Chapter 589 – Holy Song Lily of the Valley Café

Chapter 589 – Holy Song Lily of the Valley Café

Mo Lan had taken the transformation potion, concealing her true power, though she hadn’t changed her age.

Despite having been an adult for over a decade, in the eyes of Garona—who was several centuries old—she was practically still a child.

Garona encountered young witches like her every few years.

“First time in Holy City? Come on up and have a seat—we’re holding an online gathering right now!”

“An online gathering?” Mo Lan was momentarily stunned. Surely it wasn’t what she was thinking?

“It’s chatting on the Communication Card. You have a Communication Card, right? Hurry up and add me as a friend—all the witches near Holy City are in this group chat. Before, everyone could only get together at my place once a month at the end of the month, and not everyone could make it every time. But now it’s great—we can hold online gatherings every day. If anyone runs into trouble, we can catch it right away,” Garona said.

“Is it because of the side effects of the light elemental force leaking from the Gate of Heaven?” Mo Lan asked.

Witches elsewhere considered gathering once a year to be frequent, yet the witches near Holy City held online gatherings every day. It was hard not to connect this to the side effects of Holy City’s light element.

Reportedly, the light elemental force from the Gate of Heaven could accelerate the energy growth of light-type spellcasters, but prolonged exposure also tended to erode one’s emotions, leaving a person feeling neither joy nor sorrow, free of desire and ambition.

The closer one was to the Gate of Heaven, the more concentrated this light elemental force became, and the greater its influence.

“That’s right! Only by maintaining rich emotional fluctuations can you counteract this side effect.

Chatting happily with companions is one way to maintain rich emotions, and the books here at my shop serve a similar purpose.

If you’re planning to settle near Holy City, you’ll need to learn how to stir up your own emotions too!”

Garona cautioned.

Mo Lan nodded. She had already mentally prepared for this.

Maintaining rich emotional fluctuations wasn’t difficult for her—she could simply browse through her Earth memories whenever she pleased. In those Earth memories, every person’s life was full of dramatic ups and downs.

“Ms. Garona, I’d like to stay in Holy City for a while. Do you know where I could rent a room?”

“Stay in Holy City?” Garona had assumed that since she already knew about the Gate of Heaven’s light element situation, she’d be cautious—but instead, her very first words were about living in Holy City. Garona hurriedly explained the severity of the matter:

“The closer you get to the Gate of Heaven, the more emotion-eroding light elemental force there is.

Outside the city, as long as you read some books from my shop now and then and chat with everyone regularly, you’ll be fine.

But inside the city, you have to maintain high-frequency interaction and emotional variation every single day.

Little Lan Lan may look like it has zero patience and a terrible temper, but it’s precisely because of its companionship that I can live inside Holy City while still maintaining rich emotions, unaffected by the Gate of Heaven’s light elemental force.

But a Holy Song Lily of the Valley with such high spiritual awareness and such rich emotions—in all my years, Little Lan Lan is the only one I’ve ever encountered.

Are you sure you still want to live inside the city?”

Mo Lan nodded. “I’m sure!”

Seeing her serious expression, Garona immediately stopped trying to dissuade her.

An adult witch should be capable of taking responsibility for her own actions, even if the witch before her appeared rather young.

Perhaps she truly did have the means to handle it.

Garona began to answer her question in earnest: “Strictly speaking, all property in Holy City belongs to the Angels. Although the Angels have given up managing this city, they don’t allow anyone to claim ownership of Holy City. All vacant houses here can be freely occupied.

However, you can’t buy or sell property, can’t deliberately destroy or renovate buildings, and can’t alter a building’s exterior. You can only add decorations inside that don’t change the building’s structure.

As for an empty place—the owner of the bakery at the end of this street went to the Sacred Mountains three years ago and never came back. They’re most likely dead. You can stay there for the time being.”

Garona had recommended the vacant building closest to her café. If this young witch’s emotions were affected, she’d be able to notice in time.

Mo Lan understood her kind intentions and gladly accepted the suggestion. “Then I’ll go take a look.”

“Wait—take these books with you!” Garona pulled five books off the shelf one after another and stuffed them into her arms. “These are all classic titles from my shop, widely praised by everyone.”

Mo Lan was about to thank her when she heard Garona say, “The rental fee is one Gem Coin Card per day. Which one would you like to borrow? When you’re done, you can come back and borrow another.”

That much was understandable enough, but then she saw the titles: 《After My Engagement Was Called Off, I Became the Strongest Witch》, 《Accidentally Falling into the Abyss, I Pampered the Demon Army》, 《The Billionaire Witch’s Harem》, 《The Demon King Begged Me to Be His Strategist》, and 《I Used Curses to Rule the Whole World》.

Mo Lan had read countless books in her life, yet this was the first time she learned that Valen also had this kind of trashy literature.

So the “great books for stirring up emotions” at Garona’s café were… these?

“I’ll take them all!”

At her reading speed, she could finish all five in a single day! She was determined to see how these books compared to Earth’s web novels.

Mo Lan strode off toward the bakery at the end of the street, books piled in her arms.

“Hey! What’s your Communication Card number? I haven’t added you as a friend yet!” Garona chased out of the shop after her.

Mo Lan called out her Communication Card number. Garona typed it in as she spoke: “I’ll pull you into the group right away. Make sure to check it! We live close to each other—come over for tea whenever you’re free!”

“Will do!” Mo Lan waved at her. She’d get her lodgings sorted first, then evaluate Valen’s trashy novels. There’d be plenty of time to visit Garona afterward.

Garona turned back into the shop. On her Communication Card, Mo Lan’s name had already appeared in the search results.

She tapped “Add,” then pulled her into the group chat—and suddenly her fingertip froze. “Mo Lan? Mo Lan!” she whispered in the Witch language.

Garona clapped a hand over her mouth, screaming internally: “It’s Sorceress Mo Lan!”

Garona immediately realized that Mo Lan’s appearance differed from the legends—she must have altered her looks before coming here, which surely meant she had her reasons.

Every fiber of her being wanted to rush to the bakery and find Mo Lan, but to avoid disrupting Mo Lan’s plans, Garona restrained herself.

Holy City was, after all, located at the foot of Heaven’s Peak. The witches living in the area normally used the Witch language even for idle gossip, precisely because they feared leaking any witch secrets.

The Communication Card’s chat interface couldn’t be spied on by outsiders, so chatting there was perfectly safe.

Garona immediately sent Mo Lan a message.

【Garona: I’ll keep your secret. If there’s anything you need help with, you can tell me via the Communication Card. All the witches near Holy City are at your service!】

Mo Lan smiled faintly when she received the message. She didn’t stand on ceremony, either.

【Mo Lan: I’d like to know—how can I quickly make acquaintance with the Angels?】