Chapter 43: True Colors of a Sea King (Monthly Votes Requested)

Hearing the witch call him Grui, Wang Xi immediately guessed that she had most likely obtained information about him from the goblin settlement.

Wang Xi's crude disguise might fool naive goblins, but how could it possibly deceive this witch?

However, Beverly?

Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Witch! What do you want?!"

At that moment, Pinocchio stepped forward, blocking Wang Xi, and demanded of the pink-dressed woman riding toward them.

The brown horse stopped obediently a few meters away from the two.

The Sugar Witch's emerald eyes glanced at the mechanical puppet boy, and she extended her fair, slender index finger to gently touch her dark green lips.

"Little iron man, I let you off once already. If you shout at me again, you'll be turned into a donkey for the rest of your life."

Her voice was soft yet carried strength, with a slight huskiness, as rich as aged red wine.

"I'm not afraid of you."

Facing the threat, Pinocchio's gaze remained resolute.

"If you want to harm my friend, I will stop you, even if it costs me my life!"

"Oh?" The Sugar Witch's gaze swept over the two black-haired youths, and she smiled faintly. "It seems you've become friends."

"Truly an enviable friendship."

Fiddling with a curl of her golden hair resting on her forehead, she chuckled playfully:

"I never said I was going to harm him, little iron man."

"Then you..."

Pinocchio seemed deeply wary of the witch and was about to say something when Gaii gently pulled him aside.

Wang Xi gave the boy a reassuring look.

Through his brief observation just now, he had roughly deduced what kind of woman this powerful witch was.

Dressed in exquisite and luxurious attire, with poised and elegant manners, speaking calmly and unhurriedly... Beneath her exterior lay a sense of pride and confidence, which was the foundation provided by her strength. At the same time, based on the goblins' scattered words and Pinocchio's experience, one could also catch a glimpse of the kindness and goodness hidden deep within the witch's heart.

If Wang Xi were to go head-to-head with a five-star hero, he could simply surrender on the spot. Even if he played all his trump cards, his chances of winning would likely be slim.

But if the opponent was a woman...

Then Wang Xi suddenly felt much more confident.

The little version of himself in his mind propped his chin in thought, sketching out the image of the Sugar Witch Beverly in an instant and coming up with a dozen ways to deal with her.

After some consideration, Wang Xi decided to follow these principles:

Respect her elegance; acknowledge her confidence; understand her pride; thank her for her kindness.

Building upon these four principles, he would strike the right balance, using appropriate humor to bridge the aloofness brought by her pride, while displaying his own wisdom and sincerity.

The last point was especially important.

This was Wang Xi's hard-earned experience.

"Miss Witch, I am very sorry for deceiving your subordinates, but I harbor no ill intentions."

Wang Xi stepped forward and bowed, placing a hand over his chest.

He wore an apologetic look and spoke in a sincere tone.

"My real name is Gaii Farrell, a down-and-out noble from Rendor. My purpose in coming to the Magic Forest this time is to find a basilisk..."

Wang Xi concisely explained his objective.

Pinocchio, standing beside him, said in a deep voice:

"Gaii is not lying. Not only did he not harm the goblins, but he even helped them defeat the invading corrupted monsters."

"I know."

The Sugar Witch smiled faintly and said flatly.

"Otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here unharmed and able to speak with me."

Her gaze fell upon the black-haired youth, and she softly asked:

"You don't seem afraid of me?"

"Before interacting with the goblins, I was terrified."

Wang Xi lowered his eyelids and said softly.

"Oh?" The Sugar Witch's smiling eyes narrowed slightly.

"But after that, I wasn't as scared anymore."

"Why?"

"When mentioning Miss Witch, I saw awe and gratitude in the eyes of the Goblin King. Although you are called a 'witch', you always protect monsters like them. Such kindness and goodness surpass even those of most human lords and kings."

"You are not a cruel and bloodthirsty leader."

Wang Xi smiled.

He raised his eyes and met the witch's emerald gaze directly.

"If you had wanted to take my life, you probably would have had countless opportunities before, but you didn't do that. Instead, you appeared before us voluntarily... You must feel that there is still a worthwhile continuation to my story."

"Heh." The Sugar Witch chuckled softly. She leaned forward slightly, bowing her head closer to stare intently at the black-haired youth in front of her. "You are smarter than I imagined, little Gaii."

"It is my honor to receive Miss Witch's praise."

Wang Xi's tone was humble, yet his demeanor remained natural.

Unexpectedly, the Sugar Witch changed the subject, patted the head of the brown horse she was riding, and said calmly:

"Yet I arbitrarily took your horse and even tamed it. Aren't you angry?"

"It is this foal's good fortune bestowed by the heavens to be able to accompany Miss Witch by her side."

Wang Xi smiled.

"Compared to spurs, foul sweat, and monotonous dried hay and rotten beans, soft skirts, sweet fragrance, and endless green grass and fruit are naturally much happier."

"Besides, who could ever refuse a beautiful and elegant queen?"

"Chuckle..."

Hearing this, the golden-haired, pink-dressed witch let out a light laugh.

Her shoulders trembled slightly as she sat sideways on the horse with graceful posture. Her emerald eyes looked at the black-haired youth with amused curiosity, her tone filled with wonder:

You said... a queen?

