Chapter 353 Pei Xiaomiao is coming - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Artyom awoke. Although his body was still weak, the many injuries that should have been present seemed to have vanished into thin air. Opening his eyes, he saw two young women practicing something in the courtyard, their movements slower than a snail... Ah, yes, Tai Chi—he recognized it. But this Tai Chi seemed different from the Tai Chi he was familiar with. Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An were practicing the Heart Stream of Tai Chi, a daily essential for them. The moment Artyom awoke, they noticed, but their practice didn't stop; any matters would be addressed after they finished. A mynah bird, eating cherries from a tree, gazed at them. It flew down, transforming into Su Luo Li. The sight of a bird turning into a little girl startled Artyom. Fear filled his eyes. As the manager of a private base housing two to three thousand people, Artyom knew very well what this meant. This little girl transforming into a human was essentially a royal-class creature among mutated animals. "You're filthy and stinky; don't think I would eat you, KIMO!" Su Luo Li spoke disdainfully in Russian, "I pulled you out from the flood, and you look at me with those eyes?" Artyom shuddered and hurriedly said, "Thank you for saving my life." Su Luo Li nodded, "That's more like it. But if you truly wish to show gratitude, you should thank His Highness, who was the one who saved you." His Highness? Artyom was slightly puzzled but did not dwell on the matter. His first thought was of his daughter, "May I ask about my daughter? My Alina..." Su Luo Li pointed to the side, "She’s gone. Her body is over there." Forgetting his physical pain, Artyom rushed to his daughter's body. Seeing her carefully dressed, he sobbed silently, unable to make a sound. Hearing the commotion, Su Miao stepped out of the villa. She maintained a cold demeanor, calmly watching Artyom. In his overwhelming grief, Artyom wiped away his tears and kowtowed to Su Miao. Being somewhat knowledgeable about the etiquette of the Dragon Kingdom, he knew kneeling and kowtowing were the utmost signs of respect. After several kowtows, he raised his head to see the witch, Su Miao, and felt an intense terror. The name of Witch Su Miao was renowned; her iconic pink hair identified her instantly. Never did Artyom imagine he would be rescued by Princess Witch Su Miao. In the West, Su Miao, who could vanquish the shadows of gods, was equated with deities. Yes, she was a god! Artyom's fear quickly transformed into devoted faith and gratitude. "Artyom pledges eternal faith to Her Highness Su Miao!" He immediately shifted his mindset, adopting a ceremonial approach to addressing a deity, and knelt again. Su Miao remained silent; if Artyom had shown any malintent, she would've resolved the issue with a fireball. "Your Excellency, Su Miao, does my daughter have any chance of resurrection?" Daring to hope, Artyom asked, associating the Witch Su Miao with divinity. Su Miao shook her head, "She is dead." Artyom's heart grew somber. Su Miao continued, "If you insist on having her stand again, I can turn her into a wraith, but it would bind her soul within her body, subjecting her to unimaginable emptiness and torment, unable to find peace." "Do you wish her to become a wraith?" Artyom blankly stared at his daughter's body, devastated. He gently held her hand, carefully tidied her hair and clothes, and after much internal struggle, slowly withdrew, "Please, Your Highness, allow Alina to rest in peace." Su Miao responded, "Very well." A blue flame descended, enveloping Alina's body in mid-air and reducing it to ashes. Every grain of ash was carefully collected into a small box, leaving no trace in the courtyard. "Thank you, Your Highness!" Artyom knelt with tears streaming, "I am willing to offer my soul, to serve under Your Highness, only asking for a chance to avenge my enemies." Su Miao maintained a cold demeanor and asked, "Very well, what is your ability?" Artyom replied, "Your Highness, my abilities are immense strength and bear transformation." Immense strength, bear transformation? Wasn't this just like a druid in games? Su Miao didn't ponder much and said, "I have five abilities here: Spatial Movement, Psychic Piercing, Mercurial Body, Wood Morph, and Enchantment. You may choose two to merge." Artyom looked taken aback. The fact that His Highness could bestow upon him the fusion of abilities—she truly was divine! Noticing Artyom's inner thoughts, Xia Xiao An had an odd expression; this Artyom had turned into a fervent follower of Su Miao. "Your Highness, is