Estelle's Advance Payment

"She's a year older than me," Irena said obediently.

But there was a hint of smugness in her obedience.

"Are you... making fun of me?" After a moment of silence in the room, Estelle spoke slowly.

"No, no, no," Irena denied.

However, Chen Luo, as an observer, felt that this denial was powerless.

"So how much is the pay for the job?" Irena asked, having eaten and drunk her fill and feeling satisfied with her victory.

"You care about the money, not the job itself..."

"Alright, let's talk about compensation first." Although Estelle didn't quite understand Irena's thought process of looking at compensation before discussing work, she didn't mind.

A large bag of what kind of currency Chen Luo was Estelle onto the table with a thud.

Hearing the commotion and seeing such a large money bag, Irena was so shocked that the cookies in her hand fell onto the plate. Irena leaned forward and pulled off the restraints on the money bag.

"!!!" Looking at the huge bag full of gleaming gold coins, Irena's eyes lit up, and she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

"These are your rewards after the mission is completed. As long as you successfully complete the task, they are all yours."

"Really?!" The shape of the ahoge (a strand of hair sticking up) on the gray-haired witch Irena's head changed.

"It couldn't be more real," Estelle affirmed.

"... So what kind of job could possibly pay so much?" Irena looked at all those gold coins and suddenly became worried.

"So you're finally starting to care about work? Are you worried? But it's not a particularly difficult task, as long as you're with me, that's enough," Estelle said with a smile.

At least Estelle felt that this request was indeed very simple.

"Where shall we go, with you?"

"Go...10 years ago."

Chapter 288 Estelle's Advance Payment

"So Irena is a scumbag witch after all. No wonder there are so many memes about her online." Chen Luo, who has been watching "Wandering Witch" since episode 1, couldn't help but exclaim as he watched Irena.

Chen Luo didn't jump directly to the current episode because Chen Luo didn't think the task was that difficult to complete.

Wouldn't it be better to just see this episode before time travel?

Meanwhile, Estelle began explaining the mission objectives to Irena.

This was also to explain to Chen Luo, since Chen Luo had only heard the task requirements but not the task instructions.

That was an incident known as the "Shinjuku Murderer".

Ten years ago, a wealthy family in 2-chome was robbed and the rich couple was killed, but their only daughter, Serena, was out shopping at the time and escaped the murder.

Serena was later adopted by her uncle, but suffered cruel abuse. Because of this experience, she began to hate others and the world, and then stabbed her uncle to death, stabbing him several times!

After experiencing the thrill of killing, the girl gradually became "addicted" and slowly turned into a serial killer.

That's right, Serena is the person Chen Luo is here to save.

She was also Estelle's close friend, like a sister.

Three years ago, Estelle captured her with her own hands, and then it was Estelle who personally executed her.

Although Estelle once tried to give Serena a chance to atone for her sins, even though the title of witch is the highest level of Magus, Estelle was still just someone who worked for the country.

Estelle's tone and narration reveal just how determined Estelle is to travel back in time to save Serena.

I don't want to live in a world without her...

This shows just how deeply Estelle was obsessed with saving Serena.

After Estelle finished telling the story, Irena expressed deep regret because... Irena came here to work because she was broke, and she was broke because she had seen a play called "The Shinjuku Murderer".

This play is great, but... it's so expensive!

Then Irena became poor.

"After wearing this ring, the two witches can share magic power." Estelle opened the exquisite little box she was holding, revealing two exquisite rings inside. These were the special items that Estelle had mentioned that allowed them to share magic power.

A mage can sacrifice a portion of themselves to gain magic power, but the magic that Estelle created required an unbelievable amount of magic power, and the method she chose to accumulate magic power involved paying with her blood.

Sacrificing blood is a perfect way, because blood can be regenerated. It's not that Estelle is unwilling to pay any other price, but if she were to pay any other price, she might not be able to accumulate so much magic power.

Only something as renewable as blood could possibly possess such terrifying magical power. And this blood draw continued for several years.

When Irena saw the needle marks on Estelle's arm, she was much more surprised than Chen Luo.

