Chapter 1440 - Reconnaissance in the City (2/2)

“Werewolves are the most trustworthy because these honest guys won’t play tricks on you. Usually, they’re very frank with their displeasure with you. The descendants of the vampires and Olympians are relatively trustworthy because they care for their faces and familial honor. As long as you see things from their point of view, you’ll figure out how to deal with them. The witches, who once occupied the lowest social hierarchy during the Mythological Era, are the least trustworthy.”

While he spoke, Hao Ren’s eyes fell on an inconspicuous floor tile in the corner of the square.

“Because the witches were vulnerable, they became more unscrupulous. When the control that restrained them disappeared, they went to the extreme in everything they did. It’s hard for them to survive in the Dark Ages. Those who have survived must not be underestimated.”

There was a blurry imprint on that inconspicuous floor tile. It was only a cracked tile in the eyes of ordinary people, but Hao Ren recognized what it was.

A Letta rune.

A single Letta rune did not have any power. So there had to be more runes, probably hidden around the place of execution.

However, Hao Ren was not interested in the symbols. He just needed to confirm the existence of the runes.

“Mr. Landlord, what have you found?” Lily looked at Hao Ren curiously.

“A Letta rune. The witches were here. They could have been planning to save their company but weren’t sure when the execution would be. So they laid down the Letta runes in advance. The arrested witch must be someone important in their organization, or maybe even a leader. Otherwise, the witches in this era would not take the risk to save their companion.”

“There seems to be a wizard helping them. What does a wizard have to do with a bunch of witches?” Lily blinked.

“The number of wizards is less than that of the witches. During the Mythological Era, wizards were sent to the frontline as cannon fodder by their masters. In contrast, the witches, who were deemed less effective in combat, stayed away from the battlefield. As a result, witches have become mainstream during the Dark Ages,” Hao Ren explained. “The inheritance systems of wizards and witches are different. The otherworldling gods designed different teaching schemes for different human physiques while they raised the wizards. It was basically human trial and error. Under normal circumstances, wizards and witches did not interact, but they had no conflict between them. After the end of the Mythological Era, they stayed that way. But they did communicate when there was a need. After all, they all originated from the same ‘school.’ So I guess this is what happened: Vivian’s hibernation place has a strong energy field, which attracted a group of witches who may be planning to take advantage of the place. Somehow, their movements were exposed, and one of them was arrested. The wizard could be outside help, whom the witches have invited. Or, the wizard just happened to pass by and accepted the witches’ invitation. But no matter what the circumstance is, the wizard and witches would have known each other before. In this day and age, no underground organization would want to accept strangers.”

“How did the ordinary people in this era catch the witch?” Lily asked curiously.

“Ordinary people are obviously weaker than wizards who are masters of magic. But they’re not completely defenseless. After all, humans have been dealing with the otherworldlings since ancient times. They must have something up their sleeves. Those who master the means are usually the medieval church and reclusive sorcerers, who are mostly former members of the resistance in the Mythological Era. Some of them may have received skills and even resource aid from the demon hunters. Even in the twenty-first century, some reclusive organizations are still operating in secret and monitoring the supernatural forces in the world. But as time goes by and humans will become more powerful. The decline of these organizations is inevitable.”

As he shared the knowledge he had learned from Hasse and his own experience, Hao Ren brought Lily out of the square unnoticed.

The guards in the square swept across the crowd in front of them. Their eyes landed on Hao Ren and Lily for two seconds, but they figured that there was nothing they could profit off from the two peasants. So, they looked away.

The soldiers turned to discuss the prisoner hanging on the gallows and the recent rumors about black magic.

Hao Ren and Lily wandered the city throughout the day. Sometimes they followed the crowd to the open spaces, sometimes they used their superhuman skills to sneak into places where civilians were prohibited from entering to collect information. They roamed around like that until it was nightfall.

Camouflaged, the two of them scaled the wall in the dark to meet the mysterious witches.