Chapter 409: A New Residence and the Attempt to Return
“Dear listeners, we have an urgent news bulletin for you.”
“This afternoon, our city experienced a sudden disaster. According to preliminary statistics, the number of casualties is difficult to assess, and the situation is very serious. It has been reported that this disaster was triggered by intense internal conflicts among explorers, which ultimately led to the appearance of a being known as the ‘Catastrophe Witch,’ bringing about devastating calamities. The Catastrophe Witch has since vanished, and whether she will reappear remains unknown.”
“We remind the public that if you witness any disputes among explorers, please quickly move to designated safe areas to take refuge and do not harbor any illusions of safety. Safety should always come first, and we hope every citizen remains safe.”
“Simultaneously, the government and relevant departments are doing everything possible to respond to this disaster and will provide timely updates on safety guidelines and rescue information. Please stay tuned…”
“We will continue to monitor the development of this incident and keep you informed with the latest news. Thank you for your attention, and let us pray for those affected by the disaster, hoping they receive assistance swiftly and peace is restored.”
As the news broadcast on television came to an end, I idly played with the remote and finally switched to another channel.
It has been nearly a day since I destroyed that part of the district, and during this time, I wasn’t idle.
First, I must mention the large villa I am currently in.
This villa is an asset of the Real Protection Association in this world, and they generously gifted it to me.
It was a present from the president as a meeting gift, catering to my desire to leave that place while being unsure of where to go next.
After all, that shabby hotel had mediocre service and charged exorbitantly; I didn’t want to continue living there as a fool.
Moreover, this villa is quite nice, although its location is somewhat remote—remote to the extent that even ordering takeout might not guarantee delivery.
However, I don’t mind; after getting the key to this villa, it has become my temporary residence.
Recalling that previous moment, after I massacred those excavators, I realized I seemed to have forgotten about Qiu Ruxin’s existence.
Once I snapped back to reality, I couldn’t afford to gather more information from the president. As long as I had the means to stay in touch, I would eventually learn more. But if Qiu Ruxin encountered misfortune, that would truly be problematic!
It seemed she noticed something was wrong with me; in the end, she gifted me an unregistered card along with the key card to this villa.
Moreover, the president had many matters to handle afterward; his recklessness indeed caused significant losses for the Real Protection Association. After all, my attack likely “accidentally” harmed quite a number of people from this association, and he needed to go back to reassure everyone.
When I found Qiu Ruxin, she was completely submerged in the bathtub, with all the showers around her turned on, blasting cold water to lower the temperature in the air, indicating how dire her situation had been.
Of course, it’s fortunate that I didn’t act against any of the surrounding buildings. But even without targeting them explicitly, this hotel can no longer operate; the entire structure has become a “dangerous building.” Even if they acted unreasonably and continued operating, it would require a complete renovation, which would entail a terrifying expenditure regardless.
And they didn’t even know who to seek compensation from—would they approach me, the “Catastrophe Witch”?
They certainly lacked the audacity to trouble someone like me and would have to accept their misfortune.
I also brought Qiu Ruxin, who had nearly fainted from the heat, to this place, and she managed to stay here.
I must say, Qiu Ruxin reacted really quickly at that moment. Even though she had my protection spell, the intense high temperatures still affected her significantly. So she decisively hid in the bathtub, and in hindsight, her choice was correct. After my protection spell mitigated the initial wave of heat, she understood the trials she was to face.
Now, after some rest and my healing spell, she was in relatively good condition.
She could even leisurely watch the news with me.
“These… are done by Sister Xiao Han, right?” Looking at the continuously reported news and the blurred images on the screen, Qiu Ruxin asked.
“Yeah, what do you think? Do you find me cold-blooded?” I shrugged and admitted it straightforwardly.
“No,” Qiu Ruxin shook her head.
She was also a firsthand witness to these events, but she understood very well that the weak have no right to complain. Allowing the weak to criticize the strong for being cold-hearted is the greatest mercy one can show them.
“However, I truly didn’t expect Sister Xiao Han to be so powerful…”
“Not really. I would say… most seniors in the Witch Academy can achieve a similar level as mine.”
