The bonfire burned, emitting a warm and bright light.
Chen Qi used Soul Seasoning, sprinkling it with cumin.
A fragrant aroma instantly filled the air.
The Flower Witch eagerly picked up a large beef skewer, put it to her mouth, blew on it, and bit off a piece.
Chen Qi had already eaten, so he wasn't hungry.
Speaking of which, the Flower Witch was of noble birth and had likely tasted many delicacies, even those made from expensive Transcendent ingredients.
Her palate might be quite picky.
Chen Qi asked expectantly,
"How is it?"
The Flower Witch swallowed the meat, and the savory taste blossomed in her mouth.
"It's... not bad... quite delicious,"
answered the Flower Witch.
Although her expression remained calm, super happy little yellow flowers and rare joyful little pink flowers instantly sprouted on her head!
To be precise, it was extremely delicious!
Why could a beef skewer cooked by a chef be so delicious!
She actually felt that this simple beef skewer was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten in her life! It could even compare to food made from dragon meat.
What kind of seasoning had been added!
She quickened her eating pace.
Chen Qi looked at the Flower Witch.
Although the Flower Witch was still trying hard to maintain dining etiquette, her small movements had become noticeably rougher.
It was clear that the child was truly hungry.
Don't choke... Chen Qi took out a bottle of sweet wine and handed it to her,
"By the way, Flower Witch, may I ask why you appeared in the Witch Sea and why here?"
Chen Qi asked curiously.
In the beginning, no one knew the whereabouts of the Witch.
Her appearance in a low-rank hunting ground crack was quite a rare event.
"Hmm, hmm..."
The Flower Witch took the wine and drank a large gulp.
She had eaten too fast and choked.
The Flower Witch looked at Chen Qi, not appearing malicious, just genuinely curious.
After thinking it over, she answered,
"Due to some matters, I am not wealthy at the moment, I came to this crack to find some items and to make some money on the side.
As for why I appeared in the Witch Sea..."
The Flower Witch thought for a moment, then felt no harm in telling him:
"You must have noticed, I am no ordinary person. I suffer from a very serious rare disease, it's so rare, you wouldn't know..."
"Blood Flower disease?"
Chen Qi uncorked the bottle of wine and also took a sip.
Alas! The Flower Witch was taken aback, for hers was an extremely rare disease!
Chen Qi looked at the Flower Witch again.
The Flower Witch's attire was shorts and a short shirt designed for mobility.
However, because her body was covered with flowers, visually, it looked as though she was wearing a short floral dress.
The reason the Flower Witch was covered with flowers was due to a severe disease known as "Blood Flower disease."
This disease was akin to a curse where flowers would grow on the body periodically.
Though the flowers granted the Flower Witch power,
if not cleaned regularly, they would penetrate deep into the nerves of the body, reaching the heart and brain, eventually turning her into a terrifying monster covered in flowers.
Cleaning these flowers was also tremendously painful, each flower plucked felt like pulling a steel needle embedded deep into the flesh.
The flowers would severely drain life force, normally, those suffering from Blood Flower disease didn't live past thirty.
"How did you know?"
The Flower Witch looked at Chen Qi, curious.
She had missed a chance to flaunt her knowledge.
This was a disease unique to the Golden Flower Bird Kingdom.
In her eyes, Chen Qi was becoming more mysterious.
"I've read about it in books..."
Chen Qi said.
Although Blood Flower disease was extremely rare, due to its beauty, it was recorded in many books about strange diseases.
"Oh."
The Flower Witch nodded,
"You should know, Blood Flower disease is very difficult to cure, so one of my reasons for coming to the Witch Sea was to seek treatment for Blood Flower disease."
"Oh, I see."
Chen Qi pretended not to know.
Then, suddenly, the Flower Witch lowered her voice,
"As for my second goal, it has to do with the deep secrets of this sea, and things far away."
Her lips curled up slightly as she spoke in a low voice,
"It's better that you don't know this secret."
Chen Qi frowned.
Drat, it's a dreaded riddler!
However, he probably knew the Flower Witch's second goal.
Her goal, as well as the main storyline of the Witch Sea area,
was to stop the Great Whale!
According to the trailer, the Great Whale was a terrifying creature from outside the new world, seen as an embodiment of nature, a personification of natural disasters.
Powerful fleets, dense artillery, seemed insignificant in front of the Great Whale.
It was said that the entire Crack Tide originated from its breath.
And at the end of the Crack Tide, it would cross boundaries, bringing destruction to the Witch Sea.
The Great Whale was a key word in the main storyline of the Witch Sea.
Both the Black Whale Pirates and the Flower Witch were connected to the Great Whale.
Since the Deep Sea Hunter had also resisted the Great Whale in legends, the Deep Sea Hunter treasure line was also considered a critical subplot.
However, if you thought like the average citizen of Moonstone City, stopping the great whale had nothing to do with the Flower Witch.
