The speed of the beast carriage was still very fast. While they were chatting, the carriage had already entered Floating Moon Island. Next, they would use the long-distance teleportation hub on Floating Moon Island to directly teleport to the Witch Academy's territory.
Upon entering the port area of Floating Moon Island, one could already see the enormous magic vortex floating above the port.
Terrifying and astonishing magical power vibrated all around, tearing apart the space within the vortex, forming a huge, black-hole-like opening. However, the torn space did not continue to expand chaotically; instead, its size was firmly restricted, and it collapsed inward in an orderly fashion, eventually re-stabilizing to form a wondrous existence resembling a passage.
From the outside, one could see nothing but a dazzling array of flowing lights, but by passing through this passage, one could instantly disregard distance and arrive at another teleportation hub anywhere within the Witch World.
Just looking at such a colossal and mystical structure couldn't help but make one marvel at the power and terror of the Demonesses who built it. They could even manipulate space, one of the supreme powers, so freely. Yet, this was merely the tip of the iceberg of the Witch Civilization's formidable might.
However, such long-distance teleportation hubs are also one of the core facilities that a witch Territory must establish to develop, much like how a big city in Dorothy's previous life needed high-speed rail and airports to thrive.
To get rich, build roads first—this saying holds true everywhere.
Generally, only after such a teleportation hub is established is a territory considered officially incorporated into the Witch World's map and known to other Demonesses. Otherwise, it's just a backwater not even found on maps, with hardly anyone knowing about you, let alone further developing and prospering.
However, such an important facility has one major drawback: it's expensive. The cost of one of these ultra-long-distance core teleportation hubs usually equals half the price of a newly opened witch Territory, not to mention the massive amounts of magic and other resources required for the hub's continuous operation.
Many newly promoted Witch Lords, after painstakingly conquering a territory on the battlefield, initially thought they could finally retire and live a free and easy life. Then, they bitterly discovered that building a territory required even more resources, so they could only grit their teeth and continue to struggle on the front lines.
Therefore, even though Demonesses have long lifespans, very few Demonesses can single-handedly establish a mature witch Territoryfrom scratch. It is often the predecessors who clear the land and the successors who build. The vast majority of Witch Territories are actually built and developed through the tireless efforts of Witch families across generations.
Even a small, eighteenth-tier territory like Haiyue Territory only achieved its current appearance through generations of management by the Sea Moon Witch family. It's just that the current lord, the Sea Moon Witch, is exceptionally powerful, and this territory reached its Peak in her hands. And Isabella has always been striving to surpass her mother.
Dorothy and Alice often heard that blue-haired mermaid Miss Witch complain about how difficult it was to learn to manage a territory, always encountering various unexpected troubles. However, the two poor sisters at the time unanimously thought this was the rich girl humble-bragging.
And now, Dorothy looked at the enormous teleportation hub in the port not far outside the window, which emitted terrifying magic fluctuations, and sighed in her heart.
"Oh, the misery. How long will I have to save money for this?"
However, thinking that she could start her studies at Witch Academyafter passing through this teleportation array, Dorothy felt relieved.
"Thankfully, I chose the infrastructure major. When I develop my territory in the future, I won't need to outsource these facilities. I can build them all myself. At that time, I'll just need to figure out how to cover the material costs, which will save at least half the expenses."
Thinking this, Dorothy couldn't help but give herself another thumbs up for her choice.
As expected of me, I have foresight and am thrifty.
However, when her gaze swept to Youfeiliya, who was still trying to maintain a cool facade opposite her, Dorothy actually found it a bit hard to keep a straight face.
She had agreed so magnanimously just now, but now, thinking about fulfilling the boast she just made, the difficulty was not insignificant.
First, to contend with the Apex Witch, she must first become an Apex Witch herself. Is it possible to become an Apex Witch within fifty years?
Emmmm, it's actually possible.
The record for the youngest Apex Witch in history was set by the current King of Witches, the Demon King herself. Her Majesty the Demon King was a prodigy, reaching the Apex at 20, joining the Sage Council at 30, and becoming the King of Witches at 50—a cheat-like existence straight out of a novel's protagonist.
So, if the Demon King can become the King of Witches at 50, surely it's not a problem for me, Dorothy, to become an Apex Witch before 50?
Probably?
