deer lifted Elara's spirits. Her steps grew lighter. As she prepared to board the carriage, her peripheral vision caught a slender figure. Her eyes darkened. She leaped onto the carriage.

“Brett…”

A clear, soft voice called out. Elara sat calmly by the window. Cinderaven, on the roof, saw the carriage door was still open and thought Elara had left it for him. He quickly flew inside and closed the door.

They had finally seen her in person. Duke Lisandra studied the woman in the bright red silk dress without reserve. Apart from her bewitching amber cat eyes, she was ordinary. But that dress… She glanced meaningfully at Eliza Miller, whose face was dark, and smiled.

"Why are you here?" Brett Hall appeared beside the woman in a flash, gently wrapping an arm around her slender waist, his eyes full of affection. He tenderly fixed her hair ornament.

The woman with amber cat eyes was Roxane Mullin, who lived in seclusion at Redney Manor. Worry lingered on her face.

"I heard from Butler Nisan there was a fight. I was so worried I came at once. Are you hurt?"

"Do you worry about me?" Brett Hall finished fixing her ornament, his fingers gently brushing her eyebrows and lingering on her pink cheek.

Inside the carriage, Cinderaven shivered at the sickly sweet voice. His feathers stood on end. Brett Hall was definitely not himself. He had always been gentle, but never affectionate—this was disgustingly cloying.

Once Elara confirmed the woman was Roxane Mullin, she lost interest in listening further. She tapped the carriage wall. It was time to leave.

Roxane Mullin, nestled in Brett Hall's arms, watched the shabby black carriage move. Her heart skipped inexplicably. She stared after it and whispered to Brett: "I think I've seen that carriage before."

"Probably in Anastas City," Brett Hall said, pinching her soft cheek gently. "You're still too thin."

She knew exactly where that carriage was from. Roxane Mullin stared unblinkingly at the retreating carriage, as if not hearing Brett's words.

Twenty years ago, she had a terrifyingly vivid nightmare. It lasted so long, felt so real, that she thought she had lived through it. But when she woke up in her own bed, her mother told her it was just a dream. She had believed her—and only her.

Once the carriage left the Andrea Royal Palace, Cinderaven, who had been holding it in, finally spoke up.

"I have a report. Brett Hall is not right."

Elara, resting with her eyes closed against the carriage wall, replied casually: "Oh? What's wrong with him?"

"I'm not sure yet," Cinderaven said dejectedly. "But I know something's off."

"How can you tell?" Elara opened her eyes. "And is Austin Corell different from the other Andros founding dukes? Why did Becky Cotton say he could identify my aunt's condition?"

Good heavens, was she always this sharp? Cinderaven shrank back under her icy gaze. "Don't look at me like that. I'll get nervous."

Elara smiled faintly. "Better now?"

It was a fake smile—even scarier! Cinderaven inched further toward the corner. "Do you know about the Mother Tree Saparaya?"

"I do." Elara tapped the front of a gold coin. "This is the Mother Tree Saparaya. Legend says Andralena, the mother goddess of the Andros nobles, was born beneath it."

"It's not just a legend." Cinderaven finally reached the farthest corner from Elara. "The Mother Tree Saparaya is real. Andralena probably existed too. But she wasn't just the mother of the Andros—she was the mother of all humans."

Hmm. Elara suspected the goddess liked playing with mud, much like the great goddess in her own homeland's myths who molded humans from clay.

"Originally, Andralena only wanted to create humans. But she couldn't resist her craving and stole the blood-red fruit of the Mother Tree Saparaya. Then the blood clan was born—looking just like humans, but feeding on their blood. Not wanting to classify them as human, Andralena named them the Andros… nobles."

Elara rolled her eyes slightly. "I suppose you added the 'noble' part yourselves."

Not him. Cinderaven hugged his chest with his wings.

"The reason Alexandra and the other seven are considered Andros founders is that they were all born in the Saparaya Forest. The Mother Tree's flower has seven petals, and each tree only bears eight fruits in its lifetime."

"Only one tree in a Saparaya Forest can bloom and bear fruit." Perhaps the fruits were delicious, for after eating one, Andralena craved more. She eventually ate all eight."

"A thousand years later, the Saparaya Forest gave birth to a group of blood clan beings. Their eye color matched the fruit exactly—born to crave blood. Eight of them did not bleed viscous, living blood when their bloodline awakened. Instead, the Saparaya flower bloomed in their pupils."

"These eight could suppress the other blood clan in the forest." Elara frowned. "So you're saying there were more than eight founding dukes?"

Cinderaven nodded. "You didn't think all existing Andros were created by the eight, did you?"

