The crystal ball had a 【Legendary】 grade 【Cognitive Impairment】 seal on it.

This seal would twist a player’s cognition, making them completely unable to perceive its existence. Instead, they would see an erroneous, artificially fabricated item effect. Below that was a long string of these false descriptions.

But Wu Wang didn’t have time to read them. The first line alone was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat.

Combined with Teacher Tony’s strange behavior earlier, the identity of the mysterious Diviner Witch was practically spelled out. Wu Wang’s previous internal monologue had just been a joke; he could tell Teacher Tony not only knew this woman but also treated her with excitement and respect. It was obvious he believed her status was far above his own.

Now, with the appearance of this crystal ball, her identity was so obvious she might as well have had the words tattooed on her forehead.

【President of the Tarot Society】!

Holy hell, Wu Wang thought. The big boss herself came looking for me.

He didn’t know exactly why she was here, but since the first item she handed him for appraisal was the 【Star of Ziwei】, it was clearly related to the 【Supercomputing System – TaihuLight】.

The key question was, why was she here now? He hadn’t forcefully broken the seal.

What does she want with me?!

That thing of yours has been on display for years. I can’t even take a peek? That’s way too petty!

Whatever. That wasn’t important.

The important thing was, it was time to run.

“Gotta run!”

Fortunately, this was the 【Spirit Calamity Plaza】, not an instance or the real world. All he needed to do was log off and return to the 【Meeting Room】 or the 【God-Forsaken Land】.

The mysterious Diviner Witch watched as Wu Wang pulled Teacher Tony aside before instantly logging off and disappearing. She wasn’t worried.

She knew very well that trying to catch someone in the 【Spirit Calamity Plaza】 was a fool’s dream. Forceful means were forbidden here, and the system penalties for breaking that rule were severe.

So, she gently patted Teacher Tony’s shoulder.

“Stop staring into space. Tell me everything about that person.”

Only then did Teacher Tony snap out of his daze.

He asked with a puzzled expression, “President! What brings you here? Person? What person?”

The Witch paused, a hint of astonishment flashing in her eyes. She crossed her arms, her gloved fingers tapping a rhythm against her arm. The fabric was opaque but exceptionally thin, still revealing their slender shape.

“You don’t remember that weirdo in an Ultraman costume who was lying on the ground appraising items?”

Faced with the President’s question, Teacher Tony’s first reaction was that she couldn’t possibly be lying. But he frowned, unable to recall the person she was describing no matter how hard he tried.

He could only shake his head.

“I’m sorry, President. I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

The Witch didn’t press him. She waved her hand dismissively.

“Alright, you can go. I’ll check what happened inside the 【Hall of Justice】 myself.”

As soon as she finished speaking, her legs began to turn ethereal. Countless bats, each no bigger than the palm of a hand, appeared out of thin air and enveloped her from bottom to top. A moment later, they scattered and flew away, and the Witch who had been at their center was gone.

The strangest part was what followed. From the moment she appeared to ask for an appraisal, to Teacher Tony calling her “President,” to her vanishing in a flashy display of skill, not a single player’s attention was drawn to her.

It was as if the Witch didn’t exist in this world.

Apart from Wu Wang and Teacher Tony, no one seemed to know she had even been there. The surrounding players simply scratched their heads, a bit confused.

Why am I standing at the entrance of the 【Hall of Justice】 instead of going inside?

Then, they entered the hall to take care of the business they had intended to do all along.

“Little Li has disappeared somewhere and isn’t answering his messages, and the Dragon King Lord is still down in the Abyss, locked in a battle of wits with That One,” the Witch muttered to herself. “It’s always up to me to be the nicest to you players.”

The Witch who had just vanished from the street was now perched atop the grand chandelier in the 【Hall of Justice】, right on the edge of the 【Supercomputing System – TaihuLight】.

“Hmm… let’s see what you’ve been up to.”

Her legs dangled freely, swinging back and forth as she hugged the crystal ball and rubbed it gently. She bore no ill will towards the appraiser who had seen through the three seals on the 【Light of Taihu】, provided she could figure out his true identity.

After all, the existence of this thing could not be known by those human traitors from the Calamity Cult.