In another hourglass-like device in the room, the dripping water wasn't sand or ordinary water, but Estelle's blood. It dripped drop by drop into a jar below that stored magic power, transforming it into magic power to await Estelle's use.

Estelle is still missing a little magic to return to that point in time 10 years ago.

Estelle, using all the magic she possesses, is perfectly capable of doing so.

A witch who has lost her magic is like a witch who has lost her wand; it's no exaggeration to say she's completely powerless.

That's why Estelle needs Irena, the magic provider.

After wearing this ring, even if Estelle loses all her magic, she can still cast spells using Irena's magic.

"So? Are you willing to help?" Estelle, who handed the ring to Irena, stared directly at the magic conversion device in front of her.

"..."

An eerie silence fell over the room, and a look of tension appeared on Estelle's face.

Estelle wasn't unwilling to wait a while longer to gather all the necessary magic before using the Rewind spell.

The Incense Witch, who is slightly more talented than Irena, the original female protagonist, used five years to collect the magic power of her own blood, and combined it with all her current magic power to go back 10 years, for one hour.

Estelle wasn't willing to wait, but rather unable to wait.

Given Estelle's abilities, this is all she can do for now. The longer she waits, the more magic she can accumulate, but the longer it will take to return, potentially 10 and a half or even 11 years, which will increase the energy consumption.

This is like a swimming pool that is being filled and drained at the same time, and now is the best time to maintain balance.

That is, the optimal solution.

All you need is the help of a witch.

And now, the witch has arrived.

"I... am a Traveler, so I'm quite interested in what this country looked like 10 years ago," Irena suddenly said, then raised her hand, which was adorned with a ring, making her meaning quite clear.

Although Irena is narcissistic, greedy, sharp-tongued, and quick to run away after seducing girls, it doesn't stop her from being kind-hearted and compassionate.

In reality, Irena is a gentle and kind-hearted person.

"Phew." Estelle breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a coincidence, I'm also a Traveler." Chen Luo suddenly popped his head up.

"Hmm?" Irena took another look at the boy in front of her.

From the moment I spoke, Irena sensed that the young man before her was no ordinary person.

Putting aside the opponent's strange ability to conjure a door out of thin air, the opponent's terrifying ability to absorb magic power when they first appeared was enough to shock Irena beyond measure.

That's not absorbing magic power, that's practically stealing magic power from the world.

If we divide the speed at which Irena absorbs magic power during her own cultivation into a fraction, the opponent's absorption rate is at least 10 times that of hers.

However, this phenomenon only lasted for about ten seconds before disappearing quietly, making Irena wonder if what she had just experienced was just an illusion.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me so strangely?" Chen Luo noticed that both Irena and Estelle looked at him strangely after they finished talking.

"Chen Luo, aren't you... from Different World? Why are you absorbing the magic power of this world so... quickly?" Estelle looked at Chen Luo with a complicated expression.

Based on the speed at which Chen Luo absorbed magic power, Estelle would believe that he would reach witch-level magic power in no time.

"Hmm, you guys felt it just now?" Chen Luo was slightly taken aback.

When Chen Luo first arrived in this world, Chen Luo Elemental Eye reacted strangely. The cause of this reaction was the magic power of this world. It was slightly different from the magic power in Chen Luo's main world, but not significantly.

Therefore, the Elemental Eye is used to absorbing magic and spiritual energy from the main world, naturally needs to make some adjustments when it comes to this world. During the adjustment process, the Elemental Eye's absorption of magic energy can be noticed by others.

Conversely, under other circumstances, when the Elemental Eye absorbs and converts magic power into Chen Luo's, it is virtually impossible for others to detect it.

"We're both witches, after all," Estelle said with a strange look in her eyes.

"You said he's from Different World, could he be from some parallel world?" Irena pointed at Chen Luo with some surprise.

"No, I am a true visitor from Different World. As I just mentioned, I am a Traveler travels through countless worlds. My method of travel is through this bar. If you are interested, you can come and sit in my bar. You can also come and find me if you have any wishes that need to be fulfilled."

"As for why my cultivation speed is so fast, it's mainly because I have a tool that can independently refine the magic power of other worlds and convert it into the magic power of our world for my cultivation. The speed is 8 times that of Talent User cultivates normally," Chen Luo said.

