Ethan never had the experience of dating a terrorist, nor did he think anyone could offer any advice in this field.
But he felt he now had roughly two choices.
Either pack his bags and hit the road with Miss Witch, becoming a carefree terrorist with her; or part ways, continue a long-distance relationship, and occasionally learn about her whereabouts through case reports in the Horned Owl Beast Daily.
He didn’t want to choose either.
Moreover, from the information obtained so far, it seemed very likely that the Empire and the high levels of Lunar Eclipse might have some dealings. They might provide information on those traitors, but once the target was pinned on them, they would turn against them, or even set up an ambush.
And Ethan, although impulsively blurted out Heisenberg’s name at Fireplace Bay, recent experiences had left him somewhat exhausted, having to act stealthily in everything he did, which was clearly not the life Ethan idealized.
He suddenly spoke up, "This journey is fraught with danger."
The white-haired girl in his arms gently nodded, "I’ll be as careful as I can."
"I mean, you might need a team."
Her eyes flashed with a hint of delight, but then she frowned and said, "This is my grudge with the Empire."
Ethan had been trying to fathom the witch’s mind, roughly guessing her intentions. The failure of the Violet Commune meant that peaceful reform was destined not to succeed in the Empire. Coupled with her previous encounters, it inevitably pushed her to oppose the Empire, blending her past ideals with personal vendettas, leading to her current thoughts.
She couldn’t change the course of history, but she could kill those on her kill list.
Maybe even the witch herself couldn’t distinguish whether this was to eliminate the Empire’s entrenched poison or to vent anger.
However, Ethan felt that these were not important; what mattered was that their future goals might not be contradictory.
It was a hard night. When Ave woke from her daze, the Knight Order had settled down. Although neither side managed to convince the other, they recognized that quarreling and internal friction would only deplete their limited combat power, and they needed to conserve strength before Lindong Witch arrived.
The knights split into several teams, patrolling the town in shifts, while those remaining sat on the ground, eyes closed for a nap.
Though Ave appeared to have slept through the night, she was actually using the skills taught by the Enlightenment Society to observe the town’s movements. In this chaotic situation, the only good news was probably that she had finally crossed the threshold of the third tier.
The spell she used was called Insight, which allowed her to gain an aerial view to some extent through meditation, enabling her to observe the movements around Ximu Town comprehensively.
Many senior scholars of the Enlightenment Society had become renowned strategists in Empire history, among whom Insight was one of their most proud skills.
However, she hadn’t fully mastered this spell yet, as the view she could see was extremely blurry, with ghost images of all the buildings in town overlapping, making it impossible for her to discern more details.
This left her somewhat frustrated.
At this moment, Ethan, who had been out all night, finally returned to the apartment. Ave saw that the white cat named Zhaocai was sitting on his shoulder as usual. Before she could speak, Ethan approached her and said, "Come to the study; I have something urgent to discuss with you."
This solemn tone made Ave nervous, but she immediately stood up and followed Ethan to the study. After entering, she locked the door out of habit, while the perceptive Miss Keroy took on the role of a guardian at the study door, her feathers puffed out in a show of intimidation, not allowing anyone to come near.
After closing the door, Ave stood uneasily at the entrance. Her intuition was always accurate, and she felt that something significant was about to happen.
Ethan: "Ave, have a seat."
Her heartbeat became increasingly rapid, her feeling of unease growing stronger, even causing her to sit with more restraint, her legs tightly together, and her hands neatly placed on her knees, a posture she always assumed when being criticized by mentors at the Society.
The golden cat on top of her head, sensing something was amiss, immediately curled up to hide.
All the bad deeds were Ave’s doing, so getting scolded couldn’t possibly fall on it, right!
This was the mindset of the golden cat toward the Society’s mentors.
Ethan opened his mouth, "The next question is very important. Please answer truthfully. You mentioned before that you stayed in Ximu Town to find a magic book. Is this magic book related to the Lindong Witch?"
Ave was startled by him, reflexively looking around—this guy had dared to shout out the name without regard for anything. Since the Fall War, everyone, when referring to the witch, had unanimously used terms like "that person" as a reference.
If someone were to suddenly mention that name in public, they would definitely attract everyone’s attention.
Moreover, she originally didn’t want to tell Ethan about the witch. Anyone associated with that name was cursed with misfortune, most meeting tragic ends; Ethan was just an ordinary young man from a small town.
But now, having seen the "resurrected" witch in Riverside Town with their own eyes, it wouldn’t be long before Ximu Town followed Riverside Town’s footsteps.
Continuing to hide the truth was meaningless.
Thinking of this, Ave nodded in acknowledgment but immediately added, "This matter is too... complex; I don’t want to get you involved."
This was the second time Ethan heard a similar statement in one day.
"I want to know the reason."
Ave’s answer was crucial. Ethan realized that if he intended to stay in one place, he must change the status quo. An individual’s power has limits, and a life of constant anxiety would inevitably lead to mental exhaustion.
He had to recruit more people to join in, and Ave was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate. If she assisted in covering, everything would become much simpler.
Therefore, Ave’s own stance was crucial.
He was prepared for both outcomes. If Ave’s purpose in coming to Ximu Town was to capture the Lindong Witch and hand her over to the Judicial Court, it meant it was time for him to embark on a journey. For Ethan, it would also spare him the effort of making a difficult decision.
"Because... I want to find out the truth."
Ave lowered her head, burying her face in the palms of her hands, her tone dejected, "A mentor I respected greatly was executed as an accomplice to that person."
That was before the outbreak of the Fall War. At that time, rumors were rampant in the Imperial Capital that one of the Council of Seven, Lindong, had joined some evil commune, falling under the influence of the Evil God.
Even up until a period before the execution, her mentor was still tirelessly advocating, arguing that people should not believe the rumors. Lindong was not only the Empire’s finest Elemental Shaper but also someone to be upheld as a model.
"My mentor always mentioned that person’s name, hoping that I could become someone standing tall like them in the future. So, I want to know..."
Ave’s voice grew fainter, "I want to know why someone like her betrayed the Empire and became a minion of the Evil God?"