Yes, that’s right. Human traitors. They were humans who believed everyone should die in the game’s instances. They were nothing more than traitors with underdeveloped brains.

As she rubbed the crystal ball, the 【Light of Taihu】 slowly fed information back into the 【Star of Ziwei】.

Wu Wang’s abstract stage name popped up. The events from the room where he registered his appraiser qualification played out on the crystal ball’s surface like a movie.

This was far more powerful than any surveillance camera. The Witch could even adjust the viewing angle at will.

She could even appear as a virtual image within the crystal ball itself.

She stood less than half a meter in front of the recorded image of Wu Wang, carefully observing his every move. But no matter how she looked, she couldn’t figure out what method he was using for his appraisals.

Just like at the entrance a few moments ago, the Witch was certain he had seen the true status of the 【Star of Ziwei】 at a single glance.

But it really was just a glance.

The 【Cognitive Impairment】 seal she had layered on top of it was completely useless.

What the hell kind of skill is this? she wondered. How could such a powerful, game-breaking skill exist in the Spirit Calamity Game?

“Hm? Wait… what is he doing?”

Suddenly, the Witch noticed something. As the recorded Wu Wang was leaving the room after his test, when no one was paying attention, he abruptly lifted his head.

He pointed a finger at his own eyes, then pointed toward the sky.

He made direct eye contact with the Witch, who was observing him from outside the crystal ball.

Then, he said softly, “I know you’re watching me.”

“!”

His words instantly stunned her. An expression of utter disbelief flashed in her eyes.

He could perceive my spying even through the 【Star of Ziwei】? Impossible!

Besides Qing Long, the Witch didn’t believe anyone in the Spirit Calamity Game could possess such heaven-defying perception. This was an effect beyond what any human or piece of equipment could achieve, and he looked so weak.

However, just as the thought “impossible” surfaced in her mind, the Witch’s eyes suddenly glazed over. The crystal ball in her hands, no longer under her active control, went dark.

She glanced around at her surroundings and frowned, puzzled.

“Why did I come to the 【Hall of Justice】?”

She thought for a moment.

“To see Shasha? No, that’s not right. Isn’t she busy appraising the things the Dragon King Lord brought back from the Abyss?”

The next second, the Witch’s confused gaze turned sharp. A playful smirk touched her lips as she muttered to herself with great interest.

“Interesting. What was that just now that tried to obstruct my cognition?”

“Little trickster, I’m the goddamn ancestor of cognitive impairment!”

She sniffed the air.

“Hmm… there’s a familiar stench. It’s the smell of that perverted penguin…”

Back in the meeting room, Wu Wang breathed a sigh of relief. He used the 【Heilan Home Brooch】 to change his costume back into normal clothes.

Only then was the real reason for his disguise revealed.

Perched on his nose was a bright red, perfectly round 【Clown’s Red Nose】 that made anyone who saw it want to laugh. He had been wearing it ever since he put on the Ultraman Zero costume.

You think my costume was just for being weird?

Well, it was.

As long as everyone thought he was weird, none of them would remember him after he left. To that end, he had even fabricated a non-existent 【Observer】 when he left the registration room, pretending to see someone and saying a few bluffing words.

Now, an appraiser who didn’t exist in anyone’s memory had appeared out of thin air.

I am a licensed professional, Wu Wang thought, but no one knows how I got my license.

Cloaked in the identity of a mysterious appraiser, he was now confident that 【Yan Shuangying】 would leave an indelible impression on those high-level players during the debt repayment transaction in two days.

He had to seize every possible advantage. Zhuge Yue was entering the 【Instance Scramble】 with him. That meant the moment he returned to reality, he would be face-to-face with her.

The more he planned, the more chances there were to make a mistake. If he tried to slowly set up traps, it would be easier for that madwoman to sense that something was wrong.

He had to strike the very instant he saw her. That was when her guard would be at its lowest. That was his best chance of success.

In her eyes, he was just a level-ten 【Pending Death】. Zhuge Yue would think it was delusional for such a low-level player to even try to kill her.

You think I’m a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot?

Little do you know, I’m Incarceus, the Radiant Mantis.