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

As you walk along the bluestone path towards the hillside, the crowds gradually thicken.

Mi Ye discovered that there were more than a thousand players in the game. Busy NPCs could be seen everywhere, from the shop entrances on both sides of the street to the railings of the stone bridge and even in the river.

A kappa girl with a green triangle mark on her head squats on a street corner, with a bubbling sugar pot in front of her. In her hand, bamboo skewers are strung with candied hawthorns coated with amber sugar, which sparkles under the lantern light.

A tengu girl wearing a straw hat flew overhead, with a bamboo basket hanging from her paws. The basket contained several letters sealed with sealing wax, probably from a postman.

At the entrance of a small tavern with a blue curtain hanging by the roadside, a shop assistant dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit and wearing a large bow in her hair was pouring rice wine for passing players to sample with a bamboo spoon, the sweet aroma wafting across half the street.

Each NPC had a light gold triangle mark floating above their head, making them easy to spot. Mi Ye noticed that some players were talking to the NPCs, probably to accept quests or buy things.

She had originally intended to go over and see how much a skewer of candied hawthorns the kappa was selling cost, but before she even reached the stall, a few lines of semi-transparent text suddenly floated across the edge of her field of vision.

[Is this the couple from earlier?! I followed them from the main chat!]

[Followed, followed. I'm eager to see just how sweet you two are.]

【Lock up the Flower Ghost!】

The girl in the pink dress is so cute, I'm so happy!

[The green veil on that dress is so ethereal, does anyone know where to find the same one?]

Miya paused for a moment, subconsciously looking around.

No one was watching her; the nearby witch players were busy interacting with NPCs or looking up at the scenery.

The comments floated at the edge of the field of vision, semi-transparent, and did not obstruct the view much.

She glanced at the top left corner again, where there was a small flame icon with several numbers jumping around it. This must be the popularity score, which was still rising, jumping from single digits to three digits, and the color of the flame had changed from pale yellow to bright orange.

She reached out and poked the little ghost's arm.

"Can you even see the comments?"

The little ghost was standing on tiptoe, trying to see what kind of candy the kappa was boiling in the pot, when Miya poked him and brought him back to his senses. He glanced at the upper left corner of his field of vision and then nodded.

"I can see a lot of people talking, and some people are even saying you're cute."

"Some people say you're pretty... but it feels really uncomfortable looking at you, let's turn it off for now."

The little ghost hummed in agreement and, like Mi Ye, temporarily turned off the bullet comments.

The two people walked up the stone steps of the mountain path.

Peach trees are planted on both sides of each stone step of this mountain path, and the branches are covered with warm yellow paper lanterns. The petals fall softly in the night breeze, covering the stone steps with a thin layer of light pink snow.

A row of small shops lined the mountain road, selling paper lanterns, windmills, and masks. One shop had a large pot set up in front of it, simmering steaming red bean dumplings. The proprietress was a raccoon wearing a headscarf, tapping the edge of the pot with a large ladle and shouting, "New store opening, buy one get one free!"

Miya stopped in front of a kappa stall, took out the few copper coins given to her by the system at the beginning from her sleeve, and bought a string of candied hawthorns.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if eating in a game really had a sense of taste, but the sugar coating on the candied hawthorn was just too beautiful, and the hawthorn fruit looked temptingly deep red under the sugar shell.

I couldn't resist and took a bite.

The sour and sweet flavors explode on the tongue at the same time; the hawthorn flesh is soft and glutinous, and the sugar coating is crisp but not sticky.

Miya chewed twice, her eyes widening.

"This is so delicious!"

She held up the candied hawthorn skewer and turned to the little ghost, almost poking his chin in her excitement.

"Try it!"

The little ghost lowered her head and took a bite of the candied hawthorn that Mi Ye held out to her. As she lowered her head, the white veil slipped off her shoulder and gently brushed against the back of Mi Ye's hand.

Is this considered an indirect kiss?

No, no, what am I thinking!

Miya shyly withdrew her hand holding the candied hawthorn, lowered her head and pretended to seriously count how many hawthorns were left on the bamboo stick, muttering, "Do you think it's delicious?"

The little ghost covered her mouth and finished chewing the candied hawthorn, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

"Delicious! Sweet and sour."

She didn't seem to be thinking about anything lewd at all.

Miya didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or feel disappointed. In the end, she decided to put both emotions into a corner and take another bite of a candied hawthorn to calm herself down.

Then something suddenly popped into his head, and he mumbled something while chewing on a candied hawthorn.

"It seems like you don't get fat when you eat in the game."

The two girls exchanged a glance and simultaneously smiled in agreement.

They turned around and each ate a bowl of red bean dumplings at the tanuki NPC's dumpling stall, and then shared a piece of rice cake at the roasted rice cake stall next door.

As the little ghost passed by the sake stall run by the shrine maiden shopkeeper, she was drawn in by the aroma of the sake. After drinking it, her whole face turned a light pink, and even the tips of her ears under her veil turned red.

"Are you not a very good drinker?"

"...maybe, perhaps, maybe a little bit."

Looking at the other person's slightly tipsy appearance, Miya suddenly felt that Little Ghost might have the same reaction if she got drunk.

