Chapter 828
Chapter 828
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 828
Chapter Title: Dream Souvenirs
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Opening his eyes, Siu saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
Looking around again, what came into view was his master blinking heavily, as if she'd just woken from a dream herself.
His lovers were sighing in relief, along with the Soul Witch.
After the little mishap where Eloa had suddenly pulled Siu into a tight embrace and planted a passionate kiss on him, utterly ignoring the stares around them...
The group had gathered in the parlor next to the workshop with the Soul Witch.
There had been all sorts of unexpected twists and turns from that bizarre incident, but the reason they'd come all this way on Yebin's recommendation was to have his left arm examined.
Now, they were finally getting to the main point.
"Alright, before the examination, I need to have a one-on-one chat with each of you."
"A chat?"
In the midst of the chaos, the Soul Witch clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention.
It was a bit suspicious why she insisted on calling them in one by one, but among everyone here, no one was weaker than Gretel in terms of personal combat prowess anyway.
"Then~ should I go first? Just in case this shady witch tries any funny business."
"What're you saying? I don't do that stuff."
Dorothy was the first to step up.
And being as sharp as she was, Dorothy had a vague idea why Gretel was using these "chats" as an excuse for one-on-one meetings.
Gretel led her back to the workshop where Eloa and Siu had been lying just moments ago, then approached the built-in bookshelf.
She lightly pulled on three thick tomes stacked haphazardly among the rest, and with a heavy grinding sound, the bookshelf rotated smoothly.
Beyond it yawned a dark, cave-like opening.
A so-called secret passage.
"Oho~ pretty old-school, huh? I didn't notice at all."
"That's the point of a mechanical contraption. Come on in."
Gretel picked up a candelabrum, hunched over, and carefully proceeded forward so as not to bump her head.
It looked like a cave from outside, but once they were a little ways in, the walls and ceiling were impeccably finished.
The height increased enough for her to walk upright comfortably, too.
"Here."
Gretel opened a door on the left side of the corridor.
It had that vibe of a secret room tucked away in every noble mansion.
The moment Dorothy stepped inside, she couldn't hold back her astonishment.
She'd suspected as much, but seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely.
"Whoa~ this is some seriously bad taste."
The secret room, about twenty pyeong in size, was filled to the brim with glowing cat's-eye stones, just as its name implied.
They weren't finely crafted gold vein stones or anything pricey; these were moonstones, cheap semi-precious stones.
Back when scientific video storage tech didn't exist, witches often used these moonstones like USB drives.
And these were probably for the same purpose.
"Gotta make a living somehow."
Gretel brushed off Dorothy's comment in a bored tone and rummaged through a shelf, pulling out one moonstone.
Unlike the others left scattered about, this one had been slotted into a pedestal etched with magic formulas until just now.
"You seem to have guessed already, so I'll be straightforward. This has the dream you had today when you met Kkulkkul stored in it. I don't know what the dream was about, though."
"No need to lie. You peeked at it all, didn't you?"
"Doesn't matter if you don't believe me."
As if she hadn't peeked. By spying on a guest's "ideal paradise"—especially one whose motives were unknown—she could gauge their humanity.
But Gretel didn't stop there.
"Anyway, I don't know what dream it was, but you've come all this way on a trip, right? Buy it as a souvenir. This is the only recording of that dream stored here."
Dreams varied from person to person, but fantasies were embarrassing things you didn't want to show others.
Plus, most witches were strict, dignified, and serious.
No way they'd tolerate their sloppy dreams falling into someone else's hands.
That was the weakness she exploited to make a sale. Talk about thuggish.
"Hmm~ sounds good. How much?"
Dorothy didn't think it was anything embarrassing, but it might make for a nice mood-lifter now and then.
"Two hundred thousand dollars. Or goods. You know how to use it, right?"
Considering her target was a witch, it was just the right "annoying but let's settle it with money" price point.
Framing it as a "souvenir" avoided giving the impression she was holding a "weakness" over them.
Besides, Dorothy was an uninvited guest. This level of teasing was practically cute.
"I'll write you a check."
"Love how we get along. I'll even wrap it nicely for you."
Gretel packed the moonstone in a box with a straw nest as cushioning.
Dorothy gladly accepted it.
"Oh, by the way."
"Yeah?"
"How much would it cost to buy everyone else's souvenirs too? With the condition that 'they don't find out'."
Gretel pondered the meaning for a moment.
Putting together the dreams she'd peeked at, the answer was simple.
These women were all, astonishingly, lovers of the male witch.
In other words, this was a prime chance to check on or spy on a romantic rival.
A smile crept onto Gretel's lips for the first time.
"I get what you mean."
"Heh heh."
Dorothy and Gretel shook hands lightly.
