Miss Witch, even if we're poor, we can't sell ourselves!

Miye spent another half hour drawing, finishing the last stroke of the highlight on Xiaoye's teardrop at the corner of his eye, and then signed a small "flos" in the lower right corner of the painting.

She saved the file, stretched in front of the screen, and the little maid's suit followed her movement, raising its two short arms above its head.

A row of comments scrolled by: "Thank you for your hard work, you drew so fast, so cute."

That's all for today, see you next time!

After speaking into the microphone, she turned off the live stream amidst a barrage of goodbye messages. Then, she opened the private messaging function on MikuFans and sent the high-resolution original files of the finished images to the user ID "Xiaoye".

Actually, she had already guessed who she was.

"Midnight snack" and "Night Business" are only one word apart, plus that reaction of getting so excited upon seeing the doujinshi featuring himself and Siesta that he showered her with gifts—who else could it be but Night Business himself?

However, just to be on the safe side, she asked one more question.

By the way, what place did you get this time?

The other party replied instantly.

【eighth!】

After a while, another one was posted.

[…No, what are you asking?]

Miya stared at the message history on the screen and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This person is so charming in the exam room, languidly and calmly tricking people into forming teams, and doesn't even blush when her bra strap slips down. How come she's so naturally naive in private?

She shook her head, dragged the original image file into the chat box and sent it over. She also found Teacher Bie Chenye and asked for Xiesita's WW number.

[This is Professor Hiesta's WeChat ID, please keep it safe.]

Mi Ye copied and pasted the WW number that she had begged and pleaded with Bie Chenye to give her. There was a long silence on the other end before a long string of exclamation marks appeared.

[Really? Are you kidding me? You can't be a scammer, can you? No way! How could you just get Professor Hiesta's WW account like that? Wait, who are you?!]

Before Mi Ye could reply, the other party sent another message.

【You're Miya, aren't you, that tentacle monster!】

Typing all night.

I don't know, is the rice ball tasty?

There was silence on the other end again, and after a long while, a message was sent, the tone of which suddenly became calm.

"...It's delicious, thank you for the clothes, and for this WW number. I don't know how you got it, but anyway, thank you!"

Then I followed up with another one.

Let me send you a few more gifts. The previous "Starry River Promise" gift doesn't count; I'll send a few more.

【No, the platform took too much commission last time, and you just paid your tuition, didn't you?】

The two struggled for a while.

Xiaoye sent a meme of a small doll kneeling and bowing. Miye closed the private message interface, exited MikuFans, and closed her laptop.

The snow was still falling outside the window, even heavier than before, and the crooked tree in the back alley had turned completely white.

She stood up, walked to the window, and breathed warm air into her palm.

I have several things to do today.

She sold the herbs in her backpack to get money, then bought a thick quilt to take to her dormitory, and there was something else she had been thinking about for a long time: to pay off the debt she owed Reminal.

We've gathered a lot of herbs that we can sell for money, so we might as well finish this matter today.

She wasn't the type to like owing others, especially Reminal. That pink-haired young lady verbally demanded repayment, but she never pressed for it once, even though she had lied to her first.

To put it another way, without Reminal, there might not be a Miya today.

Her stomach growled twice, pulling her back from her thoughts.

The refrigerator downstairs was empty; the food was used up last night, and new food hadn't been delivered yet.

So Miya went back to her room to change into a thick sweater, put on a scarf, and zipped up her windbreaker all the way.

As she pushed open the door, a cold wind carrying snowflakes lashed her face. She shrank her neck, pulled her scarf up to cover her chin, and stepped out onto the thin layer of snow on the stone path.

Fine wisps of snow were still falling at the alley entrance. Miya touched her stomach and felt a little hungry.

She turned the corner and pushed open the door to the noodle shop she had visited a few times and thought was pretty good.

The wind chimes on the door frame jingled, the shop was warm like another world, the glass windows were covered with a thick layer of condensation, and the air was filled with a mouthwatering aroma.

