I'm a Witch

Listening to her rattle off a list of names, Wu Yao quickly cut her off. “I don't mean people you like, but things you like. Things to eat, things to use, that sort of thing.”

Phelin's eyes darted around, a sly look crossing her sun-kissed face. “Then tell me your name first.”

“Wu Yao.” Wu Yao glanced at the text floating above her head. “Your name is Phelin, right?”

Phelin instinctively leaned back, then leaned forward again, her voice laced with a mixture of surprise and shyness she couldn't hide. “How do you know my name?”

“Because I'm a witch.”

Wu Yao leaned in close and made a scary face on purpose. Seeing the girl freeze up, she burst into a smug grin.

“Scared?”

Phelin wasn't scared at all. She was the leader of the kids in Fancao Village.

She straightened her thin, small back, trying her best to look more mature. “I'm not scared! What's so scary about a witch? I'm not a three-year-old child!”

“True, you're already nine,” Wu Yao agreed solemnly.

Phelin puffed out her chest proudly, using a mature, adult-like tone to lecture the woman who stood twice her height.

“As for you, coming to a place like this all by yourself—do you have any idea how dangerous it is? The corrupted wasteland is right next to us. You'd better watch out, or a monster might jump out, carry you off, and eat you!”

She put extra emphasis on the words “carry you off and eat you,” clawing the air with her hands to make herself look more intimidating.

Wu Yao was amused by her attempt to act grown-up. She reached out and ruffled the girl's hair. It was soft and messy, but clean. “So it's that dangerous, huh? Then why are you out here all alone?”

“I...” Phelin choked up for a moment, lifting her chin as her guilty eyes darted to the side.

“I come here all the time. I know this place like the back of my hand. Where are you from?”

She began her interrogation. This was an interrogation technique she had learned from her mother: when you don't want to answer a question, throw the question back.

Phelin believed she had mastered this tactic. After all, she had coaxed plenty of information out of the village adults, and even her mother had praised her for being clever.

Wu Yao looked at her tiny, serious face and found it incredibly adorable.

The child's eyes were bright, filled with curiosity and caution, yet she insisted on trying so hard to act like a mature adult.

Wu Yao couldn't resist any longer. Cupping Phelin's face in both hands, she planted a kiss on each of her cheeks.

The child's skin was smooth and soft to the touch. Wu Yao gave her cheeks a playful squeeze.

Phelin was stunned by this sudden sequence of actions. She stood frozen for a long moment, her expression shifting rapidly, though the Affection level above her head honestly jumped to 40.

Wu Yao casually answered her previous question. “I come from a very, very far away place.”

“How far is very, very far?”

Phelin instinctively pressed, her expression still a bit dazed, yet she was already trying to steer the conversation back to her own pace.

“The Holy City? Newcana? Plashier?”

Wu Yao only smiled without answering, enjoying the child's growing impatience.

Phelin was dying of curiosity from this enigmatic display, completely forgetting the annoying and embarrassing thing Wu Yao had just done to her.

To get the other woman to lower her guard, she decided to trade secrets with her.

“You know what?” she said, trying her best to sound nonchalant. “My mom used to live in the Holy City. She knows so much, whether it's herbs, art, or...”

She knit her brows, trying hard to recall the things her mother occasionally mentioned. “Nobility, cooking...”

Wu Yao was genuinely interested now. Stopping her teasing, she listened closely. Falling from the “Holy City” to a “village”—there was definitely a story behind this!

Phelin felt smug about her little trick. The mysterious woman had indeed been drawn in, so she began to chatter even more enthusiastically.

“My godmother was extremely famous in the Holy City. Many noble ladies and young misses competed to invite her over. We had a huge house in the Holy City, and I lived there when I was little. There was a huge garden of plants in the yard, all cared for by my godmother. Everyone wanted to come play at our house, but only Lucy, my best friend, was allowed! Later... later, something happened... My godmother passed away, and Mom took me away from the Holy City.”

Her voice grew quiet, but she quickly cheered up again. “But it's okay! I'm the strongest kid in Fancao Village now, and everyone listens to me. When I grow up, I'm going to take Mom back to the Holy City to treat her illness. No one will be able to bully us then!”

“Your mother is sick?” Wu Yao's eyes lit up. Wasn't this a quest prompt? As expected, players had to find opportunities themselves!

Phelin stammered out a tiny bit of information. “It's just a minor illness. My mom is amazing; she treats everyone in the village when they get sick. The medicine she brews is more effective than the town doctor's. If she says it's a minor illness, then it must be a minor illness.”

As she spoke, she seemed to convince herself, and her tone lightened up. “Grandma is so nice to us, and the villagers often bring us things. Everyone likes us!”

Wu Yao remained focused on getting the answer she wanted. “Can you take me to see your mother?”

Phelin hesitated. Her mother had told her never to bring strangers home, especially not to talk to strange men.

But this was an older sister, and she didn't seem like a bad person... but there was still so much Star-Scar Grass left here.

After thinking for a moment, Phelin shook her head. “I have to finish gathering the Star-Scar Grass before I go back.”

Wu Yao automatically interpreted this as a prerequisite quest. “Sure,” she agreed readily. “I'll help you.”

Plus, she could level up her Herb Gathering skill in the process. The player won big once again.

Benita's illness required a very expensive medicinal herb. Spending more than half of the family's monthly income on it could barely keep her condition from worsening.

Phelin had calculated that if she could gather more Star-Scar Grass, she could sell it for more money, buy more medicinal ingredients, and her mother would cough less and sleep better at night.

That was why she had run out so early in the morning to gather herbs. Still, Phelin couldn't understand why this woman wanted to meet her mother.

“Do you know my mom? Why do you want to see her?”

Still determined to modify her spells for herb gathering, Wu Yao answered casually, “Your mother knows a lot of things. I want to learn from her.”

“What do you want to learn?” Phelin's eyes lit up instantly, though she tried to act reserved out of pride for her mother. “My mom is very busy. She doesn't just teach anyone.”

“Oh?” Wu Yao didn't even look up, still pondering how to make her spell structure gentler.

“But... but we are friends.” Phelin secretly watched her expression. Seeing that Wu Yao didn't deny it, she felt a bit happier.

“I'll convince Mom to teach you.”

“Well, thank you then!”

Wu Yao tried casting a gentler version of Soil Loosening, shaking the dirt loose around the edges of the Star-Scar Grass. With a couple of nudges of her fingers, she easily gathered a plant.

“Perfect!”