Fifth Hundred and Thirty-Seventh Chapter: Dream Maze (Part Two)

In the deep cave, everyone knelt down to a woman wearing gorgeous clothes, countless candles burning quietly, like stars covering the ground.

"This is the new child? Raise your head and let me see."

Iffy raised her head timidly, but could only see a mask reflecting cold light. At that moment, she really wanted to scream.

"My name is Hedy. Morgan, don't be afraid. This mask is just to make it easier for me to come and go freely," the other party's voice was softer than she imagined. "From today on, you are a member of the Bloodfang Association."

"Why...can't you accept Annie?" Iffy asked courageously.

"Impudence!" The red-haired woman shouted.

The other witches also laughed softly, as if mocking her stupidity.

"It doesn't matter," Hedy waved her hand, walked down the high platform, and came to her. "Because I can't afford to support so many witches."

"She...she can find her own food."

"Like a rat, crawling in the gutter all day long, begging for scraps left by others? Day after day, this kind of life will wear away all your wildness," Hedy shook her head. "What the Bloodfang Association needs are beasts, not rats to be slaughtered."

"Beast?" Iffy couldn't help repeating.

"That's right, have you seen rock wolves?"

She shook her head.

"They are the symbol of the Wolfheart Kingdom, and also the masters of the mountains and cliffs. They can give birth to three to four cubs in one litter, but not all of them can survive. Do you know why?" Hedy said slowly, "Because the mother wolf will kill the cubs that cannot be fed according to the hunting situation, in order to ensure that the remaining wolf pups can get adequate nutrition, so that the offspring who grow up in this way can continue to survive in the harsh environment of the cliffs."

Iffy opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"If you reduce the feeding of each cub, they can indeed all survive, but that's just surviving—the wolf pups who lack enough nutrition will not be able to hunt independently when they grow up, and are no different from trash. They can't take a step out of the nest, let alone have the opportunity to reproduce offspring. Over time, the rock wolf group will disappear completely. What did you think of?"

"I..."

Hedy hooked her chin, "Child, this is the revelation given to us by the gods. Witches must be like beasts to avoid extinction in the face of cruel oppression. And the powerful combat witches are naturally the representatives of the entire group, such as... you now!"

The candlelight flickered, Iffy didn't hear cheers, but felt an invisible force like a tide coming from behind her—it was mixed with the excitement, exhilaration, and joy of the witches present, like a silent volcano.

After a while, she hesitantly asked, "Then... what if there is enough food to supply each wolf cub?"

"Then they are not wolves," Hedy smiled, "but dogs."

...

The whip lashed on her back, making a crisp sound.

"Idiot, you can't even complete this amount of training, it's a waste of so much food! Tell me, what whip is this?"

"Twenty-four," Iffy gritted her teeth.

Responding to her was the next whip, blood and sweat flowing down her back, wetting her pants.

"That's it for today. If tomorrow's training is still like this, the whipping will be doubled." The red-haired woman threw a large piece of steak in the middle of the four witches receiving punishment, "Dinner time is over. This is what I asked Hedy-daren for extra. You guys divide it yourselves. Remember, no magic is allowed."

The steak was plentiful enough for the four of them to fill their stomachs.

But the slaughter training consumed a lot of physical strength. If they could get an extra portion of food as a supplement between meals, the possibility of completing it would be much greater.

Like beasts...

Only powerful witches can survive.

Iffy glanced at the steak and pounced on the witch closest to her.

...

"The Secret Society has been wiped out by the church. I heard that no one escaped."

"The Witch's Hand is also gone."

"The church has set up camp on the East Coast!"

"Those damn nobles," Hedy's face was very ugly, "I will tear them to pieces sooner or later!"

The wolfheart witch forces were destroyed one by one, and only the Bloodfang Association was barely supporting itself. Although Iffy didn't understand what this had to do with the nobles on the island, she also realized that the situation was very dangerous.

"In that case, let Sha Ji and I get rid of them."

"It's too late! The church has already noticed Grand Duke Island. We can't stay here any longer," Hedy gritted her teeth. "We're going to Sleeping Island."

"You mean... the witch organization that sent a pigeon last time?" Iffy asked.

"That's right, we can draw manpower from there to strengthen the Bloodfang Association. In addition, all of this is only temporary, I will return here sooner or later! The Wolfheart Kingdom is mine!"

...

"Damn it, why are these people willing to listen to the orders of a little girl?" Hedy slammed the cup on the ground.

Iffy was silent. In her eyes, most of the witches on the island were just lambs, and they didn't have much ability to resist when facing strong enemies. The so-called leader Tilly. Wimbledon was also like this. If it weren't for a transcendent witch beside her, she wouldn't be able to sit firmly in that position.

"Maybe it's because she vigorously promotes that non-combat witches are also important?" Sha Ji interjected, "Everyone doesn't want to be excluded."

"Absurd! She doesn't even think about who took down the Fjord Church! Someone believes this kind of stupid talk?"

"Tilly's brother—that Western Territory lord seems to think so too."

"That's all they made up! No one knows better than me what a lord really likes!" Hedy said angrily, "You think I formed the Bloodfang Association for—" she suddenly stopped, "No, I can't let her continue to talk nonsense like this, you must go to the Western Territory to expose Tilly's lies! Take my words to him, Tilly. Wimbledon can give, I can give more!"

For some reason, Iffy felt that Hedy-daren at this time didn't look like a beast at all, but rather like a frustrated lamb.

"Is this the reason you abandoned me?"

Annie's figure suddenly appeared in front of her, "For such a master, for this ridiculous life, you left me and betrayed my trust in you?"

"No, Annie..."

Iffy noticed in horror that the other person's face was blank.

"You...forgot me?"

She suddenly opened her eyes, and everything in front of her disappeared, leaving only the gray-white room ceiling and the hanging chandelier.

Was this a dream?

She quickly closed her eyes and recalled Annie's appearance. Fortunately, the other person's appearance had not left her.

Relieved, Iffy sat up and saw a little girl looking at her curiously by the bed.

From the other person's unguarded eyes, she could tell that she must be someone who had not experienced hardship and struggle... that is, the so-called lamb.

"Who are you?"

"Nana Wa," she tilted her head and said, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Only then did Iffy feel that her back was soaked in cold sweat, "Did I...say anything?"

"Yes, constantly chanting that I am a beast... I am a beast..." the little girl spread her hands and said, "Why do you say that? You are not a beast."

She bit her lip, "You...don't understand anything."

"I understand," Nana Wa covered her mouth and smiled, "Aren't you and I the same, people?"