Chapter 1052 – Mo Lan’s Travel Diary 5

The little witches chattered away, bursting with questions.

Mo Lan, Vasida, Lilith, and Sylph exchanged knowing smiles and, in perfect unison, reached out with their chopsticks, each picking up a steaming xiaolongbao and gently popping it into their daughters’ endlessly questioning little mouths.

“Mmph…”

The warm, soft filling instantly conquered their taste buds and plugged the rapid-fire stream of curiosity.

“Finish your breakfast properly!” Mo Lan laughed, ruffling Sylvia’s hair. “Once we’re on the road, you’ll get to see the castle walking for yourselves. Next stop—the Sea of Roses to watch the sunset above the clouds!”

The little witches puffed out their cheeks and wolfed down the rest of breakfast at record speed, then couldn’t wait any longer, tugging at their mothers’ sleeves and urging them to get moving.

“Let’s go! Let’s go—!”

Mo Lan shook her head in amusement, stood up, and lightly clapped her hands.

The table immediately slid toward the castle’s open doors, carrying all the bowls and plates with it. The chairs lined up obediently and followed after it.

“Alright, alright,” she said, taking Sylvia’s hand. “Come on, I’ll take you all up to the castle rooftop—the view is best from up there!”

Vine ladders extended from the rooftop railing, and they climbed upward once more.

The castle rooftop was a spacious yet exquisitely designed garden.

Lush, velvety moss carpeted the ground, interspersed with glowing moonlight grass and Wind Chime Flowers swaying in the breeze, while several low redberry bushes dotted the spaces between.

At the center of the garden stood a glass-domed greenhouse.

A shallow water channel circled the garden, clear living water babbling along its course, with several silvery little fish swimming freely within.

Around the garden’s perimeter, several curved observation decks were positioned at intervals.

“Wow…” the little witches gasped in unison.

Dorella had already dashed toward the greenhouse, pressing her face against the glass to peer inside. Evelyn crouched by the water channel, reaching out to touch the playful little fish. Tessa, meanwhile, had taken an interest in the vine-woven swing in one corner of the garden.

But Sylvia ran straight to the unobstructed curved observation deck at the front of the garden and let out a cry of amazement:

“Wow—the castle stood up!”

That shout immediately drew all the other little witches over.

They crowded against the railing, eyes wide, watching as the mobile castle slowly “awakened.”

The massive legs, previously folded against both sides of the base, extended steadily outward. Joints covered in rock-like textures flexed with fluid agility, and the entire castle rose to its feet in a posture both majestic and graceful.

Then it began to walk. When its feet touched down, the ground produced only gentle ripples of air, leaving no footprints whatsoever.

Even more magical was the forest ahead.

The tall, dense starnight trees and ancient oaks, as the castle approached, seemed to possess awareness—their branches tilted slightly aside, their trunks shifting with unhurried composure, clearing a wide path for the enormous structure.

After the castle passed, they quietly returned to their original positions, branches and leaves closing back together as if they had never been disturbed.

“They’re moving!”

“There really aren’t any footprints!”

“What well-behaved trees!”

The little witches ran back and forth in excitement, dashing from the front observation deck to the rear one and back again, making several trips before finally stopping to catch their breath.

Tessa even boldly leaned over the railing and snatched a handful of leaves from a starnight tree as it brushed past: “Huh? How come you’re not moving now?”

Sylvia, tired from running, sidled up to Mo Lan and tilted her little face upward to ask: “Mama, how are these trees so obedient? They move out of the way on their own?”

“It’s the effect of Path Clearing,” Mo Lan said, gently stroking her hair and explaining patiently. “I’ve embedded many types of magic into the castle’s outer shell to help it move, and Path Clearing is one of them. It makes the plants along the route instinctively clear the way for the castle’s passage.”

“Then why aren’t there any footprints on the ground?” Sylvia’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Because the castle’s ‘soles’ are inscribed with Hovering Shock-Absorption runes,” Mo Lan said, pointing down at the pair of enormous feet currently striding leisurely through the forest. “When they touch the ground, the weight is evenly distributed by magic, and the runes convert the pressure into a gentle cushioning force. So they don’t damage the grass, and they don’t leave any marks.”

Sylvia listened with a half-understanding expression.

Just then, in the center of the path the trees had cleared ahead, a vine-covered woodland cottage appeared.

A green-robed witch was carrying a woven vine basket, bent over in her yard picking Lantern Tomatoes.

Hearing the unusual sound of rustling leaves, she looked up in puzzlement: “!!!”

What greeted her eyes was a mobile castle striding forward with steady steps.

Her first reaction wasn’t panic, but to quickly raise her wrist and open the photo function on her communication bracelet.

Click! Click click!

Up on the castle rooftop, Sylvia and Tessa were already excitedly leaning over the railing, waving energetically at the figure below:

“Hello—!”

The Green Witch froze for a second, then smiled and waved back at them.

The distance between them shrank rapidly.

Just as the castle was about to brush past the cottage’s rooftop, it smoothly bent its knees, gathered its strength, and leaped lightly into the air.

The enormous silhouette sailed over the cottage, the gust of its passing ruffling the witch’s long hair and the tomato leaves in her garden—yet not a single fruit was knocked loose.

The next moment, the castle had already vanished into the tree-lined shade on the other side, leaving behind only the gentle aftershock of swaying branches and leaves.

The Green Witch stood rooted to the spot, looking down at the dozen or so photos she’d just captured on her bracelet, her eyes still shining with lingering wonder.

With a few taps of her fingertip, she sent every last one of them into the Starlight Forest witch group chat.

【Starlight Forest Witch Group Chat】

【Viola: [Image] ×9】

【Viola: A walking magic castle just passed by my front door!! So cool!!!】

【Thalia: Wait… zoom in on the third one! In the garden on top of the castle, that witch holding a child—isn’t that Lady Moira?!】

【Camilla: It really is her! The little witch in her arms looks just like her—the same purple eyes! Is that Lady Moira’s daughter? So adorable!!!】

【Allison: This castle is literally the Witch’s home of my dreams! How come the Card Shop doesn’t have one like it? I’d go bankrupt to buy one!!!】

【Lia: The way it walks is so elegant, like an ancient giant awakening in the forest…】

…

Sylph, who also lived in Starlight Forest, was currently sitting in a vine chair in the castle’s garden.

Watching the messages and photos popping up endlessly on her bracelet, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly, turning the screen toward Mo Lan:

“Looks like we won’t have to wait until we leave the Wilds. Your mobile castle has already caused a sensation across all of Starlight Forest.”

Mo Lan took the bracelet and scrolled through the photos captured from various angles in the group chat, the corners of her mouth curving upward:

“That’s exactly the effect I was going for.”

If they were outside the Wilds, she might have needed to worry about the trouble that could come from revealing her whereabouts.

But this was the Witch’s Wilds. The witches here might discuss it eagerly and admire it with envy, but they would never casually intrude upon another witch’s chosen journey.

So she hadn’t even activated the invisibility function.