Chapter 225: The Lamp God: The Stars Are Closer
"There's no need to doubt, that's you—a brand new you, a you full of infinite charm."
Panatiya walked behind the young girl, picked up the comb from the dressing table, and began to tidy up her slightly disheveled hair.
As she touched the hair, it felt silky smooth. With just a gentle touch, the black hair became neat and smooth again.
"She is not me. She is the me you all expect, not the me I want to be."
The girl clenched her fists, her tone sharp and filled with anger.
"It's all the same. You don't need to resist. Just learn to accept it silently. Many things in this world don't revolve around you alone. Learning to accept is much happier than resisting."
"Heh, do you think I will believe you?"
"Do you think I care about your trust?"
"..."
The girl stopped talking, but her brows showed a bit more sorrow.
Panatiya leaned down, resting her chin on the girl's right shoulder, inhaling the fragrance of her hair before slowly saying, "You said before that you wanted to make friends. Lady Germani and her sister will visit later. You can talk to them. They will teach you how to be a good witch."
Half an hour later, the girl met Lady Germani and her sister as she wished.
Compared to the confident and proud sister, the girl preferred to chat with the slightly reserved Lady Germani.
"What do you think it takes to be a good witch?"
This topic was raised by Panatiya, who was standing by.
Moraka sneered, "That's a good question. Not only should we answer it, but you should also think about it. Who made the path of a witch so painful?"
Panatiya remained calm and said lightly, "We are all children of the original, so we naturally need to get close to the original."
"Again with this rhetoric, it's so boring!"
Moraka was very disdainful and had no intention of answering the question further.
"I want to be a witch just to please someone."
Germani's words greatly shocked the girl. She asked expectantly, "Can a witch truly fall in love with someone?"
"Of course, we are women first, then witches. Since we weren't born as witches, we naturally have the right to love and hate like ordinary women."
"Your thoughts are very different."
"Are they?"
"Of course. Look at the two of them. They clearly scoff at what you say, yet they can't help but want to hear what interesting things you might say."
Germani just smiled, "I don't think liking someone is something to be ridiculed."
"So you are different from them."
The girl asked Panatiya and Moraka to leave, leaving herself alone in a room with Lady Germani.
"Can you satisfy my curiosity?"
"I never intended to hide it."
Germani began to tell the girl about her experience of becoming a witch.
"Baron HasturCampbell?"
"Yes, he is a very unique person."
Germani's face showed a complex expression, with a hint of reminiscence, "At first, I couldn't tell when I started liking him. Maybe I just fell for him unknowingly."
"Or maybe it was the desire to conquer after being frequently rejected, a rebellious mentality."
"Later, I gradually figured it out. I didn't need to understand these questions. I just needed to know that I truly liked him in my heart."
The girl listened silently to Germani's story and then sighed, "It's a pity. Since he doesn't want to see you, let me help you arrange a meeting. I believe he can't refuse a prince's power."
"No, he will refuse."
"Then I want to see it even more."
Germani didn't say anything. She had great confidence in Baron Hastur Campbell.
...
"A dinner invitation from Prince Edessak?"
Hasturwas enjoying life at home when Butler Neil suddenly brought him an invitation.
Hastur Had no interest in getting close to Prince Edessak.
This was the man who liked Triss Chick, the center of recent major events.
Hastur Had no interest in getting involved in his love affair with a witch. Let them solve it themselves.
"I don't have time recently. Decline the invitation for me."
Hastur Instructed Butler Neil to handle it. He didn't even want to write a reply.
Better to refuse and avoid trouble.
He had another matter to attend to and couldn't waste time on other things.
The day of the Twilight Hermit's assassination attempt on Duke Negan was approaching. With the butterfly effect unfolding, Hasturwasn't sure when the Twilight Hermits would act.
He was thinking of a good reason to tell Greck to remind Duke Negan to be prepared.
After much thought, he decided to blame Qilangos' accomplices.
