Witch Redemption

It's strange, really. After being "beaten up" by society, the immense pressure of life often makes a person lose any desire to "carry on the family line." Isn't living alone more relaxing and comfortable than living with someone? You can spend your own money! How great! That's why there are more and more single people in this society!

I was just thinking that when this guy in my WeChat Moments sent this message?

As someone who's always glued to her phone, Li Lan expertly swiped her fingers across the screen a few times. The screen displayed a family photo of the four of them, accompanied by the caption, "Today is Weiwei's eighth birthday! Let's celebrate with a birthday cake. Weiwei is so cute, mwah~ We'll go to the Kestar Restaurant later~"

"Damn it! Showing off your love like that!"

The message stung Li Lan, and she wished she could delete it immediately. "Haven't seen Liu Weijun for over ten years, right? Seems like he's doing really well now?"

This guy was Li Lan's elementary school classmate. They went their separate ways after junior high school and only saw each other occasionally during the Spring Festival each year. Moreover, this classmate got married many years ago and now has a son and a daughter.

For a single working professional approaching 30, Li Lan has been receiving a barrage of wedding announcements from her elementary school classmates since she was 18. Every year since then, there have been similar announcements about someone's daughter's birthday, filling her social media feed with festive cheer.

In comparison, how pathetic is this shut-in?

I never dare to post on my WeChat Moments, I just quietly like things. Occasionally, when I pop up, my friends are all surprised, "Wow! Mr. Li! Long time no see! Have you made a lot of money lately?"

"Earn my ass! I graduated from a vocational college and now I'm working as a deliveryman, I almost ended up sweeping the streets. I don't even earn as much as you guys who went straight into factories. How envious am I? Besides, I don't even have a girlfriend yet, I'm prepared to be alone for the rest of my life."

Of course, Li Lan, who considered herself to be wearing a "mask of hypocrisy," would never refute such a remark. She could only calmly say, "Haha, I don't earn much, just enough to get by. By the way, how's it going, buddy? Any connections you can recommend?"

Human beings are essentially just repeaters!

Similar polite phrases always work, and then, inexplicably, both sides start pouring out their grievances, turning it into a misery contest...

"Tsk tsk—my mood has inexplicably worsened!" Li Lan swiped the screen a few times, puzzled. After thinking for a moment, she exited WeChat, logged into Tieba, and checked information about a few familiar mobile games.

Just then, a message came from the company boss: "Alan, have you finished registering today's orders? Come over early tomorrow morning. Singles' Day is next month, we need to plan ahead. Oh, and we only get three days off for National Day, and we'll be working in shifts..."

"Capitalists are all scum who devour people without spitting out the bones!"

She couldn't help but click her tongue, her good mood turning sour again. Li Lan felt that many of the bosses she knew were like this: they would make grand promises when she joined the company, saying that the company was just starting out and the pressure was immense, and then suddenly they would impose all sorts of 866 work schedules. That was too much exploitation.

"I need to quit my job sometime. I want to find an easy one! How does this lousy boss make money? I'm way better than him!"

Such unrealistic, impulsive thoughts were commonplace for Li Lan, yet he rarely put them into action, mainly because the company atmosphere was currently good and he was too complacent.

People without skills will find it difficult to find a satisfactory job anywhere, whether in high-end or low-end industries.

She didn't know how long she had walked, but after crossing the bustling long street, Li Lan looked up and realized that she had arrived in front of this familiar old-fashioned residential building.

He skillfully retrieved his access card, and after nearly a minute, he finally returned to his "doghouse" (his home). The first thing he did was sit down at his computer, turn it on, and then turn on his phone...

"No! There are too many games to play. I'll start working on it tomorrow!"

Li Lan's laziness kicked in as usual. She was so honest, with the mobile game "Goddess Legend" running on her phone and QQ and League of Legends on her computer. "I've been busy all day, I'm so tired, I have to play games to relax!"

Ugh, it's a terrible excuse that sounds like self-comfort, but it works just as well as ever.

Brother, isn't it obvious that you can't make money this way?

No, actually, I don't want to work hard anymore. I really want a rich woman to take care of me!

...... ...... ......

"Tsk, the guild group chat is as ridiculous as ever today!"

Looking at the silly netizens exchanging memes on the screen, Li Lan couldn't help but comment, "This is what it means to be uncultured; all you can do is post pictures!"

"Ah, it's the chief! Why don't you say anything during the day?"

“Don’t you guys have to go to work? I see you guys surfing the water all day long, I’m so envious!” Li Lan immediately responded.

"What the hell? Work is so boring! What's the point of work if you don't slack off?"

"That's it!"

Many of these noisy guys are actually hidden rich kids. Li Lan had long seen through their ugly faces; they all have mines in their families.

