Chapter 717 – Dreamweaver World 55

Chapter 717 – Dreamweaver World 55

Mo Lan and Leah had only climbed halfway up the spiral wooden staircase when a fierce argument erupted from above. Mo Lan’s reflexes kicked in and she grabbed Leah, and the two of them stood frozen on the steps, holding their breath to listen.

“My apprentice had barely stepped out of the altar before she mastered Shadow Walk, Shadow Jump, and Light Cloak walking one after another—a super genius! Stronger than either of us were at her age! And she hasn’t failed a single time to this day!”

Hearing that voice brimming with pride, Mo Lan found it genuinely difficult to connect it with Teacher Matina.

“How can an apprentice compare to a daughter? My little Leah has never once disappointed me since the day she was born! No matter how many times she got hurt practicing Magic, she never backed down! She’s the most tenacious girl in the whole village!” Leona’s voice sounded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Mo Lan glanced at Leah. The girl’s face was slightly flushed, as though she could hardly believe her mother would praise her like that.

But the argument upstairs was far from over.

“My apprentice finished reading my entire collection in just a few hours! Hundreds of books!” Matina’s pitch climbed higher and higher. “And the key thing is she remembered every last word—not a single character missed!”

“How can an apprentice be as dear as a daughter? My little Leah secretly channels her Power of Shadow into me when I’m sick, hugs me when I’m feeling down, and quietly works her hardest whenever I want to beat you…”

“The first time my apprentice tamed a shadow pet, she tamed an entire tea set! And it only took her a few minutes!”

“Adventurers are all so detached!” Leona suddenly raised her voice to a shrill pitch. “She’ll leave sooner or later—what good is all that genius then!”

The air went suddenly quiet for a heartbeat.

Leah looked toward Mo Lan as well.

“So what!” Matina’s voice dropped low, yet carried an undeniable force. “No matter where Moira goes, she’s still my apprentice. Every bit of shadow magic she knows, I taught her—and that only makes me proud. Besides, she already paid for her knowledge long ago. I’m not expecting anything in return!”

Then her tone shifted abruptly: “And anyway, can you really keep Leah by your side forever? Did you raise her just so she’d repay you someday? When children grow up, they’re bound to go out into the world and live their own lives—just like we did back then. That’s no different from the adventurers who come and go. At least Moira is an adventurer with several chances to start over—I don’t have to worry about her dying so easily. But what about Lena?”

“That’s impossible!” Leona shrieked as if someone had stomped on a sore spot.

She truly could not tolerate the thought of her daughter facing danger or harm.

Mo Lan and Leah exchanged a glance and wordlessly quickened their pace.

When they climbed through the trapdoor, the scene before them was equal parts absurd and endearing.

Matina and Leona stood squared off like two bristling old cats—one leaning on her stone cane, the other brandishing a ledger—looking as though they were about to come to blows.

Their shadows had long since tangled into a brawl, and the gold coins on the counter had been rattled loose, scattering across the floor.

“Mama!” Leah ran over and threw her arms around Leona’s waist. “I’ll never leave you!”

Mo Lan quietly walked to Matina’s side and gently steadied the old woman’s faintly trembling arm. She could feel the complex emotions hidden beneath her teacher’s seemingly tough exterior.

A sheen of moisture suddenly welled up in Leona’s eye. Her fingers absently stroked her daughter’s braids, though her voice came out even huskier than usual: “Don’t say silly things… How could you never leave your mama?”

Then she whipped around fiercely toward the master and apprentice at the door, the moisture in her single eye instantly evaporated by fury: “What are you staring at! If you’ve got your goods, then get out!” She snatched a rag from the counter and scrubbed furiously at dust that didn’t exist. “If you don’t leave now, I’m charging you a loitering fee!”

Matina’s stone cane struck the floor with a resounding thud. “Fine, we’re leaving.” She turned and strode toward the door, her black cloak sweeping a sharp arc behind her.

But the moment she crossed the threshold, the old woman’s steps faltered.

The lamplight stretched her silhouette long across the floor. She didn’t look back—only tapped the doorframe lightly with her stone cane.

“Hey, you old thing.”

“…What?” Leona’s voice was muffled.

Matina tilted her head up toward the sliver of daylight filtering through the crevices in the cavern ceiling. “Enough with the waterworks.” Her voice softened to a rare gentleness. Her silhouette looked especially frail against the glow, yet somehow inexplicably resilient. “Since we managed to make it back alive from the Exploration Zone all those years ago… we’ve taught the children everything we know. They’re stronger than we ever were—they won’t really come to harm.”

The entire shop fell silent. The lantern on the counter crackled softly, its firelight illuminating the stunned expression frozen on Leona’s face.

“…Who’s crying!” Leona suddenly snatched up a jar of subterranean worms and made as if to hurl it. “If you’re leaving, then leave!”

But her shadow betrayed its master—on the wall behind her, it was quietly wiping its “eyes.”

Matina let out a low chuckle and tapped her stone cane forward.

Mo Lan hurried to catch up, hearing Leah’s bright voice call out from behind: “Moira, when are you going to tame more shadow pets? I want to come watch and learn!”

“Don’t you dare!” Leona’s roar was full of vigor. “Master your white-spotted earthworm shadow first before you even think about it! Be careful about biting off more than you can chew—you’ll hurt your brain!”

The night wind carried the fading sounds of the mother and daughter’s bickering, and the corner of Matina’s mouth curved upward ever so slightly.

All those worries about parting and growing up had, in this moment, transformed into steady footsteps on the path ahead. After all, they too had once stumbled along just like this—learning to wield their powers under the guidance of parents and kin, stepping out into the wider world, and being fortunate enough to return home in their old age.

“Teacher…” Mo Lan spoke up softly. “Were you afraid the first time you went to the Exploration Zone?”

Matina’s steps hitched for just a moment before she let out a short laugh. “Afraid? Of course I was afraid. Leona and I went together back then. Our first night out, we huddled together in the shadow world, shivering, and didn’t sleep a wink! But later we realized that everything we’d been taught had already laid a solid foundation for us. We already had the power to protect ourselves—we just needed a little more caution and courage.”

Mo Lan nodded in agreement. Thinking of what she’d overheard earlier, she couldn’t help asking one more question: “Teacher, if I leave someday… will you be sad?”

“Silly child…” Matina’s voice seemed to drift in from somewhere very far away. “Do you really think we old folks care whether you come back or not? The traditions of Shadow Village were never meant to keep you trapped in this tiny village. What we want is for you to venture to places we ourselves never reached. So once you’re strong enough, just go! You little monster. I know that with your abilities, it won’t be long before there’s nothing left I can teach you.”

Mo Lan suddenly smiled. “Then I’d better work hard and make it deep into the Exploration Zone!”

“Now that’s more like it!” Matina threw her head back and laughed.