"Boss, three large bowls of dry noodles."

Miya found a seat by the window, took off her scarf and draped it over the back of the chair, and added.

"Add three more fried eggs."

The shop owner was a young witch wearing an apron and a dark brown ponytail, who was putting ingredients into a pot.

After hearing the order, she peeked at Mi Ye, probably wondering if the blonde little witch was waiting for someone.

When the noodles Miya ordered were served, she realized they weren't the right ones.

Three large bowls of dry noodles were placed side by side on the table, each bowl piled high with noodles, glistening with a dark brown sauce, generously sprinkled with scallions and cilantro, and the poached eggs were runny, with the yolks trembling on top of the noodles.

Miya picked up her chopsticks, broke them open, and began to eat.

She never talks or looks at her phone while eating. She picks up a big clump of noodles with her chopsticks and stuffs it into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster's. She chews a few times and then swallows it.

The shop owner leaned against the kitchen doorway, his long chopsticks hanging in mid-air, watching the little witch devour the first bowl with astonishing speed, and then pull the second bowl in front of him.

"Have you not eaten for days?"

The shop owner couldn't help but ask.

I ate last night, but I'm hungry again this morning.

Miya answered honestly, without stopping her chopsticks.

"Boss, your noodles are delicious, and the soy sauce is too, it has a little bit of sweetness."

"...I'm glad you like it."

As the shop owner watched Miya devour another half bowl without batting an eye, he silently crossed out his earlier bet that "this girl definitely won't be able to finish it."

Miya ate the third bowl clean, even picking out all the scallions. Then she picked up the noodle soup bowl, took a big gulp, put down her chopsticks, patted her finally bulging belly, and let out a satisfied burp.

Now she has regained her vitality and her physical condition is good, so her appetite is naturally getting bigger and bigger.

Fortunately, witches don't easily gain weight, and Miya's metabolism is also very fast, right?

When paying the bill, the shop owner still looked a little dazed, probably because he had never seen such a voracious little devil in his life.

After eating and drinking her fill, Miya put her scarf back on, pushed open the door, and stepped into the snow.

The snow had lessened somewhat, and the fine snowflakes drifted slowly down from the gray sky, melting quickly as they landed on her scarf.

She walked along the main street of the city toward the central market. The stone pavement was shiny from the snowmelt, and the shops along the road were opening one after another.

The potion seller displayed his bottles and jars in the shop window, the flower seller trimmed fresh plantain at the door, and the roasted sweet potato seller pushed his cart, the sweet potatoes sizzling and emitting a sweet aroma in the charcoal fire.

She passed by the familiar clothing store, the one where she had bought her windbreaker before, and the window display had been updated with new winter styles.

She stood there for a while, thinking that maybe she could go in and try it after she sold all the herbs.

The central market remains the same.

The market was bustling with activity, and the stalls were filled with medicinal herbs, magical artifacts, alchemy tools, and exotic flowers and plants whose names I didn't know.

Miya walked through a row of stalls selling magic scrolls, and around several shelves full of potion bottles, until she found the small shop with the familiar sign.

Miya pushed open the door, and a complex smell mixed with sulfur and mint wafted out.

The worktable was filled with bottles and jars, the flame of the alcohol lamp flickered a pale blue under the glass flask, and a small crucible was bubbling up pale green steam.

Luo Yan was squatting on the ground with her back to the door, tidying up the medicine cabinet. Her orange ponytail hung down from her shoulders, and several test tubes and a thin stirring rod were stuck in her apron pocket.

She heard the doorbell ring and called out without turning her head.

"Welcome to the Flame Alchemy Workshop! Basic potions are available on the left shelf—Miye?!"

Luo Yan turned around, still holding a handful of dried mint in her hand, her eyes wide open.

She jumped up, her ponytail bouncing with the movement, and a few mint leaves fell from between her fingers onto her apron.

