Dim candlelight threw the witches' swaying, graceful silhouettes across the walls. It was decadence and revelry, bodies trembling like blossoms in the wind, all of it bewitching and edged with wickedness.
Miss Top Courtesan, for once, was serene. She sat upright on the cushioned bench against the wall, peeling grapes one by one.
When the clock's hands overlapped on the twelve, she would come of age.
An indescribable feeling spread through her chest, which was why Li Fei had chosen to be alone. Luckily, it hadn't dampened the mood here at all.
Miss Top Courtesan was the most dazzling girl in the room, and the most doted on. The adoration came not only from her charm. The witches had watched with their own eyes as she went from a green rookie hostess to the queen of the flowers, outshining everyone at an unbelievable speed, and then joined the witch family as its newest member.
The chaotic, wicked, cruel witches kept what little tenderness they had, tenderness with a nasty sense of humor, for their own kind. They felt something maternal toward every newborn little witch, and the brilliance Li Fei had shown in just a few months since her "birth" made them swell with pride.
But in a witch's world, nobody is the only one. Even when the moon dims its glow, the stars still shine against the black curtain.
So while Miss Top Courtesan stood apart from it all, the others lost themselves in their own Bliss.
Still, the gift boxes stacked beside Li Fei had grown taller than she was. The topmost one was pale blue, with a note tucked under the ribbon:
Live the way you like.
That was Aurora's gift. Sadly, Miss Mad Witch happened to be in the middle of an episode. She was fully immersed in playing Polaris Selene, acting out the model couple with Miss Poker Face's homeroom teacher, Ye Shu, so she'd missed the party. But the considerate big sister had one good habit: before every personality switch, she prepared birthday gifts for all her sisters and had Daisha pass them along.
Excellent The Art of Tea naturally had to be learned, so Miss Top Courtesan had entrusted the same task to Miss Isabella. Isabella still had dozens of greeting cards stamped with Li Fei's kiss marks, plus a few little presents that looked pretty and romantic but were very "economical."
Of course, from now on that job would go to Qiao'er, and the gifts would need an upgrade.
Because after tonight, Li Fei would no longer be the youngest witch of the Golden Tangerine Tavern, and she'd be only one step from mid-Sequence. She couldn't keep acting spoiled on the strength of being the favorite. She needed some basic decorum.
It was the same logic as back when she'd first fallen into the trade and thought of nothing but pushing overpriced drinks. Now, customer experience came first.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
A mature woman's voice, elegant as classical music and lazy with a charming magnetism, drifted over from the side. Li Fei turned and saw Lady Gnaea leading two newborn little witches into the hall.
One was a reddish-brown-haired little sprite. She was exquisite and tiny, with crystal-clear butterfly wings and eyes as dewy as a newborn fawn's, brimming with spirit. But the bewitching curve of her lips, not quite a smile, and her heartbreaker's big waves made her look "very witch, very hostess."
Heaven only knew why Lady Sofia, who did nothing but work and then parent solo like a widow, had gotten the illusion that Eva was a virtuous wife and loving mother. The girl didn't have an ounce of young-matron vibe.
The other was a pure, delicate girl. Her ink-black hair looked soft as silk, and her plain, antique-flavored robe outlined a slender, fragile figure. Beneath the hem were spotless white embroidered shoes and stockings. She looked docile and quiet, the kind of girl who made you want to protect her. Only her jet-black eyes were a little too deep.
Qiao'er got prettier.
That was the first thought that flashed through Li Fei's mind.
A Transcendent's evolution is all-around, and charm is naturally included. Once the looks become flawless, charm keeps climbing and turns into a kind of mental aggression. It can seize a person's thoughts, with an effect rivaling the pheromones so popular in certain novels. It can even make everyone, man or woman, young or old, obsessed with you, like Tomie.
Which means the prelude of the Transcendent road of charm is the skin, and the finale is an Old God, one who can overturn heaven and earth, snuff out sun and moon, and drag all things into ruin.
But clearly, the starting points are not equal. Some are born in Rome; others are born to be beasts of burden.
Even the weakest sprite is a Transcendent being born of heaven and earth and famed for her charm. A standout like Eva had skin as smooth and flawless as porcelain, and her looks gave nothing to nitpick.
Qiao'er was different. She was naturally beautiful, and her quiet temperament was a bonus, but she had no distinguished family like Su Wen's, which had nourished her since childhood with rare medicinal herbs and secret recipes. Nor did she have a wife as devoted and outstanding as Lady Annie, who would move heaven and earth to find an [Ageless Potion] for her beloved and keep her young forever, spotless and flawless. You could say Lady Diana deserved at least thirty percent of the credit for Li Fei falling for Lady Annie at first sight, and half of Lilith's beauty was owed to her as well, hehe.
By contrast, a less fortunate piece of rough jade gets scratched by the grind of a servant's coarse life. Only after becoming a witch did this fine gem gain the luster it deserved.
