Chapter 1236: Section 1237: Madeline and Yisu
“Thorn of Tyranny” Madeline Silian. A First Level wizard from the Barbarian Cave, a plant bloodline fusionist.
When Angel first came to the Abyss, he arrived with Madeline. And along the way, Madeline had also given Angel a lot of help.
However, later on, while at the Barbarian Cave, Madeline secretly pursued Dong La, who was afflicted with the Calamity Curse, and then she disappeared without a trace.
Angel had never thought that after their initial parting, he would be reunited with Madeline in this place at this time.
Madeline was furiously chasing after Greerwu, her thorny whip ablaze with flames already raised high into the sky. But when she saw the person standing in front of that little demon, she stopped dead in her tracks.
“Angel, how come you are here?”
…
After a pause, on the high grounds outside the Ice Valley, Angel omitted some key details and simply stated that Toby had accidentally been hit by the Calamity Curse and had come to the Ice Valley to seek Odeclass’s help in lifting the curse.
Madeline was not involved in the affairs of Lassudral, so she was unaware of what had taken place there, and she even thought that Monty’s plan had yet to be executed.
Therefore, Madeline didn’t inquire into why Angel came to the Ice Valley.
However, she did find it rather curious that Angel was able to ask Odeclass to help Toby lift the curse. But these were trivial matters; what Madeline was most concerned about was Greerwu hiding behind Angel: “You know this little demon?”
Angel nodded, “Its name is Greerwu, it is a young… uh, a juvenile of the Fire Pattern Demon. I know it. Lady Madeline, how did you end up in conflict with Greerwu?”
Greerwu had already realized that the shopkeeper seemed to be an old acquaintance of the crazed woman chasing it, and it suddenly started feeling uneasy, unsure whether the shopkeeper would take its side. Afraid that Madeline would deceive the shopkeeper with lies, Greerwu couldn’t help but answer first:
“I don’t know this crazed woma… I don’t know her at all. I am here in Ice Valley just to find the shopkeeper; I ran into her halfway through, and she started to chase me relentlessly.” Greerwu wore an expression of utter grievance.
Looking at Greerwu, Angel felt it wasn’t lying, so he turned his attention to Madeline, wanting to hear the core conflict of this matter.
Based on what he knew about Madeline, since it was exceedingly difficult to restore magic power in the Abyss, she wouldn’t waste her magic power on a little demon focused solely on running away. There must be some conflict here.
Madeline’s face was grim: “Not long ago, I captured someone and imprisoned them deep within Thorn Ridge. I went out a few days ago, and when I returned today, I found that the person I had imprisoned had disappeared. This creature was the only one I saw nearby.”
“So, you think Greerwu took away your prisoner?” Angel asked.
Madeline nodded without hesitation: “Besides him, there were no other people around. Moreover, I faintly sensed that person’s presence on him.”
“Especially now that he is still, that presence has become even stronger.”
Angel looked towards Greerwu, who immediately shook its head: “Who would bother with whom she’s captured? I’ve been temporarily staying at a branch of the Demon Monastery in recent days, dealing with my own matters. Once everything was settled, I took leave from the lord to find the shopkeeper. On the way, I didn’t do anything but was entangled by her.”
Angel didn’t think that Greerwu would lie about such a trivial matter. He intended to speak on behalf of Greerwu, but just then, Angel suddenly recalled Madeline had mentioned a place name before: “Thorn Ridge?”
“Lady Madeline, did you say you imprisoned someone at Thorn Ridge?” Angel pressed, a flicker of insight crossing his mind.
“Yes.” Madeline nodded. The plant bloodline she had fused with was a kind of thorn, hence her nickname “Thorn of Tyranny”, She appeared in Thorn Ridge because it was overrun with a kind of Black Thorn that could be cultivated inside her body, which was why she temporarily stayed there.
“Then the person you’re saying you imprisoned, could it be a little girl?” Angel suddenly asked.
Madeline was taken aback: “How would you know that?”
Angel let out a sigh and snapped his fingers casually, generating Illusion Nodes in front of him, quickly conjuring the image of a barefoot girl in a white robe in front of them.
“Isn’t that, the girl from that day?” Greerwu pointed doubtfully at the girl in the illusion, the very human they had encountered at the Ancient Cold Ruins a few days before, who had transformed into the Eternity Centipede.
Angel’s gaze remained steadfastly on Madeline, and from the reflection in Madeline’s pupils, Angel deduced that this girl was most likely the person Madeline had imprisoned.
Sure enough, Madeline nodded: “Yes, it’s her.” After a pause, her face full of confusion, she said: “How do you know her? Have you seen her too?”
“Not only have I seen her, but I also fought with her.”
