They hadn't flown very far before Lan Qingyou was nearly blinded by a sudden flash of reflected sunlight.
“Tsk, what are these? Art pieces?”
Lan Qingyou pointed at the various objects in front of her, looking at Adele beside her.
“Well... calling them art wouldn't be wrong.”
Adele nodded, then reached out to touch the things Lan Qingyou had called art.
They were crystals. More accurately, humanoid crystals.
Each of these humanoid crystals was incredibly lifelike and quite beautiful, but seeing them in this desolate wilderness—posed in mid-flight with terrified expressions—lent the scene a grotesque and eerie atmosphere.
Lan Qingyou's eyes had already provided the answer as to what these things were.
Actually...
One could figure it out just by thinking about the context for a moment.
“Are these the people from the village?”
“Yes.”
“There certainly are quite a few. But what magic is this? It looks quite dazzling.”
Lan Qingyou raised an eyebrow.
The magic of turning enemies into crystals was a visually stunning feat, no matter how you looked at it.
She wanted to know more about it.
“It's a control-type magic called Crystal Slipper, researched by Snow White's friend. However, it was incomplete. After I took over, I developed it into this form and named it Crystal Coffin.”
“I see. In that case, it really is a pity about that girl. If she hadn't died, she probably would have become a mainstay of the Witch race.”
Hearing that someone could develop their own magic—especially one so dazzling—made Lan Qingyou feel a sense of loss.
While there was certainly no shortage of intelligent people within the Witch race,
magic development was not something just anyone could do.
Even among the top academic geniuses and academic elite of the Witch Group, only about half could manage it.
The others all learned through magic scrolls.
For this witch to achieve such a level through self-study meant her talent was likely on par with Lan Qingyou's own.
However, as much as Lan Qingyou liked this gorgeous magic, it didn't mean she would use it herself.
For one thing, it was too flashy; it didn't fit her persona.
Of course, that didn't stop her from wanting to understand it.
Control-type magic was useful no matter how you looked at it. Even if she didn't want it to be so flashy, she could probably tweak it slightly to fit her 'mysterious,' 'intellectual,' 'artistic,' and 'powerful' aesthetic.
“Show me the theory for the magic you completed, and I'll show you a magic theory I have here.”
Lan Qingyou proposed an exchange.
“What magic is it?”
Adele wasn't surprised at all, as if she had expected the request.
In fact, magic exchanges like this were very common among witches.
Whether it was exchanging theories or turning magic into scrolls to trade, it was a way for witches to learn and progress.
Even some physical-type witches had mastered the ability to create magic scrolls; one could imagine how intense the learning atmosphere was within the Witch race.
At the very least, the witches knew that only learning and progress could make them stronger.
This viewpoint had always existed,
but it had become even more deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts after the Abandoned War.
“You watched the racial competition from before, right?”
“Yes. Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
Lan Qingyou's shift in topic confused Adele, but the next sentence made her excited.
“The Portal magic used by the Clan Leader of the White Witches—I traded for it.”
“At what cost?”
Despite her excitement, Adele knew that such magic couldn't be obtained just by asking nicely.
The White Witch Clan Leader certainly wouldn't agree to a losing deal.
“The Emerald Tablet, a world item.”
“Hiss—you really are a spendthrift, aren't you? You actually traded a world item.”
Adele was shocked by Lan Qingyou's generosity.
She had seen the announcement about the Emerald Tablet when Lan Qingyou first obtained it.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an exclusive item for alchemists.
And yet, this girl had traded it for a single spell?
Although space-type magic was indeed convenient—almost as if it were specially designed for their Tourism Department—the price seemed steep.
Being able to return to the city for supplies at any time and then jump back to continue a journey was simply too wonderful.
“What's wrong with that? In any case, I obtained all of their current technology, plus whatever clues or insights might exist within the world item. I couldn't understand that thing anyway.”
“In that case, it does count as a gain.”
Adele, who had originally thought Lan Qingyou had lost out, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If one considered the future, then trading for knowledge and technology was indeed more suitable.
And with the additional rewards, it could be considered turning trash into treasure.
That was right.
Adele was a fickle woman.
A moment ago, she was lamenting the loss, but after hearing about all the benefits, the Emerald Tablet immediately became the 'trash' in her heart that was turned into treasure.
And so, the transaction between the two began.
Sharing.
Or rather, a mutual exchange.
Lan Qingyou would never use her position as Clan Leader to forcibly seize the research results of other witches.
First, she wasn't that kind of person, and second, there was the principle of equivalent exchange.
Although control-type magic and space-type magic didn't seem comparable at first glance,
for them, it was only a matter of suitability.
To put it bluntly, equivalent exchange was defined by one's own perception of value, not the opinions of others.
“By the way, where's Snow White? Wasn't she flying with us earlier? Why is she gone?”
After the trade was completed, Lan Qingyou noticed one person was missing.
There were clearly three of them when they arrived. Why was there no sign of her even after the transaction was finished?
Surely she hadn't failed to adapt to the flying magic broom yet.
“Oh, she had some business to take care of. She'll be over to meet up with us in a bit,” Adele said dismissively.
Seeing that the guide wasn't concerned, Lan Qingyou didn't ask further and took out her tent to set up camp.
This magic tent of hers was her original one.
Since it was a masterpiece created by Ruan Qingyi at the time and could withstand mana turbulence and mana tides, Lan Qingyou hadn't thought about replacing it, nor had she found the time to order a new one.
To her, as long as something worked, she didn't care about the rest.
Especially now, with the snow still falling, this heat-retaining tent where one could light a fire inside was even more practical.
“This really is a nice tent. The magic patterns and mana circuits on it are drawn quite well, though they feel a bit immature, like early enchanting.”
Witches were a group of beings who were constantly thinking about research.
Now, Adele was studying everything inside and outside the tent.
It wasn't strange, though, as Lan Qingyou had once been the same way.
“How could they not be immature? After all, this tent can be considered the prototype for the magic tents currently sold by the Merfolk.”
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