Another World Witch Training Manual

023. When working, please refer to plants.

Xin Lai tightened her belt and straightened her clothes in front of the mirror.

In the mirror's reflection, Eve's robes were half-fallen off her shoulders on the large bed, revealing one of her bare shoulders and a glimpse of her cleavage.

During the earlier struggle, the magic-blocking cloth had already loosened, and the light and shadow were mottled under the misaligned hem, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Eve seemed unwilling to give up, turning her head to look at Xinlai in front of the mirror, and their eyes met in the mirror.

Although Xin Lai's physical skills weren't top-notch, he had mastered several sword techniques to level 5, so his physique was naturally not weak. After a fierce battle, his expression remained normal, and from his features to his demeanor, he was still impeccably handsome.

Eve, however, resembled a flower branch after a storm, her hair disheveled and tangled. The cold, snow-like blade tucked in her hair had somehow slipped to the bedside table, and her hair color gradually returned to purple from the top of her head, with only the ends still retaining a touch of icy blue.

Two tear tracks clung to her cheeks; the girl's brokenness made her far less composed than Xin Lai at this moment...

Eve felt the same way, and turning her face away without confidence, no longer looking at him.

Those who didn't know better might think Eve took advantage of Sinley...

She pulled the blanket up to cover herself, quietly straightening her crumpled robe. Her crotch seemed to be soaked with sweat... but it didn't seem to be entirely sweat...

"I'll hold Simeon back in a bit. You can quietly go to the underground training room in the castle. It has its own magical barrier, so even if he tries to search there, he won't be able to find it."

"Also, all the cultivation resources in the cultivation room are yours. Don't be shy. All the expenses for purchasing them will be charged to what you owe me. I will automatically increase your working hours, so you don't need to worry about that."

"..."

Those despicable capitalists! That despicable Xin Lai!

Eve pouted, cursing Xinlai in her heart with dissatisfaction.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hmm...hmm..." Eve was already somewhat absent-minded, and while she was scolding Xinlai, she naturally didn't hear much of what she was saying...

But Xinlai ignored Eve, acting like a heartless lover who would forget his lover after getting dressed. He tidied himself up and left the bedroom, believing that Eve could still distinguish between what was important and what was urgent.

……

……

The council chamber is located in the center of the castle, with a cone-shaped tiered crystal chandelier hanging above it. The marble floor and stained-glass windows complement each other, and soft light shines on the mahogany furniture and carpets.

On the rosewood tea table sat a set of exquisite tea utensils, the gift of which I could not recall—a gift from a noble and philandering widow.

On the rosewood-trimmed leather and goose-down sofa, Simien crossed his legs, rested one hand on the backrest, swung his ankle, and looked at Xinlai, who was hurrying down the second-floor corridor.

Ding Ke stood obediently to the side, seemingly being ordered to reflect on his actions.

"Second Brother."

Xinlai sat down opposite Simien, looking refreshed and gazing at him intently.

Seeing Xin Lai's expression, as if she could work for another three days, Simien couldn't help but wonder about the identity of the woman sleeping next to Xin Lai:

"Young man, who was that just now?"

Xinlai looked mysterious and gestured to the servant to brew some black tea, placing sugar cubes and evaporated milk aside.

"To be honest," Xinlai nodded, savoring the sensation from just now, "I just bought it at a high price at the slave market."

Upon hearing this, Simien shook his head and said in an elder's tone, "You, I gave you so much gold so you could buy cultivation resources to improve your strength, not those dispensable things..."

"That's a succubus with pointed ears from the Frost Forest. She's cool to the touch but warm inside, and her figure and face are impeccable."

"Succubi are already rare in the cold northern regions, and the mountainous terrain in the north makes them even more difficult to catch, making them a truly rare breed."

"Most importantly, this breed of succubus not only doesn't absorb magic, but it also nourishes the body... Second brother, why don't you give one a try?"

"Ahem." Simien coughed twice, covering his mouth with his fist, then shifted his gaze to the wall. "Um... let's not talk about that for now. Tell me, how much does this wall cost?"

Seeing that Simeon was no longer pressing for Eve's identity, Xinlai knew he had taken her words to heart, so she wisely stopped asking and instead pointed towards the bedroom on the second floor.

Sitting on the sofa, you can see the second-floor corridor and the broken embossed door to the bedroom, with two cracks clearly visible on the wall.

Xinlai's lips curled into a smile, her heart aching for her.

"Second brother, you know about this wall too—"

"Hey, hey, hey, stop!"

Upon hearing this opening gesture, Simeon sensed something was amiss and quickly interrupted, "Alright, consider those five chests of gold as payment for repairing the wall, and your second brother won't hold Eve's matter against you..."

It was clear that Simien was in great pain, but out of consideration for his brother's feelings, he couldn't refuse outright.

Upon hearing this, Xin Lai approached Simien with a smile, wanting to shake his hand, but Simien's hand was firmly stuck in his pocket and he couldn't pull it out.

"Oh, Second Brother, you're being too polite—" Xin Lai said politely, pointing to the half-shattered, wood-shaving and fragmented relief door.

"That's not enough, we need to add two more boxes."

"..."

"……call……"

Simeon took a deep breath, never expecting Xinlai to be so ruthless.

But he couldn't repeat the same insults, and he couldn't find any other fault with Xinlai right now. He stared at Xinlai for two seconds, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and then turned to look out the window as if he had let it go.

