Great! I'm surrounded by villains!-Chapter 397 - 316: Grimoire

This time, Jiuyue was in high spirits and volunteered to take on the task of gathering materials herself.

Despite these materials sounding peculiar, luckily this was the Eco-Ship, where the Department of Life Sciences had "operated" to bring magical creatures from various planets and settled them onboard, even designating a specific Eco-zone for them.

"The Fox Demon has finally left!"

Seeing Jiuyue swaying her tail and hopping out the door, A-Jing sighed deeply.

It had been a long time since she was in such a disheveled state.

With the troublemaking Fox Demon gone, she could finally have a moment of peace.

"Why didn’t you just tell her the truth?"

After resting with her eyes closed for a moment, she heard Duan Mingyuan’s inquiry.

"What do you mean?"

"She herself already possesses the spell."

"I knew I couldn’t hide it from your eyes."

A-Jing simply gave up playing dumb and straightforwardly admitted it.

Although the process of casting "Cupid’s Arrow" was brief, it was long enough for Duan Mingyuan to glimpse its essence through the phenomenon.

The wizard’s curse spells and the use of Life Energy are highly similar, and Jiuyue’s talents as a curse-causing Fox Demon could be seen as a type of high-level curse spell. Having lived with Jiuyue for so many years, A-Jing seemed to have subtly taught her some of the curse spells she knew.

The only difference was that with the bloodline of the curse-causing Fox Demon, Jiuyue could complete a curse without the need for cursed objects.

As a researcher, what Duan Mingyuan observed so far was the difference in the tools and conditions used for casting spells.

"Then you must have noticed, her ability has stagnated for quite some time now, hasn’t it?"

After a pause, A-Jing spoke, "She has unconsciously mastered the application of spells, but has never been able to combine it with her own strength."

She believed this was the result of a lack of systematic learning.

"You’re referring to barriers."

"To be precise, Inherent Barriers," said A-Jing. "That is the watershed between wizards and witches. I was truly shocked when I first saw the content in your notebook."

When faced with Duan Mingyuan, she could finally talk about serious matters. "The growth you consider to be demonic, in some ways, converges with the transformation of a wizard."

Duan Mingyuan wrote in his notebook that creating a Barrier, activating abilities without regard to conditions or rules, symbolizes the demonic’s metamorphosis, and so far, very few on Blue Star have completed such a transformation.

"Although wizards usually learn various curse spells during the early stages, they all eventually have to find their own path. Only a very few wizards succeed in constructing their Inherent Barrier... Jiuyue’s case is the exact opposite; she has gone too far in her field of expertise but lacks the theoretical foundation," A-Jing continued, with a hint of guilt.

She never systematically guided Jiuyue in witchcraft. Apart from hiding her identity, when she first interacted with Jiuyue, she never considered training her into an independent witch, leading to many premature efforts.

Thanks to the curse-causing Fox Demon bloodline, Jiuyue’s strength grew rapidly.

Within less than a year of contact with curses, she was able to defeat most of the remnants of the Royal Hunting Court and corporate henchmen who had designs on the Fox Demon’s identity.

"You want to make it up to her."

"Not entirely."

A-Jing shook her head, "She is the most gifted in witchcraft I have ever seen, far more so than those with pure bloodline descent from wizard ancestors."

After reconciling with the idea of death, her only regret was not passing on the spells she was versed in.

Nowadays, there are few witches left, each a rare treasure left by civilization and proof of the existence of that ruined planet. Yet, as the "encyclopedia" within the Witch Council, she had not found a disciple capable of inheriting her mantle.

"I have another request."

As she spoke, Ah Jing reached into the void, and a mirror suddenly appeared before her, reflecting her visage.

This was her Inherent Barrier.

Having discovered the existence of the Reverse World, her Inherent Barrier was naturally related to it as well.

Ah Jing retrieved a Grimoire from the world on the other side of the mirror.

The Grimoire was locked, and it was much thicker than any book Duan Mingyuan had ever seen.

The title page bore two words: "Dawn."

"This is the tradition of witches. The life of every witch is a book. It contains not only the spells they master but also a true reflection of their lives—where they’ve been, whom they’ve met; it’s all recorded in a Grimoire."

Because of the "Eternal Curse," her Grimoire was much thicker than those of most witches.

"Jiuyue is the best choice. I believe many of the spells inside should be able to help her,"

said Ah Jing. "As long as she delves into the knowledge within, she will one day become an even better witch than me."

Although the love curse had caused her considerable trouble, it was a good starting point, sparking Jiuyue’s interest in witchcraft.

Ah Jing had collected countless Grimoires and witnessed the lives of many witches; thus, she always believed that nothing was a better teacher than interest.

Unnoticeably, the atmosphere in the room grew somewhat heavier.

This was one of the segments Duan Mingyuan liked least: grave topics and the handover of significant items, carrying an air much like the leaving of a legacy.

"It is best if you personally hand over this Grimoire to her."

"You know that’s impossible."

Earlier, with Jiuyue present, the conversation veered off-topic, avoiding many of the impending serious crises. "The fleet of the Ashen Church is on its way. I know them; they won’t return empty-handed."

The request she made to Duan Mingyuan was for her people to survive.

But correspondingly, someone had to give something up—for instance, the Ashen Church’s fleet needed a witch of sufficient significance so that they would overlook the others who escaped.

The Dawn Witch was undoubtedly the best choice.

This was the original plan of the wizards.

It was for them to hold off the Ashen Church’s fleet here and then usher in a new era.

In this impending era, everything would move towards destruction and oblivion.

"I will solve this problem as a token of gratitude for this academic exchange."

"Gratitude?"

"You’ve taught me much."

Duan Mingyuan was adept at learning and never passed up any opportunity to do so.

He was also someone who remembered favors and sought to return them.

"Your theories were very enlightening, helping me perfect a part of barrier construction."

"You..."

"It’s done."

Duan Mingyuan smiled slightly. "Thanks to you, my Inherent Barrier has now been constructed. Next is to verify its effectiveness."

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