Chapter 659, Dark Sisters' Gathering
The vision link ended, and Wu Heng released Xiaoxiao again.
Floating beside him, she asked curiously, "Uncle, are they bad people?"
"Not sure, but something feels off," Wu Heng replied.
Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement. "I feel something's wrong too."
Glenda asked, "Should we go take a look?"
"Let's check it out. It's near Rentam City, after all. If there's trouble, we'll handle it—better than letting it become a problem for Wen Mansa," Wu Heng said firmly.
The wraiths had no objections.
The skeleton attendants led the way. Wu Heng followed behind, with the wraiths overhead guiding the direction.
...
They passed through the dense forest, clothes covered in grass and twigs.
Through the gaps between trees, they could see the tall building ahead.
It was clearly an abandoned structure that had been tidied up.
Women in garish outfits posed seductively at the entrance, greeting men into the building.
Wu Heng didn't approach. He looked at Glenda and said, "Go see what's going on inside."
Xiaoxiao wasn't suitable—there was likely adult-themed content. Beni, though level 16, still risked being discovered.
Glenda was the best fit.
Glenda didn't say much and vanished, flying out stealthily.
She returned shortly after.
In a low voice, she said, "They're all hags in disguise. Get close and you'll see through the illusions. The men die after the act. One room even has a hag buying babies."
As expected—hags.
And quite a lot of them, gathered near Rentam City.
"Buying babies? What do you mean?" Wu Heng asked.
"Literal meaning. See for yourself," Glenda said and entered his body.
The scene was shared.
In a back room of the building—
A man handed a swaddled infant to a hag in a black robe.
In Glenda's eyes, the hag had a wrinkled face covered in sores, though to the man she likely looked very different.
The hag peeked under the wrap, nodded in satisfaction, and handed the man a pouch of coins.
Then she called out.
Another seductive-looking hag emerged slowly and affectionately escorted the man to another room.
The shared vision ended there.
Wu Heng let Glenda out.
He pondered aloud, "Why are hags gathering to buy babies?"
Xiaoxiao and Beni both shook their heads.
Beni had never even heard of hags before.
Glenda recalled, "I've read about this. Hags within a region often hold dark gatherings—exchanging intel or coordinating plans. Their group is called the Dark Sisters' Gathering."
"And the babies?" Wu Heng asked.
"I think it relates to their legacy. Hags can't reproduce normally. They devour human infants and then give birth to their replacements," Glenda explained.
Wu Heng frowned, and the other two wraiths shuddered.
That's… twisted.
Even as a necromancer surrounded by undead, this was extreme.
Wu Heng asked, "What's the highest level inside?"
"Level 12—about equal to a steward. There are over twenty of them."
In Rentam City, level 12 was steward-tier—not low.
But compared to Wu Heng and his undead allies, it was nothing now.
"Get ready—we're killing them all and heading into the city afterward," Wu Heng declared.
They were here, and the hags were too vile to let live. Wipe them all out while they were gathered.
Better than leaving them to cause trouble later.
The three wraiths nodded. The two skeleton attendants prepared.
Wu Heng cast [Bone Armor] and [Preset Barrier] on himself.
Then he stepped from the bushes, skeletons at his side, walking toward the building.
As they approached the door—
"Oh~! What a handsome gentleman! Is that new armor? So dashing," a noblewoman in sheer silk swayed toward him.
Bang~!
Wu Heng kicked her in the stomach.
The force sent her flying four or five meters, tumbling before coming to a stop.
The noisy hall instantly fell silent.
The disguised hags and the men inside stared in shock.
"What are you doing?"
"Your wife's in here or something? Chill out—so many ladies around, just enjoy."
"If you're not here to play, leave. Don't ruin the fun."
The men spoke up first.
Wu Heng casually cast [Lightning Bolt] on the woman he'd kicked. Lightning crackled—she tried to rise but was instantly killed.
Her body collapsed. The once-seductive beauty became a shriveled hag.
The curses and complaints stopped.
"Hags—they're hags!"
Someone shouted. The men began to flee.
The remaining hags reacted. Their bodies hunched, and their forms twisted from pretty girls to hideous hags.
"Damn brat! You dare ruin our gathering."
"You're cute—why not stay and play with us?"
Two hags near the front raised their hands, casting debuff rays toward him.
Kashu stepped forward, blocking the rays.
They had no effect.
The hags' nails turned to claws. Screeching, they charged.
Keramu drew his longsword and met them head-on.
Kashu stayed by Wu Heng, guarding closely.
Tap tap tap~!
More hags, all transformed, rushed in from every direction.
On the second-floor balcony, behind pillars and atop the canopy, many eyes stared down.
Wu Heng could sense them—
Hostile gazes lashed out from all directions, clearly perceptible in the confined building.
He turned his head, dodging an incoming arrow.
With a flick of his hand, a military rifle appeared.
Guided by the hostile stares, he pulled the trigger in all directions.
Bang bang bang~!
Bullets sprayed, muzzle flashes flaring.
Screams echoed as targets were hit.
"Don't protect me. Kill every hag," Wu Heng ordered Kashu.
Kashu cracked his neck, slipped on brass knuckles, and charged. One punch snapped a hag's neck.
He darted to the next, another punch, another corpse.
Wu Heng held the door, mowing down hags with bursts of gunfire.
The trio held off the twenty-plus hags inside.
Time passed. The air filled with blood.
