Witch Space
“This is Pine Needle Drink,” Fried said carefully, holding the cup. “It’s produced by Lord Pine Needle’s estate and is quite rare. Legend has it that Lord Pine Needle was a long-lived man, and drinking Pine Needle Drink not only beautifies the skin but also prevents all diseases and grants immortality.” Fried shut his mouth under Mi’s amused gaze.
"Lord Pine Leaf is a Long-lived species?" Having left the Witch Forest, hearing about Long-lived species again, Mi remembered that neither El nor Joe had ever seen one. From Border City 17 to Sun City, apart from the historical records of Lin City 17 mentioning Long-lived species, she hadn't seen a single living one. Was she finally about to meet one? Mi felt a little excited, but also a little doubtful. Now even a lowly local knew Lord Pine Leaf was a Long-lived species—had El and Joe never been to Sun City, the capital of the Flower Kingdom?
“My lord, my lord,” Fried suddenly slapped his mouth lightly, lowering his voice as he said, “Please pretend you didn’t hear what I just said. I only heard it as a rumor, a rumor that Lord Pineleaf has a long-lived father. You must never go to Lord Pineleaf and ask him. These nobles never show mercy to those who come to them and spout nonsense. Those who are arrested never come back. In Sun City, you can offend an adventurer, but you must never offend a noble.”
“Oh,” Mi listened to Fried’s whisper. Sun City was a city with a strict hierarchy. She asked curiously, “Didn’t you say that adventurers were all adults? How come they are the ones who can be offended?”
“Adventurers,” Fried’s eyes were filled with longing, “they are all experts, and they never bother with us common folk. The only ones who dare not offend adventurers are nobles.”
This is quite interesting. The nobles flaunt their power in front of the common people, yet they are completely suppressed by the adventurers. The adventurers are unpretentious and wouldn't bother with a commoner, creating a seemingly perfect circle. Mi looked around the market. Seeing Mi's interest, Fried intentionally led her to stroll around the stalls he was familiar with. Mi wandered through the market, buying a bouquet of flowers, some fruit, and two new dresses. She continued walking and browsing until she ran out of silver coins and copper coins, at which point she had to pay with gold coins. The stall owner, seeing the marigold gold coins in her hand, was so frightened that he prostrated himself on the ground, telling Mi she didn't need to pay and could choose whatever she wanted from the stall.
It was only then that Mi realized these Marigold coins weren't Gold Deli; they were the Adventurers' Guild's coins—coins powerful enough to buy a life. One Marigold coin equaled a noble title, and Mi, possessing these coins, was now a nobleman. Adventurers themselves weren't scary, but those who possessed Adventurers' Coins were not to be offended. Such adventurers combined the identities of adventurer and nobleman, undoubtedly having made significant contributions to the Flower Kingdom. Even the royal family would treat such adventurers as honored guests.
Without copper coins to pay, and unwilling to take something for free, Mi had to end her purchase and ask Fried to take her into town to find lodging. Mi arrived at the west gate of Sun City. Sun City had four gates: east, west, south, and north. The west gate had a market, and the area near the west gate was mostly inhabited by craftsmen, vendors, and artisans. Fried's family lived in the west gate. Turning right after entering the gate, the south side of the city housed all the government offices of Sun City: the city's defense force, the Sun City court, the Sun City tax office, and all other government offices vital to Sun City.
Sun City is centered around the King's Palace, with the residences of nobles surrounding the King's Castle. The royal family and nobles live within the Royal Circle, while the true center of activity in Sun City lies outside the Royal Circle.
There is a river to the east of Taiyang City. The landing ship originally came from the East China Sea, passing through tributaries to reach Taiyang City. This river was initially called "Anhe" (岸河), but was later officially renamed "Huajiang" (花江). The east side of the city is adjacent to Huajiang, with many ships and goods coming and going. It is a place where many outsiders and merchants live, and there are shops selling all kinds of rare and exotic goods from all over the world.
Adjacent to these wealthy shops was the city's garrison headquarters. The city's garrison, located in the south of the city, primarily managed all affairs except those related to nobles and the king. In front of the garrison were inns; the southeast of Sun City housed the largest and most numerous inns in the city, home to a large number of merchants, dockworkers, and people from various towns who came to Sun City to make a living, and even some homeless adventurers.
The western part of the city is mainly inhabited by artisans and vendors, and is where most commoners and craftspeople gather. The northern part houses the largest adventurers' guild, where all adventurers in the Flower Kingdom must register. Adventurers are responsible for not only issuing quests but also settling payments. Some adventurers with particularly outstanding achievements need to report to the king, who determines the reward method; this is how Anne obtained her marigold coins. Adventurers have plenty of money and are willing to spend it, so the area near the adventurers' guild is mostly filled with entertainment venues: casinos, pink streets, restaurants, theaters, acrobatic troupes, and gardens for recreation. This area is frequented by adventurers, nobles, and wealthy merchants, and is maintained by the king's guards.
Mi stayed at a place called "Huayuan Inn," located in the south of the city near the commercial street of Taiyang City. She gave the innkeeper a gold coin shaped like a marigold flower, thus finding a place to stay in Taiyang City. The old coachman watched Mi settle in, noted down the address of Huayuan Inn, and turned to leave Taiyang City. Before leaving, Mi asked the old coachman to take a message home: she would stay there indefinitely and would leave a new address if she ever left.
Night fell, another moonless night, but the entire city of Sun City was splendidly decorated, with double lanterns lit at the entrance of every shop, bathing the city in bright light. Mi was in her room packing packages; one was a package Zara was sending to her daughter, containing three thick stacks of letters and two notebooks that looked like diaries. These needed to be delivered to Beatrice as soon as possible.
