Chapter 383 – The Anatomical Appreciation Album

The moment Lilith heard that, she suddenly felt the Vampire tooth pendant was utterly unremarkable, losing all desire for it, and set it down.

“Hm? What’s this?”

She looked toward the largest golden ornament on the stall.

“That’s the one thing Dragons can’t be separated from before they break out of their shells,” Fayeth said, then looked at Mo Lan.

“It’s a Dragon egg cradle—for holding Dragon eggs. Dragon eggs can’t be moved, so they can never be separated from the cradle,” Mo Lan explained.

“…”

Lilith immediately withdrew her hand. Her eyes swept across the stall before she picked up a book, asking with some curiosity, “What about this?”

Surely a book wouldn’t turn out to be something bizarre, right?

“Hmm… This is a goblin anatomical appreciation album from several hundred years ago. It’s long out of print! What the Witch Council has on file is quite different from my copy here.

This complete set is absolutely required reading for any witch before she decides to reproduce.

If you’re interested in this sort of thing, I wouldn’t recommend starting with that one. I also have volumes on humans, Elves, Angels, and Merfolk. There are Dragon and Demon editions too, though those are a bit… intense. The experience isn’t great. I’d suggest starting with the human volume to ease yourself in,” Fayeth said.

Even Mo Lan didn’t immediately notice anything off.

Because the cover did indeed read 《XX Anatomical Appreciation Album》.

She assumed it was some kind of anatomy textbook or biology reference.

But when Lilith curiously flipped open 《The Human Anatomical Appreciation Album》, revealing the extremely realistic illustrations inside, Mo Lan slammed the book shut. “That’ll rot your eyes—don’t look!”

That was no anatomical appreciation album! It was basically live pornography!

And it was an entire series, no less, with protagonists from every race.

The art style was so realistic, too! Who on earth publishes albums like this?!

Mo Lan glanced at the author credit and—good grief—they were all by the same person, and she recognized the name.

It was the witch that Mama Shana admired most: the strongest Mind Witch, Helena!

The author’s name on the books was written in handwritten Witch Script, in the same style as the lettering on 《The Mind Witch’s Grimoire》. Mo Lan couldn’t convince herself she’d misread it even if she tried.

Their commotion must have been too loud, because another witch wandered over to look—and spotted the pile of books.

“Oh? Fayeth, you’ve completed the full first-edition set of Lady Helena’s 《Complete Anatomical Appreciation Album》?”

“Just tracked down the Dragon volume two years ago. What do you think? Interested? I’ve already had a Transcription Spell affixed—100 Gem Coins and you can copy the whole set!”

Before Mo Lan’s astonished and existentially questioning gaze, the witch happily transcribed the entire set into her own Grimoire.

Noticing Mo Lan and Lilith, she even smiled and said, “So Lady Moira and Lady Lilith have reached the age where reproduction interests them too! If a Sorceress is going to date, you need to be extra careful—make absolutely sure to keep your identity hidden!”

Mo Lan, whose mind contained nothing but getting stronger: “…”

Who’s interested in reproduction?!

ヽ(｀Д)︵┻━┻┻━┻

She turned to look at Lilith, her gaze dangerous.

“Don’t look at me—I have zero interest in casually reproducing! Being a Sorceress is dangerous enough as it is! Finding a partner is basically gambling with your life!” Lilith said.

Her witch mother and father had a fairly good relationship, but it had taken her mother several hundred years to find a partner who suited her and was loyal.

Her Manifested Gift was still waiting for her to develop it—where would she find time for that sort of thing?

Mo Lan relaxed slightly. “You’re right. Our identities as Sorceresses are far too sensitive. Any intimate relationship outside of witches requires extreme caution—we can’t be reckless! Other races aren’t like witches, with their unique souls and guaranteed integrity!”

Lilith nodded emphatically.

Only then did Mo Lan turn to Fayeth. “This really is an album drawn by Helena, the author of 《The Mind Witch’s Grimoire》? And the Witch Council has it on file?” Mo Lan felt she might still lack a certain understanding of witches.

“I never deceive fellow witches,” Fayeth said. “You’re both adults now. You can find this kind of reproduction-related material at the Witch Council Library.

However, my set predates the Witch Council’s very existence. What the Council has on file is the newer edition, and the new and old editions have completely different styles.”

Mo Lan: “…”

Perhaps she really didn’t understand witches well enough.

But then again, the way witches discussed reproduction and desire as casually as deciding what to eat for dinner, following their own preferences entirely—and the fact that the Witch Council even archived such albums—wasn’t that, in its own way, a form of confidence and freedom?

Mo Lan knew that her memories and experiences as a human were influencing her again.

The shame that human women felt about the reproductive process and their bodies was never something worth inheriting and perpetuating in the first place.

It was perfectly fine that witches didn’t have it.

She shouldn’t have it either.

In the end, Mo Lan and Lilith left Fayeth’s stall without finding anything they wanted to buy.

The most valuable thing she had was probably that set of anatomical albums covering every race. Everything else was just small trinkets—barely a step above junk in their places of origin.

Just as they were about to take their leave, Fayeth suddenly produced a Management Card. “Moira, isn’t the profit-sharing arrangement on these cards a bit unreasonable? The cut is way too steep, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Cheryl also pulled out the Management Card she’d received. “Everyone knows how rare original knowledge and works are—that should be considered the key to whether a card can be successfully made, right? Only a ten percent share of profits for unique knowledge is way too little!”

“They say the split is based on investment ratio, but in reality, you bear all the card-production costs while we only contribute our unique knowledge. Doesn’t that basically make it ninety-ten in your favor? I think it should be at least thirty percent! This is pure profit sharing—you’d still make plenty even at fifty percent!” Fayeth said.

Mo Lan actually felt somewhat gratified.

Thank heavens! There really were witches who’d seriously calculated and considered the profit-sharing arrangement!

The math textbook she’d written and the math classes she’d suggested Madam Amisha offer hadn’t been completely in vain after all.

“Um… Moira, don’t make that face…” Cheryl said.

She was haggling—haggling! So why did Moira look so pleased about it?

“I’m gratified that you think ten percent is too little, but you’re not calculating this correctly, and I won’t agree to change the split,” Mo Lan said with a smile, delivering the most ruthless words in the gentlest manner.

“There’s nothing wrong with splitting profits based on investment ratio, right? The reason I get ninety percent is because I bear all the card-production costs—I’m the only one with the ability to make cards. Can any of you do that?

The cards made from your unique knowledge might face plenty of competition, but there’s only one person who can make cards: me.

The low costs and high profits come from my card-making ability, not from your knowledge.

Ten percent is already the maximum.”

If witches who only needed to provide source material once to complete a card got twenty percent, then the Sorceresses who had to use their own Mana to process semi-finished cards every time would also get only twenty percent—and that would be far too unfair to them.

Unless those witches could contribute to the card-making process the same way the Sorceresses did, there was no basis for a larger share.