EFB The first one!
The first one!
After bathing and changing, Xinlai put on a black executive undershirt and trousers, crocodile-skin boots, and a thick velvet cloak, then boarded the carriage and headed towards the royal city dungeon.
The carriage sped along, with banners symbolizing royal lineage clearing a smooth path ahead.
Before long, the four white horses neighed in unison, their manes drooping slowly in the cold wind, and the carriage came to a steady stop in front of the dungeon entrance.
Xinlai lifted the carriage curtain, stepped onto the weathered stone bricks, and looked at the magnificent royal city dungeon before her.
The entire dungeon was built against the mountain, and the mountain surface was carved with statues of Asgardian kings from the past 1,300 years, some standing solemnly with swords in hand, others drawing their bows to fire, looking down on the visitors with majestic silence.
Directly in front is a prominent entrance resembling an air-raid shelter, with two black dragon heads carved on the top, their crimson flames eternally burning between their sharp teeth.
This dungeon, which has existed since the founding of the nation, is said to have imprisoned countless powerful wizards and heretics who attempted to summon evil gods.
The fact that Eve was imprisoned here is enough to demonstrate the depth of the Empire's fear of her.
As Xin Lai approached the entrance, fully armed guards on both sides rushed forward, several long spears gleaming coldly blocking her way.
The dungeon's doors will only open when a member of the royal family or an authorized law enforcer drips blood containing pure magic into it.
Each person's blood type and magic circuit combination is unique, which fundamentally eliminates the possibility of disguise and infiltration.
"Please drip your blood into the stone basin in front of you."
The soldier beside him gave a stern warning.
Xin Lai nodded slightly, drew the dagger from her waist, and with a light stroke of her fingertip, dripped blood into a square basin held up by countless stone hands.
The moment the blood touched the stone basin, a pale golden light, as if alive, surged and spread along the patterns, disappearing into the walls and the ground.
"Boom—"
The heavy gate slowly rose, its surface gleaming with a faint, cold light, powerful enough to withstand even the most powerful magic of the ninth ring.
"Welcome, Your Highness the Third Prince!"
The soldiers on both sides stepped back, and a chilling, bone-deep aura rushed towards them.
Xin Lai paused slightly.
How could that dark figure penetrate such tight security, accurately locate Eve, and kill her instantly?
Could the shadowy figure be an insider from the dungeon...?
Thinking of the skull pierced by a dagger, Xinlai instinctively felt that it must be the symbol of some evil cult.
But what kind of evil church would not support a witch and instead want to kill her?
He suppressed his doubts and steadily walked into the darkness.
After showing the guards her church appointment certificate, Sinley was led to the cell where Eve was.
"call……"
He exhaled a puff of white mist and looked up into the depths of the cell.
Eve huddled in the corner, arms wrapped around her knees, chin resting on the back of her hands. Her purple eyes stared blankly at the ground, her long, disheveled purple hair falling to the floor. Even when someone approached, she showed no reaction.
"Open."
Xinlai looked around; the cold iron bars, the damp stone walls, and the dim light were exactly the same as what he had seen in his simulation.
"Your Highness, the witch is extremely dangerous. Please be careful," the guard warned in a low voice, his tone clearly uneasy.
Xinlai glanced at him: "Wait outside. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."
Having said that, he stepped into the cage.
As soon as I stepped in with my left foot, the magic within me receded rapidly like the tide, just like the feeling during the simulation.
Xinlai's eyes flickered slightly, and she became even more certain of the prophecy about the skill.
He slowly walked up to Eve, the sound of his boots echoing in the cage.
Xinlai knelt down in front of Eve, her voice very soft:
"Are you still alive?"
Eve slowly raised her head, glanced at him, and then lowered her gaze indifferently, as if answering Xinlai's question.
"Alright, stop pretending to be so dramatic," Xin Lai said, her voice barely audible, as she watched the undried tear tracks on her pale cheeks.
"You're not still waiting for Lorenz to come and rescue you, are you?"
These words struck like a thunderclap into still water.
Eve looked up abruptly, her eyes flashing with undisguised fear and confusion.
