The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 62: Underground Secret Cave

"Boss, will it really work if we leak that information to the young girl?" In the basement, Spicy Face asked the headman Four Fingers, who was sitting at a table drinking wine.

"Of course, it's the best way." The other man poured himself another drink, then swirled his glass and explained slowly.

"The conflict between us and Fire Pig is too great. If we reported it directly to the authorities, it would make them highly suspicious. Even if Fire Pig is eventually dealt with, they'll be wary of us and suppress us."

"Besides, if we were the ones telling the authorities, they'd be even more curious about our sources—how we know more than they do."

"These things are ultimately not something we can put on the table, so we have to distance ourselves."

"Also, didn't you suffer a loss at that young girl Hedra's hands before? You even said she was some kind of genius, that you didn't dare go all out and that's why you lost." Four Fingers teased.

"Heh heh, boss, well... that's..." Spicy Face looked a bit embarrassed.

"Alright, it's a good thing that girl called Hedra is strong. If she can uncover the secret Fire Pig is hiding, she'll be a powerful asset for us."

"Of course, if she fails, it's no big deal either. She's the star student of Asra District. Think about it—if she also goes missing, how furious would those mages be? I think even Fire Pig would have a headache dealing with that. If things go badly, he might lose everything, hehehe." After saying that, he felt considerably better, and the resentment from being poisoned and tricked earlier finally dissipated.

"Let's just wait for news. But still, send some men to keep watch near Water Bend Street. If Fire Pig tries to flee, we can block him immediately.""Yes, boss." Spicy Face left the room with admiration, then began gathering his trusted subordinates to arrange today's tasks.

— Water Bend Street —

Is this the address from the tip? Sylutia stood on the gray, filthy street, her gaze sweeping over it briefly.

Few people lived here, and even those who did were mostly the lowest-tier laborers. This was where Asra District processed garbage and discharged wastewater. Certain smells lingered year-round, and no normal person would want to live here.

Arriving at the designated spot, Sylutia looked at the wide sewer entrance beside her. There was an exposed opening, with some wastewater still draining out. The pipe was large enough that she could walk inside without hitting her head.

Should she go in? Sylutia hesitated in her mind. It wasn't that she was spoiled, but even in her previous life, she had never crawled into such a dirty, messy place. It was a real test of mental endurance.

A few seconds later, she leaped down from the street, her black leather shoes landing lightly on the dark, stained stone passage. Then her gaze peered into the deep, dark pipe opening.

At that moment, light shifted in her eyes, a strange brilliance flowing within them, allowing her to see the interior with extreme clarity and distinguish various traces.

The tip was indeed correct. Someone had definitely passed through here regularly. Water stains and mud on the ground still held faint footprints.

Then Sylutia switched to the Sniffing Method, which she hadn't used in a long time, to analyze the residual molecules in the air.

Originally an ability for identifying herbs and alchemical potions, it now served investigation purposes quite effectively.

There was indeed some residual beastman sweat, but no trace of Anari's scent.

This should be a stronghold for some underground organization. Given the underworld forces in Asra District, the most likely suspect was Fire Pig.

She could only go in and see. Sylutia thought for a moment, took out a handkerchief, covered her mouth and nose, then leaped lightly into the opening, walking swiftly while avoiding the water stains on the ground.

There were many forks in the path. She quickly moved through them, choosing directions based on the footprints left behind, constantly searching. After advancing for a few minutes, several rats blocked her way inside the pipe.

Rats, huh? But these were way too big. Sylutia sized them up.

The three rats before her were each the size of a cow, their bloated bodies covered in black, oily grime, making her not want to get anywhere near them.

"Squeak!"

Seeing the young girl, the three rats charged forward as if they had found a delicious meal. To Sylutia, this scene was no different from a Fourth Tier ferocious beast rushing at her.

If she got that disgusting sludge on her, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep for days.

Light flickered in her eyes as she raised her fingers. Several sharp threads sealed off the sewer, and the moment those giant rats rushed through, they were instantly cut into pieces.

Clutching her handkerchief tightly, Sylutia carefully stepped around the bloodstains and rat carcasses, continuing forward.

