After returning to the tower, the girls advanced until they eventually reached the main road.
As they advanced, the road slowly became more populated. Adventurers walked past in groups, merchants drove their caravans with vigilance, and travellers sat by the side of the road, resting.
Petra felt like this was a good opportunity to practice, so she had the Tower Spider put down the carriage and learn to match its pace.
From their party, only this carriage appeared as an anchor for their existence along the road.
The Tower Spider stood over the carriage, like a silent guardian. Its form cloaked by layers of illusions and spatial dislocations, making it seem like a ghost. He had to keep vigilant, observant, and not crush other pedestrians.
The carriage was driven by Mell and pulled by the Calamity Wolf.
It attracted many eyes. Its design was exquisite, built from wood and stone, both of the highest quality. Shallow runes covered its surface, their flowing channels flickering with a sturdy spirit. The carriage was both eye-catching and strangely forgettable, an aftereffect of being so close to the miniaturized barrier of the Emerald Ghost Tree.
They advanced leisurely, receiving both positive and negative attention.
From time to time, a traveler would approach and ask about its craftsmanship. Mell would explain that it was a creation of the 'Green Alchemist', a moniker that Petra had decided to take. Other times, those with greedy eyes could not hold themselves back. With such a beautiful carriage, such a small team of guards was undoubtedly a temptation.
Attacks came from time to time.
Those without eyes would be quickly dispatched by a speared leg striking from the void.
-
On this day, the party arrived at an abandoned village.
The Tower Spider did not always need to lower itself, a simple jump would be enough to alight.
Each of the girls had been working hard to cultivate. Lilly and Luna had both become first realm Mages, Mell, Wind, and Rose had become first realm Cultivators, Bell was already a second realm Mage, and Soryn was a third realm Ice Element Cultivator.
For most of the girls, although their cultivation could be considered slightly slow when compared to the resources used, Petra demanded only the best. The quality of their cultivation exceeded the average persons by no small amount, even when compared to those from large sects.
This level of scrutiny naturally didn't allow Bell and Soryn to escape Petra's tiny draconic eyes, but it just wasn't their time yet.
Petra jumped down, walking into the ruins of the village ahead.
This place had been decimated by a destructive storm and suffered from an inadequate level of protection. Parts of the village had been washed away by a landslide, while others were caved in and crushed by falling debris. Uprooted trees stuck out of rooftops, and broken walls had been transformed into blunt weapons. The village was hollow and lifeless, seemingly having been abandoned for quite some time.
Where people had once lived were now empty buildings hollowed out by disaster.
Petra did not mourn, in fact, she didn't even care.
Things were going to get a lot worse, and she knew that. What she currently saw was the lowest level of damage that would be left behind by the Nine Calamities.
Looking around, her eyes swam with a scavenger's greed.
She had come not to rescue, but to loot. Her greedy little claws combed through the village, looking for anything of value. She was followed by the ants, they spread out, overturning rubble and digging through collapsed buildings.
The maidservants watched on coldly from the side.
They had long gotten used to their greedy little master's way of doing things. They did not stop her, instead, they just judged silently from the side.
Petra could feel their eyes burrowing into her back.
Although her face turned red, her poverty didn't allow her hands to stop. This was actually a habit that she brought over from her past life. Back then, when she was a child, she had to do this to survive.
Using Petra's draconic logic, this was not stealing, instead, this was salvaging. She would keep what she found for when the rightful owners came to reclaim it.
As for how they would find her or how they would know who to look for, that wasn't her problem.
Petra walked through the empty streets.
There was a kind of chaotic beauty that only she could understand.
Petra had noticed this a long time ago. After her reincarnation, she was often interested in things that didn't normally adhere to her aesthetic standards. It was like when you didn't like a drink, but you craved it anyway. It wasn't an addiction, only an attraction.
She linked this to something that Bell had told her…
The Witch race was unconsciously drawn to Chaos. This was like how humans were drawn to food. It was something that their bodies needed to, not survive, it was more like... to grow?
This was also one of the reasons they had received such a bad reputation. Over the years, Witches became synonymous with chaos and destruction. Wherever disaster struck, Witches could be found. The Church of Light used this to brand them as evil existences.
Petra moved as fast as her little legs would take her. She hummed as she moved, digging through the village. Around her, the excavation of the village was fully underway.
Just because there were 30 ants in the main team didn't mean that there were only 30 ants. Some of these ants could carry or create more ants, while others could call for help from the surroundings. The five royal ants, not including the trio, could even command different species to come and help.
