Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 688 79: Family

Morganna gritted her teeth, her sharp fangs almost shattering. This scene prompted her children to move, launching a siege towards Ethan from different directions. However, their predatory gazes were sharply halted by Morganna's stern command, "Stop, return to your rooms!"
She sensed an instability in the "Hunger," something that had never occurred before.
This meant the Demon Hunter Van Fleet's reasoning was only half correct.
Ethan was indeed not a ghoul, but he was definitely not an ordinary human either. He had an unusual connection with the "Hunger."
This was absolutely not something a young man in his early twenties could accomplish. According to Valerie's speculation about the "Hunger," its existence probably dated back as far as the Old Gods, longer than humans have existed. It possessed characteristics of the natural elements, yet there were noticeable differences.
An observable natural element with free will.
A natural element like none ever mentioned by any Elemental Shaper, lurking in the darkness.
Morganna understood that this was a warning from the "Hunger." If they insisted on defying its will, it would surely end in a tragic outcome.
In this fog-shrouded world, no one could defy the will of the "Hunger," and now she realized another thing: Ethan and Ave's arrival was very likely also attracted by it.
Morganna attempted to withdraw the claw she swung at Ethan, and this time, the shadows entwining her arms no longer restrained her actions.
"Mr. Van Fleet."
Ethan called out to the Demon Hunter who was about to make his escape amid the chaos without turning his head. He didn't plan to look at him any further, "Tell the people in the village they'll soon be able to return home—this might be the last good thing you can do."
From the first floor of the castle came a disturbance. Morganna looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Ethan walking out from the wine cellar, supporting the frail Valerie.
Morganna was extremely disappointed.
She had never guarded against Ave as she did with Ethan. She greatly liked this girl, delicate like a doll, and if she was willing to stay here, they could certainly become an inseparable family.
Morganna had heard of the Margaret Clan and the secret research conducted with them by the Church, as well as the emotion-stripping Holy Word Art. These occupied a significant portion of the journal her father left her, allowing Morganna to easily imagine Ave's childhood, almost devoid of familial warmth, making her feel a kinship of shared suffering.
She decided to offer Ave a real family, but from the result, it seemed Ave was not deceived by Ethan; they had been in cahoots from the beginning.
"Get out, leave this place!"
Morganna no longer looked at Ethan and the others retreating towards the door.
Ethan just gave Morganna a deep look. The electric elemental aura shrouded by the pollution zone, he could no longer understand Morganna's true intentions. However, this might not be a bad thing; compared to a straightforward answer, this way he could examine more carefully his relationship with the shadow element.
"I never expected that guy Van Fleet, who seemed so righteous, was actually a traitor!"
After stepping out of the "Red Eyes" castle, Ave exclaimed angrily, having been deceived by Van Fleet in the village, mistaking that Demon Hunter for a kind-hearted person. For a Truth Society graduate, this was undoubtedly a serious misjudgment.
It had indeed been too perilous just now!
She knew that ever since entering this place, Ethan had been in a bad state. Theoretically, an Elemental Shaper who had lost his spells could only become bones in front of a ghoul.
She then looked at Valerie, "Teacher, you must have seen through that guy's nature back then, and that's why you left the village, right?"
"You can't blame yourself."
Valerie managed a faint smile. Despite looking extremely weak now, she no longer had the nerviness from before while speaking. She reverted to the wise yet gentle teacher image from Ave's memory, "If you stayed in the village long enough, you'd notice the disappearances of villagers were too regular."
"Was he also planning to harm you at the time?"
Valerie didn't answer, instead changing the topic, "Ave, you've grown a lot this past year, it's just... your eyes, can they be healed?"
She had no intention of reprimanding Ave's risky behavior. For a believer in the God of Truth, putting oneself in danger for the pursuit of truth was commonplace; every year, many outstanding Truth Society graduates lost their lives because of it. Mr. Fisher was one of them.
He discovered the anomaly at the post office on the fourteenth and surely understood that venturing inside was fraught with danger, yet he still resolutely walked into the depths of the fog on the fourteenth.
Van Fleet claimed that Fisher had recklessly departed from the village's bounds and was besieged to death by ghouls deep in the fog. As for what truly happened, only Van Fleet would know.
