I Live on the Land in Global Games
Chapter 273 - 269: Addicted to Playing Cards

Chapter 273: Chapter 269: Addicted to Playing Cards

In the Emerald World, since the trial time for novice witches is six months, they must remain near their designated trial locations for at least half a year before they can start to move about freely.

Thus, during this period, Mu Ying stayed by the lake outside of Canteryala City, living in her own Magic Hut and seldom went into the city.

The Royal Family took the little princess’s search for a Fairy Godmother quite seriously.

After all of Su Na’s requests were in place, the Royal Palace held a ball to welcome Fairy Godmother Su Na.

Su Na only showed her face briefly at the ball because, on that day, she also entertained witches from around Canteryala in her newly completed forest villa.

Mu Ying was among those invited, and thus she became acquainted with several witches who served as fairy godmothers in Canteryala’s noble families.

In truth, fairy godmothers do not need to constantly accompany their charges. These seasoned witches have their ways of leaving something to monitor them, appearing only when needed.

Moreover, they rarely interact with outsiders and usually only show themselves to their charges.

However, this does not mean they are truly as detached from worldly concerns as fairies are, and Mu Ying could attest to that.

Their restless hearts were evident from their relentless weekly social gatherings. Each time, a different host would organize the event in a different location. There wasn’t really anything special to discuss—it was just an excuse for everyone to get together, eat, drink, and gossip without minding their image.

Age differences seem to pose no issue among witches; no matter if they were over two hundred years old or a seasoned witch of over a hundred, they all showed the same zest for fun as witches in their thirties.

Moreover, witches generally do not age in appearance. There is a Youthful Potion that, if taken regularly, helps witches maintain the appearance of their youth.

This potion is quite precious—one bottle costs hundreds of Gold Coins, and a single dose preserves one’s looks for half a year. Those needing to start on this potion are usually witches who have lived for over two hundred years, so to them, this sum of money is trivial.

It is the combination of appearance and mindset that makes the age gap among witches less noticeable.

Mu Ying, a teenager and a newly graduated novice witch, integrated perfectly into this collective of fairy godmothers, feeling not the slightest bit out of place, and she gained much information from them.

Although ’Fairy Godmother’ is a term that can win the favor of humans, it also places constraints on the witches who become one.

To seem like a fairy godmother, they generally prefer to present a more composed appearance during their duties, as Su Na did when she disguised herself as an old woman.

When they go out privately, however, they adopt a different guise. Among the witches Mu Ying knew, there were social butterflies fond of high-society events, shopkeepers in the city, and even magicians at the circus.

Knowing that she was a novice witch still undergoing her trials, some offered to take her to various noble salons and balls for worldlier exposure, some suggested she start a business, and others wanted her to work part-time at the circus.

But after Mu Ying’s reputation as the Dingling Witch became known, their visits became frequent under the pretense of eating at the home of a well-off witch, oh no, for networking purposes.

Mu Ying glanced at the four witches playing cards in the living room and said irritably, "Nayaba, don’t your Cowherd Shop’s young men need you to look after the business? Doris, hasn’t your flower shop been closed for several days now; aren’t you worried about losing your regular customers? Anaya, isn’t there a circus performance this weekend; don’t you need to prepare? And you, Su Na, with such a high salary, how often have you checked in on the little princess?"

Mu Ying truly regretted that she had once taken out her mahjong set during one of the gatherings and taught them how to play.

Nayaba: "Whose company could be more exhilarating than playing cards?"

Doris: "I earn more from a card game than I do in a whole day at the flower shop!"

Anaya: "Why would I, a witch, need to prepare for a mere Magic performance?"

Su Na: "The little princess is still very young and sleeps all the time, so I left something by her cradle to keep watch!"

"Then why do you have to come to my place to play mahjong?" Mu Ying asked helplessly.

All four of them looked over: "It’s not easy to meet a witch with such ’fortune prospects.’ We can’t afford not to make connections, witches need to make a living too."

"But you never include me in the game!" Mu Ying huffed.

What kind of relationship is this?

It’s closer to making enemies!

Although they often visited, they didn’t really need Mu Ying’s hospitality. They brought their own food, even contributing to her meals. Everything else was fake; they came purely for the game of cards.

"You’re so rich now, yet you still want to win our money?" The others looked at her accusingly.

They vividly remembered that day when mahjong first entered their lives, and this little witch won almost half a month’s worth of their living expenses. Who would dare play with her now?

Mu Ying: "..."

She made a mistake. She should have controlled herself back then. She skinned them too much, and now, although the mahjong and table were provided by her, there wasn’t a spot for her anymore.

Forget it, she wouldn’t stoop to the level of these childish witches. She took the fruit plate they brought and left triumphantly.

In view of their food, she forgave them for treating her place like a mahjong hall.

Out of sight, out of mind, Mu Ying went to the swing at the door to bask in the sun.

Sitting on the swing, she gently rocked back and forth. Around her, sounds like "Pong!" "Kong!" "One Chicken!" and other excited or chaotic noises filled the air. It was quite lively.

Checking the delivery time on the Witch Association’s item list, the delivery witch should be arriving soon.

The new Dingling Flowers had been successfully cultivated. She sold some and exchanged them for Magic Potion Materials and Magic Books.

The swing was so comfortable that Mu Ying nearly dozed off, until the sound of horse hooves drawing closer woke her.

An impressive-looking girl was riding a black steed rapidly towards her, and upon seeing Mu Ying’s gaze, the girl waved at her.

An acquaintance, the same number 7 delivery witch from last time.

Mu Ying got up to open the yard door.

The witch rode up to the door, dismounted gracefully, and led the horse into the yard, where it turned into a small wooden horse carving.

"Good to see you again. What’s this wooden horse carving?" Mu Ying asked curiously, looking at the small wooden horse.

The delivery witch handed the wooden horse to Mu Ying, "This is a fake horse, a Low-level alchemy item. It’s part of the equipment provided by the Association for delivery witches. Orders going out of the forest can apply for one. It turns into a horse when activated with Magic Power, which is handy for traveling without attracting too much attention. To save time, we usually ride horses during the day and brooms at night. If you’re interested, you can look for one in the item list. It should be around 20 points. It has a high wear and tear rate and won’t last long; it’s not as durable as a broom."