this truly possible?" Artyom's voice trembled, filled with disbelief. His Highness had saved him, and without a word, granted him powerful abilities—something beyond his wildest dreams. "Yes, but I must warn you: merging one ability is safe, merging two carries a risk of mutation, and merging three is certain to result in an explosion." Su Miao warned him. Artyom said, "Your Highness, I choose Spatial Movement and Psychic Piercing." Su Miao raised her hand, releasing the [Spatial Movement] and [Psychic Piercing] ability spheres, "Swallow them directly." Without hesitation, Artyom gulped down both ability spheres, one after the other. In an instant, Artyom displayed an expression of excruciating pain, as if enduring unimaginable torment. "Your Highness, please step back a bit." He cried out in anguish. Su Miao immediately stepped back. Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu also retreated. The next moment, Artyom transformed into a five-meter-tall white giant bear. Seeing this giant bear, Su Miao instinctively prepared to hurl a large purple fireball, barely holding back since it was a polar bear. Had it been a black bear, she would have definitely unleashed it. Su Miao had somewhat of a psychological aversion to black bears. The bearlike Artyom charged towards the magical barrier, roaring at the stormy sky, its massive paws repeatedly striking the rock before it. Every strike left the rock severely shattered, a terrifying sight. Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu exchanged glances. They hadn't experienced such agony when merging ability spheres. Fortunately, they hadn't merged two abilities, or they might have suffered similarly. Su Miao pulled out a booklet detailing ability spheres and skimmed through the instructions, suddenly realizing something. Under orders from the division head, no one had ever merged more than one ability sphere at a time. Artyom was the first. Moreover, those chosen to merge ability spheres were always in peak condition, while Artyom, having been tossed and submerged by floods, had just awoken in an extremely frail state. Su Miao was barely holding it together. Could it be that Artyom wouldn't survive this agony? Yet, upon considering, Su Miao conceded she'd warned him beforehand of the possible fatal consequences of merging two ability spheres. Artyom had made his choice. If he were to die, she would have to respect his chosen fate. Now, her focus was on whether Artyom showed signs of mutation. If he did, Su Miao would promptly send a purple fireball his way. Fortunately, Artyom exhibited no symptoms of mutation nor any signs of impending explosion. Thirty minutes later, the five-meter giant bear lumbered atop the shattered rocks, clinging to life. Yet, the aura emanating from the bear felt increasingly powerful. After some time, the bearlike Artyom approached, knelt down, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for bestowing me these powers. I have never felt this strong before." Su Miao nodded. Strong was good; it would aid in her search for magical books and increase his survivability. Artyom stated, "Your Highness, I'll change clothing first and return to present my respects." Su Miao waved a hand. Artyom turned and disappeared into the rain. Minutes later, donning new attire, Artyom returned to the cherry tree's magical barrier. To withstand the abilities of Spatial Movement and Psychic Piercing, he involuntarily morphed into a polar bear, bolstering his endurance, and the successful integration was unexpected. The sole cost was the obliteration of his clothes. Previously, it was the same during battles—always needing to prepare clothing in advance; otherwise, he would be stark naked after. Such an occurrence before Her Highness would be the death of him. "The abilities are yours. When you decide to take revenge, I won't interfere." Su Miao produced two spatial storage devices, which hovered before Artyom. "The spatial storage device on the left contains two aircraft and some energy minerals, enough for you to use for a long time." "The one on the right has food supplies. I want you to take this food to Europe and collect as many magical books as possible in exchange." "You can also consume the food yourself." Artyom knelt with devotion. "Yes, Your Highness, I will definitely complete the mission!" With everything explained, Su Miao returned to the villa. Artyom set up a tent in the courtyard for a temporary rest. Due to his injuries, Artyom stayed here for three days. Once he fully recovered, he bid farewell to Su Miao, carrying his daughter's urn, and departed the magic barrier of the cherry tree in an aircraft. As