Xinlai didn't say anything, but helped Simien put the sugar cubes into the teacup, then poured in a little evaporated milk, making a flavor that she thought Simien would like.

Time flowed slowly, and Xinlai remained calm and patient, sitting to the side waiting for Simien's reply.

Seeing Xinlai's shameless attitude, Simien regretted coming here.

He lost both his wife and his army...

It seems that without paying, there's no way to leave this castle unscathed.

"Fine, fine," Simeon finally relented, her seemingly relieved expression masking a barely suppressed anger.

"Two more boxes, please. I'll have someone deliver them later..."

After Simeon finished speaking, he seemed to have all his strength drained away, picked up the tea that Xinlai had brewed, and took a sip.

The texture is smooth and creamy, with a refreshing sweetness that lingers, as if this bite is meant to bring back everything that has been lost.

Xinlai nodded and sat up in the same position as Ximien. "Hey, second brother, look at you, you're in such a hurry again."

He leisurely picked up his teacup, stirred it a couple of times, and said quietly, "That was the price before; now it's three cases."

"puff!!"

Simeon spat out a mouthful of black tea, making him dizzy.

Seeing this, Ding knew it was a good opportunity to make amends, so he quickly pulled out a towel to wipe Simien's face.

Xinlai didn't care much; the tea spilled on the carpet could be easily cleaned up with a simple cleaning trick, it wasn't a big problem.

"Xin Lai!" Simien angrily slammed down the cup, pushed Ding Ke aside, stood up from the sofa, pointed at Xin Lai's nose, and was about to start cursing. He had long since lost the demeanor of a cunning old fox who had dominated power.

"I'll fuck you—"

Xinlai glanced at the time, her expression suddenly turning serious. She pointed to the door frame and said, "During working hours, please address me as 'Plant,' Second Prince."

At this point in time, both the eldest prince, Galend, and the second prince, Simeon, who held considerable influence and connections within the royal family, needed to travel to the palace to report to King Bermelt on their recent work.

Sinley had gone once before, and after reporting what books he had read and what training he had done that day, Bermelt never let him go again.

Before Simeon could even utter a curse, Xinlai launched into a tirade:

"The embossed door should be repaired immediately after it is damaged; it might be possible to restore it using localized source-tracing magic."

He shrugged. "But now, I'm afraid even if we could turn back time, it wouldn't be able to be repaired. We'd have to carve one from scratch."

"Hey, why didn't you say so earlier—"

Simeon's face was contorted with rage, spitting everywhere, and he almost cursed the birthplace of himself and Xinlai.

Fortunately, Ding Ke pulled Simien back in time, preventing the latter from attacking his own brother.

Simeon's furious appearance resembled that of a clown with his face smeared with red paint; his high, straight nose was dark red, his face was grayish-red, and his curly blond hair made him look somewhat like Comrade Jianguo...

"Your Highness, calm down! He's your own brother! Scolding him is scolding yourself!!"

While comforting Simien, Ding Ke glanced up at Xin Lai, who was sitting on the sofa watching the show. He was caught in a dilemma, not daring to scold Xin Lai by name in front of her, nor daring to stop Simien.

"Get lost! Who's the master?!" Simien elbowed Ding Ke away, insisting on having a passionate offline free-fight with Xin Lai.

Xinlai knew she couldn't beat Simien, so she pretended to be terrified and had no choice but to give up, shaking her head pitifully.

"Alright, second brother, since you think it's a bit high, let's add two more cases. I'll pay for the last case myself."

"You pay for it yourself... Do you think I'm stupid? Why would you have so much money to rip me off every day?"

"Hey! That's not quite right, Second Brother," Xin Lai said with a smile. "It's your duty to pay, and it's my choice to pay. They're different things."

"nm..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Simien, who was still panting heavily, stopped in his tracks, thought for a moment, and slowly lowered the fist he had just raised.

Although it's a bit of a loss, it's not that much, so it seems not bad...?

After a moment's hesitation, Simien, feeling that Xinlai should also pay a price, straightened his clothes and snorted coldly:

"You're smart to know what's good for you!"

"Okay... then it's two boxes, remember to deliver them to me on time..."

"I know! Your second brother isn't so poor that he can't afford to gamble away two chests of gold bars!"

After saying that, Simien didn't want to stay any longer. He grumbled and cursed as he led Ding Ke toward the castle gate.

He always felt that the money would disappear as soon as he was near Xinlai...

Moreover, he had to go to the palace for a party later, and could not delay any longer, so Simien left the castle with a face full of anger, looking back every three steps.

Xinlai remained in the same position as before, and drank the last sip of black tea.

Actually, repairing a wall or buying a door doesn't cost much. You can just find any craftsman... You might not even need magic. Just fix it up and it'll be usable.

Sin Lai simply wanted to swindle Simien again.

Now she has accumulated seven chests of gold, enough for Xinlai to start some small businesses that generate more money.

Suddenly, another figure rushed in through the gate, panting heavily, with the lights above its head still shining brightly.

"Huh? Why are you back again?"

Seeing Ding Ke's concern for Simien, Xin Lai asked curiously.

Ding Ke took two deep breaths, then puffed out his chest and said, seemingly a little embarrassed:

"Um... well, I wanted to ask where I can buy the Pointy-Eared Succubus from Frostwood."