Adele had sent the data and this familiar together for a reason.
“According to the master's friend, this pigeon possesses projection magic. I’ve already confirmed it with the small screen,” Diana said as she slowly released the seal on the pigeon.
“You mean... we can see something through this pigeon's projected images?” Margaret frowned slightly.
Projection.
It was somewhat similar to her own talent.
However, this pigeon projected images, whereas she replicated objects.
“Since Adele sent it, we should be able to see something.”
“You haven't watched it yet?” Susie was stunned.
“No. I called you all over the moment I saw the files.”
Diana shook her head and snapped her fingers. The office curtains automatically drew shut.
Well... it wasn't exactly automatic; it was simply done using psychokinesis.
This kind of maneuver was standard practice in the witch circle these days, so no one was surprised.
Snap.
It sounded like a switch being flipped.
As the curtains closed and the office fell into darkness, two slightly overlapping circles appeared on a nearby wall.
This was the projection emitted from the pigeon’s eyes.
As for how eyes on either side of its head could project such an image, no one knew.
Don't ask—it was magic, mana. What other explanation was needed?
The witches present didn't waste time on such trivial questions. Instead, they stared intently at the screen the pigeon was casting.
The footage was shown from the first-person perspective of the pigeon perched in a tree.
At first, a witch in a grey magic robe appeared. Behind her followed a group of people whose clothing and equipment were extremely ‘simple’.
This group included men and women, young and old.
Because it was a projection from a familiar, there was no sound.
However, just by looking at the footage, the witches could tell that these people seemed to be trying to persuade the witch in the frame.
Not long after, a witch in a white magic robe approached from a distance.
Though the image wasn't perfectly clear, they could see a series of stains on the white robe.
“Those are almost certainly bloodstains.”
Nan'gong Lengyue made the judgment the moment she saw the image.
This surprised Bei Adolis, who was leaning against the back of the sofa.
“You can tell just from that?”
“I suppose so.”
Although she hadn't achieved great results in the last tournament, Nan'gong Lengyue was quite experienced as a combatant among the witches.
As the grey witch and the white witch suddenly attacked each other in the footage, all the witches present were momentarily stunned.
Then, while the grey witch was occupied with the white witch, the people who had been trying to ‘persuade’ her earlier suddenly turned on her.
Some even lunged at her with bared teeth and claws, instantly overwhelming her.
The ‘white witch’ was rescued from the grey witch’s control, only to transform into a middle-aged man.
Only then did everyone realize why the two had used lethal moves upon meeting.
The white witch had been an imposter.
According to Diana’s earlier words, the real white witch was likely still alive, alongside Adele, who had sent these materials back.
They thought they had seen the most important part, but once the crowd swarming the grey witch dispersed, they realized the situation was far more horrific than they had imagined.
When the crowd moved away, nothing remained in the footage except for scraps of clothing, books, and a pile of bones.
The footage ended as the pigeon flew away.
The curtains were drawn back, and sunlight flooded the office once more, but none of the witches felt warm.
They felt cold—shivering with a chill that came from deep within.
Or rather, it was a chill born of fury.
“So?”
Susie and the others looked at Diana with grim faces.
Even Bei Adolis, usually the gentlest and most focused on maintaining harmony for the sake of profit, had her brows knit tight.
“Surely not all of those hundreds of incidents were like this?”
They were all people who had seen their share of chaos, so they wouldn't be enraged by a single skeleton.
But if it was a witch—and a witch ‘executed’ in such an inhumane manner—that was a different matter entirely.
“Unfortunately, Bei Adolis guessed correctly.”
Diana gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
“What exactly is going on?”
The impatient Margaret leaned forward, bracing herself against the edge of the sofa as she stared at Diana.
“Blood.”
“Huh?”
Everyone was taken aback.
“There was one point not explicitly stated in Adele’s report, or rather, it was part of the verbal message she sent back.”
“She said that while rescuing the white witch, she ‘kindly’ questioned the people pursuing her. They claimed they did it to obtain witch blood.”
“‘Kindly’, huh...”
They knew Adele’s personality all too well.
If she put it that way, the credibility was infinitely high. After all, most people couldn't handle Adele’s version of ‘kindness’.
“I understand that these people hunt witches for their blood, but why? Why do they need witch blood?”
Margaret didn't understand.
When it came to witches and blood, most would first think of alchemy materials.
But it was obvious that alchemists were a minority among the transmigrators worldwide.
So they could first rule out the idea that alchemists from other races wanted their blood.
“Margaret, you really are slow. Have you forgotten what evolution items are made of?”
“The reverse side of glittering gold reflects human greed. For those transmigrators who haven't been able to shed their status as Blue Star people to become evolved beings, they can only resort to extreme measures to complete their ascension. After all, there is only so much ancient blood to go around.”
Bei Adolis spoke with a sneer.
Of course, the sarcasm wasn't directed at Margaret.
Margaret understood this as well.
“No, I know evolution items require blood. What I mean is, why do these guys need witch blood? They can't possibly be trying to use witch blood as a substitute for ancient blood, can they?”
Margaret said it as a joke.
Bei Adolis responded with a helpless shrug.
“Who knows? Maybe they use it as a medicinal catalyst. After all, we are the Number One Race. Didn't you see how the Clan Leader wouldn't even let her own blood go to waste?”
...
Come to think of it...
During the last tournament, Xin Tianle’s attempt to collect Lan Qingyou’s blood seemed very suspicious in hindsight, and Lan Qingyou’s insistence on taking her own blood with her was equally telling.
Just from those two points, one could see how precious Lan Qingyou’s blood was.
Since the progenitor of witches was like that, it explained why the blood of other witches was so valuable.
Rate on N.U.
