Chapter 295: Newcomers, Read the Announcement Before Joining the Group

"A hundred people, huh? That works."

Lan Qingyou nodded upon learning the exact number.

'Tsk, tsk.'

A single squad of a hundred Witches, and all of them were top-tier scholars?

It was worth noting that when the Supreme Council first distributed the Witch's Potion, they prioritized individuals with strong learning capabilities, fully aware of the demanding nature of Potioneering.

And these hundred Witches were the absolute best out of ten thousand.

This much was obvious just from looking at their Magic Eyes.

Most of them had auxiliary-type eyes, remarkably similar to Sophia's Analysis Magic Eye and Lan Qingyou's own Analysis Magic Eye.

Furthermore, their proficiency in Potioneering had already reached D-rank across the board, with some even hitting C-rank—the level required to brew advanced Potions.

The thought of herself—a mere middle school graduate—instructing a group of elite scholars filled Lan Qingyou with a distinct sense of pride.

"Alright, everyone. Since we are all Witches, let us discuss the construction of the magic formation in the Cursed Corridor," she announced.

After indulging in her brief moment of pride, Lan Qingyou floated about ten meters into the air, ensuring that every Witch present could clearly see her and hear her words.

"But before we begin... everyone, please take out your Identity Cards, and turn to the pattern on the back."

"Huh?"

Lan Qingyou's abrupt and seemingly disjointed instruction left the observing Witches completely baffled.

She did not offer any further explanation.

Descending back to the ground, she simply scanned the pattern on the back of Sophia's Card—the commander had obediently drawn it despite her confusion.

An invitation prompt suddenly popped up, giving Sophia quite a start.

"Ah?"

"What is it?"

The surrounding Witches eagerly crowded around to see what was happening, quickly noticing the invitation floating above Sophia's Card.

"Witch's Tea Party? What is this..."

"A place for Witches to communicate and learn from one another," Lan Qingyou explained with a smile.

She gestured for Sophia to accept the invitation.

The prospect of communicating and learning might not hold any appeal to ordinary people, but for Witches—especially a group of absolute academic geniuses—it was an incredibly lethal temptation.

Under the intense gaze of the crowd surrounding her, Sophia tapped the prompt and joined the chat group.

Poison Witch (Admin): "A newcomer has arrived. Please change your nickname and check the rules pinned in the group announcement."

Snowflake Witch: "Welcome."

Black Earth Witch: "Welcome."

Knowledge Witch: "Welcome."

...

After receiving their assignments yesterday, Susi and her companions had left the Golden Plains overnight.

Although they had not found any wild Witches yet, armed with the Witch's Potion, they had artificially evolved quite a few new ones.

After all, faced with such an incredible free opportunity, every single person they approached had agreed the moment the offer was made.

As a result, a good number of new Witches had been added to the chat group.

Their most pressing priority right now was to level up and secure a top-ten skill selection for the following month.

While they had Diana's Magic Scrolls, Lan Qingyou was currently far too busy.

They could only wait for Lan Qingyou to free up her schedule, study the creation of Magic Scrolls, and then transcribe her Soul Siphon spell onto them for others to learn.

Because of this, the dozen or so new Witches were basically moving together as a single unit.

Seeing a newcomer join the group, they immediately popped up to warmly welcome her.

It was a sheer coincidence. They had just gathered together and were preparing to enter a dungeon when the notification chimed...

'I see, so this is how nicknames are formatted in this group,' Sophia thought to herself.

Observing the chat logs and the display names, she quickly grasped the unwritten rules.

She promptly changed her nickname to "Analysis Witch." After skimming through the basic rules—which primarily forbade Witches from harming one another—she typed out a highly formal introductory message.

Analysis Witch: "Thank you, everyone. A large number of Witches will likely be joining shortly. I look forward to learning from all of you in the future."

Poison Witch: "Sophia?"

Analysis Witch: "Are you... Susi, by any chance?"

Poison Witch: "That's me."

Analysis Witch: "..."

When Sophia first saw the name "Poison Witch," she assumed it was merely a thematic nickname or perhaps a coincidence. Who could have guessed it was actually the very person she knew?

Wait, wasn't this woman serving as a branch master for the Adventurer's Guild? How did she end up in the Witch's Tea Party?

Had the Origin Witch secretly met up with her beforehand?

Judging by the distinct color of her nickname and the authoritative message she sent upon Sophia's entry, Susi was evidently an administrator here.

Origin Witch: "Oh, right, Susi. I forgot to tell you—you have officially been appointed as the branch master of the Adventurer's Guild in The Abandoned Land."

The two acquaintances had plenty to discuss after running into each other in such an unexpected place, but Lan Qingyou's sudden interjection brought their conversation to a screeching halt, leaving one of them completely dumbfounded.

Poison Witch: "Huh?"

Susi's mouth fell open in shock. She had literally just resigned yesterday! Less than twenty-four hours later, she was being assigned a new job—and it was the exact same position she had just left?

Origin Witch: "Durandal, the chairman of the Supreme Council, has already agreed to my demands. Starting today, the entirety of The Abandoned Land is officially recognized as a lawful Autonomous Domain for our Witch Clan. Everything within its borders, including the operations of the Adventurer's Guild, will be taken over and managed by our kind."

Lan Qingyou specifically named Durandal instead of the Supreme Council because she knew this concession was a personal compromise from the chairman himself, not a unanimous decision by the council.

The ever-astute Susi instantly caught onto this nuance.

Of course.

Understanding the politics was one thing.

Actually accepting the job was entirely another.

Poison Witch: "...Are you kidding me? I just resigned from my branch master position so I could focus on leveling up. I'm literally standing at the entrance of a dungeon right now, and you're telling me this?"

Origin Witch: "It's fine, the new branch hasn't even been built yet. Also, if you guys get tired from grinding levels, just link directly to the teleportation point in the Witches' Forest. It's a renovated area within the Abandoned Forest."

Poison Witch: "Fine. I'll go check it out once I clear this dungeon."

Origin Witch: "Alright. I've deposited some Potions into the group warehouse. Feel free to take whatever you need. I have to get back to teaching these hundred or so Witches."

Poison Witch: "Wait, teaching?"

Origin Witch: "Yeah, I took on a quest from the Supreme Council to construct a massive magic formation in a special location. They dispatched a hundred and one Witches over to study under me and act as assistants."

Poison Witch: "Hold on a second."

Seeing that Lan Qingyou was about to begin her lecture, Susi immediately gathered the dozen Witches in front of her for a quick huddle.

Their original goal for assembling here had indeed been to level up.

However, a lecture taught personally by Lan Qingyou was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they simply could not miss.

While Susi and her group excitedly debated their change of plans, Sophia stood off to the side, already growing completely numb to it all.