Having thought of a reason, Hastur went to meet Greck that night and subtly mentioned that Pirate Admirals Qilangos' remnants might attempt another assassination on Duke Negan.
Greck looked serious and said he would handle the matter.
He also told Hasturan inside story: Earl Hall and Duke Negan had jointly recommended him to the king to assist the Duke of Southwell in defending the coastal line.
The king's intention was to restore his hereditary title of Earl of Campbell and then send him to Southwell.
Hastur Wasn't surprised by this news. He had already prepared for his journey to Southwell.
Back home, Butler Neil brought another letter, saying that Prince Edessak was very angry about his absence from the banquet.
Hastur Read the letter, which had only one message: I am mercifully giving you another chance. If you don't come to the Sunday banquet, the consequences will be severe.
"Decline Prince Edessak's invitation again on Sunday morning."
"... Isn't that inappropriate?"
Butler Neil looked troubled. After all, the other party was a prince, a real royal member. Refusing twice in a row was indeed unreasonable.
"Just say I have an appointment with Greck that night."
Butler Neil had no choice but to follow Hastar's instructions.
Upstairs, Hastur played with Aisala with some fish snacks, then took a bath and went to bed.
In the Hall of Stars, Hastursat at the head, looking at the stars that were not far away.
It had been more than two months since the last star gathering. Today was a day Hasturhad specially chosen.
December 1st, and every two months thereafter, exactly six times a year.
This was easier to remember; otherwise, he might forget the exact time.
After thinking for a while, Hastur Summoned the Mother Tree of Desire, the Overlord of Stars, and the Lamp God.
As for the newly appeared Ring of Fate and the suspected original Hunger Outer God, he wanted to observe them for a while longer.
"Damn, I actually feel like this time has passed so slowly!"
From the content of the speech, Hastur Knew it was the Lamp God speaking.
The Overlord of Stars, in a good mood, habitually mocked, "It's rare to have a chance to leave the prison and temporarily regain freedom. Naturally, you feel time passes slowly."
"Heh, you are also in a prison, isolated outside the initial barrier, aren't you?"
This was a well-said remark. The Lamp God had indeed been practicing his mocking skills for the past two months.
"It's better than being sealed in a magic lamp."
"What, are you envious of this treatment? Unfortunately, the lord of the Mysterious didn't choose you as an opponent back then."
The Lamp God and the Overlord of Stars started bickering as soon as they met, while the silent Mother Tree of Desire noticed the subtle changes in the Hall of Stars.
"You have regained some power and authority."
The Mother Tree of Desire's words interrupted the quarrel between the Lamp God and the Overlord of Stars.
The Lamp God sensed for a moment, looked at the starry sky above, and murmured, "The stars seem closer."
The Overlord of Stars and the Mother Tree of Desire also felt the same. Here, they faintly felt suppressed.
There was no such feeling at the last star gathering.
They all looked at Hastar, who was sitting at the head.
"The end is coming, the stars are returning."
Hasturhad already prepared an explanation to avoid having to make one up on the spot.
In fact, to prevent the Mother Tree of Desire and other Outer Gods from easily noticing the changes, he would deliberately suppress their avatars' power every time he called them for a meeting, so they wouldn't notice the power changes.
Otherwise, if the avatar's power started at Sequence 9, then Sequence 8, and now Sequence 6, they would definitely notice something unusual.
This time, the Hall of Stars had risen, taking a big step towards returning to the starry sky, which made the Mother Tree of Desire notice the subtle changes.
The Mother Tree of Desire and the Overlord of Stars exchanged a glance and said nothing more, only the Lamp God felt heavy-hearted.
The end is coming, the stars are returning, but he still couldn't see the hope of regaining freedom.
Did he really have to bow to this Star Returner to regain freedom?
Heh, bowing down, impossible!
The Lamp God quickly dismissed this weak thought. Even the lord of the Mysterious couldn't make him bow back then!
He still had hope in the High-Dimensional Overseer , even though his actions seemed unreliable.
(End of chapter)