Chapter 403 – Back to Camp

Lilith’s sudden outburst made the Flame spell Mo Lan had just cast flicker for a moment. “Don’t you think your reaction is a bit slow?”

“Don’t you think sixteen badges is a bit excessive?” Lilith said. “Even if you did nothing but practice Magic nonstop, it shouldn’t be this fast!”

Sylph and Vasida had long known about Mo Lan’s progress and weren’t surprised in the slightest. Instead, they were more curious about Lilith. “Senior, how many title badges did you earn?”

“…” Lilith felt a deep pang in her heart.

She had started school a year earlier and graduated a year earlier, yet she’d only earned three title badges — in fire, metal, and Alchemy!

Though she’d been studying Magic from other schools as well, none had reached a level where she could apply for a title badge.

Magic became harder to improve the further you progressed. She had previously felt rather proud that she hadn’t wasted any time over the years and that earning three title badges was quite respectable.

But looking at her juniors today — setting aside Mo Lan’s sixteen, even Vasida and Sylph had each earned three title badges!

It made her, the senior, look rather incompetent by comparison.

“Stop calling me ‘senior’ — I don’t deserve it!”

Lilith said, “Just call me Lilith.”

That way she’d feel a little better at least.

“Let’s go, hurry up! We’re heading back!”

Lilith lit her torch with a whoosh and leaped into the pitch-black lake water.

Mo Lan and the others hurried after her.

By the time they reached the shore of Spring View Island, Lilith had already vanished without a trace.

“Senior couldn’t have taken the blow so hard that she went back to camp to sulk, could she?” Vasida said.

Sylph sighed. “She must have forgotten Mo Lan’s learning speed after being away for a year since graduation. That’s why she reacted so strongly.”

Unlike them — they were already used to it.

“Let’s go check on her,” Mo Lan said.

The three of them hurried back to camp.

A campfire had already been lit at the camp. Lilith sat quietly before it, holding her Grimoire and reading with intense focus.

“I get it!” Vasida said. “This is revenge-studying after being provoked by Mo Lan.”

Sylph nodded in agreement. “Usually she can’t keep it up for more than a few days before giving out — unless Mo Lan is right beside her studying the whole time.”

Mo Lan glanced at the two of them and said meaningfully:

“As it happens, I copied down quite a lot of interesting books this time. Why don’t we read them right now? It’ll help you two remember what it feels like to study hard.”

“No no no! Please don’t!” Vasida quickly refused. “We’re setting out at dawn — everyone should rest well and recharge!”

“Exactly!” Sylph had copied plenty of books over the past few days, but she had absolutely no desire to start reading them right this moment!

Yet if both Mo Lan and Lilith were reading, she probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep either.

She walked over and snapped Lilith’s Grimoire shut with a clap. “Senior! It’s very late — rest first! You can read tomorrow!”

Without giving Lilith a chance to resist, Sylph and Vasida pushed her back into her tent together.

They put out the campfire while they were at it.

“Moira, you haven’t been resting well these past few days either, have you? Go rest!”

Only after pushing Mo Lan back into her tent as well did Vasida and Sylph finally breathe a huge sigh of relief. They each returned to their own tents, did a quick wash-up, and collapsed into sleep immediately.

They really hadn’t rested well during their time at the Witch Council castle.

After returning to her tent, Mo Lan first picked up Zhizhi, who had been clinging to her calf, and smoothed its fur amid its squeaky chittering complaints. “There, there — I’m back now, aren’t I? It’s not that I didn’t want to bring you. The Witch Council just isn’t somewhere you could go.

You’ve worked hard these past few days guarding the camp with Bi’er and egg fried rice and the others. The wine bamboo next to the tent should be ready to mature after one more round of Growth Acceleration tomorrow. I’ll save it all for you to drink!”

At the mention of wine bamboo, Zhizhi went quiet and slurped its drool.

After soothing Zhizhi, Mo Lan sat down on the sofa and took out her Grimoire.

What she’d said earlier wasn’t entirely just to tease Vasida and Sylph.

Having copied so many books, she genuinely wanted to start reading them right away.

During these past few days at the main castle, she had been sitting on the rather comfortable flying carpet, which made resting easy enough.

Moreover, after learning 《Sky Meditation》, Mo Lan discovered that she could replace sleep with meditation, just like a mage.

Meditation could restore and train psychic power, and had an equivalent restorative effect on mental energy.

Only in terms of physical stamina did meditation have little effect.

But Mo Lan’s Mana level had already reached Peak level. Even though a Sorceress’s or witch’s abilities manifested through Magic rather than physical prowess, the growth of Mana would subtly enhance one’s physical constitution over time. That was why Sorceresses and witches needed progressively less sleep after reaching adulthood.

On top of that, she had been consistently using Vasida’s Dietary Fortification Card to strengthen her body, making her physical constitution truly exceptional.

Even going without sleep for several days would cause her minimal physical fatigue.

These past few days, whenever she felt tired, she would unfurl the nature scroll of Earth in her mind and meditate for a few minutes, and her energy would be fully restored.

So Mo Lan’s mental state was still excellent even now, and staying up late to read posed no problem whatsoever.

When dawn was nearly breaking, a brief meditation session was all it took to banish every trace of fatigue.

As the sky gradually brightened, Mo Lan was the first to emerge from her tent to use Growth Acceleration on the wine bamboo.

The wine bamboo, which had already been nearing maturity, immediately entered its mature phase after she applied the Growth Acceleration spell and Hybrid Magic, releasing a crisp, bracing fragrance of wine.

“Squeak!” A round little head poked out from the tent window and leaped right into the planting pot.

Mo Lan directed the witch farming tools to cut a section of bamboo tube and handed it to Zhizhi. “Drink up!”

Zhizhi hugged the bamboo tube, leaned against the side of the planting pot, and happily began drinking.

“Smells wonderful!” Vasida came out too, drawn by the aroma. She asked for a tube of wine and took a drink to clear her head. “Sleeping in the tent is so much more comfortable! The chairs and desks at the Witch Council were way too hard!”

Sylph turned the planting pots beside her tent back into cards one by one and stored them in her Spatial Card. “How is Lilith not up yet?”

“I’m up! I’m up!” Lilith came out yawning, faint dark circles under her eyes.

“Lilith, did you stay up reading after going back to your tent?” Vasida asked.

Lilith’s eyes darted around evasively, and she gave a soft “mm.” “I meant to sleep, but I just couldn’t fall asleep!”

“You could try meditation,” Mo Lan said. “Did you all forget? 《Sky Meditation》 mentioned that meditation can restore energy and substitute for sleep to a certain extent.”

Even though Lilith and the others could only construct simple meditation images with their psychic power, the restorative effect on energy was still quite potent.

“Really?” Lilith immediately went back into her tent and lay down to try it.

Half an hour later, when she emerged again, she looked radiant and fully refreshed.

Vasida and Sylph turned to Mo Lan. “You seem to know an awful lot about this — have you already been replacing sleep with meditation?”

Mo Lan: ()

(End of Chapter)