Petra passed a wild bear that was lifting a fallen roof. On its back stood a bipedal ant, 1.2 meters. It did not enslave, instead, it instructed and taught the bear how to work. These interactions were short, usually only happening once or twice, but they changed the lives of many of the surviving wildlife.
Those that did not die to the cold were more Intelligent, and in a way, the curse of winter refined the population, leaving only the more resourceful and more intelligent individuals alive.
This was also the prologue to what should have been Rose, the Red King's, storyline.
Unfortunately, Rose had diverged from his path. He became a woman, turning to servitude instead of salvation. With this, the Red King would never rise, but this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Opportunities opened in many ways.
The ants had silently become teachers for the forest and its wildlife. They replaced what should have been the Red King and stopped his rebellion against humanity.
This brought change, both good and bad.
On one hand, there would be no uprising from the northern region, but on the other, these ants were teaching the northern wildlife not only how to survive, but also the 'Ways of Petra'.
Just read those words.
'The way of Petra.'
You can imagine what the northern forest would turn into.
-
Petra stopped, turning her attention to the three ants that were scurrying over. The ant trio had brought over something unusual, and Petra was unsure how to act. They came side to side, collectively holding something above their heads.
They passed that 'something' to Petra, then disappeared quickly, clicking happily as they left.
Petra was handed a strange humanoid object trapped tightly in forest vines and plant leaves. It had been packaged nicely, almost like a gift box specifically for her.
If it weren't for the struggle that came from inside the small package, then perhaps Petra would be more thankful.
There was a pause, before Petra's mind turned and realised what she had just been given.
Petra suddenly asked herself if she had just become a second hand kidnapper? Ah ah ah! She never thought that she would fall this far… Her eyes glisten with tears, the sudden and somewhat comical 'weight' of her actions finally dawning upon her.
All jokes aside, Petra unwrapped what seemed to be a small child.
This little girl was only half Petra's size, making her incredibly small. Petra was around ten, and this little girl was around four or five. After taking a closer look, Petra tilted her head. She wondered if this could even be called a child.
She sat down on a nearby bench and looked at the oddity before her.
This girl was half Petra's height with a strange mushroom cap on her head. Under her cap was short purple and green hair, mixed with small mushrooms growing underneath, and intertwining with her hair. Upon closer inspection, this mushroom cap was not a hat, instead, it was her head, or perhaps, part of her hair…? It was hard to tell. Her eyes were empty, bulging slightly. She was cold and confused, with a slight flicker of cuteness from time to time. Her gaze was empty, both lifeless and unfocused. She was like a humanoid mushroom girl. The big hat on her head made her look almost disproportional, a little like a chibi character.
Petra found it hard to dismiss. Not because she was unique, instead, it was the flickers of mental energy that sparked around her body. It was like a complex network of mycelium, manifested through the mind.
Although her gaze was empty, Petra felt like she was looking at a sleeping dragon.
Although she seemed like a fool who could be thrown away in some corner, Petra felt as if she were a walking computer, or at least, she had the potential to become one. This little dullard was a very interesting treasure.
Lately, Petra's obsession with collecting beautiful girls had been growing.
Petra looked at her face.
Petra nodded a few times.
This girl did seem to fit her aesthetics.
She looked over to where the ant trio had disappeared. She found three little heads poking out from behind the rubble, watching her reaction.
Petra blinked a few times, suddenly finding herself in a dilemma.
On one hand, she could accept this little girl and encourage the ants to kidnap more beautiful girls who fit her aesthetic, but on the other, this would encourage the ants to kidnap more beautiful girls who fit her aesthetic.
She hummed, not seeing the problem at all. The logic added up, so she gave the trio a thumbs up, causing them to skitter away in joy.
Petra took the strange mushroom girl back to the tower. It was time for lunch…
-
When she returned to the tower, Petra tried to hand the strange mushroom girl over to Mell for safekeeping. The mushroom girl, who had been acting like a doll in Petra's arms, recoiled, clinging tightly to Petra's robes.
Petra suddenly realised something,
It seemed that her 'Nine Poisons Beast King Physique had attracted her. This was the first time that Petra knew that her physique had an effect on humanoid entities.
Petra poked her cheek with a finger.
The mushroom girl did not react. Those lifeless eyes just stared blankly into the void, seemingly disconnected from the world around her. Despite her unfocused gaze, she still clung onto Petra's robe like a steel clamp, unwilling to let go.
