The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

The last rays of the setting sun peeked through the crack in the door, casting a narrow band of golden light on the ground, within which dust motes floated slowly.

She suddenly remembered that ten days ago, at dusk just like this, she excitedly shook her mother's arm and said, "Let's stay another week! Just one more week! Business is so good, it would be a waste not to make a profit!"

At that time, all she could see were the fluctuating numbers on the gem coins, and all she could think about was earning more.

But now… she lowered her head, looking at the pile of {Gem Coin Cards} she had just received that evening on the counter.

Another record broken.

But why... can't I feel happy at all?
"Mother."

She suddenly spoke, her voice very soft, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet general store.

Moran looked up from the wicker chair by the window and watched her quietly.

Sylvia didn't look up, her small hand unconsciously stroking a 500-gem coin card. After a long while, she whispered:
"Let's... leave the city of chaos. Let's go somewhere else."

Moran put down the book in her hand, walked to the counter, and asked softly:

"There are still many people waiting outside the castle to buy cards tomorrow. Don't you want to take this opportunity... to earn more gem coins?"

She deliberately asked her the same question that Sylvia had asked ten days earlier.

Sylvia's shoulders trembled slightly.

Then, she looked up.

The usual elation or weariness was gone from his eyes, replaced by an almost crystal-clear understanding:

"I don't want to think about it anymore."

She said, her voice gradually becoming firm:
“I don’t want to stay in the castle every day, seeing only counters and people queuing from morning till night. I don’t want to have to sneak around to see the stars in the garden because of those people outside. I don’t want… travel to become like this.”

She paused, then clenched her small hand into a fist:

"Travel shouldn't be like this!"

The grocery store was quiet for a few seconds.

Then, Moran smiled, walked around the counter, and gently hugged her daughter:
"You're right to think that way."

Gem coins are important, but as a second-generation witch, your magic power will naturally increase, and you will be able to exchange for more and more gem coins in the future.

You don't need to compromise yourself, trapped in front of the counter every day, wasting your most precious time on things you don't actually lack!

She stroked her daughter's hair:
"The meaning of travel is to see, to experience, to feel the vastness and wonder of this world, not to walk from one cage into another cage made of jewel coins."

Sylvia buried her face in her mother's arms and nodded vigorously.

At that moment, she suddenly felt that the heavy, suffocating weight that had been pressing on her heart for so many days had suddenly dissipated.

In the latter half of the night, all was quiet.

The moving castle's starlight wings unfolded quietly, without disturbing the people still queuing in their sleep below the hillside.

The concealment magic circle activated silently, and the entire castle, like a phantom blending into the night, slowly rose into the air and disappeared into the thick clouds.

When the sun rose the next day, the people waiting on the hillside saw only a barren clearing and the traces of campfires and tents on the ground.

After leaving the City of Chaos, the pace of travel in the Moving Castle changed completely.

They traveled north, crossing the sacred mountains where daylight never ends, lingered in the mountains for a few days, and then went to the holy city at the foot of Paradise Mountain.

Moran took Sylvia to see the magic candy shop he used to run and to meet the witches living in the Holy City.

After only a week, before the news spread, the castle set off again.

The next stop is the Dulin volcanic cluster.

A crimson river of lava flowed slowly across the black rocky ground, the air thick with the smell of sulfur. This time they lingered a little longer.

Sylvia developed a keen interest in the dwarven forging techniques, and Moran commissioned her a child-sized dagger inlaid with fire elemental gems.

After enjoying the local customs and culture of the Dwarf Kingdom, the Moving Castle set off again.

The adventurers who rushed over upon hearing the news could only watch the moving castle disappear into the distance.

"We cannot repeat the mistakes of the Chaotic City," Sylvia said seriously.

Moran nodded with a smile.

After that, they wandered around, stopping and starting, but never stayed anywhere for long.

In some places, when they really couldn't bear to leave, Sylvia would ask to close the general store and let Moran activate the castle's concealment magic circle, silently anchoring above the sea of ​​clouds. The mother and daughter would then ride flying brooms down to the towns below, strolling through the streets, tasting snacks, and listening to street performers like ordinary travelers.

Sylvia still enjoys running the grocery store, but she has become more easygoing.

I open for business based on my mood, sell whatever I'm interested in, and how much I earn is no longer important.

Sometimes she would even sell the cards to adventurers who seemed to be in dire need of help at a very low price.

And so, spring came and autumn went, flowers bloomed and faded.

The moving castle carried them across the endless desert's starry sky, listened to the deep-sea mermaids' chorus, tasted the moon dew fruit of the elven forest, and traversed the rolling waves of grass on the orc plains.

Ten years have passed quietly, with each departure and arrival.

On the eve of Sylvia's thirteenth birthday, the Moving Castle returned to the starting point of its journey, Emerald Plains.

The stream was clearer than I remembered, and the wildflowers on the grassy slopes had changed to new varieties, but the sky, the clouds, and the fragrance mixed with grass and soil were still as familiar and comforting as ever.

The castle slowly descended to its original location.

When the giant foot touched the ground, it startled several quails that were drinking water. They looked up at it, then lowered their heads again as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Sylvia walked out of the castle.

She is no longer the little girl who had to stand on tiptoe to reach the counter.

The thirteen-year-old girl had grown much taller, wearing a purple witch's robe, her long hair tied in a high ponytail.

She walked to the stream, squatted down, and scooped up a handful of cool water.

Water trickled through her fingers, sparkling like shattered diamonds in the sunlight.

"Finally home!" she whispered. "I missed Tessa, Evelyn, and Dorella so much!"

Behind her, Moran walked over and stood beside her. Ten years seemed to have left few traces on her face.

“I miss my friends too. Let’s rest for a bit and then go to the lakeside cabin together!” Moran said.

Sylvia nodded, and just as she was about to speak, a golden light suddenly appeared on the horizon.

The light, initially like a star, arrived in an instant, piercing the clear autumn sky and landing precisely in Sylvia's outstretched palm, transforming into a golden bird.

The golden bird departed, leaving behind a letter.

The envelope bears seven different marks of the first witch, arranged in an elegant arc.

Tracy's is a book, Anita's is fireworks, Carmela's is a golden pen, Sylph is a tree, Lilith is a drop of blood, Vasita's is a stomach, and...

Sylvia's fingertips gently traced the design of the card in the center, which represented her mother, the Card Witch Moran.

The seven marks glowed slightly in the sunlight. Sylvia looked up at her mother.

Moran smiled and nodded: "Open it! Your university acceptance letter should have arrived by now." (End of Chapter)