Chapter 1145: Secret Pact Merchant Group
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1145: Secret Pact Merchant Group
After some casual getting-to-know-you chatter, we began sharing various interesting stories with one another.
Just as they were curious about the state of the Main World, I was equally curious about what was happening in the Void beyond its borders.
The Void never lacked for amusement, and every witch had her own unique, bizarre experiences to recount.
According to them, they were members of an organization called the Secret Pact Merchant Group. Their primary business involved traveling between the Divine Kingdom Grand Market and the various Void frontlines being pioneered by the Great Witches.
With such a massive commotion occurring in the Main World, they had been sent along as representatives.
They had originally expected a relaxing trip to discuss potential collaborations, but as soon as they arrived, they were pressed into hard labor.
"Sorry, I don't know much about this area. Could you tell me more about the Secret Pact Merchant Group? What kind of organization is it?" Following the spirit of 'if you don't know, ask,' I went straight to the point.
"You don't know? Haha! Well, that makes sense! We're just a small merchant group, after all. It’s normal not to have heard of us. we only deal through specific channels. We came to the Main World to expand our business. After all, now that the Main World’s Void Portal connects directly to the Great Library, shipping costs have plummeted!"
"Hehe, exactly! The Main World is much more desolate than we imagined. We were actually startled when we first arrived; we thought the Void Portal had dumped us in some remote corner of the Void." The other witches couldn't help but chime in with their own complaints.
Listening to their explanations, I could only conclude that they hadn't quite hit the mark I was looking for.
They seemed to take it for granted that I understood the common sense and order of the Void, but that common sense was exactly what I lacked.
The concept of a "merchant group," in any world, was an alliance with a very high ceiling.
For instance, in the Main World, family-led merchant groups were economic communities for entire territories. They wielded political influence that replaced the concept of a nation, acted as power networks, and served as cultural hubs—standardizing the Main World's language, currency, and non-transcendent technologies.
However, in the Core World, such behemoths might not even compare to the "small merchant group" these witches so humbly described when viewed from the perspective of the entire Void.
"Yeah, the Main World is indeed quite desolate. Currently, only the Core World and the Expansion Realm remain, and both only have a single inhabited planet. It’s all because those Three Great Transcendent Races fought way too hard back then," I added, joining the conversation.
"To be beaten down to this little space and still not be destroyed—the Main World is stubbornly resilient."
"By the way, Little Witch Senior... have you heard about the battle from a thousand years ago? I'm quite interested in that. I heard Dean Mei Lind lost a Great Spellbook in that fight to buy the Main World a thousand years of breathing room. Is that true?"
"Don't call me senior... but I do know a fair bit about that. I can only say that what you've heard is basically accurate," I said, waving a hand dismissively before putting a bit of distance between myself and the speaker.
"Oh, come on~ Little Witch Senior, don't be shy!"
"I have a girlfriend," I reminded them again.
"What? You actually have a girlfriend?"
This revelation dealt a critical blow to the group of single witches.
However, just as they were about to say more, every witch present suddenly felt a powerful surge of mana pressure gathering directly above their heads.
"Oh no! We've been caught slacking!"
"Run!"
Before they could finish their sentences, the stone cave was hit by a devastating shockwave!
Boom—!
A terrifying force instantly blasted away the surrounding rock and earth. The once-hidden underground cave was suddenly gifted with a massive "skylight."
"I was wondering where you all disappeared to. Slacking off here? You really never learn, do you!" Along with this indignant voice, another bolt of concentrated mana accurately locked onto the half-exposed grotto!
"Mercy, Sister Sally!"
"There's another Little Witch here! Don't hurt the innocent!"
"Who?"
The witch known as Sally paused her spell mid-charge. Only then did she notice a stranger among the familiar faces—someone who hadn't even reached the Transcendent level.
"Why is there a Little Witch here?"
Sally landed gracefully, and the oppressive mana pressure vanished instantly.
"Hello."
Sally sized me up, and I sensed her in return. The Transcendent Witch before me had just utilized the pressure of a Domain, which meant she was a Saint Realm expert.
"Uh... hello," I responded in kind.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sally, the representative of the Secret Pact Merchant Group to the Main World. I truly didn't expect to encounter a Little Witch here."
"Sister Sally, this isn't just any Little Witch. She's a Teaching Assistant from the Main World Witch Academy!"
At that moment, the witches who had just "survived the disaster" rushed forward to explain.
"Oh? A Teaching Assistant?" Sally raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "I did sense an aura of Order protecting you just now. I assume you must have been a Saint Realm witch before becoming a Little Witch?"
"Hiss! A Saint Realm witch?"
"Ah~ so calling her 'Little Witch Senior' wasn't wrong after all!"
After Sally spoke, the other witches began whispering excitedly among themselves.
To them, the existence of a Little Witch usually meant a Transcendent Witch who had "sought death" and fallen from her rank after suffering a specific type of trauma.
The concept of an "Honorary Little Witch" was virtually unheard of.
The theory that a Saint Realm witch had dropped in life level to become a Little Witch was the primary reason they were all gasping in shock.
Otherwise, they couldn't explain how a mere Little Witch could possess the ability to wield Domain Order.
"Saint Realm... uh, you might have misunderstood. My situation isn't quite what you think." Possessing Heart Sense, I quickly picked up on their thoughts. I had to admit... it was a beautiful misunderstanding.
"Regardless of the circumstances, I was indeed a bit impulsive just now. Why don't I invite you to the Main World branch of our Secret Pact Merchant Group for a chat? Consider it a small apology for my outburst."
As Sally spoke, she glanced at the other witches. Her look clearly said: I'll deal with you all when we get back.
"That sounds like too much trouble. I think I'll pass."
