"Choose a passphrase," Gneia said. "Once you've set it, you can use it anytime to open the exchange list and enter or leave the Witch Coven freely."
She held her palm face-up and level, a sphere of pink light rising and falling above it like a slow tide.
"Rua!"
The word tumbled out of Li Fei's mouth before she'd even thought about it. A scatter of pink sparks, each no larger than a firefly, broke free from the sphere and drifted toward the space between her brows — then vanished, like raindrops dissolving into a river's surface.
"Rua."
Before Gneia could say another word, Li Fei spoke the passphrase again. At once, an enormous curtain of pink light came cascading down from the sky, and within it blazed a dazzling exchange list — spells, esoteric arts, equipment, materials, slaves…
"Remember to check the inventory count before you redeem anything," Gneia remarked, timing the reminder perfectly. "If something you want is out of stock… the wishing ritual can still produce it from nothing — but you'll need to pay double the points."
Conjure things from thin air… this orange-brand wishing machine is genuinely busted, isn't it?
Li Fei narrowed her eyes, quietly revising her estimate of just how formidable the Witch lineage truly was.
"Let's start with the complimentary spell," Gneia said. "All five elemental disciplines are represented — but we generally recommend new Witches choose from the Witch-exclusive spells."
The moment she finished speaking, the contents of the pink curtain refreshed, replaced by row upon row of densely packed spell entries.
"There are so many?"
Li Fei blinked, genuinely caught off guard.
After learning about the concept of "lineage inheritance," she had done a bit of homework in the gaps between classes and wine shifts. In her mind, inherited skills had always been synonymous with "rare and powerful" — implying scarcity above all else.
"Because we are a lineage," Gneia said, the corner of her mouth lifting. "Most other inheritances pass from one vessel to the next — a chain of single succession. Only when the previous inheritor dies does the next one receive it. And if no suitable inheritor can be found, the lineage goes into hiding — or is forgotten by the world entirely."
"But we Witches? We have been creating spells through the collective wisdom of an entire lineage — one discovery at a time, accumulated across centuries. Our spell library has grown so vast that it rivals the combined total output of the five great magical schools. What other inheritance could possibly compare?"
"And once you've developed new spells of your own," she added, "you can contribute them to the Coven's library. Every time a sister redeems your spell with her points, you earn a cut."
A royalty system for original content? Now that's something I know all about…
"How is the split?" Li Fei asked, curiosity piqued.
"Thirty-seventy."
"Only seventy percent?" Li Fei puffed out her cheeks.
She had entirely forgotten that her wine commission had previously been one percent, and that the tenfold increase had only brought it up to ten percent.
"The seventy is what you hand over. You keep thirty."
"What?!"
Li Fei planted both hands on her hips, radiating righteous indignation. "So I'm basically begging on my knees?!"
Lady Gneia kept her smile perfectly intact and launched into a measured speech about "maintenance costs," "high taxation as a vehicle for collective welfare," and "the importance of thinking about the bigger picture" — before ultimately promising that "the split percentage will improve as your permissions increase." Only then did the furious top courtesan swallow her pride and grudgingly accept the arrangement.
Li Fei shifted her attention back to the glowing curtain. After studying it for a good while, she arrived at her verdict:
"Why does it feel like… most of these spells aren't exactly proper?"
——
[Enthralling Blood]
Category: Esoteric Art
Description: Modifies the Witch's blood. Those who consume it will gradually develop an obsessive fixation on the Witch, progressing until they develop full Witch Dependency Syndrome.
Redemption Price: 1 Point
Reviewer Comments:
I developed this esoteric art myself. I knew I could price it at 1,000 points and people would still buy it — but I held firm at 1. Sisters, was I right to do so? (from Kong Wanying)
While Witch blood already produces a similar effect naturally, the version refined through this esoteric art delivers immediate and dramatically enhanced results. An outstanding piece of work. (Anonymous)
Wanying queen, slay!! (from Isabella)
——
[Marilyn Edition Phantom Limb Growth]
Category: Spell
Description: Allows flexible adjustment of the phantom limb's volume, shape, temperature, sensitivity, and more.