Nearsightedness, acne, thin calluses, a slightly curved spine… all of it was swept away. The girl had even gained a touch of spiritual aura besides, and she looked good enough to eat.
By Miss System's evaluation standards, Qiao'er's charm had risen by at least 30 points! That was a world apart from Li Fei's starting state, when she'd had a mere 1 point of fixed class bonus. Of course, Li Fei's charm was by now far above "racial base stats"…
Li Fei carried two glasses over to Qiao'er and praised her sincerely.
"People always say angels and succubi are the races with the highest charm, but they forget that witches are a race too."
"Congratulations on joining us, little sister Qiao'er."
With that, she downed her orange-flavored alcoholic drink in one gulp. Qiao'er drank her first glass of hard liquor, not just since becoming a witch, but in her whole life.
"What about me?" Eva protested.
Li Fei glanced at her with a stern mother's eyes. "Can you just drink anything? You fell into the lake a minute ago!"
"No tobacco or alcohol for you for the next month."
Eva put on a pitiful look and flew over to cling to Li Fei's arm, but she didn't dare defy the authority of the Mother of Fairies by haggling.
Good girl.
The corner of Li Fei's mouth curled up.
Lady Gnaea had warned Miss Top Courtesan: once Eva was converted into a witch, she would still love her, but the "loyalty" branded into her blood and soul would vanish.
Witches could use labor relations to extract surplus value from other witches, like the Golden Tangerine Tavern's 99% commission on liquor sales. They could also use sweet words to make other witches walk through fire for them willingly. But using soul control to make another witch obey unconditionally and without limit was strictly forbidden.
Past cases had proven that even a being born of Summoning Magic, one branded from birth with a thought-stamp by Transcendent law, would find the witch's nature breaking those shackles. They would serve only the witch they wanted to serve.
In fact, the tavern had a sister who'd originally been controlled by Summoning Magic and had become a witch by happy accident. After her "awakening," she kept up the act of loyalty to her master, patiently enduring for over a decade until she finally found a chance to imprison the mistress who treated summoned beings as slaves and living materials.
And now that proud, cold female mage had been stuffed into the lowest layer of the Orange Lake flesh mountain, generating power day and night for the Wishing Ritual…
Miss Fire-Element Witch, well done!
As for Miss Top Courtesan, there was naturally no need to worry about anything like that. Just look at Eva rubbing herself all over Li Fei, face blissed out as she sniffed the scent of tea. Wasn't The Art of Tea way more effective than Transcendent law?
Of course, true to the principle of never forgetting who dug the well, Miss Top Courtesan thanked Lady Gnaea sweetly and even tried to hug her.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Sister Genaya."
"It's my responsibility and mission."
Genaya pressed her pipe lightly against Miss Top Courtesan's chest, refusing close contact. But Li Fei leaned on her height advantage and edged in another ten-odd centimeters before stopping, her eyes full of grievance.
She loved teasing the Forbidden, reveling in the thrill of hovering at the edge of losing control, and never realized that this was no different from suicide.
It was like a cat hopping back and forth on a dam, trying to press a conspicuous red button marked with a skull. The cat had no idea that a huge pile of explosives was laid right beneath its feet. Once it pressed the button and set off the blast, the flood would swallow the cat first.
"The points for recommending new witches have already been credited to your name. If they perform well later, you'll get extra rewards."
Genaya said it unhurriedly.
Even sisters keep tidy accounts. Witches never shy away from talking about profit, so she said this right in front of Eva and Qiao'er. It suited Li Fei's style perfectly, too. Back at the half-orc tribe, she'd pocketed a huge sum on the side, but she'd split the rest with Miss Poker Face down to the last coin.
"Hear that? You'd better do well from now on."
Li Fei encouraged the two new witches in a soft, gentle voice, but as she smiled, she suddenly found she couldn't keep smiling.
"Then… was I counted as recommended?"
Miss Top Courtesan asked curiously.
True, she'd drunk the witch elixir herself. But the Witch's Kiss required for the Ascension Ritual had been collected like stamps, and back when she first hit rock bottom, it was Lady Gnaea who'd personally rescued Li Fei and brought her to the witch base, changing Miss Top Courtesan's fate…
"You count."
Genaya's expression was complicated. "The rewards so far already add up to a very considerable figure. And if you really can advance to mid-Sequence in a short time… heh. Going from Sequence 9 to Sequence 6 in just over three months, the recommender will receive a new, generous reward as well."
Stare—
Miss Top Courtesan puffed out her cheeks and stared straight at Lady Gnaea.
The Witch Points that could make her use words like "considerable" and "generous" must be an astonishing sum. But the thought that this wool had been fleeced off her own back made Li Fei's heart ache.
Sure, you're my savior, and the benefactor who got me this job and changed my fate, and you've looked after me ever since… but couldn't you give me half of those points?!