"Are you busy with something? If so, I apologize for the intrusion. Perhaps we can catch up when you're free, sister?"
"I'm not exactly busy. I just came here to look around. I heard Dean Mei is attempting to perfect the Void Frontline World, so I came to see the novelty of it."
"Is that so? It sounds like you aren't in a rush. Why not come for a visit? Our Main World branch isn't far from here—it's right there."
Sally pointed toward a planet nestled within the sea of stars of the Frontline World.
After pointing, she immediately tore open a spatial channel.
Though she said it wasn't far, the distance between planets was objectively vast. Flying there would be a massive waste of time; spatial teleportation was far more efficient.
Since the Secret Pact Merchant Group had chosen a planet, their first priority was naturally to establish a special spatial anchor. This allowed any witch to locate the planet's coordinates as long as it was within sight, even without a spatial mark.
"Alright... since Sister Sally has extended such a warm invitation, I won't be polite."
"Mhm~" Sally smiled and made a welcoming gesture.
Only after I stepped through the spatial channel did Sally turn her gaze toward the witches she had caught slacking.
"Sister Sally, we really weren't slacking. We were just instinctively gathering intelligence on the Main World..."
"Right, right! That's exactly what we were doing! It's not every day you meet a Teaching Assistant from the Witch Academy. We couldn't let the opportunity slip by~"
"Fine. When you get back, I want a report of no less than ten thousand words from each of you. Let me see what kind of 'intelligence' you've gathered. Format it properly and have it on my desk within one standard Main World day." Sally’s face darkened for a moment before she broke into a resigned smile.
"What... ten thousand words? No! Sister Sally!"
"Sister Sally! Please! I'm the combat specialist! I'm not good with words!"
Sally ignored their wails. Having given her orders, she stepped into the spatial channel and closed the portal behind her, showing no intention of bringing them back to the merchant group's planet.
* * *
Meanwhile.
After passing through the channel, I stepped out into a new world.
This wasn't a life-forbidden zone. This planet showed clear signs of an artificial atmosphere—the composition was too uniform for a natural environment.
I soon saw orderly streets and buildings under construction.
The busy figures weren't witches, but members of a life race I couldn't name. The only thing I could confirm was that they were definitely not a race from the Main World.
I could sense the aura of a contract on every single one of them. The sheer scale of it brought a specific concept to mind.
A servant army.
"Curious about what race they are? They're Stone Grass Oxen. That's their racial name. They're rare in the Void, but they're strong and easy to maintain. More importantly, their humanoid body structure makes them perfect for complex construction projects."
Sally followed close behind. Seeing my gaze fixed on the ox-headed servants, she took the initiative to introduce them.
"How fascinating..." Looking at these strange creatures, I realized that while I had seen the complexity of life through the "Life Sequence," I had truly seen very few species from outside the Main World. Although I had seen many races at the Witch Academy, most could be categorized as "humanoid."
The Stone Grass Oxen fell into that category as well.
In the Void, if a race wasn't humanoid, it was usually an Alien Beast race. Most species could be classified this way.
"Follow me. I'll take you to the merchant group headquarters."
"The headquarters? Is it far?" I turned to look at the massive structure behind us. It was a colossal spatial anchor point, far larger than the ones distributed throughout the Witch Academy.
"Not far... you could say that once you set foot on this planet, you've arrived at the Secret Pact Merchant Group. The headquarters is just a cluster of buildings situated on the best plot of land on the planet."
"This entire planet belongs to the Secret Pact Merchant Group?!" I finally realized.
"That's right. All the paperwork is in order; there's no need to fake something like that. Unfortunately, our group was only allocated one planet. The larger merchant groups or organizations have planetary arrays made up of several worlds."
Sally looked up at the sky as she spoke. The planets owned by those massive merchant groups could be so numerous that they were arranged to form constellations representing their group's logo.
"Uh... I guess my experience is just too limited..."
Hearing Sally's description, I felt only one thing: Witches really know how to live.
It was true that only by stepping onto a larger stage could one realize how narrow their previous horizons had been.
In the past, the Witch Academy was all I knew. A single planet was an entire world. But even a partially restored corner of the Main World was enough to leave me speechless with awe.
Following Sally down the street, I felt a sense of "everything waiting to be rebuilt." She chatted with me casually until we reached the seaside.
Only then did I witness what truly shocking architecture looked like.
A witch's aesthetic sense was never in doubt. With the power to reshape heaven and earth at their fingertips, no terrain was an obstacle.
The massive Secret Pact Merchant Group headquarters was a sprawling coastal city. Even as a mere observer, the sheer scale of it was breathtaking.
How long had it been?
If merging a planet into the Main World for restoration took time, then the infrastructure on the planet... what kind of efficiency was that?
"The headquarters is just ahead. I haven't had the chance to ask for your name yet, sister."
"Oh, I'm Yang Yuehan. You can just call me Xiao Han," I said, using my standard self-introduction. "Also... actually, I..."
"You're Yang Yuehan?!"
Before I could finish the second half of my explanation, Sally's reaction was incredibly intense. Although her refined upbringing prevented her from losing her composure entirely, the turbulent emotions swirling within her told me she was nowhere near as calm as she appeared.
Great... another witch who has heard of me...
Who exactly is going around spreading my name among the Void witches?
"Um... barring any accidents... probably? It seems you recognize me?"
"Heh... Yang Yuehan, the Little Witch of the Main World. Every Transcendent Witch who has entered the Main World has heard of you to some extent. I am truly sorry; I didn't recognize you even after walking with you for so long."
Throughout our walk, Sally had addressed me as "you" or "sister." But now, her tone had shifted to one of profound formality and respect.