After a brief pause, she seemed somewhat unnaturally to turn her head away and softly said,
"Perhaps... you can call me — Mother."
Though they had somewhat expected it, upon hearing Zehtti's words, the expressions of Anna and her brother still changed repeatedly.
'If the powerful witch before them was truly their mother, why had she never visited them, and why had their father never mentioned her?
Moreover, why hadn't Zehtti, so powerful, come to rescue their father on Pahama Island?'
The siblings' lips moved, but they still couldn't bring themselves to utter that title.
Zehtti didn't press them and continued speaking as she turned around,
"Let's go, I have many things I want to ask you..."
"Your Excellency, Zehtti." At this moment, Colin suddenly spoke, quickly explaining,
"Sorry to disturb you at this time, but I am not a member of the Basa family. I happened to come here via the transmission array and have some urgent matters to attend to. May I be allowed to leave?"
After saying this, Colin looked at Zehtti, hesitating whether to tell her the news he held.
Zehtti turned back and looked at this First Rank Wizard whom she had overlooked.
"Mo... Mother, Pahama Islands have been occupied by the divine beings. He is the one who rescued Ante and me. Without him, we might still be trapped on Pahama Island, or perhaps... we might have already perished."
Anna suddenly explained solemnly from the side.
"Divine beings…" Zehtti murmured with a frown, then impatiently waved her hand slightly.
"You may go."
Click, click, click.
A large gap suddenly opened behind Colin in the secret room, and the rich light of the setting sun flowed in.
"Thank you, Your Excellency, Zehtti."
Seeing this, Colin, gradually dismissing his thoughts, respectfully took his leave and prepared to depart.
"Wizard Leonard!"
But Ante suddenly called out to him from behind, then took off the Sigh Blood Crystal he wore on his chest and gently tossed it to him.
Colin instinctively reached out to catch the Sigh Blood Crystal.
But from afar, Zehtti lightly hooked her finger and suddenly intercepted the pendant.
"Sigh Blood Crystal... this is not a good thing." Holding the Sigh Blood Crystal in her hand, she turned to look at Ante, suddenly furrowing her eyebrows.
Crackle, crackle!
Like thin snakes, golden lightning instantly enveloped Ante.
"Ah!"
Ante cried out instinctively, but the next moment he surprisingly felt no pain, instead experiencing a comfortable tingling sensation.
The tingling in his chest was the strongest, and amidst this tingling, Ante suddenly felt that his chest, which had always somewhat hurt from long-term use of the Sigh Blood Crystal, suddenly stopped hurting.
Or rather, the pain had at least mostly dissipated.
"Let's go."
Zehtti spoke to Anna and the others once again.
"Wizard Leonard, thank you. Ante and I will forever remember this life-saving grace," Anna suddenly turned and solemnly said to him.
"Thank you, Wizard Leonard." Ante also came to his senses and thanked him together with Anna.
Regarding Colin, Ante inexplicably felt some fondness... perhaps because of his silent, calm demeanor, strong abilities?
Ante didn't know, but he instinctively added another line,
"Wizard Leonard, if I have the opportunity in the future, I will come to visit you."
"No need to worry, it was simply quid pro quo..." Colin didn't mind, and softly spoke as he looked at them.
Then, after bowing towards Zehtti in the distance, he turned and walked into the secret chamber, soaring towards the sky.
"How could you be so weak, Anna, and still not a witch? Basar, that dog, is this how he took care of you? Ruining my bloodline…"
Amidst the howling wind, Colin faintly heard Zehtti apparently complaining about something.
'Isn't Anna devoid of witch's talent…?'
Shaking his head, he gathered his thoughts.
Regardless of what Anna and the others were going through or what secrets they hid, those were now matters for Zehtti's family...
He now had more important and urgent matters to attend to.
Swoosh!
But just then, a silver light suddenly shot out from the gap that had not yet fully closed beneath his feet, heading straight towards him!
At this moment, it was the evening, and the setting sun slowly sank at the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, the red waters shimmering.
The silver light, dotted with golden spots, moved as swiftly as lightning, stopping in front of him without any trace of fireworks before he could react.
"What is this?!" A shaken Colin hesitantly accepted the silver light.
After coming out, he found himself on a small, dark brown deserted island, not very large — merely about the size of a football field from his previous life, showing no signs that it concealed a witch of at least the Third Rank.
So, for a moment, he thought Zehtti intended to eliminate him for knowing the location of her secluded residence.
However... fortunately, it was just a false alarm.
The silver light, now seen up close, was actually a silver ball covered with web-like golden cracks.
Strong energy emanated from it... it should be some kind of Witch Tool.
'Perhaps it was to compensate for not receiving the Sigh Blood Crystal, or simply to thank him for rescuing Anna and her brother?'
But regardless, the behavior of Witch Zehtti unexpectedly made Colin reconsider his decision.