Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 858 Coke tastes really good

"This place is worthy of being called the Fog City, Backlund. The summer hasn't even completely ended yet, but it's already shrouded in smog. Some of it is naturally formed, and some is industrial waste gas..."

Walking on the dirty but noisy streets, Elaine turned her neck from time to time to admire this capital of all cities that she had only known about in books and in the chats between sailors. Even though this was just the dirtiest and most chaotic eastern district, she could feel a unique atmosphere that was different from the casual and free Trier.

But just as she looked around, there was only a faint shadow in front of her, and Sherman, whose entire body outline was hidden by "invisibility", disappeared.

Wait, where's the witch?

Elaine realized something was wrong and swept her eyes across the street. She saw a crowd of people, countless passers-by wearing dirty clothes, either trendy or retro. She could not see the back of the person who was leading the way for her.

Instead, it was her bright red hair, her uniquely beautiful face, and her slim-fitting shirt and tight pants that outlined her figure that quickly attracted other people's attention, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Elaine felt a subtle touch on her wrist, as if someone was breathing beside her, warm, moist, and a slightly itchy air current brushing across her skin, making her feel palpitations for no reason, and even the desire that had been accumulated due to frequent wearing of the "Ring of Madness" was triggered.

This... is the invisible spider silk of the "Joy" witch!

Elaine, who had been touched by Tracy in this way many times on the "Black Death", reacted immediately. She was startled at first, and then she pulled her wrist with sudden realization and found that the silk thread had been tied around her arm and pointed out the direction with a slight shake.

Is it the “witch” from before... No, the “joyful” witch Sherman... Has she been promoted to Sequence 6?
Elaine calmly followed the guidance of the silk thread, bypassing the crowd with unfriendly eyes, and came to a street full of factories, warehouses, and countless freight carriages shuttling through it. She came to the door of a factory with a brand new nameplate that read "Black Bear Cannery" and a four-fingered bear paw printed on it.

Only then did Sherman's hooded figure reappear beside her.

"I'm sorry, there have been a lot of residents from surrounding cities coming to the East District recently. The population has exceeded that before the smog. I was worried that you would get lost, so I used the method just now."

Before Elaine could complain, Sherman explained in a nightingale-like voice, which instantly made her lose her temper. She could only nod and said generously:

"It's okay. I was looking around and didn't follow you."

There is also a reason why you have been invisible on the road - she added in her heart.

But when Sherman took off his hood and revealed his true face, Elaine knew why he did this.

Without the hood, there is a fair face, a high nose bridge, thin and wide lips and lively eyes that are perfectly positioned, which together with the long brown hair form a stunning beauty that makes people unable to take their eyes away.

Well, if she was with me on the street just now, she would be the one being stared at by everyone. No wonder she wore a hood to cover her appearance and even used invisibility...

Elaine suddenly understood Sherman's approach.

"I just got promoted, and I haven't fully mastered my new abilities yet, so sometimes... things like that happen."

Sherman further explained that with a flick of his fingers, the invisible spider silk tied around Elaine's wrist disappeared along with the "joy" power that was transmitted.

Then, she led the red-haired Elaine through the busy factory, talked to two vigilant guards, and came to the office area in the back.

"The guard just now was a Beyonder?"

Elaine asked casually as she followed him upstairs, her eyes lingering on the canned fruits piled up in the warehouse and the strange-looking glass bottles that had not yet been filled with liquid.

As a "conspirator", she could sense the confidence and slight sense of threat that the two guards had when facing strangers.

"They are 'Hunters', and they are all only Sequence 9."

Sherman answered, opened the door to the third floor, and led Elaine into a corridor that was not very spacious but was kept tidy.

A girl, about 1 meters tall, wearing a thin coat common in the city and a soft hat on her head, was waiting for them in the middle of the corridor.

"Xiu? Why are you here?" Sherman obviously knew the girl and quickly greeted her. Then he pointed to Elaine behind him and said, "This is Elaine. She is... my colleague, I guess."

Xio, who had delicate but immature features and a bit of baby fat on his cheeks, nodded to Elaine as a greeting. His deep green eyes examined her for a moment with a hint of majesty, and then looked at Sherman:

"Ms. Irene is in the office at the end. She is talking to that elusive witch. Please wait a moment before going over."

After hesitating for a moment, she continued:
"I'm here to get a box of those 'Kula's' that you haven't started selling yet..."

"It's 'Coke'."

Sherman corrected the other person's pronunciation lightly.

"Oh, yes, it's 'Coke'." Xio repeated the strange word awkwardly, with an embarrassed look on her face. "...Fors loves to drink it. She drank up all the cola I brought back last time in a few days. She even tried to freeze it herself using a magic trick. She said it tastes better this way, so she asked me to recommend this method to you."

"No problem, just come get as much as you want anytime."

Sherman replied with a smile, asked Elaine to stay where she was, and took the little girl to the other end of the corridor, went into a half-open door and disappeared.

