Chapter 26: The Blood Witch

Eileen pulled Angell closer to Moro. Angell felt a bit embarrassed to approach, but seeing no rejection in Moro's eyes, he slowly stepped forward.

"Grandpa, Brother, you're here too!" Eileen cried out affectionately, throwing herself into Moro's arms.

Moro teased Eileen with a smile before saying, "Wait a moment. Madam Merlin is going to channel mana into the Nightmare Stone; you'd better stand back a bit."

The three youngsters nodded and followed Moro, retreating a long distance away.

At that moment, Madam Merlin, dressed in a magnificent and exquisite gown, walked gracefully toward the bow of the ship. Under everyone's gaze, using either mental strength or sorcery, she slowly levitated the figurehead into the air, where it then descended gently before her.

The figurehead of the *Bauhinia* was a maiden in flowing robes with her hands clasped in prayer. Angell had noticed it when he first saw it, as he realized the gemstone embedded in the center of the maiden's forehead seemed to possess a mysterious aura. After all, Angell was not yet a transcendent being; he had only sensed it vaguely.

Now, Madam Merlin's grand display of spellcasting finally confirmed Angell's earlier suspicion.

The pale crimson gemstone on the praying maiden's forehead was indeed a transcendent object. Furthermore, it was an extraordinary natural mana crystal known as a Nightmare Stone.

As Madam Merlin manipulated the Nightmare Stone, Moro explained its function to the three youngsters.

The specific origin of Nightmare Stones was unknown, but they seemed to be related to the legendary extra-planar realms. Their yield was extremely rare. They possessed the ability to create illusions without the need for inscribed magic runes, making them a supreme treasure in the field of mystical illusion magic. Consequently, their value was immeasurable.

Even an ordinary Nightmare Stone, no larger than a grain of sand, could generate an illusion covering dozens of meters. The Nightmare Stone on the praying maiden's statue was as large as an infant's fist; it would have no problem creating an illusion covering a radius of a mile.

As beads of sweat rolled down Madam Merlin's forehead, she finally let out a long sigh of relief once a ripple, resembling water patterns, enveloped the entire *Bauhinia*. With a wave of her slightly exhausted hands, she returned the statue to its original position.

"The Mirror Technique has been set. As long as we don't actively attack the Cloud Whale, it won't go out of its way to break the illusion. Rest assured," Madam Merlin said. Her steps back to the deck were noticeably more staggering, revealing just how terrifying the mana required to activate the Nightmare Stone was.

"Go and do what you need to do. As you said, the Cloud Whale has a gentle temperament and almost no destructive intent. With the protection of the Mirror Technique, there should be no problem." Madam Merlin waved her hand to dismiss the adjutant knight.

By the time Madam Merlin returned to the high platform, the adjutant had already begun directing the sailors to disperse the onlookers. Before long, more than half of the deck was cleared, and most of the gifted individuals had returned to their cabins.

Comorn, hailing from the 'Gravity Forest,' stared at the Cloud Whale in the sky with burning eyes. After a long silence, he remarked, "The Cloud Whale can manipulate ocean energy and use the air sacs in its chest to exchange air with the outside world to soar through the sky. It is one of the best mounts in the ocean. If only I could..."

Comorn left his sentence unfinished, but his covetousness toward the Cloud Whale was plain to see.

Neither Madam Merlin nor Florent responded. The Cloud Whale's strength was at least at the level of a formal Wizard. They were merely lowly Wizard Apprentices; instead of worrying about such things, they would be better off returning to their rooms to meditate.

"Eh?! Look! Something is falling from the sky!" some sailors on the deck suddenly cried out in alarm.

The successive shouts caused everyone remaining on the deck to look up.

In the sky, nearly a thousand meters up, a crimson dot was slowly descending. It drifted like a falling feather, swaying with the wind, but no matter how it moved, it only spiraled without drifting away.

Moreover, the trajectory of that crimson dot was clear—

It was heading straight for the *Bauhinia*!

