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

Bellavita is a completely different world during the day and at night.

The walls are made of beige stone, the tiles are reddish-brown, and dark green vines climb up the walls, with tiny white flowers blooming on the windowsill.

The streets were clean, and the stone pavement was slightly warm from the sun; you could feel the warmth from the soles of your shoes as you walked on it.

The streets were filled with witches.

People flew low overhead on broomsticks, while others walked by carrying steaming hot magic bread they had just bought from a breakfast stall. A few sat leisurely in roadside open-air cafes, with a magazine or a glowing screen in front of them, sipping their morning tea.

During the day, the city looks like a more sophisticated version of Shanghai, but every now and then a person or two riding a broomstick flies overhead, reminding Mi Ye that this is indeed a magical world.

But for her, the most important difference was that the witches were watching her during the day.

Miya walked with her head down, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her pleated skirt and pressing it down. Her cheeks were so red they could fry an egg, and she could feel people staring at her every few steps.

A girl in a magic academy uniform passing by glanced back at her twice, a witch selling newspapers on the street corner smiled at her, and even a patrolling little witch who flew past on a broomstick flew over and then came back for another look.

"—And then, you also need to look at their accessories! That's the most important thing!"

Korika was completely oblivious to Miya's embarrassment, and walked briskly with her arm linked with Miya's, gesturing wildly in the air with her other hand.

"Look at that guy over there wearing a hat, see him? The one with the feather pinned to his hat. That feather is a nightingale's tail feather, the logo of that high-end bespoke shop on Passeig Street. That feather alone costs two thousand lorans!"

"These are the best customers—they're vain, rich, and can't resist compliments! Just a few compliments like 'Your feathers are so beautiful!' or 'Your hat is so tasteful!' and they'll happily spend money like crazy!"

Miya looked in the direction she pointed.

Indeed, there was a witch wearing a feathered hat standing in front of a bakery, choosing croissants.

She wore a well-tailored dark blue suit and carried an expensive-looking handbag. Even the way she picked out bread exuded an elegance that said, "It's your good fortune that I, this young lady, deign to patronize your humble shop."

"And there's more!"

Korika then pointed to the other side.

"See that one in the white lab coat? The one with the Potions Association badge on her chest? These are witches who do scientific research or medicine. They earn ridiculously high incomes and don't spend much money normally, so they're most likely to get hooked when they go to a bar. Just chat with them, pretend you're really interested in potions, and they'll feel like they've found a kindred spirit, and then—"

Korika ran her other hand across her neck, made a snapping gesture, and smiled, her yellow-green eyes crinkling into crescents.

"Kill her!"

As Miya watched as Korika's bubbly face displayed the same businessman's smile as Flores, a chill ran down her spine.

She finally understood that there were no truly innocent little white rabbits in the Nightingale's Nest.

"To put it bluntly, it's all about judging people by their appearance. Look at that woman sitting by the roadside drinking coffee, dressed plainly, right? Don't be fooled by her looks! That watch on her wrist is worth at least 50,000 Loren!"

"This type of person, who makes a fortune quietly, may seem unremarkable, but they are the most generous when it comes to spending money. Because they have nowhere to show off, the more you ignore them, the more they want to prove that they are rich."

"And that one over there—"

"Korika".

Miya finally mustered the courage to speak, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the wind.

"Um?"

"Don't you feel... a lot of people are watching me?"

Korika stopped and tilted her head to look around.

Across the street, a witch who was reading a magic newspaper happened to look up and meet Miya's eyes. Then, she smiled knowingly and winked at her.

Miya's face instantly turned tomato red, and she almost hid behind Korika.

"Ah, that's because you're cute."

Korika said it as if it were the most self-evident thing in the world.

"And let me tell you, this is a good thing. The higher your return rate, the easier it will be for customers to remember you in the future."

"Think about it, if a customer comes once and remembers her a month later, 'Oh, it's that cute girl in the JK uniform,' then she'll be a repeat customer!"