Angel recounted the events that took place half a month earlier, in the Ancient Cold Ruins, also known as the Cold Ancient Ruins, to Madeline. To be precise, he created an illusion that depicted everything from the initial encounter with that group of apprentices to the end when Angel went to ask about Eshu’s identity.
At first, when Madeline saw the little girl in the illusion, she immediately said, “It’s her! Eh? Was it those apprentices who let her go?”
Gradually, Madeline watched the battle between Angel and Zefara in the illusion. As it was an illusion created by Angel, Madeline assumed that Angel might have done some sort of “processing” to it, but regardless, the overall conclusion remained unchanged.
Angel had defeated Zefara.
This result surprised Madeline greatly.
However, what surprised Madeline even more was not just Angel. When the girl named Isu in the illusion suddenly transformed into a spitting image of a humanoid centipede, Madeline froze for a long while, then a light of unprecedented ferocity flashed in her eyes, “The spine of an Eternity Centipede! It’s definitely her, I knew it was her!
Madeline began to mutter to herself in a low voice, “I was indeed not wrong. This girl must have an intricate connection with Dong La, but I never expected that this girl is Dong La herself!”
Dong La? Hearing these words from Madeline’s mouth, Angel instantly thought of the owner of that name.
A woman whom even Kanter feared immensely!
A terrifying witch obsessed with body experiments and fond of arbitrarily grafting other people’s organs!
Known by the nickname “Grafting Maniac”, a Second Level True Knowledge Witch!
Angel had heard a rumor that Dong La was a jealous woman who envied anyone more beautiful than herself. Many beautiful witches, as a result, were transplanted with a variety of strange organs, with some even having direct surgical attachments to their faces. Hence, she was dubbed the “Grafting Maniac”.
However, that wasn’t the important part. Dong La was not only jealous but also exceedingly cruel.
From the rumors Angel had heard, Madeline’s Silian family was wiped out by Dong La before Madeline joined the Barbarian Cave. This act of exterminating her family was the reason why Madeline, despite knowing the vast gap in strength between herself and Dong La, recklessly confronted her regardless.
Angel still remembered that after Dong La was cursed with the Calamity Curse, she fled with a terrifying demon that had just awoken from its slumber, and since then, there had been no news.
“Dong La, she is Dong La?” Angel found it hard to believe, as the girl Isu’s power level seemed too low, far from Dong La’s strength.
Watching the illusion, Madeline nodded emphatically with resentment, “I was not sure before because she never revealed this form in my presence. But seeing the spine of the Eternity Centipede, I can confirm that this so-called Isu is definitely Dong La! Perhaps she just switched bodies!”
As Madeline told her story, Angel gradually understood some of the backstory.
Initially, Madeline had secretly followed Dong La when she left the Watchguard Fortress, intending to use the Calamity Curse to get rid of Dong La multiple times along the way. However, Dong La was not an easy target and managed to survive the journey.
Yet, the Calamity Curse was too terrifying, and the demon named Monty that Dong La awoke was not to be underestimated. In the end, Dong La ran to the silent dead sea and, catching Monty off guard, leaped into the sea.
Since then, Madeline was unable to catch any further news of Dong La.
The silent dead sea was too horrendous, filled with the curses of calamity, and Madeline dared not recklessly venture into danger. She could only patrol near the coastline of the dead sea, hoping to find Dong La and settle scores with her.
But in the end, she didn’t find Dong La; instead, she found this little girl named Isu.
Madeline felt that there was an air of Dong La about Isu and thought there might be some connection between the two, so she captured her. She kept Isu bound until they reached Thorn Ridge because the Black Thorn was useful to Madeline, so she stayed at Thorn Ridge.
Half a month ago, Madeline intended to create new plant bloodlines using the Black Thorn but lacked one ingredient, so she decided to go out and collect it. She left Isu tied up in the center of Thorn Ridge and left. However, what Madeline didn’t expect was that not long after her departure, a group of apprentices arrived at Thorn Ridge and even rescued Isu.
Angel frowned and muttered, “Isu, is Dong La?”
Madeline was very certain, “That’s right, Isu is Dong La!”
After receiving the information about Isu from Angel, Madeline no longer cared why Angel appeared in Ice Valley. All her thoughts had flown to the Ancient Cold Ruins—Dong La’s last known location.
Madeline turned to look at Angel, “I’m going to find Dong La. If you need any help, you can wait for me at Thorn Ridge.”
With that, Madeline prepared to leave.
After taking a few steps, Madeline suddenly paused and turned to look at Greerwu, “The earlier matter was my fault. Since you know Angel, if you need help in the future, you can also come to Thorn Ridge to find me.”
After leaving this apology, Madeline didn’t wait for Greerwu to respond and immediately took to the air, flying towards the direction of the Ancient Cold Ruins.