-13- Expectation

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Thousands of years?
That’s impossible. Thousands of years ago, the Origin Civilization was only just beginning to emerge—there couldn’t have been any mutated creatures back then...

Yvette furrowed her brow slightly but didn’t dwell on the question any further. “...Why did you enter the Abyss?”

“I was driven in by the demon clan... They launched an invasion on the Eastern Continent, and my family got separated... While escaping, the aurora appeared in the sky, then I saw the Abyss and fled inside...”

Recalling the sorrowful past, the girl’s heartfelt words revealed genuine sadness, like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind.

Since mental communication is difficult to fake, after carefully reading her thoughts, Yvette was quite certain that she hadn’t lied so far.

The demon clan... the Eastern Continent... it seems the world opposite isn’t inhabited by humans alone...

Mutants can cross to the other side through the “Abyss,” yet the history traces back thousands of years...

Could it be that multiple planets were destroyed by the same apocalypse? So the aurora belt connects more than one doomed world?

Or perhaps different timelines? Crossing the Abyss might mean traveling through time?

Or simply parallel universes?

By the way, could I return to Earth through the Abyss...?

With so many possibilities swirling in her mind, she fell into deep thought and remained silent.

Meanwhile, seeing that the “Evil God” no longer spoke, after a moment’s hesitation, the little golden-haired girl suddenly knelt again, bowing her head with utmost respect. “Um... Great Evil God, I have a request!”

“I am not the Evil God you speak of, nor is this place the end of the world from your myths.”

And why did you interrupt my spell again... Yvette grasped her arm and helped her back up, shaking her head. “I’m just an ordinary... magician. My name is Yvette Lochivea. Or you can call me the Witch.”

—The ageless, undying Witch.

“Yes, Great Witch,” the golden-haired girl obediently corrected herself.

From her thoughts, Yvette sensed that the girl hadn’t fully believed her but was half doubtful and therefore dared not speak her true name.

But that was enough. Yvette thought that this little girl would figure things out on her own in time.

“What did you want to ask just now?”

“I...” The golden-haired girl took a deep breath. “Great Witch, could you grant me the power to fight against the demon clan?”

This tentative request was cleverly baited; Yvette couldn’t help but admire her cunning — on the surface, she was asking for aid, but beneath, she was testing the attitude of the “Evil God.”

So Yvette said plainly, “I am not a god. I cannot grant you power, nor can I send you back.”

“Alright then...” The girl’s expression showed disappointment, but her emotions were remarkably steady, clearly having expected this.

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Then Yvette said, “But you can live here until the aurora appears again. When that day comes, I can escort you through the Abyss.”

“Really?” The golden-haired girl’s face lit up with surprise and a hint of belief this time. She truly began to trust that this silver-haired, red-eyed beauty before her was not an evil god but might even be an angel.

What kind of evil god has such a gentle and patient temper? Not eerie at all, and so beautiful—nothing like the terrifying beings in the church’s illustrated books!

Honestly, as long as I don’t betray humanity or my home, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to side with an evil god? Better than dying...

“You will know for yourself whether it’s true in time,” Yvette said softly. “Now, you can tell me your name.”

“My name is Rosaline, Great Witch.” This time, the golden-haired girl’s smile carried more sincerity. She earnestly gave her full name: “Rosaline Sheen!”

...

After establishing initial communication and trust with Rosaline, Yvette began learning the new language of this world—the “Glowing Tongue”—through mental dialogue in the days that followed.

According to Rosaline, this was a lingua franca promoted by the Pan-Human United Front, formed by the human races of the Eastern Continent to combat the demon clans of the Western Continent. It was widely understood everywhere.

“So, you’re saying the strongest race on the Glowing Continent is the elves?” Three months later, sitting on a bench by the manor’s lake, Yvette, having grasped the basics of the Glowing Tongue, asked Rosaline about this other world.

The Glowing Continent referred to the Eastern Continent, home to humans, elves, half-beasts, and other races.

The opposing Western Continent was called the Abyssal Continent, where the demon clans dwelled.

“Seems so. My father mentioned that at the frontline fortress, the elves are often the backbone... even the kingdom’s army frequently takes orders from them...” Rosaline recalled.

