章 15: Chapter 10 Darkness
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Farosa stopped Xu Yang and fumbled around in the darkness.
The environment of the underground world was complex, filled with bizarre rocks. It took her several minutes to find a crevice in the rocks large enough to shelter a few people, extremely well-hidden and gloomily lightless.
Xu Yang took out the military rations he had found in the shuttle machine and shared them with her. Farosa forcefully tore open the package, and a pile of food and condiments fell out, startling her.
"Is this a candy bag?" Farosa cautiously distinguished the contents, "So many incredible things have fallen out. It's hard to imagine people from this era sustaining themselves on these things; they're completely tasteless and so rigid."
Xu Yang watched the clumsy Farosa and couldn't help thinking about her value and potential.
Her power was terrifying, and she had been asleep for over a thousand years, possessing the complete memories of the Witch Era. Such an ancient witch could either become a great hope leading the entire world to revolution or the ultimate nightmare that would topple the world.
After the corporations defeated the witches, there had been numerous incidents of witch rampages; their powers were too strong, and they broke free from their restraints, causing murders and massacres. Witches were still the entities most feared by the corporations, yet they could always be born from the simple reproductive activities of humans; even a test-tube baby might become a witch, with no discernible pattern.
The corporations neither wished nor had the means to completely eradicate witches, and besides, they possessed great scientific research and commercial value. Capital has its unique vision; all of its decisions are based on self-appreciation and profit-making, so capital isn't willing to allow witches to go extinct. Rather, control of witches is still the main approach.
When dealing with Farosa, Xu Yang couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.
He certainly didn't have the corporation's means to control a witch.
To describe Farosa as a humanoid nuclear weapon might be a bit extreme, but he was at least coexisting with a humanoid monster now.
Thinking of changing the situation? First, he had to survive by her side.
"Do you guys have to eat this stuff to survive?" Farosa poked a pack of hard beef stew.
"Let me do it." Xu Yang came to his senses, read the instructions on the outer packaging, and quickly figured out how to consume these rations.
He shoved the beef stew packet into a soft pocket that already contained a flameless ration heater. He tore open a water pouch, added the water in, and then tied the soft pocket shut.
As the chemical reaction proceeded, the soft pocket gradually became scalding hot.
"It'll be ready to eat in a moment." Xu Yang said, "There are other things here too."
He shone his flashlight on the ground, where plenty of ready-to-eat foods lay scattered. He picked them up and handed them to Farosa, who immediately tore open their packages and ate them.
"This is a chocolate bar."
"It's hard."
"Vegetable crackers."
"They're salty."
"Cheese bread."
"It's sour."
"Corn cakes."
"This one's tasteless."
"Candy."
"Very sweet."
"There's egg yolk paste and peanut butter, you can use them to..."
"How come it's gone in one bite? I want more."
This person would eat anything.
Xu Yang took out the heated beef stew from the soft pocket, tore open the top, and handed it to Farosa.
She licked the taste of the sauce and then poured out all the slices of beef and brisket and ate them up.
A strange expression appeared on Farosa's face.
"Amazing!" she exclaimed, "It's like attending a magician's banquet, except the food doesn't emerge from birds' beaks, rabbits' top hats or beneath dragon's wings but from some paper and hot water."
"As long as you're happy."
"I forgot... it's you who should be eating something."
"I eat fast."
Xu Yang had developed a habit of quick meals at the company, day and night for the past 6 years.
He noticed that there was nutrient paste among the mercenary's combat food and opened a tube to eat.
The nutrient paste had a universally consistent taste, which is to say, flavorless, without any taste at all, but it quickly provided a sense of fullness, which was key to efficiency.
To call it the most important invention of food science might not be an overstatement. This stuff was nutritionally complete, cost-effective, as long as one didn't delve into what it was made of.
Suddenly, Xu Yang thought there must be something here that Farosa had never eaten in ancient times. He handed her a bag of liquid coffee.
"This is called coffee," Xu Yang said, "It was discovered after the Agave Continent was encountered."
"What is this... oh!" Farosa quickly finished a bag of coffee, and some points of light, like stars, appeared in her eyes, "It seems my power has somewhat recovered."
This was something Xu Yang hadn't expected; he was not very familiar with the mechanics of witches.
Now he saw bright lights on both of Farosa's hands, one crimson as blood, the other ashen as dreams.
"Recovered..." Farosa murmured.
The witch had returned.
Xu Yang stood up, his back against the rock wall.
Farosa silently looked at the traces on her hands, then turned to Xu Yang, "Are you afraid I'm going to kill you?"
The tone was completely cold.
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Witches and humans are worlds apart; to a witch, humans are not kin, and slaughtering humans is as natural to them as it is for humans to hunt wild animals.
