Chapter 2037: A Little Story from the Council

Although the handshake in the setting sun had signaled his willingness to cooperate with the witch from now on, Xia De still shook his head as he withdrew his hand:

"I'm very sorry, but tonight I have my own matters to attend to. I don't know what you're worried about, but until I find that diamond, I shouldn't give up on my operations in the Moonbay area."

Saying this, Xia De let out a soft sigh, not knowing when the 【Hope Diamond】 could be found:

"Let's meet again at the appointed time, I will keep the appointment. Although you have doubts about my identity, at least didn't Miss Vanessa admit that I am her man?"

The evening breeze on the river channel blew against the two people facing each other in front of the railing; the witch's hair swayed backward, and she looked at the serious-faced young man before her and nodded. Though she had countless questions in her heart, she didn't really expect Xia De to be willing to go with her:

"Very well, today is Sunday, we'll meet again Monday morning. Ten o'clock in the morning, you decide the location."

"City Ships Museum."

"Even for a local like me, that's a strange location, but no problem."

Xia De didn't explain that he was going to see the shipwreck deck, but reminded her:

"The 【Light Worshippers' Study Society】 still needs to be watched out for, ma'am, please also be careful."

"That's what I wanted to say to you, Charlot..."

After a pause, she asked the man before her:

"I don't want to call you 'Charlotte' anymore, what is your name really? Don't tell me it's Charlotte."

Her golden eyes looked at him, seemingly about to shine, and Xia De smiled:

"John Watson, I will continue to use this name for the short term."

"Sounds like a fake name at first hearing, then see you tomorrow morning, Mr. Watson. If you don't show up, I will make it so you can never set foot in the Moonbay area again. The Belindel family has that kind of power."

Although she spoke threatening words, she still bade Xia De farewell very politely. Xia De still wanted to ask her what exactly she had seen on that parchment that made her so rudely call him a "pervert" earlier, but the witch's face reddened:

"Hmph~"

Then she and the maid holding the crystal ball boarded the carriage again together, but when waving goodbye once more through the carriage window, she hesitantly asked him:

"So you, you really, with the butterfly... relic..."

Xia De understood at once, complaining in his heart that the "Dice Story Collection" had leaked his privacy, while reluctantly replying:

"Didn't you already see it... ma'am, this is my privacy, I don't recall being so familiar with you that we can casually discuss such things."

Miss Belindel seemed to get angry and snorted again, waved goodbye, then urged the carriage to leave the place.

Xia De stood before the railing watching the carriage depart, finally relaxing, while marveling at what a magical day today had been.

【So, what are your impressions of this great witch?】

"She" asked with a smile.

"She... is very interesting."

(Xia Xiao Miya running...)

Sunday, night, ten o'clock.

Light fell from the high fog layer, illuminating the council's round table and the thirteen great witches around it. As Adele Isabella, seated in the "Time" seat, announced the meeting adjourned, another routine meeting of the Witches' Council finally drew to a close:

"This meeting is officially concluded, you may go rest, ladies, may you have sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Miss Isabella."

Said the voices in unison.

"Oh, holding meetings at night is really tiring."

The thirteen ladies rose one after another, tidying the documents and items at hand while chatting with the ladies nearby. Miss Jia Lin Na and Miss Aurora exchanged a few words, while Megan walked toward Grandmother Cassandra and spoke softly about something.

Soon, the great witches passed through the fog doors behind their respective seats to return to their own origins, until finally only three ladies, who had deliberately dawdled while packing up, remained in the council chamber that had abruptly fallen quiet.

Miss Bella Belindel glanced at Miss Sylvia, and Miss Benanice, who was already organizing that stack of documents for the third time while seated, said:

"Let Emma stay, I know what you want to ask, she is also in the know."

Saying this, Miss Benanice and Miss Sylvia exchanged a smile, an expression that made the vermillion birthmark between Miss Belindel's brows twitch:

"She knows too? Oh, Vanessa, Emma, do you know what you're doing?"

The great witch of Fate, who had endured the whole evening, finally found a chance to vent her questions. She pressed one hand on the table, stood up entirely, and looked at them with what she considered a stern, questioning gaze:

"That's a man, do you know that? That's a man!! Where on earth did he come from? Why didn't you tell the rest of the council about his existence?"

"Don't get so worked up, Bella, that easily gives you wrinkles. John Watson is my follower, I said so last time."

The opera singer, still enchanting the whole world to this day, propped her face with her palm and sat there looking at her standing colleague:

"I never said he was female, you may not have noticed, but I used gender-neutral pronouns. As for his origins... I once encountered a troublesome relic, and he saved me and Hilles."

Recalling how she had been bound after being turned into a puppet, and then seeing the puppet knight riding a cat who had saved her, Miss Benanice couldn't help but show a smile:

"He's a very helpful fellow, and who says I didn't tell the rest of the council about him? Look, doesn't Emma know?"