2.
The next was Amelia.
"It's stored here?"
Amelia stared at Gretel with wide eyes.
"Yeah, buy this rare souvenir."
"Can I watch it anytime?"
"That's right."
"Great, I'll take it."
Amelia pulled out her wallet without even asking the price.
It was a dream, sure, but it held memories with her master.
She'd even bragged about Siu to him and cleaned house together happily.
She could revisit it now and then for some meaningful reminiscing later.
"Thank you so much."
Amelia bowed her head in gratitude as she took the wrapped moonstone from Gretel.
Even knowing the intent wasn't purely altruistic, she was still thankful.
"No problem."
Gretel looked a bit dazed—this reaction was a first—but she felt good anyway, like she'd earned some pocket money and done a good deed.
The next customer was Sharon.
"Huh...? My dream...?"
"That's what I said."
"You didn't, um, watch it, did you?"
"Nope. Of course, if I keep it, I might peek out of curiosity. Or maybe accidentally lose it."
Sure enough, there were plenty of moonstones around that didn't seem purchased.
Leave it like this, and curiosity might get the better of her someday.
Sharon felt her resolve crumbling.
It wasn't like she'd done anything weird.
But she'd cringed through every "Sharon Super-Rich Evergreen" bit and the like.
The idea of someone seeing that? Or it getting lost?
It was borderline extortion to buy it.
Worse than a tourist trap hawker snapping photos and demanding cash.
"What's there to worry about? You're buying it anyway."
"How much?"
"Four hundred thousand dollars. Goods accepted."
"F-four hundred thousand? For that? That's my dream! You pay royalties if you want it! I should be getting paid!"
Four hundred thousand dollars.
Nearly six hundred pounds in Gehenna gold.
That could fund a worry-free month of research.
What a rip-off.
"Fine, half price. Two hundred thousand."
Gretel slashed the price like a merchant haggling down a mark.
"Ugh... seriously, what is this... I really don't have money..."
"That's why I'm cutting it in half."
Sharon's eyes welled up, but she gave in.
She could force the issue with strength if she wanted, but this was the witch who'd soon examine Siu.
Piss her off, and she might half-ass it—what then?
Gretel had probably calculated that, setting up this deal before the checkup.
"One gold coin. That's my limit."
"What a lowball. That won't even cover this moonstone."
"Don't lie! It's moonstone!"
Sharon, well-versed in gems from ritual use, stubbornly haggled, prompting Gretel to sigh deeply.
She had no skin in the game holding someone else's dream vid.
Better to offload it under the expected price.
"A hundred gold coins. Can't go higher."
"Deal. That should do it."
Sharon placed a fingernail-sized red ruby on the table; Gretel inspected it closely and pocketed it.
A reluctant transaction.
"You're telling me to buy my own dream?"
The next guest was Lurye.
And shortly after ushering her into the secret room, Gretel regretted it.
One of the veiled ancient witches, the Abyssal Witch.
Anyone else, maybe—but she shouldn't have messed with Lurye Nukelabi.
They were uninvited guests.
By witch society norms rooted in noble etiquette, the host treats guests graciously regardless, while guests accommodate the host to some degree.
The previous three had gone along with the obvious "souvenir" ploy for that reason.
But the witch before her, with her flowing dark blue long hair, seemed oblivious to such conventions.
Chin raised, eyes looking down—arrogance and insolence personified.
"Pathetic tricks are laughable. You're already giving off reek of stagnation, stoking my ire. Fine. I've decided. You've offended me, so pay reparations."
"No..."
"How many seconds for this hovel to be swept away by my waves? Three. Wager on it."
"Wait..."
"Reparations: ten billion dollars."
Lurye's eyes flashed with a bluish glow.
Gretel raised her hands.
"I'll throw in a thank-you gift instead!"
"A gift?"
"The dream of that man you adore. That work?"
Lurye calmed her mana, intrigued.
"Hoh, let's hear it."
Gretel desperately pitched the best deal she could, even spouting nonsense about how knowing a lover's ideal paradise would be enlightening.
"What kind of coltish woman is this?"
In the end, Lurye tossed some pocket change—way below cost—and walked off with moonstones of the male witch and her own dream.
That left only Sword Witch Linne, excluding Tiferet Duke who'd failed to extract due to over-immersion...
"Never mind."
Gretel shook her head.
Dorothy was cooperative enough, even publicly.
The "Sword Witch" was beyond Gretel's predictions.
And given the dream's content... messing around might actually get her killed.
Pocket money mission over; time to prep for the checkup.
"Soul Witch."
Linne entered the secret room uninvited.
Face flushed beet red.
Drawing a sword that gleamed with bluish steel.
"Hand it over."