She instinctively wanted to ask more questions, but when she met Sinlai's gaze, she trembled—it was the natural suppression brought about by her Asgardian royal bloodline.
"Who...are you?" A dry voice drifted out from lips devoid of any color.
"Your executioner," Xin Lai said calmly, as if stating a trivial matter, "I will personally chop off your head tomorrow morning."
The calm tone carried a chilling coldness, each word freezing Eve's blood.
It was as if the last spark of hope had been mercilessly extinguished, leaving only endless darkness and despair.
"You are despicable! Shameless! You actually planted a traitor within the family..."
Her psychological defenses completely crumbled, and Eve sobbed and cursed softly.
"Heh... whether it was our arrangement or his own choice, who knows?"
"you!"
Eve knew that Sinley was criticizing the disunity within their family... so how could she blame the Golden Radiance Royal Family?
Eve's severe emotional turmoil caused the soldiers to grip their weapons tightly, ready to rescue Xinlai and eliminate Eve, this evil heretic, at any moment.
But that's exactly the effect Xinlai wanted.
Only by plunging Eve into true despair can she be better controlled by Sinley.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he activated the skill "Mutual Appreciation" lv.1.
Activating skills does not consume magic power, and does not even require mobilizing the magic network or magic circuits.
A pale blue soul vine, as thick as an arm, snaked out from his chest and suddenly pointed at Eve as if it had caught the scent of prey.
The next moment, the vine shot out and pierced straight into her heart.
"ah……!"
Eve suddenly let out a coquettish cry, her pupils contracted, she trembled as if in an earthquake, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
She tilted her head back, her body twitching intermittently as if she had been electrocuted, and collapsed to her knees as if she had lost all her strength.
The two small watermelons rose and fell with the heavy breathing, and the projection on the wall looked rather poor under the dim light.
Feeling a strange and powerful soul constantly merging and intertwining with her, Xinlai steadied her mind and focused all her energy on gathering the scattered fragments of Eve's soul that were rampaging through her soul sea.
"Ho, ho... Ah, ha, ha..."
The vines had completely entangled Eve's soul, and the Tortoise Shell Binding had bound it tightly.
Meanwhile, a rather thick vine was tightly gripped in Xinlai's hand, connected to a thick, dark root on Eve's neck, looking like an iron chain restraining a pet.
You have made a contract with the Slaughter Witch, Tanstin Eve.
Your contract limit has been reached.
To contract more witches, please increase the level of "Mutual Appreciation".
The basic terms of the Soul Contract have been updated; you can adjust them at any time.
1. The witch cannot harm you in any way, nor can she harm you through inaction.
2. The witch will obey your commands unconditionally, unless the command conflicts with 1.
3. The witch must protect herself without violating points 1 and 2.
……
From this moment forward, you and the witch Eve are bound together by life and death; any upgrades she gains will be returned to you double.
You have received a boost to your base attributes from the witch Eve.
Your magic power: 400 → 1600
Your base attributes: Arcane 20 → Arcane 25, Spirit 21 → Spirit 26
Feeling the soul sea suddenly widen and expand several times over, and the faint purple aura that appeared within it, resembling Eve's naked form, Xin Lai breathed a sigh of relief.
His magic power was amplified fourfold simply by signing a soul contract with Eve.
If Sinlai, with 400 mana, is a first-circle mage who can use the most basic fireball spell to launch an attack, then Sinlai, with 1600 mana at this moment, can now unleash a fireball the size of her head.
The enhanced arcane and spiritual abilities flowed through her body like a cool minty breeze, giving Xinlai a clearer understanding of the formation of the magic network and the outline of magical circuits. Even her perception of the surrounding magic in the air became much stronger.
Is this the power of the system...?
……
Outside the iron fence.
Several soldiers, unable to resist their curiosity, poked their heads out to peer into the cage.
"Did you...did you see that? The witch looks like she's been completely messed with..."
"Shh! Quiet! It's normal for His Highness to want to squeeze every last bit of value out of the witch."
"Can we... join the queue?"
"I'll ask in a bit."