“So, the world you live in is that powerful? Then… regarding the world collision you mentioned, Sister Xiao Han, does that mean it could conquer this world in an instant?”
“Conquer… I can’t say for sure.” With Qiu Ruxin mentioning it, I also wondered how the president might handle this world.
Oh no… the president merely represents the attitude of the Witch Academy; let’s not forget that the main world also has three other extraordinary academies established by extraordinary races.
It has been a long time since I engaged with information related to those academies; their presence in my mind had barely remained, and I subconsciously thought that the main world was entirely dominated by extraordinary witches.
After chatting with Qiu Ruxin for a bit, I also handed her the unregistered card given to me by the president.
After all, I needed to focus on my own business, and giving money to Qiu Ruxin would help her address various situations.
At this moment, though I wasn’t sure if the president had left a backup plan in this manner, I had to prepare in the event of needing to return.
Now that I had a stable residence and funds, I could also stock up on food in the villa for Qiu Ruxin, ensuring she could stay here for a long time without any issues.
Qiu Ruxin was simply too special, and it was best for her to stay here and not wander around, keeping away from various unfortunate events that could befall her.
However, thinking of the potential encounters she might face, I also contemplated whether to give her something for self-defense.
At this moment, Qiu Ruxin could clearly see my behavior was akin to making final arrangements, but I wouldn’t change my plans based on her thoughts.
Two days passed. During these days, I was busy handling matters for Qiu Ruxin. If others were to see my actions, they would surely think I was “too overly indulgent” of her.
Yet, I understood very clearly that this was not the case. It was simply because Qiu Ruxin was the foundation of my successful reverse summoning spell.
Moreover, she was the person I trusted most in this world, whereas I never trusted the Real Protection Association from start to finish.
In these two days, some people from the association came to understand my situation. However, it wasn’t always the president who visited; he had been extremely busy lately, with little time to spare. He had only come once in the past few days, and that too was a brief visit. The rest were other members of the association coming to learn about my condition.
They were very curious about me, but I didn’t divulge much, as the precondition for them wanting to gather intelligence from me was first fulfilling the president’s promise of providing information about their world.
In several interactions, they only gained a bit of insight into Qiu Ruxin, while my own matters remained largely unknown to them, and I did not explain her identity as a Child of Fortune.
I merely introduced Qiu Ruxin’s characteristics of bad luck and expressed my keen interest in that trait.
Then, I asked them to take care of her a little.
As for truly letting them care for Qiu Ruxin? I couldn’t trust that, so after they left, I had a private chat with her to explain the situation, advising her not to be fooled by those guys.
Now, I had nearly taken care of most matters, and I informed those from the Real Protection Association that I might be leaving for a while; if any urgent matters arose, they could contact me through Qiu Ruxin.
Through these few days of interaction, I learned relatively little about their world from the Real Protection Association. Although the president had made his promises resolutely, it was evident now that the situation had calmed, and they began probing my limits. The information they disclosed was minimal, and the guy who came to chat with me was very skilled in conversation, circling around the point without getting to it for a long time.
This indeed frustrated me.
I suggested to them that I was planning to leave, which was intentional, as I didn’t want to waste time arguing with them. After all, they were well aware that revealing information about their world to such a powerful being was a dangerous move, especially since this group firmly believed “this so-called game world is a real world,” making them cautious.
As for my attitude, it was better to take things slowly rather than abruptly clash with them.
After all, over these two days, I also realized that I didn’t need to think too much; it made no sense to overthink.
Is this world important to me?
Are the excavators important to me?
They matter little to me; as long as I clarify what I want, the rest will merely be supplementary.
Let’s not forget, I ended up here purely due to an “accident.” The reason I sought to unravel the secrets of this world was merely to distract myself during the bewilderment of my arrival. Now that I’ve come to my senses, I no longer obsess over this matter.
“Are you preparing to leave, Sister Xiao Han?”
“I’m attempting to leave,” I corrected her.
“Okay, I will wait for you to come back,” Qiu Ruxin said, pursing her lips. Though her unwillingness was apparent in her eyes, she did not voice it.