Because it was too far away, Angell and the others could not see clearly what was falling. However, the four Wizard Apprentices present all utilized long-range vision sorcery, their eyes glowing with different colored lights.

"It's a person!" Comorn shouted in alarm.

"A woman in red," Moro said. Compared to Comorn's observation, Moro's was more precise, directly identifying the gender of the newcomer.

"An umbrella?" Madam Merlin hesitated for a long time before softly uttering a single word. Yet, this single word proved her attainment was indeed deeper than Moro's and Comorn's. This woman was descending through the air like a feather because of an exquisite and magnificent umbrella.

The last to speak was indeed Florent. His expression was solemn; his gray hair and beard suddenly defied gravity, floating upward. Though he usually possessed a kind, elderly countenance, he now looked stern. However, if one observed closely, they would find a hint of fear lurking in Florent's eyes...

"It is Flora," Florent's voice trembled slightly.

"Flora? Which Flora?" Comorn was clearly confused.

At this moment, Madam Merlin seemed to realize something. Her pupils constricted sharply, and she pointed a trembling finger at the red dot in the sky: "Are you referring to Flora, the Blood Witch?"

Florent nodded slowly and solemnly.

At that moment, everyone fell silent.

Infected by this strange atmosphere, the three youngsters were as quiet as mice. Seeing the shock on the faces of all the Wizard Apprentices, Angell assumed the newcomer must be someone of great significance.

Angell had already witnessed the cruelty of the Wizard world. Fearing that the newcomer might attack them on a whim, he pulled Eileen and Allen backward. Eventually, the three of them leaned against the door between the deck and the lookout tower.

After his initial shock, Moro glanced back quickly at the three of them, walked to the lookout tower, opened the door, and ushered them inside.

"Hide in there and make sure you don't speak. The newcomer is a formal Wizard. Although she is a Black Wizard, formal Wizards generally do not care about the lives of mortals. As long as you don't appear before her eyes, she won't care about you," Moro instructed the three youngsters solemnly. Then, with a grimace, he closed the lookout tower door.

Moro stood beside Florent with some trepidation. What he had told the youngsters was correct; formal Wizards indeed did not actively kill mortals. It wasn't out of kindness, but simply because mortals were too far removed from them. The circle of Wizards was vastly different from that of mortals—would there be social interaction between humans and bedbugs? In fact, even these Wizard Apprentices were not much different from mortals in the eyes of a formal Wizard. But there was no choice; they were the highest combat power on the ship. If they didn't face the formal Wizard, who would—the mortals?

Especially since the newcomer... was Flora! The Flora who was renowned throughout the Southern Region by the name of blood! Moro even felt his legs beginning to shake.

...

"Lady Flora is on this Cloud Whale. That means this Cloud Whale is likely the mount of 'That One'..." Facing a formal Wizard, Madam Merlin had no choice but to use honorifics, even though she knew Flora was much younger than her.

The crowd used Eagle-Eye Technique to look at the Cloud Whale again. Indeed, they discovered something peculiar: in the higher altitudes near the Cloud Whale's back, flocks of Falcon Demons were circling and flying.

—Falcon Demons were originally Polar Flying Eagles, which became Falcon Demons after being refined into substitutes/scouts by Wizards.

Falcon Demons could not survive in the ocean and had to land every day to resupply. In the middle of the ocean, where would a land-based raptor find supplies? Clearly, someone was raising them, and judging by the position where the Falcon Demons were circling, their daily landing site must be on the back of the Cloud Whale.

Falcon Demons were also the most beloved magical pets of 'That One.' Thinking of this, everyone exchanged looks, each carrying an indescribable sense of dread.

"If 'That One' harbors hostility toward the *Bauhinia*, I'm afraid even Lord Sabo would find it difficult to resist." Comorn, who had previously coveted the Cloud Whale, had now completely abandoned the thought, not even daring to let the idea arise in his mind.