“Did you guys hear that notification from the world consciousness just now?”
“You heard it too? I thought I was hallucinating.”
“No, no, no... That witch is actually still alive?”
“Not only is she alive, she cleared a dungeon. The rewards must be massive.”
“Rewards? You still have the mind to talk about rewards right now?”
“Why wouldn't I? I haven't done anything to feel guilty about.”
“Fine, fine. You're so noble, so great. You haven't done anything wrong, so you're not afraid of the Witch of the Tower.”
“Isn't that the truth? On the other hand, why are you guys reacting so strongly? You weren't involved in that business, were you?”
“Nonsense! I wanted to be involved, but I didn't have the qualifications!”
“Hahaha, you spoke my mind.”
“Then it's fine. Everyone just act like nothing happened. Keep the music playing and keep dancing.”
“Right. For people like us, it doesn't matter if the Witch of the Tower clears a dungeon or not. it doesn't affect our lives, and it doesn't affect whether we live or die.”
“Besides, clearing it doesn't mean she's out, right?”
“Hmm... you have a point. After all, no one has ever experienced being trapped in a dungeon before.”
“Damn it! You people and your sarcasm! Look at how arrogant the witches have been lately, and you still have the heart to say stuff like that?”
“Exactly. When the witches' indiscriminate attacks fall on your heads, I hope you can still play your music and dance.”
“Look at you talking. You guys were the ones who started the Abandoned War in the first place, and now you're blaming us?”
“Screw you! Keep blathering about that on the world channel and see if I don't report you to the witches myself!”
No one was a fool.
They didn't know the exact motives of these people jumping out to talk, but it certainly wasn't anything good.
Thus, the crowd joined forces to curse these idiots spreading discord on the world channel until they were too afraid to speak.
Of course...
The main reason was the witches' frantic actions during this period.
If one looked closely, they would notice that the population on the world channel had plummeted from over seventeen billion to just over six billion.
No one wanted to die, and no one wanted to be associated with the witches.
Therefore, some panicked upon seeing the Witch of the Tower clear the dungeon, while others smiled.
The only thing no one did was cry.
Because crying also cost time.
Even if they didn't know for sure whether the Witch of the Tower could actually leave the dungeon after clearing it.
But a person's reputation followed them like a shadow; Lan Qingyou's name alone was enough to intimidate the petty and the wicked.
...
“Why don't we use the map system on our cards?”
After walking for a while, Gu Xiaobei asked Lan Qingyou and Vivian, who were leading the way, with a look of confusion.
“...”
“...”
The two stopped and looked back at Gu Xiaobei, falling into a sudden silence.
The map system in the group...
Come to think of it, they hadn't used that thing in a very long time.
In their current mindset, the card was just a storage device. As for checking a map...
The two of them simultaneously pulled out their cards.
As they did, many of the people behind them followed suit.
Never mind checking a map; now that they were out, it was only natural to say hello to their friends.
After all, while there was no signal inside the dungeon, there was one out here.
However...
“Wait! Why is my friend's avatar gone? Did the card system update?”
“Mine too. Ai Hua's avatar is missing.”
“It... it should be an update, right? Everything is developing so fast, and we haven't used them in ten months. Maybe we need to go to the Adventurers' Guild to update it or something.”
When the witches clicked on their friend lists to let their loved ones know they were safe, they discovered that their friends' avatars had vanished!
Although they suspected what this meant, no one said it out loud. Instead, they tacitly agreed to believe the card's friend system was simply malfunctioning.
At the front, Lan Qingyou's face darkened the moment she heard the whispers behind her.
One or two might be nothing.
But for so many people to say their friends' avatars had disappeared... the implication was self-evident.
“What are you talking about? A disappearing avatar means the person is dead. It's a natural law of Kalim; it's not like you don't know that.”
There were many eccentrics among the witches.
Those lacking social graces could be found in abundance. So, while everyone else was busy blaming the card system, someone finally couldn't take it anymore. She stepped forward, spear in hand, and shattered the thin veil of pretense.
“...What exactly happened?”
“Why would Yanglai be dead? That makes no sense. She rarely left her shelter except to buy groceries.”
“Something must have happened while we were gone.”
They weren't stupid; they just didn't want to believe it.
Once the illusion was shattered, expressions of worry or grief appeared on every face.
Some even began to curse loudly.
“Boss, we can't go on like this. We need to figure out what happened during these past ten months first.”
At that moment, Catherine flew up and whispered into Lan Qingyou's ear.
She was right.
In their current information vacuum, Lan Qingyou couldn't even sort out the facts for herself, let alone for the others.
“Everyone, don't panic. Message any friends who are still online to gather some intel. I'll ask around on my end as well, and then we'll do an information briefing.”
Lan Qingyou shouted to the group behind her, then tapped on her own card.
Having very few friends to begin with, she didn't bother looking for individuals and went straight to the Villa Group.
As soon as she entered, she saw everyone calling out for their group.
After all, four of them were members of the Villa.
Upon hearing their names, the Villa Group became lively once more.
Tower: “Thanks for the ping. Just stepped out of the dungeon onto the snowfield. What's the situation with the Witch race? A lot of people's avatars have disappeared on my end.”
The Star: “You're finally out.”
Empress: “Is everyone else okay?”
High Priestess: “Everyone is fine. No one is missing any limbs. We just haven't had a good rest in a few days.”
Death: “Thanks for the concern.”
The Emperor: “We're out, we're all out. We're perfectly fine, no major issues.”
Chariot: “Great, it's The Emperor! Our dinner is saved!”
The Emperor: “Hahaha, I'll cook for you all once I get back and rest for a bit.”
Gu Xiaobei was naturally happy to have her cooking skills missed.
But now was not the time for that.
Therefore...
Knowing that once a conversation went off track it was hard to pull back, Lan Qingyou cruelly nipped the topic in the bud.
Tower: “Let's not talk about that for now. Tell us about the Witch race. It's urgent.”
Rate on N.U.
