Chapter 186

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Chapter 186: The Witch of the Coffee Shop

The night had grown late.

In the quiet coffee shop, Bai Yan and Merete Chambers sat facing each other, staring in silence. Neither of them spoke for a long time, as if locked in a tense standoff.

Samoyed, the blind girl, quietly brewed another cup of coffee. She couldn’t help but feel the weight of the silence between them.

Though she had paid the price of losing her sight due to dark magic, she had gained the ability of “Hex Sight.” It allowed her to perceive vast amounts of information beyond ordinary comprehension, even if she couldn’t see anything.

She couldn’t understand why there seemed to be such hostility between the two of them. Perhaps they were allies—or at least not enemies—but their interaction felt anything but amicable.

Maybe my master was joking when he said he would send me away… Samoyed thought, sighing in relief as she tried to make sense of it all.

Merete Chambers finally broke the silence. She smiled and spoke first, “I think it’s time for us to have an open and honest conversation.”

Bai Yan was curious about what she had to say, a curiosity that had driven him to come here.

“What do you want to say?” he asked, his tone neutral.

Merete Chambers continued, “My goal is actually to become a member of Babel Tower, and you, Bai Yan, are Profligate of the Babel Tower, correct?”

Bai Yan didn’t immediately respond, neither confirming nor denying her statement. Instead, he simply replied, “Oh? You want to join Babel Tower?”

Merete Chambers was taken aback for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. “I see. So you knew my true purpose from the beginning—probably even earlier than I thought.”

What a leap in thought! How did she arrive at that conclusion from my words? Bai Yan wondered internally, but he kept his expression unreadable.

Merete Chambers lowered her head slightly, her gaze thoughtful as she continued to analyze the situation.

“Well, no wonder you always subconsciously seem to show superiority over me. I get it now. It appears that your position in Babel Tower is higher than I thought. I watched a video once of you and others leaving together, and those people clearly admired and trusted you. You, on the other hand, had this subtle air of superiority,” she said, piecing things together.

Bai Yan didn’t deny it. He just continued to watch her with a calm expression. But what she said next caught him off guard.

“No, your position is even higher than that. Maybe there’s something fundamental that sets you apart from other Babel Tower members. Are you part of the ‘management team’? I’m not sure about the internal structure of Babel Tower, but this is interesting,” she said, her curiosity piqued.

I do have fundamental differences with them. It’s surprising that she could notice that. Does she have some source of intelligence, or is she just incredibly sharp? Bai Yan thought, trying to piece it all together.

Unable to contain his thoughts any longer, Bai Yan finally spoke up. “Miss Witch, have you heard the saying, ‘Too clever girls are not popular’?”

Merete Chambers nodded without missing a beat. “I know it, but you’re different. You enjoy interesting things and people, so even if I directly tell you all my inferences, you won’t be repulsed. In fact, you might unconsciously want to get closer to me.”

Her eyes narrowed as her voice became more tempting. “You long to see me make a mistake, don’t you?”

She leaned in closer, her voice laced with a teasing tone. “Dear Mr. Profligate, I’ve helped you once before by providing important false testimony, and again now. Though you’ve tried to avoid it, your subconscious liking for me must have grown. So, the chances of me negotiating with you are now much higher. Despite your craziness and cruelty, I believe you still have a core of humanity.”

Bai Yan knew just how much he owed her for the help she’d given him during the Dark Light incident and this one. He couldn’t deny it.

Shaking his head, Bai Yan adopted a colder tone. “But I know that all your help has been intentional. If we were on the villainous side, you’d probably be killing innocent people indiscriminately. Do you really think I should be grateful for that?”

Merete Chambers’ smile never faltered.

“In a sense, you’re a gentle person, both in your heart and in your actions. You don’t like owing people, just like you dislike being controlled by others. That’s why you came here tonight, to communicate with me.”

Her gaze softened. “Let me think again. What do you want most right now, Bai Yan? What is it that you truly desire?”

Her question was blunt, but after asking it, she simply stared into Bai Yan’s eyes, awaiting his response.

Bai Yan met her gaze but said nothing.

Samoyed placed two cups of coffee in front of them, handing one to each of them before retreating to the back, clearly feeling a bit apprehensive.

Bai Yan took a sip of his coffee, then shook his head slightly.

