Chapter 413 Test? - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

"The witch! You cannot kill me. My god is about to descend upon Earth and take control…" The Abyss High Priest opened his mouth, but he found he could no longer speak. It was only then he realized his body no longer existed. The reason he could previously utter so many words was because Su Miao, the witch, acted so swiftly and terrifyingly that even without a body, he hadn't realized he was already dead. A ball of purple flame descended, incinerating the remnants of the High Priest's head and the surrounding corpses into ashes. Throughout the entire process, there was barely any noise, except for the slight commotion from killing the Abyss High Priest. Compared to a bustling street, this disturbance was insignificant. "Rest assured, I will help you realize your wish and bring your god to Earth." Su Miao spoke to the air, casually casting a Starlight Blossom to purify everything there. Having eliminated the heads of the Abyss organization, Su Miao's figure disappeared, as if she had never been there. ... Outside, it seemed as if someone was speaking. It was Lin Jiu Jiu's voice. Xia Xiao An awoke groggily and saw through a crack in the door Lin Jiu Jiu talking to someone in black clothing. Strangely, Lin Jiu Jiu wasn't wearing her cloak, as if she didn't mind being seen by the other person. Xia Xiao An tried to hear the thoughts of the man in black but felt a wave of fatigue as soon as she used her ability. "Yes, Your Highness!" The man in black bowed respectfully and left. Lin Jiu Jiu turned around, opened the door, and said, "Xiao An, you're awake." Xia Xiao An frowned. This feeling of weakness was unpleasant. "What's wrong with me?" She tried hard to recall what happened before but felt more pain the more she thought about it. Lin Jiu Jiu said, "Xiao An, I temporarily suppressed your abilities with a suppressant. Don't use your powers." Xia Xiao An was taken aback, not quite understanding. Lin Jiu Jiu continued, "You were mentally corrupted by an Abyss priest. My singing could only partially purify you, but I couldn't handle the rest, so I had to use a suppressant to stop the corruption from spreading." "We'll go back soon and have Sister Su Miao treat you." "Don't worry, the suppressant is fine. It's a special medication used by members of the Twelve Divisions to prevent power outbursts." Xia Xiao An said, "That's not what I meant. Where is Zhang Qian?" Lin Jiu Jiu replied, "Zhang Qian is still unconscious but will wake up soon." Xia Xiao An nodded, staring at the ceiling, feeling extremely complicated. Sister Su Miao had warned her several times, yet she fell right into the trap. It was like being in school when the teacher repeatedly emphasized a certain problem that would be on the exam, advising not to make an obvious mistake. Yet, despite numerous revisions and preparations, she still made that mistake. Lin Jiu Jiu took out some food from her spatial storage and placed it nearby. "Eat a little first. I have some matters to handle." Xia Xiao An nodded, "Okay." ... After leaving, Lin Jiu Jiu donned a black cloak. Nearby, members of the Twelve Divisions had been waiting. The manager of the Twelve Divisions stationed at Wuhou City was named Qiao Bin. His public identity was that of a businessman, well-connected in various places and quite capable. Earlier, when Lin Jiu Jiu had called for assistance, Qiao Bin was out on a mission, so he wasn't there. Upon receiving the message, he rushed back in a hurry. "Your Highness, it's such an honor to meet you!" Qiao Bin bowed to Lin Jiu Jiu in greeting, "Your Highness, next time you visit, could you please give a notice…" Lin Jiu Jiu blinked, asking, "Do I need to give notice?" Qiao Bin shook his head rapidly, "No, no, it's my mistake. I beg Your Highness for forgiveness." Lin Jiu Jiu said, "Enough with the nonsense. What's the matter?" Qiao Bin quickly reported, "Your Highness, because many of the Lords have gone to the Inner World, numerous matters on Earth have piled up. We would like to ask if Your Highness could spare some time to deal with them." Lin Jiu Jiu frowned, "Oh? What matters?" Qiao Bin hastily opened a holographic screen, displaying the backlog of issues. To be honest, Lin Jiu Jiu's earlier question had terrified him. He remembered the last time he met the Lord Si Shu, who, with her blue twin-tails, looked innocent and lovely—extremely cute and friendly. Seeing Si Shu like this, someone had harbored a tiny bit of an idea. Then, Qiao Bin witnessed the most terrifying scene of his life. The adorable Si Shu turned that person into a book with no hint of hesitation throughout the process. Just now, daring to harbor any thought in front of Your Highness and not being killed outright was