"Coke"? What is that? Could it be related to the large amount of sugar that Miss Angelica asked "Redhead" to transport recently? Elaine looked at the backs of the two people and thought about it, but her ears caught a sound coming from the end of the corridor.

"...If I had met you when I first came to Backlund, perhaps none of the things that happened later would have happened..." A soft voice whispered, the tone was like a whisper, but it could be heard from far away in the silent corridor.

"Then you've been locked up in Chanis Gate."

The other voice belonged to the "Golden Queen" Angelica Sage, her tone was calm, but there was also a hint of sigh.

What are they talking about? One of them is the "witch" mentioned by the little girl who came to ask for a drink just now? Oh, this is not an ordinary "witch"...

What was the other "Miss Irene"? And that little girl should also be a Beyonder, with a fairly high Sequence. Could it be that her appearance was just a disguise?

Elaine complained in her heart, and seeing that Sherman and Xio had not returned yet, she involuntarily moved forward a few steps silently so that she could hear more clearly.

"...Not just Backlund. If it was you instead of Sharon in Tingen, perhaps everything would be different."

Irene continued in her whispering voice.

"Have you forgotten the first time you met me in the underground market? Instead of talking about this, you should find the real culprit behind the smog as soon as possible, to atone for your sins and for the sake of your prince."

Angelica's voice responded coldly.

Elaine showed undisguised curiosity on her face and took two steps forward. She was almost at the end of the corridor and close to the half-open door.

"...Okay, I'll leave first," the soft voice said, without any change in tone due to the previous rebuttal. "Also, be careful of your 'man in the mirror', especially after you are promoted to 'immortal'."

"Is this also the knowledge you obtained from the 'Origin'?"

“No, He said to get close to the person in your mirror image, but I think this should be understood the other way around.”

Another voice replied with a chuckle, and then there was no more sound.

"Elaine? Come in."

Angelica's voice said, causing Elaine's heart to tighten, and she realized that her "eavesdropping" behavior had long been under the other party's sight.

She pushed open the door and found that it was a simple office. A woman wearing a light-colored long skirt, with a clear outline in the dim room, was sitting on the only single sofa.

As Elaine entered the room, the woman turned around and saw that it was the "Golden Queen" who was already very familiar to her and even appeared in her dreams from time to time.

In a corner of the room, in a half-length mirror hanging on the wall, the dim and deep light was slowly fading away.

That "Erin" is also a demigod of the witch path?
There was no third person in the room, and Elaine knew that Tracy, a Sequence 5 "Vice Admiral of Disease", could not use the mirror directly to travel through time. Only the "Golden Queen" had demonstrated similar skills in front of her, so she had some guesses.

"Where's Sherman? Isn't she with you?"

Angelica asked softly, and before she could answer, she flashed her eyes and found the answer through divination. She pursed her lips slightly, as if conveying words, and looked at Elaine again after a moment:

"She'll be here soon, please take a seat."

The magic mirror is really convenient... Elaine found a chair and sat down, thinking with some envy, and realized that the hunter's method of only turning himself into a flaming spear to move around and using fire crows and flame spears to attack the enemy was completely inferior to the opponent.

A few minutes later, Sherman walked into the room with three glass bottles that Elaine had seen in the warehouse on the first floor. The shapes of the bottles resembled the curves of a woman's body. The difference from the previous ones was that these bottles were filled with brown liquid and the bottle mouths were sealed with thin iron sheets, which looked quite mysterious under the dim gas light.

"what is this?"

She asked curiously, taking the bottle handed to her by Sherman and found that the bottle was very cold and a layer of condensation had formed in the air.

She suddenly thought of the drink that the girl named Xiu had mentioned just now.

"Is this the 'Coke' that the little girl just mentioned?"

Imitating Sherman's introduction, Elaine asked word by word.

"If she hears you saying this, she'll be angry... She's an adult."

Sherman chuckled and handed a glass bottle to Angelica. He took the last one and twisted the iron bottle cap directly, prying it open with a little force. The bottle mouth made a "pop" sound and a little light white gas spurted out. Bubbles appeared on the surface of the brown liquid inside that looked like medicine.

Then, a sweet smell of syrup mixed with an unknown smell rushed into Elaine's nostrils, making her sniff involuntarily. She also followed Sherman's example and opened the "Coke" in her hand, tentatively brought it to her mouth, and took a small sip.

Dense bubbles instantly exploded in her mouth, and a "sizzling" sound reached her ears, accompanied by a chill rushing straight to her forehead and a slightly spicy stimulation. The rich caramel sweetness, along with the constantly surging gas, went down the esophagus into Elaine's stomach, making her moan involuntarily.

"Hiccup, this 'Coke' is so delicious..."

Elaine commented with a satisfied burp, raising the glass in her hand and observing the brown liquid that was still bubbling under the light. Suddenly she knew why the little girl... no, the adult girl was in such a hurry to get the new "Coke".

(End of this chapter)