These matters should be left to the professional navy and the more powerful Hunters behind Shell Country.
With the Flower Witch's power, let alone opposing a great whale, she even struggled against the upper ranks of some of the Black Whale Pirate Crew.
The Flower Witch was only Third Rank, like him, both in their developmental stage.
In front of the real tide, she too was infinitely weak and powerless.
Players deduced from her words that the Flower Witch's purpose was to stop the great whale.
But how exactly she intended to stop it, and why she needed to, remained a mystery.
Chen Qi looked at the Flower Witch.
They were merely acquaintances for now, not close enough to share secrets with each other.
The Flower Witch sipped her drink, her cheeks tinting slightly red.
It had been a long time since she had tasted such delicious barbecue, a long time since she had a full meal!
She was truly blissful!
The Flower Witch opened up a bit more, resting her head on her hand, and continued in a mysterious tone:
"You know? I'm not really the Flower Witch you imagine..."
"What...aren't you the Flower Witch from a hundred years ago, who turned people into fertilizer..."
Chen Qi's mouth hung open, going along with her performance.
Surprise! The Flower Witch smiled slightly:
"No mistake, I am the successor to the title of the Flower Witch, but my current strength still falls short of the legendary Flower Witch."
As she spoke, the Flower Witch's tone got slightly excited:
"But one day, I'll surpass her, and then, I'll take a new title for myself! Then, I'll be famous across the ocean!"
Famous across the ocean...
Chen Qi gave a slight smile:
"Is that so…"
In the process of becoming stronger, as long as they survived, eventually, they would all be famous across the ocean.
Then, the Flower Witch looked at Chen Qi.
Although she still felt he was hiding some secrets, for now, he seemed to be just a regular Chef.
His cooking skills were not lacking!
If the food is delicious, he's probably not a bad person...
The moonlight spilled down, and the meat was almost finished.
The Flower Witch touched her belly.
It was about time to say goodbye.
Chen Qi thought it over and finally asked:
"By the way, Flower Witch, if I find the herbs, where should I look for you?"
According to the game forums, the Flower Witch should have a special secret base in Witch Sea.
The Flower Witch could be considered the strongest Pharmacist in Witch Sea!
If he could get some special herbs, he could go directly to the Flower Witch to create powerful Transcendent Potions.
Find me... The Flower Witch was startled.
The Flower Witch placed her hand on her forehead, lowered her head, and changed the topic:
"There's no need for that; you're a Chef, right? The sea is becoming treacherous. If possible, please sail less, and do more of what you want to do."
The storm was coming, and monsters were surging like the tide.
Pirates, monsters, most people could only pray when facing these terrifying beings.
In the Flower Witch's view, in the face of a great disaster, ordinary people should spend time with their families, see people they want to see, do things they want to do.
Find her...
She was a Witch about to undertake a big task! The places she stayed were incredibly dangerous!
Being near her would bring misfortune.
Moreover, even she was not sure how long she could survive in this tide.
"May we meet again by fate, but it's better you pray we don't meet again."
The Flower Witch stood up, wiping the grease from her mouth.
"Is that so..."
Chen Qi smiled inwardly.
All the major sections' main quests were truly hellish in difficulty.
Before he traveled through time, most of the quests involving the main story were where players met their doom.
With his current strength, getting involved in anything related to the Flower Witch was indeed far too dangerous.
But for some reason, he always had a feeling that the next time he saw the Flower Witch wouldn't be too far off.
Chen Qi stood to tidy up, packing the Hunter's Clothes, beast-hunting pistol, and seasonings into his backpack card:
"Then, may we meet again by fate, Flower Witch."
Suddenly, Chen Qi glanced at the Flower Witch, thinking of something.
It seemed like she wasn't ready to leave the crack yet, as she had something to take care of.
Could she really be here for the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure... Chen Qi thought for a moment, shook his head, and left the crack.
After Chen Qi left, the Flower Witch sighed with relief.
Inside the hunting ground crack, she still had some unfinished business.
At the very beginning, to make a graceful entrance, she had tossed away her identity-concealing cloak.
Without this cloak, the moment she stepped out of the crack, she would undoubtedly be chased for interviews.
The price of elegance... The Flower Witch looked carefully at the exit and finally found a worn cloak.
After putting on the cloak, she pulled out a map marked with water globes, glanced at it, and shook her head.
It seems this was a fake treasure map; there was no treasure in this crack.
"See you again if fate allows on the ocean..."
As the Flower Witch walked away, a few melancholic little blue flowers appeared above her head.
The ocean's tide was extremely turbulent, and the tasks she was about to undertake were too dangerous; she did not want to involve the weak.
But she was also not quite sure how long she would live.
Before she died, she should eat well a few more times.
That barbecue was rather tasty.
As a Chef, he probably ran his own restaurant.
Maybe she should have asked where his restaurant was.
Regret, so much regret!