Chapter 405: Witchcraft (Please vote for the monthly ticket!)

Glaston.

Emerging from the docklands, one could see a constructed track leading straight to a massive walled city not far away.

"It gives the impression... that the military pressure on this colony is quite high."

Aaron raised his hand to shield his eyes from the intense sunlight.

Once he saw the situation on the streets clearly, a sense of an era where the new and old intersected rushed toward him.

Gentlemen in tailcoats and top hats with blonde hair and blue eyes, ladies in dresses...

Local natives with brown skin, wearing headdresses made of brightly colored feathers, with very little fabric on their bodies...

"Sounds like an adventurer's Heaven," Aaron said noncommittally. "What about outside? I hear there are many guys who made a fortune in the Native States."

Behind the bar was a spirited white male bartender, looking to be in his fifties or sixties, his face etched with the weathering of a hard life; every wrinkle and scar seemed to condense the wisdom of his years.

"They can enslave souls and cast curses..."

Aaron thought for a moment, found a bar on the street, and walked inside.

"Oh? What can those Wizards do?" Aaron became interested and asked casually.

"Oh? It seems... you are an Extraordinary?" Laomading wiped a glass without the slightest surprise; clearly, being an Extraordinary was no big deal here.

"I'm not afraid of that; I have a gun and some decent abilities..." Aaron deliberately revealed a confident look.

Ignorant old Wizards peddled various magical potions on the streets.

Laomading picked up the silver Shilling and whistled: "You shouldn't be one of those desperate exiles or adventurers, guest. You don't need to do that kind of dangerous work. As long as we are within the radiation zone of the castle, we are superior beings! Even the lowest serfs and criminals from the homeland are higher-ranking than those natives here."

Laomading quickly mixed a sparkling wine for Aaron; in the transparent glass, there were colorful fruit pulp and ice cubes, looking quite rich.

"Thanks."

"They can concoct secret medicines with strange effects using herbs and insects... and even raise warriors who fear no pain and possess immense strength..."

"No need. Go to Lu Xi Jie; many shops there are related to the Mysterious... and when specific festivals arrive, those 'Wizards' among the natives will also hold fixed gatherings outside the city walls... but be careful of them; their 'Witchcraft' is more Weird and more dangerous!" Laomading warned.

As soon as Aaron entered, he attracted quite a few gazes, but he didn't care and went straight to the bar.

He whistled, and a barefoot, brown-skinned boy with only a strip of cloth hanging at his waist ran in from the doorway.

"Haha... of course there are those who made a fortune. As long as you can transport goods deep into the continent and find those tribes hidden in the tropical rainforests, they lack everything! A box of matches can be traded for a nugget of gold! But... there are also many cannibals, beasts, plagues, monsters, curses, and ruins there... behind every successful gold prospector, who knows how many white bones are buried," Laomading explained with a sigh.

"They can even communicate with Evil God totems and natural spirits to cast large-scale, lethal Witchcraft..."

He glanced at the skin-and-bones old Wizard and secretly began to ponder:

Aaron took a sip and felt it was sour and sweet, very refreshing, especially since it seemed to sweep away the heat of the sun outside.

A thought stirred in Aaron's mind: 'Perhaps there is also 'Mystery'... after all... according to Motula's intelligence, that deity is focusing their layout on South Innis.'

Railways crisscrossed, and Steam Engines puffed out rolling white smoke, continuously hauling cargo from the docks.

'The main language here is Voodoo Language; at least the local Extraordinaries and the native upper class know it. As for the local dialects of the various Native States, there are at least a hundred; learning them one by one would be a waste of time.'

Aaron sat on a high stool at the bar and nodded in affirmation: "Give me something to drink."

'South Innis possesses a unique style of Mysterious heritage, using feathers, gemstones, and bones as materials to cast Witchcraft with peculiar effects... Their beliefs are also chaotic; all kinds of natural spirits, totems, and Evil Gods... a motley collection, everything you could imagine.'

"Hehe... newcomer, the first drink is on Laomading. This is the local specialty, Wagasqie!"

Laomading warned earnestly: "Don't think there are no strong individuals among the natives; otherwise, based on Geography alone, they wouldn't have been able to hold us off for so long."

It was just that the fabric on their bodies was already sparse, which easily led to misunderstandings, or... crimes!

"It seems the first thing I need to do is find a place to settle down."

This bar had a thatched roof, and the entrance had those short, Western-style cowboy doors, allowing one to see the interior from outside.

There were also Half-breed guards with deep features and mixed characteristics, wearing red uniforms and white trousers...

'The 'Red' and the 'Underworld'...'

Walking on the not-so-clean and tidy streets, Aaron attracted many awe-filled gazes due to his attire as a member of the upper class.

Backwardness and ignorance, mystery and science, barbarism and capital... were organically fused together, making Aaron feel as if he had arrived in a concession of the old era from his past life.

He smiled maliciously, revealing a mouthful of yellow and black teeth: "You can do anything to the natives; remember, anything! No matter what happens, the colonial governor and the army will always stand on our side. We are 'our own people'!"

"To achieve this, I must first find a place that is well-informed."

"Besides that, I also need a temporary residence; it must be safe, clean, and quiet... I like an environment where I won't be disturbed."

Aaron's fingertips flipped, and a glimmer of a Pound flowed.

He scanned Aaron up and down: "A big ship docked at the pier today; a newcomer?"

Moreover, he did see some bold native girls looking at him curiously, but it was definitely not the kind of flirting or seduction.

He put down his glass and tossed over a silver Shilling: "Tell me what I need to pay attention to here?"

Black slaves with dark skin, faces painted with white lacquer-like colors, and various Weird patterns drawn on their bodies...

It was daytime, and there weren't many people in the bar.

"Very good... it seems this is indeed a good place to study Occultism," Aaron nodded, appearing very satisfied: "Do you know of any Occultism markets nearby? I can pay to purchase this information!"

"They can make the dead revive and turn into 'Revenants' without consciousness..."

Laomading's throat bobbed, and his eyes went a bit vacant: "Yueguanglvdian must meet your requirements, guest. I'll have someone take you there right now!"

"Ani... I usually call him Ani!" Laomading explained to Aaron, then turned his head: "Take this guest to Yueguanglvdian! This Copper Penny is yours!"

The second update will be later.

(End of chapter)