Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Ms. Wenli took Lola's hand, but the topic of conversation remained Murray.

"This is the usual function, as for you, my dear. It's to ensure that if you, little fool, run off to someone else's territory, they'll respectfully send you back, instead of absorbing you or turning you into something else. Although I think my sisters are all aware of their place, Murray, you've set too many precedents."

"So you're planning to have Figny watch over me?" In truth, Murray wasn't so averse to Figny following him anymore. Murray was fighting for his freedom until Ms. Wenley came up with something worse.

Ms. Wenli took Figney's hand.

“Actually, my dears, after much thought, I realized that it would be unfair to simply praise your contributions. So, I’ve decided to give the three of you a reward. Hold out your hands, children.”

The three little witches placed their hands in front of Wenli. Wenli's palms became ethereal and transparent, and her spirit-like hands stroked their emblems. The dark brown emblems, which had originally resembled ugly birthmarks, turned into bright silver, and the bloated patterns became simple and beautiful lines. Her dislike for them turned into fondness.

“This is my mark, children. My reward for you is that you can stay at this witch's gathering as long as you want. I give you the freedom to move around as you please, with no rules or restrictions. If necessary, you don't even have to go back to camp at night, as long as you have a place to stay.”

"Hooray!" Murray jumped for joy.

Figny glanced at the pattern on the back of her hand, then turned her gaze back to Wenli, who remained calm.

"Ms. Wenli, is this a blessing? Your blessing?"

Wenli hugged Fagin and stroked her head.

"Yes, my blessing. Only this carries enough weight to warn those people, allowing you to play freely. If anyone else snatches you away, she won't send you back; I'll come to get you myself and tear them to shreds along the way."

“Ms. Wenli, we have only opened the door to an ordinary witch's gathering. There are only ten witches who receive a blessing, but you have given us three. This is far too precious. What we have done is far from enough to deserve this.”

Wenli's composure turned serious, her eyes closed, and then opened again with a strange light.

“No, children, this is not an ordinary witch gathering. I have a bad feeling about Cecilia’s actions, their plans, and the location of this forest. We absolutely cannot miss this gathering; its significance may be greater than we realize.”

"...Is it dangerous, Ms. Wenli?"

Wenli realized that her doubts were affecting them, and she put on a smile again.

"That's why I need to come and confirm, kids, don't worry, at least for now, nothing can stop your activities. You can leave the group anytime now."

Without waiting for the little witch's reaction, Wenli turned and went back to the group.

"I hope it's just a woman's illusion."

As the procession receded into the distance, the three little witches took their first step into the witches' gathering.

Walking down the street, Fagin lowered her head. "Tell me, what exactly is the danger that Ms. Wenli was talking about?"

Lola shook her head, and Murray replied as he scanned the store.

"I don't know. Even if I did know, even a first-level witch like Fegney couldn't do anything. She's Lady Wenli, after all. There's nothing that can stump her. Your worries are unnecessary."

What Murray said actually made a lot of sense.

Join Murray on aimless strolls through the shops, or watch other witches arrange their merchandise, and finally witness a price-cutting battle.

"I can't understand why they would argue for an hour over an Oriu. They have plenty of time to look for something better, so they would get more than just an Oriu."

“Humans have a certain need for social interaction because of the fun they get. As witches transformed from humans, we retain this habit to some extent.” Fegney looked at the map in her hand, confirming the three's location. There was a huge map at the entrance to the gathering, and they offered a rubbing service. “Speaking of gold coins, how much have you prepared? The witch gathering isn't like a witch's guild where we can just take whatever we want. You shouldn't have forgotten the common sense that you have to pay for what you buy, right?”

Lola took out her belt, looked at the mark embroidered on the inside, and whispered to Figny, "I only brought five thousand oriu, will that be enough?"

Murray paused for a moment, then started rummaging in his pockets, spreading out his hand, "Ten."

Figny glared at Murray until she sheepishly stuffed the ten gold coins back into her pocket.

