Chapter 278 — The Alluring Witch (Part 6)
Even by the original pricing standards, a unit of high-quality material wouldn't sell for more than five silver coins.
"Hmph… after all that talk, this was your real intention?"
Quentin's tone turned cold instantly.
"Let me guess—going forward, low-quality materials will conveniently 'run out,' and only high-quality ones will be available, right?"
Her words made the surrounding witches snap to attention. One after another, they joined in questioning.
"Relax, everyone. Take a look at the goods first."
Gideon calmly placed a silver container on the table.
Quentin frowned slightly and stepped forward. A faint ripple of magic gathered in her palm as she examined it.
"Seventy-five percent purity… high-quality material. What exactly are you trying to say?"
She withdrew her hand, her gaze still sharp and cold.
"From now on, material of this quality costs one silver coin," Gideon said plainly.
"…What?"
Quentin thought she had misheard.
Even Zoe and the others froze in place.
"But you just said—"
Quentin reached out again, checking the container more carefully, suspecting a mistake.
But before she could speak further, Gideon placed another silver container beside it.
"This one is the real premium-grade material. Five silver coins per unit."
Quentin narrowed her eyes, suspicious. She hovered her hand over the second container—
And in the next moment, her expression changed.
She checked again.
And again.
The surrounding witches noticed her reaction and gathered closer, curiosity written all over their faces.
"…Eighty-five percent purity," Quentin said slowly, her lips parting slightly.
She had been at the academy for quite some time—
And had never seen material of this level.
A wave of gasps spread among the girls.
"So," Gideon said calmly,
"charging five silver coins for this—doesn't seem unreasonable, does it?"
Quentin swallowed.
Material of this purity could fetch an absurd price outside. Even doubling the cost would still be worth it.
Because the higher the purity—
The less residual corruption.
And for anyone dealing with supernatural power—
That meant a much lower risk of death.
"From today onward," Gideon continued,
"any material below eighty percent purity will cost one silver coin."
The room fell silent.
"Hey! You—ah—ow!"
One witch had just started to protest when her friend elbowed her hard.
"Mr. Gideon… are you serious?" the girl asked cautiously, even changing how she addressed him.
"You're not tricking us?"
"…Do we not need to sleep with you or something?" another blurted out.
"If you have other… preferences… that's not impossible either…"
"I still think the materials might be poisoned…"
The witches exchanged uneasy glances, voicing their doubts.
Life here had taught them one simple truth—
Nothing comes free.
They found it hard to believe that something so fair, so high-quality—
Came with no hidden cost.
"Well," Gideon shrugged,
"if paying more helps you sleep better… we can go back to the original pricing."
"No, no! This price is great!"
"Exactly! As long as there's no man involved, I'll sleep just fine—though… if it's you, Mr. Gideon, I wouldn't mind…"
In an instant, all eyes turned toward him—
The man who had just changed their lives.
Zoe watched the scene with shining eyes.
When she looked at Gideon by the window, her heartbeat quickened slightly.
Jenny also smiled faintly.
Mr. Gideon is incredible… It feels like there's no problem he can't solve.
Quentin, however, stared intensely.
Inside her, two opposing emotions clashed violently.
Under Gideon's direction, the materials were soon distributed.
Nearly every witch personally thanked him before leaving.
Among them—
He spotted a familiar face.
Madison.
The moment she saw Gideon, she froze.
Then quickly hid among the crowd.
A large part of the reason she had come to the academy—
Was because of him.
She suspected her memory loss had something to do with him.
And instinctively—
She wanted to stay as far away as possible.
But for the sake of the upcoming ritual—
She had no choice but to face him.
So she forced herself to act normal.
And made sure not to reveal his identity.
Gideon, however, wasn't concerned.
Madison's emotional aura showed no signs of deceit.
And more importantly—
Very few people could threaten him now.
After all the witches left, Mrs. Vera finally approached him.
"You changed the rules without permission. I will report this to Lady Fiona!" she snapped angrily.
"Go ahead."
Gideon casually brushed off his collar.
"I wouldn't mind exposing your own little schemes either—wasting materials, neglecting your duties, and sabotaging others behind the scenes."
"You—!"
Her chest heaved with anger.
"If you keep things as they are, you can continue as before," Gideon said calmly.
"Or you can report me. Your choice."
Mrs. Vera's gaze flickered.
After a moment, she let out a cold snort and turned away.
Gideon smiled faintly.
No matter what she chose—
He had already prepared for it.
This entire situation?
Deliberate.
Sooner or later, word would reach the Supreme Witch.
And then—
He would see how she responded.
Afternoon
Because of the improved material quality—
And the fact that even equal-grade materials were far superior to market standards—
Only a few witches who missed the morning session showed up.
Gideon quickly handled them.
He declined Zoe's invitation to walk together—
And quietly made his way to the third floor.
Fiona's residence.
Footsteps echoed softly along the wooden corridor.
A long-haired male attendant stopped before a white door adorned with gold patterns.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
A mature woman's voice came from inside.
He entered.
Fiona stood by the window, elegant and composed.
The attendant gestured, reporting the morning's events.
After listening, Fiona exhaled a thin stream of smoke.
"I see."
Silence followed.
After a moment, the attendant gestured again:
Should I investigate that assistant?
Fiona chuckled softly.
"No need to rush."
"Someone capable of refining materials to eighty-five percent purity…"
"Even the Association would fight over someone like that."
She reached for the ashtray—
But accidentally knocked it to the floor.
The attendant immediately stepped forward, kneeling beside her and raising his hands.
Fiona smiled faintly.
Instead of using him, she gently pressed his hands down—
Then bent to pick up the ashtray herself.