Redemption Price: 20 Points
Reviewer Comments:
I use it an average of ten times a day. (from Millia)
Only ten times, sister? You call that living? (from Irene)
——
[Affection Transfer]
Category: Spell
Description: Transfers a target's feelings for one person onto another person entirely.
Redemption Price: 15,000 Points
Reviewer Comments:
Cuckholder supremacy! Cuckholder supremacy! URAAAA!! (from Yevgenia)
Your wife is wonderful — but in the next second, she'll be mine. (from Windsor)
Windsor dear, your girlfriend is also wonderful. (Anonymous)
ATTENTION: Effective immediately, using this spell to poach a sister's partner is strictly prohibited. Violators will be sentenced to [three months of powering the wishing ritual]. (from Gneia)
——
From the Witches' comments, Li Fei's sharp eye caught something telling: there was clearly cross-communication between different Witch Coven gathering points. How else to explain the appearance of names that were distinctly Eastern in origin? After all, the top courtesan was the one and only Eastern hostess at the Golden Kumquat Tavern.
Of course, for all the improper entries, there were plenty of legitimate ones as well — like Wither, which destroyed the life force within a targeted area outright; Thought Acceleration, boasting a perfect approval rating; and Witch's Eye, which made the top courtesan's heart ache with want.
After brief deliberation, Li Fei decisively set aside every spell on offer. Her Aptitude was simply too low — she had no hope of comprehending them. Among the vast and varied catalogue of esoteric arts, however, the top courtesan who had once used poison to harvest her first batch of advancement experience stayed true to her roots and chose an esoteric art called [Venomous Kiss].
An esoteric art, by definition, was a method of modifying the body — or even the soul — through ritual, training, and alchemical means, granting a Transcendent special capabilities that transcended ordinary ability.
The vast majority of esoteric arts had been created by mages, drawing inspiration from the combat techniques of warrior-class Transcendents. After losing duel after duel, mages had come to a painful realization: those weapon-swinging brutes weren't winning through flashy active skills like "Gale Slash" or "Radiant Sword." No — their real advantage lay in passive abilities: swordsmanship, resistance enhancement, undying bloodlines. Half the time, a mage would spend ages casting elaborate, spectacular spells only for a warrior to dodge or break them through sheer martial mastery — or simply tank the hit with their monstrous physique — and then close the distance and beat the mage to death with raw, unstoppable force.
If you can't beat them, learn from them. Mages paid the price in blood and, with grim determination, threw themselves into the study of esoteric arts. The results were impressive.
The [Venomous Kiss] Li Fei chose was an esoteric art developed by the serpent-demon Witch of the Golden Kumquat Tavern. It modified the salivary glands, allowing the user to secrete venom at will. The base version was fairly limited in function — it could only produce paralytic poison, with moderate lethality — but once enough points had been accumulated, one could redeem the Venomous Kiss S Edition and the Venomous Kiss S-Plus Edition. At that stage, the top courtesan would be able to secrete lethal toxins, paralytics, aphrodisiacs, and even healing compounds at will — finally making the "Flower Kiss Cure" a genuinely viable treatment option.
And once she had enough points, she could redeem further esoteric arts granting abilities like "poisonous sweat," "toxic body fragrance," "venomous breath" — or even "one glance and you're poisoned" — cultivating, through acquired means, a Witch-edition Calamity Poison Body.
A short while later, the top courtesan had spent her complimentary redemption slot. Her Witch Points ticked down by 1, and two stacks of books materialized in her hands: one detailing the modification procedure, precautions, and materials required for [Venomous Kiss]; and the other for [Enthralling Blood] — not because she had any interest in its less-than-reputable effects, but to support the original creator and encourage conscientious development.
"Be extremely careful when practicing Venomous Kiss," Gneia said by way of warning. "There was once a Witch who accidentally swallowed her own venom mid-battle and was captured alive by a Succubus. By the time she managed to escape and return, she had three daughters."
"Understood."
Li Fei nodded with great solemnity — while her gaze remained fixed, without moving an inch, on the enormous glowing curtain. She was ready to spend the 1,000-point exchange voucher gifted to her by that mysterious, generous Witch sister.