It was bitter. He didn’t particularly like coffee, but this one was especially harsh. Who could enjoy something like this?

As the bitterness lingered on his tongue, he noticed that Merete Chambers’ expression had shifted. Her eyes narrowed as her smile grew, almost malevolent. She looked as though her sinister plan was about to succeed.

“I see now,” she murmured, her grin widening. “What you want most right now is to see me begging for mercy, isn’t it? You want to watch me in shock and despair, but as long as I don’t show that expression, you’ll lose interest in me.”

Bai Yan had no words to offer in response. He had encountered this side of the “Moon Witch” before—her ability to manipulate and test those around her.

“Was that what you were reminiscing about?” she continued. “It seemed like it was about me. But we haven’t known each other for long. Strange… you really do have a lot of secrets.”

Bai Yan chuckled softly and replied, “I know a lot of things you couldn’t even imagine, and you wouldn’t be able to guess them, no matter how hard you tried.”

Merete Chambers narrowed her eyes, and her smile became more intense.

“If you were a man with a low moral bottom line, you’d probably try to prove your superiority by conquering my body. But you’re not that type, are you? Instead, you’ll think of ways to make me uncomfortable… But, you know, you don’t need to bother. I’m not your enemy, and neither is Babel Tower.”

She leaned in, her voice quieter but no less dangerous. “You promised me you’d tell me how to join Babel Tower. Are you going to back out now?”

Bai Yan knew that he had to either fulfill his promise or refuse outright. But he could never turn his back on someone who had risked their life to help him multiple times.

Merete Chambers was right about this much.

“You want to join Babel Tower,” Bai Yan said calmly, “You’ve come to me, tried to please me, and created an atmosphere of superiority. From the moment I walked in, you’ve been using subtle verbal attacks to gain the upper hand. But as long as something fundamental between us doesn’t change, you’ll never truly defeat me.”

He leaned forward slightly. “In fact, you have no advantage. All you can do is keep asking me to fulfill your wishes.”

Merete Chambers tilted her head and smiled, the playful tone returning to her voice. “As expected, simple verbal attacks won’t shake you. Let’s see how my ‘Sun Tzu’ strategy works.”

“I’m sure now,” she continued, standing up with satisfaction, “That others were forced into Babel Tower, but perhaps only you joined voluntarily.”

Merete Chambers stretched and stood tall. “I’m quite pleased with our conversation tonight. Now, let’s go take care of what a man and woman need to do.”

Bai Yan stood up, ready to leave, his discomfort evident. “I’d rather not get involved in your affairs.”

But Miss Witch smiled and clapped her hands, signaling for Samoyed.

“Samoyed, please share the results of your research with us,” she said, her tone almost sweet.

“Yes, master,” Samoyed replied, her voice calm but her face pale with fear.

Samoyed spoke, “I’ve discovered information about Adelaide and Black Vulture. They rescued thirty-seven people trapped in a subway during a demon incident years ago. Later, they were cursed by the black wizard who summoned a demon lord before his death.”

She paused, adding, “The demon lord’s name is ‘Sburnak.’ I’ve found its summoning ritual and countermeasures. If we summon it again, we can try to break the curses on the Alliance.”

Merete Chambers nodded thoughtfully. “Captain Adelaide and Black Vulture are undoubtedly great Night Watchers. Like the people of Babel Tower, they are heroes fighting for ordinary people. Unfortunately, they’ve been cursed… perhaps for a long time, even forever.”

She turned to Bai Yan with sincere eyes. “I plan to lift the curse of the demon lord. Will you come with me?”

Bai Yan considered her request and nodded lightly. “Alright, it seems I’ll have to take a trip with you.”

Before they left, Merete Chambers suddenly hugged Samoyed tightly and whispered something in her ear.

The blind girl looked at Bai Yan with a pale face, trembling, but nodded reluctantly.

“Alright… I’ll go take a shower first…”

With that, Bai Yan and Merete Chambers left the café together.

“What did you say to her?” Bai Yan asked, though he had a good idea.

Merete Chambers flashed him a genuine smile, more real than any she’d shown before, and it seemed like she was on the verge of laughter.

“It’s nothing,” she replied, “I just said a few words to tease her… the rest, well, that’s up to her imagination.”