By now, she could see some fairly obvious traces. It seemed the organization was confident about this area and hadn't bothered to conceal things as carefully as at the entrance.

After a few more minutes, she stopped. Before her was a crude black wooden circular cover, with some water plants obscuring its surface. Only a very close inspection would reveal it.

Opening this should get her inside their base. But having to touch something like that with her hands was really pushing Sylutia's limits.

She'd have to try the Magic Hand Manipulation, which she wasn't very skilled at yet. It was supposed to be an intermediate spell learned at Fourth Tier. She could barely cast it now, but its strength was far below expectations.

Light and sand gathered, forming a pair of pale blue hands in front of her. They gripped one side of the cover and slowly lifted it, revealing a dark passage inside.

Sylutia thought for a moment, then didn't enter immediately. Instead, she summoned a Thread Bird and attached the Sensory Link Technique to it, allowing her to share the bird's vision.

The bird flew into the passage first, flapping its wings, advancing steadily to scout the surroundings. After navigating through several branching tunnels, it finally emerged into a huge cavern. Several braziers lit the space, and pigmen in steel armor patrolled the area.

Oh? Sylutia's eyes blinked. It seemed she had found something.

She had the bird find a hidden spot, crouch down and remain still, slowly observing the cavern.

This should be Fire Pig's secret base. Around the giant cavern were smaller caves, used to store supplies and food. But the most striking sight was the massive round stone table set up in the central open space.

The table could seat about thirty people. Around it were stone seats of various heights and sizes. One seat in particular was enormous, like a small mountain, making it hard to imagine anyone sitting in it.

Intricate patterns were carved into the stone table, their lines rough yet full of spirit, depicting a banquet scene. In front of each seat were ancient script markings.

From these old symbols, Sylutia slowly deciphered some meaning. It seemed to thank some great existence while congratulating the banquet's host on gaining power and immortality.

In the center of the table was a sunken food bowl, which still held dried blood. This appeared to be the spot where blood was placed during the feast.

All these details led Sylutia to conclude that this was the site for some kind of Feast Ritual. As long as resources and personnel were ready, the ceremony could begin immediately.

The one who prepared this must be Fire Pig. Only this underground headman had such abundant resources and manpower.

But right now, with the authorities cracking down heavily and summoning and interrogating Fire Pig at any time, he couldn't easily come to this secret base. Once the heat died down, he would likely rush here to perform the Feast Ritual.

Sylutia slowly analyzed the situation, then had the bird continue searching.

Anari might be imprisoned here. If she were at Fire Pig's usual turf, the authorities could check anytime, so she couldn't be hidden there. But there was also the possibility Anari was locked up elsewhere, to avoid leading the authorities here while searching for her.

Sylutia directed the bird to search carefully again. Unfortunately, many passage entrances were sealed by doors, and those doors had special mechanisms. Opening them would inevitably make noise.

This Fire Pig was quite experienced. After all, some assassins and thieves with the Mist Shadow Aspect could easily make their bodies invisible. If doors didn't make noise when opened, outsiders could easily exploit that.

Meanwhile, as the distance increased, Sylutia's control and perception of the bird grew weaker, less clear.

She'd have to go in herself. She looked at the dark passage ahead, then carefully leaped into it.

Soon, Sylutia arrived at one entrance to the cavern. She stood in the shadows cast by the firelight, observing the scene below. On her shoulder perched a silver bird, occasionally hopping around as if alive.

The guards stationed here were at most Second Tier. She could eliminate them all without much trouble. But having only dealt with monsters and battlefield enemies for so long, suddenly starting a slaughter made Sylutia hesitate.

I'm still a bit softhearted. The girl criticized herself, then pulled out a special potion. This was one of the results from last semester's studies. Since that encounter where she escaped using her own brewed potion, Sylutia had rarely sold her alchemical creations, keeping most of them.

[Sleep Dream Potion] (Second Tier • Rare): A potion that rapidly induces deep sleep. However, the target will wake up if they suffer severe damage or intense stimulation.

Opening the bottle, Sylutia poured the liquid onto the silver bird in front of her. The potion soaked into its lifelike feathers and threads, coating them completely.

