Chapter 1038 – Mo Lan’s Baby-Raising Daily Life 4

On ordinary days, she was either flipping through 《The Parenting Encyclopedia》 to fill in gaps in her knowledge, tending to the flowers and plants in the front yard garden, or growing fresh fruits and vegetables in the backyard plot. She rarely left the wooden cottage’s courtyard.

Of course, the most important task each day — the one that absolutely could not be neglected — was to channel Hybrid Mana into the sprout for nourishment according to its needs.

At first, the little sprout had a very small appetite but got hungry quickly.

It needed nourishing roughly every half hour, and just 50 Mana each time was enough to satisfy it.

As the little sprout grew day by day, its root system became more developed and its spiritual awareness strengthened, the intervals and capacity of its Mana absorption began to change.

Gradually, it shifted to once every two hours, consuming about 500 Mana per feeding.

Later still, the interval extended to once every eight hours, requiring a full 1,000 Mana each time, and its growth rate noticeably accelerated.

Half a year later, that once timid little sprout had grown into a flourishing Witch Tree — over two meters tall, its branches lush with leaves, its entire form suffused with a warm, gentle glow of life.

At the center of the densest part of the canopy, a small, unripe fruit no larger than a thumb had quietly taken shape, dangling from a slender stem, swaying gently.

By this point, the nourishing frequency had stabilized at once per day, but each feeding now demanded a staggering 5,000 Mana!

This was a truly astonishing figure.

After all, only a Peak level Witch’s total Mana reserves could cross the 5,000 Mana threshold.

Because of this, most Witches nurturing a Witch Tree either had to spend a long time in advance stockpiling Energy Storage Cards as backup, or simply accept reality — extending the interval between feedings and passively prolonging the Witch Tree’s growth period. It often took several years before the fruit could ripen.

But for Mo Lan, this was no problem at all.

As a Sorceress beyond the Tenth Rank, her Mana reserves ran deep as an abyss. The mere fraction of her daily automatic recovery far exceeded that number, and on top of that, she had a constant, endless stream of Mana feedback from Card Magic applications spanning tens of thousands of worlds.

She had never once let the Witch Tree go “hungry.” Every time it needed energy, she satisfied it immediately.

Such abundant “nutrition” brought astonishing growth efficiency.

A mere ten months and eight days after planting the Witch Tree, the unripe fruit hanging deep within the canopy finally began to turn white on its surface.

Mo Lan immediately snapped a photo and sent it to the Sorceress’s Home group chat.

【Moira: My Witch Fruit seems to be turning white! [image]】

The response came almost instantly.

【Vasida: [image], Mine too! Just noticed it this morning!】

【Lilith: [image], Looks like our Witch Trees are all growing at about the same rate! Maybe our children really will be born on the same day! Just thinking about it feels magical!】

【Sylph: Judging by the purity of the color and the life fluctuations emanating from the fruit… three days at most, and our Witch Fruits should be fully mature, entering the ‘egg baby’ stage.】

As someone who had already successfully grown two Witch Trees, given birth to Flora and Tiana, and was herself the inventor of the Witch Tree, Sylph’s judgment was undoubtedly the most authoritative.

Mo Lan’s, Vasida’s, and Lilith’s hearts all involuntarily leapt with anticipation reaching its peak — along with a touch of nervousness.

From that day on, they each spent even longer beside their respective Witch Trees.

Three days felt as though they had been stretched infinitely long in the agonizing wait.

On the morning of the third day, Sylph was the first to send the good news.

【Sylph: [image], The Witch Fruit has ripened — it’s a real ‘egg baby’ now!】In the photo, a perfectly white, smooth, and round “egg” lay quietly atop Dunmu.

【Vasida: It’s not rolling around everywhere? Its temperament seems much calmer than Flora’s and Tiana’s were back then!】

【Lilith: My little one still hasn’t made a move! I just asked it, and all it sends me are vague impressions like ‘wait a bit longer’ and ‘not ready yet’ — it’s driving me crazy!】

Messages were still popping up on the communication bracelet, but Mo Lan had absolutely no attention to spare for reading or replying at this moment.

Because the Witch Fruit before her eyes had turned completely white.

All the power of life swirling around the Witch Tree was rapidly converging into the fruit.

Soon, the entire tree wilted.

“Crack.”

An extremely faint yet crystal-clear sound of something snapping rang out.

The glistening white fruit, now heavy with all the absorbed life essence, naturally loosened at the stem and detached.

Mo Lan was already prepared, arms spread wide.

The next instant, she felt a slight weight settle into her embrace.

From this moment on, it was no longer a fruit on a tree, but a true “egg baby” awaiting hatching!

An independent, living little life was peacefully sleeping within.

Mo Lan’s heart pounded. She took a deep breath, suppressed the surge of emotion, and cradled the egg baby in the gentlest, most secure hold she could manage, carefully climbing down from the tree.

Below the tree, Zhizhi had already pushed over a delicate baby carriage.

The carriage was lined with thick, soft fleece padding, surrounded by soft, breathable railings on all sides. The space in the center was just the right size to securely hold a Witch Fruit egg baby.

Mo Lan bent down and gently, carefully placed the egg baby from her arms into the center of the carriage’s soft padding.

When the egg baby touched the soft cushion, it shifted ever so slightly in comfort.

Then Mo Lan extended her palm and gently rested it on the warm, smooth eggshell. Hybrid Mana flowed forth once more.

As the Mana steadily infused, the egg baby soon transmitted a feeling of “contentment” — clearer than any feedback it had ever given before.

Mo Lan slowly withdrew her hand and let out a breath of relief.

“How come the little master is eating so little again?” Zhizhi leaned against the edge of the baby carriage, gazing at the egg baby and asking with puzzlement.

She still remembered how the Witch Tree had consumed so much Mana every day once it had grown!

“It doesn’t need to grow roots, branches, and fruit anymore,” Mo Lan explained with a smile, her gaze resting tenderly on the egg baby. “Its body was already fully developed during the fruit stage. Now it only needs to accumulate a tiny bit of final strength, adjust itself, and then… break through the shell. So the Mana it needs is actually less.”

“Oh, I see!” Zhizhi nodded, half understanding.

Just then, Sentai, who had been beside them, seemed unable to contain her curiosity any longer. She cautiously extended her most delicate tendril — the one tipped with a tiny flower — and ever so gently, like a feather, gave the smooth eggshell a poke.

To everyone’s surprise, the egg baby seemed to have been plotting this all along. Using that minuscule force, it actually tumbled — rolling a perfect, complete somersault on the soft padding!

“!!!” Sentai froze, every vine going rigid. The tiny flower at the tip of her tendril snapped shut instantly, and with a whoosh, she retracted the vine tip back into her main body.