Early in the morning, Wu Chen was still lost in dreams.
Litia had already woken up, completed her morning routine, and after having Dainy help her dress, she was preparing to head to the council hall for work.
For some reason over the past few days, several witches had sent invitations, saying they wanted to gather for a tea party with desserts at her palace.
Litia felt there was something fishy about it, but couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
"These people... there's no way they could be plotting together again because they're itching for trouble, right?"
Litia's title as the strongest witch wasn't just talk.
Apart from a few reclusive and low-profile witches, the others had tried teaming up multiple times to take down Litia, the boss, but they always ended up failing miserably.
For players, witches are an insurmountable barrier. For most other witches, Litia is just the same.
While thinking about the tea party, Litia pushed open the door and saw Sylvie, who was waiting by the entrance.
"Your Highness."
Sylvie gave a slight bow.
"Hmm? Sylvie, don't you usually stay on the second floor and hardly move? The Full Moon Witch even mocked you as the shut-in empress. Why are you rarely visiting my private domain today?"
Litia appeared a bit surprised.
"Didn't you ask me to investigate that man's hair before? But the results seemed a bit off, so I wanted to give him a more thorough examination."
Sylvie glanced into the bedroom, noticing Wu Chen still dreaming peacefully on the witch's bed, and she displayed an unusually kind smile.
"That works too. It's never wrong to be cautious. Then, I'll leave it to you."
"I have some matters to attend to today, so it's just as well that he's in your care. Remember, he's my most important guest. Make sure not to neglect him, and don't let him leave the palace. Do you understand?"
Litia reminded her seriously.
"I understand. Leave it to me. I'll ensure he has an unforgettable day."
"Uh... Unforgettable sounds a bit exaggerated."
Litia made a casual comment, then transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the sky.
"Sleeping with the goddess, sleeping with the witch, you're quite at ease, aren't you?"
"Wu Chen, Wu Chen, today you've finally fallen into my hands."
"All these years of longing, all these years of anger and pain, how will you compensate me?"
With an extremely complicated feeling, Sylvie walked into the bedroom. She leaned closer to Wu Chen, smiling as she gently cupped his cheeks.
...
"Mm... what a pleasant smell..."
"Huh? Why do I feel like I can't move?"
Wu Chen slowly opened his eyes, realizing that he wasn't lying on the soft bed but sitting on a chair made of cold, hard iron, with metal shackles binding his hands and feet.
In the dimly lit room, faint glimmers of light surrounded him, and a beautiful elf woman in a white veil approached gracefully.
"Si-Sylvie…"
Wu Chen couldn't help but gasp, and seeing the elven beauty before him, he felt not joy but a chilling, fluttering sensation.
Where did Litia go!?
Why was he tied up here upon waking?
"Don't waste your breath looking for the witch. This is a remnant of my divine realm. Even if you scream your lungs out here, no one will come to save you."
Sylvie wore a sickly smile, her pale fingers lightly tracing over Wu Chen's chest.
Except for witches, no one could find this place. And with Litia away handling her matters, there was absolutely no one to disturb them.
"Sc-scream my lungs out!"
"Morning Star, you're still as humorous as ever. Too bad I'm no longer the same person. I won't be fooled by your lowly tricks anymore."
Sylvie drew circles on Wu Chen's chest with an air of natural charm.
"I remember you were a lord under the Huang Empire, right? Are all men from the Huang Empire as shameless as you?"
"Well, I think it's wrong to generalize."
Wu Chen looked pained.
The Huang Empire was one of the three major powers in the human world.
When players first created their accounts, they could choose to join one of these national factions.
Wu Chen chose the Huang Empire because it was the only human nation in the game that didn't worship the goddesses.
Because it didn't worship the goddesses, it was the most convenient for pursuing the goddesses.
Players from other nations, due to their worship of the goddesses, could raise their favorability with them quickly at the beginning, but once it reached the "friendly" stage, it became incredibly slow, making it nearly impossible to advance to the "romantic" stage.
Since the game didn't allow account switching or reincarnation, with one account per player and extremely harsh conditions for immigrating to the Huang Empire, players from other factions could only watch and drool over the goddesses.
"Ahem, old friends catching up—there's no need to treat me like this, right? Could you maybe let me go first?"
Wu Chen tried to struggle a bit, but the execution chair didn't budge an inch.
"Old friends? To you, were we just friends!?"
Sylvie grabbed Wu Chen by the collar, her eyes filled with disappointment and anger.
"Ahem, wife, that's not what I meant."
"I have no husband like you!"
Sylvie released Wu Chen and turned away coldly.
"Then what about girlfriend?"
Wu Chen tried another term.
"I've never dated a scumbag like you!"
Wow, you're unhappy with being friends, you completely deny being married, and now you deny the idea of boyfriend and girlfriend. This is really difficult for me!
"Sylvie, calm down and listen to me, I really…"
"Explanation is just a cover-up, and cover-up is the truth! No need to say more!"
Sylvie scolded sharply, her emotions so intense that her chest heaved with every breath.
"Well, fine, I won't say anything more. You should calm down…"
Wu Chen sighed and fell silent, starting to think quietly about how to survive.
It wasn't long before Sylvie turned back around, her face filled with grievance as she glared at Wu Chen.
"Why don't you speak up? Don't you want to explain anything to me!"
So do you want me to speak or not?
Ah, women!
But Sylvie's mixed signals actually relieved Wu Chen a bit.
Her behavior suggested that she still had feelings for him.
Even though betrayal and deceit had turned love into hatred over the long years, it ultimately meant that he had left a lasting mark on her heart.
As long as that's the case, he still had a chance to survive!
Stay calm, don't worry, just treat this like a game as usual and stay composed.
Wu Chen lifted his head, took a deep breath, and focused on his survival strategy, his gaze becoming steady once again.
"Sylvie, I love you!"