Chapter 3878

Xia De didn't mind going with the other party. This was indeed not a place to talk:

"Your tone is really strange, but I will go with you."

The witch, who looked very delicate, smiled:

"Have you had lunch? Oh, I know the answer, then please allow me to treat you to a meal together. Please don't refuse, this is not any of my schemes, this is just to thank you for the help you gave me. Yes, that's all, don't think too much~"

Even though he had met so many Great Witches in the past and present, Miss Astley's personality still exceeded Xia De's expectations. He was never afraid of those who were hostile to him, but he was uniquely bad at dealing with such enthusiastic people.

But in the end, he took the two captives and left the small hill with the witch. After all, he wanted to know the information and also wanted the original manuscript of "Wuthering Heights" in the other party's hands.

And whether this Great Witch of Chaos would reveal her information to the Council, Xia De also had to carefully examine.

【Probably not. Judging from her performance just now, she should also be the kind of witch who likes to eat alone.】

"She" said with a smile again, "She" really had been laughing.

Miss Astley didn't take Xia De into the city on foot, but crushed the signal rune stone when leaving the small hill.

"Let's wait a moment, my people will drive the carriage over soon. Our Astley family is very prestigious locally, our family..."

Seeing that she was ready to introduce herself like a peacock spreading its tail, Xia De hurriedly stopped her:

"We can talk about these things when we have lunch. Why don't you chat with me about what it's like here? I am not a local, I just arrived in the city today, and I am not familiar with the local situation."

"Here?"

The witch blinked, very puzzled:

"What's there to talk about here? Then you ask, I can tell you everything I know."

"I am very curious, why are there so many temporary houses and tents in the outer city?"

Xia De pointed not far ahead:

"I can see that this area should be farmland and windmill mills. Why does it look like it's accommodating refugees now? Are these people all fleeing?"

"Yes."

The witch nodded:

"After the war started, the people living near the border could only flee south. Arcadia City is an important node city bypassing the Rommel mountain range, so a large number of refugees came here.

For the sake of the city's appearance and public security, the City Hall does not allow them to enter the lower city and the upper city, and the original residents of the outer city also hate them, so they can only live temporarily on the edge of the outer city. However, a small number of people have found jobs in local factories, but facing such a number of refugees, the local job positions that can be provided are after all a minority."

She and Xia De looked at the refugees living on the edge of the outer city. It was near noon, and people in small camps were also making fires to cook:

"This is the norm in the war years, but at least before the war reaches this city, they can still live a peaceful life for a while."

"Do you think the war front will be pushed to this city of scholars?"

Xia De asked, and Miss Vigo Astley looked at the Gray Rock Pass in the fog:

"Who can say for sure about this kind of thing."

Soon, two carriages that came in a hurry passed through the thick fog of the outer city and stopped in front of the small hill located in a remote part of the outer city.

The coachmen were all middle-aged women, or rather, all witch followers. It could be seen that this Great Witch of Chaos had quite good control over her followers. Although they saw Xia De, they didn't say anything, but followed the witch's instructions and put the two captives into the second carriage.

"This way, please."

Feeling exceptionally comfortable, the witch, who even wanted to jump when walking, made an invitation gesture to Xia De. Xia De just hesitated for a moment, then followed her into the first carriage.

When the carriage slowly started and drove towards the city area, Xia De finally asked:

"Aren't you curious why my blood can make you recover like this?"

Vigo Astley, who was in a great mood, sat opposite Xia De:

"Of course I'm curious, but I know that even if I ask, you definitely won't answer me. After all, to you, I am just a beautiful girl you met today and saved out of kindness, and you were even mistaken for a bad person at first."

She looked at Xia De with a smile:

"So I will wait for you to explain it to me voluntarily.

After the supplies called 'Star Dewdrops' were provided by the Council, I also studied them a little bit. Of course, my research had no results, I only know that they were made of starlight and special materials. Although my body has been getting worse over the years and I don't know much about things in the Council, I also know that none of my colleagues are easy to get along with.