for whether Artyom would deceive her, Su Miao was not concerned—Xia Xiao An was in charge of surveillance throughout. From Xia Xiao An's observations, Artyom had become a fervent devotee of Su Miao. Hearing the word "devotee" left Su Miao speechless. She was just an ordinary witch, certainly not a deity! ... A week later, a very special guest arrived at the cherry tree magic barrier. Pei Xiao Miao, the commander of the Twelve Divisions. "Your Highness, Xiao Miao is here." The mynah bird perched on the cherry tree flew into the villa to report. Indeed, Pei Xiao Miao had already made her way outside the magic barrier, walking with an umbrella in hand. It had been raining heavily these days, with no sign of stopping. Some hoped for the rain to cease, while others wished it to continue. The ones hoping for the rain to stop were trapped by the relentless rain and flooding, desperately wanting to escape. Those preferring the rain hoped it would not end abruptly, fearing a sudden onset of deadly heatwaves afterward. That could be even more catastrophic. "Su Miao, long time no see." Pei Xiao Miao entered the magic barrier, closed her umbrella, and spoke. "Long time no see," Su Miao replied. Pei Xiao Miao’s appearance at this time surprised Su Miao. From what Su Miao knew of Pei Xiao Miao, she was quite reclusive, choosing not to move unless necessary. Lin Jiu Jiu, familiar with Pei Xiao Miao, was delighted to see her. Xia Xiao An, who didn't know Pei Xiao Miao, felt no peculiarity, hearing Lin Jiu Jiu's inner thoughts. However, upon learning that Pei Xiao Miao was a commander of the Twelve Divisions, Xia Xiao An was taken aback. No wonder Pei Xiao Miao was holding a book. "Have a seat." Su Miao set out various fruits like watermelon, melon, strawberries, and raspberries on the table under the cherry tree, pouring a few cups of water. Pei Xiao Miao took a sip and ate some strawberries, saying, "Su Miao, I've come to fetch Jiu Jiu. The Twelve Divisions are about to initiate the plan to open the inner world, and we need Jiu Jiu's help." Lin Jiu Jiu blinked several times, surprised that Pei Xiao Miao's visit concerned her. "Is it dangerous?" Su Miao asked. "With me there, Jiu Jiu won't be in danger," Pei Xiao Miao assured. "Okay, check with Jiu Jiu for her opinion." Among friends, Pei Xiao Miao elaborated on the Twelve Divisions’ plan to open the inner world and the responsibilities Jiu Jiu would assume. "Participating in opening the inner world will bring you many benefits," Pei Xiao Miao added. Lin Jiu Jiu looked from Pei Xiao Miao to Su Miao, unsure of what decision to make. Su Miao said, "Jiu Jiu, as the new Division Commander, some decisions need to be yours." Lin Jiu Jiu nodded, "Okay, Sister Su Miao, I'll participate." Initially confused, Lin Jiu Jiu recalled Su Miao’s desire to enter the inner world to find her parents. Thus, opening this door was a must. No hesitation was necessary. Pei Xiao Miao said, "Here is some information. Jiu Jiu, you can familiarize yourself with it during this period." "Additionally, you can now activate certain things left for you by the previous Division Commander." "After activation, you'll comprehend the authority and permissions as Division Commander." "You'll need to explore your powers on your own." "As for permissions, they include the subordinates you can command, the meetings you can attend, and the Twelve Divisions' intelligence database you can access. You can gradually find your way through these." "As for your subordinates, I've been managing them on your behalf. It's time you officially took over—salaries, benefits, rewards, and penalties are for you to manage." Huh? Listening to Pei Xiao Miao, Lin Jiu Jiu was bewildered. It felt like going from a comfortable sidekick at Sister Su Miao’s side to suddenly becoming a world-class big boss—unreal. Particularly when Pei Xiao Miao mentioned handling subordinates' salaries and benefits, it left her perplexed. She knew nothing about these things. Pei Xiao Miao said, "Don't worry. I'll explain everything to you on the way." Lin Jiu Jiu nodded, "Okay, what about Sister Su Miao?" "I won't be going." This wasn't even a question worth contemplating for Su Miao. Even though Commanders Pei Xiao Miao and Lin Jiu Jiu are friends and she had mentored Division Commander Lin Jiu Jiu, she wasn't a member of the Twelve Divisions. What if she went and encountered trouble similar to the issues with the Division Head? For someone who feared social interactions, it would be harrowing. More importantly, her plan to enter the inner world might get derailed. Until the door was opened, she definitely wouldn't go! (End of Chapter)