The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 175

“Contemplating the ‘Blood Painter’s’ Reconstitution Ritual. Just sketching.”

Ciel shook her head. She put down her pencil, wiped the charcoal dust from her hands with a wet cloth, and stood up to look at Avena behind her.

“Haven’t decided which path to take yet? You seem to have collected quite a few potions…”

Avena shook her head and said, “But I don’t really recommend it, especially the ‘Blood Painter’ path, unless…”

“Unless?”

Ciel looked at Avena before her, a little curious.

“Unless you are always one tier lower than me, otherwise I cannot guarantee your mental safety.”

Avena sighed and said, “‘Blood Painters’ are a bunch of lunatics… Truly problematic in the head.”

To paint pictures that could make others go insane, how good could one’s own mental state be? Ciel had no doubt about this point.

“Do you want to talk, Ciel?”

Avena pointed to the sofa and table by the fireplace behind her and said, “You have something you want to ask, right?”

“Yes.”

After wiping the charcoal dust from her hands, Ciel followed behind Avena and sat down with her on the sofa.

“Family matters?”

Avena spoke first, stating Ciel’s question.

“Yes,”

Hearing Avena bring this up directly, Ciel didn’t hide her thoughts. She said directly, “Berren City is becoming more and more dangerous… I’m thinking it might be safer to go to Ansu City. I wanted to ask for your opinion.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Avena gently nodded and said, “Compared to Berren City, Ansu City is indeed much safer—of course, I’m referring to the transcendent level.”

Avena was a long-time resident of Ansu and knew the current situation in Ansu City. Not only was it densely populated, but the areas were also chaotic. The lower-class areas, the suffering of the people there was incomparable to that of this industrial town, Berren City.

Naturally, the crime rate wasn’t low either. It was a breeding ground for “Detectives,” “Ascetics,” “Assassins,” and “Butchers.” A few “Poison Masters” and “Instigators” might also be mixed in, but they wouldn’t show their faces.

“So, will you come with me to Ansu?”

Ciel blinked and asked.

“Mm.”

Avena nodded without the slightest hesitation.

At this moment, Avena was also feeling frustrated.

She had worked hard to build up a fortune outside, and with just one sentence from above, it was taken away…

This also made Avena realize that if she didn’t walk within the core circle of power, no matter what achievements she gained outside, how much “friendship” and money she accumulated, it would all be taken away with just a piece of paper.

If she wanted to make a name for herself, she had to do it in the core area of power… Avena had the capital and the confidence.

“So what exactly is your conflict with your family?”

Ciel asked, “One thing I’ve been concerned about is your family…”

“The Roswell family, hounds held on leashes by the royal family on one side and the Church of the God of Order on the other,”

Avena shook her head and said calmly, “The head of this pack of hounds, which is my father, gave me two ‘free’ choices.”

“One, convert to the Church of the God of Order, join the Queen’s Sword, and climb the ranks.”

“Two, listen to the ‘Restricted Music’ of the Royal Melody, enter the Order Holy See as a reserve saintess, and then climb the ranks…”

“Royal family or the Holy See, choose one of the two.”

Saying this, Avena smiled and said, “I’m very grateful I met Nia beforehand and learned that the premise of these two things was just to control people’s hearts. It also made me realize that I would never have freedom in my family.”

“So I drank the ‘Listener’ potion, which no one else expected, unlocked Nia’s ‘Future’ ability, and took her with me to Berren City, where I landed in this manor!”

Quite a romantic and rebellious spirit!

Ciel listened and nodded.

Things definitely weren’t as simple as Avena said in a few words, but she had a general idea.

At least from Avena’s description, she could tell what Avena’s position was in the eyes of that head of the hounds—that is, Avena’s father.

A “hostage” who could be traded to the royal family or the church.

Avena’s personality was inherently independent, and coupled with Nia’s own tragic experiences, she would absolutely not follow such arrangements.

“Then what about later? Didn’t anyone from your family send people to look for you?”

Ciel asked.

“They’ve been looking… but they are all people from my mother’s side.”

Avena leaned back against the sofa cushion and stopped speaking.

Such a complex relationship…

On one side was the royal family, at the pinnacle of power in Ansu, on the other side was the largest orthodox church in Ansu, and the Roswell family, caught between the two, as if they were a fusion of the two, serving as a “buffer”…

“What I mean is, won’t they cause you trouble?”

Ciel asked, “That’s what I’m mainly concerned about.”

“No,”

Avena shook her head and said, “In their eyes, the moment I drank the ‘Listener’ potion, I was out of the game. They already determined that I could never reach Tier 4.”

Saying these words, Avena’s face showed no disappointment or other emotions. She herself seemed to have already accepted this outcome.

“Is it that hard to advance to Tier 4?”

Ciel asked.

This wasn’t Ciel being pretentious or showing off. It was just that on her path to advancement in the simulation, it was faster than a rocket. She basically didn’t encounter any setbacks.

Perhaps it was because the things she did in the simulation were too shocking. Even the potion, after seeing them, seemed to have no objection.

Avena looked at Ciel, who was full of curiosity. She hesitated, then finally said, “I don’t know either.”

“It’s alright, Avena.”

Ciel reached out, took Avena’s slightly cool hand, and said seriously, “Digesting potions is very simple. Someone in the organization even advanced from Tier 1 to Tier 3 in one day.”

Avena felt the strength in Ciel’s hand, looked at Ciel’s serious eyes, and after a moment of silence, smiled and nodded, saying, “Okay.”

Avena knew that many of the questions Ciel asked were quite basic, but her executed plans and the ideas in her mind were very outrageous. A large part of the reason was the organization behind her.

That mysterious organization might have considerable power, and their members were of high quality. After absorbing Ciel, they gave Ciel, who had probably only been in the transcendent field for a few years, the misconception that “advancement is very simple.”

It was somewhat like a “sheltered young mistress coming to a slum for the first time and asking why they don’t eat cake when they are so hungry.”

However, considering Ciel was trying to comfort her, Avena didn’t expose this matter and just casually agreed.