Chapter 982 Witch Hunt
The time for the banquet had arrived. The hall was neatly arranged, with all kinds of food prepared and elegant music echoing throughout the area. The witches were already present, chatting with each other with smiles on their faces.
Souta, Alice, and Amanda arrived at the venue.
"Most of the people here are stronger than me," Amanda said in a low voice as she observed the witches around.
"It"s natural. If this were in the past, you would have seen even stronger witches," Souta said with a smile as he stepped forward to take a gla.s.s of wine.
"Souta, do you think the bloodline of Le Fay still continues to this day?" Alice asked.
"I don"t know. There"s probably a chance, but according to what I know, Le Fay didn"t have any children before she died," Souta answered.
"I see..." Alice turned her head to the side as she noticed several people entering the venue.
The other guests had arrived.
The first group consisted of a monk and a girl. The monk wore a white robe with beads around his neck, while the girl was pet.i.te with blue hair tied back.
Surprisingly, there were only two of them, even though the invitation allowed for four people.
The second group comprised four men, led by a man with short brown hair. His left eye was blue, while his right eye was green. He scanned the room calmly, as if searching for someone.
"That man is called Leyni. Like you, he is a dear guest of the Walpurgis Night," a voice sounded beside Souta"s ears.
Souta turned his head and saw Harlon walking towards him.
Harlon smiled and raised the gla.s.s of wine in his hand. He stood beside Souta and said, "The man beside Leyni is a witch like me. His name is Lobart."
He then pointed at the monk and the pet.i.te girl. "That monk is called Zhang Ren, while the girl"s name is Edeya. They too are guests of the witches."
"Hmm..." Souta observed the other guests.
The guests arrived one by one, and Souta noticed several familiar faces. He hadn"t expected to see them here; it seemed they had also received invitations.
There were a total of thirty-one guests in the venue, but Souta suspected that not everyone had arrived. Some might be deliberately hiding in the city.
However, there were people he hadn"t expected to see: Poisonous Vine and Spatial Whisperer. These two dared to partic.i.p.ate in the gathering, despite being wanted individuals known for their attack on the Selnes Country.
Poisonous Vine and Spatial Whisperer noticed his gaze. They were a little surprised to see him there.
Souta waved his hand and said, "h.e.l.lo, we"ve met again."
"Tsk! Bulls.h.i.+t monster!" Poisonous Vine clicked her tongue in annoyance as she turned her head away.
Spatial Whisperer narrowed his eyes but didn"t say anything. He turned his head away, clearly not wanting to engage with Souta.
Souta shrugged at their reactions. It seemed they didn"t want to a.s.sociate with him.
"They"re here, but where"s Red Mist? She"s the only one who could have brought them here," Souta thought to himself as he scanned the crowd. He hadn"t caught a glimpse of her yet, so she was likely still in the city.
"Those two are from the Gluttony Army, right? I"ve seen their faces from afar," Alice said, observing Poisonous Vine and Spatial Whisperer.
The atmosphere was lively as various people talked to each other, and Souta simply listened, discerning the truth and lies in their words. The guests conversed with the witches, hoping to glean more information. None of them had any idea about the purpose of the banquet. If someone claimed it was merely a gathering, no one would believe it. There had to be a motive behind such an event.
"It seems normal," Alice remarked.
Souta glanced at her before replying, "It may appear that way, but most of the people here have different agendas. I can discern the lies and truth in their words."
"Those two are from the Gluttony Army, right? I"ve seen their faces from afar," Alice said, observing Poisonous Vine and Spatial Whisperer.
"Yes, they are quite strong. We should be cautious around them," Souta agreed.
They were chatting when three people approached them. It was the group from Paleo Kingdom: the prince, princess, and the captain.
"It"s good to see you again, Prince Servon, Princess Iris, and Captain Sarguan," Souta greeted the three.
Prince Servon smiled and exchanged greetings with Souta"s group. After the pleasantries, Prince Servon inquired if Souta knew the purpose of the banquet.
Souta shook his head and replied, "We have no idea, but I believe we"ll find out later. Many attendees would be dissatisfied if an explanation isn"t provided."
"Indeed," Prince Servon concurred, scanning the crowd. "The other guests seem formidable, and some exude an aura of bloodl.u.s.t."
