Chapter 924: Small Fry, Tiger, and Swan

Time returns to a few minutes ago.

At the banquet.

Sophie Sophie Liya was skillfully handling the many guests who took the initiative to greet her.

Everyone who could enter this banquet hall was at least a titled Great Witch; these were naturally the big shots of the Witch World.

Being able to have these big shots take the initiative to come over and socialize was actually a rare opportunity for many, as it signaled that one's network would be greatly expanded and highlighted one's immense potential and promising future.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the guests praised the Pure White Witch for her outstanding talent and formidable strength, congratulating her on becoming the champion of the Youth Division dueling tournament, while others brought up their own experiences as student council presidents during their school days.

However, after just a few sentences, the topics of these distinguished guests would inevitably drift toward the Young Lady and Star Industry.

Clearly, these were the true purposes of their proactive socializing.

Sophie Sophie Liya had long anticipated this.

Having served as the student council president at the Witch Academy for so long, her social skills were naturally maxed out, and she had long since learned the art of saying what people wanted to hear.

She could see through the true intentions of these old foxes at a glance.

Heh, if it were just her, the title of Youth Division dueling champion would attract some guests looking to invest in her early, but it wouldn't draw such a crowd all at once.

What truly attracted these big shots were two points.

One was that she had been awarded the championship by the Dragon King herself; the Dragon King, who had been in seclusion for tens of thousands of years, had re-emerged, and her first act was to present this award, which naturally drew the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Although the Dragon King was present at the scene, aside from the dozen or so Sage-level figures and a few top-tier powerhouses, no one dared to approach the Dragon King directly.

They didn't have the qualifications yet.

Since they couldn't approach the Dragon King, they would take a roundabout path and approach her, the young person favored by the Dragon King, which was also acceptable.

Anyway, just saying hello and expressing goodwill wouldn't hurt, so why not?

The second point was aimed at the Young Lady.

The Young Lady had long been famous, though mostly for her notoriety in the past, but everything had changed since the establishment of Star Industry.

These big shots were mostly well-informed, especially the Dragon Witches among them, who had already learned through various channels that Star Industry might have completed the construction of a legendary warship, and that the Young Lady had even managed to bring the famous Senior Dai Na into the fold.

Whether it was a legendary warship or Senior Dai Na, there was profit to be made, so the Young Lady, who had been feared by everyone in the past, was now highly sought after, and everyone wanted to establish some connection with her.

Unfortunately, the Young Lady had been sticking by the Dragon King's side throughout the banquet, so the guests naturally didn't dare to approach, leaving them to settle for the next best thing: the supervisors of Star Industry.

Alas, the adult world is ultimately all about interests.

Sophie Sophie Liya glanced secretly at the other sisters and found that they were all surrounded as well.

Senior Senior Miya was fine; the Golden Princess had even better social skills than her, so she was handling it with ease, even managing to strike several big deals and reach cooperation projects amidst the conversation.

It was just that the other sisters were having a bit of a hard time.

For instance, the two younger sisters, Alice and Auntie Aunt Bachi.

The former didn't understand these adult interactions at all and only felt annoyed by the noisy crowd surrounding her.

The latter had already started trembling, her social anxiety acting up.

Fortunately, Ma De Lin had been by the two little witches' side, blocking the incoming guests for them.

Alas, the Young Lady had truly become a new noble of the Witch World.

The Pure White Witch sighed inwardly, then cast her gaze toward the center of the banquet hall.

At the center, the Dragon King was conversing with those uninvited guests.

Sophie Sophie Liya had complicated feelings about those later arrivals, as aside from Mamen, the other three also had connections to her.

In the timeline of Luxi Fei, the Pride Demon God Lu Ma Mian was actually her godfather, and it was His protection that allowed Luxi Fei to grow, eventually becoming the second-in-command of the Pride faction, enjoying the status of a Crown Prince and becoming a candidate for the future Pride Demon God.

Although those were events from another timeline, after merging with Luxi Fei, the Pure White Witch was naturally influenced to some extent by this manifestation of fate.

And the two guests from Heaven...

The Lord of Radiance, Gabriel—there was nothing much to say about that; she was her biological mother by blood.

And the other one...

Well, she was also her mother.

Although that was her mother from a past life.

Even though that figure wore a mask and hid her identity, Sophie Sophie Liya recognized her at a glance.

It was Total Mana.

Thinking of the part of her memory awakened from the Total Mana Wang Shengjian regarding the previous Holy Son, Mi Sa Ya, the Pure White Witch felt complicated once again.

Mi Sa Ya had spent her whole life seeking the recognition of this mother figure, but she never received it.

