The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

After Moran nodded, Taram hurriedly left the general store with Taliro to move the animal hides. They didn't even have time to take the stack of {gem coin cards} on the counter, leaving them there casually.

Sylvia watched their hurried departure, then glanced at the glittering gem coins on the counter, but wasn't particularly surprised.

In her mind since childhood, witches were naturally trustworthy.

But there was something else she didn't understand.

Once the footsteps of Taram and the others had faded into the distance, she turned around, her little hands gripping the edge of the counter, and looked up at Moran, asking:

"Mom, if we let them use animal hides to pay for the gem coins... won't we lose money?"

Moran walked to her daughter's side, gently tapped her little nose, and smiled.

"Of course not! In fact, you can make a profit!"

She opened the card shop:

“Look, a {Material Card - Rock Armor Bear Hide} costs 150 Gem Coins in the Witch Card Shop. But if you buy it directly from the Tatars, they usually only offer 100 or even less.”

Sylvia blinked: "So...we buy cheap and sell high?"

“Not only that.” Moran shook his head. “The Tatars’ tanning skills are renowned in Valen, that’s true. But what truly doubles the value of these hides is not the tanning technique itself, but our subsequent alchemical treatment of these hides.”

She displayed detailed information about several cards on the screen:

"For example, this {Level 5 Rock Armor Bear Hide Armor} costs 5000 Gem Coins in the store. Its main material is three high-quality Rock Armor Bear hides. If we purchase the hides ourselves and draw the alchemical runes ourselves, the cost would be at most 500 Gem Coins."

Sylvia's small mouth opened slightly: "Less than 500 in cost, selling for 5000... a tenfold profit?"

“There’s even more!” Moran continued to guide: “5000 is the price in the Witch Card Shop. If we sell the finished product to those outsiders who can’t find a way to buy or craft level 5 leather armor, people will be fighting over it for 10000 gem coins.”

Sylvia was completely stunned.

10000... That's her entire transaction volume just now, which was only a little over 10,000! And what Mom was talking about only costs 500?

Seeing her daughter's confused and shocked expression, Moran knew the time was right.

She turned off the light screen, looked Sylvia straight in the eye, and softened her voice:

“Sylvia, do you understand now? What is the truly precious thing in all of this, the thing that increases its value tenfold or even twentyfold?”

Sylvia hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked in a low voice, "Is it... alchemy?"

“Yes.” Moran nodded firmly: “It’s alchemy, it’s magic, it’s the ability of us witches to transform ordinary materials into magical items.”

The same rock bear skin was simply considered a fine material for warmth and moisture protection by the Tatali.

They tanned and sewed it with exquisite craftsmanship, making it more durable and beautiful, but it is still 'leather'.

But in the hands of an alchemist, it can be transformed into a magical leather armor that can automatically regulate temperature, withstand advanced magical attacks, and even activate a temporary shield in times of crisis!

Looking into her daughter's eyes, which seemed to understand but not quite, she said, word by word:
"Ordinary craftsmanship can make things better, but magic can make things different."

The profits from the price difference in the witch card shop are far less than those from mastering a truly superior spell.

Moran brought her daughter on a trip and had her run a general store, not so that she would learn how to buy and sell cards in the card shop and make a living from them.

Magic is the foundation of a witch's existence.

Cards are merely a vehicle for magic, a tool to spread magic more widely and make it more convenient to use. They can never replace the process of a witch personally learning, understanding, and mastering magic.

Sylvia's small hands unconsciously caressed the smooth edge of the counter, her eyes lowered, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath them.

After a long while, she finally raised her head: "Mom, I think I understand. Just like Zizi can do accounting, Kaba can take pictures, and Sentai has many hands, these are their strengths, and they are very useful. And magic is the witch's strength, like alchemy, which can turn cheap things into precious things. If you master this, you can earn more money and live a better life, right?"

Moran was startled.

She never expected her daughter to understand so deeply and speak so well.

He reached out and gently pulled Sylvia into his arms:
"Yes, that's it. Sylvia is so smart!"

Sylvia, however, was somewhat troubled: "But I can only learn magic after I start school, which is many, many years away!"

Moran chuckled and comforted her, "You'll have plenty of opportunities to learn magic in the future! But the days when you don't have to learn magic while living with your mother are numbered!"

Sylvia: "Yes..."

About half an hour later, Taram and Taliro returned.

This time they also brought two other strong Tatali youths with them.

The four of them worked together to move two large bundles of leather that were tightly wrapped in clean coarse cloth.

The leather was carefully placed on the open ground in front of the grocery store.

Taram himself untied the ropes and lifted the coarse cloth.

There are three rock bear skins, five python skins, and six moon deer skins in total, all in very good condition.

"Please inspect the goods." Taram gestured for them to proceed, his tone brimming with confidence in his family's craftsmanship.

Moran stepped forward, and Sylvia followed curiously beside him.

After carefully examining each one, Moran nodded:

"The quality is indeed very good. How do you plan to sell it?"

Taram rubbed his hands together: "Rock Armor Bear hides are 100 gem coins each, Water Python hides are 80 each, and Moon Deer hides are 50 each."

“Then we’ll take them all!” Moran waved his hand. “Sylvia, give them the cards Mr. Taram wanted, and also give them a 500-coin {Gem Coin Card}.”

Sylvia immediately understood.

She first neatly placed the three level 5 healing potion cards, one level 5 antidote potion card, and one level 5 magic card - thorny strangler on the counter and pushed them toward Taram.

Then, she carefully counted out a 500-coin note from the stack of gem coin cards left by Taram and handed it back.

"Transaction complete!" Sylvia straightened her small frame, her voice clear and crisp. "Thank you for your patronage!"

Taram carefully put the cards into his inner pocket, but did not leave immediately.

He stepped back and once again pounded his chest with his right hand in a deep bow:

"Lord Moran, Miss Sylvia. On behalf of the Tatali tribe, I formally invite you both to the hunting festival tomorrow afternoon."

"Please do us the honor of joining us. Let us have the opportunity to express our welcome and gratitude to you both in the Tataly way."

Moran didn't answer immediately; she looked at Sylvia.

The little witch was staring at her with bright eyes, her little face clearly saying "I want to go, I want to go, I want to go."

Moran couldn't help but smile and nodded slightly to Taram:

"Okay, we'll go. Thank you for the invitation!" (End of Chapter)