Then the bird flew out with incredible speed, swooping down and zipping past the beastman guards below. It grazed some arms, some necks, some legs. The potion seeped in through the tiny wounds, giving them a cool sensation, followed by a wave of drowsiness.

One by one, the beastmen collapsed. A few with stronger resistance activated their Breathing Techniques, accelerating their blood and rousing their willpower to fight off the sleepiness.

Just then, they saw a black-haired girl descending gracefully from above. Several of them grabbed their steel axes, trying to charge at her. The girl raised her hand, and black longswords materialized at her side. With a sharp whistle, they shot out, pinning the beastmen to the walls and floor one by one.

Facing these squealing pigmen, the girl shook her head slightly. She pulled out another potion from her waist and poured it into their mouths, quickly quieting them down.

Minutes later, no one remained standing in the cavern. Only the sound of snoring filled the air. Sylutia walked through the hall, beginning to search the branching caves one by one.

The first cave was filled with chests made of black steel. Each chest was packed full of gold coins. It seemed most of Fire Pig's wealth over the years was stored here.

The second cave held quite a few weapons and armor, mostly high-quality First Tier and Second Tier items. Only a few were Third Tier creations. It seemed getting those wasn't easy for him.

The third cave contained various jewelry and artworks, presumably stolen goods from somewhere. It would likely be difficult to sell.

The fourth cave was heavily sealed, with multiple lock doors. Even Sylutia would need considerable time to open them.

I'll leave this for now. Sylutia moved to the next cave, where she found books and documents. Many were about the Feast Ritual. There was also a rough, messy notebook detailing the resources and steps needed for the Flesh and Blood Feast.

So Fire Pig had people steal that Dragon Eye treasure just to hold the Flesh and Blood Feast.

Understanding this, many vague things suddenly became clear. Sylutia could now guess the general outline of his plan.

Afterward, she searched around once more but found no trace of Anari or the Dragon Eye treasure.

Anari and the Dragon Eye treasure must be hidden elsewhere. But now that she had subdued the guards here, if Fire Pig sent someone over, they would definitely notice. He might then choose to silence everyone and destroy the evidence.

She had to find Anari's hiding spot before he caught on. Negotiation was impossible. Stealing treasure from the Bionics School was an unforgivable capital offense for an underworld headman. Even Sylutia couldn't plead for mercy. He would deny everything and resist to the death.

What if she reported this situation to the police and authorities?

That would provide some help but also great risk. The police and authorities didn't care about the life of an ordinary beastgirl. If they immediately launched a crackdown, Fire Pig would be cornered into a desperate fight. Anari's safety would then be impossible to guarantee.

Sylutia paced back and forth in the cavern, thinking of a solution. Seeing the pigmen sleeping soundly, an idea came to her.

Half a minute later, one pigman was awakened by water being splashed on him. Seeing the young girl clearly, he began struggling violently, but with ropes binding him, he couldn't break free.

"Alright, stop trying to struggle." Sylutia felt her tone sounded like a villain from her memories.

"I'm going to ask you some questions. If you can't answer, I'll turn you into roasted pork over charcoal." She wiggled her finger, and arcs of flame appeared, flying toward the pigman and swirling around him. The heat radiating from them made his body tremble.

"Hmph hmm..." The pigman uttered strange sounds, completely unlike human language.

Damn, these guys don't seem to speak human language. So Fire Pig never taught them, keeping them easy to control and hard to turn against. They could only follow orders like mindless fools.

Even though they were his own kind, Fire Pig didn't treat them as people.

Sylutia tried for a while but found communication impossible. She couldn't teach them to speak in a few minutes.

What now? Sylutia rubbed her forehead, thinking quickly.

The only ones who knew where Anari was held were Fire Pig and his most trusted confidants. And those people would be at the organization's headquarters right now.

She'd have to go there. But extracting information from those mouths wouldn't be easy.

She looked at the snorting pigman before her, used her flying Phantom Flying Swords to cut his ropes, letting him flee freely into one of the cavern's passages. Then she commanded the bird on her shoulder to follow quickly.

Now, she could only go to their headquarters.