Fair enough. Elara gestured for him to continue.

"That's how the eight founding dukes came to be." Talking about this troubled history frustrated Cinderaven. "When a group lives together, there is always conflict. No strong being likes being suppressed by bloodline. So the eight banded together to rule."

The war destroyed the Saparaya Forest, and it could never regrow. The Andros were forced to leave their homeland, and conquest and bloodshed followed.

"Until one day, Andralena could no longer bear the Andros' cruelty and bloodlust. She sacrificed her life and body to the Moon Goddess Selene and the Sun God Apollo, binding the Andros to nature. And she created werewolves and the Witch Clan to keep them in check."

Elara was certain she lived in a truly fantastical world. "Then what makes Austin Corell different?"

Why wouldn't she let that go? Cinderaven shrank back.

"Unlike the other seven, when Austin Corell's bloodline awakens, the stamen of the seven-petaled flower in his pupil is blood-red. The others have black."

I see. Elara flicked her finger against the table. "So even among the eight founders, bloodlines vary in purity. Austin Corell's is the purest."

"Yes." Cinderaven felt like he was being skinned alive, leaving only his crow feathers. "If Austin Corell had been the one to summon Thea's fangs today, the outcome would have been different."

He could tell Lisandra and Alexandra had known Thea would not grow fangs. Though crude, the method directly and effectively confirmed Alexander's words, temporarily protecting Thea.

Elara fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"So the eight founding dukes do not fully control all Andros. What of the blood clan born alongside them in the Saparaya Forest? Are they hiding in the shadows?"

"I knew you'd understand." Cinderaven sighed. "Why do you think Alexandra and the others were so agreeable today?"

Anastas City and the Luohe Plains were wealthy lands near the capital. They simply did not want to fight the West Sea Forest and let hidden forces take advantage—especially since Austin had been gone for two thousand years.

Elara lowered her lashes, her fingers gently twisting the Life Ring on her left thumb.

"Did those blood clan beings turn you into this?"

"No." Cinderaven raised his wings to cover his face. "Don't ask anymore. When you become the Witch Ancestor, I'll tell you even where Moslin Bank's vault is." She already knew far too much.

"Fine." Elara returned to their earlier topic. "What's wrong with Brett Hall?"

Cinderaven lowered his wings. "Earlier, when you mentioned Fisher, I felt a sudden, familiar presence. It came from Brett Hall."

"Is that strange?" Elara chuckled. "Wouldn't Austin Corell know Brett Hall well?"

"The point is that familiarity didn't belong to Brett Hall." Cinderaven's dark eyes narrowed. "It belonged to Austin Corell's body." His soul was most sensitive to his own shell—he could not be wrong.

Seeing his gloomy look, Elara whistled playfully.

"No need to guess. Brett Hall is indeed compromised. Either Fisher's soul is projecting onto him, or his body has been taken over. And what you found today confirms my earlier suspicion: Austin Corell's body was Fisher's hiding place for his soul."

Thanks for the reminder. He had already figured it out—he just didn't want to admit it.

"How can you be so sure it's linked to Fisher?"

"Since you told me so many secrets, I won't hide this from you." Elara crossed her arms.

"Fisher's sudden awakening years ago was directly tied to Roxane Mullin. She owns a Sunbright Stone fused with Fisher the Twin Witch Ancestor's blood."

"Without that stone, my mother and aunt would never have been harmed. Grandmother was furious." She extracted the blood from the stone and fused it into Roxane Mullin's womb."

"With that drop of blood, Roxane Mullin and Fisher's souls will always be drawn to each other." Elara recalled the three years she had spent with her grandmother in the ancient tomb. "And Fisher's soul will no longer be untraceable."

After listening, Cinderaven felt a chill. He hugged himself tightly with his wings.

"I've decided. From now on, Cinderaven swears loyalty to Elara Dessey."

Dessey witches were truly capable of anything. Come to think of it, how had Fisher ever offended Selah? Oh right… a single look.

Elara scoffed disdainfully, glancing at him. "Just you? What about Austin Corell?"

Cinderaven's eyes drooped. "I think you and Austin Corell could become very good friends." He also believed in power—if words failed, use strength.

"Then tell me why Austin Corell left his body." After testing Amy Miller's strength today, Elara agreed with Alexander: Austin Corell was not someone easily defeated—so much so that his soul had been separated from his flesh.

"That… that…" Cinderaven shrank further into the corner. "You'll have to ask Selah." He also wanted to know why she had dragged him into her curse. They had worked so well together when suppressing the Andros, the Witch Clan, and the werewolves.