The villagers saw Fisher and Van Fleet having a conversation, but they didn't know the content. Afterward, Fisher left the village and never returned.
"Don't worry about me, Ethan knows an excellent doctor."
"Ethan, I've heard many things about you."
Valerie scrutinized this legendary young man. She first heard the name in Ave's letters from Ximu Town, mentioning meeting a remarkable peer at the border city of the Empire, hoping to recommend him to join the Truth Society after returning to the Imperial Capital.
Valerie arranged all the enrollment procedures, but it seems that their society can't accommodate such an outstanding student.
With the help of the "Red Eyes," Ethan had become well-acquainted with this mirror city's layout. The three squeezed a path through the low-tier ghouls and entered the inn closest to the castle. The "country" ghoul accidentally wandered into the inn's first floor and was mercilessly driven out into the street by Imperial Duke, shivering in the cold wind.
Even after becoming ghouls, they couldn't escape the dark side of the empire.
The inn had complete facilities, with an endless supply of oat beer in the wine cellar. As they checked in, the fireplace on the first floor caught fire, and a lavish dinner soon appeared on the table as if by refreshment.
If one were to ignore the ghouls wandering the streets like zombies, this city should be a dream abode for many.
A full day had passed since they arrived at this place, and now, Ethan understood why Morganna's castle was built in the same location as Duke Bellamo's.
Even after being abandoned and betrayed, she ultimately did not seek revenge on Duke Bellamo or this city.
With the power granted by "Hunger," she could easily lead the ghouls to break through Dark Furnace City's defenses or spread a plague within the city, watching its residents transform into monsters and die tragically in mutual devouring.
This was also the prophecy of the Church and the Demon Hunters.
A freak destined to bring destruction to the world from birth.
But in the end, she just left this place. After becoming a monster in people's eyes, she ventured alone into the contaminated zone. She even later adopted Little Bellamo—the child of Duke Bellamo and a Demon Hunter.
"What's the plan now?"
Ave picked up a slice of toasted bread from the plate, chewing it contentedly.
It seemed she was, after all, better suited to being human. Morganna's children said that human-cooked food tasted like dried bark to them, but she didn't think so.
"You go to the town and notify all the residents that we can take them back with us. It's time to test your eloquence. I guess Mr. Van Fleet probably won't have a change of heart; they will obstruct you in every way."
"Have you already found a way back?"
Valerie stared at Ethan in shock. This young man's efficiency was truly impressive. She had conducted a whole year of research with Lady Morganna's cooperation but still had no clue on how to leave this damn place. They had no way of determining where the essence of "Hunger" lay; it seemed omnipresent, and that also meant that when it didn't wish to be found, not even Morganna could locate it.
"There's some leads."
"Teacher, there's a saying recently circulating in the Imperial Capital."
Ave said, "Trust Old Sen!"
Whenever people encounter difficulties, they could keep this saying in mind. This catchphrase was popularized by Rowena, and its full form is "You just keep doing what you're doing, and let Old Sen figure out the solution."
This reflected the trust the Imperial people had in Ethan.
"I understand, then let's split up—"
Valerie's words were interrupted by the commotion outside the inn. An unexpected guest had arrived here. The low-tier ghouls wandering the city voluntarily cleared a path for him. He held a rope in his hand, with the other end tied to his "flock."
These were the sacrifices who had narrowly escaped death because of Ethan's "Gourmet Club" concept.
"Take them back as well, and never come back here."
Little Bellamo said.
Among Morganna's many children, Little Bellamo was always the most unique one.
In fact, if judged by their relationship in Duke Bellamo's family, it might be more appropriate to call them siblings—if Morganna hadn't been expelled from the family and attacked by ghouls while heading toward the empire's border, they might have established a warm family in the real Dark Furnace City.
"You can come back with us. Ethan knows an excellent doctor. He should be able to cure your infection."
"Go back."
Little Bellamo handed the rope to Ave. The villagers, their heads still covered with linen bags, remained bound.
This provided them with even more compelling evidence—nothing could make the villagers see Van Fleet's true nature more clearly than a group of "lambs" being sacrificed as offerings.
But Little Bellamo did not intend to join them.
Having completed all of this, he calmly retreated back outside the inn.
The fog covering the city quickly swallowed his figure; in the blink of an eye, he was nowhere to be seen.