Kermit quickly spoke up from inside the Seance Circle, “Hey, don’t freak out. Nothing big happened in the sect, and Linda’s fine.”
Shawn wasn’t convinced. “If it’s nothing, who goes and triggers a purple Seance Circle just for kicks?”
Mack said calmly, “Seriously, it’s nothing major. I just wanted to show you guys something.”
Just then, a luxurious brocade box appeared in the vision.
Shawn immediately recognized it. “That’s a Fifth–Grade Wood–Fire Spirit.”
Aurelio looked puzzled. “It’s a nice find, but is it worth activating a purple Seance Circle for?”
Mack replied, “It was a gift from my disciple.”
Everyone was left speechless.
After a moment, the whole Seance Circle blew up.
Everyone wanted to go off, but then they remembered. It was Mack. No one dared mess with him. Still, they were seriously pissed.
Before Alan and Calvin could even get a word in, Aurelio exploded first.
“What the hell? Your disciple gives you something this expensive? How come you get all the good stuff?” Aurelio roared. “Mack, hand your disciple over to me.”
Everyone was left speechless.
Mack said, “Aurelio, you already got one, remember?”
“Oh… I guess I do. Haven’t had them with me in forever,” Aurelio replied.
Laurence clenched his jaw. “When the hell are you getting your ass back here?”
“Give me two weeks,” Mack replied.
“Make it quick,” Laurence shot back.
Everyone was chiming in at once, but one could hear jealousy and frustration in their voices. Byron sneered, “Linda was the one I had my eye on first.
Mack replied, “You wouldn’t be able to teach her.”
Byron was dumbfounded.
Everyone facepalmed and sighed.
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“What a sweet kid. First time in the Veil and she still remembered to bring her master a present,” Shawn said, wiping away a tear. “Seriously, she’s the best.”
Alan murmured, “She’s got a good soul.”
Calvin added, “Just saying nice things isn’t enough. The kid got banged up pretty badly on her first trip out. Shouldn’t we do something for her?”
“Should we go take on the High Sanctum of Archmagi?” Shawn said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “I’m totally up for it.”
No one paid any attention to Shawn, the fight with the maniac. Alan said, “I happened to pick up a Seventh- Grade witch–weed recently.
“Mack, whenever you have time, swing by Mystic Exchange, and I’ll trade it for you. You can give it to Linda as a welcome gift.”
The others joined in, “Yeah, we really ought to give her something to welcome her.”
Everyone immediately started thinking about what treasures they could offer Linda.
Mack didn’t refuse.
‘Well, since the Seance Circle’s already up and running, I might as well hook my disciple up with some nice stuff, Mack thought to himself.
Just as things were winding down, Calvin suddenly remembered his own disciple and asked, “What about Claudio? He should’ve caught up with the others by now, right?”
“They all went into the Veil together this time. Claudio did pretty well. He even stuck up with his people and made sure nobody messed with them,” Laurence said, sounding pretty pleased.
Calvin nodded. “That’s good to hear. I always knew he had a good heart. Just looking at him, you can tell he’s meant to be a disciple of the First Unity Coven. But I’ll have to trouble you guys to keep an eye on him.
“He’s a bit of a rebel, always trying to run off. I have no idea what’s going through his head. I’ve been chasing after him for five years, and he’s been running for five years.”
Calvin looked genuinely pained. “If Alan hadn’t helped me keep tabs on him, I probably would’ve lost him for good.”
Byron said coolly, “Don’t worry, Calvin. Once someone joins the First Unity Coven, there’s no way they’re leaving.”
Once one joined the First Unity Coven, they belonged there for life.
Even after one died, one’s ghost still belonged to the First Unity Coven.
Now that they were here, obviously, they were sticking around.
Laurence chuckled, “These kids have great potential. This batch of newbies is top–notch.”
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“For sure,” the others echoed him.
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Everyone couldn’t help but get emotional. Finally, the First Unity Coven got some real fresh blood coming in.
‘Guess we won’t let the old ancestors down after all, they all thought.
Aurelio said, “Mack, I’ve found all three Fourth–Class Apothecary Greens you asked for. I’ll send them over through the Mystic Exchange right away, so you don’t have to wait another two weeks.”
Mack replied, “Sounds good.”