already quite lucky. But, through the test, he confirmed one thing. This Your Highness could be fooled. Lin Jiu Jiu looked at the issues on the screen, blinking her eyes. [Abyss organization killed the steward of station 1033, management position vacant at station 1033…] [Stations 1032 and 1088, among others, are running low on supplies, requesting distribution.] [Infighting at station 0041, two stewards dead.] [Si Di treasury invaded...] […] Having read a few items, Lin Jiu Jiu tilted her head; "Are you sure these all require my authorization?" Some of these issues indeed seemed important, but not significant enough to require intervention by a member of the Twelve Divisions. Within the Twelve Divisions, there was a highly detailed system where such issues should have already escalated to relevant personnel for resolution. For instance, Secretary Tao Yu Jie was one of the dedicated personnel handling such matters. As members of the Twelve Divisions, they were more involved in reviewing daily intelligence reports, making judgments based on those reports, and deciding on actions. When it came to intelligence and such, Lin Jiu Jiu would read the reports daily but rarely issued orders. The organization of the Twelve Divisions was quite unique. In a sense, the Twelve Divisions granted those below them very high authority, as long as they didn't break the rules. During training at headquarters, Si Ming Pei Xiao Miao Jie Jie had said, "Once you become Si Tian, you shouldn't feel pressured; it's all for fun. Even if you dismantle the entire Twelve Divisions, it's okay." "But if someone below tries to test you because you're young, that person has a 99% chance of betrayal, and you can eliminate them directly." "For this matter, you can consult Si Shu; she has a lot of experience." Things were more or less like that. Lin Jiu Jiu looked at Qiao Bin. Qiao Bin laughed arrogantly, "Haha, ancient philosophers were right, this world is just a puppet theater." "Who would have thought that the Si Tian of the Twelve Divisions would be a little girl, it's hilarious. Why should we be out there fighting desperately, only to follow the orders and whims of a little girl?" "When you tell us to die, we have to die?" "Si Tian?" "Pfft!" "Let me tell you, this place has already been set up by me. If you want to survive, transfer your Si Tian privileges to me, and I might reluctantly spare your life." "..." Lin Jiu Jiu quietly listened to Qiao Bin's true feelings, waiting for Qiao Bin to awaken. Suddenly, Qiao Bin gave a shiver. He stared at Lin Jiu Jiu in front of him, his body shaking like a leaf. Exposed, everything was exposed. Qiao Bin wanted to resist. At such a close distance, with a burst of power, not even Si Tian could withstand, right? But as soon as he thought this, his body didn't obey his brain's commands, let alone resist. "Your Highness, spare me!" Qiao Bin kneeled with a thud. Lin Jiu Jiu just glanced at Qiao Bin, who then fell straight down, dead. This was a kill move that manipulated the target to fall asleep instantly and then erased them within a dream. Through multiple practices, Lin Jiu Jiu had grown more adept. Within five seconds, a staff member came in to remove Qiao Bin's body, tidying up the area as well. "From now on, you are in charge here." Lin Jiu Jiu said to the person who had secretly reported. "Yes, yes, thank you, Your Highness!" The seemingly frail ability user thanked repeatedly, watching Lin Jiu Jiu leave. The other ability users looked at this person, their eyes full of envy. This person just made a thirty-level leap within the organization! "Oh, what is your name again?" Lin Jiu Jiu, about to leave, asked. "Your Highness, my name is Wei Shan." Wei Shan said. Lin Jiu Jiu nodded, turned, and departed. It was time to take Xia Xiao An and Zhang Qian to see Sister Su Miao. Maybe it was because of the long time spent around Sister Su Miao, Lin Jiu Jiu noticed her way of doing things was becoming more like Sister Su Miao's. And she was thoroughly enjoying it. ... In a secluded desert area, two Abyss Chief Priests were seething after receiving the news from Wuhou City. A bunch of incompetents—losing the sacrifice and even getting their hard-earned outpost wiped out. "Have you found out who did this?" "It was done by the witch Su Miao's followers, Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An." "Oh, then it's fine." The furious Abyss Chief Priest calmed down. Since the witch Su Miao had intervened, what else could he do? "Chief Priest, what should our next step be?" "Find new sacrifices!" "Yes, I will handle it immediately!" The Abyss cultist left after reporting, leaving the Chief Priest with a troubled expression. These sacrifices were specifically requested by the evil god, and losing them was a significant