Since you can establish a cooperative relationship with at least one of them, I think I can trust you completely. After all, someone has verified it for me—I am not the kind of girl who hits on someone casually regardless of good or evil after taking a fancy to them. So far, I have only taken a fancy to you."

She emphasized again, and Xia De asked again:

"You seem not to care at all whether I have the ability to cure you completely."

The witch smiled:

"You can't possibly have a way to cure me completely. My problem has gone deep into my soul, I am bound to die early, I know this very well myself."

She was not depressed at all, but became excited:

"However, being able to die in my most beautiful years and letting the world keep the impression of me in my most beautiful stage is already a very good thing for me. Especially, I originally worried that I would die sickly. Now with you, I can even wait for death while maintaining youthful vitality.

You see, the world is indeed taking care of a beautiful girl like me, so it can't bear to destroy my perfect image."

Xia De had nothing to say. He originally thought that after two years, he had learned how to get along with strange girls, but now it seems that the outsider still underestimated the diversity of humans:

"Well then, about me..."

"Don't worry~ I won't tell anyone else in the Council. It's better to appreciate the most beautiful things by yourself. I won't use letting you continue to treat me as a threat. I am willing to keep secrets for you."

She tilted her head and looked at Xia De:

"And I can't imagine how heartbroken I would be if the rigid person like the Speaker knew about you and I lost you."

"Then, how will you convince me to continue providing treatment for you?"

Xia De asked again, and Miss Astley smiled:

"This is a good question—what do you want? I can give you whatever you want. My life doesn't have much left. Helping someone like you in the remaining days, I am glad that my life has a more significant meaning.

Oh, you said just now that you are from out of town and just arrived here today, so what do you want to do here? The Astley family still has some small power locally."

"She" laughed again.

"About your illness, we can discuss it later. I think there should be other ways. As for my business, we can talk about this when we have lunch."

He could only say this, and the Great Witch of Chaos showed an interested expression:

"You look a bit embarrassed, is it because I am too enthusiastic? With your temperament and appearance, there shouldn't be a shortage of beautiful girls around you. Haven't you met a girl as active and enthusiastic as me in the past?"

Xia De recalled simply:

"There are indeed girls who love each other around me, but we also went through a series of things before confirming the relationship."

Miss Astley didn't care at all about the "love each other" Xia De said, but nodded with satisfaction:

"I knew it, only I should be able to appreciate your beauty. I am indeed the best."

Xia De didn't know what to say anymore, but fortunately, the carriage stopped at this time. Xia De heard the lady driving the carriage talking to someone about "pass" and the like through the car window, and soon the carriage started again.

"In order to prevent refugees from entering the city, the City Hall has arranged new sentries at all gates between the lower city and the outer city. You need a pass to enter and exit normally. Before the war years, there were no sentries here."

The witch explained, and Xia De was very curious:

"Then how do ordinary people travel between the lower city and the outer city? The population exchange between these two districts should be very frequent, right? You can't give everyone a pass, the cost is too high."

"Only carriages need passes. Pedestrians can be checked based on appearance and clothing. If the sentry suspects the other party's identity, they will check the other party's accent and familiarity with the local area. Checking carriages is more to prevent refugees outside the city from transporting dangerous items into the city. This is not looking down on outsiders who are far away from their hometowns because of the war. Similar situations have really happened in the past few weeks."

Xia De shook his head and stopped discussing these things. He just arrived locally and couldn't manage these things:

"Speaking of which, where are we going? It should be the upper city, right?"

The witch smiled:

"Look, you also subconsciously chose to trust me, otherwise you wouldn't ask where the destination is only now."

She introduced happily:

"The destination is the 'Fragrant Mansion' in the upper city. That is not our family's old house, it is the mansion passed down to me by my teacher. I usually live there.

Before my generation, the family only managed 'Gray Rock Pass', with no title and not much assets. Starting from me, the Astley family used the convenience of Gray Rock Pass to start the spice business. A lot of spices are hoarded in the mansion's warehouse, so there is a special fragrance near the mansion, which is why locals call it 'Fragrant Mansion'."