Chapter 175 – Sylph’s Greenhouse

Chapter 175 – Sylph’s Greenhouse

“Ahem!”

Mo Lan cleared her throat lightly and lifted her chin.

Vasida looked at Sylph and straightened her posture.

Lilith set down her chopsticks and delicately dabbed at her mouth.

Sylph: “???”

What just happened?

She even turned around to check whether Lady Carmela had silently appeared again.

Why else would her companions suddenly be sitting so properly?

“Sylph, my drawing skills are quite good!” Mo Lan said. “I wonder if I might have the honor of visiting your greenhouse? I could help you sketch what your mutant plants look like.”

She had never been to Sylph’s greenhouse before!

All those strange mutant plants of Sylph’s—Mo Lan had only ever heard her talk about them, never actually seen them.

Vasida was far less subtle: “Me too, me too! Sylph, I want to go see it! Maybe I’ll even buy some of your magic! Didn’t you say your mutant crops have much higher yields than normal ones?”

Lilith said nothing, but her eyes said it all.

“Of course you can! I can still keep an eye on things with three of you in the greenhouse!” Sylph said confidently. “But when should we go?”

“Now!” Vasida said, barely able to contain her eagerness. “We just finished hotpot—it’s not like we could fall asleep right away anyway!”

Mo Lan and Lilith had no objections either, and even thought it was a great idea.

The three of them had long been brimming with curiosity about Sylph’s greenhouse.

The shadow left by the Screaming Wind Chime Flower still lingered. Sylph had always felt sorry about the trouble the Screaming Wind Chime Flower had caused everyone, and she kept her greenhouse well-protected.

She never offered to bring outsiders in for a visit, and Mo Lan and the others had always kept their curiosity bottled up inside, not daring to voice it and put Sylph in an awkward position.

But today, hearing Sylph suggest inviting an upperclassman in for a tour—how could they possibly hold back any longer?

Sylph was stunned by their enthusiasm.

But before she could say anything, Mo Lan had already tidied up everything on the table, packed away the Mobile Kitchen Card, and stored it in the Book of Cards.

Lilith and Vasida sprang into action—one conjured a large glowing orb with the Light spell for illumination, while the other dragged Sylph out the door.

By the time she realized what was happening, the four of them were already on their way to the greenhouse.

“Let’s cut straight through the Breadfruit Grove and walk along the field ridges—it’s shorter!” Vasida said.

“I could perfectly well fly there on my broom!” Lilith gazed longingly back at her dormitory, where her broom waited. She just needed to go back and grab it, and she could free her legs from this ordeal.

Mo Lan sidled up to the upperclassman, the floating light orb hovering beside her blocking Lilith’s wistful gaze. “Flying alone on a broom is so lonely! Isn’t it so much more fun walking together with us?”

On the other side, Vasida linked arms with Lilith. “Exactly! Walking together is good exercise too!”

Lilith: “…”

She didn’t normally see them so enthusiastic about walking. Did they think she couldn’t tell what they were up to?

She actually had Intermediate Super Speed too, which was certainly better than this leisurely stroll, but there was no point in bringing it up—Sylph and Vasida still hadn’t purchased her Vampire blood fusion spell.

She’d just have to walk along obediently!

“The last time we all went out together at night was on the day of the entrance ceremony!” Sylph said wistfully. “Back then, the three of us couldn’t even cast the Light spell. We stood outside the pitch-black Breadfruit Grove, too scared to go in. Thank goodness our upperclassman came along. And now…”

They looked at the large glowing orbs floating beside each of them and smiled.

“Now wherever we go, it’s bright as day.”

“Time flies!”

…

“We’re here!”

The young witches had been chatting as they walked, and taking the shortest route, they quickly arrived at Greenhouse No. 23. A small wooden sign still hung on the greenhouse door reading “Dangerous Plants Inside—Do Not Enter.”

Sylph knocked on the door. “Bi’er, open up! It’s me!”

The door cracked open, and Bi’er appeared in the doorway holding a small, golden-yellow tomato lantern.

The brightness outside made her squint until her eyes adjusted, then she flew over to Sylph and planted a big kiss on her cheek.

“Sylph! Why are you here so late?”

“I brought my good friends to see the plants in the greenhouse, to prepare for selling mutant magic.” Sylph said. “Bi’er, could you lead the way up front? I’ll bring up the rear!”

“Got it!” Only then did Bi’er briefly tear her gaze away from Sylph for the first time, letting it fall on Mo Lan and the other two. “Greenhouse No. 23 at night is best enjoyed with the Light spell turned off!”

“Bi’er’s right!” Sylph dismissed her Light spell. “We put quite a lot of effort into planning and arranging the greenhouse. The Light spell would spoil the visual effect.”

Hearing this, Mo Lan and the others all extinguished their Light spells too.

Wands gripped in hand, they followed behind Bi’er and entered Greenhouse No. 23.

The moment they stepped inside, they let out exclamations of wonder just like the first time they had entered Greenhouse No. 1.

Except when entering Greenhouse No. 1, they had marveled at how vast the interior space was—a whole world hidden within.

Now, they marveled at the dreamlike scene before their eyes.

Before them stretched a straight stone path, and every few meters on either side, a tomato plant grew.

Every single tomato fruit radiated a golden-yellow glow.

The brightness couldn’t compare to the Light spell’s illumination orbs, but it was more than enough to light the way ahead.

Besides those growing along the path, some simply processed tomato lanterns floated in the air above.

Similar to the one in Bi’er’s hand, but larger.

Looking out across them, they were like a sky full of yellow starlight.

The entire greenhouse was bathed in a warm, golden glow.

On both sides of the stone path lay plots of farmland, each one growing something different.

Between the plots were more stone paths and tomato streetlamps just like the ones before them.

The area near the greenhouse entrance seemed to contain only shorter plants, giving an open view that made it look like a checkerboard inlaid with yellow fluorite.

“It’s so beautiful! These are the Lantern Tomatoes you told us about before, right, Sylph!”

Mo Lan and the others couldn’t take another step the moment they walked in, crouching down beside a tomato plant to examine it curiously.

However, they knew that some of Sylph’s mutant plants were dangerous, so none of them reached out to touch anything. They simply asked Sylph:

“Besides glowing, how are these tomatoes different from regular ones?”

“Besides glowing, Lantern Tomatoes have a harder, thicker skin, somewhat like a pumpkin. When you eat them, you need to peel the skin off first—the flesh inside is the same as a regular tomato.

It’s the skin that glows. After you scoop out the flesh, the glowing skin can be preserved for much longer.

A month is no problem at all, generally speaking.”

Sylph said, “Feel free to pick a few to play with—these won’t hurt anyone.”

Since Sylph had given the go-ahead, Mo Lan and the others certainly weren’t going to be shy about it.

Each of them picked a Lantern Tomato and held it in their hands, admiring it.