“Don’t just wait; unless it’s a special situation, if conditions permit, I suggest conducting a ceremony every few days. After all, we are separated by an entire world and cannot communicate directly. No one can guarantee whether I might encounter special circumstances that require me to return earlier or postpone my return. In case of emergencies, perhaps perform the summoning twice within a short period.”
“I’ll remember,” Qiu Ruxin nodded, one hand tightly gripping the pendant. Even though she was well aware this pendant had once been her nightmare, now it symbolized her hope.
After reminding Qiu Ruxin, I began my formal attempt.
This attempt was based on my assumptions and guesses, and it relied on my current understanding of this world, speculating that this world corresponds to the small world the president previously mentioned, which is about to collide with the main world.
By this coincidence, I inferred that my accidental arrival here was orchestrated by the president. Now, coupled with my understanding of this whimsical reverse summoning spell, I could be increasingly certain that the president likely retained the summoning runes for this spell. After all, the spellbook I possessed was derived and created by the president; there’s no way she would be inferior to someone like me who had figured things out myself.
Furthermore, the inexplicable gift of the mind communication spellbook and the protection spell still intact around me hinted at the president’s protection.
This spell is most likely the assurance the president provided me.
Now, I just needed to break this spell, and many answers would be revealed.
At this moment, though it was merely a trivial matter, I inexplicably felt somewhat nervous, because if nothing reacted after achieving this step, I would genuinely have no means left.
Shaking off those unnecessary thoughts, I extended my hand and released a fireball spell.
Then, I compressed it using my point-gathering technique, turning it into a powerful attack aimed at my body.
Earlier, I noticed that the defense of this shield exceeded my understanding, so I used this method right away.
At this moment, the shield seemed to sense the deadly attack and activated just as the assault reached my body.
Sizzle—!
As the protection and attack collided, a massive amount of extraordinary energy erupted, creating terrifying energy backlash and dissipation.
At that moment, the powerful fire element seemed to encounter a formidable opponent, even with the penetration technique I had mastered, it reached a stalemate.
“The shield the president provided me is that strong?” I frowned and expressed my astonishment.
Thinking back to the protective spells I had mastered, they either required continuous layering of shields or were modified to the limits of my current understanding, especially compared to the president’s—indeed, they fell short.
At that moment, after the dream communication competition ended, I had thought of seeking some protective spells that aligned with my desires but gradually forgot about it.
After all, during the following period, there was genuinely no situation that required protective spells. Rather than bearing attacks, it was better to anticipate, dodge, and maneuver.
But now, seeing the president’s protection spell… indeed made me envious!
This spell has been shielding me for many days yet remains this powerful, demonstrating the might of this protection spell.
Of course, the president is an extraordinary witch; it’s also possible the spellbook isn’t unusually strong—the president herself might simply be exceptional.
However, this protection spell eventually reached its limit as I continued to exert force and increase output.
Cracks appeared on its surface, and the sharp sound of shattering accompanied a sudden breaking force, as my point-gathering fireball spell directly penetrated my body.
Even in the moment the protection spell shattered, I stopped, but the spell still inflicted me with serious injuries.
“Tsk… my control over power is still… too weak.” I gasped, still expressing my surprise. I didn’t expect the power of my spell to be so terrifying; no wonder those who died under this spell were not unjustly lost.
“Sister Xiao Han!” At this moment, Qiu Ruxin hurriedly stepped forward, concerned and wanting to do something.
“Don’t come near me.” I gritted my teeth to stop Qiu Ruxin from approaching, “Just stay back; it’s only a minor injury.”
As I spoke, I activated the flesh healing spell to begin treatment. My recklessness was only because I had this spell as a safety net, enabling me to act this way, although it truly hurt!
Now that the president’s protective spell was broken, there remained… nothing but to wait.
The waiting time was brief, yet it felt extensively long to me.
At this moment, under the influence of the flesh healing spell, my wounds began to mend. In that instant, I suddenly felt a faint guiding sensation.
I closed my eyes; within a realm of nothingness, a weak summoning coordinate shone brightly against the pitch-black starry sky!
“Found it! I was right!”