And now, the heartless Total Mana had dressed up specifically for the Young Lady's birthday banquet.

The disparity in treatment...

Of course, there was no right or wrong in this, as both Mi Sa Ya's birth and Sophie Sophie Liya's current existence were merely mistakes.

Both of them were people who shouldn't have been born.

They were born because of the delusions of others; whether it was the Lord of Radiance or Total Mana, they were actually victims themselves, so it was normal for them not to recognize this bastard child.

Sophie Sophie Liya had long since let go of this, and she wouldn't harbor any feelings of jealousy or hatred because of it; at most, she felt a slight sense of loss.

Moreover, she was actually treated much better than Mi Sa Ya.

At the very least, Mother Gabriel had acknowledged her as a daughter; earlier, when the Lord of Radiance first entered, she had smiled gently at her, clearly showing genuine affection.

And while Total Mana still refused to acknowledge her as a daughter, earlier in the Netherworld, this person had asked her to call her "Sister," which was also a rare form of closeness and recognition.

Furthermore, she was no longer that lonely Mi Sa Ya; she had already found her own harbor, she had her Master, she had the Young Lady, and she was already very happy, needing nothing more.

Therefore, the Pure White Witch shifted her gaze away from these big shots, searching for a familiar figure.

However...

Nothing.

Where did the Young Lady go?

Sophie Sophie Liya paused, then frowned slightly.

Good grief, this is your birthday banquet, yet you, the protagonist, are the one who slipped away while everyone else is enjoying the party.

The Pure White Witch felt both angry and amused.

However, just as she was smiling, the single strand of hair on her head twitched, and she felt a sense of unease, as if something very unfavorable to her was about to happen.

This was a warning from fate.

Could it be related to the Young Lady?

Sophie Sophie Liya wasn't sure.

After all, the Young Lady was an insulator of fate, and she couldn't perceive the Young Lady's fate at all.

However, this warning from fate was directed at herself, indicating a crisis for her, but she couldn't tell who had triggered it.

Of course, this in itself was an answer; if it had been triggered by someone else, the Pure White Witch would have been able to perceive the person's identity to some extent, but now that there was no information, that in itself was an answer.

If everything under heaven is white, and only you are black, then who else could this conspicuous black be?

Immediately, the Pure White Witch smiled and said to the guests in front of her:

"Excuse me, everyone, please allow me to go touch up my makeup."

She naturally wasn't really going to touch up her makeup, as her face was still exquisitely made up and exceptionally beautiful.

But since witches no longer had the "three urgencies," they couldn't use the excuse of going to the restroom, so they generally used "touching up makeup" to indicate they had business and needed to excuse themselves.

The guests who had been chatting with her understood immediately, as they were all old hands.

Some smiled and toasted to say goodbye, continuing to look for others to socialize with, while others raised their eyebrows, feeling that this young Angel Witch was a bit spoiled and arrogant.

However, Sophie Sophie Liya clearly had no time to care about the thoughts of these guests.

Although she had originally intended to help the Young Lady build connections with these people, the growing sense of unease in her heart left her in no mood for it.

She walked quickly to the entrance of the banquet hall, but before leaving, she turned back to look at the hall.

Hmm, everyone was enjoying the feast, everyone had their own conversation partners, and everyone was tied up; the banquet seemed to possess a magical power that made everyone indulge in it, including the Dragon King, Total Mana, the Lord of Radiance, and the two Demon Gods...

Is this normal?

The Pure White Witch shivered involuntarily.

This was clearly not normal, but who could possibly pull off such a feat?

Just as Sophie Sophie Liya was both shocked and puzzled.

She suddenly noticed Gabriel looking at her, then winking.

"Silly girl, what are you still looking at? If you don't hurry, you'll be crying soon."

The voice of her mother echoed in her ear.

Well, this was no longer a hint from fate, but a direct indication.

The Pure White Witch didn't hesitate any longer; she stepped out of the banquet hall, and her white hair began to be tinged with gray, while twelve half-black, half-white wings spread out behind her, and she vanished from the spot.

A moment later, she appeared at the Queen's Palace, arriving at the Young Lady's door.

She knocked on the door and waited for three seconds.

The room was silent, as if no one was inside.

Did the Young Lady not return to her room?

Sophie Sophie Liya thought to herself.

But the next second, her intuition dismissed this possibility.

After all, she understood the Young Lady; this person wasn't the type to wander around aimlessly, and she preferred staying in her room to browse the Mana Web or study magical knowledge rather than roaming outside.

