Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

The three of them quickly arrived at the front hall.

The main gate wasn't open yet, but it was already surrounded by people.

Some people were coughing, some were chatting, some were complaining about waiting too long, and others were vividly describing the wonderful feeling they had after licking the "elf's feet" yesterday.

"Let me tell you, my knee has been hurting for three years, but I licked it yesterday, and this morning it doesn't hurt at all!"

"Really?"

"I'd be a dog if I lied to you! When I licked it, the foot was invisible, but when you licked it, it was all visible. The effect is definitely different."

"Then you've hit the jackpot!"

"Of course."

Wayne stood behind the door, listened, and remained silent.

It's a shame this person isn't involved in otherworldly pyramid schemes.

On the other side, Vera had already prepared the well water that Wayne had ordered. She stood in the corner of the front hall, in front of a large vat, the mouth of which was wider than her two waists, the surface of the water as calm as a polished stone.

A stack of rough earthenware bowls lay on the ground next to him, which Thomason had brought from the kitchen; the rims of the bowls still bore traces of water that hadn't been wiped dry.

Wayne walked up to the large vat and rolled up his sleeves.

Water seeped from my palm, colorless and odorless, invisible to the naked eye, but the surface began to tremble slightly. Ripples spread outward from the center, hitting the tank wall and then folding back, colliding with the ripples behind them.

Vera stood there, staring blankly.

"My lord, this is... an elven potion?"

"What else?" Wayne pulled his hand out of the water, shaking off the droplets. "Do you really believe in any fairies?"

Vera shut her mouth. She lowered her head, staring at the water in the large vat, its surface still trembling slightly, reflecting her own face. After so many years in this world, she had learned one lesson: the less you know, the longer you live.

Wayne took two small porcelain bottles from the cabinet, uncorked them, and poured their contents into a large vat. One bottle contained a pale yellow powder that dissolved instantly in water, creating a layer of fine bubbles on the surface. The other bottle contained a dark brown liquid that emitted a scent of wormwood mixed with a hint of honey sweetness when poured in.

"Master, what is that?"

Emma couldn't help but ask.

"It's invigorating. It warms the chest and can soothe minor ailments." Wayne put the empty porcelain bottle aside. "It's not medicine, but it makes you feel better, so they believe it."

"Vera."

"Huh?" Vera looked up, her eyes slightly unfocused.

"Open the door."

Vera stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, walked to the door, took a deep breath, and unlatched the door.

Sunlight streamed in.

The crowd surged in.

It wasn't the kind of frenzied surge, but the kind of surge where people wanted to go crazy but dared not. The first few people walked quickly, but slowed down when they reached Wayne, as if maintaining decorum in front of a priest was more important than grabbing the potion.

"Your Majesty Bishop!"

"Your Excellency, is the medicine ready?"

"I'm first in line! I'll go first!"

Wayne raised his hand and pressed it down.

The crowd fell silent.

He stood beside the large vat, sunlight streaming in from the doorway and falling upon him, his golden hair shimmering with a soft glow. Vera stood behind him, holding a wooden ladle, her posture as dignified as if she were serving communion.

"The medicine is ready." Wayne's voice wasn't loud, but the front hall's acoustics were excellent, and every word was clear. "One bowl for each person, ten copper coins per bowl."

It's not that Wayne is short of money.

Sometimes the authority of the church needs to be established. Free things are not appreciated, and the same goes for people's hearts.

Ten copper coins for a bowl of water, that's what you pay for.

Once the rules are established, people will listen to what the church says.

Some people in the crowd started to murmur.

"Ten copper coins? Didn't you say it was free?"

"Yeah, they said yesterday in the square that it would be distributed to the townspeople for free, so how come it's ten copper coins today?"

"Your Excellency, you can't go back on your word."

Whispers spread from the front door into the hall.

The sound wasn't loud, but with so many people, eight or ten sentences piled up together, buzzing like a hornet's nest had been stirred up.

The buzzing from the crowd grew louder and louder.

The man at the front, with a thick beard, took a step forward, puffing out his chest and speaking loudly.

"Your Excellency, that's not right!"

Wayne looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"You said it yourself in the square yesterday, that the elven potions would be distributed to everyone in town for free. The whole town heard it! You can't go back on your word!"

"Exactly!"

"We've been queuing all morning!"

"You can't go back on your word!"

Wayne waited for them to argue for a while before speaking.

Did I say it was free?

The bearded man opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Wayne looked at him, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.

"Don't you all want to support the goddess's church?"

The crowd fell silent again.

This statement is far more effective than "I never said it was free." Who dares say they don't support the goddess? Not supporting the goddess is heresy. And everyone knows what happens to heretics in the Kingdom of Wiggins.

Just then, a voice came from behind the crowd.

"Bishop Wayne is right."

The crowd automatically parted to make way.

A one-legged man walked up from behind, leaning on a cane. His right leg was bare below the knee, his trouser leg was knotted, and his cane was made of wood with a polished handle, clearly an old object that had been used for many years.

His steps were slow but steady, and his cane tapped on the stone pavement with a soft thud.

The panel popped up at this point.

Ken Anderson, a resident of Frosttown

[Occupation: Grocery store owner, part-time carpenter.]

[Past experience: When I was young, I was bitten by a snake. In a fit of pique, I amputated my leg, only to find that the snake was non-venomous and that I had cut off the wrong leg. The good leg was gone, but the bad leg remained. Later, the bad leg healed, but I only had one leg left.]

[Note: His wife is a domineering woman who likes to be in control; Ken is just a toy in her eyes. But Ken doesn't care. He feels that being treated like a toy by his wife is the greatest blessing of his life.]

Ken tucked his cane under his arm, took out ten copper coins from his waist, counted them carefully, and placed them on the wooden tray that Vera was carrying.

"A bowl of medicine."

Vera glanced at Wayne. Wayne nodded. Vera picked up a wooden ladle, scooped a bowl of water from the large vat, and handed it to him with both hands.

Ken took the bowl, held it steady, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. He put the bowl back on the tray, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, turned around, and faced the crowd.

"Bishop Wayne is right. He never said it was free, and besides, ten copper coins isn't much money."

Ken stood there, his cane tucked under his arm, the bowl already put back. He opened his mouth, as if to say something.

Then he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Black.

Blood splattered on the stone floor of the front hall gleamed with a dark red sheen in the morning light.

"ah!!!"

Someone in the crowd screamed.

"Blood! He vomited blood!"

"The medicine is poisonous!"

"I knew it! You can't just drink anything from the elves!"

"Your Excellency the Bishop has ruined us!"