"What brings you here! Did you finish the martial arts exam? I haven't seen you since, I thought you didn't go!"

"They've gone."

Miya answered earnestly.

Luo Yan tilted her head, tossed the mint leaves into the mortar beside her, wiped her hands on her apron, pulled over two stools, one for Mi Ye and one for herself, and poured two cups of tea.

"So what place did you get in the end?"

Luo Yan rested her chin on her hands and her elbows on her knees, carefully calculating for Mi Ye.

"Although I was eliminated at the beginning, my written test score was very good, and my overall ranking is around 600. What about you?"

Miya extended one finger.

"one hundred?"

Luo Yan's amber eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly.

"Top 100?! Oh my god, you're amazing! You know, being in the top 100 means you can get a scholarship? Our alchemy department's scholarship cutoff is the top 100!"

"no."

Miya said.

"First place."

"?"

Luo Yan remained motionless, leaning forward, her lips moving slightly as if she wanted to speak but couldn't.

Mi Ye waited quietly for her to finish processing the information.

About half a minute later, Luo Yan finally spoke.

"A pathetic, thick wall has already formed between us. My apologies."

Miya grabbed her apron strap and pulled her back onto the stool, her ears already red.

"No, no, actually I have something to give you, uh, well, I can't say it like that, it's just that I have some herbs I want to sell you. Would you like to take a look at them first?"

Upon hearing the word "herbs," Luo Yan's eyes lit up again.

"Let me take a look."

Mi Ye took out the Spirit Locking Box from her backpack, then opened it. The dried flower petals at the bottom emitted a strong aura of life, and on top lay a row of sealed bags, each containing a whole herb.

Three spotted fluorescent mushrooms, two silver-veined trifoliate flowers, six clumps of dark moss, and some hemostatic herbs.

Each plant is in perfect condition, with intact roots and plump leaves, maintaining its freshness as if it had just been picked, nourished by the dried petals.

Luo Yan put on a single-lens magnifying glass, carefully picked up a star-spotted fluorescent mushroom and examined it against the light, then picked up a silver-veined trifoliate flower to check the silver veins on its leaves.

"The Star-Spotted Glowing Mushroom only grows naturally in primeval forests where there is absolutely no sunlight, and the Silver Veined Clover has an absurdly high requirement for soil magic concentration. Where did you get these?"

Luo Yan looked at Mi Ye with even more admiration.

"These are all top-grade. Some of them are even up to the auction house's premium standard. The Star-Spotted Glowing Mushroom and the Silver-Veined Clover are rare ingredients for making high-grade recovery potions. The Dark Moss can be used as a sedative ingredient in nerve-paralyzing potions. Although the Hemostatic Herb is common, the leaves of the ones you picked are particularly thick, and their medicinal effects are much stronger than those on the market."

"If I were to charge you the market price, no, it would be 10% higher than the market price, because your quality is so good. I could make a lot of money by refining them into finished medicine."

She stood up, walked to the worktable, flipped through the recent purchasing records, and used a dip pen to make a list on a sticky note, marking the unit price and quantity of each item. Finally, she wrote down a total and handed it to Miya.

Mi Ye looked down and saw that there were 30,000 and a few hundred Loren, which was several thousand more than she had estimated.

She nodded, folded the note, and put it in her pocket.

While she was putting something down, the payment of 30,000+ Loren had already been transferred to her card. Luo Yan had just made a list for her while transferring the money via her mobile phone, so efficiently that it was as if she was afraid that she would change her mind and return the money at any moment. Combined with her previous savings, her total savings now far exceeded the amount she owed Reminell.

After saying goodbye to the orange puppy, Miya pushed open the shop door, and the bell on the door frame rang out a clear sound.

The snow had stopped, and a thin layer of snow had accumulated on the dome of the Central Market. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, making the snow surface sparkle.

She took a deep breath of the crisp air, pulled her scarf tighter, and prepared to buy a few more things before heading back to work at the bar.