24. You Do Dream (Please Keep Reading)

Jiang Heyi did not tease Mint, promptly handing over the remaining two bottles of "Soul Fragments."

Upon receiving the final payment, Mint was grinning from ear to ear. As she examined the soul fragments bound by mysterious magic, she praised Jiang Heyi for being a man of his word.

"If you ever need potions, you must come to me! Healing, toxins, buffs, enchantments—I have experience in them all," Mint quickly promoted herself, fearful of losing such a sincere and capable client. "High quality, low price, and strict quality control."

Strict quality control? She certainly has a way with words...

Mint did not want to let go of a client like "Boundary of Reality," and the Boundary of Reality, in turn, did not want to let go of this "cringe witch."

Seeing Jiang Heyi pull out three more bottles of "Soul Fragments," the cringe witch immediately grew excited.

"Is there anything else you’d like? I can offer a discount this time!"

"I want to buy you."

"You are truly humorous..."

Noticing that "Original Flavored French Fries" had circled behind her again, the grinning Mint immediately stopped smiling, her forehead breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Don't misunderstand me. I have something to give you."

Jiang Heyi tossed the guild jade to Mint.

"A Starry Sky Jade? This... isn't this a treasure containing the power of teleportation, one that only top-tier mages can master?"

It seemed the cringe witch’s knowledge base was no bluff. Previously, when "Jailer Bro" had tried showing some items exclusive to players to merchants active on the Fengjia City trade routes, most could not identify them, knowing only that they were of extraordinary origin.

"It seems we can save some time on explanations. The teleportation destination is our guild stronghold. We would like you to visit us and, if possible, provide us with some academic or other forms of support."

Rubbing the smooth, warm guild jade, Mint asked tentatively, "I’m a bit tired... can I not go?"

"We won’t take your labor for free. We can share some of the materials we gather on our excursions for your potion research. Items like these 'Soul Fragments' aren't off-limits for you either," Jiang Heyi said. "At the same time, we won't force you to stay at the guild permanently. You are free to leave whenever you wish."

"That doesn't sound so tiring after all. When do we leave?"

Inviting the cringe witch had been much simpler than expected—one might even say it was effortless.

After teleporting and landing, Mint immediately began examining the guild's furnishings. Like a player who had just entered the game, she found everything interesting, even lifting up a dilapidated chair to inspect it.

"Uh... is this your guild?" She looked quite disappointed.

"Disappointed that it's too run-down?"

Looking at the dragon girl and the nun curled up together, sound asleep on the floor nearby, Mint’s eyes seemed to speak for her: they didn't even have a bed; this was too pathetic.

"We just established it recently; we're lacking everything." Zhong Zemo handed a freshly roasted rabbit to Mint as a welcome gesture for her first visit.

"I thought that someone who could produce a Starry Sky Jade would live in a magnificent palace... You guys aren't thieves, are you? Did you steal this from some high-level mage and break into their private domain?"

Now, the person who looked most like a thief was calling them thieves.

"What kind of high-level mage would live in such a shabby place?" Original Flavored French Fries pointed out sharply.

"Fair point." After taking a bite of Zhong Zemo’s roasted rabbit, Mint’s eyes lit up, and she began devouring it without a shred of manners.

"Is roasted rabbit also my standard perk?"

"You'll have to ask 'Inkfish.' If he's willing to prepare a portion for you, then yes."

"Hmm... if you cover my three meals a day, staying a bit longer isn't impossible."

The group exchanged glances, silently expressing the same thought: what a cringe witch.

Jiang Heyi set aside a separate storage box and put the promised materials inside.

"Everything in this box is yours to use."

Mint gave a thumbs up: "You guys are much better than those alchemists in the Anna Empire."

Jailer Bro was squatting next to the nun doll, admiring her sleeping face. Hearing this, he turned back: "What, is it because we are more tolerant of your cringe attributes?"

"You had better not beg me to brew potions for you," Mint said, holding a grudge.

"Fine, fine, my bad." Jailer Bro apologized readily, then remembered something. He opened the storage box, pulled out a massive object, and dropped it heavily onto the floor.

"Perfect. Great Miss Witch, can you tell us what this is good for?"

The word "great" clearly pleased Mint; she trotted over happily. At a single glance, she turned to stone.

"Orange Tea" waved a hand in front of Mint, only for her to brush it aside. She slowly crouched down, gently stroking the still-hard, smooth scales, her face showing a mix of excitement at witnessing a treasure and a hint of melancholy.

"A Sea Siren..."

"We got it from a temple on this trip. What are its uses?"

"The scales are the main usable part. Sea Siren scales can be used in forging, and ground down for enchanting dust or medicinal liquids."

Mint pointed to a special, heart-shaped scale on the collar of the torso that emitted a faint sea-blue glow. "Only a Sea Siren with this scale can command the power of the Word-Spirit."

