Chapter 84: Chapter 84

“…Did she walk without making a sound?”

“Burp~ Want a cup of Witch’s Happy Water? Only one silver for a big cup—guaranteed to perk you up!”

Not even a burp could stop her from pitching her products. This witch had dark circles under her eyes—she clearly needed a pick-me-up.

“Happy Water? Is the happiness from burping?” The witch eyed the fizzy brown drink with deep suspicion.

This customer was a tough one! But Mu Ying was confident in her “Witch’s Happy Water”—especially the iced version.

“This is a new drink that’s all the rage among humans! You can try it for free—if you don’t like it, you don’t have to pay.”

Without waiting for a reply, Mu Ying poured her a big cup.

The witch had meant to refuse, but before she knew it, an icy drink was in her hand.

Iced? Oh well, might as well try it.

She took a small sip—hmm, a bit sweet, nice and cold. Wait, something was popping on her tongue!

“It’s even better if you take a big gulp!” Mu Ying encouraged her mischievously.

The witch took a big swig. “Burp~”

“…”

“Haha, see? Isn’t it fun? Burp~”

Mu Ying laughed, taking a big gulp of her own Happy Water.

The witch’s cheeks flushed. She tossed a silver coin onto the stall and hurried away.

That night, Mu Ying’s Happy Water sold like crazy. The hair-dye potions, aside from the initial hair-dye fanatic, also sold steadily. Ironically, the product she thought would be most popular—the binding vines—barely moved.

Nothing like the popularity it had among her seniors and classmates.

Well, most graduate witches already had their own places and were much stronger. These vines couldn’t stop a witch who could ride a broom—they were only good against humans and small beasts.

It just went to show: witches were really willing to spend money on enjoyment.

Near dawn, Rosie came by as promised. “So, did you make any money?”

Mu Ying had already packed everything up. She shook her coin pouch with a grin.

“The sun’s almost up. If we head back now, we’ll catch the tail end of the market,” Rosie said, taking her hand as they walked.

For young witches like them who hadn’t graduated yet, the seasonal gatherings were pretty much their only chance to make some money—not like the adult witches who’d passed their coming-of-age trials and traveled outside the Witch’s Forest.

Setting up your own place took money, and you had to start saving for your coming-of-age trial, so every coin counted.

The end of the market was the best place to hunt for bargains."

"Late markets usually take place during the last hour of the marketplace. Some witches, not wanting to take unsold goods back home, will sell them at low prices during this time. For poor students, it’s a must-visit event.

When it rains on Hat Mountain, the late market is typically held in the first cave right after entering. If it’s dry, it’s set up at the foot of the mountain.

The rain stopped in the second half of the night, so today’s late market should be at the foot of the mountain.

Along the way, they ran into quite a few witches heading down as well.

“Hic~”

“Hic~”

The identical hiccuping sounds made two unfamiliar witches exchange glances. Noticing the familiar cups in each other’s hands, they instantly shared a knowing smile.

“Witch’s Happy Water really does make you happy!”

Mu Ying kept her head down, tugging her senior along as she hurried past, subtly picking up the pace.

She really wanted to say: This is supposed to be happy water, not silly water! Why do you have to hiccup so loudly on purpose?

She would never admit it was her fault! It must be their own innate goofiness coming out.

“Mu Ying, why are you running? Looks like your happy water is a hit! But is hiccuping some new tradition?” Senior Rosie said cheerfully, completely oblivious to Mu Ying’s embarrassment.

Mu Ying quietly explained the whole story, earning a merciless round of laughter from her senior.

The Summer Moon market was never very lively to begin with, and the late market even less so. There weren’t many stalls, mostly selling daily necessities and miscellaneous items brought over from the human world.

But these were exactly what Mu Ying and her friends needed.

With a new place to live, they needed to buy everything from pots and pans to bowls and chopsticks.

Since Mu Ying inherited her mother’s wooden house, she had much less to worry about. She just bought herself two sets of dresses and two plain robes. The dresses were the kind commonly worn by girls in the human world, and the robes were standard witch attire.

Apart from her school uniform, all she had were old clothes from long ago, which had already become too small before she even started school.

Although she spent most of her time at school and the uniform was enough, after the week-long Four Seasons Gathering, it would be the holidays. It wouldn’t be appropriate to wear her uniform everywhere outside of school.

These new clothes were for the holidays, and they only cost her two gold coins, leaving her with over thirty more.

Seeing Mu Ying’s bulging coin pouch, Lillian—who had toiled away in the back mountain for so long and only earned two gold coins—couldn’t help but shed tears of envy. “Is it too late for me to start learning cooking magic?”

“With our bread always tasting burnt, there’s no way we’ll make money with cooking magic,” Margarita comforted her junior, patting her on the head. “Forget about a fancy place to live. I suggest you find a good cave for this holiday, save up for some essentials to get through your coming-of-age ceremony, and figure things out when you get to the human world.”

Lillian felt encouraged. At least she wasn’t the only one struggling, and her mood improved a lot.

As the sun rose and the night faded, the late market came to an end.

No matter what they’d gained, it was time for Mu Ying and her friends to head back.

Ms. Melani appeared at just the right moment, gathering them together and leading them back to school in the same formation as when they’d arrived.

Compared to the chaotic trip there, the return journey was much more pleasant.

Even after a sleepless night, basking in the morning sun, they felt full of energy.

……

The broom grass Mu Ying planted two weeks ago had finally matured.

Although she’d watered it daily with the Spring of Restoration, this broom grass wasn’t much different from the one in the Emerald World—just a bit longer and a shade darker.

Having made a broom once before, she was even more skilled this time: trimming, smoothing, binding, checking, and carving her personal magic rune.

She patted the broom handle. It didn’t move at all, as if to say it was just an ordinary broom.