Chapter 249: Susi, the Poison Witch

After finishing the B-rank talent potions, Lan Qingyou packed them all into her Card. Then, using her A-rank Crystal Pen, she began to further engrave her magic arrays and some of her golems.

After all, she had previously used a mere B-rank Crystal Pen. Now that she had acquired a more advanced tool, it was only natural to meticulously refine her magic arrays.

The critical nodes, in particular, needed to be completely redrawn.

For this drafting process, Lan Qingyou employed a displacement technique.

To put it simply, she would draw the new node right next to the old one, connect it, and then erase the obsolete lines. It was incredibly convenient.

The golems went without saying.

Given their inherently limited size, the magic symbols, Magic Circuits, and magical directives naturally needed to be as compact as possible.

Only by doing so could she free up enough space to cram in even more functions.

This meticulous work kept her busy for three whole days.

The Golden Plains held the whereabouts of the Huang family father and son—the culprits who had driven her into her current state—based on the intel Chu Yuan had previously provided.

Initially, Lan Qingyou had planned to pack her bags and fly over there to cause trouble for them from the sky.

After all, with the disappearance of the barrier, The Fool and that map-making organization he joined had significantly sped up their surveying. As a result, the map of Karim within the Card system had been thoroughly updated and refined.

But with the Teleportation Array now available, there was no need for such a hassle.

Especially since the Golden Plains had been included in the very first batch of active Teleportation Arrays.

She had to admit, Chu Yuan—that man in his forties—certainly had good situational awareness. He knew exactly what she wanted to do.

Indeed, in Lan Qingyou's eyes, the fact that the first wave of Teleportation Array locations included the Golden Plains—where the Huangs resided—was undoubtedly due to Chu Yuan pulling some strings.

Even though The Abandoned Land was also part of that initial rollout, Lan Qingyou felt certain that Chu Yuan's hidden hand was behind it all.

This time, Lan Qingyou did not bring Steel Wool or Little Spoon along.

After all, she was out for revenge, not a treasure hunt. Leaving them to guard the house would prevent any unnecessary distractions.

Whoosh—

Her vision blurred for a split second, and Lan Qingyou found herself standing in a room built primarily out of Stone.

There were tables and chairs nearby, and a front counter further in the distance.

Surrounding her was a crowd of people dressed in all sorts of attire.

Some rushed back and forth carrying weapons, while others sat around chatting merrily over drinks. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

'To think it's only been a few days since the Supreme Council issued their announcement,' she mused. 'Has the Adventurer's Guild really developed this much already?'

'I suppose there really are a lot of lonely people out there who prefer to stick together.'

Naturally, the people closest to the Teleportation Array immediately noticed Lan Qingyou, who was decked out in traditional Witch attire.

In an instant, the adventurers who had just been drinking and laughing ceased their chatter, holding their mugs mid-air as they stared toward the teleportation platform.

Prompted by their sudden silence, people at the other tables sensed something was off. When they glanced over, they too froze in place.

Like a ripple effect, within the mere four or five seconds it took for Lan Qingyou to survey her surroundings, the once-bustling Adventurer's Guild fell eerily silent.

"A Witch!"

"She's not a Witch from our region."

"Then who could it be?"

"The Tower Witch hands out Witch's Potions to the world whenever she feels like it. Lord knows who this is."

After observing Lan Qingyou in silence for a moment, the crowd broke into hushed whispers.

The Golden Plains was home to four Witches.

These four Witches had transformed shortly after the Tower Witch created the Witch's Potion, leading the locals to believe they definitely had some sort of connection to her.

In the past, the moment they laid eyes on Lan Qingyou, they would have instantly thought of the "Tower Witch" they were so familiar with.

However, because Lan Qingyou had subsequently "spammed" the distribution of Witch's Potions, sightings of Witches popped up on the world channel from time to time. As a result, the crowd didn't immediately associate her with the Tower Witch herself.

Instead, they were simply guessing what a Witch from another region was doing here in the Golden Plains.

The key detail was that she was sitting on a levitating Magic Broom—an image that radiated an incredibly high-status aura no matter how they looked at it.

At the very least, she seemed much more imposing than the four Witches they were used to seeing.

The crowd's initial silence followed by their buzzing gossip prompted Lan Qingyou to withdraw her gaze from the rest of the Golden Plains Adventurer's Guild and focus on the people standing closest to her.

A warrior clad in full plate armor, a mage draped in robes, an assassin with their nose and mouth concealed, and a priest clutching a staff.

Tsk, tsk. What a perfectly standard adventurer combat party.

"What's wrong with all of you? Just standing there in a daze—do you not have work to do?"

Just as both sides were quietly sizing each other up, a woman's cold, clear voice echoed from the second floor of the hall.

Lan Qingyou looked up and spotted a tall, elegant woman in her thirties. She wore deep green magic robes and a matching deep green pointed Witch's hat, with thin, black-rimmed glasses resting on her face. She stood on the second floor, one hand resting on the railing and the other grasping a magic staff woven from plant Vines.

At first glance, the woman's attire was quite similar to Lan Qingyou's.

However, there were subtle differences in the cut of the robes and the small ornaments adorning her pointed hat.

Just like her, the woman possessed striking crimson eyes.

Lan Qingyou didn't even need to activate her Analysis Magic Eye to know that this person was definitely a Witch who had evolved using a Witch's Potion.

The very first impression this woman gave Lan Qingyou was "strict".

Strict in the exact same way a homeroom teacher would be.

That gaze instantly reminded Lan Qingyou of the time in middle school when she had been caught secretly playing on her phone by her homeroom teacher glaring through the classroom window.

'It's exactly the same...'

Just thinking about that memory still sent a slight shiver down Lan Qingyou's spine.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The woman descended from the second floor step by step, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor, until she arrived right beside Lan Qingyou.

"Greetings, Clan Head."

"Clan... Clan Head?"

The sudden title nearly threw Lan Qingyou off balance.

"You were the one who established the Witch Clan, so it is only fitting to address you as the Clan Head."

The woman adjusted the frame of her glasses with one finger and spoke in a rigid, matter-of-fact tone.

'Oh, no!'

With just that simple gesture, her aura instantly evolved from a mere homeroom teacher into a terrifying dean of discipline. She had leveled up!

"Ah, oh, right. I suppose you have a point," Lan Qingyou replied.

She gave a slight nod, projecting an air of absolute calm and breezy indifference.

Although she looked perfectly at ease, Lan Qingyou was currently sweating bullets. This entire facade was nothing more than an act.

Being the Clan Head naturally came with a heavy Idol Burden. Ordinary people simply wouldn't understand.

"And you are...?"

Steadying her mind and catching her breath, Lan Qingyou looked at the thirty-something woman.

"I am Susi, employed by the Karim Supreme Council and the Adventurer's Guild. I am temporarily serving as the Guild Master for the Golden Plains Adventurer's Guild. However, the adventurers around here mostly prefer to call me—the Poison Witch."