Chapter 488: Chapter 489: The Crazy Lamia_1
Time rewound to the present, and as the fog rolled in, Aiden hurriedly grabbed a towel, gave himself a quick wipe, and wrapped it around himself.
Abigailâs summoning was so abrupt that he didnât even have time to get dressed.
Of course, he could have simply taken off the Great Witchâs token and tossed it aside to interrupt Abigailâs summoning, but now he was also curious. He wondered why Abigail was in such a hurry that she couldnât even give him time to dress. Although Abigail had always summoned the other Great Witches at will, she seemed to be comparatively polite when it came to him.
The fog began to clear, and the scene before Aidenâs eyes seemed to be Abigailâs study. The walls were covered with bookshelves, and books occupied over eighty percent of the space. Some of the books were âalive,â capable of opening and closing on their own, fluttering their pages like butterflies in flight. These books were chasing each other around a suspended night pearl, and Aiden knew this was certainly Abigailâs doing. The "Spirit" authority possessed the power to create life and could even bestow the characteristics of life upon inanimate objects. Mercurochrome statues were created this way.
Abigail stood behind a desk, where an open book had been pushed to one side, and at the center of the desk now sat a Crystal Ball.
Abigail stared intently at Aiden for a while without speaking immediately.
Just as Aiden felt puzzled by her reaction, the avenging goddess suddenly appeared at his side and said, "Heh, kid, I feel a bit chilly in the chest, your way of wearing that bathrobe is quite unique, huh?"
Aiden looked down and immediately realized that in his haste, he had only wrapped the towel around his waistâby male standards, this way of dressing wasnât a problem, but now he was presenting as female in front of Abigail.
In Abigailâs eyes, he was nonchalantly exposing his impressive chest, resembling a living statue from ancient Greece, striving to exhibit the beauty of the human body.
However, Abigail clearly had no intention of reminding him about such a trivial matter. The first thing she said was, "Sir, Iâll cut to the chase. I know youâve arrived in Gistas. Qiqimora and the others have run into trouble and might need your assistance."
"What trouble?" Aiden frowned.
Given the powers held by Qiqimora, she shouldâve been able to easily escape many troubles. If she was asking for help, the trouble must be no small matter.
"They were discovered by Mr. Bloodcoat while infiltrating a military base," Abigail replied succinctly.
Aidenâs expression turned grave at onceâthis was indeed a big problem.
He looked around and didnât see anyone else: "Did you not summon those two, or have they already perished? Are you saying I should help recover their bodies?"
"Give me a moment, let me see if sheâs still alive," said Abigail, shifting her focus to her Crystal Ball.
"The Great Witch Abigail, I had only heard of you before... Heh, this witch is quite capable," the avenging goddess observed, her arms crossed as she looked in Abigailâs direction. She shared Aidenâs senses, and the projection that appeared before Aidenâs eyes was also clearly visible to her.
As she spoke, she also glanced at Aiden: "But youâre even more remarkable, being a core member of the witch gatheringâwhen youâre actually a man."
Aiden didnât respond to his partner. In fact, he didnât really want the avenging goddess to know too much about his private affairs, but it was out of his hands since she was attached to him, and bringing her along to the gathering was a necessity.
"Qiqimora, if youâre alive, speak up. Iâll pull you into the âmeeting,â" said Abigail to the Crystal Ball.
There was a two-second delay before the Crystal Ball transmitted Qiqimoraâs exhausted voice, "Can finally catch my breath... Has the prison warden arrived?"
"Yes, you explain it to him personally," Abigail finished and snapped her fingers.
A mist churned up in the study, and Qiqimoraâs figure emerged from it. Enshrouded in gray fog, Aiden could not see very clearly, but he could roughly make out that her clothes were somewhat disheveledâan extraordinary rarity for the always impeccably dressed Qiqimora.
Upon arriving in the summoned space, Qiqimora looked around, then turned to Aiden with surprise, "Whereâs the prison warden? Whatâs with this bare-chested woman? Wait... could it be youâ"
"Itâs me, Aiden Galahad, this is an identity Iâve borrowed using the âSubstituteâ power," Aiden explained in front of them, "Now that you know, you should be able to see my true form."
The basic "Substitute" power, once the real entity is known, disguises can be seen through.
"But to my eyes, youâre still shirtless," Abigail sized up Aiden, "Youâve got a well-trained body, Your Excellency."
"Enough, this is no time for jokes!" Qiqimora interrupted, "Prison warden, we need your help!"
"I heard from Abigail that youâve run into Mister Bloodcoat, whatâs the situation now?" Aiden asked, "Are you being hunted?"
If these two were currently being hunted by Mister Bloodcoat, he wasnât sure he could save them. The Goddess of Vengeance had said that if he got too close, Mister Bloodcoat would be able to sense his presence again, and if he rushed over carelessly, he would be the one in trouble.
"No, weâve successfully escaped..." Qiqimora replied.
"Then what do you still need my help with?" Aiden was taken aback.
"But Lamia has gone mad!" Qiqimora raised her voice.
"Why?" Aidenâs eyes widened.
"When we encountered that monster, he directly used his power on Lamia, trying to exploit her hostility... to control Lamia in return..." Qiqimora answered between breaths, speaking a little slowly.
"In order to break free from this control, Lamia used her own power on herself," Abigail added, "âChaosâ authorityâs âDisorderâ power, the effect is to randomize the target. Lamia was already unable to show hostility towards Mister Bloodcoat, so she randomized her own spirit structure, turning herself completely into an idiotic being."
"Then that man, he gave up the detailed spirit control, directly turning Lamia into an unpredictable lunatic," Qiqimora said, "I found an opportunity, used my power to âconcealâ both myself and Lamia and fled from the scene. But Lamiaâs state made communication impossible, and she was actually being led away by me. Strictly speaking, I was chased by her all the way!"
"So now..." Aiden pointed at Qiqimora and asked.
"Now Iâve concealed myself and followed her, sheâs running around wildly, relying on instinct to hunt!"