problem. What if the evil god asked about it? The Abyss Chief Priest was anxious. He needed to think of a way to appease the evil god. If he told the truth, the evil god would see them as useless and might even order them to confront the witch Su Miao directly. Confront Su Miao directly? That might mean facing one of her infamous purple fireballs. Wait a minute. The sacrifices this time had no personal connection to Su Miao; she wouldn't truly take them in, right? There's a plan: once the sacrifices leave Su Miao's sight, that'll be their chance to recapture them. As long as the sacrifice is successful, they could gain unimaginable benefits. ... In the Wilderness, on the outskirts of the Abyss. Si Shu stood timidly at the mountain peak, gazing toward the Abyss. A few days ago, she wouldn’t have dared to do this because staring directly at the monarchs and evil gods of the Inner World could easily get her noticed and put her in danger by revealing her location. However, as rumors of the Abyss treasure spread and more evil gods and monarchs gathered, she could sneak peeks. Many people were doing the same thing. After all, it was her handiwork that caused the treasures deep within the Abyss to reach up to the sky. According to the words of the mysterious blond girl, the secrets within the Abyss were related to Si Wu. With all this commotion, surely Si Wu would appear? But despite waiting for so long, Si Shu hadn't spotted Si Wu. Instead, she saw Si Sui and Si Zhi. "Those two?" Si Shu took a sip of juice from a cup she retrieved from her spatial storage. She blinked, not thinking of contacting Si Sui or Si Zhi. [I hope some clueless evil god or monarch kills Si Sui or Si Zhi so I can snag their powers.] [No, no. What if their powers get tainted during the fight?] [Such a hassle.] [...wait.] Si Shu's eyes suddenly sharpened. She scanned the gathered monarchs and evil gods, wishing she could fly above them and check each one. Attempting this would likely get her killed by the monarchs and evil gods. But the reason for such a notion was a possibility Si Shu had considered. If Si Wu sensed the changes in the Abyss, he wouldn't arrive as a member of the Twelve Divisions but in the guise of a demon god. On a small hill near the Abyss, a newly arrived monarch opened his eyes. "Of all calculations, who thought the disturbance in the Abyss would be caused by you, Si Shu." The monarch smirked, "Interesting. Si Tian, Si Di, Si Ming, Si Shu—four powers. I'm quite looking forward to this, Si Shu." Si Shu had guessed correctly; this monarch was Si Wu. To be precise, Si Wu had joined the exploration of the Abyss as a monarch. Si Wu scanned the assembled monarchs and evil gods, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Monarchs and evil gods previously aware of the Abyss' terror had either died or presented too little power—insufficient for him. But this time, with so many gathered, he should be able to feast well. He might even owe Si Shu some gratitude for this opportunity. Si Wu looked to the northwest, where four monarchs traversed the void toward his location. "Move aside, this spot now belongs to Great Monarch Kento!" Declared the uninviting monarch. Si Wu glanced at the sky-bound quartet of monarchs and smoothly shifted away from the newly set-up camp. [Great Monarch Kento—from Misty Island?] [Did the grand event just conclude at Misty Island?] [When was the last time a Great Monarch came to this Abyss? Thousands of years ago?] [Heh, heh, heh. Here's hoping Great Monarch Kento enjoys the Abyss.] [May he stay in the Abyss forever.] ... Si Shu meticulously recorded the traits of the various monarchs and evil gods, hopeful for future usefulness. After some observation, she noticed an utterly baffling phenomenon. Some evil gods and monarchs were gathering to build altars. Why would already mighty monarchs and evil gods need altars? Do they still require sacrifices? Moreover, some altars appeared designed for summoning. [Could it be that summoning heroes from another world is the doing of these evil gods and monarchs?] Si Shu let her imagination run wild, noting down the speculation. Speaking of which, how amusing would it be if an evil god or monarch accidentally summoned the witch Su Miao? Si Shu dismissed the unrealistic thought and continued her surveillance. Her instincts told her that Si Wu was definitely here. But where exactly was he? ... At the witch's camp, Su Miao's magical phantom returned first. Considering that her real self might be busy researching magic in the magical town, she returned ahead to prevent Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An from being unable to find anyone. Upon her return, Su Miao was startled by the bodies strewn haphazardly around the camp. What on earth happened here?