Her father was Count Sheen of the Eaton Kingdom, a top-ranking noble, and naturally, she had the status of a count’s daughter. Otherwise, how could she have known about the aurora belt and the Abyss, let alone use that knowledge to escape the demon clan’s pursuit?

—Though in the grand scheme of the Eastern Continent, the Eaton Kingdom was just a minor state.

“What kind of magic do elves use?” Yvette was curious.

“Legend says elves can manipulate plants and trees... I don’t know much beyond that...” Rosaline replied.

Plant magic... The Origin Civilization had deep research in this area. If I could find relevant materials, maybe I could craft similar spells... Yvette thought. But her Forge Ring X3 only had 44,000 capacity left; every new spell had to be carefully calculated...

Morning light quietly filtered through their conversation until the sun reached its zenith. At mealtime, Yvette went inside to cook, with Rosaline following to help.

After more than three months together, Rosaline had gained some understanding of the so-called “Endplace,” and she believed the elegant silver-haired witch before her was no evil god but a truly good person.

And also a stunningly beautiful and strong woman... she added longingly in her heart.

Lunch was a vegetable salad with grilled fish, quite Western in style but limited by available ingredients.

Afterward, Yvette picked up a book titled *Foundations of Magic Machinery Technology* and flipped through it in the living room on the first floor. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing her in an angelic glow.

But the quiet study did not last long. Noticing Rosaline nearby, peeking around with a hesitant expression, Yvette asked, “What is it?”

“Um... Witch sister, haven’t we gone on an adventure for a long time?” Rosaline looked at her expectantly.

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“Adventure...” Yvette glanced at her, then looked down at the professional book she had just opened. “Didn’t we just go a couple of days ago?”

“So we rested yesterday,” Rosaline blinked her big beautiful eyes hard, clearly hinting and acting coquettishly.

“...Alright then.” Yvette hesitated but closed the book.

The “adventure” here referred to Yvette taking Rosaline around the city of Ish to explore the so-called “ancient ruins.”

At first, Yvette had only taken her along when going out to collect usable materials, fearing it wasn’t safe for her to stay alone in the manor.

Unexpectedly, the little girl got hooked, completely overturning her initial impression of the outside world as “terrifying and ruined.” Instead, she saw it as “mysterious and magnificent ancient ruins,” brimming with curiosity, always urging Yvette to go out and explore, thoroughly enjoying it.

Hmm, I’m not slacking off or avoiding studying—I’m just forced to entertain the child... Yvette reassured herself silently.

Soon, stepping out from the expanding three-story wooden mansion, Yvette took out the flying board that had played a crucial role in her escape.

She placed Rosaline at the front of the board and stood behind her. The board silently hovered, carrying them like swimming fish through a steel jungle covered in greenery.

“Where are we going today?” Rosaline asked happily.

She loved the feeling of soaring like a bird, especially when Yvette performed daring maneuvers, like threading through the narrow cracks of collapsed buildings, which made her shout with excitement.

“To the factory district in the outskirts,” Yvette answered briefly.

She had deduced this from a recently acquired island map, which showed part of Ish City’s outskirts belonged to the Black Tower Pharmaceutical’s machinery factory.

She planned to scavenge there for scrap, hoping to recover some heavy industrial products that still retained functionality, like magic-powered motorcycles or rune airships.

To conserve mana, when attacked by flying mutants on the way, Yvette used frost grenades to deal with enemies.

Just a little mana was enough to freeze most mutants stiff, rendering them immobile for a short time. Even if they fell without dying from the impact, by the time they recovered, Yvette and Rosaline would have long fled, pulling aggro away—very convenient.

This scene, even after watching it several times, still amazed Rosaline.

In her understanding, casting magic inevitably required chanting spells, but the witch sister claimed to be a magician and simply raised her hand to release a spell that instantly killed a tainted demon. This contradicted everything she knew.

Even if she wasn’t a god or angel, she must be an unfathomably powerful sorceress!

Anyway, she was far stronger than the kingdom’s or church’s magicians!

With such thoughts, a small hope began to take shape in Rosaline’s heart.

—Since she couldn’t return home anytime soon, could she learn magic here with the witch sister?