Alice suddenly asked, "Prince Servon, may I inquire if you were invited by someone yesterday?"
Prince Servon glanced at her before replying, "Invited? No, we weren"t. Why do you ask?"
"You see, an elder spoke to us yesterday," Alice explained.
"An elder?!" Prince Servon, Princess Iris, and Captain Sarguan were surprised.
"Yes," Alice nodded, recounting what had happened the previous day.
"Hmm... Our guide only instructed us not to wander around the city, so we opted to remain in our room," Prince Servon said, looking at Souta. "The Lord of Ekatoe is well-known in reality, so I believe the elders didn"t want you to view them as rude by merely sending a message, hence their decision to personally speak with you."
The venue fell silent as three figures approached the platform. These individuals were the elders of the Walpurgis Night, among the highest authorities in this land.
Souta and Alice ceased their conversation, focusing their attention on the elders, as did the others in attendance.
"They"re the elders..." Prince Servon murmured, observing the trio.
Souta narrowed his eyes. Like Elder Amulgu, these three elders radiated an immense amount of Dream Power within their bodies, surpa.s.sing even the sovereigns he had encountered in Vanko.
Prince Servon, Princess Iris, and Captain Sarguan hadn"t noticed, but the atmosphere seemed to s.h.i.+ft. Only those with Dream Power would perceive the subtle changes.
"Alice, if something happens, protect Amanda," Souta instructed in a language only she could understand. He spoke with a seriousness that conveyed the gravity of the situation.
Alice nodded, recognizing the significance of Souta"s words.
"h.e.l.lo, everyone! I"m Cermine, an elder of the Walpurgis Night," one of the three elders on the platform introduced herself.
Cermine was a striking woman with long, curly black hair and captivating eyes. She wore a loose robe and a sizable hat atop her head.
Suddenly, Cermine stopped talking, her gaze s.h.i.+fting to the two elders beside her.
"What"s happening?" she asked, her tone tinged with concern.
"I don"t know!" the two elders replied, equally perplexed.
Their conversation was audible to everyone in the venue; they hadn"t taken measures to block the sound. The sudden exchange puzzled the gathered guests.
Then, without warning, a dense surge of Dream Power descended. The entire venue quaked as powerful energy fluctuations erupted in every direction.
Boom!
The crowd stood frozen in shock, utterly unprepared for this unexpected turn of events.
Souta, Alice, Amanda, and the prince"s group were taken aback. Information flashed in their minds, and the same phenomenon occurred throughout the entire venue.
"What"s happening?!" Elder Cermine exclaimed as she processed the sudden influx of information. She quickly grasped the gravity of the situation; something significant was unfolding, poised to alter the course of the Walpurgis Night.
In a matter of moments, the powerful experts in the room absorbed the information presented to them.
"Witch Hunt."
These two words resonated within the minds of everyone present, a clear and ominous directive.
Souta heard a distinct sound within his mind and swiftly accessed the message.
[Quest triggered!]
[Witch Hunt]:
In this game, partic.i.p.ants are tasked with hunting witches. Those who successfully hunt witches who received the invitation will gain 15 points. Witches who don"t have an invitation are worth 5 points, while non-witches are only worth 1 point. However, if non-witches are included in a group with invited witches, they are worth 5 points.
Upon acquiring 100 points, partic.i.p.ants become eligible to use the stake. There are six holy stakes scattered around the land, each containing a witch"s corpse. Only those with the bloodline of the witch can use the stake to break the black sun.
Note: There is a two-day time limit for the game. If no one manages to complete it, the Purity"s power will destroy everything.
Rewards: 2 random cards, 20 skill points, 25 free attribute points, and 100,000,000 experience points.
Souta understood the gravity of the situation. The mention of Purity"s power intrigued him, as it was one of the two beings that had clashed with Morgan Le Fay centuries ago, ultimately leading to the downfall of the G.o.d of Witches. It seemed that those two powerful ent.i.ties were still influencing events in the Walpurgis Night, ensuring that no one could escape their grasp.
The objective of the game, to destroy the black sun, hinted at the presence of Purity"s power within it. This revelation made Souta look up, pondering the implications of such a task.