Kermit looked genuinely pained. “You guys just got a taste of wealth, and now you’re already splurging like maniacs.”
Trading at the Mystic Exchange wasn’t free.
Aurelio said, “Kermit, if anyone’s short on Luster Shards, it sure as hell won’t be Mack. Why are you even worried about him?”
Mack said coolly, “Yeah, the whole First Unity Coven owes me, honestly.”
Everyone was left speechless.
Then, they went into seclusion.
Linda had no clue she’d scored a pile of welcome gifts. Right now, she was busy taking stock of her own haul.
She’d barely started pulling things out when Craig told her to pack it all back up, so she never even got a chance to sort through everything she’d brought back from the Veil.
She started categorizing all the witch–weeds she’d collected from the valley.
It turned out she had tens of thousands of regular witch–weeds.
There were over nineteen thousand First–Class witch–weeds and herbs.
And as for the Second–Class ones, there were at least three or four thousand.
There were only about three or four hundred Third–Class greens, and some of those weren’t even ripe yet. She figured she could let them mature in the Lucent Mere and level them up to Fourth–Class.
Linda did some picking and sorting.
She split everything below Second–Class into a 30/70 split. She kept 80% for herself and packed the other 70% into her Void Ring to hand over to the sect.
Then, from the fully mature Third–Class Apothecary Greens, Linda picked out eight, each chosen for its special properties.
‘This one’s for Laura,‘ Linda said to herself.
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It was great for boosting physical strength.
‘And this one’s for Craig,‘ she mused.
It was perfect for restoring mental energy.
“This one’s for Rafael,” said Linda to herself.
It was perfect for healing after getting hurt.
“And these… are for Claudio,’ she mused.
They just looked great.
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Linda honestly had no clue what Claudio might actually need. He probably had everything already. So she picked out the two prettiest ones that could help replenish his spiritual energy.
“And of course, I can’t forget about the senior, the one I haven’t even met yet,” said Linda.
Once she’d finished sorting out gifts for her seniors, Linda started picking out presents for Kermit, Byron, and Laurence, too.
Dream–Weaver elder and Dermot watched her, both thinking, ‘Is this the same little witch who was ready to bite someone’s head off a minute ago?‘
‘Man, she’s way too generous.
By the time Linda finished sorting everything out, three hours had passed, and night had fallen. But she was still full of energy.
She offloaded the rest of her regular witch–weeds at the Mystic Exchange.
Besides the stalls, there were also specialized shops at the Mystic Exchange that would buy witch–weeds. The prices weren’t as good as the ones down the mountain, but it was way more convenient.
Plus, it let her keep her identity under wraps.
With this much stuff, there was no way Linda was lugging it all down the mountain to sell.
Linda was about to sell off the 30% of regular witch–weeds she’d kept for herself, leaving a tiny bit behind. But Dream–Weaver elder stopped her.
He said, “Hey, you’ve inherited my skills as an alchemist, remember? Once you start making potions, you’ll need loads of regular witch–weeds. If you sell them all now, you’ll have to buy them back later.”
“Why bother?” he added.
Linda replied coolly, “I know, but I’ve thought it through. These are basic herbs. I can always buy them back if I need to. Right now, I need Luster Shards more than herbs.”
Dream–Weaver elder looked surprised. “What are you planning to do with them?”
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Linda just said, “They’ll come in handy.”
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She sold off all her basic witch–weeds and raked in 1.2 million Luster Shards. After sorting through everything else she could sell, she ended up with a total of 2.6 million Luster Shards.
Then, Linda took out the Mana Crystals Mack had given her.
Twelve Mana Crystals.
Each Mana Crystal was worth a million Luster Shards.
That made for a total of 12 million Luster Shards.
Linda lowered her gaze, her thoughts swirling. She’d held back from using those Mana Crystals, afraid that if she left in three years, she’d never be able to pay back all the kindness she’d received. But now…
‘Guess I can use them now,‘ she thought.
She cashed in all her Mana Crystals at the Mystic Exchange, then headed back to her log cabin. As soon as she walked in, the upgrade screen flashed before her eyes. Linda picked her third house.
A small Hermit’s Sanctum for 14 million Luster Shards..
“Are you sure you want to spend 14 million Luster Shards to upgrade your Hermit’s Sanctum?” the system asked.
“Confirm,” Linda said.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
