Chapter 593 – The Witches in the Holy City

Among those who had settled in this vast Holy City, the overwhelming majority were Hermits. Existences like Garona, who were confident in their ability to ward off the interference of the holy light’s power, could be counted on one hand.

The Hermits worshipped light, and even their aesthetic preferences aligned with those of the Angels. They considered vivid colors too flamboyant and frivolous, and dark colors too oppressive and filthy. Only white and gold—the colors closest to light—were deemed the most beautiful.

At the same time, they fancied themselves beacons who would illuminate the earth like light itself, dispelling darkness.

To those who were kind, gentle, modest, courteous, and respectful of the light, they were friendly.

To those who were crude, rude, barbaric, and inclined toward darkness, they struck with an iron fist.

The Hermits, who made up the largest population in the city, were so uniform in their likes and dislikes that they directly influenced everyone else who wanted to integrate into Holy City’s environment or do business here.

The shops here were all like the bakery Mo Lan was currently staying in—white inside and out. The staff maintained impeccably polite demeanors at all times, never speaking rudely or directing harsh words at customers.

One could call it the city with the highest standards of conduct, and it wouldn’t be wrong.

It was just that here, not only were angry, irritable, or sorrowful people a rare sight—so too were people who visibly showed joy.

Everyone seemed to wear a smiling mask.

The only exceptions were probably Garona’s Holy Song Lily of the Valley tea restaurant, and the witches who appeared in this city.

Due to the Holy City’s rule that the exterior decoration of all buildings could not be altered, the Holy Song Lily of the Valley tea restaurant looked no different from any other shop on the outside—standard Holy City aesthetics.

But the interior decoration was far bolder, featuring every color imaginable except large swaths of white. Even the books in her shop had colorful covers paired with dark-toned pages.

The witches in the Eight-Times-Speed Gossip Alliance group chat also dressed in all manner of vivid colors in their daily lives.

According to the materials, intensely colorful decor also helped resist the assimilating influence of the holy light’s power.

The witch community was an absolutely maverick presence in the Holy City.

Walking down the main streets, they would be met with disapproving looks from Hermits, and even “friendly” admonishments.

As for Garona’s tea restaurant, it had long become so infamous among the Hermits that they would hug the opposite side of the road when passing by and quicken their pace.

In fact, the street where the tea restaurant was located was mostly inhabited by people who were unwilling to become Hermits and were still silently resisting the assimilating power of the holy light.

It was just that not many could truly persevere.

Either they left like the bakery’s owner and never returned, or after becoming Hermits, they felt uncomfortable being adjacent to the tea restaurant and hurried to move away.

Originally, Mo Lan had learned all of this about the Holy City from the materials Garona had given her. The only thing that had felt tangible was the extremely uniform clothing style of the Holy City’s residents, which she had observed from the sky when she first arrived.

But after holing up in the bakery for a week studying those materials, the moment she stepped out to attend the gossip meeting at the tea restaurant, she knew the documents hadn’t exaggerated one bit.

The bakery she was staying in was at the corner of the street. Turning left led to the street where the Holy Song Lily of the Valley tea restaurant was located—now dubbed the “Forsaken Light District” by the Hermits.

Turning right led to another street.

That street was home to a larger number of Hermits.

The owner of the tailor shop to her right was a human Hermit.

When Mo Lan stepped outside, the neighboring shop owner heard the door open and actually came over specifically to look. “Light’s blessings upon you—are you my new neighbor?”

At that point, Mo Lan hadn’t yet noticed anything amiss, and nodded. “Hello, I’m Moira, a White Witch.”

“Oh! Of course I know you’re a witch, but I didn’t know you were such a beautiful, good witch. It seems my recent prayers have been heard by the light—those who embrace the light are always so beautiful. If only all the witches in the Holy City were as beautiful as you. Oh, I’m Mary, by the way. Pleased to meet you.”

Mary said she was very happy, yet the expression on her face remained as mild as ever.

Though she hadn’t uttered a single vulgar word, and her tone didn’t even carry a hint of passive-aggressiveness, her words were somehow deeply uncomfortable to hear.

If Mo Lan hadn’t been thinking about gathering information through the Hermits or attracting the attention of the Angels, she would have barely been able to restrain herself from giving Mary a piece of her mind.

That alone would have been tolerable, but when Mo Lan gave a perfunctory nod and headed toward the tea restaurant, the Hermits she passed along the way all regarded her with looks of appreciation and approval.

“I’ve never seen a witch quite like you before.”

“If only all witches were like you.”

“I always knew that eventually, even the witches would embrace the light.”

…

Even after Mo Lan had walked straight into the tea restaurant, she could still hear someone behind her say:

“I hope you can sow the seeds of light in that wicked shop, rather than being assimilated by it!”

Mo Lan slammed the door shut with a bang and walked inside, still shaken.

The Holy Song Lily of the Valley by the door, its expectations dashed, stretched out a leaf to tug at the hem of Mo Lan’s clothes. “Hey! Don’t you want to play the door-opening-and-closing game for a bit? One bag of fertilizer for three minutes of play—how about it?”

“No!” Mo Lan refused without hesitation.

She had no desire to face those brainwashed Hermits outside again.

Everything they said was utter nonsense, yet they fancied themselves righteous, cloaking everything in goodwill and claiming it was all for her benefit. It was infuriating beyond measure, yet impossible to argue against clearly.

No matter what she said, they would only believe that she had been led astray by darkness.

“Fine, fine, no means no—why so fierce?” the Holy Song Lily of the Valley said, sounding aggrieved.

“Here, take it!” Mo Lan tossed it a {Nutrient Flower Fertilizer Card}. She had seen witches mention in the Eight-Times-Speed Gossip Alliance group chat that Garona used this kind of card to keep the Holy Song Lily of the Valley obediently stationed at the door as a greeter.

If a Hermit tried to come in to “spread the light,” the Holy Song Lily of the Valley could maintain an extremely high verbal attack speed and berate them right back out. But if a normal customer came, it would offer a warm welcome.

“Wow! Fertilizer!” The Holy Song Lily of the Valley was overjoyed. “You are simply the most generous customer I’ve ever met!”

Mo Lan couldn’t help but laugh at this flower, and some of her irritation from being harassed by the Hermits dissipated.

“Moira! You’re here! Come upstairs, quick!” Several witches had already arrived, and upon seeing her enter, they eagerly waved her over.

Over the past few days, they had been chatting frequently online and had already become quite familiar with each other.

The moment Mo Lan sat down, she said, “I’m starting to question whether infiltrating the Hermits to find opportunities to make contact with the Angels is actually a good idea. They are absolutely insufferable!”

“Pfft—” Garona stifled a laugh. “Look on the bright side. They’re helping you stir up your emotions and resist the influence of the holy light’s power.”

“Exactly! Sometimes we even deliberately dress in the most garish rainbow colors, or all in black, and parade around in other districts just to disgust the Hermits. We pick fights with them to amplify our emotional fluctuations!” Agnes said.