Chapter 306: Lan Qingyou's Second Threat

Tower: "Uh... I didn't expect this to happen either. I just mentioned everyone's price quotes, that's all."

When Chu Yuan sought out Lan Qingyou to relay the situation, she was just as bewildered.

She was merely acting as a messenger and hadn't even added a single extra word.

Yet those old fogeys still had the nerve to find fault with her?

Tower: "Since things have already escalated to this point, what else can be done? The only solution now is probably to raise the Witches' compensation."

Lan Qingyou spoke with a hint of annoyance.

Are you kidding me? Coming right at me and accusing me of instigating everything?

You completely gloss over the fact that you treated people like beasts of burden. What, did your senility make you forget?

Judgement: "If we do that, it will definitely make things difficult for everyone else."

Tower: "I'm sure the Supreme Council also wants the Witches to pay off their debts as soon as possible."

Tower: "If they don't want that, I can just hire them through other means and let them bypass that slave contract entirely."

Lan Qingyou was still issuing threats.

However, this time, the threat was far more severe than the last.

Previously, Lan Qingyou was nothing more than a commander without an army, or rather, simply a creator.

But after interacting with the 101 Witch Troupe, and following their subsequent promotion of her.

Lan Qingyou—the creator of the Witch Clan who never actually wanted to rule over anyone—had firmly established herself as a leader in the hearts of the vast majority of the ten thousand Witches under the Supreme Council.

Therefore, this threat carried significantly more weight than her previous ones.

Tower: "Alright, I have a lot on my plate right now, so let's leave it at that for today."

After delivering her final answer, Lan Qingyou slipped the Card back into the Herb Pouch on her belt.

On the other end, all Chu Yuan could do was smile bitterly.

He could not figure out if she was doing this on purpose or completely by accident.

Regardless, according to Lan Qingyou's demands, not only would the Witches' compensation within the Supreme Council instantly triple, but it would also skyrocket far above what other races received.

This was likely what the Pope had meant when he previously mentioned how protective she was of her own.

Thus, he relayed Lan Qingyou's words, leaving the entire Supreme Council utterly numb with shock.

They had every reason to be numb.

Lan Qingyou threatened them day in and day out. It was bad enough that she made them lose face, but the worst part was that they had to swallow their grievances and accept the loss in silence.

They had no other choice. The Adventurer's Guild required people to build its magic arrays so that the Supreme Council's sphere of influence could continue to expand, thereby steadily increasing their power.

Triple the pay it is, then. It was no big deal. The Supreme Council did not lack money, anyway.

If they ever truly ran short, they could just fire up the mints and print more.

Therefore, after a swift vote, the bill to triple the Witches' salaries was passed that very day.

To spite the other new Clan Heads who were competing with them for manpower, they even publicly posted the new rates.

Let alone the Clan Heads, it was the first time the Witches themselves learned exactly how much their travel subsidies were for each trip.

Whether or not these publicly posted subsidies matched the previously opaque amounts was irrelevant. What mattered was that if any other races or organizations wanted to hire Witches in the future, they would have to meet this standard.

Can't afford it?

If you can't afford it, then step aside and don't get in the way.

Back on her end, Lan Qingyou felt rather gloomy after putting away her Card, as she realized she had somehow turned into a glorified labor contractor.

She was running around securing projects, only to send the Witches in her group rushing from site to site like a construction crew.

However... if it meant they could pay off their debts sooner, it was perfectly justifiable.

In truth, neither Lan Qingyou nor the other Witches had ever considered packing up and running away.

Equivalent Exchange.

It was the fundamental principle of Alchemy. If you received a benefit, you naturally had to pay the price.

That was why Lan Qingyou negotiated the prices for the Witches, and why the Witches, despite their constant grumbling, gritted their teeth and persevered to clear their debts.

"Alright, let's get back to what we were discussing earlier."

Having spent a little time going back and forth with the Supreme Council, Lan Qingyou was finally able to spare a moment to handle her own affairs.

"Diana, help me gather everyone here. I have an announcement to make."

After glancing at Shang Chuan, Lan Qingyou opted to call for Diana.

After all, while Shang Chuan was a business partner, he was still an outsider. Diana, despite being a recent acquaintance, was a fellow Witch and thus one of their own.

Although she did not know what Lan Qingyou intended to do, Diana immediately set off to carry out the order.

In no time at all, all the humans in the Witches' Forest had gathered together. Lan Qingyou took a rough glance and estimated the crowd to be around one or two thousand people.

Of course, this wasn't everyone in the Witches' Forest.

There were still others carrying out construction work in different areas, as the Witches' Forest was laid out in a massive circle.

When these one or two thousand people were summoned, they were utterly terrified.

Whether they were shifty-eyed thieves, slender and cunning swindlers, or heavily tattooed, burly violent criminals, every single one of them stood below, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

They couldn't even muster the courage to raise their heads and look at Lan Qingyou, who was sitting on her Magic Broom up in the air.

They couldn't help it.

Their life in the Witches' Forest these past few days had simply been far too comfortable.

They spent their days building houses with magic and their nights sleeping peacefully inside those newly constructed homes.

During their downtime, they would step outside the magic array to gather resources, passing the time while earning a bit of extra income.

And when magical tides ravaged the lands outside, they could remain safe within the array, enjoying a serene and peaceful existence.

Because of this, no one wanted to be chased away.

This was their home now, and they needed to stay here.

And the Witch hovering in the sky was the only person who held the power to pass judgment on them.

"Hello everyone, you've all worked hard recently. I trust you all know who I am, so I'll skip the pleasantries. I've gathered you all here today for just one thing."

Once everyone was assembled, Lan Qingyou immediately cut to the chase.

To be honest, it was her first time giving a speech in front of so many people. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous.

However, seeing that the crowd below wasn't staring at her, she finally let out a small sigh of relief.

After all, while Lan Qingyou wasn't exactly a wallflower, she wasn't exactly a social butterfly either.

There was a first time for everything, so feeling a little anxious was perfectly normal.

But if given the choice, she certainly wouldn't want to do this a second time.

Yet, she had no choice this time, as the matter at hand was far too important.

"The matter is quite simple. I have prepared five hundred vials of the Witch's Potion for everyone here. The price is six hundred milliliters of blood per vial, and upon exchange, it must be consumed on the spot."