As she browsed, her expression grew increasingly pained. She pressed a hand to her chest.
There were too many good things. The Ring of Fortune, the Blade of Joy, the Energy Pendant, the Spatial Ring… Why? Why couldn't all of these be hers?
In the end, the top courtesan closed her eyes and buried her head against Gneia's dangerously soft heart, muffling her voice into something mournful and forlorn:
"Gneia, Gneia — do you have any recommendations?"
"What about this one?"
Gneia made her choice quickly. Li Fei carefully turned her head to look, and found that the center of the glowing curtain was now displaying an enlarged image of a Transcendent item, accompanied by a fairly complete description.
"…I can't afford it."
Li Fei's eyes lit up — and then her face immediately fell.
The item was genuinely appealing, its practical value extraordinary — but the price tag was 2,999 Witch Points. Even among Full Moon-grade equipment, that was on the expensive end. The top courtesan had once gone into significant debt just to acquire the [Ogre Mage Staff], arguably the most embarrassing Full Moon-grade item in existence, and had only paid off a tenth of it so far…
"Under the Coven's management rules," Gneia said, "certain slow-moving Transcendent items may be marked down at a manager's discretion. As a manager, I am authorized to do so."
She blinked her right eye. At once, a slash appeared through the number 2,999 — and beside it, bold red numerals bloomed into view: 1,000.
"Of course, these items are communal property, and even with my authority, the discount I can unilaterally approve is rather limited," Gneia said, exhaling a slow curl of smoke — looking every inch the corporate superior who was tearfully spending company funds on a gift for her darling. "So. Do you want it?"
"Yes! Yes!"
Li Fei nodded rapidly.
The next instant, a broomstick roughly two meters in length appeared in the top courtesan's hands. Its entire body was sleek and streamlined, gleaming with a restrained yet enchanting silver-grey sheen — like mithril rendered in aerodynamic form. The design was unmistakably stylish, carrying a faint air of technological refinement.
[Nimbus 6S Flying Broom]
Equipment Rating: Full Moon
Attributes: Durability Grade III
Enchantment Effects: Flight (Lv10), Gravity Nullification (Lv5), Reactive Shield (Lv5), Temperature Control (Lv1)…
Li Fei turned the broom over and over in her hands, the pad of her finger tracing the smooth, cool metallic surface with reverence, her heart hammering in her chest.
This thing is a flying-type Transcendent item! Round it up and it's basically a private jet!
To put it in perspective: outside of creatures born with the ability to fly, even Order-class mages had to master Intermediate Order Magic before they could learn flight spells. Most mages didn't acquire any meaningful aerial capability until Sequence 5 or 6. As for warrior-class Transcendents — some had to reach the high Sequences before they could so much as leap skyward and tread the air.
What this meant was that with this broom, even if Li Fei were surrounded and hunted by a squad of mid-Sequence warriors, she could hover leisurely overhead and rain rocks and spit on them at her leisure.
…Killing them with rocks wasn't particularly realistic, admittedly.
But beyond combat, even for day-to-day travel, the time savings alone would be enormous. She had been envying Irena's broom for ages.
"It seems you like this gift very much," Gneia said, reaching out to touch Li Fei's forehead with warm gentleness.
Mm-hm.
Li Fei ducked her head with the bashful air of a girl properly overcome, looped her arm through Gneia's, and rested her head on her shoulder, her voice dripping with sugary warmth:
"Gneia is so wonderful…"
It occurred to the top courtesan, all at once, that Gneia wasn't just her savior and the one who had guided her into the hospitality profession — she had now given her a lavish gift on top of everything else. A debt this profound could perhaps only be repaid in the most personal of ways, could it not?
Sister Zhihua, don't blame your little sister for being unfaithful — blame this dazzling, multi-colored world for being far too irresistible…
The top courtesan ran her tongue along her lips. Her temperature was rising. Her eyes had gone liquid and soft, her every breath — warm, unsteady, laden with unmistakable intent — spilling in short gusts against the curve of Gneia's earlobe.