"Word-Spirit?"

"They are natural favorites born of the sea. By simply speaking, they can channel spells; while most people are still gathering magic power, they have already completed the casting."

Jailer Bro’s heart burned with excitement. "What can this be made into?"

"It can be inlaid," Mint said. "A high-level mage I knew in the Anna Empire owned a staff inlaid with a core magic scale, which granted the caster wonderful blessings."

Jailer Bro hurriedly wanted to wake the nun to have her process the scales, but was interrupted by Mint.

"An unskilled blacksmith will only destroy it."

It was clear now—this was a core component for forging high-level equipment. Such a valuable item, yet they had almost missed its true worth by having no clues.

Following Mint’s advice, Jailer Bro moved the Sea Siren torso into the fountain in the guild hall. Since no maintenance orders had been issued, the fountain was quite dilapidated. As the materials were added, water elements gathered quickly, and clear water slowly flowed over the torso; the soaked Sea Siren scales began to shimmer with brilliant light.

After this, everyone felt more and more that poaching the cringe witch was a bargain. Although she was cringey, her knowledge base was a massive help.

Perhaps she really had studied at an Imperial Academy? But if so, why was she reduced to selling potions in a remote border town of the Empire? Regardless, continuing her studies at an Imperial Academy would have been far more promising than wandering the world.

Regarding this topic, the cringe witch refused to answer. She was equally tight-lipped about the origins of her strange alchemy techniques and formulas, claiming only that it was her own superhuman talent.

Seeing Jiang Heyi hesitate for a long time in front of the forging table, Original Flavored French Fries walked over and clicked the "reserve production" button for him. "Do you really need to think this long just to craft a piece of green-quality gear?"

"I was just..."

"Trying to be a tragic hero suffering from empty-stomach bloodletting?" Original Flavored French Fries paused. "You don't need to be that frugal."

Jiang Heyi shrugged.

Zhong Zemo allowed Mint to admire the rest of the guild's inventory. Once finished, she walked around as if she were floating. Before long, she was nudging Jiang Heyi, asking if they could put more things in her box—her creative potential was infinite!

"No. Absolutely not."

Heaven knows if this person would waste everything on a whim. At this stage, they were all pinching pennies with their resources; they couldn't afford to be more generous with this cringe witch.

"Then a bed is fine, right? You want me to come here often, but I can't have absolutely nothing that belongs to me."

Predicting that Jiang Heyi would say "no," Mint doggedly pestered him like a broken record: "Give me a bed, a clean and tidy bed."

"Are you a child? If you don't get what you want, you just keep nagging!"

Jiang Heyi eventually lost the battle and had to go out to purchase materials, using the doll to hand-craft one for her.

When the group was analyzing the second floor of the "Clearer's Underground Temple," she rested her chin on her hands, leaning against the headboard to listen. She knew nothing about the Clearers.

The continent they were on was named Anna, named after the strongest hegemon of the continent, the Anna Empire, which had been passed down for a thousand years. Among the active church organizations on the continent, none were called the Clearers, and she had never heard of the name "Eternal Night."

As for beyond the continent, perhaps those merchants specializing in maritime trade might have heard something?

Jiang Heyi was finally able to confirm that the area they had teleported to was far from the game's starting continent—it was a place that could only be reached through special methods. Exploring a new map before other players was a massive win!

The game notification sounds began to chime, signaling that this round of the game was coming to an end. Mint had already entered the potion workshop to start working; with Jiang Heyi’s promise, she was full of initiative.

"Potato, can I go hide at your place?" Zhong Zemo suddenly asked. "With the money it costs to stay in a hotel, I could have already bought two sets of shrine maiden outfits."

It looked like he had made up his mind not to go home for the time being.

"That's fine, but if you go to school, you'll probably be blocked by her there too."

Proposing a divorce was not the end; Zhong Zemo still had a difficult road ahead, and it would be some time before he was completely free.

Jailer Bro suddenly asked, "Should we practice some PVP?"

"Practice? Why practice?" Original Flavored French Fries countered. "Just muddle through it. Do you really want to try your best?"

"What if?"

"What if what?"

"What if we accidentally rank at the top, accidentally qualify for the offline tournament, and become an invited guild for the first-ever event?"

"Did you hear the notification sound?" Original Flavored French Fries said. "Time to wake up; dream time is over."

"Wow, what's the difference between a person without a dream and a salted fish? You have to dare to dream."

Jailer Bro continued, "With so many teams competing, there must be a 'bye' slot. We have Orange Tea; we can get a bye for the first two or three rounds, then casually beat a few guilds that are muddling through like us, and finally, if we accidentally have a burst of performance... there's a real chance."

"Maybe after the offline tournament, it turns into a World Championship?"

"Here's a pen; you write the script," Jiang Heyi retorted.

This wasn't even dreaming anymore; the script was already written.