The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Lu Wen hurried toward the area where the Holy Radiance Wood was concentrated, and soon he ran into Moran, who was on her way to the White House.

Seemingly surprised to encounter a witch so close to home, the annoyance on his face hadn't even subsided before he hastily forced a somewhat distorted smile: "Witch? What are you doing here?"

Although he was smiling, his tone was somewhat unfriendly.

Moran, feigning ignorance, explained his purpose:
"You must be Lu Wen? I'm Moran, the witch who lives at the intersection of Yonghui Road and Wuye Road. I'm planning to open a magic candy shop in the Holy City. I heard that there are many Honeylight Fruits ripening in the cemetery, so I came here specifically to ask if you could sell me some."

"A magic candy shop?" Lu Wen's expression finally changed, and he said with a warm smile, "The Holy City does indeed lack a candy shop, but I've already harvested all the Honeylight Fruits this season and used them as fertilizer for the flowers and plants in the cemetery, so I'm afraid I can't sell them to you. However, there are many sweet plants in the Sacred Mountains, where you might find something."

As Lu Wen spoke, he hid his hands inside his sleeves.

"I see. Then I won't bother you any longer. I'll go collect some Holy Radiance Wood sap first!" Moran said goodbye to him with some disappointment.

"So it's the night of the full moon again? When collecting the sap of the Holy Radiance Wood, be careful not to damage the flowers and plants under the tree! With them, this cemetery can have a sweet fragrance all year round," Lu Wen said.

"Okay! I'll be careful." Moran said and turned to leave.

After walking a few steps, Lu Wencai said again, "I think I heard other people's voices. I'd better go with you to take a look!"

“It should be my companions. We agreed to collect the sap of the Holy Radiance Tree together tonight. They won’t damage the vegetation here, so you can rest assured,” Moran said.

“I can’t feel at ease unless they are as willing as you to embrace the light,” Lu Wen said.

Lu Wen insisted on going to see it, so Moran said nothing more.

After meeting up with the other witches, she joined the group that was collecting the sap of the Holy Light Tree.

Lu Wen seemed to be watching their movements like a ghost, but he couldn't find a single mistake, and could only keep muttering:

"Be gentle! If you cut too big, even the Holy Light Wood will feel pain!"

"Money is just an external thing! As long as you embrace the light, you won't have to worry about making a living. Why bother with this?"

"You're not short of money, are you? Why did you stay up all night to collect the sap of the Holy Radiance Wood? They were growing perfectly fine here, and you cut them open. It's quite pitiful."

……

At this point, he became just as verbose as the other hermits.

The witches had also become accustomed to being persuaded by the hermits they encountered while collecting the sap of the Holy Radiance Tree.

While casually collecting juices, he could also banter with Lu Wen.

"I don't know if the Holy Radiance Wood feels pain when its sap is harvested, but it certainly feels pain when these Honeylight Vines entangle it."

"We won't starve even if we don't embrace the light. Isn't money earned with our own hands more appealing than money that might fall from the sky someday?"

"Who says we're not short of money? I haven't even saved enough resources to build the witch's house yet!"

……

Even when Lu Wen was rebuked, he simply smiled and continued lecturing, never resorting to violence. Firstly, he couldn't defeat the witch, and secondly, hermits wouldn't use the magic bestowed by light to harm others unless their lives were threatened.

However, Moran noticed that Lu Wen's smile didn't seem as natural as the other hermits she had met that day, who genuinely seemed to be wholeheartedly for their benefit.

Moreover, he was the first hermit who, upon meeting her, did not express any appreciation for her appearance and attire, which conformed to the aesthetic standards of light worshippers.

Even though Moran didn't use mind-reading because he was worried about the angels behind the Fairy of Light and Shadow, he could still sense that Moran was different from the other hermits.

Or perhaps he wasn't a hermit at all.

Because he lied before.

There was still residual pigment left from peeling the honey berries under his fingernails, which definitely did not mean that he used the honey berries as fertilizer, as he claimed.

With their emotions smoothed out by the power of holy light, and their reactions to everything indifferent, how could a hermit who only worships light lie about something as insignificant as the Honeylight Fruit?
Unless he is not a hermit at all, his emotional fluctuations are normal.

That's why he lied about the honey fruit he needed, why his smile froze when the witches laughed at him, and why his expression twisted and his tone unfriendly when he first saw her.

After the witches finished collecting the sap from the Holy Light Tree, they all went home.

Adult witches naturally have less and less sleep, and Moran's method of mage meditation is also popular among witches who are stressed by Lady Anita's disappearance.

Before Moran could even tell the other witches about her discovery, the "Eight Times Speed ​​Gossip Alliance" chat group was already buzzing with it.

After Moran shared what she had discovered, the messages in the group became increasingly frequent.

[Garona: Is Ruven not a hermit?]

Melinda: Now that you mention it, it seems he really is a bit different from other hermits. When I was arguing with him today, I felt more relieved than when I argued with other hermits. So, was it actually because he was also angered by us?

Camilla: I felt the same way. It was like he wanted to kick us out of the cemetery; that's really not hermit-like.

Agnes: If Ruven isn't a hermit, then why does he present himself as one? And why does he say things only hermits would utter? Besides, the holy light emanating from the angel pendant on his chest is comparable to that of a seasoned hermit. How could he possibly draw such a concentrated amount of holy light into his offerings without devout prayer?

Bella: I smell gossip again.

[Aveline: It's a pity we're not good at mind reading; we can't read the secrets in Ruwen's heart.]

[Moran: I can read it, but I'm worried that the fairies of light and shadow around him will notice something amiss. Angels are also masters at manipulating people's hearts.]

[Euphemism: Everything Lu Wen is hiding is inextricably linked to his light and shadow fairy. There's definitely something fishy going on. One day, we'll figure out what's really going on!]

[Moran: It's definitely true that his light and shadow fairy likes sweets. Lu Wen already knows I'm opening a magic candy shop. Once my candies are ready, Lu Wen, or his light and shadow fairy, will definitely come. Then we'll be able to find out more.]

Camilla: I'm so excited! The process of uncovering gossip is always the most enjoyable.

...(End of chapter)