Faced with Miss Top Courtesan's resentment-laden gaze, Lady Gnaea sighed. Because Li Fei's recommender wasn't actually her at all…
"All right."
Lady Gnaea ruffled the hair of the still-puffed-up Miss Top Courtesan, then took out a purple ring and gently slid it onto Li Fei's left middle finger. It signified a vow.
The ring looked carved from amethyst. It glittered under the lamplight, beautiful and ornate, with a deep, mysterious air.
[Violet Ring]
Type: Storage equipment
Capacity: 1,111 cubic meters
Note: The language of violets is "eternal beauty and love." Hehe.
Eh?
I have a spatial ring now?
Li Fei looked down at the ring, still not quite back in her senses, when Genaya's voice sounded beside her ear.
"Happy birthday, Miss Witch."
Miss Top Courtesan raised her head as if waking from a dream and clapped a hand tightly over her mouth, her eyes sparkling.
If Genaya had proposed at that moment, she would have nodded hard.
But Genaya extended an index finger, and its soft, pale pad pressed against Li Fei's forehead, gentle but firm, keeping the two of them at an ambiguous yet insurmountable distance.
"I'm glad you like the gift."
Genaya's smile turned a little bitter. "But I'm not the only one who feels this way."
As she spoke, she took out another ring, a dull gray one.
The second ring was unremarkable at first glance. Looking closely, though, you'd notice its texture was exceptionally warm and fine, shaped into a flawless circle.
[Traveler's Companion]
Type: Storage equipment
Capacity: 1,112 cubic meters
"This is…"
Another priceless, weighty gift had appeared before her eyes. Miss Top Courtesan couldn't help holding her breath, pressing down hard on her thumping heart.
Spatial rings had always been synonymous with precious and rare. The larger the capacity, the more outrageous the price. A ring with a thousand cubic meters of space was worth far more than a thousand rings with one cubic meter each.
This put them almost out of reach for low-Sequence Transcendents. Many mid-Sequence Transcendents made do with rings of a few cubic meters, carrying only the bare necessities. Even high-Sequence ones sometimes had to weigh cost-effectiveness, wearing several smaller storage items instead of buying the biggest one outright.
It was precisely this rarity that forced even a Transcendent army on campaign to think about logistics, since they couldn't carry everything in spatial rings.
When Li Fei first arrived, she naturally couldn't afford one. Later, between buying a house, bidding on the Spatial Wonderstone and assorted other expenses, her funds were stretched thin, and she'd stayed in debt the whole time. Even on the occasions she managed to squeeze out some cash, she looked down on rings of low capacity and balked at the price of big ones. Considering she had the [miniature residence], and could mooch off Lilith's spatial ring besides, she'd kept shelving the matter.
The fastidious Miss Top Courtesan had been planning to pick up a ring of a few dozen cubic meters sometime in the next few days… She never expected that on the night she was about to come of age, two lady witches would give her an incomparable surprise.
Either of these two rings would sell for a solid seven figures.
"This is a little gift from the lady who performed your [Witch's Blessing]."
Genaya's voice was faint. "She asked me to pass along her wishes for a happy birthday."
"Ah, have I even met this generous lady? Giving something this valuable outright isn't quite proper, is it? No merit, no reward, after all… and I still haven't had a chance to properly thank her for the Flying Broom last time…"
Li Fei demurred, but her hand had already risen of its own accord.
Strictly speaking, the Flying Broom had cost 2,999 points, and she had only paid 1,000 of them.
Genaya pursed her lips and said nothing.
This woman, usually so lazy and gentle, radiating mature allure, now carried an unmistakably heavy aura.
She was the one who'd saved Li Fei first and brought her back to the tavern. Yet that mischievous creature had slipped in without a word, butted into the blessing ritual that should have been hers to lead, and stolen the credit for recommending Li Fei.
And now she had to put the ring on Li Fei's hand with her own fingers…
Lady Gnaea's eyes half-closed, her gaze turning dangerous. Reluctantly, she lifted Miss Top Courtesan's slender, tender little paw.
Suddenly, the line of her lips curved, and her movements turned smooth. She slid the gray ring onto Li Fei's pinky.
That signified: widowed.
…
Miss Top Courtesan left early, because she was a good girl who went home to celebrate her birthday before twelve.
The tavern hall was as raucous as ever, but none of it belonged to Genaya. She sat alone, slouched sideways by the window. The chill night air couldn't cool her breath, and the gray haze of smoke couldn't hide the ripples flowing in her eyes.
True, after her witch nature had nearly spiraled out of control, Genaya had rebuilt her defenses with tremendous willpower, and she had gently but resolutely stopped every one of Miss Top Courtesan's attempts to snuggle up.
But that unmatched charm had torn a crack in the dam after all. The scalding water of her heart-lake had already overflowed her chest, so how could it be stopped so easily?
"Ah, my little ancestor…"
Genaya sighed, her native accent trembling and hazy.
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