The thought distracted her for a moment, then she quickly shook her head and continued walking.

The higher you go, the wider the mountain road becomes.

The peach trees gradually became sparse, and in their place were simple stalls set up along both sides of the mountain road, as well as wooden benches for people to rest.

Players dressed in various ancient costumes sat in twos and threes on benches, chatting, eating, or adjusting the game interface.

A thousand players are scattered throughout this huge city of lanterns. The density is not actually high, but the closer you get to the top of the mountain, the more concentrated the people become.

As Miya turned the last bend in the mountain road, her view suddenly opened up.

She involuntarily stopped and looked up.

A huge banyan tree rises from a platform halfway up the mountain, its trunk so thick that it would take more than a dozen people to encircle it.

Countless roots hang down from the upper branches, each wrapped in glowing moss and vines, like waterfalls of light cascading down from the tree canopy.

Hundreds of large lanterns hung from the branches, each as big as Miya herself, some round, some square, and some shaped like koi fish and birds.

The light from the lanterns filtered through the leaves, the canopy of the trees obscuring most of the sky, with only a few stars visible in the sparsest foliage.

Under the banyan tree is a large platform paved with wooden planks.

In the very center of the platform is a circular stage about half a meter above the ground, covered with a deep red velvet carpet and surrounded by a copper-colored railing, which is tied with red prayer ribbons that flutter in the night breeze.

A plaque hangs directly above the stage, with three large characters written in gold running script.

【Message Platform】

Twenty or thirty players were already seated on the benches below the stage, scattered throughout the platform.

Some people are wearing owl masks and looking up to count lanterns, while others are wearing spider masks and discussing tactics with their teammates via video call.

A little witch wearing a carp mask stood at the edge of the stage, tiptoeing and reaching out to touch the prayer ribbons fluttering on the railing. She was just about to reach them when her companions laughed at her for having short legs.

Miya noticed a wooden signboard next to the stage with several lines of text written in neat regular script.

She walked over, stood on tiptoe, and read the contents aloud.

……

[Message Platform]:

[You can perform on stage for ten minutes by spending ten points; the time limit can be stacked.]

[You will automatically receive 100 impressions during the performance; audience donations after the performance can be converted into popularity points.]

Points can be earned by defeating monsters or by sparring with other players.

[First performance free]

……

[The stage welcomes every witch who wants to sing; the lights will always be on for you!]

……

After finishing the last sentence, Miya turned to look at the little ghost.

The little ghost stood half a step behind her, her white veil fluttering gently in the huge shadow of the banyan tree, her light green ancient costume tinged with a warm yellow by the lantern light.

She was looking up at the plaque that read "Press Platform," her fingers gently twisting the thin gauze of her sleeve, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Miya took a step forward, stood in front of the little ghost, and looked up.

"Want to go up and sing a song?"

"May I……"

The little ghost's voice was a little hesitant, and her eyelashes under the veil trembled.

"Your song is really good, I love it."

Miya looked at her intently, her eyes beneath the fox mask reflecting the warm light of the banyan tree.

"It's free the first time, so why not sing it? Besides, I want to hear it too."

The little ghost looked down at Mi Ye, her short black hair a little messy from the wind. On her mask, the corners of the fox's eyes curved into two cunning smiles in the lantern light, but her eyes clearly said, "You're great!"

This afternoon, under the jacaranda tree, when Miya held her hand, she had the same expression.

The little ghost closed her eyes, took a deep breath, reached out, grasped Mi Ye's wrist, and pulled her towards the stage.

"Let's go up together."

Miya was suddenly pulled forward, stumbled a little, and then quickly followed.

"Wait, wait, wait—I can't sing!"

"You don't need to sing."

The little ghost turned around and smiled at her, her profile under the veil appearing exceptionally gentle in the warm light.

"Just stand next to me, I won't be afraid if you're here."

The players below the stage noticed the commotion, and several little witches wearing masks of various colors stopped chatting and looked towards the stage.

The little witch wearing the carp mask was the first to pat her companion's arm, lowering her voice but unable to contain her excitement as she said, "They're here, they're here."

On the bench, a witch wearing a spider mask put her legs down, rested her chin on her hands, and revealed a smile of anticipation for a good show.

Miya was led step by step up to the telepathic platform by the little ghost.

The red carpet felt a bit soft underfoot, and there was a microphone in the center of the stage with a guitar next to it.

A string of koi lanterns hung on each of the pillars on either side of the stage, casting a warm yellow halo around the center of the stage.

Standing in the aperture and looking up, the branches of the banyan tree hang down from above like silver threads descending from the starry sky, while the huge lanterns above resemble tiny Mid-Autumn Festival moons.

The little ghost walked up to the microphone, picked up the acoustic guitar, and gently plucked the strings to test the sound.

Miya stood next to her, scratching the edge of her mask with her fingers, looking even more nervous than the person about to sing.

Seeing this, the little ghost couldn't help but chuckle and turned to look at Mi Ye.

"Hua Bao".

"Um?"

"Thank you."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing much."

The little ghost covered its mouth and smiled.

Her fingers landed on the strings and produced the first note.