Petra realised that the little girl's grip was surprisingly strong.
Petra narrowed her eyes.
Only through the use of her small boot could Petra finally pass her to Mell.
The little mushroom girl raised her arms, swinging them like a tantrum-bound child. "Poya!" she cried, not wanting to part with this nice smelling big sister.
Petra snorted.
She jumped over to the table and stood on her tiptoes. She snatched something from the table and thrust it into Poya's little mouth.
The mushroom girl leaned back, processing what had just been stuffed into her mouth. Past her dull eyes and into her Sea of Consciousness, a storm of thoughts was flickering through her massive sea of mental energy. Her little mouth slowly chewed on the slice of crispy red pig in her mouth. She had a very conflicted look.
Petra turned away, knowing that such a delicacy would calm this young girl down.
Petra sneaked another look at Poya from the corner of her eye.
This girl mumbled 'poya poya poya' as she ate. It was very cute.
Poya was the name Petra would give her. Back on Earth, that was how you named your favourite Pocket Monsters, right? Use whatever they repeated, right? Such logic could naturally be brought over.
Petra pulled up a chair and sat at the table. She shared a large meal with the girls before moving on.
-
The next morning, the Tower Spider continued its journey to Sevensen.
As it moved, the girls were all occupied with their own things.
Petra played with the clingy Poya, treating her more like a dog than the real dog (Wolf). While watching this, the Calamity Wolf would sit in the corner, narrowing its eyes at the tiny mushroom baby. This was the beginning of a long rivalry where the mushroom girl and the calamity wolf would often compete for favour.
Lilly was busy sewing new clothes and studying. She would spend the days improving her craft and learning the rune language from Nebula. Lilly wanted to create magic clothing, something that could be worn by the little master for a long time without receiving too much damage. Petra had a problem with finding proper clothing that didn't melt after a long exposure to her body. In her original life, Lilly should have died young. This meant that her talents were unknown and would one day take her on a path that was completely unpredictable.
Luna was busy cleaning. She was quiet, her voice still unusable. Without a voice, Luna became more expressive, often using her hands and body to project emotions through small movements. This slowly developed into a talent and began to open a new door to an unknown form of magic, one that would lead to a very different 'Witch of Silence'.
Mell organised materials and took stock of the laboratory's supplies. She managed the storage space and kept accounts. She was the simplest of the girls, but also the most hardworking. This came from her time in the village.
Wind usually stayed in the rooftop garden, tending to the plants. As a silver elf, she liked to wander around places with the dense scent of nature, especially around windy places. What better place than the top of a moving tower. Also, Wind was a surprisingly good gardener.
Rose trained with the ants. She cleared an area on the first floor, pushing away chairs and tables to use as a makeshift arena. She would spar with the ants, not only to train, but also to entertain. Both parties would learn and enjoy from their short fights.
Nebula was silent, often not appearing. When she did, it was to eat or to watch. She was like a shadow, always there, but silent and observing.
Bell maintained the second floor, often cleaning up after the room was used. When she was not working, she would read some of the history books Petra had copied for her from her mind. The history of the Void Walkers was like a treasure for the silly and shy history fanatic.
Soryn was the most adventurous. Unlike the other girls, who all seemed to be homebodies, she often liked to leave the tower and train in the surroundings. When she was done, she would catch back up to the Tower Spider, jump in, and take a rest.
As for the carriage below, when it was not driven by one of the girls, it was driven by one of the ants. Petra had tried relying on the Calamity Wolf to pull the carriage by itself, but an unmanned carriage attracted too much trouble, especially one as nice as hers.
To fill the vacant seat, Petra would just use an ant as a driver.
Unfortunately, this also started to cause trouble.
The rumors about the 'Haunted Carriage' slowly started to spread.
The 'abnormalities' caused by the mini version of the Emerald Ghost Tree that Petra wanted to hide had just drawn more attention to this unusual story. Shadows would appear where they shouldn't, space would flicker with spires of obsidian black, and an unease that caused one to turn away always persisted around the ghost carriage.
The most ominous part of the story was the skinny old man in black who drove the ghost carriage. It was said that he wore a black robe and had a hunched back, his hands were skin and bones, and he would look at you with black holes in place of his eyes. He did not speak, instead, only an unnerving clicking would emerge from his black hood.
This story slowly grew and started to spread.
-
Soon, they reached Sevensen.