Chapter 543 – Home of the Sorceresses

Chapter 543 – Home of the Sorceresses

In the sky several hundred kilometers from Etherlance, an invisible flying carpet was shaded by a large parasol, beneath which three beanbag chairs—one large and two small—were arranged side by side.

Mo Lan had a long, flexible straw dangling from her lips as she lounged in the largest beanbag chair, legs crossed, fingers tapping away on her Communication Card.

In the two smaller beanbag chairs beside her sat the little monkey and the little skeleton, mirroring her exact posture.

The difference was that she was drinking iced watermelon juice, Zhizhi was drinking bamboo wine, and Clack—well, it had a straw in its mouth too, slurping at nothing but air. The point was simply being there.

They were already outside Tower Forest’s range of influence. After teleporting several times from Etherlance to this vicinity, Mo Lan had quickly seized the opportunity while no one was around to hop on the flying carpet and take to the skies.

She was no longer the wild mage Mo Lan—she was the witch Mo Lan once more.

Returning to her witch identity, she instantly relaxed.

She had always been a hard worker, but never to this nearly self-punishing degree.

Yet the more she learned of the mages’ Alchemy Magic, the more she understood the terror of Tower Forest—hundreds upon thousands of Mage Towers forming an interconnected network. Who knew how many magic circles had been secretly inscribed throughout it all? Even a roadside flower bed or a large tree bore traces of alchemical runes.

There were quite a few alchemical runes whose purposes Mo Lan still couldn’t decipher.

Centuries of careful management by the Mage Empire’s Peak and Beyond Peak level mages were truly not to be underestimated.

Mo Lan wasn’t afraid of any single Beyond Peak level mage in Valen, but she was wary of Tower Forest itself.

Humans had always been adept at leveraging tools—this was true of the humans on Earth, and equally true of the humans of Valen.

While other witches still dared to secretly practice Witch Magic in the Dormitory at night, Mo Lan didn’t dare reveal even a trace of Mana, terrified that some magic circle might detect it and expose her.

She spent every day reading books on the Library Floor of the Mage Tower, desperately studying those spells, pushing all other needs to the bottom of her priority list—all so she could learn every magic book within her reach at the Imperial Magic Academy as fast as possible and then get out.

The mages truly had an enormous collection of magical texts! She had studied day and night for five years and still hadn’t finished them all. Quite a few were only stored away in her memory palace.

Of course, she could manage this partly because the Imperial Magic Academy had absolutely no mandatory group activities.

The Witch Academy at least had a process for cultivating independent living and learning skills. The Imperial Magic Academy simply provided an environment and conditions for acquiring magical knowledge—everything else was entirely up to the individual mage.

Those with an Instructor had someone to offer guidance, but those without one had to arrange their own studies and daily life entirely on their own—what to study, when, and which public courses to enroll in were all self-directed.

This arrangement was quite convenient for a secret learner like Mo Lan.

Still, after such a long time, even she was reaching her limit.

The moment she got out, she immediately gave herself a vacation.

Even though this spot wasn’t far from Etherlance, up here on the flying carpet, it was her own safe little haven. Even Zhizhi and Clack could come out and get some fresh air.

The three of them—master and familiars alike—were lazily swinging their feet, which said everything about their current mood.

【Group Chat: “Home of the Sorceresses”】

【Moira: Finally left Tower Forest. Other people’s territory really isn’t a comfortable place to stay! Here are all the mage spell books at Peak level and below from the Imperial Magic Academy {Knowledge Card – Mage Magic}】

【Lilith: If the mages ever found out that you learned every single spell book they’ve been hoarding—books they won’t even share with their own people—in just five years, they’d probably cry!】

【Moira: They don’t know yet. But that day will come. (`)】

【Sylph: Where are you headed next? Want to come to the Elven Woods? The war between the half-elves and the pureblooded elves has entered a critical phase. A winner should be decided soon. I managed to sneak into the Tree of Life guard corps.】

【Moira: No thanks. I want to find somewhere nearby with nice scenery and decent safety, stay for a while, digest the mage magic stored in my memory palace, and research a batch of new cards.】

【Vasida: Go to Moon Harbor on the east coast of the Mage Empire! It’s the largest port city in all of Valen. The witches on Dragon Isle all say it’s a vacation paradise!】

【Lilith: It’s also a prime spot for encountering Merfolk~ Not like the ports here in the Land of Chaos, where all you get are giant trolls.】

【Moira: ??? What exactly have you been through in the Land of Chaos?】

【Lilith: Oh, just a live demonstration of 《The Anatomical Atlas》, I suppose! Every species except Angels and Merfolk… Angels don’t like coming to the Land of Chaos, and Merfolk that do get eaten by giant trolls in one bite—literally eaten.】

【Moira: ……】

These five years, her companions had certainly been having eventful experiences of their own!

Mo Lan mentally reviewed the map of the Mage Empire. Moon Harbor wasn’t actually that far from where she was now.

As the Mage Empire’s—no, all of Valen’s—largest trade port, Moon Harbor had earned a prominent place in the travel journals of every witch who had visited.

Merchants of many different races gathered in Moon Harbor. Outside the Land of Chaos, it was the only place where one could see people of so many different species.

However, unlike the Land of Chaos, Moon Harbor was under the Mage Empire’s rule, protected by a Peak level Mage Tower, so order was far better maintained.

The vast Merfolk waters could serve as a testing ground for large-scale magic. The multi-racial trade port would make it easy for her to scout her next target for secret study. And even if she just wanted to vacation and unwind for a while, it was an excellent choice.

Mo Lan made up her mind and adjusted the flying carpet’s flight path, heading straight for Moon Harbor.

This time she wanted to be a witch, though appearing in her current guise might not afford her much peace and quiet.

Moon Harbor was still within the Mage Empire’s borders, and Angrboda and the others hadn’t given up on her yet—she was, after all, a prize candidate highly likely to advance to Beyond Peak level!

Thinking of this, Mo Lan pulled out her Witch Crucible Set Card, which she hadn’t touched in quite some time, and assembled the material cards needed to brew a transformation potion.

She hadn’t even been lounging in the beanbag chair for half an hour before she packed it away, replacing it with the crucible and potion ingredients.

Beautiful smoke rings rose into the air—the potion was successfully brewed.

What a relief. Her memory hadn’t faded with time, and her technique hadn’t grown rusty from the long break away from the crucible.

By the time she had filled an entire small potion case with transformation potions, the towering Mage Tower above the sea had appeared in her field of vision.

Mo Lan drank a bottle of transformation potion, shifting into her appearance from her previous life, then changed into witch robes and put on a witch hat.

From this moment on, she was once again Moira the witch, here to enjoy a visit to Moon Harbor.

Moon Harbor had no anti-flight magic circle. As long as one didn’t damage the port’s buildings, Angels and Dragons could land directly within Moon Harbor, and witches could naturally fly their brooms within the port as well.

The flying carpet’s invisibility shield was dropped. Mo Lan shifted its form into the more agile broomstick, with Zhizhi and the little skeleton both seated in the familiar’s seat in front of her.