"Come here, come."

Leon glanced at the spirits possessing the female medium but, finding no familiar ones, skipped the pleasantries and beckoned the woman who had instinctively started to retreat.

"Sign this for me, once you're done, head back quickly. You're dead, so stop frequenting the living world, got it?"

"O... Okay..."

Seeing that terrifying face known to every soul in the Realm of the Dead, the ancient spirits summoned by the Summoning Secret Skill hastily picked a representative. Using the female medium's body, it shakily signed its name on the society application form.

"Something's not right?"

Looking at the name on the application form and then at the medium's fairly delicate face, Leon frowned:

"She's named Hans?"

"N... No..."

As the fearsome Food God frowned, seemingly dissatisfied, the "female medium" quickly shook her head, worried about being eaten:

"It's me, I was called Hans when I was alive!"

...

Why are you signing it? I need her signature!

After blinking speechlessly, Leon sent the dense spirit back and called forth a smarter one to help the female medium sign the application form, then waved them off:

"Alright, you all can go now... Oh, wait!"

Leon, remembering something, grabbed the escaping spirits, who shrieked in terror, and said sternly:

"I might visit the medium society later. If any mediums summon you again, you must respond and come back to sign for me. Understood?"

"We... We..."

"Speak up!"

"Certainly! We'll definitely come back next time!"

"Alright, off you go."

After releasing the summoned spirits and watching them flee towards the Gate of the Deceased, Leon sighed regretfully.

What a pity, these spirits had a high enough Contamination Value. Unfortunately, not only were they not from the Witch Kingdom, but they weren't even alive anymore. Even pulling them into the Bedtime Story wouldn't assign them a "plot," rendering them unable to weaken the bind.

Otherwise, by controlling the medium society and having the mediums constantly summon spirits, he could have easily overwhelmed the Narration of Nonexistence and ended the Bedtime Story in one fell swoop.

"What... what did you do?!"

As Leon lamented, the female medium, having regained control of her body, exclaimed in horror:

"Where are the spirits? Why did the spirits I summoned leave?"

"Maybe they left in such a hurry they forgot to turn off the gas~"

Leon quipped casually, then helped the depleted female medium to the roadside to rest, turning his gaze toward the medium society from which she had emerged, contemplating the possibility of using "familiarity" for a forceful entry.

...

According to what the Cat Princess told him, all societies in the Witch Kingdom could be grouped into four main factions.

First was the Fate Faction, represented by the four societies of Fate Interpretation, Astrology, Divination, and Numerology, headquartered near the observatory and Crystal Street on the east side of the Grand Witch Court. They were known for half-baked fortune-telling methods, which, besides deception and weather forecasting, didn't accomplish much.

The second was the Secret Technique Faction, represented by the societies of Witchcraft, Curses, Runes, and Contracts. Each had some peculiar yet not very powerful secret techniques often attachable to artifacts, with headquarters mainly scattered around the artifact market on the west side of the Grand Witch Court.

Lastly were the Rational Faction, led by the Silver Sages and Academic Societies, and the Descent Faction, comprising the seven societies of Shamans, Totemists, Priests, Mediums, Exorcists, Blessing Monks, and Proxies. They occupied the north and south sides of the Grand Witch Court, respectively.

The former frequent libraries and universities, representing the "elite class" of the Secret Magic City and the entire Witch Kingdom, receiving substantial budgets annually, engaged in enigmatic research.

The Descent Faction, known for "godly descent" and "spirit summoning" abilities, was the most grounded, with headquarters near markets, theaters, and churches, blending with the largest residential area on the north side of the Secret Magic City, exuding a vibrant community feel.

The easiest society to deal with among the Descent Faction was the Medium Society... seemingly connected to funeral businesses.

Looking at the Medium Society's structure resembling a funeral parlor, with its black-and-white theme adorned with flowers and flags, Leon's mouth twitched, abandoning the idea of entering immediately, turning to the Cat Witch beside him for advice.

"Which floor is the Medium Society president's office on?"

"Hmm? Why are you asking?"

"I don't really want to go inside..."

Glancing at the uninviting five-story building, Leon clicked his tongue disdainfully and suggested:

"If the Medium Society president's office faces the street, let's break his window and bring him out, forcing him to agree to merge the Medium Society with our Yarn Ball Society."

I knew it, I'll never follow your train of thought...

Partially understanding Leon's logic, the desensitized Cat Witch sighed, then motioned toward the female medium Leon had helped to the side of the road, who was now dazedly seated on a stone slab.

"You can just talk to her if you're looking for the Medium Society president."

"Her?"

Leon was slightly taken aback.

"She's the Medium Society president?"

"Acting president."

Sympathetically glancing at the dumbfounded female medium, the Cat Witch whispered:

"The old president presided over his funeral last week and should now be in the Realm of the Dead. The new president hasn't been chosen yet, so his favorite student is acting for now... which is her."

Ah, I see.

Understanding the female medium's identity, Leon nodded in realization, then approached the morally shattered medium with a smile amid the Cat Witch's awkward expression.

"Hello, beautiful..."

Retrieving the indenture contract from the cart and reviewing the scribbled handwriting, Leon's increasingly thick-skinned expression remained unchanged as he continued:

"Beautiful Marina, I believe your Medium Society is currently facing a massive crisis. Merging wholly into our Yarn Ball Society is the only way to overcome this crisis... What do you think? Consider it?"