Chapter 983: The Hunt Begins

“Lady Euphilia.”

Mavis bowed deeply to her sovereign with utmost respect.

“Sorry to interrupt your vacation, Mavis. You don’t need to worry about us—I just brought these kids here for a little hunt.”

Euphilia waved her hand, signaling her trusted subordinate to stand at ease.

“How could it be an interruption? Lady Euphilia, your will is the very purpose of our Legion’s existence. Managing this pasture is our duty—and please allow me to serve as your attendant during your hunt.”

The petite Time Dragon Witch lifted her head, her large, beautiful silver eyes fixed on the Dragon Queen with unhidden admiration and anticipation.

“It’s truly unnecessary, Mavis. This hunt is for the children—I’m just tagging along. I’ve said before: on duty, we’re sovereign and subject; in private, we’re friends. This is personal time—you really don’t need to be so formal.”

Euphilia repeated her counsel with genuine sincerity.

Though she commanded her troops strictly, she was never one of those tyrannical bosses who blurred the line between public and private life. She always disliked ordering subordinates on their days off.

Especially Mavis—not just her subordinate, but also her former junior. That junior had once been famed as a genius; with her strength and talent, she could have joined any prestigious battle group. Yet she had chosen, amid everyone’s confusion and doubt, to join the then-obscure Destruction Legion.

What profound sisterly devotion.

Though Euphilia had indeed taken care of this little junior back in academy, she never believed her small acts of kindness could compare to Mavis’s years of unwavering support and aid since.

So Euphilia truly cherished this loyal friend who had stood by her in hardship. She had never treated her as a mere subordinate to be used at will, always showing her full respect—as if she were her own younger sister.

Even within the Destruction Legion, Mavis held the rank of Chief Strategist, second only to Euphilia.

“No, no, no, Lady Euphilia—it’s no trouble at all! I mean, I actually wanted to hunt too. I love hunting! Please let me join you.”

The doll-like Time Dragon Witch shook her head vigorously, speaking with slightly clumsy earnestness.

“Hmm, really?”

Euphilia tilted her head in mild confusion.

“Yes, yes, yes! That’s exactly it!”

Mavis nodded frantically.

“Then alright, we’ll go together. But today I’m mainly here with Dorothy to gather materials for Evolution Elixirs—can we still pick our prey freely?”

Long Ma still looked slightly concerned.

“Of course, anything is fine, Lady Euphilia. I don’t mind.”

The Time Dragon Witch beamed happily.

Even her dragon tail beneath her robe was thumping the ground.

Dorothy: “.”

I’m watching.

The homebound witch watched her mother and this Time Dragon aunt converse, then blinked.

Oh boy.

She glanced from her clueless mother to Mavis, whose feelings were practically written on her face—and her smile slowly turned mischievous.

Hehe, I’ve hit the jackpot.

Then again, it makes sense—her mother is outstanding, beautiful, and wealthy. It’d be stranger if she had no admirers.

Too bad, though—Long Ma’s personality, aside from her fierce ambition, is pure wood. A real blockhead.

Thinking of this, Dorothy shook her head. Poor Mavis was in for a rough ride.

Still, she had no intention of meddling.

She’d once helped Adam and Anne together, but back then, both were clearly interested—she’d just nudged them along. Now, this was pure one-sided longing. Her mother clearly saw Mavis as a sister.

Ah, poor tragic heroine. No chance at all.

Yet as she was busy savoring the drama, Long Ma turned her gaze toward her, as if seeking her opinion.

Dorothy, of course, had no objections—though her mother had no romantic interest in Mavis, she herself did. She was hungry for this young aunt’s

knowledge.

She stepped forward and politely greeted the Time Dragon Witch.

“Lady Mavis, please guide me.”

But the Time Dragon Witch glanced at her, her expression complex.

Disdain. Admiration. Jealousy. Regret. Love by association.

In short—very complicated.

In the end, Mavis offered neither distance nor warmth, bowing with the sterile formality of a retainer addressing the lord’s daughter.

“Miss, it is my duty to serve you. No need for courtesy.”

Dorothy didn’t mind. She never expected warmth from the rival’s daughter.

Oh, though Adam hardly counted as a rival—poor Dad was just a tool in her mother’s eyes, at best a partner.

Thus, the hunting party grew larger.

Afterwards, the group rested briefly in the outpost castle.

Mainly to let Dorothy and the other young witches, new to this pasture world, adapt to its rules—and to acclimate to their slightly suppressed power levels, avoiding mistakes during the hunt.

Dorothy adapted quickly. She found the pasture world’s suppression on her was minimal—after all, she was a Dragon Witch, her abilities inherently dragonic. A little adjustment was enough.

She even noticed casting in Dragon Tongue seemed to grant slight power boosts here.

Also, she found physical abilities—like Combat Arts or Transformation Arts—worked better here. It made sense: dragons, as the pinnacle of physical evolution, shaped even the world’s rules toward physicality.

Mia, her senior, felt the same—they were both Dragon Witches, and suffered little.

Madeline, as a Succubus Witch, was also naturally suited to physicality and fared well.

Alice, Audrey, and Sophilya, however, were heavily affected.

Sophilya had been here before and had adapted long ago; the two younger sisters, though, looked genuinely miserable.

During the rest, Long Ma informed them of today’s targets.

“Today’s main prey are two types: the Cockatrice Dragon and the Rock Serpent Dragon.”

