The weather in the fjord is quite peculiar. Yesterday it was a clear blue sky with no clouds, but today it's overcast, with wind and thunder, and a heavy rainstorm seems imminent.
Ash held back her hair from being blown away, walked into Tilly's dwelling, and immediately spotted the giant pigeon perched on her shoulder.
"Macy?" "Goo!" The dove raised its head, eyes gleaming as it spread its wings and dashed toward the door. Ash easily intercepted it, "Change into human form before speaking." "Ugh... Goo," Macy flapped onto the ground, shedding her feathers to reveal her true form. She pouted and said, "Do you hate pigeons?" "It always feels strange for a large bird to speak," Ash smiled, lifting the girl who was sprawled on the ground. "When did you return?" "Not long ago, I was so afraid of a storm that my wings nearly broke," she patted her chest. "Fortunately, I flew to Sleeping Island before the rain started." "So you... flew back?" Ash pressed his hand to his forehead. "Why didn't you change into a seagull? Wouldn't that be much faster?" "Ah..." Macy blinked in realization. "I forgot about Goo." Tilly couldn't help laughing. She put down the letter she was holding. "Thank you for your efforts. I've already heard from the other side. Go find Lian and Moril to play. I'll let you know when I've decided how to reply." "Alright, Goo!" Macy bowed and skipped out.
"How's Roland Wimbledon doing?" When only the two of them remained in the room, Ash moved to Tilly's side and sat down on the floor. A map lay before her, and after a careful look, it appeared to be a topographic map of the Border Town area.
"This is his letter," Tilly handed her a sheet of paper. "I must say, the Witch he chose is truly... unique." Ash finished reading the letter quickly, frowning. "He actually picked Sylvie? Does this mean he doesn't care about being exposed?" "I'm not sure," Tilly replied indifferently. "Maybe my ability description was too vague, so he didn't investigate further? Or perhaps he doesn't mind revealing his identity to us to show his sincerity in cooperation? Of course, there's another possibility..." "He's your brother," Ash continued. "So he completely disregards Sylvie's abilities." "But that's highly unlikely," she said with a self-deprecating smile. "Who knows better than I do who my brother is? If it's really Roland Wimbledon, he wouldn't choose to oppose the Church to protect the Witch. From childhood to adulthood, his greatest skill has been evasion—whether facing challenges or difficulties... Even when exiled to the borderlands by the King's decree, he never protested to the' Father, 'not even symbolically." Ash raised an eyebrow. "In any case, his choosing Sylvie is good news for us, so we don't have to make excuses for sending another Witch. But what about the others... Do you really want to agree to his proposal?" "Why not?" "Lian is one of the most important Witches on Sleeping Island. Without her, who will repair those ruined mud houses?" "Building structures or reshaping the island's terrain would be impossible without terrain modification capabilities. After all, we've only utilized less than 30% of the Sleeping Island's total area—there's still plenty of room for development," she counted on her fingers. "The same goes for Honey. She commands the cormorants to hunt for us, and the delicious fish soups we enjoy daily are all her work. As for Candlefire and Evelyn, there's no issue... Can't you refuse his request to replace them with two less capable Witches?" "What's useful and what's not? I sent them to Border Town to form an alliance, not abandon them," Tilly's God-like expression grew serious. "Regardless of their abilities, the sisters who chose this isolated island are all Witches. How can we screen them based on their utility when building the Sleeping Island as a Witches' home?" Ash had once seen her display this God-like expression in court—this was the true countess's furious demeanor. She instinctively changed her address: "Excuse me... Your Highness, I'm just—" Tilly sighed slowly. "Moreover, no standard can measure everyone's abilities. Roland selected these five from over a hundred Witches, including Candlefire and Evelyn you mentioned. Are they truly useless? Perhaps through this connection, we'll discover whether his choice of these two was purely coincidental or if he saw aspects we hadn't realized." She paused. "After all, we're just a tiny minority. Every Witch is worth fighting for—they're not tools for building our home, but allies with shared goals. Don't say such things again." "Yes, Your Highness," Ash replied with a bow.
Just then, a bolt of lightning tore through the clouds and struck the sea. As if God's command had been given, deafening thunder followed, exploding above the Sleeping Island. Rain began to fall from the sky—first as scattered drops, then quickly merging into a continuous roar. The dense curtain of rain veiled the view outside the window in a white mist, so heavy that it momentarily drowned out the two people's conversation.
Ash got up and shut the window to keep the rain out. Turning around, she saw Tilly swaying slightly, looking somewhat haggard.
"You stayed up late again yesterday?" "Hmm," Tilly yawned. "All the books brought back from the ruins are written in the same script. I've already identified their common features. Given enough time, I'll definitely translate them all." "Yes, given enough time... We've already shaken off the Church's entanglement. You don't need to study it nonstop," Ash frowned. "It's taking a toll on your health." "Don't worry. I'm a Super Witch-my body isn't that fragile," the Fifth Princess sighed deeply. "And I have this uneasy premonition-the visions in the ruins make me uneasy. It's better to decipher the contents of these books as soon as possible... By the way, when the Witches head to Border Town this time, let them bring an ancient text too." "If you can't read it, the Guild of the Alliance's Witches are even less likely to understand." "Just hoping," Tilly said. "I heard there's an ancient ruin in the Eastern Forest too. The Guild of the Alliance originated in Sea Breeze County, right next to the forest. Maybe some of them have seen this script before. If we can prove the scripts are identical, it means these ruins were created by the same group." "Yes, I understand," Ash replied.
"Besides, I wasn't blaming you earlier—your point holds some truth, though not regarding the scale of power," she reached out to stop Ash from speaking. "I've reached an agreement with the Xianyue Bay Chamber of Commerce. They'll relocate a portion of ordinary citizens to the Sleeping Island next spring. If Lian stays too long, it might affect the island's future development. So before winter arrives, I'll have them return to the fjord." Ash let out a sigh of relief. "That's good." "But to avoid misunderstandings, I'll also lead a few combat-type witches to Border Town to assist the Alliance in resisting the Demon Moon," Tilly said with a sly smile. "Would you like to join me then?" Ash hesitated for a moment before reluctantly replying, "Of course, Your Highness."