Chapter 2246: Elevator, Fog, and Reefs

Chapter 2246: Chapter 2246: Elevator, Fog, and Reefs

The sullen window cast weak daylight into the room, and the sound of pouring rain was the only sound the ears could capture. The smiles on the faces of the Countess and her maids at the doorway were not malicious smiles, but rather wanton ones, which made them even more unsettling in this atmosphere.

"So, Miss Belindel? Has she not returned from the washroom yet?"

Shard asked calmly.

"You’re quite rude, how could you enter someone else’s bedroom without permission?"

The stunning Countess said with a smile, as she entered with her maids and touched her rosy lips:

"But since you’re here, would you like to... play some adult games with us?"

Her eyes seemed like they were about to drip:

"Mr. Watson, as you can see, my husband is quite a useless man, just look at his pathetic state now."

She made a disdainful expression, then smiled and approached Shard:

"But you’re different; I can see how... strong you are. Only a man like you can truly be called a man, you know? From the first moment I saw you, I was already... Now if I just take a deep breath, smell your scent, I can reach the next peak."

A peculiar blush appeared on her face:

"Come play games with me. If you like many people, my maids are also at your disposal, don’t worry, my husband hasn’t touched them, he can’t even satisfy me. Come on~ come on~ as long as you can satisfy us, everything here will be yours. I can tell you’ve studied Pink Sorcery, we’ll get along perfectly."

Her breathing gradually became rapid, the blush spreading to her neck and the back of her hand. Staring at Shard as if she was going to devour him, a strange pink glow once again appeared in the room, and the alluring fragrance of flowers filled the air:

"Not just this mansion and the property, your Duchess, the ladies she brought, even those secrets you want to know, as long as you can conquer me, you can have whatever you want, yes, anything..."

Her right hand, painted with red nail polish, reached for the second button of Shard’s coat, but it passed through the air, touching nothing.

Using spatial movement to reach the hallway, Shard looked at the backs of the Countess and her maids and asked once more:

"I only ask once, where is Miss Belindel and her maids?"

His right hand drew the shimmering Silvermoon Moonlight Greatsword from the air, but the ladies turned around, laughing instead of fearing:

"Look at his serious look, so handsome indeed."

"His gaze, as if he wants to kill us, is powerful. Just by being looked at by him, I feel he has forcefully entered my body."

"Oh, then come kill me, tear us to pieces, as you wish."

They were not afraid of Shard at all, instead, they noisily approached him in the hallway, wanting to surround him again. Fortunately, the glamorous Countess stopped her maids, and regretfully looked at Shard:

"You truly are an unromantic man, I already said, as long as you satisfy me, you can have whatever you want. Does Bella Belindel hold that much appeal to you?"

"Yes, she is indeed prettier than you."

Shard said honestly, causing the Countess to show an annoyed expression, glaring at Shard in reproach, and then she touched her cheek in self-pity:

"Such a heartless man.

Then go find her and those young ladies, as long as they’re still alive... there’s a door at the end of the basement. I know your perception is strong, in fact, whenever your perception sweeps over me, I can feel you gently teasing me. However, I’m sure you haven’t noticed the space behind that door. Go ahead, heartless man, if you can return, my bedroom will always have a spot for you."

Shard’s Enhanced Spatial Awareness indeed did not detect any additional space in the basement; in his perception, the basement of this mansion was a standard rectangle, without even partitions.

When he finally reached the end of the basement and opened the door, what appeared behind it was a circular space with a 30-foot radius. The walls and floor were made of gray brick and stone, adorned with mermaid oil paintings, and the patterns carved into the stone walls were all related to mermaids. A square elevator, measuring 20 feet by 20 feet (approximately 6.1 meters), was stationed at the center of this secret space beyond the door.

The bottom of the elevator bore mermaid engravings on a gray-black metal plate, with four pillars extending upward from the corners, forming a cage-like structure along with the metal plates on the ground and overhead. When Shard stepped inside and pressed down on the central protrusion, the elevator descended relatively smoothly amidst a rumbling noise and slight tremor.

Shard had only seen such ancient lifting devices at the ritual site of the Spiritual Practice Order.