Her dress and hair brushed lightly against his face.
A faint fragrance filled the air.
He closed his eyes, savoring the moment.
Fiona straightened and continued:
"He revealed his abilities so openly… he's trying to attract my attention."
She exhaled smoke.
"Whatever his background, let him wait."
"The ritual comes first."
"With better materials, the girls will improve faster."
"Maybe a few exceptional talents will emerge… saves me the trouble of searching."
"Oh—and it'll shut Fox up too."
Her tone suddenly turned lighter.
"So my dear daughter can stop accusing me of being heartless."
She extinguished the cigarette.
"That's settled."
"I'm going out tonight. Handle the rest."
The attendant nodded and left after cleaning up.
Third Floor — Ventilation Duct
Gideon lay silently in the narrow space.
"So even an unknown outsider is tolerated… as long as the ritual proceeds…" he thought.
Inside the room, Fiona drew the curtains.
Moments later—
The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom.
Gideon took the opportunity—
And quietly slipped away from the third floor.
He had learned earlier that Fiona often went out.
Now that the opportunity had presented itself—
He had no intention of wasting it.
Night — New Orleans East District
Fiona stepped out in a long black dress.
Streetlights flickered dimly.
Her figure blended perfectly into the darkness.
She got into her car—
And drove into the night.
A few minutes later—
She parked outside a small hair salon.
Before she entered—
A shadow had already slipped into the nearby greenery.
A burly man stood guard at the entrance.
"I'm here to see Marie," Fiona said calmly.
"Tell her I've arrived."
The man narrowed his eyes, then went inside.
Moments later, he returned—
And stepped aside.
Fiona adjusted her collar and walked in.
Inside, the air carried a strange scent.
Animal skulls hung from old glass.
Red candles lined the gray floor.
And deeper inside—
A feather-decorated chair stood.
A dark-skinned woman sat upon it.
Dreadlocks. Sharp features. Exotic beauty.
Marie Laveau.
"You came here to die?" she said coldly.
Fiona smiled faintly.
"Relax, Laveau. Just a friendly visit."
"Friendly?"
Marie's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"With the blood feud between the academy and the Voodoo Coven—"
"This looks more like a provocation."
"It's like you walking into the Vatican and calling it 'friendly.'"
"Do you really think the Church would let you walk out alive?"
Fiona didn't get angry.
"I'm here… to discuss the power channel."
Marie narrowed her eyes slightly. Then, with a subtle gesture, she signaled to both sides.
The Voodoo members in the room quickly withdrew.
"Looks like we can finally have a proper conversation," Fiona said, turning back.
"Then you'd better get to the point—before my patience runs out," Marie replied coldly.
Fiona casually patted the sofa and sat down, unhurried.
"I've located a power channel that belongs exclusively to the Church."
"It's at the edge of the New Orleans forest."
Outside, Gideon's eyes narrowed.
"Oh?" Marie's tone sharpened. "And your proof?"
Fiona reached into her bag and pulled out a bone fragment.
"This belonged to a priest guarding that place."
Marie took it.
Her expression quickly grew serious.
She sprinkled a handful of powder into the air, murmuring an incantation under her breath.
Moments later—
A faint spectral thread emerged from the surface of the bone, stretching outward… disappearing into the dark night.
"Even after death, it still carries residual holy power," Marie muttered.
"This person must have reached the 'Spirit Bridge' stage in life."
She gave a small, acknowledging nod.
"Not bad. The Voodoo Order still has some skill."
Fiona retrieved the bone.
"Only something as important as a power channel would be guarded by someone of that level."
She leaned back slightly, her voice calm.
"Power channels… or rather, source channels—they are the origin of all supernatural strength."
"The Church. Witches. Knights. Mediums… even demons and evil spirits."
"All of them draw power from these channels to grow stronger—until they stand at the top of this world."
She paused, a faint smile on her lips.
"And what lies at the other end of these channels?"
"Heaven? Hell? Or something beyond comprehension?"
"No one knows."
"I've searched through countless ancient texts… not a single one explains how this power is truly formed."
Marie frowned.
"I'm well aware of all that. You don't need to lecture me."
Fiona chuckled softly.
"I'm just making sure you understand how important this is."
Outside the window—
A certain "someone" lying low silently raged:
"I didn't know any of this!!"
"In short," Fiona continued, lighting a cigarette,
"for any faction, a source channel is everything."
She exhaled a thin stream of smoke.
"If we shut it down, the Church's power supply will be severely damaged."
"Who knows? We might even take a few priests down with it."
Marie gave a cold snort.
"Source channels are protected by powerful laws. Ordinary methods won't work."
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a plan," Fiona replied calmly.
"With your intelligence network… you must have already heard about the combined witchcraft ritual."
Marie's expression shifted for the first time.
"So it's true…"
She stared at Fiona.
"Using young witches as sacrifices… binding their souls into a sealing force…"
"You really are ruthless."
"If this happens, the Rosicrucian Order will become the enemy of every faction."
Fiona let out a cold laugh.
"Spare me the probing."
"The higher-ups already know."
"As for making enemies…"
She took a slow drag from her cigarette.
"Compared to our thousand-year feud with the Church—this is nothing."
Marie fell silent for a moment, thinking.
Finally, she spoke:
"If you're serious about this… the Voodoo Order can cooperate."
She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Fiona.
"What do you want from me?"
Fiona's expression didn't change.
But the fingers holding her cigarette tightened slightly.
"Immortality."
She met Marie's eyes directly.
"Two hundred years ago, you were already the leader of the Voodoo Order."
"And yet… you still look this young."
A brief silence filled the room.
Then—
Marie spoke.
"I refuse."