Chapter 1053 – Mo Lan’s Travel Diary 6

The castle continued forward at its unhurried pace.

In the rooftop garden, the little witches lined up along the railing, four small heads pressed together, their gazes following the forest deer startled from the tree shadows and the birds taking flight… Every frame of scenery drew gasps of wonder from them, as if they could never see enough.

The castle’s stride quietly quickened. As its enormous feet rose and fell in alternation, they stirred gentle breezes that ruffled the fresh leaves at the treetops, yet inside the castle everything remained impossibly steady — not even the floral tea in Sylph’s cup rippled.

“Mama, are we hurrying?” Sylvia was the first to notice the change in speed.

“Mm,” Mo Lan walked over to her daughters. “If we want to catch the sunset over the Sea of Roses, we’ll need to go a bit faster.”

Dorella’s ears twitched and she spun around at once, her eyes sparkling. “The sunset at the Sea of Roses is absolutely gorgeous! I’ve seen it so many times and I never get tired of it.”

Evelyn slowly sat up straight. “Today… it seems like it’s overcast, though.”

The little witches all lifted their heads in unison. Through the gaps in the forest canopy, they could indeed see a layer of gray-white clouds.

Tessa sighed in disappointment. “What a shame. But if we stay the night at the Sea of Roses, maybe we can see the sunrise tomorrow!”

Mo Lan blinked. “Overcast is perfect, actually. I’ll show you something special.”

As evening approached, the castle stepped out of Starlight Forest’s final stretch of shade.

The view burst open before them. The Sea of Roses sprawled across hills and plains in every direction — pink-purple, scarlet, and snow-white roses layered upon one another, stretching all the way to the horizon.

Wind swept across the flower sea, lifting delicate petals into the air.

“Wow! We’re at the Sea of Roses already?” Tessa shook Evelyn, who was on the verge of dozing off again. “Wake up! We’ve arrived at the Sea of Roses!”

Dorella stood on tiptoe, her small hands gripping the railing as she strained to look out. “How come I can’t see my family’s hollow tree treehouse?”

“We’ve only just left Starlight Forest,” Sylvia pointed toward the far end of the flower sea. “Your house is over near the Sunset Forest side — it’s still a long way from here.”

Evelyn rubbed her eyes and shuffled to the railing. She tilted her head up at the sky, now blanketed by thick clouds, and mumbled softly, “The clouds are getting thicker… we really can’t see the sunset.”

The moisture in the air grew heavier. The distant sky was a hazy gray, without even a trace of evening glow to be found.

A small flicker of disappointment showed in the little witches’ eyes.

Just then, Mo Lan, who had been sitting in the wicker chair sipping tea, set down her cup.

She stood and walked to her daughters’ side, tilting her head up at the seemingly impenetrable cloud cover. A knowing smile curved her lips. “Who says we can’t? Hold on tight, little ones!”

She gave them a gentle warning, and then — snapped her fingers with a crisp click.

“Hummm—”

On either side of the base, the pair of magic wings that had been folded away suddenly unfurled!

“Hold onto the railing.” The moment Mo Lan’s words left her lips, the magic wings pressed downward in one elegant stroke, and the entire castle lifted gently off the ground.

The flowers and grass in the garden leaned in unison in one direction. Rings of ripples spread across the tea in the cup on the side table. The little witches’ skirts and hair were softly lifted by the upward rush of air.

“It’s… it’s flying…” Dorella’s eyes went wide.

The castle rose steadily. Damp mist rushed against their faces, and gray cloud quickly swallowed everything around them. All that remained in sight was churning gray-white, and all that reached their ears was the sound of wind and the low hum emanating from the castle’s core.

Tessa gripped the railing tightly, her small face flushed with excitement, her eyes shining with astonishing brightness. “We’re going through the clouds!”

Sylvia clutched Mo Lan’s hem tightly with one hand while the other reached irresistibly toward the space beyond the railing.

Cool mist flowed between her fingers, leaving a damp sensation on her skin. “Mama, so clouds are just wet mist?”

Mo Lan bent down and lifted her into her arms, settling her in the crook of her elbow. “That’s right — water vapor evaporates, rises into the sky, and condenses when it meets cold air. That mist is what clouds are.” No sooner had she finished speaking than the gray-white ahead suddenly brightened.

The castle pierced through the last layer of heavy mist and burst free of the gray sea of clouds.

In that instant, the world opened up entirely.

Above stretched a clear, boundless deep-blue sky, not yet fully darkened, still steeped in that velvet-like dusky blue of twilight’s final moments.

Along the western horizon, the last ribbons of golden-red light burst forth from gaps in the clouds, like rivers of molten gold pouring downward, painting the rolling sea of clouds in colors of breathtaking brilliance.

Below, the thick clouds that had blocked everything just moments ago had transformed into an endless, fluffy, soft expanse of pure white prairie.

The Sea of Roses could no longer be seen in any detail — only in those fleeting moments when a gap briefly opened in the clouds could one catch a glimpse of hazy color below.

The sunset’s light washed across from the side, gilding the castle’s exterior with a flowing rim of gold, and brushing every upturned little face in the garden with a warm glow.

“It’s so beautiful…” Dorella whispered.

Every trace of Evelyn’s drowsiness had vanished. She leaned against the railing, chin resting on the back of her hand, her gaze following the sea of clouds. Her voice carried a dreamlike wonder. “We’re really… flying above the clouds.”

Tessa excitedly pointed at the castle’s enormous shadow cast upon the cloud sea. The shadow drifted slowly with their flight, its outline crisp, even the spread of the light-wings projected clearly. “Look! The castle’s shadow! How majestic! It’s like a giant bird!”

Sylvia nestled close in her mother’s arms, one small hand clutching the front of Mo Lan’s clothes, yet her eyes stayed fixed, unblinking, on the burning sky ahead.

After a long while, she tilted her small face upward and asked softly, “Mama, can the castle… always fly like this from now on?”

“Whenever you want it to,” Mo Lan looked down at her, “it can carry you above the clouds to anywhere in the world.”

At some point, Lilith had come to stand beside Dorella. She gently put an arm around her daughter’s shoulders and pointed toward a faint outline below the cloud sea. “Look over there.”

As dusk deepened, the clouds occasionally parted under the wind’s push.

Peering down through a wider gap in the clouds, in the direction where the flower sea’s edge met the Sunset Forest, the silhouette of an exceptionally tall tree gradually came into focus.

“It’s our family’s mutant hollow tree…” Dorella said with delighted surprise.

The sunset glow gradually sank behind the distant mountains. The colors shifted from fierce to gentle, finally becoming a lingering streak of pink-purple along the horizon.

Against the deep blue sky, the first stars began to appear — scattered and sparse, yet brilliantly, purely bright.

The castle began its slow descent.

It passed through the thinning clouds and returned to the damp night air.

It continued eastward, all the way to the sea.

The coastline wound and curved, and the silhouettes of the cliffs in the darkness looked like the ridged spine of a sleeping beast.

The castle glided lightly over the flower sea and finally came to rest atop a seaside cliff at the eastern edge of the Sea of Roses.

The moment its great feet touched the rock face, its knees bent ever so slightly to cushion the landing — not a speck of dust was disturbed.

The wings folded slowly, and the castle settled back down to rest.

In the garden, the little witches were still leaning against the railing, gazing at the white surf gently lapping against the rocks beneath the cliff.