"There's something even more fun." After saying this, Altair used her spirituality to increase her size, tightly hugging Vivian and preventing her from breaking free.
Vivian was not to be outdone, exerting her own strength. The two went back and forth, and for a while, it was a stalemate.
The next morning, after Vivian woke up, she propped her head up with her hand and gazed at Altair's profile with a smile in her eyes.
Suddenly feeling playful, she reached out and gently pinched Altair's nose. When Altair felt something and tried to swat her hand away, she quickly pulled back. After repeating this three times, Altair finally woke up.
When Altair woke up, the first thing she saw was Vivian's mischievous grin. Recalling the odd sensation before waking, she suddenly turned over and pinned the girl beneath her.
"You should supplement your flesh and blood." After saying this, Vivian pouted slightly, her eyes wide, intentionally carrying a hint of grievance.
Reminded, Altair wasn't in a hurry. Instead, she leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Morning exercise first."
A long while later, Altair sat on the bed, gulping down the cup of red liquid brought by Irene. Beside her, Vivian was completely naked, her face flushed, looking at her charmingly as she softly reminded her, "Drink slowly, don't be in such a hurry, or you'll get drunk."
After saying this, Vivian added, "This is Blood Wine I made using a special secret technique, primarily with spiritual blood, added with high-proof alcohol, Sonia Spring Water, sugar, and various spices—"
—
Still drinking the Blood Wine, Altair nodded slightly and slowed down her pace. After she finished, placed the wine glass on the tray, and wiped her mouth with a napkin, she asked casually, "When did you prepare this? It's so complete."
"After you left Backlund, I had nothing to do, so I prepared it in advance." After saying this, Vivian added with a frown, "Back when you proposed the method, I found an Artisan through a Beyonder gathering to design and create this 'Rose Ring.' It successfully retained the Rose Bishop's 'Flesh and Blood Magic' ability.
"I thought that given your personality and our protection, this ring would only be used for this kind of thing in the future, so I only brewed a small amount of 'Blood Wine.'"
"But it wasn't until Madam Sharon discovered your whereabouts and reported it to the Witch Cult that she woke me up."
"None of us can be by your side at all times to help and protect you."
"I really regret not spending more money back then to retain its 'Flesh and Blood Bomb' ability."
"With that ability, combined with your Sequence 7 Witch powers, you could contend with Sequence 6 Beyonders, and if you encounter someone you can't beat, it could be used for escape."
Listening to Vivian's words, Altair was deeply moved, but she thought helplessly, "I am terribly sorry. I hope you can still forgive me once you learn the truth."
"I really can't tell you my secret because the implications of this special situation are too vast. Once discovered, I would certainly be wanted, hunted, and researched—"
"But as long as this secret isn't exposed, you can rest assured about my safety. As a 'four-in-one' Sequence 7, as long as I don't run into a Sequence 5 in their prime, I might not be able to solo them, but escaping is definitely no problem."
Near noon on January 26, 1347, Altair and Vivian stood at the villa entrance, dressed formally, waiting for two people to step down from a carriage.
As the visitors approached, Altair stepped forward to greet them, "Good afternoon, Lady Adela. Please follow me."
With that, Altair led the way, guiding Adela into the villa's dining room to have lunch together, after which they would sign the cooperation contract.
After more than half a month of discussions, the veteran family heads like Uncle-Grandfather Leif finally decided they could cooperate with the Demoness Sect.
But before cooperating, they needed them to sign a special agreement to ensure they wouldn't be betrayed.
As the initiator of all this, Altair smoothly took on the responsibility of being the "bridge for negotiations," responsible for relaying terms to the Demoness Sect and arranging the signing.
After lunch, everyone went to Altair's private study for a secret talk.
After Altair placed a roll of parchment, which constantly emitted a faint yellow glow, in front of Adela, she spoke calmly, "Since I returned to Backlund, I have begun the tasks assigned by the family, persuading factory shareholders in hopes they would agree to cooperate with the family. Fortunately, hard work pays off. After more than half a month of persuasion, they basically have a certain amount of cooperation in—
tent."
"But before cooperating, they need the family to make some guarantees, and the terms within this parchment scroll are the prerequisites for cooperation."
Adela picked up the parchment and began to read. In fact, Altair had already seen the contents; they were mostly common requirements. First, the weapons company being sold would not be Rheinmetall; the company name might be 'Eastland Resources' or 'Northern Union,' but regardless of the company, the Demoness Sect must not mention it was acquired in Loen when reselling.
Second, one-time payment upon transaction, no credit, no warranty—
Third, confidentiality is mandatory; the Demoness Sect must guarantee no leaks—
After reading the terms, Adela nodded and said, "The family can agree to these terms. We can even proactively add more confidentiality agreements, but there are conditions. For example, once Rheinmetall releases new weapons, if the family wants to buy them, we must be guaranteed the ability to do so. This is a necessary condition."
On January 28, 1347, after seeing off Adela, who had received the weapons, Altair's heart finally settled. After all, this was a Sequence 4 Demigod; if she were to suddenly lash out, Altair couldn't even imagine how she would die.
After seeing off the Demigod, Altair's life returned to normal, leaving early and returning late every day, purchasing herbs to brew 'Special Potions' and sell them to complete her 'Acting.'
—
Although Backlund has a large population, as long as she didn't sell in the slums, there were plenty of buyers.
But from the beginning until now, despite half a month of effort, Altair hadn't been able to reach the scale of large-scale sales like in Tingen City.
Because there are simply too many Beyonders here, with higher quality and a wider variety. There are also various official and unofficial spies.
For example, right now: Altair had just been selling potions in the South District for a while when she triggered a hidden option: escaping capture.
"Ilya, are you sure she just ran here?" a lady dressed as a high-ranking nun of the Church of the Night asked, looking at the surroundings.
Responding to her was a woman dressed in knight's attire, who nodded and replied, "I'm certain, Sister Arika. I've been chasing her from the South District all the way to South of the Bridge."
"I can guarantee and be certain she is nearby right now."
Not far away, on the eaves, Altair, hiding with 'Invisibility Powder,' complained in her heart, "As expected of wolf cubs, once they lock on, they bite so hard. They've chased me across a whole district and still won't give up. They really give me no way out."
"We all believe in the same God, is this really necessary? Besides, I'm your esteemed benefactor—uh—benefactress!"
"I strongly disapprove of your behavior. Next time I pay the 'protection fee,' I'll cut your activity funds—"
Half an hour later, the two below the eaves finally lost the'scent' and left.
On the eaves, Altair finally stood up, took off her black hood, found a random carriage on the roadside, paid 2 sols to hire it, and returned to Sheffield Manor.
When it comes to capturing the 'Potion-Selling Witch,' the ones she finds most annoying are those from the Church of the Night. They're the idlest bunch, and once they spot Altair, they seem to inherit their main deity's trait, chasing her relentlessly like wolves.
The Church of Steam and Machinery and the Church of Storms don't really care much about this. As long as Altair doesn't sell right in front of them, they can't be bothered to catch her.
Besides, when purchasing, the seller warns about side effects. If something goes wrong with the potion-taking believers, that's their own business. You can't enjoy the effects of the medicine and then turn around and beat up the pharmacist.