After confirming that the other person was from a certain world and that they were not the kind of person who would kill to steal treasure, Chen Luo did not mind sharing some secrets with them.

Sharing secrets is one way to quickly build rapport and gain trust.

"This... I don't even know what to be surprised about for a moment," Irena said blankly.

How could there possibly be any item in the world that could increase one's cultivation speed by eight times?

What kind of cheating software is this?

And if you increase your speed by 8 times, is that more than 10 times the speed at which I cultivate magic power? Your cultivation speed is too fast!

Of course, Irena wouldn't say these things aloud.

Saying these things only proves that you are three points weaker than the other party.

"Oh, of course, my cultivation speed of 8 times is naturally not as fast as it was just now. I also have an item that can copy other items, so theoretically speaking, my cultivation speed just now was 16 times that of an ordinary A-rank Talent User." Sensing Irena's shocked expression, Chen Luo continued to explain.

"Phew, that's still normal." Irena breathed a sigh of relief.

I knew it! I'm the most talented person.

"I am a puppeteer who is currently studying, Traveler, and a part-time bar owner. Originally, I wanted to be an assistant who Mana Supply to Estelle, but the magic I possess seems to be slightly different from the magic you possess. This mission is also extremely important and cannot afford any mistakes, so I can only be an assistant to an assistant." Chen Luo explained his role to Irena.

Although Chen Luo was somewhat disappointed to discover the subtle differences between different types of magic after arriving in this world, the good news was that the Elemental Eye was still usable.

After it was revealed that the Elemental Eye seemed to be applicable to any kind of power, Chen Luo could use the magic of this world with the help of the Elemental Eye.

"Different World... what a wondrous existence. I wonder if it's possible to travel to Different World." Irena's eyes seemed to be shining as she looked at Chen Luo.

Irena wants to write a book that surpasses Nicole's Adventures.

What better way to go than to adventure in Different World?

"It's possible, but I don't recommend it," Chen Luo said, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm.

"Just like I said, the magic in my world is slightly different from that of this world, let alone other worlds I've never been to before. The reason I can travel between other worlds without being greatly affected is due to a combination of various factors," Chen Luo said, shaking his head.

"Sigh..." Irena couldn't help but sigh.

"Alright, alright, this isn't about the trip," Estelle reminded him.

"Of course I know that, but here's the problem. Should I go back to the bar first and call me after you've finished traveling through time?" Chen Luo asked.

"Why do you do this?" Estelle couldn't help but glance at Chen Luo.

"I just don't know whether this Time Reversal Magic charges magic power based on the number of times or the number of people," Chen Luo said.

"Then there's no need to worry. The magic power is recovered based on the number of spells cast. However, there's one thing I need to remind you both: once we arrive in that world, we'll only have one hour to move around. That's the limit I can manage," Estelle said seriously.

Estelle didn't plan to let Chen Luo return to his own world first, firstly because it would be troublesome, and secondly because she wasn't sure if she could still summon Chen Luo's bar 10 years ago if she did.

"Oh, right, Chen Luo, these are some basic magic books I prepared for you. They contain some basic spells and aren't very valuable items, so I'm just giving them to you in advance." Just before Estelle was about to take action, Estelle suddenly remembered something, walked to her bookshelf, and placed five or six books in front of Chen Luo.

"Basic magic books? Aren't these the books I wore out when I was an apprentice witch?" Looking at the huge pile of books, Irena said with some disappointment. Irena had thought they would be some amazing magic books.

"Do you think I'm stingy?" Estelle glanced at Irena.

"Ahem, that's mainly because of me. Due to the differences in magic between worlds, advanced magic might not be usable in my world, but basic magic shouldn't make much of a difference. Besides, learning magic is all about starting from the very basics." After explaining, Chen Luo accepted the payment Estelle had given him in advance.

These books looked a bit old, probably materials that Estelle herself used when learning to Magus, but Chen Luo didn't look down on them because of that.

Or rather, magic books with notes or annotations like these are the most suitable for beginners.

Although it was of no use to Chen Luo only needed to touch it with his hand.

Alas, a genius like me...