Chapter 412 – I’ll Buy Them All

Lilith, Vasida, and Sylph had long since lost their restraint under the assault of aromas.

The moment Mo Lan called out that they could eat, they all sprang into action.

Seeing this, Celia joined in as well.

While Lilith and Vasida were marveling at how the braised fish fin with pickled cabbage was tender and appetizing, how the chopped chili fish head was numbing and spicy and perfect over rice, how the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was sweet and sour, how the blue horn fish sashimi was smooth and refreshing, and how the fried ink shadow fish jerky was salty, fragrant, and crispy—

Celia was eating and praising the cooking methods nonstop:

“I’ve been raising these fish for so long, but I never knew they could be prepared like this! These cooking methods are absolutely wonderful!”

“If you like them, you could copy a set of the 《Earth Cookbook》. All these dishes are in there.”

Mo Lan said, “Or you could just buy ready-made ones directly through Card Magic.”

“Card Magic?” Celia looked puzzled. “Is that some new otherworldly magic?”

“It’s not otherworldly magic—it’s Sorceress Magic,” Mo Lan said.

“Sorceress Magic! Wait—Sorceress Magic?” Celia was so startled she accidentally shoved an ink shadow fish jerky into Uli’s nostril.

Uli let out a furious snort, but Celia had no time to worry about that. “A new Sorceress has appeared?”

She knew about the Sorceress Magic of Sorceress Traci, Sorceress Carmela, and Sorceress Anita—and none of them had anything called Card Magic.

“When did this happen? What’s the Manifested Gift? How old are they now?”

“I’ve been cooped up for far too long—something this big happened and I had absolutely no idea!”

“I need to make a trip to the Witch Council as soon as possible!”

……

Even now, she still hadn’t suspected the four of them sitting right in front of her.

The truth was, once a witch reached adulthood, unless she entered the magical power decline period and her appearance began to age, it was nearly impossible to tell her actual age.

Seeing how excited Celia was about the news of new Sorceresses, Mo Lan, Lilith, Vasida, and Sylph simultaneously and discreetly straightened their backs, sitting up a little more properly.

After Celia muttered to herself for a while, she suddenly noticed that all four of them had gone quiet, and even their eating had slowed to a leisurely pace. She looked at them with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong with you all?”

“Ahem—allow me to reintroduce myself… I am Sorceress Lilith. I specialize in Blood Magic, and my Manifested Gift is the Bloodthirst Needle.”

Lilith took the lead, and Vasida and Sylph immediately followed.

“I am Sorceress Vasida. I specialize in devouring magic, and my Manifested Gift is the Devouring Stomach.”

“I am Sorceress Sylph. I specialize in Hybrid Magic, and my Manifested Gift is the Box of Ten Thousand Seeds.”

With each introduction, Celia’s breathing grew a little more rapid.

When Mo Lan finally said, “I am Sorceress Moira. I specialize in Card Magic, and my Manifested Gift is the Book of Cards,” Celia was so shocked she momentarily forgot about the food.

“F-four… four Sorceresses?”

Mo Lan nodded. “The three of us just came of age this year. Lilith came of age last year. We’re preparing to venture out into the Wilds together.”

“You just came of age, and you’re already Peak level?” Celia asked.

This was even more shocking to her than having four Sorceresses appear before her at once. How old had she been when she reached Peak level? At least a hundred, surely!

“Selling Sorceress Magic—Mana grows quickly that way,” Mo Lan said. “Each of our magics has its own unique qualities. How about it—would you like to learn more?”

A certain nerve in Lilith instantly fired up. She pulled out her Grimoire, flipped through it with rapid strokes, and handed it to Celia. “I have the latest editions of 《Blood Magic》, 《Card Magic》, 《Devouring Magic》, and 《Hybrid Magic》 right here.”

Vasida and Sylph watched Mo Lan and Lilith tag-teaming their pitch to Celia—not even sparing their own Sorceress Magic from the sales push—and finally caught the scent of a business opportunity, taking the initiative to introduce their own magic as well.

Celia listened with eyes sparkling, screaming internally: Oh my goodness! These little Sorceresses trying so hard to sell their magic—they’re absolutely adorable!

“This one, this one, this one, and this one too…” Celia pointed at several magics in one breath. “I’ll buy them all!”

With that, she pulled out a Parchment and began writing up a contract using the Golden Pen Technique.

Mo Lan, who had originally been thinking that even a mosquito’s leg was still meat and that a single witch’s Mana was still worth earning, suddenly felt a twinge of conscience.

“Are you sure? Buying all of these will cost quite a lot of permanent Mana!”

Although her Card Magic only cost 3 Mana and consisted of just one spell, Lilith, Sylph, and Vasida each either had multiple types of magic or had divided their magic into tiers.

Celia had pointed at nearly all of their magics in one go—added together, it had to be several hundred Mana.

Even for a Peak level witch, several hundred Mana was no small sum.

“Absolutely! I’m still young—permanent Mana can be earned back, but the sooner you buy magic, the sooner you enjoy it. Sorceress Magic is so much more convenient than some of that otherworldly magic!”

Celia signed the contract as she spoke. “Done!”

Celia’s decisiveness left Mo Lan and the others thoroughly ashamed of their own hesitation.

From the way she spent Mana so lavishly, it was obvious she was a Beyond Peak witch of considerable accomplishment within the Well of the Sky.

A witch who bought the full set like Celia—there had been barely any in the past few years. Only the likes of Carmela and Madam Amisha.

Mo Lan asked curiously, “Madam Celia, is the Well of the Sky a source for obtaining permanent Mana?”

Otherwise, relying solely on natural growth, permanent Mana—being non-renewable—could never be spent this generously no matter how much one had.

Celia smiled mysteriously. “You’ll find out once you go to the Well of the Sky yourselves.”

The eager expressions on Mo Lan and the others’ faces froze.

“I’m not deliberately keeping you in suspense—it’s a rule. What happens in the Well of the Sky is a secret to those on the outside!”

Celia said:

“It’s a place where danger and opportunity coexist… You might look at me living in a lake, not having left home in over a century, but in reality, during these hundred years, I’ve spent at least sixty or eighty of them traveling through other worlds. I’ve gained quite a lot, so spending Mana on Sorceress Magic is well worth it to me! After all, Sorceress Magic is the only kind that you can use immediately and reliably just by forming the contract—no learning required. The cost-effectiveness is incredible! Your appearance is wonderful news for witches like us who are exploring the Well of the Sky! It’s just that everyone rarely goes out, so they don’t hear the news—otherwise they’d all be doing exactly what I’m doing!”

These words had, in fact, already answered Mo Lan’s question indirectly.

Witches who had been to the Well of the Sky were indeed not as strapped for permanent Mana.

“Hm? {Food Card — Surströmming}?”

Celia was the first to use Card Magic. Using the one free draw that every new contractor received, she drew a card:

“Shop price: 3 Gem Coins? Looks like my luck isn’t bad! But what kind of food is surströmming?”

“Surströmming? Come to think of it, I haven’t tried that either!” Lilith leaned over curiously to look.