Chapter 577 – Anita Has Been Found

This shift in perspective was entirely brought about by dragon-tongue magic.

The Witch Magic and mage magic she had previously studied were actually not that different in terms of power, so the distinction hadn’t been obvious to her—she had simply felt that each had its own strengths.

This was determined by the energy levels of their respective casting energies: witch power and psychic power.

Witch power and psychic power were roughly on the same energy level to begin with.

It was only after learning dragon-tongue magic that Mo Lan came to understand that certain races had good reason for being dominant forces in Valen.

In terms of sheer power, dragon-tongue magic was vastly stronger than both Witch Magic and mage magic.

Dragon-tongue magic was grand and sweeping in scale. Its only drawback was that it consisted entirely of large-scale war magic—capable of crushing everything on the battlefield and annihilating enemies, but severely lacking in applicability for non-combat situations.

If a dragon wanted to use magic to sweep away some dust or cook a meal, it simply couldn’t be done.

That was why dragons preferred to use the threat of force to gather servants and subordinates to handle the trivial matters that brute strength couldn’t resolve.

Mo Lan asked herself honestly: was what she needed right now magic with unique characteristics?

No. She was interested in the distinctive magic of the Elves, Merfolk, Beastmen, Dwarves, and other races, but what she urgently needed was magic like dragon-tongue magic—magic that could significantly enhance her combat power and ability to protect herself.

The distinctive magic of the Elves, Merfolk, Beastmen, Dwarves, and other races might make her more well-rounded, given that she had already mastered all Witch Magic and mage magic, but it wouldn’t provide a substantial boost.

The Dragon race wasn’t even famous primarily for their dragon-tongue magic—their formidable physical bodies were their most fearsome asset. And yet even so, dragon-tongue magic had already made Mo Lan feel she had gained tremendously.

Then surely the magic wielded by the Angels and Demons—races that stood alongside the Dragons at the very top—would bring her improvements no less significant than dragon-tongue magic?

Things that interested her could wait until she had time to study them at leisure. What could enhance her strength was what deserved priority.

Powerful strength was the foundation of the freedom to choose.

And so, Mo Lan quietly raised the priority of Heaven’s Peak and the Abyss on her journey.

Once matters on Delicacy Island were wrapped up, she planned to pick one of those two places to go take a look.

For now, though, she hadn’t yet decided which to visit first.

During breaks between entertaining her guests, she began reviewing routes to Heaven’s Peak and the Abyss, as well as various materials about Angels and Demons.

Before she could reach a decision, Mo Lan’s Communication Card (Cross-Realm Edition), which had been silent for years, suddenly showed activity.

【Carmela: We’ve found Anita. In her search for a way to preserve the Manifested Gift, she became trapped in an otherworld with abnormal time flow. Her life was draining away rapidly, and she had no choice but to voluntarily abandon her physical body to preserve her soul.】

Mo Lan: “!!!”

All these years, after Lady Carmela and Lady Traci had gone to find Lady Anita, there had been no word from them whatsoever.

Every message she sent had vanished like stones dropped into the sea. She hadn’t dared to imagine whether the journey to the otherworld was simply too far, or whether they too had encountered danger. All she could do was throw herself into studying magic with everything she had.

Now, seeing Lady Carmela’s message, Mo Lan finally let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness—Lady Carmela and Lady Traci were both safe, and they had found Lady Anita’s soul.

As long as the soul remained, there was still hope.

So Lady Anita had encountered danger while searching for a way to preserve the Manifested Gift.

The Manifested Gift was the materialization of each Sorceress’s innate ability, originally belonging to that Sorceress alone. But ever since the Sorceresses had used Lady Carmela’s ability to share the powers granted by the Manifested Gift with others in the form of Sorceress Magic through trade, the Manifested Gift no longer belonged to just one Sorceress.

When the Sorceress lived, the Manifested Gift existed. When the Sorceress died, the Manifested Gift vanished.

No one could guarantee they would never meet with an accident.

Sorceress Magic had brought tremendous changes to the lives of Witches, and Mo Lan often worried about what would happen if one day the Sorceresses were gone and the Witches couldn’t adapt to life without Sorceress Magic.

She hadn’t expected that Lady Anita had long shared this same concern and had already taken action.

Unfortunately, she had encountered danger in the process and been forced to sacrifice her physical body to preserve her soul.

Mo Lan was about to send a message to ask Lady Carmela for details when several new messages popped up.

【Carmela: Anita used her own flesh and bone as the vessel base, her soul as the artifact spirit, her bloodline talent as the blueprint, and ignited the otherworld’s fire of time with her life force. She performed the art of life-forging to transform the Fireworks Wand—which had depended on her Sorceress bloodline for its existence—into a magical artifact capable of existing independently. Her soul now slumbers within the Fireworks Wand in the form of an artifact spirit.】

【Carmela: Now, Anita is the Fireworks Wand, and the Fireworks Wand is Anita. However, she is currently only a newborn artifact spirit with limited abilities. She can no longer distribute Sorceress Magic through contracts to protect every Witch.】

【Carmela: Anita says to bring her back to the Wilds and place her at the core of the defensive magic formation of the Wilds. She will merge with the formation in the form of an artifact spirit and continue to guard the Wilds.】

【Carmela: These years have been hard on all of you. Traci and I are already on our way back to Valen. We estimate we’ll arrive within three years at the latest.】

【Moira: All is well in the Wilds. We await your return.】

Mo Lan’s myriad thoughts condensed into just that single sentence. Before long, Carmela’s status showed as offline again.

The world beyond the Well of the Sky was simply too vast, making it nearly impossible to maintain stable communication while on the move.

Fortunately, Lady Carmela and Lady Traci had already rescued Anita—now an artifact spirit—from that dangerous otherworld and were on their way back to Valen.

The journey home was always more reassuring than venturing into unknown, dangerous territory.

What Mo Lan and the others needed to do now was stand their final watch before the senior Sorceresses returned and protect the Wilds.

This eased a great deal of her pressure.

She immediately shared the good news with Madam Amisha and the other Sorceress companions.

After receiving the news, Madam Amisha went to consult with the Witches of the Witch Council.

An hour later, the Witch Council posted the latest announcement about the matter in the Witch Council public bulletin group, notifying all Witches.

The four-person group chat of Mo Lan and her companions in “Sorceress’s Home” also buzzed with excitement over the news.

【Lilith: An otherworld with abnormal time flow—no wonder Lady Anita fell victim to it.】

No race in Valen had yet mastered the power of time, and even Sorceresses were no exception.

【Sylph: That Lady Anita’s soul was preserved intact—that truly is a blessing amid misfortune.】

【Vasida: Indeed. Just the fact that her soul is whole makes becoming an artifact spirit far better than becoming an undead creature.】

【Moira: I wonder whether Lady Anita’s soul was tainted by Death Force during her transformation into an artifact spirit. If not, perhaps all she needs is a suitable physical body, and she could be reborn.】