“That’s enough. I brought 100,000, which I can lend to you. I also brought some magical materials and food. I’m not sure if the other witches have changed their bartering habits.”

Easter Egg Chapter: Witch, Cat, and Candy

Andrei was so peaceful that night.

Three nice guys walk down the aisle, celebrating Halloween, a festival founded by witches, in their own way.

The gentleman looked at his companion, scratched his pumpkin head, and realized that there seemed to be something wrong with the pumpkin head he had taken from the plant research society. Why was there a sound coming from inside it?

"Gentlemen, where's your costume? Didn't we agree to have a proper Halloween celebration?"

Mr. Delusional still appears as a machine scholar, and Mr. Reporter still wears his tablecloth.

"We've changed clothes, can't you tell?" The reporter waved the tablecloth draped over his body, making a sinister sound.

"I'm a ghost reporter—a ghost who likes to hide in corners and spy."

"Reporter, watch your words. Our college has ghosts."

"It's alright. It's Halloween. Most of the ghosts from the academy are out in the City of Wanderers, and the rest are staying in the tower."

The gentleman turned to look at Mr. Delusional.

Mr. Delusional looked at him, opened the square box on his head, and a series of sound waves appeared on the electronic screen.

"I—am—the—William—Executor—and—am—a—robot." Mr. Delusional's upper body spun in the air, performing a short breakdance in place. "I'm a street dance robot. Don't ask me why I don't do robotic dance, because it's stupid for a robot to do robotic dance."

The gentleman covered his pumpkin face with his hand, completely blocking the light behind his two triangular-shaped eyes. "So you guys celebrate Halloween every day, huh?"

The reporter shrugged. "So, sir, are you trying to be a pumpkin man?"

“It’s the Headless Horseman! I carefully disassembled my own head and placed it in the Cup of Extravagance. This pumpkin contains a soul candle, so I can barely see. I’m much more diligent than you all.” The gentleman stroked his vacant chin, looking at his friends. “Let’s get down to business. How are your preparations going?”

The reporter and the delusional man handed the prepared papers to the gentleman.

"We're ready. We'll go door-to-door to the clubs during Halloween. Andrei's liches don't have the tradition of Halloween. We can exploit the mischief associated with the festival and the legal discrimination against witches to extort money. This is our list: some clubs worth exploring, some that are difficult to explore, and some that are dangerous to explore."

The gentleman glanced at the list briefly and remarked, "There are quite a few familiar names."

"After all, we're always fighting on the edge of life and death. We've confirmed that because the City of Wanderers no longer has racial distinctions for Halloween, the Light and Dark Zones are now fully open. Mr. Raymond is bringing warmth to his friends of different races in the City of Wanderers. So the timing is perfect; we won't be knocking on doors only to find Mr. Raymond inside and then getting beaten up." Halloween in the City of Wanderers, the surprises of holy light await everyone.

"Very good, everything is ready now, except for..."

"Executive Committee!!!!!"

Just around the next corner the three had passed, a group of liches dressed in dark uniforms with hydrangea patterns on their chests ran out. The leader, the Judge, pointed a finger at the three.

"Finally caught you, you little brats from the Literature Club! You got away last Halloween, but the next day the liches who came to complain formed a horde of zombies in front of the committee. Damn it, I'll beat you all to a pulp this time!"

The three of them turned and ran.

The judge roared, "Brothers! Chase them! For the peace of the next day! Get on the spinal wheel and smash them to death!"

Even as Mr. Delusional ran away, he didn't forget to reply.

"Andrei, indoor vehicles are prohibited! You have violated the rule!"

"Shut up! We weren't driving. It's Halloween, just a few liches dressed up as Spine Wheels. Here's a warm hug for you!"

"Despicable law enforcers!" Mr. Delusional grabbed the gentleman and the reporter's arms, and two cone-shaped protrusions shot out from his back, spewing flames as he instantly accelerated to avoid the wheels.

"Andrei prohibits the use of aircraft!"