The Earl D’Armanin’s mansion was already situated on a cliff by the sea, so it’s entirely possible there was an exploitable space within the mountain below. As they continued descending, the medallion on Shard’s chest finally began to generate heat, and by the time the elevator carried Shard to the bottom and came to a halt, the heat from the medallion indicated to Shard that the witch was nearby.

The bottom where the elevator arrived was also a circular space with a radius of thirty feet, and the floor seemed to have pressure sensors because, once the elevator stopped, the gas lamps on the surrounding walls lit up.

A total of seven gas lamps illuminated the maidens lying on the floor.

Including Miss Matilda, all the maids who had gone out with Miss Belindel that morning lay there. Shard quickly checked them and found that they had fainted for unknown reasons. Since there was no immediate danger to their lives and he was still worried about Miss Belindel, he didn’t try to wake them.

He stood up, didn’t linger here, and after finding the door on the wall opposite the direction he had entered the elevator, he opened the door and left.

The sounds of rain and waves filled the air; the moist air of a rainy day swept up by the wind was forcefully hitting his face. Inside the door was completely silent, but once the door was opened, the sound of rainfall rushed in.

Outside the door, down below the rocky sea cliff, lay exposed jagged rocks. Elevated above the sea level, these large rocks were hit by waves formed on the rain-touched sea surface, one after another, crashing against the rocks but stopping just before the metal door of the room where the elevator was located.

The area of the rocks was about as large as the bedroom plus the living room of the Shard Family’s home. In front was the rainy sea, surrounded by a peculiar white mist that obscured distant views of the sea. At the center of the rocks continuously washed by the tide lay the Blonde Witch with closed eyes, her dress completely soaked by rain and seawater, with long hair floating in the water, her scattered strands and pale cheeks indicating her dire state.

The golden bracelet that she often wore lay quietly beside her right hand, emitting an unusual glow under the faint daylight, representing her witch’s jewelry.

"Oh! Miss Belindel~"

Shard hurriedly dashed through the rain to help her up, checking her breath and placing his hand on her forehead. He then retrieved half a piece of gold from his pocket, disregarded frugality, and threw it toward the soaked ground:

"Sorcery—Traveler’s Camp!"

The precious metal collided with the wet ground, bursting into unusual sparks, which then ignited into a blazing campfire. Warm air instantly filled the surroundings, and the damp spots on the ground receded noticeably, with cushions appearing around the fire.

A protective shield seemed to appear around the campfire, causing the rising tide to naturally avoid this area. When Shard seated Miss Belindel beside the fire, he even found that rain wouldn’t fall into this area.

Then he retrieved a small bottle of Holy Water from his pocket, carefully feeding it to the Blonde Witch, who still had the instinct to swallow, before softly calling again:

"Miss Belindel~ Miss Belindel~"

The unconscious witch’s eyelashes trembled slightly. When her confused eyes opened and recognized that it was Shard holding her, she instinctively entangled his body like a snake and attempted to kiss him. Dodged by Shard, she then bit into his neck, gently licking the wound, and began kissing his neck in an extraordinarily inappropriate manner.

"Stay focused, wake up~"

Her breathing was rapid and her temperature unusually high. Shard wanted to push her away but was concerned about her current condition. He had learned many methods to evoke passion from the Book of Pink but hadn’t studied any incantation to easily quell the fire of desire.

Fortunately, "she" softly reminded Shard in his ear:

[Shoulder.]

Shard immediately understood, retracting his right hand tightly embraced by Miss Belindel, and resting it on her right shoulder. He easily sensed the Whisper Element peculiar to the Source of Chaos, and as the silver moonlight radiated from Shard’s fingertips, the bright yellow orb in the witch’s shoulder also lit up with the Yellow Moon’s glow.

Relic and human fusion presents complex and dangerous side effects, yet few fanatical organizations such as the Truth Society continue to research them because the benefits of such fusion are apparent. In the moonlight, the Blonde Witch who still kissed Shard’s neck gradually slowed her movements until she completely stopped after a dozen seconds.

She did not speak, and Shard initially thought she was embarrassed by what happened and reluctant to admit her alertness, but then he realized the lady entwined around him was trembling all over.

The Whisper Element in witches was inherently unbalanced compared to ordinary Circle Sorcerers, and at this moment, the Whisper Element in her body was in complete turmoil.