Euphilia snapped her fingers, conjuring images of the two dragon-beasts.

“Ideally, we’d hunt true dragon species like the Serpent King or Serpent Emperor—but sadly, even in Dragon Realm, these ancient dragons are rare. We don’t have them here—or rather, not anymore.”

“But this pasture holds the ancient tomb of a Serpent King. Its residual power has nurtured many sub-dragons and dragon-beasts infused with serpent-dragon essence.”

“Of these, the Cockatrice Dragon and Rock Serpent Dragon are most useful for the Fear Gaze specialty.”

Dorothy studied the two dragon-beasts her mother had conjured.

Hmm, the names were apt.

The Cockatrice Dragon looked like a chicken with a snake tail—except it stood dozens of meters tall. And according to Long Ma, the imposing chicken body was actually the tail; the true body was the serpent-like form beneath.

The Cockatrice Dragon’s serpent-head eyes could induce paralyzing fear with a single glance—perfectly matching Fear Gaze’s effect.

The Rock Serpent Dragon resembled a massive stone serpent, huge in size, mostly subterranean, fond of burrowing. Its serpent eyes resembled Medusa’s petrifying gaze—both could turn flesh to stone.

Honestly, neither beast was particularly powerful—but neither was easy to catch.

“The Cockatrice Dragon is timid and lives in groups. You must ambush them. If they spot you, one squawk triggers every serpent head in the flock to turn toward you—even a Peak Witch would be paralyzed by fear. And once startled, they’ll remain hyper-alert for days—you won’t get a second chance.”

“The Rock Serpent Dragon is solitary, but it stays underground most of the time. You might lure it up with bait—but it’s extremely sensitive to surface vibrations. Even after setting traps, you must keep your distance and observe. Attacks must be long-range sniping. One misstep, and it vanishes underground for days.”

Mavis stepped in, elaborating on the hunting challenges.

Dorothy glanced at her mother.

Oh boy—ambushes, sniping… You’re clearly testing my bow accuracy.

She suspected her mother deliberately chose these two beasts to discourage her cannon-fantasy.

But she wasn’t the type to back down from difficulty.

A little challenge made it fun. She felt her motivation rise.

Soon, the rest ended. The group set off on their hunt.

This time, Long Ma didn’t summon her Dragon Serpent Spirit to carry them—too noisy. It’d scare every beast away. What kind of hunt was that?

So they opted for quiet, low-altitude broom flight.

Dorothy pulled out the birthday gift Alice had just given her: the Lightseeker, a broom shaped like a heavy motorcycle.

Though the little witch had clearly given her own favorite item, Dorothy had to admit—it was perfect. She’d already felt her old standard broom was inadequate and had been planning to upgrade. Alice had delivered a top-tier model just in time.

Of course, if she could choose, she’d prefer a less flamboyant design—it clashed with her usual understated nature. But since it was a gift from her adorable sister, she didn’t mind being a little flashy now and then.

Hehe, how do you know this was gifted by my sweet sister? How about yours? Did your sister ever give you anything? Oh, sorry—I forgot most witches are only children. My bad—you don’t have sweet sisters.

The Fairy King loved the Lightseeker. Dorothy had once let it out for a joyride right after receiving it. The bastard still mocked her with his usual biting sarcasm—always smirking at everyone.

It was infuriating. How could such a socially anxious homebody like her have such an “anti-social” avatar? Where did this twisted personality even come from?

Still, the new broom felt excellent—built-in soft, comfortable cushion. No more needing to conjure a seat with magic each time. Especially since Dorothy was a traditional straddle-rider, not a side-sitter. Without a cushion, she’d risk falling off—literally.

The only issue? The Lightseeker was too fast. One slip, and she’d “open the demon gate,” leaving her companions far behind. She had to brake and throttle down.

But Long Ma and Mavis stopped the group at the mouth of a valley thick with toxic mists.

“Here it is—the ancient Serpent King’s tomb. From now on, no hints. Hunting’s more fun when you find your prey yourself.”

Euphilia told them.

“Understood, Mother. Watch us—this hunt? We’ll handle it easily.”

Dorothy had no objections.

But to perform better, she switched to her Fairy King persona—so now she seemed unusually bold.

But Fairy King could just boast. Dorothy had real concerns.

She stared at the obscuring toxic mist around her, feeling overwhelmed.

Difficulty just spiked. Mother, you never mentioned the visibility was this bad. Sniping in this hellhole? You’re torturing me.

A flash of magical runes appeared in Dorothy’s eyes as she tried to enhance her vision with the Spirit-Seeing Technique—but it did little good.

The miasma and toxins in this valley were remnants of an ancient dragon’s corpse, imbued with powerful dragon magic, so no ordinary eye technique could pierce through it—even with her Scry Aura spell activated, she could still see no more than a hundred meters around her.

Fortunately, she was not fighting alone.

At once, Dorothy turned her gaze to Sophie and Audrey beside her.

Both sisters possessed high-grade demon eyes; their vision would surely be superior to hers in this environment.

Indeed, the Pure White Witch remained calm; she had intended to guide them, but after a moment’s thought, she glanced at the eager little fox beside her and said nothing.

“Senior sister, I’ll lead the way.”

Audrey, in turn, gave the Angel Witch a grateful look, then cheerfully volunteered.

The fox leads the way.

Audrey, pull yourself together—aww, the fox spirit is being mercilessly crushed by the lawful wife.