"It's just a disguise. Eat my nitrogen dioxide exhaust, law enforcement officer!"

"Literary Society! Once I catch you, I'll rip your souls out and use them as candles!"

"We'll talk when you can defeat our Dark Boss!"

The gentleman kept patting his delusional dream of flying, crying out, "My head, my head's off!"

Twenty meters away, behind the three, a smiling pumpkin head was rolling on the ground. The pumpkin head stopped in place, its bright smile facing the three.

Crack! Crushed everywhere by the spinal wheel.

"Now you don't have to worry about your head anymore, Headless Horseman."

The gentleman's screams filled the empty, quiet night in Andrea amidst the rumbling rolling sounds.

Three sheets of paper lay forlornly in the broken dent left by the spinal wheel.

From a corner of the corridor, a small, dark figure emerged. She rolled up three pieces of paper with her tail and licked her fur. "Come out, girls, it's safe here."

Murray, Laura, and Figny emerged from the shadows.

Veraliz stared at the shadow huddled in the corner, and within the undulating shadow was a small creature.

"Kirona, come out quickly."

A small, thin figure, dressed in a black dress and draped in a large cloak, emerged from the shadows, her face streaked with tears and her legs trembling. Like a completely frightened little animal, her cute face was streaked with tears. The little girl leaned against the wall, and after a few steps, she squatted down on the ground.

"Lady Veraliz, this place is so scary. Murderous bone monsters, I don't want to be lit on candles. Shall we go back?" The cat hopped onto her shoulder and rubbed her head with its paw.

"Kirona, you are my partner, the savior of witches. Be strong, our adventure has only just begun!"

Kurona hugged the cat tightly. "Waaah, but sir, this place is really scary. Why did we have to come here to explore? Doesn't the Floating Castle have a special witch party? And there are so many other places to go in the Wandering City."

Why did we come here?

Murray glanced at Figny and repeated a sentence.

“What’s the scariest, ghost town-like place in the world? Andre Academy! This was an adventure you proposed yourself, Mori.” Fagin took out a handkerchief and wiped away Chrona’s tears. “Shall we go back now, Cat Lady? Chrona doesn’t seem to be able to hold on any longer.”

As Vera Liz looked at the three sheets of paper, a new option emerged.

“Let’s keep it simple. Look, it seems Evan Ritter is planning a Halloween event in Andre. Don’t you think this event is made for us? We’re witches, after all; we’re the best people to go trick-or-treating. I’m going to prove to Evan Ritter that Kurona and I are definitely better than them, and the crown should belong to us! So, what do you say, you little devils? Witches are the best!”

"Trick or treat!"

The itinerary was thus finalized for the four people and one cat.

Comparing the map in her hand, Veraliz looked at the three pieces of paper in her hand.

"Little Figny, what do you think these candies on the paper mean? One candy, two candies, three candies?"

Murray glanced over, a little annoyed that Vera had bypassed her to ask Figny. She was clearly the leader of the group; wasn't this making her look like an idiot? So Murray racked her brains and came up with an answer.

"I know, Lady Vera, this must be the number of candies these clubs have collected. One candy is the minimum you can take, and three candies is the maximum!"

The cat squinted its eyes. "That makes sense."

“Sir, may I see that paper with the three candies?” Fegni took the paper. “The Advanced Magic Research Society, the Soul Conjuration Tower, the Executive Committee, the Chapel, the Dean’s Office… I remember Ms. Wenli told us not to go near these places. These are all clubs of powerful people.”

Vera Liz tilted her head, her bright yellow eyes filled with great confusion. "So they have more candy?"

"Logically speaking, the strong should get more, but will we be able to get the candy?"

"Just some candy, is that a problem? Are all the liches in Andrei unreasonable devils?"

"The elemental witch of the Witch Quarter once said that demons can reason, but the Andrei cannot."

“…Then let’s start with the fewest things and take it one step at a time.” Veraliz randomly picked a name from the wrapper of a candy. “Necromancer Figure Company, how about that?”