The hags fell quickly.
Soon, the building quieted.
"One left in the back," Beni reported.
"Didn't kill her?"
"She's holding a baby hostage. The skeletons didn't act," Beni explained.
Wu Heng entered the back room.
A hag in tattered black robes stood there, curved ram horns on her head, infant-sized skulls hanging from her belt.
She held a dagger against a swaddled baby's chest.
Seeing Wu Heng, she chuckled.
"You're from Rentam, aren't you? I know you've been hunting me. Why bother? We don't threaten your city."
Wu Heng said nothing, just stared.
The hag continued, "Let me go. I swear to stay away from Rentam."
Wu Heng replied, "Enough stalling. Kill her."
The moment the words fell—
The hag's body froze. The dagger shifted from the baby's chest to her own.
"Wraith—call them off! I'll serve you."
Shlkk~!
The dagger sank into her heart.
She didn't die immediately. Struggling for control, she pleaded, "You're a necromancer—you need a servant. I can serve you."
Shlkk~!
A second stab to the chest. The third went through her throat.
Her final words choked off in a bloody gurgle.
She fell backward, hate-filled eyes wide, and died.
Wu Heng walked to her.
Under the table were three more baby baskets.
He placed them all on the table.
The infants stared at him silently, eyes unfocused.
"Are they okay?" Xiaoxiao appeared and made a silly face at them.
The babies didn't respond.
Wu Heng inspected them. "They're fine—probably drugged to keep quiet."
"What now? Uncle, are you going to adopt them?" Xiaoxiao asked.
"We'll have Wen Mansa investigate the families. If stolen, they'll be returned."
"Right—they have parents," Xiaoxiao nodded.
The babies would remain here for now.
Wu Heng told the skeletons, "Gather the bodies. Strip valuables."
The two skeletons got to work.
The hags were lined up in the clearing. A few dead men lay nearby.
Looting began.
Bags of coins were piled up. Then armor, weapons, and household goods.
Wu Heng wasn't too interested—until he saw two items.
First: a black-glowing stone.
Smooth and polished like a prized jade.
[Hearthstone (Curio)]
[Effect: Touch to enter spirit form.]
[Side effect: Unpleasant for the living.]
(Description: A gem nurtured by hags, now with special properties.)
Entering spirit form?
Seemed useful.
Spirit form offered advantages—immune to physical attacks, wall-phasing, flight.
All very handy.
Even if not for combat, great for escape.
Not bad at all.
No idea why the hags didn't use it to escape.
But against Wu Heng, it wouldn't help.
The wraiths could phase through walls too—no escape possible.
The second item: an old oil lamp.
Bronze frame, rough glass.
[Nightmare Lamp (Curio)]
[Effect: Using organs or tissue as a medium, inflict nightmares on a target.]
[Side effect: Costs one drop of blood.]
(Description: A cursed lamp. All who touch it are haunted by nightmares.)
A curse-type item.
Tools that inflict debuffs via medium fall into this category.
Rare and hard to defend against.
Curses are hard to detect or trace back.
A sneaky weapon.
Also useful.
Wu Heng was pleased with the haul.
Even for Gold-Silver Island, these were top-tier items.
He packed away the curios, coin pouches, and valuables.
Nearby, the wraiths floated above the babies, chatting quietly.
Waaah~!
Suddenly, one baby cried. The others followed.
Wu Heng rushed over. "Why are they crying?"
"No idea. Probably the hag's spell wore off," Glenda said.
Wu Heng glanced at them, then walked to the corpses and cast [Battlefield of the Dead].
Skeletons rose from the ground.
"Those who can soothe babies—go comfort them."
Four hag skeletons picked up the babies, gently rocking them.
Apparently, babies didn't fear skeletons.
Being rocked calmed them.
Wu Heng opened [Mansion Spell] and pointed inside. "Everyone in—keep the babies safe."
The skeletons entered the mansion.
Wu Heng shut it, then left the building with his undead.
The men who fled earlier were long gone. No one stayed to help.
Wu Heng pulled a motorcycle from his ring, seated Kashu and Keramu, and drove toward Rentam City.
...
Rentam City, inside a manor—
Two men dined lavishly at a table.
One had graying hair, wearing a wizard's robe. A staff leaned nearby.
The other wore leather armor, a middle-aged man in his forties.
The wizard dabbed his mouth and asked, "Tell me about Wen Mansa. What do you think are the odds?"
The middle-aged man set down his utensils. "Word got out she was pregnant. The guild probably sent Wu Heng away…"
"Skip the fluff. Relevant info only."
"That is relevant. She probably gave birth. She's busy. If you push now, you might succeed."
The wizard raised an eyebrow. "Might?"
"You think Rentam is so easy to seize with a few words? If it were, it wouldn't be you doing it," the man smirked.
The wizard blinked, then chuckled coldly. "Just a former gangster woman."
The man shrugged.
The wizard said, "I'm leaving. I'll visit that gangster city lord tomorrow."
...
Wu Heng reached the city and headed straight for the lord's manor.
The guarding skeletons opened the gate.
Wu Heng entered and removed his human-skin mask.
The butler recognized him immediately. "Master, you're back."
"Mm. Where's Wen Mansa?" Wu Heng asked.
"In her room," the butler replied.
He led Wu Heng into a side lounge.
Inside, Wen Mansa sat on a couch, nursing her baby.
She looked up, eyes sparkling with joy. "Master!"