"Repeat customers are the ultimate goal in the hostess industry! Ten new customers are not as valuable as one repeat customer! That's what Sister Flores said!"

"Is that so...?"

"That's it! So don't be shy! Be confident!"

Korika patted her on the shoulder, then took her arm and continued chattering as they walked on.

Looking at Korika's carefree expression, Miya felt that she would probably never learn that kind of confidence in her entire life.

After walking for about twenty minutes, they arrived at their destination.

Bellavita Central Market

When Miya first saw this market, the first phrase that popped into her mind was "magical version of a farmers market."

The entire market is a large, semi-open area, with a huge, transparent magic dome on top, like an inverted glass bowl, allowing sunlight to pass through but preventing rain from getting in.

The enclosure was filled with stalls, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"We're here!"

Korika released Miya's arm and took a deep breath.

"We have a lot to buy today, let me take you there."

"Korika".

Flores' voice came from the front.

She had stopped in front of a stall selling base spirits, holding a list in her hand, and looked back at them.

"Take Miye along to practice. Let her go buy something herself, she can choose whatever she wants. Once she's learned how to deal with people, she can come back to see me."

"receive!"

Korika spun around on the spot, then leaned close to Miya's ear.

"Come on, let's go shopping at the market! Let's start by practicing with the vendors who are easy to talk to."

"Look at that one over there, she's obviously a college girl trying to earn some pocket money. She's super easy to talk to, you can buy anything from her, I'll be right there cheering you on!"

Korika pushed her forward, while Miya turned back to ask Flores for help, but Flores had already turned to chat with the liquor store owner and didn't even glance at her.

A witch who looked very young was standing in front of the stall.

The stall was filled with all sorts of trinkets, homemade spices, handmade cookies, and several bottles of beautifully colored jam.

When she saw Mi Ye walking over, she paused for a moment, then gave a shy smile.

"Welcome! Feel free to browse!"

Her voice sounded even more tense than Miya's.

Miya stood in front of the stall, opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to start the conversation, but her mouth felt like it was sewn shut; she couldn't utter a single syllable.

The stall owner stood there awkwardly, and the two of them just stared at each other.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Uh, this...this bottle..."

Miya's trembling finger pointed to a jar of jam.

The stall owner quickly picked up the jam and handed it to her. When the two were exchanging jam, their fingers touched, and they both recoiled as if they had been electrocuted, almost dropping the jam on the ground.

Korika laughed silently behind her, bending over with laughter.

"How much does this cost?"

"Twenty Loren a bottle, but if you buy two, it's only thirty."

"Okay, could you please give me two bottles?"

Miya took out the coin purse given to her by Flores from her pocket, then tremblingly counted out thirty Loren and handed it to the stall owner.

The stall owner's hands were shaking as he took the money.

Two socially awkward individuals completed a deal, as if performing some kind of sacred and tense ritual.

Then Miya took the two bottles of jam and hugged them to her chest. Just as she was about to turn around and hand them over to Korika, a sound suddenly rang in her mind.

Deep within my consciousness, on the interface of that wishing well, a line of numbers suddenly flickered.

A new notification appeared regarding the remaining spending progress.

[630 Loren are needed for the next 10-pull draw].

When she checked the wishing well last night, she was still several hundred dollars short of her next draw, but she hadn't spent any of her own money recently.

and many more.

Miya's brain started working at lightning speed.

The two jars of jam in her hand cost thirty Loren.

But that was funding given to her by Flores, not her own money.

When you paid, the money was handed over to her, and that meant the wishing well was yours?

Miya stood in the bustling market, clutching the jam, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Could it be that...?

Even if it's not my own money, is that okay?

As long as the money is spent through her, it can be counted as a purchase at the wishing well?

If she were allowed to use public funds for the purchase, wouldn't she get a free chance to win a prize?!

"Miya, what's wrong?"

Korika walked up and patted her on the shoulder, and Miya suddenly came back to her senses.

An idea so audacious that even she found it outrageous was growing wildly in her mind.

Miya took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the wide grin that was about to reach her ears, so that she would still look like a socially awkward little witch.