Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 19: Something Big is Coming?

By the coastline of the Grandet Sea.

Xia Ya stretched lazily as he watched the tense crowd gradually escort Sylvia away toward the Grand Ducal Estate.

In his mind, lines of blue text flashed rapidly.

【Beginner Quest, Phase Three: Increase the favorability of the Grand Duke’s daughter, Sylvia, beyond 30 points—Objective achieved】

【Current Favorability: 52/30 (Trust)】

【Quest rewards have been settled】

【Based on the host’s overall performance in this phase, the following rewards have been issued: 100,500 points of free EXP, 3 Skill Seeds】

"Well, at least it's finally done."

"I suppose all the time and effort I put into this phase wasn’t wasted."

Xia Ya rubbed his temples and tossed two thick books—How to Interact with the Opposite Sex (Beginner Edition) and Introduction to Psychology—into Shiny’s spatial pocket.

There was no helping it. Whether before or after his transmigration, he had never actively pursued anyone. He was a complete passive introvert.

Asking him to take the initiative and win over a female character? That was practically mission impossible.

All he could do was imitate from books and strategize on paper.

Fortunately, the social skills he had crammed last-minute didn’t let him down. His improvisation had gone flawlessly.

Of course, even though his conversations with Sylvia had been pre-planned, they genuinely reflected his thoughts.

With the worldview of a 21st-century transmigrator, something like a witch hunt was nothing short of barbaric in Xia Ya’s eyes.

He glanced at the system notifications, reading through the details.

According to the system panel, 30 favorability points represented "acquaintance" level.

If he had aimed for just that, he could have easily achieved it by spending a few extra days in the Grand Ducal Estate, making himself familiar to Sylvia through casual interactions.

However, if he had taken that approach, his quest rating and final rewards would have been at the lowest tier.

That was precisely why Xia Ya had taken the risk of facing Twilight Corruption head-on and orchestrated this fateful winter night encounter by the Grandet Sea. The result? Sylvia's favorability had jumped straight to the "trust" level.

That was something mere familiarity could never achieve.

If he had pushed her favorability just a little higher into the "confidant" range, even if he made a rather bold request, she'd probably hesitate before rejecting him—politely, of course.

And as expected, the rewards from the system did not disappoint.

100,000 free EXP was self-explanatory. It was enough to max out multiple high-tier skills to "Perfect" proficiency and still have plenty left over.

Right now, it would be perfect for filling in the gaps in Shiny’s skill proficiencies.

Additionally, Xia Ya wasn’t too far from unlocking his third Soul Pact. The influx of free EXP couldn’t have come at a better time.

But even more exciting than the massive EXP gain was the second reward—three Skill Seeds.

Unlike EXP, which increased skill proficiency, Skill Seeds allowed a summoned beast to learn completely new skills.

Not only could they bypass racial limitations, but with enough practice and refinement, a summoned beast could even create an entirely new ability.

Previously, Xia Ya had only received one Skill Seed, which he had used to help Silver develop "Tsukuyomi," the foundation of its entire ability system.

Now, getting three at once was an unexpected windfall.

"With three Skill Seeds, I can finally start working on Silver’s offensive skills."

"Since it already has 'Tsukuyomi,' it would be a shame not to pair it with 'Amaterasu'."

"Besides, Shiny still has plenty of practical spatial skills to learn..."

"But no matter how I patch up their weaknesses, both Shiny and Silver are ultimately focused on support and control."

"That means... my third Soul Pact should be with a summoned beast that excels in direct combat."

As he pondered his options, new notifications appeared in his mind.

【Beginner Quest status updated】

【Objective Four: Complete the Cangting Grand Duke Family’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony and become a core member of the family, officially joining Elder Norton’s plan.】

【Historical Echo—‘Cangting Ancient Kingdom,’ First Node Reached】

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

【Current historical node locked. The host may choose to exit the Historical Echo or remain to complete the objective.】

"Just as I expected."

"With Sylvia losing control so frequently, that old backstabbing snake Norton must be getting restless."

Xia Ya nodded slightly as he examined the system panel.

"And this should be a save point within the ‘Historical Echo’."

After spending a few days inside, he had begun to understand this mysterious realm that no one knew about.

It wasn’t just a mere replay of past events like he had initially thought.

Every person within this Historical Echo acted and responded as if they were real, living beings.

Rather than a simple "reflection on the water," this place felt more like a lost world trapped in the River of Time.

Of course, this was just Xia Ya’s theory—one that still needed confirmation.

Without hesitation, he chose to exit the Historical Echo.

He had already received a message through his Soul Pact with Shiny—this time-space was beginning to reject them, and they wouldn’t be able to remain much longer.

Moreover, the little golden snub-nosed monkey had sensed that they had now been "marked" by this Historical Echo.

This meant that the next time they wanted to enter, they wouldn’t need to be physically present at the Cangting Ruins. They could likely enter from anywhere.

On another note, Xia Ya had no intention of recklessly diving straight into Phase Four of the quest.

He needed time—time to digest everything he had gained and transform it into tangible strength.

In a world where transcendents roamed, the only real guarantee for survival was power.

—

A wave of nausea hit him as the world twisted around him.

When Xia Ya opened his eyes, he was back in the ruins.

A mechanical clock, which he had placed beside him earlier, showed that only an hour had passed since he first entered the Historical Echo.

No doubt about it—the Historical Echo and reality existed in completely separate timelines.

Xia Ya wasted no time.

With a quick activation of Shiny’s Blink ability, he left the Gray-White Hills.

He hadn’t forgotten—the moment the Historical Echo had resurfaced earlier, the area had shaken with deafening roars and tremors.

It wouldn’t be long before the Empire’s military sent powerhouses to investigate.

While his legal claim to the Gray-White Hills’ archaeological rights would hold up in official records, Xia Ya had no intention of encountering government officials unprepared.

—

An hour later, Xia Ya was seated in a steam locomotive bound for the Imperial Capital.

As he gazed out the window, his eyes caught sight of a massive black dragon soaring through the sky.

A slender figure stood atop the dragon’s back.

"A black-scaled wyvern exclusive to the Royal Breeding Institute. Judging by its size, it’s already surpassed the Monarch tier."

"A Titled Beastmaster from the Empire’s military?"

Xia Ya raised an eyebrow.

The Cangting Ancient Kingdom’s Historical Echo...

It looked like some truly powerful figures had been drawn into the mess.