Chapter 701: A Century of Changes

"Wow, this pigeon is so amazing!" Amy exclaimed.

"Coo!"

"Really?" Lightning retorted, "She's just taking advantage of being older. When I grow up, I'll definitely evolve even more awesome new abilities!"

"Then... can you tell me what Maisie xiaojie's new ability is?"

"She turns into a flying monster! Although it looks fierce and can blot out the sun when it flies, it's not cute at all."

"Woogoo—" Maisie drooped her proud head.

"A flying behemoth... I really want to see it."

"Me too."

The witches surrounded the two, chattering away. Only Number Seventy-Six felt anxious—these fools were all amateurs and couldn't ask the key questions. Who cared whether a high-ranking witch was cute or mighty? The focus should be on the relationship between ability evolution and magic power vortexes, and how to become a high-ranking witch! For the first time, she felt it was so difficult to maintain a smile, with a feeling that the corners of her mouth were about to twitch.

Seeing the topic getting more and more off track, she had no choice but to speak up herself, "But Maisie xiaojie looks no different from an ordinary pigeon now... How can you tell that her ability has evolved?"

This question might slightly increase the chance of her exposure, but Number Seventy-Six couldn't care less.

She still had a glimmer of hope in her heart. Perhaps they had distinguished the difference between the Awakening Day and adult solidification, but they might still mistake some branch abilities for high-level Awakening—after all, some lucky individuals might have multiple branch abilities.

"We can tell from the magic power," Wendy answered her, "If an ordinary witch's magic power is like a vortex or mist, after evolution, it will condense into a brand-new form. For example, Maisie's magic power now is a pair of unfolded white wings, which is very different from the previous vague mist."

Magic power condenses and reconstructs, exactly the same as the Union's definition.

The last doubt also shattered. If the other party was not lying, then Maisie was indeed a high-ranking witch.

Although Number Seventy-Six did not have the means to directly observe magic power, since Wendy could speak so confidently, she obviously had a relatively comprehensive understanding of evolution.

"I see," she suppressed her surging emotions, revealing a look of sudden understanding, "Is your ability... also like this?"

"I haven't condensed my magic power," Wendy answered frankly, "Compared to Anna and the others, I still have much to learn."

So an "Original Witch" became the manager of the entire alliance, and she even mingled with high-level advanced individuals? Seeing the pigeon's intimate and easy-to-understand expression, Number Seventy-Six suddenly had a feeling—she had indeed been asleep for too long, and this world was very different from the Tachila she was familiar with.

The Wolfheart Witches didn't feel her complex emotions at all. Except for Annie, the three of them teased Maisie, and laughter echoed along the way.

As they climbed the mountain road, Number Seventy-Six deliberately fell behind.

She stretched the finger with the five-colored magic stone ring to the corner of her eye, pretending to rub her eyes, but actually squinted at Lightning and Maisie through the clear magic stone.

Since both of them were in the ability-casting stage, two striking orange lights immediately appeared in her field of vision.

The light pillar above Lightning's head was close to Anna and the others, about the thickness of a finger, while Maisie's was thicker, about the size of an arm, which was consistent with the theory that the keys of high-ranking witches were more complex.

However, compared to the light pillar of the intruder last night, it was much smaller, not to mention the giant light pillars in the castle area, which were like mountain walls.

They are not Chosen Ones.

With mixed feelings, Number Seventy-Six wrote down their names.

...

After entering the North Slope Mine, the noisy sounds became louder and louder. The witches were surprised to see that the area around the mine was still bustling—the sporadic snowflakes and cold wind did not make them put down their work, and busy figures could be seen everywhere along the way.

Moreover, unlike what they had expected, their clothes were definitely not the tattered rags of prisoners, but uniform thick leather coats, and their heads were wrapped in different colored cloths, seemingly to distinguish the content of their work in this way. Near the entrance of the mine, the ground was covered with many iron bars of equal width, and four-wheeled trolleys traveled on the iron bars. There were no people pushing or pulling in front or behind, nor were there any horses or donkeys.

Bright banners were hanging along the rails, embroidered with huge slogans—Labor is glorious, Use your hands to win the future, and Ten years of work, a century of housing, etc. The deep red banners, the pure white snow, and the pitch-black rails constituted the three main primary colors of the mining area.

"When Roland bixia was not yet the lord of Border Town, the ore produced here each quarter could only be exchanged for hundreds of Gold Royals. In winter, production was impossible in order to cope with the Months of the Demons, and the locals' salaries were even difficult to support themselves." Wendy stopped and said slowly, turning around, "After bixia came to the Western Region, he saved a witch named Anna, which opened a new door for witches and ordinary people to cooperate."

"See those black steel machines? They were made by Anna. They can drag ore carts and drain water instead of human labor, without magic power driving. Anyone can operate them. It is thanks to these devices that the output of the mine has increased more than tenfold, and people's salaries can not only fill their stomachs, but also buy new clothes or homes. It is this visible benefit that has made the townspeople gradually accept the existence of witches."

"The question you asked before, what exactly is the work of a witch, this is the answer—to create a better life." Wendy smoothed the red hair in front of her forehead, her tone full of pride, "If you are willing to join the Witch Union and work together to build this city, this home, the people will remember your names firmly in the future."

It could be seen that even the always calm Annie was moved. The hands holding her wheelchair gently opened and closed, revealing the emotions in her heart. The others were even more infatuated after hearing "the home of witches"... For these refugees, nothing was more heartwarming than a warm and comfortable place to live.

Only Number Seventy-Six was filled with doubts. The change Wendy described was not actually the key to the witches, but to those black machines. How did a local civilian, even one who belonged to the bottom of the mortals, know how to make them? Awakening can only bring improvements in ability and physical fitness, but it will not give her knowledge she has never seen before.

What exactly happened during this period?

And the other party's next sentence made Number Seventy-Six's heart jump.

"Now that we are in North Slope Mountain, let's go see Anna xiaojie by the way," Wendy said softly with a smile, "You know, she is not only the busiest witch in the Union, but also the only genius who has evolved twice."