As soon as they heard that he was the profiteer loathed by man and beast alike in District 666, the crowd watching from the sidelines grew agitated.
As one of the Five Notorious Figures recognized by everyone in District 666...
The 'Witch' Lan Qingyou was already in a league of her own, so far ahead that no one even bothered to harbor resentment anymore.
The 'Slave Owner' Sherlock had been blown to bits by Lan Qingyou, reduced to ash.
Xin Tianle, who had directly caused the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, by absconding with everyone's funds, had vanished without a trace.
The cross-dressing femboy Yasuda Naoko was also missing in action.
Therefore...
Of the original Five Notorious Figures, the only one still persistently committing despicable deeds was this Profiteer Chuan.
Naturally, everyone recognized Shang Chuan, who had been famous—or rather, infamous—since the early days of the crossover, much like Lan Qingyou.
If one were to say Lan Qingyou’s goods were loathed for their exorbitant prices...
...then this bottom-feeding piece of trash’s initial capital accumulation phase had led many to curse his entire family tree.
Someone might have accidentally listed an item for the wrong price, and in less than ten seconds, this scumbag would snatch it up. How could people not curse him?
One had to remember that during the early days after the crossover, everyone was desperately short on resources.
Yet this guy had become the number one merchant in District 666 by flipping goods and sniping bargains. Whether it was before the districts merged, after the merger, or now that the regional barriers were gone, he lived a very comfortable life.
“Listen up. The Witch of the Tower has already given me the construction rights for this area and temporary management over the outer city. If you want to keep living here and receive the witch's protection, you’d better behave and listen to me.”
The crowd’s insults were becoming increasingly excessive, reaching a point where even a thick-skinned profiteer like Shang Chuan was starting to lose his cool.
So, he didn't waste any time and went straight to the point, addressing both his goals and their doubts.
In truth, he wasn't the type to dilly-dally; he was actually quite impatient.
When the crowd heard that the witch had actually commissioned a profiteer like Shang Chuan to build houses, they nearly lost it.
Good grief.
Putting a profiteer in charge of development and making them provide the labor? Wasn't that just being exploited by capital?
But... he really did have the authority to kick them out.
He might even kill them.
Thus, these fierce-looking thugs could only lower their heads and become slaves to capital—construction workers under a foreman.
And they were doing it for free, for goodness' sake.
Whoever said the witch was a good person yesterday, come out. I’d like to have a 'chat' with you.
...
Meanwhile, after leaving the Witch's Forest, Lan Qingyou teleported to the Empress's Farm in the Cursed Corridor.
“Whoa! It looks like Durandal is really in a hurry.”
As soon as she arrived, Lan Qingyou saw ten witches standing in a neat line inside the house.
These witches, like Lan Qingyou, wore various styles of robes and pointed hats—an outfit that identified them as witches at a single glance.
It seemed their sense of identity was quite well-developed.
“Greetings, Witch of the Tower. I am the Analytic Witch, Sophia. I am also the captain of the apprentice witch squad dispatched by the Supreme Council to study magic circles.”
While Lan Qingyou was observing the group, a witch in a white robe stepped forward and spoke in a stiff, formal tone.
Lan Qingyou took a look at her.
She appeared to be in her twenties. Her features weren't particularly Western despite her name; instead, they were somewhat soft, giving her the look of a Central Asian beauty.
“Analytic Witch. That’s a nice title. Is it because of your Magic Eye?”
“Uh... yes.”
Sophia’s formal facade crumbled instantly at Lan Qingyou’s words.
Her Magic Eye was indeed called the Analytic Magic Eye. It was capable of analyzing physical objects. While it wasn't as direct as combat or defensive types, it was a top-tier support-type eye for learning.
It could be considered a low-end version of Lan Qingyou’s Analytic Magic Eye (S).
It was precisely because of this Magic Eye that she had been chosen as the captain of this mission.
And yet, the person she just met had exposed her trump card immediately.
But then again... many witches used their Magic Eye’s function as their 'title,' so it was probably natural for it to be guessed.
Speaking of 'titles,' these weren't actually the attribute-bearing titles recognized by the world consciousness. They were names they gave themselves to use as greetings and to display their race.
At the same time, it made it easier to address one another.
It was the same way Susie and the others called Lan Qingyou the Origin Witch, while others called her the Witch of the Tower.
“Don’t be surprised. As the Clan Leader of the Witch race, it’s quite easy for me to know the details of every witch.”
Seeing her confusion, Lan Qingyou smiled.
She offered an explanation that seemed to explain everything while explaining nothing. In short, she didn't tell the whole truth, yet she spoke the truth nonetheless.
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
Since it wasn't a guess but rather a use of some 'Clan Leader authority' she didn't know about, Sophia didn't press further.
She noted this as a piece of information about the Witch of the Tower.
“The Tower is here.”
As Lan Qingyou stepped out of the room, she happened to run into Jiang Lan walking in.
“Well, I have to teach the magic circles, so here I am.”
Unaware of the deal Lan Qingyou had made with the Council President, Jiang Lan welcomed her with a smile.
“I see. Then you’d better head out quickly.”
“Hmm?”
Lan Qingyou was confused.
However, the moment she stepped out into the backyard, she understood what Jiang Lan meant.
Standing, sitting, and squatting in the backyard of the Empress’s shelter were countless witches wearing robes and pointed hats.
Some witches even had juvenile monsters following them.
Judging by the different marks on their foreheads, these were likely familiars bound by contract scrolls.
When they saw Lan Qingyou float out of the house on her Magic Broom, every single one of them turned to look at her.
Even Lan Qingyou, who was normally immune to gazes filled with curiosity, doubt, gratitude, and adoration, felt a tiny bit self-conscious.
After all, facing so many beautiful women—some slender, some curvaceous, some mature and charming, others young and adorable—anyone would feel a slight stir in their heart.
There are no ugly witches. This phrase, which occasionally popped up on the world channel, was fully validated at this moment.
“Just... how many people are there?”
After a brief moment of polite self-consciousness, Lan Qingyou asked Sophia, who had followed her out.
“Counting myself, there are one hundred and one in total. We are the top apprentice witches among those in the Supreme Council.”
Sophia stepped forward to answer.
As the captain of the squad, it was her duty to answer any questions the teacher, Lan Qingyou, might have.
Although Sophia said so, a small portion of these apprentice witches weren't actually the 'top' among the ten thousand witches.
After all, this was a last-minute decision by Durandal.
And Lan Qingyou was set to begin her instruction immediately.
Therefore, during the mobilization, it was inevitable that they couldn't find enough people in time and had to call in a few to make up the numbers.
Rate on N.U.
