Chapter 1441 - Witches’ Sabbath (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

It was nightfall.

In that era, there was no electrical lighting, and only undeveloped wilderness abounded, so there was little light in the world after dark. The aristocratic area and zone near the church were the only places well lit. Once out of the city, people would have to depend on moonlight and starlight for direction.

Hao Ren and Lily left the city with ease after dark. They did it so effortlessly that the patrolling soldiers did not even notice. They hustled along the avenue outside the city for a moment and saw an open space by the roadside. A dead eucalyptus tree was there with light from a nearly full moon shining on its dried branches. A crow was perched on top of the tree, looking at the two people with its black eyes.

Hao Ren and the crow looked at each other for a while before Hao Ren said, “Are you here to lead us?”

The crow was frightened, cawing and fluttering from one branch to another.

Lily scratched her head. “Mr. Landlord, I don’t think this is the one.”

Hao Ren frowned. “Madam Marie said that she would send a crow to lead us. Did she lie to us about that too? If so, she’s only cutting off her nose to spite her face…”

Before Hao Ren’s voice trailed off, he heard the sound of wings flapping behind him, followed by a hoarse voice. It sounded like the caw of a crow. “Caw! Caw! Idiot! Idiot! Where are you looking at? The great Kodo is right here!”

Hao Ren turned around and saw an ugly bird, which was at least twice as large as an ordinary crow, jumping up and down on a haystack not far away. There was a strikingly black feather on the bird’s head. It cried pompously, “Caw! That abominable old woman always makes the great Kodo a travel guide for stupid people like you. Caw, caw!”

“So, you are the crow that will lead us?” Hao Ren was a little dumbstruck.

“Of course, I am! Of course, I am! Have you ever seen a crow more beautiful than the great Kodo?” the huge crow cried and fluttered its wings. “Did you just talk to that thin and pathetic low life? That old woman is a joke! She knows there are crows everywhere in the wilderness yet she still insists on letting Kodo be a travel guide for strangers!”

“Okay, we know you are great,” Hao Ren quickly interrupted so that the ugly bird would shut up. “Now take us to your master. We have an appointment.”

“Kodo knows, Kodo knows. Kodo is smarter than most of you so shut up. Kodo knows what to do.”

The big crow cawed and chattered nonsense continuously. But it still had to obey the witch’s command. It flapped its wings and flew into the air as Hao Ren and Lily ran after it under the night sky.

The crow with a loose screw in its head flew at a high speed. It seemed like it was ignoring the command of its master and trying to shake off the two people behind it. But soon, it found that no matter how fast it flew, the two individuals on the ground just would not fall behind. Lily even had time to collect her favorite exotic stones along the way and make a wreath out of the flowers she had plucked in the wilderness. Had it not been for the serious business at hand, she would have even gone hunting along the way.

The big crow finally gave up the idea of ​​playing tricks on the two.

However, its annoying chatters never stopped for a moment. Perhaps the witch had given the bird something strange when she opened up its mind, so the bird could not control itself. It babbled as it flew, driveling about the harvest, the quirks of the seigneurs, the size of the cities and villages, the weather and the soil, as well as the name of the second egg it laid the previous year. Hao Ren wanted to borrow a stone from Lily to knock the damn bird out of the sky, but he managed to control himself in the end.

As Kodo gabbled and led the way, Hao Ren noticed that the moonlight had gradually dimmed.

They had deviated from the main road, hustling farther into the wilderness. Fog began to gather around them and visibility started to get worse. The thick fog had blocked out the crow in the air. Hao Ren could only depend on its constant gibbering as a guide for direction.

Then, a cemetery appeared amid the dense fog.

A few sections of its surrounding iron railings had fallen and blocked the way ahead. Across the iron railings, tombstones and stone statues were scattered sparsely, while fallen dead tree trunks had damaged the walls of the cemetery, their branches landing on a few gravestones.

The sound of the huge crow flapping its wings rang in the air, and soon, Kodo descended out from the thick fog. It stood on the iron railing and cried in the direction of the cemetery. As it cawed, the fallen fences and tree trunks immediately grew hands and legs before scattering to both sides.

Hao Ren and Lily raised their guard and entered the cemetery after the big crow.

At the center of the cemetery was a long table filled with suspicious food and thick white candles in between cups and plates. The flames from the pale candles burned so quietly in the fog that it seemed like they were still.

A few black high-back chairs were strewn around the long table. Several women in black robes got to their feet, turned around, and stared at Hao Ren as well as Lily. They were full of suspicion and vigilance.