"Yes, Vanessa thought this matter would be hard to accept all at once, but never intended to hide it forever, so she planned to let everyone in the council know gradually. We know that gentleman well, he bears no ill will toward the council, and has in fact been helping us, and has contributed in matters concerning the Chosen One. You see, counting you, three people know now. We originally planned to reveal it to Grandmother Cassandra first, but that wasn't simple."

The great witch of Space wore a similar smile:

"Sit down, Bella. Are you this unhappy because he caused you trouble in Moonbay City?"

Miss Belindel was suddenly at a loss for words, and when she sat back down, she was too embarrassed to say she had been saved. The light shining down from the high fog illuminated three beautiful faces, yet the three women harbored two different trains of thought.

"No, Vanessa's follower didn't cause trouble, he even helped me a great deal. Although he's not high-ring, he's very capable... but he's a man, a man who defied the Witches' Curse!"

The first half of her voice was low, the second half rose in pitch again:

"Do you know what such an anomalous existence means for us? Witches will no longer be special and pure, his existence provokes the very concept of witch! Is it you who have lost your senses, or has the world gone madder?"

Miss Benanice spoke again, though with more coolness in her tone:

"Please calm down further, Bella. I know his existence is astonishing, but as I said, I don't intend to keep it hidden forever, it's just that this matter needs to be accepted by everyone gradually. You are right about one thing, he is indeed a very capable person. This time I sent him to the Moonbay area to search for the unknowable-grade relic 【Hope Diamond】 precisely because he is reliable. I know you still have many questions and much confusion, how about this—divine it, what does he truly mean for us."

Miss Belindel became even more annoyed:

"He has a special fate, I have never seen anyone like him, I cannot divine anything about him..."

She suddenly froze, then hesitantly looked at the expressions of her two colleagues:

"Wait, a special fate... he isn't one of the Chosen Ones, is he?"

Miss Bernice and Miss Sylvia both laughed, and the latter even said:

"Yes, if you think that way, it's really possible. Bella, he's been operating in the Moon Bay area lately anyway, so it's on your turf. How about this — you keep this secret with us first, and let him operate right under your nose. After a month or two, if you still insist that everyone else needs to know, we won't stop you."

This proposal hit the Great Witch of Fate right where it counted; in fact she had never intended to report Xia De at all — she just couldn't gauge Miss Bernice's attitude, and truly wanted to safeguard the witches' common interests.

Of course, to show she was a steadfast "witch supremacist," Miss Belindel did not agree directly.

Miss Bernice made an expression that was helpless yet had no choice but to agree, and her soft, charming, sorrowful look was performed beautifully:

"Emma, how could you propose such a thing? I thought you would support me. If you insist, then it can only be this way. Bella, aren't you curious about him? If everyone in the Parliament learns of him, he definitely won't be able to operate in the Moon Bay area. Why don't you take this chance to study him properly — what kind of strange fate he actually has."

"Why do I feel like you two are ganging up to trick me?"

Miss Belindel asked suspiciously, though of course she would not oppose the proposal:

"It happens that I've been short on hands lately. I can help you keep the secret for now, but Vanessa, I want to borrow his power."

As she spoke, she recalled the stunning performance of "John Watson" that afternoon. Although the Seventh Ring was already enough to be called mid-level strength, that kind of expressiveness still far exceeded normal standards:

"During his time in Moon Bay, if I have him do things, he must help. Of course, I won't harm him, and I'll pay him."

"I'll answer for Vanessa."

Miss Sylvia cut in first, glanced at Miss Bernice with a smile, and the black-haired Great Witch of Space even added playfully:

"Then for these two months, that handsome Mr. is temporarily yours. I saw him when I was at Green Lake — he really is a very capable person, sometimes even too capable. Just don't be too surprised. Oh, I should warn you, be careful when you use him, or some people will be heartbroken."

She used the plural when referring to people, but the witch with the birthmark between her brows did not notice:

"Heartbroken? Speaking of which, you two... don't have something going on with that man, do you?"

Her golden eyes held both doubt and a hint of barely perceptible alarm.

"Of course not."

The Great Witches of Earth and Space shook their heads together, their voices perfectly in sync:

"What are you thinking? We are witches, Bella — you should be ashamed of Ji De Xiang Fa."

Miss Bernice added another explanation:

"It's Hilris who has taken a liking to him. He's also an important member of the Golden Dawn now, so if you let him help you temporarily, you must protect his safety. If he runs into danger, Hilris will take that faded-relic sage-class artifact 【Faded Memories】 she got from Megan, and come to Moon Bay City to settle the score with you."

"The Moon Bay area is very peaceful — do you think everywhere is Tobesk?"

Although she was simply stating facts, for some reason Miss Bernice and Miss Sylvia laughed again:

"Yes, let's hope the Moon Bay area stays peaceful forever."