The ranks of Demonesses are generally divided into six stages: Weak Witch, Witch, Elite Witch, Great Witch, Apex Witch, and Sage.
Of course, it's not like the leveling-up novels she read in her previous life, where one must break through level by level, with thresholds and bottlenecks at each stage, requiring elixirs and rare treasures to advance.
The ranks of Demonesses are actually more like professional certifications in Dorothy's previous life. Ranks are merely documents proving identity and strength. Higher ranks represent certain social privileges, but they don't mean one absolutely must advance.
Many reclusive ancient Demonesses don't bother with ranking exams, but this doesn't diminish their power in the slightest.
So-called Weak Witches are generally normal underage Little Demonesses who haven't graduated from school and are still physically underage. They are in the weakest stage of a Witch's life and require the guardianship and guidance of an adult Witch.
Following Weak Witches, the Witch rank refers to normal adult Demonesses who have matured physically and magically, graduated from Witch Academy, and whose knowledge and magic have reached normal levels, making them ordinary individuals in Witch society.
Beyond that, Elite Witches are ordinary Demonesses who have moved beyond the unremarkable stage. They have often worked for many years, gaining experience in society, honing their abilities in various aspects, and beginning to make achievements in their professional fields. They are the backbone of major enterprises or territories.
Further up, the Great Witch rank, colloquially speaking, refers to experts in various industries. They have already achieved certain accomplishments in their respective fields of expertise and have gained recognition from all sectors of society. These Demonesses are often senior executives of major enterprises or are lords themselves.
And the Apex Witch rank, after Great Witch, is true to its name. They are the Peak in their respective fields, the Great Demonesses among Great Demonesses, the absolute authorities in all industries. For those aspiring to enter these fields, it's impossible not to know these big shots, as their names frequently appear in various professional textbooks, and you can often see them on TV or in newspapers.
Apex Witches also generally hold higher positions. Their influence is no longer limited to a single enterprise or territory. They often become high-level executives in various departments under the Sage Council, responsible for implementing decisions made by the Sages and managing the operation of the entire Witch World.
As for the highest rank, Sage, there's nothing much to say. They're just the big shots, and how the world turns is up to the Sages.
It's worth noting, however, that while there are only thirteen seats on the Sage Council, it doesn't mean there are only thirteen Sages. In fact, there are quite a few Sages in the Witch World, as these beings, who are closest to the concept of omniscience and omnipotence, have long been immortal.
However, not all Sages are willing to manage the world; it's too much trouble and would hinder their path to godhood.
Therefore, the usual thirteen Sages, apart from the King of Witches, are generally filled by the youngest Sages. Whenever a new Sage is born, the old Sages joyfully abdicate, then happily retire to focus on their research.
The hierarchy of Demonesses is probably just such a distinction—it's truly just an identity marker, a reflection of a Demoness's comprehensive strength.
The adjudication of rank is generally handled by the All-Seeing Eye, one of the Sage Council's subordinate agencies. The identity cards that every Demoness carries are also issued by this department.
The All-Seeing Eye is the Sages' eyes, responsible for observing this world on their behalf.
Identity cards constantly verify and update various information about Demonesses, and this information is uploaded via the Magic Net to the All-Seeing Eye headquarters' database. All information about Demonesses, including their strength, talent, achievements, wealth, etc., is calculated into corresponding points in the database, and the sum of these points is the Demoness's rank score.
A Demoness's rank is determined based on this comprehensive score.
Well, in a sense, the All-Seeing Eye actually monitors all Demonessesin secret, which is a bit of a privacy infringement. But an infringement is an infringement; in a world where individual power trumps everything, what more could you ask for?
If you're unhappy, just bear with it.
Moreover, the All-Seeing Eye's information database isn't accessible to just anyone. It's one of the most heavily guarded places in the Witch World. The staff who process information there lose their memories after work, and not only that, they also have silencing spells on them—it's simply cruel.
In fact, even the department head has no right to access the database. Theoretically, if someone wants to specifically investigate a Demoness's private information, they must first obtain permission from six or more Sages.
Hmm, it's roughly equivalent to having to convene a Sage Councilmeeting and then persuade half of the Sages in the meeting room to agree with you.
Or, to be more direct, you can get the Chief Sage's approval, as the Chief Sage, as the King of Witches, has unlimited power.