He always brags about how poor he is, but when a game launches an event, it's like he has a printing press at home, flooding the market with orders. It's so damn enviable!

"I just got off work, anyone want to play League of Legends? Can you help me?" Li Lan sent another message.

"What era are we living in that people are still playing League of Legends?"

"No way, Chief, you're too bad! Last time you played Alistar as my support, you died six times in five minutes, how are you supposed to play?"

"Uh..." This is so true! These group members are all Diamond or King, while Li Lan, who is only Silver, is always trembling with fear. Last time I queued with them, I was completely crushed.

"It's not that I'm bad, it's that I'm being targeted! Those bastards are always 4v2, it's frustrating for me too!" Haha, actually, if they weren't all acquaintances, Li Lan would probably have been completely crushed on the screen. "Guys, can't you guys use smurf accounts to carry me?"

"No way! I won't use my main account to rank up with you! That's an insult to me! Killing chickens in a low-level pond is no fun at all!"

Just as Li Lan and her group members were chatting happily, a group member with the username "Extremely Long-Lived Lucky Person" posted a picture as usual. It was a picture of food: "Tonight's dinner at Haidilao was really amazing! I'll definitely come again next time!"

"Wow! What's wrong with you, lucky sir? It's so lavish again!"

"Yeah, we're so broke we can only afford takeout for ten or so yuan a month!"

"I'm so envious! Do these lucky people eat at restaurants every day? If I had the money, I'd eat like that too!"

Damn it! Why is there such a huge gap between people? Li Lan was starting to question her life. Every time she saw such good living conditions, she would think of her own life of eating takeout every day. "Tsk! No way! I'm going to McDonald's during the National Day holiday! To treat myself!"

"Are you guys coming to Chengdu? If you are, it's on me! You can eat whatever you want!" The lucky guy spoke up again.

That's how it is online; everyone talks a lot, but in reality, not many people actually meet up in person.

In other words, many people in the online world are the opposite of those in the real world. No one can predict how cowardly a keyboard warrior might be in real life, let alone whether a girl who can whine and whimper might actually be a burly man behind the scenes.

Therefore, sometimes preserving the first impression is actually a better thing.

"Okay, okay, but we're all curious about what kind of job the 'European Queen' does? We heard she's actually a girl?"

"Work is a secret. As for girls? Heh, my dick is bigger than any of yours. I don't mind fighting anyone with my bayonet."

"Oh dear—your group culture is starting again!"

Then came several erotic pictures with titles like "Brother Jie, don't!" and "Sleep-inducing red tea." The style of this picture seems a little off!

This proves the saying that "some straight men have absolutely no skills when talking to girls, but they are quite adept at flirting with their brothers."

Absolutely!

Li Lan dares to guarantee that more than 50% of gaming groups are like this, all gay and effeminate, which seems to have become a popular culture.

"Ah, I'm so envious!" These group members are all so rich and lucky, making him, a poor guy, look like a stark contrast.

It suddenly occurred to me that when I first entered Zhihu, I found that everyone there had a monthly income of millions, but back in reality, everyone was struggling. This game seems to be the same. Everyone speaking out online is a shill, a lucky player, or a rich person, while in reality, many people I know hesitate for a long time even when it comes to spending a little money on in-game purchases.

Before I knew it, I had been chatting with my friends in the group for a while, and the game on my computer was still stuck on the login screen. I checked the time and it was already 10 p.m.

He silently closed the game. "I should take a shower first. I have to work tomorrow. I need to plan this Singles' Day well and see if I can get a bigger commission."

This kind of daily routine seems to happen often, but upon reflection, Li Lan doesn't seem to dislike this repetitive lifestyle.

In this world, there are some jobs and some things that always need to be done by someone. Even the most menial task in the eyes of many—sweeping the streets—is a kind of attitude towards life. Being willing to accept one's ordinariness, not being stingy with one's talents, and doing one's best at one's job can be considered a kind of life attitude.

As Ip Man said, "People may have different social statuses, but their character should not be divided into noble and lowly." Ordinary lives should also have ordinary ways of living.

Regardless of how these rich European dogs are doing, as an ordinary person, I still have to work hard for tomorrow's livelihood.

...... ...... ......

Startled awake, the elven girl with long, silver-white hair rubbed her slightly dizzy head. "Um, is it still night?"

I only sleep for three or four hours, but those three or four hours are filled with several chaotic dreams.

It's amazing how people can have such vivid dreams. Dreams can be nonsensical and bizarre experiences, fragments of premonition about the future, or even trivial things that have long since passed.

Even the smallest fragments of memory can occasionally be magnified in dreams and then revealed.

What's even more amazing is that this time the dream wasn't about his relatives or friends, but about that ordinary little time he had long forgotten.