Wang Xi nodded and said sincerely:

"Perhaps Miss Witch hasn't noticed, but you actually possess a very strong aura. It is an indifference and majesty even more arrogant than human nobles. Just now, when I was speaking, I was almost 'frozen', and my heart is still beating fiercely."

As he spoke, he appropriately took a deep breath and gently pressed his palm against his chest.

The Sugar Witch was evidently quite pleased by this, her smiling eyes narrowing and the corners of her mouth curling upward. For some reason, she felt her own heart beating a fraction faster as well.

This little fellow really has a sweet mouth...

And he understands her better than those foolish monsters, or even her two sisters.

Beverly's emerald eyes flashed.

Pinocchio had been standing aside in a daze, witnessing this conversation that he found difficult to comprehend. Hearing what Gaii had just said, his expression tightened with concern as he asked:

"Gaii, are you alright? Is the Heart-Freezing Curse acting up again?"

Both Wang Xi and the Sugar Witch were startled.

They turned their heads to look at him.

"What's wrong?"

This time, Pinocchio was stunned as well.

Wang Xi was somewhat amused yet helpless, though he could understand. His flattery had evidently caused the innocent boy to misunderstand.

Without a word, the Sugar Witch dismounted from the horse.

She walked over gracefully and stopped in front of Wang Xi. Then, she reached out and placed her hand on the young man's chest.

Seeing this, Pinocchio tightened his fists, intending to intervene. Wang Xi quickly raised a hand to signal him and said:

"Don't worry, Miss Witch won't hurt me."

The main reason he was so certain was that the status tag above the witch's head had quietly shifted from the neutral yellow to a friendly light green.

Trusting Gaii, Pinocchio restrained himself and did not act rashly, merely staring at the witch with high vigilance.

As if waiting for the slightest sign of hostility from her to strike.

Beverly glanced at him briefly before returning her gaze to the black-haired youth in front of her, her voice gentle:

"You have eleven months left."

"I know, Miss Witch."

In Beverly's eyes, the young man did not show the tension and fear she had expected; instead, he was completely calm and even maintained an elegant smile.

It was precisely this elegance that Beverly appreciated.

She asked with a hint of surprise:

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Of course I am afraid." Wang Xi nodded. "That's why I came to the Magic Forest to begin my journey of self-preservation."

Hearing this, Beverly smiled with amusement, unable to resist raising her hand from the youth's chest to his forehead.

Using her fingertips to smooth his black hair, then gently tracing the back of her hand across his cheek... This delicate motion felt like she was cherishing a beloved piece of art.

"Mr. Gaii, I am very interested in the rest of your story."

Beverly said softly.

"Would you like to return to the Candy House with me? We can have sweet tea and pastries while you tell me your story..."

"Of course." Wang Xi lowered his head slightly and bowed once more. "It is my honor, Miss Witch."

Gaii...

Don't go!

You can't go!

Pinocchio, standing nearby, wore an anxious expression, his round eyes darting back and forth as he signaled his friend frantically.

You'll be turned into a donkey by this crafty witch!

Then you'll be forced to work for her day in and day out until you're wrung dry and die of exhaustion!

...

...

The brown-red foal pulled an ornate carriage made entirely of candy deeper into the southern part of the Magic Forest.

The monsters in the forest would pause and prostrate themselves in salute whenever they saw this candy carriage.

Wherever the carriage passed, sweet and brilliant frosting dust lingered. The monsters swarmed over, joyfully inhaling it.

At this moment.

Wang Xi and Pinocchio were sitting inside the colorful carriage, resting their bottoms on soft cushions made of marshmallow and whipped cream, feeling practically no bumps along the way.

Crunch.

The dark-curly-haired boy raised his head to bite off a star-shaped wind chime pendant, his eyes lighting up.

Immediately afterward, he snapped off an armrest that resembled velvet cake, shoved a large chunk into his mouth, and mumbled:

"So good..."

Pinocchio certainly didn't forget his friend, tearing off a piece of chocolate from the heart-shaped door and handing it over.

"Ga... Gaii, you eat."

Wang Xi cast a helpless glance at the boy.

"..."

Looking at Pinocchio, whose mouth was smeared with frosting and cream and who wore an expression of utter satisfaction, he thought to himself, where did your original restraint and resistance go?

Wang Xi shook his head and took the chocolate.

He took a bite, and a rich cocoa aroma, intertwined with a hint of bitterness and creamy richness, immediately melted in his mouth.

'It really is delicious...'

Wang Xi felt that this surpassed any luxury chocolate from his previous life.

Raising his eyes to look ahead.

He saw the Sugar Witch sitting with elegant posture on the opposite marshmallow cushion, reading a piece of parchment.

That was precisely Wang Xi's monster-hunting commission.

Noticing the youth's gaze, the witch did not lift her eyes, merely smiling faintly:

"If you like it, Mr. Gaii, please feel free to eat as much as you want."

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Witch, but all things should be done in moderation."

Wang Xi said politely.

The blonde witch nodded, seeming to agree.

She raised her emerald eyes again, her voice gentle:

"Call me Beverly."