The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

The cards materialized and were divided into two piles. One pile was for Della's grandmother, and the other pile was for Leila.

The flying carpet weaves through layers of branches and leaves, while the moss clinging to the edges sways gently in the wind.

"Mom! Look! There's a big flying basket in the sky!"

A clear, childlike voice came from below.

Moran looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little witch, about three or four years old, standing on tiptoe in a clearing in the woods, pointing her little hand high into the sky.

She had a head of chestnut-colored curly hair that shimmered warmly in the sunlight, and her large amber eyes were filled with wonder.

On the open ground, a treehouse naturally formed from ancient tree roots stands quietly, and the small garden in front of the house is full of wind chimes that tinkle in the wind.

A witch dressed in a light linen-colored, belted robe was half-squatting in the garden, her long hair loosely tied up behind her head. She held a bellflower with slightly wilted leaves in her hand, and pale golden blessings flowed from her fingertips.

The bellflower unfurled its leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye, regaining its vitality.

Hearing the child's voice, she straightened up, tucked her hair behind her ears, and squinted at the sky.

"Grandma Della!" Grandma Della's face bore more traces of time than Moran remembered, but her eyes remained warm and bright.

Upon seeing the figure on the flying carpet, Della's face lit up with a delighted smile, and she waved vigorously into the air.

The flying carpet slowly descended onto the soft grass. Moran had just jumped down when Little Leila rushed over like a small cannonball, but stopped a few steps away from her and hid behind Della, only peeking out half of her head, her eyes fixed on Zizi and the moss entangled on the flying carpet.

"Moran!" Della greeted her with a hug that smelled of earth and sunshine. "When did you get back to Valen? What brings you here?"

"I missed you! I haven't had much to do lately, so I thought I'd drop by to see Leila!" Moran smiled and hugged her back, then bent down to meet Leila's gaze. "Hello, I'm Moran. This is Zizi, this is Kaba, and this is Sentai."

Squeak waved its little paws cooperatively: "Hello! Little Leila!"

Little Leila's eyes widened even more, and she whispered to Della, "Mommy, the little monkey can talk!"

“Yes, because it’s a witch’s companion.” Della gently patted her head. “Leila, this is Moran, your sister Shana’s daughter!”

“Mo, Moran…” Little Leila blinked, suddenly remembering something important.

She lowered her head, her small hands carefully rummaging in the pocket of her clothes, and pulled out a card with slightly worn edges.

With practiced ease, she tapped the cards with her fingertip, and several brightly colored copies of the "Young Witches Series" fell to the ground in front of her with a "plop."

Little Leila immediately crouched down and began rummaging through the pile of books.

Soon, she picked up one of the books, flipped through it with her little hands, the pages rustling, and finally stopped on a certain page.

She looked at the portrait on the page, then looked up at Moran, her large amber eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment, checking back and forth several times.

Finally, she opened her small mouth slightly and uttered a single word in an almost breathy voice:

"Card...Card Witch?" Zizi proudly puffed out her little chest: "That's right, she's my master!"

Della couldn't help but laugh out loud, looking at Moran teasingly: "Oh dear, you've been recognized."

Moran couldn't help but chuckle: "Yes, it's me!"

She pointed to the book in Leila's hand, "Does Leila like reading? You recognized her so quickly?"

Little Leila nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice: "I love it! Especially this one, it has so many beautiful and powerful witch sisters, and Sister Moran is the most powerful!"

"Thank you for the compliment." Moran's smile deepened, deliberately prompting her to speak: "What else does this book say about me?"

This question clearly touched on something that interested little Leila. She immediately opened the book on her lap, pointed to the words and pictures with her short fingers, and began to "introduce" it in a childish but unusually earnest voice:
"The book says... the Card Witch Moran is an incredibly powerful witch! She invented card magic, which allows many, many things to be turned into cards and kept in your pocket!"

She turned a page and pointed to another illustration with various card designs. "There are cards that can conjure up houses, cards that can unleash powerful magic, and... and cards that can make delicious candy!"

As she spoke, her large, round, amber eyes drifted uncontrollably to the side, landing on the flying carpet among the pile of gifts half-hidden by moss and vines.

At the very top of one of the gift piles, a rainbow candy tower in a clear crystal box gleamed alluringly.

The candies have starry colors, cloud-like shapes, and some are even shaped like small animals, making them look very lifelike.

That was a "Dreamy Fairy Tale Candy Gift Box" that Moran had carefully selected from the card shop.

Grandma Della shook her head and chuckled, gently tapping her daughter's nose: "You little glutton, your eyes are practically glued to the screen."

Moran was completely charmed and her heart melted. She moved her fingers, and the crystal-clear candy gift box flew over: "This book is right. This box of candy is a manifestation of the cards. Here you go, little Leila. These candies are not only delicious, but each one also has a little surprise effect, such as making your tongue taste the rainbow, or letting out a burp with stars in it!"

Leila's eyes widened even more instantly than before: "Re...really for me?"

“Of course, they belong to you now.” Moran gently placed the box into her arms.

Little Leila was hugging the candy box tightly as if it were a priceless treasure, her little face pressed against the crystal box wall, her eyes gazing dreamily at the star-shaped candies, cloud-shaped candies, and animal-shaped candies that seemed to come alive.

Seeing her incredibly cute appearance, Moran decided to stop introducing each item one by one and simply used levitation magic to float all the gifts on the flying carpet over.

Brightly colored packaging, oddly shaped gift boxes, and small bags exuding various alluring scents... they slowly spun and descended around Little Leila.

“It’s not just this box of candy,” Moran’s voice chuckled. “This whole pile is a gift for little Leila!”

Little Leila was stunned by the unexpected and unimaginable "mountain of gifts".

Clutching the candy box, her little mouth formed a round "O" shape, her large amber eyes wide open, scanning the "treasure" before her from left to right and from top to bottom, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

She even subconsciously freed one hand to rub her eyes and looked at it again.

It's real! It's not a dream! So many gifts! (End of Chapter)