A witch!
A black robe and a black witch's hat—a standard witch's outfit.
According to what was said before, only the clan leaders of each race could be teleported here, so this witch must also be a clan leader.
A witch and a clan leader... putting those two terms together, what else could it be but...
No, wait.
Didn't some clan leaders invite others to enter earlier?
Perhaps this witch was also invited up by someone?
The moment he saw Lan Qingyou, the werewolf Kevin's gaze cleared as he began to speculate about her identity in his mind.
And just at that moment, another person slowly walked up from behind him.
This person wore a white robe and a white witch's hat, with a monocle clipped over one eye.
Behind the lens was a pair of pale blue eyes, like the ocean, and long white hair with a slight tint of blue.
A witch.
Again, it was a standard witch's outfit.
But... Lan Qingyou had never seen this witch before. She couldn't even see the other person's attributes with her Magic Eye!?
“Hello, Witch of the High Tower. My name is Alisa von Aurelius, the Witch of the Workshop recognized by the world consciousness.”
While Lan Qingyou was still full of questions, the other party took the initiative to state her name and title.
Alisa?
The Witch of the Workshop?
The more Lan Qingyou heard, the more confused she became.
She had never heard of the Witch of the Workshop, but the name 'Alisa' sounded somewhat familiar. She just couldn't remember where she had heard it before.
“There is no need to use your Magic Eye to observe me. My own Magic Eye has a shielding effect against such things.”
Seeing Lan Qingyou remain silent, Alisa assumed she was observing her and offered a kind reminder.
“No... sorry. I feel like I've heard your name before, but I can't recall where,” Lan Qingyou replied.
Caught in her small maneuver, Lan Qingyou didn't feel embarrassed. Compared to that slight awkwardness, she was far more interested in the other woman's identity.
A Magic Eye?
That meant the other person was definitely a witch too. There was no mistake about that.
However, the other party's eyes were blue, unlike her own red ones.
Could it be that, like the vampires and elves, the witch race also had different branch races?
Thinking about it, Lan Qingyou felt it wasn't impossible.
After all, witches were just one of the many new races.
Furthermore, her own title mentioned the word 'lineage,' so it was possible that witches from other lineages existed.
“She is a leader of the Witch race who, like you, provides potions to the Supreme Council. However, while you are the leader of the High Tower Clan, Clan Leader Alisa is the leader of the Workshop Clan.”
While Lan Qingyou was lost in thought, another person stepped out from behind Alisa.
It was a leopardman.
Unlike Kevin the werewolf, this leopardman was not the type who could transform. He was an evolved being who possessed beast-like features.
In the common parlance of the continent, they were referred to as half-beasts.
Any evolved being with beast-like traits could be categorized into this group.
It wasn't exactly a race recognized by the world consciousness, but rather a general term used by the people.
“And you are...” Lan Qingyou leaned back slightly as she heard him mention the High Tower Clan and the Workshop Clan.
This fellow had actually taken it upon himself to use her race's name as a way to distinguish them.
“Piamon, President of the Kalim Supreme Council and Clan Leader of the Leopardman race.”
The newcomer announced his title, looking at Lan Qingyou with a disdainful gaze.
No... it wasn't just Lan Qingyou. He looked at everyone sitting on the mats with the same level of condescension.
The provocation was thick.
Good grief, what was with this group? They seemed to harbor a lot of ill will.
It wasn't just Lan Qingyou; even the other members of the Villa could sense the hostile attitude coming from these three.
“If it isn't Piamon. You've come as well.”
Just as everyone was starting to get heated, Chu Yuan made his appearance.
However, his appearance this time was slightly different from when they had met at the auction a few months ago.
Well... he had a few more signs of evolution on his body.
“That look... a lion?” Jiang Lan asked with a bit of uncertainty, looking at Chu Yuan's lion ears, lion tail, and the mane-like hair on his head.
“Yes, a study I just completed recently,” Chu Yuan nodded.
He didn't care about the curious or confused looks from the crowd. After all, everyone had to go through this once. The next time they met, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore.
Actually, a couple of glances was enough.
Since there were all sorts of races on this spectator stand, his lion-like appearance wasn't even considered that strange.
Speaking of which, he had been waiting for an inconspicuous moment like this to use the evolution item.
Although he craved power, he didn't want to be too high-profile or have everyone's attention focused solely on him.
The racial tournament provided the perfect opportunity to introduce the Lionman race, so naturally, he wouldn't miss it.
“So this is the alchemist you've been hiding. I didn't expect her to be a witch as well.”
After replying to Vivian, Chu Yuan turned his gaze toward Piamon the leopardman.
Their gazes collided in mid-air.
If there were special effects, sparks would surely be flying between them.
A leopardman and a lionman—two half-beasts standing in the middle of the path, staring each other down. The scene alone gave off an epic sense of destiny.
But!
Although many people were paying attention, the members of Tarot Villa were definitely not among them.
Some were eating, some were drinking, and others were looking at cards. In short, everyone had their own business to attend to, and in the end, no one spared them a second glance.
They were different from the other onlookers.
Setting aside all external factors, what did the tension between two members of the Supreme Council have to do with them as clan leaders?
Even if one of them was a member of their Villa.
Because their circles were different, there was no need to force a connection.
Didn't Chu Yuan say it himself? That Witch of the Workshop was an alchemist hidden by the other side. This meant that, at least in terms of interests, 'that side' and 'this side' were not on the same path at all.
Lan Qingyou didn't bother with the business between Chu Yuan and Piamon either.
After the two men's confrontation, she simply looked calmly at the white witch who was also watching her.
Both were witches, both had Magic Eyes, and both were alchemists.
It seemed like they should have a lot of common ground to talk about.
However, there was no sign of mutual respect or shared purpose in their eyes.
Instead, the air between them was equally thick with the scent of gunpowder.
It wasn't hard to see that rather than common ground, they cared more about just how far the other had progressed.
Especially since Lan Qingyou couldn't see the other's status, and the other didn't know much about Lan Qingyou's situation either.
“Ugh~~~~~”
In the midst of this atmosphere, Lan Qingyou's entire body suddenly convulsed violently.
It startled not only the people around her but also Alisa, the 【Witch of the Workshop】.
Rate on N.U.