Gneia's own breathing began to grow shallow, her expression drifting toward something unguarded — until the image of her father's skull, eyes blown wide in rage, surfaced from her memory, followed by the sound of her mother's screams tearing through the roar of flames. She snapped back to herself. The haze cleared. Her eyes deepened.
A Witch's desire was boundless — but Gneia had forged a cage from hatred to contain it, keeping the fire of longing locked inside, letting it scorch her heart at every moment. That unceasing burn was what had driven her up the Sequences at a pace that defied belief.
Until she had seen her enemy's corpse with her own eyes, not even the top courtesan's magnetism — formidable as it was at this particular moment — could break through the bars of that inner prison.
"Right then," Gneia said, turning her head aside, her voice carrying a faint rasp. "I still haven't told you about the Sequence 8 advancement ritual or how to earn points."
Li Fei: ?
The flush on the top courtesan's face faded, degree by degree, leaving behind a look of suspicious scrutiny. She expressed her confusion through the most diplomatically phrased question available to her:
"Gneia dear — don't tell me you're… straight?"
A less tactful sister in the same situation might have simply asked: Are you broken or something?
Gneia gave a helpless laugh. She was quiet for a moment — and then, in a voice low and unhurried, she began to tell a story from long ago.
——
A window was eased open. A shadow slipped soundlessly into the bedchamber, embroidered slippers landing softly on floorboards painted pale by moonlight. In the bed, a woman slept on, utterly undisturbed.
In the hazy silver light, the would-be nocturnal thief gathered herself — and sprang.
She traced a perfect arc through the air, and landed squarely on the sleeping woman.
"AAAHH!!!"
A shriek split the night.
Some minutes later, Su Ling'er lay curled in her blankets, cheeks blazing red. Li Fei, doing her best impression of someone who hadn't just broken into a bedroom, spoke in a voice that was only slightly too casual:
"So — Sister Zhihua is going into seclusion for a few days, and she asked you to sleep in this room in the meantime — is that right?"
"Mm…"
In the dead of night, alone together, Su Ling'er's face was a solid sheet of crimson — even the delicate curve of her earlobes had gone pink. She could not bring herself to look at Li Fei directly.
The top courtesan sat beside her, arms wrapped around her own knees, chin resting on them, looking thoroughly deflated. Her lips were set in a small, sulky pout.
Sister Zhihua is planning to reopen a shop and build up her dowry. Excellent.
Sister Zhihua appears to have made a breakthrough in her cultivation. Even better.
But this young lady is going to be sleeping alone for several days — not excellent at all. Wait — Sister Zhihua going into seclusion and this young lady sleeping alone aren't necessarily the same thing, are they? Well. That's somewhat better, then.
"Um…"
Su Ling'er hesitated for a long moment before she finally couldn't help herself:
"Why are you wearing my clothes?"
The answer was that Li Fei had specifically asked Ram, before leaving for her shift, to go to Su Ling'er's home and collect a full outfit — dress, shoes, stockings, the works. After finishing work late at night, she had even made a detour home to change before coming here.
The intention, of course, had been to come to Su Ling'er's room, wearing Su Ling'er's clothes, lie in Su Ling'er's bed, and play a round of Chinese chess with Su Ling'er's Young Miss.
Unfortunately, the plan had gone sideways.
"You'll understand eventually."
The top courtesan lit a cigarette with the wistful air of a girl who'd finally gotten a rare date with her long-distance girlfriend only to be told it was "an inconvenient time." She blew a slow, mournful puff of smoke.
"Get some sleep, Ling'er. I'll head home."
Li Fei gently took Su Ling'er by the shoulders, guided her down onto the pillow, smoothed out the wrinkles in the blanket with careful hands, then climbed back out through the window and eased it shut behind her.
The moment she was outside, her expression shifted entirely. A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as she reached down and scooped up the Nimbus 6S from where it rested against the windowsill.
She swung a leg over it, channeled mana into the broom, planted both feet firmly against the ground — and kicked off.
Wind screamed. Hair whipped wild.
Catapult launch. Now that's what she was talking about.
____
________________________________________
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