However, these matters have nothing to do with Dorothy, an ordinary Little Witch. She is still light-years away from the world of those important figures.
She just pulled out her ID card, glanced at her rank, and then sighed.
"Only an Elite Witch, huh."
Raising a Demoness's rank is still very difficult, as it reflects a Demoness's comprehensive strength.
There are generally only three recognized fastest ways to raise one's rank.
The first is to improve hard power. Whether it's physical attributes or magic power intensity, these improvements can add points to a Demoness's rank.
The second is evolution. Talents and specialties are still very valuable for points; the rarer the talent or specialty, the more points it adds.
As for the last one, it's grinding achievements.
Whether it's academic exams, competition rankings, or battlefield merits, all achievements obtained by a Demoness will earn a certain amount of rank points based on the achievement level.
Therefore, as a weakling with only 10,000 mana, Dorothy's Elite Witchrank is somewhat undeserved.
She severely lags in hard power, being just a weak Demoness, but she's very comfortable grinding points in talent, specialties, and achievements.
Dorothy casually tapped open the rank section of her identity card and could see her recent point gains.
Current Points: 10086
Point Record: On XX/XX/XX, at sixteen years old, you won the Magic Net Youth Demoness Duel Tournament, achieving the Duel King achievement with a perfect win record. Points +2000
On XX/XX/XX, at sixteen years old, you defeated an opponent beyond your rank in a duel. Points +86
The Demoness rank scoring is pretty much like this, right? Weak Demoness 0-1000 points, Demoness 1000-10000 points. To advance one rank, the point requirement increases tenfold.
Looking at her own situation, Dorothy found that individual strength points were the least significant. Talent and specialty points were also just so-so; an SR gives 500 points, an SSR gives 1000 points, and it's quite tiring to grind them.
If you really want to grind points, you have to go for achievements. Last year, Dorothy was just an ordinary Demoness with 8000 points, but this year, after winning the Magic Net Duel Tournament, she suddenly broke through the 10,000-point mark and joined the ranks of Elite Demonesses. She also checked on the Magic Net, and if it were the champion of a real-life youth duel competition, the point reward would be even more terrifying, giving 10,000 points at once.
But what's the point of grinding these points?
Well, it's meaningless. Besides being able to show off to others with a phrase like, "I became an Elite Witch at sixteen this year," it seems to have no other use.
This rank certificate can't help her resist her mother, Youfeiliya, who will come for her in 50 years. Youfeiliya won't let her go just because her rank is high.
Perhaps some Demonesses are keen on grinding points, but Dorothyisn't really interested in it. After all, as a reclusive homebody, she doesn't have good friends to show off to, so the rank's height is just for her own viewing.
And the more she looked, the more she felt the gap with the Apex Witch was enormous. Even if rank doesn't necessarily represent combat strength, comprehensive strength is still a form of strength. The threshold for an Apex Witch is a million points, and then she looked at the 10,000-plus points she had accumulated in these sixteen years...
Don't ask; if you ask, it's exhausting. The difference is vast. The more she thought about it, the more she felt a bit of despair. I'm sorry, agreeing so readily just now was indeed me being too overconfident.
Dorothy lamented this in her heart.
However, her sighing while looking at her identity card did catch Youfeiliya's attention.
"What's your rank?"
The Dragon Witch asked with a hint of curiosity.
Actually, there wasn't much to ask. After all, her daughter had just enrolled in the Witch Academy today, so it was impossible for her to have a high rank. Even with the two SSR-level talents she displayed, at most, she'd be a regular Demoness with a little over 2000 points.
However...
"Sigh, only an Elite Witch, so pathetic."
Dorothy sighed again, saying this.
Youfeiliya: "..."
"Hiss..."
The Angel Witch beside them directly gasped.
The master and disciple looked at each other again, then fell into silence.
Only the bewildered Dorothy paused, seeing their strange expressions, and couldn't help but feel curious.
"What's wrong? Is it too low? Well, actually, I could grind it higher. I have quite a few certifications I'm too lazy to take, but grinding these points doesn't seem to have much meaning, so I haven't gone, and I don't plan to. I'll just let it be..."
"Go! As soon as you get to the academy, go take it immediately. Sophia, you make sure she goes and takes it!"
The Dragon Witch finally couldn't maintain her composure. Her mask of indifference shattered directly, and she ordered the Angel Witchthrough gritted teeth.