Mi's package still contained only two sets of clothes and a cloak, less than what she had bought at the West City Market in Sun City that day. She tidied up her things, put the clothes in the only cabinet in the room, and looked at Bai Cuisi's package with worry. She needed to find Bai Cuisi first before she could take the things.
Mi lay in bed, racking her brains for a solution. She could only go to the palace as a witch, and she couldn't frighten Bertram. She held the witch's headband, still folded into a small sachet, and carried the World Grass with her at all times. Mi opened the headband; three World Grasses were vibrant green, just as if they had been freshly picked. Mi stroked the World Grass leaves; each leaf was thick and cool, like a small piece of jade. From the Witch Forest, indeed no ordinary item.
“Huh—” Mi held up the witch’s headband. Underneath the star stone pointing to the sky was a pearl. Mi reached out and touched it, confirming that there really was a pearl there, shimmering with a white light. “Is this the witch’s space?” Mi tried hard to recall. She really couldn’t remember where she had cried. The only time she felt tears streaming down her face was when she saw the memory stone of the Acropolis 18 in Lin City 17. Mi felt her stomach clench again, her throat tighten, her nose congested, and her eyes sting. She reached out and touched her face, but there were no tears.
Mi ignored all that and began to examine the pearl. She took out the Boundary Grass, thought for a moment, and plucked off a leaf, saying, "Go in, go in." The Boundary Leaf disappeared from her fingertip, and the witch's headband remained unchanged. Mi said to the pearl, "Come out, come out." The Boundary Leaf reappeared in her palm.
Mi didn't know where she got the space from, but it was wonderful. She spent the whole night practicing placing and taking out items. By the time she could use the space skillfully, it was already late at night in Taiyang City, and everyone in the city was asleep.
* * *
Ailian Castle, the long-lived Ailian stared at the mimosa tree in the yard. More than a year had passed since she last woke up in a fright. If it weren't for the mimosa tree being covered with flower buds, Ailian would almost think that the dream was made up.
"Miss, Elder Seger has replied to you." Xiao Wei came in with a letter bearing the seal of the Adventurers' Guild.
"Read it." Ailian didn't turn her head; she kept staring at the mimosa tree.
"Lord Ellen,
Good day.
Your letter has been received. I will be waiting for you at 7 p.m. tonight.
SEG
After reading the letter, Xiao Wei immediately waved and ordered someone to prepare a carriage: "Miss, would you like to have something to eat first?"
"No need, I can't eat anything." Ailian took the letter, glanced at it again, and said, "Prepare to leave."
"Miss, wait a moment, I'm preparing a gift." Xiao Wei hurriedly put it aside and soon appeared carrying two boxes. She unfolded a scarf and draped it over Ai Lian's shoulders: "Be careful not to catch a cold."
The carriage soon arrived at a small alley behind the Adventurers' Guild, where there was only an inconspicuous little wooden door. A hunched-over doorman stood at the door, looked at Ailian, reached out and took the box from Xiaowei's hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "Miss Ailian, please come in."
Xiaowei watched Ailian walk through the door, her figure swallowed by darkness. Xiaowei circled the carriage twice, then finally took out a gold coin and handed it to the gatekeeper: "Can I wait there?" Xiaowei pointed to the small room behind the door. The gatekeeper accepted the gold coin and brought her a small stool from behind the door: "Sit and wait. You can't go in."
Ailian entered a dimly lit, secret room. The room contained only a table with a black oil lamp on it. A gaunt skull was hidden within a cloak, revealing only a pair of bright eyes. Ailian curtsied in a standard noblewoman's gesture before rising and saying, "Elder Seger, thank you for your trouble."
"Sit down." Seg gestured to the stool opposite, gesturing for Ailian to sit down. A wisp of black smoke rose from the oil lamp, circling Ailian in circles, forty-nine in total, before the smoke could go no further. Seg withdrew the smoke and looked at Ailian: "Miss Ailian has finally come of age; she's a young lady now."
Ailian nervously fidgeted with her fingers: "Elder Saige, is that true?"
"What did you see?" Seg's voice was still hoarse.
"I had two dreams. The first was of boundless darkness, and the second was of a mimosa tree."
"The mimosa tree in Eileenburg?"
"Yes." Ailian hesitated for a moment before saying, "The mimosa tree has been a bud for over a year and hasn't opened a single flower."
"So why are you looking for me now?"
“I haven’t been sleeping well lately; my dreams are always filled with darkness,” Ailian said hesitantly. “It’s a bright darkness.”
“Miss Ailian, if I remember correctly, you have two longevity seeds.” Seg looked at her. “Your life wheel tells me that you only have forty-nine years to live, which is impossible for any long-lived species. That darkness will devour your life.”
“I have two longevity seeds. You know, anyone can only use a longevity seed once. If they use a second one, they will die immediately.” Ailian couldn’t figure out why. Even though she had a child, she still had a longevity seed, which allowed her to enjoy her old age with her lover.
“I don’t know the reason, Miss Ellen. You know, I can only see the Wheel of Fate.” Seger shook his head, the skin on his skull almost hanging off. “Have you thought it through?”
"I want to see him, I want to see him as soon as possible." Ailian became anxious. She was already thirty-four years old, and even if she had a child next year, she would only live for forty-nine years and would never see her child grow up.
“He has already arrived in Sun City.” Seger looked at Ailian. “As for how to find him, Ailian, you are the one who lives the longest.”
"Thank you, Elder Seger." Ailian stood up, bowed, and left. Seger watched Ailian's figure disappear behind the door and sighed, "The long-lived race is the truly cursed race."
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