"It seems that my homesickness is getting the better of me. I wish I could go back. I haven't touched a computer or a mobile phone in a long time."

A strange thought stirred within Li Lan, making him instinctively want to get up, but the weight on his body surprised him.

Yu Hui nestled beside him, while the "Black-haired Yu Hui" Shub Nicholas, whose sleeping posture was extremely unsightly, had one foot propped up on his chest... These two bastards! How did they end up sleeping like this?

Reluctantly moving the two little ones away, Li Lan's sleepiness vanished without a trace. The first thing she did after getting up was to take out the map she carried with her.

"The weather is starting to get cold, and it will be quite a while before we reach the border of the United Duchy of Ries. We don't even know where Lana and the others are right now."

Compared to her ordinary life in the past, this extraordinary time travel has left Li Lan feeling extremely depressed. Perhaps this is the price to pay for something extraordinary.

"Live in the moment. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, we should take the initiative to work hard."

After all, in this world, if you don't work hard, you really will die, and everything is different from your hometown.

This is a brief reflection on writing (Part 2)

That's all for the update. I'll see how things go. If I'm in good shape, I'll consider updating twice a week. If I update twice, the two chapters together will be close to 10,000 words, which is actually quite a lot. Many times it's not that I don't want to update more, but my condition and ability are really not enough. Sigh.

I occasionally work on a new book, usually when I'm really out of sorts and want to try something new to find inspiration. Unfortunately, I never write well, so I don't bother publishing it for easy money. I'm quite envious of writing contests, but if I participate without adequate preparation, I'd feel guilty if I ended up abandoning it after it was published.

We are still somewhat upright and honest.

Secondly, let's talk about the plot. The so-called plot setting and target audience can really be described as "self-indulgent," perhaps as some critics have said, "brainless, dark, and brutal." There were many times when we considered how to change things, but we hesitated afterward, perhaps because the word count limit left little room for revision.

This is why when I reread Volume 1, I always felt it was much better than Volume 2, because Volume 1 had a large backlog of manuscripts at the beginning, and many things that needed to be cut could be cut at will.

Another point of contention is the "protagonist's name change." There are probably around 190 readers following the story, which is a lot, but only a very small percentage have voiced their opinions. This is the main reason why it was mentioned twice, but ultimately not addressed due to the lack of feedback. It's difficult to appease everyone, and with so many readers choosing silence, we've just left it at that. I really feel bad for the few who did voice their opinions.

Looking back now, the beginning of the first volume was indeed a bit dark, but the feeling after the successful escape was completely different. I'm not good at writing wish-fulfillment stories, and let me tell you, those masters of wish-fulfillment stories are incredibly talented writers, terrifyingly so. If I had their skills, I wouldn't have been reduced to showing off my settings, how embarrassing. Starting from the second volume, and continuing onwards, the protagonist definitely won't suffer any major setbacks, at least not as dark as in the first volume. It will definitely be quite "healing," and probably more "enjoyable," I guess.

Furthermore, many readers may have noticed why, in my books, both protagonists and antagonists die so quickly. Well, that's because I'm not good at depicting battles. If I were, I wouldn't need to add so many dark and brutal settings, lol. Most of the villains in my later works will continue this pattern, dying decisively and without hesitation.

After careful analysis, I've summarized the key points: Volume 1 mainly introduces the world-building and the general setting of the witches; Volume 2 further expands the world-building, mentioning the concept of extraterrestrial gods and laying the groundwork for a future counterattack against the empire; Volume 3 begins to address the conflicts between the witches, and the pillar gods will be introduced to the forefront—it will be a bit darker, but not overly exaggerated. Volume 4 and beyond will be the chapters where the protagonist officially goes to the aid of his allies. That's the general outline, and it shouldn't be considered a spoiler, since who knows if I'll get carried away while writing?

When you get too hyped up, things often just crash and burn, you know how it is, Wryyy!

Cover and related concept art

This chapter mainly organizes some previously used covers and concept art.

Upon inspection, some sections only have line art and no coloring.

Anyway, to summarize, most of them should be available in the album of "Eternal Moonlight MVP" on Weibo.

The coloring is still a bit rough around the edges, I'm still learning, so please forgive any shortcomings in the drawing ('ω｀*).

In addition, images can only be added after a chapter has been published, so if you are interested in clicking on this chapter but do not see the images, you can check it out on the web version.

that's all.

[The previous image about the two Yu Huis and Leviathan was censored and can't be posted on Weibo anymore; they're quite strict now. So you can check it out on a cloud drive. Personally, I'm not satisfied with the coloring, but the line art is pretty good.]

[Here's another concept art of Lana. That's about it for now. I'll practice coloring her some more.]