The Warden of the Witches Chapter 190

 Chapter 190 - Pets

    The next day, on the outskirts of Northwind Town.


    In a concealed spot on a low slope, Aiden and his group had set up a temporary shelter. It was more of a makeshift resting point than a tent, resembling nothing more than a roadside stand with a rain cover.


    "The target's abandoned mine is just over there." Aiden stood on the slope, wearing his old inquisitor outfit and looking into the distance with binoculars towards the mine.


    From this vantage point, they couldn't see much. The distance was too great, and the angle wasn't high enough to view the mine; only some abandoned buildings were visible. Aiden worried that getting too close might alert the enemy.


    However, both the Inquisition and the Witches' Gathering confirmed that the enemy's base was there. So, This intelligence should be reliable.


    "You two..." Aiden turned and looked at Priscilla and Dailey, glancing at the shackles on their wrists. "I'll unlock your spellcasting privileges. Use your familiars to scout the village and try to find the priest and nun."


    The shackles on Dailey and Priscilla wrists had sealing effects similar to the wards in prisons but were designed for individual use.


     Despite their demonic contracts, Aiden had added this extra layer of security to prevent them from secretly contacting other witch gathering members.


    "Understood, Warden."


    Only Dailey responded. She walked to the tent and retrieved a pre-prepared birdcage, and releasing the crow inside. The crow would serve as her eyes and ears, scouting the area around the abandoned mine.


    Priscilla didn't carry any specially trained animals. She glanced around and focused on a pigeon resting on a nearby rock.


    "[Lend me your eyes and ears, and connect with my mind.]" She raised her hand and chanted, instantly taking mental control of the bird.


    The pigeon flapped its wings and landed directly on the shackles on Priscilla wrist. Priscilla mastery of mental spells far exceeded Dailey, allowing her to improvise with local resources.


    Aiden then looked at Veronica, who was sorting through her equipment. "Veronica, have you done missions here before?"


    "Yes, I've been here twice," Veronica nodded.


    "Can you draw a rough map?" Aiden asked.


    "I'll try to recall," Veronica nodded again.


    "Everyone else is busy. Are you planning to slack off here?" Priscilla stared at Aiden.


    "It seems you still don't understand your position. Since when do you get to supervise me?" Aiden gave her a glance. "You two handle the reconnaissance. I'll wait for Abigail's contact. Once they make a move, we'll follow."


    After the surprise attack the other night, the Inquisition needed another day or two to prepare and free up personnel. Aiden couldn't count on much support in terms of manpower. Besides, he preferred not to involve the Inquisition too heavily right now. The inquisitors and the grand witches didn't get along well, and he also had his own ambitions to seize the divinity controlled by the Bountifull Mother cult.


    Turning away, Aiden grabbed his gear from under the tent, looking for something to eat. They had taken an overnight train from Silver City to Northwind Town and then hired a carriage to this remote area, without having time for breakfast.


    His backpack contained only some dry rations, cheese, canned food, and sugar. simple and crude portable food taken from the prison, resembling the most basic military rations. Upon reflection, they were essentially on a military campaign.


    "Why couldn't we have eaten something in town? Why rush here to gnaw on dry rations?" Priscilla complained.


    "The Warden is eating the same food as you. For a prisoner, you sure have a lot of demands. Should I hire a chef to follow us next time?" Aiden replied with a sarcastic smile, then pointed to the mercury orb huddled at the bottom of the tent. "With that thing, we can't operate in town at all."


     A mercury-alloy golem that weighing over half a ton, and possessing independent consciousness, couldn't be allowed to roam freely outside.


    Through the days of taming, Aiden discovered that this mercury-alloy golem would enter a dormant state when exposed to low temperatures. So, he kept it cooled and sealed in a container, and only releasing it when they transported the cargo to the outskirts. 


    The shipping cost alone was a significant expense, but considering Abigail's reasoning, Aiden grudgingly accepted it.


    "Stop lurking under the tent; you don't need to cool off," Aiden said, shooing the mercury orb out from under the tent. The taming process had shown clear progress, as the orb could now understand some simple commands.


    The mercury orb sluggishly oozed out of the tent. Aiden took out some food from his backpack but suddenly paused.


    He rummaged through his backpack again and confirmed his suspicion.


    One of the cans was missing.


    Slowly, Aiden turned his gaze toward the mercury orb, which was now moving toward the outside of the tent.


    Under his intense stare, the mercury orb suddenly stopped moving. Aiden faintly heard a crisp "click" sound from within the orb.


    "Spit it out," Aiden said emotionlessly.


    The mercury orb didn't respond, and feigning ignorance.


    "Do you want to eat sulfur powder?" Aiden asked with a "kind" smile, while holding up a flat, sealed jar.


    The jar contained sulfur powder, used for pest control. Aiden used a classic "carrot and stick" approach to tame the mercury-alloy golem. The "carrot" was, of course, the precious metals the orb loved, but finding the "stick" took some effort. Eventually, he discovered that the golem seemed to loathe sulfur, which reacted with mercury.


    Sprinkling this stuff on it wouldn't cause the mercury orb any serious harm, but it seemed to make it extremely uncomfortable, like garlic to a vampire.


    The moment Aiden pulled out the jar, the mercury orb began to tremble violently. A strange gurgling sound came from within, and it eventually spat out a crumpled, worn-out can of beef.


    "Once we finish eating, the empty cans are yours," Aiden said, knowing the orb was only interested in the metal. "Steal food again, and you'll be getting this for a meal," he warned, shaking the sealed jar of sulfur powder with a slightly menacing grin.


    The mercury orb, momentarily transforming into a sea urchin-like shape in fear, quickly slithered into a crevice in the mountain wall.


    Aiden laughed at the orb's reaction. While Vera's core-controlled, humanoid "Terminator" was undeniably cool, this autonomous "mechanical pet" had its own charm.