But if the Young Lady were really in the room, she would definitely have opened the door immediately, rather than staying silent for three seconds.

This was definitely trouble.

The Gray Witch confirmed this, and without further hesitation, she raised her foot and kicked the door.

Fortunately, the door wasn't sealed by any strange magic, and she opened it smoothly, rushing into the room.

And then...

When the two disheveled figures entangled on the bed appeared before her eyes, Sophie Sophie Liya's pupils contracted, and the worried, anxious expression on her face gradually turned cold.

Her eyes became sharp, and her top-tier magic eyes were truly capable of killing with a glance.

Heh, no wonder fate gave her a warning; she thought it was something major, but it turned out the Young Lady was receiving so many hats for her coming-of-age ceremony today that she decided to share one with her.

Dorothy felt like she was having a beautiful dream.

She dreamed that Senior Fan Ni, who never kept her word, had finally decided to fulfill a long-standing bet, wearing a sexy and enchanting cat-ear maid outfit, with a fluffy cat tail actually hanging behind her.

The future Fourth Rank was already a peerless beauty with the looks of a King, but at this moment, this future supreme ruler was looking at her with a blushing face, her eyes filled with gentle and coquettish charm like water.

Although very shy, the Senior actually endured the shame, raising her hands in cat-paw shapes by her head, while the long cat tail behind her reached forward, rubbing against her hand.

"Meow, I am your exclusive maid Fan Ni, Master. You've returned. Would you like to take a bath first, or eat, or perhaps..."

"Meow~~~"

The Senior let out a coquettish meow.

Good heavens, you're testing me with this kind of dream?

What normal little witch could withstand this test?

Anyway, Dorothy decided she couldn't.

If this were reality, she would have to pretend to be a gentleman and worry about pure sisterly friendship, but this was a dream—could anyone really fail in a dream?

So, she pounced with a roar.

Hehehe, you little gluttonous cat, let me feed you well.

That was her plan.

However, the dream's development didn't quite meet her expectations.

She thought it was a little kitten, but it suddenly turned into a big tiger upon pouncing; it was hard to say who was feeding whom now.

Dorothy was instantly flipped over and pinned to the bed, while the tiger Senior revealed a triumphant smile.

"Hehehe, Qian Bao, excellent hunters often appear in the form of prey. Now you are mine."

At once, the tiger bit the prey's neck, savoring the sweet fragrance to the fullest.

Dorothy: "..."

No way, I'm already submissive in reality, how can I still be judged by strength in a dream?

The Home Witch refused to accept this injustice and immediately began to fight back.

Although her neck was bitten, she stubbornly reached out and grabbed the tiger maid's tail.

Suddenly, the big cat shuddered and went limp.

Hehe, sure enough, the weakness of most creatures with tails is their tail.

It was just that this tigress really wasn't easy to deal with; even though her vital point was held, she still locked onto her neck.

Damn it, so itchy.

But she had to tame this tigress today, so she fought back fiercely, engaging in a bitter struggle with the tiger maid who was biting her master.

For a time, clothes tore, and tiger fur flew everywhere.

It was a pity that human defense ultimately couldn't compare to a tiger's; Dorothy's armor was quickly destroyed, resulting in a major defeat. However, the tiger maid only suffered minor damage.

And with her armor gone, seeing that she was about to be devoured by this terrifying tigress, Dorothy fell into a disadvantage.

The tiger maid stopped biting her neck and began to tear at her chest, seemingly wanting to taste other more tender and delicious parts.

But as a holder of the Unyielding Martial Soul, the Home Witch would not surrender.

A tiger can bite a person, so why can't a person bite a tiger?

She immediately launched a counterattack, biting the tigress on the shoulder.

It was just a pity that willpower couldn't offset the strength gap, and her defeat was only a matter of time.

It was over; she wanted to pet a cat, but ended up feeding a tiger with her own body.

But in the midst of this despair, suddenly, she felt a familiar icy gaze and seemed to hear a familiar mocking voice in her ear.

"Tsk, my Young Lady, don't you usually brag quite a bit, shouting every day that you want me to look good? Is this really all you've got?"

"If I may be blunt, you look really like small fry right now."

"Well, small fry really can't beat a cat; it's only natural to be eaten by one. I guess my expectations for you were too high."

Dorothy: "..."

Damn, can this be tolerated?

"Sophie Sophie Liya, I've tolerated you for a long time. Today we must decide who is superior. So what if I'm small fry? Even small fry can eat swan meat."

The Home Witch was furious.

Dorothy flared up for a moment.

She opened her eyes and glared at this hateful housekeeper.

Dorothy was angry for a moment...