Xu Yang had known this for a long time, but experiencing it in person still made him feel a chill to his very core.
Fear.
It was like walking on thin ice, where a single careless move could spell disaster.
Xu Yang kept a close watch on Farosa's eyes, like facing an unknown beast in the deep sea, his hair standing on end.
She killed those mercenaries too easily. Not even professional, modified bio-warriors could do it so neatly.
"Ha," Farosa laughed casually again, "Your death would be all bad for me, I certainly wouldn't kill you."
"That is the most utilitarian explanation."
"Only a utilitarian argument would convince you," Farosa said, "You don't believe there can be any genuine feelings between witches and humans, right? I treat humans the same as I would tools or animals."
Farosa looked at Xu Yang calmly, and in a flash, he perceived her meaning again—she truly bore no malice.
We have no deep hatred between us, and the basis for cooperation is there.
He gathered his things and shone his flashlight outward.
"I heard that certain mental stimulants can restore a witch's power," Xu Yang said, "but I'm not familiar with them."
Just as he was about to set out, Farosa caught up with him and grabbed his hand.
"If you are so vigilant," she said, "let's use the miracle of the covenant."
"The miracle of the covenant?"
"A power that makes it impossible to betray one another." Farosa quietly chanted the miracle, the air twisted, and a faint light formed a golden symbol. Originally, there were several scratches on it, which disappeared as soon as it was summoned.
"There were other marks..."
"Those were from a few witches who had made covenants with me in the past. The disappearance of the marks means they have all died. Magic power cannot escape the grasp of life. And you are the first mortal to share the covenant with me."
She placed her hand on the golden rune, and one of the scratches expanded, taking the shape of a cat.
"These are miracles designed by the children of the beast long ago, before their extinction," Farosa said, "They traded their souls to the Forest Master, creating these eternal runes. Those who share the same covenant cannot betray or harm each other, or else their souls will be devoured by the Forest Master."
"The Forest Master? Does that thing still exist? It hasn't perished along with the felling of trees, has it?"
"It is something that breathes with the earth and sky. The fact that I can summon its miracle is proof enough. Its palace is hidden beyond the cognition of man, only dreamy children and aged widows might touch upon it."
"How fascinating."
"Anything from the era I belong to would seem marvelous now. I've even eaten Little Goblins. What kind of animal do you like? Place your hand on it, and the scratch will transform into the animal that best fits your temperament."
Xu Yang placed his hand on the rune.
An additional scratch appeared on the rune, expanding into the shape of a soaring bird.
"A bird," Xu Yang said.
"A bird? I think its shape resembles a swan," Farosa said.
"And you're a cat, cats are by nature mischievous."
"I like anything that doesn't play by the rules."
After forming the scratch, Xu Yang looked at Farosa and indeed felt an odd sensation at heart.
As if there was a kind of compulsory bond restricting him from harming Farosa in any way.
"Let this all take effect," Farosa said solemnly, "Let us share the same covenant, as though the same will binds us—we will never turn our swords on each other, never malign maliciously, never harbor betrayal, never reveal secrets to outsiders."
"This thing must never get into the hands of the company," Xu Yang said. "Then even defecting from the company would be impossible."
"It is a power not so easily controlled," Farosa said. "The organization you call 'company' might not like it, it can bring people together like never before."
"There are pros and cons, I guess. You really do know a lot of mysterious methods."
"All in all, this way you shouldn't worry about me blowing your head off," Farosa said.
"Strange, why? What if I did something you didn't like?"
"My mother told me to be grateful and repay kindness. It's often hard to let go of childhood teachings. Ah, thinking back on it, the reason I've spared so many people's lives is that my mother was human."
She kills without blinking, yet she adheres to certain principles.
"So, it is. Now bound by this mysterious oath, I will neither harm you nor do anything to you with subjective malice."
"Likewise, you would do well to relax a bit. Hey, speaking of which, you've seen my body, so let me see yours."
"Were you so open back in your time too?"
"During my slumber, my body went through some 'changes'," Farosa winked, "I'll tell you about it later."
"Now that your witch's power is restored, we should be able to do as we please," Xu Yang said in a deliberately light tone.
"The duration is very short and the available strength is minimal. It's only a negligible restoration."
"Then drink another bag."
Farosa would indeed wish to regain her power, so she found more coffee and poured it into her mouth after tearing a corner.
She carefully savored the contents, feeling the changes in her body.
"There's no increase," Farosa said, "It seems to be an emergency measure, not one of recovery. It looks like only a god can help me now."
If her magic power was slightly restored, could she use the Law of Recovery to repair the damage to her prosthetics? Xu Yang wondered. But he also didn't know how her ancient magic powers and the modern implants in his body would interact. A slight miscalculation could lead to a disaster, so he couldn't risk his own safety on this gamble.
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