Chapter 69: The Great Sage’s Gift

“You’re leaving already?”

After spending a whole day together, the amount of conversation between the girl and the Great Sage was pitifully little.

Jiang Cha didn’t really mind, but it was obvious that the Great Sage still couldn’t quite let go when facing her.

For a woman who had been single for thousands of years, that flutter of emotion felt strange — it made her clumsy and unsure of what to do. She wasn’t exactly an expert in matters of the heart.

Not knowing how to face it was only natural.

“I’ve been pretty busy lately. I’ll come visit you again when I get some time.”

The Great Sage nodded, her gaze shifting slightly away — unwilling to meet the eyes of the cute girl standing before her with her hands clasped behind her back.

“She’s just turned into a witch recently, right? This is when she needs resources the most.”

From afar, Shui Jun drifted over lazily, tossed out a teasing remark, and vanished again just as the Great Sage was about to lift her staff.

“When will you come next time?”

A trace of realization flashed in Jiang Cha’s eyes.

Although the Great Sage was already at the Sage level, that was mostly thanks to her incredibly solid foundation from her previous life. In truth, she had only been a witch for about fifty years — the period when one had to work hard and gather resources to fill the gaping void left by rapid growth in power.

Shui Jun, however, was different. She was an old witch, over two hundred years old, with a good amount of wealth built up in witch society.

Moreover, her own growth had plateaued — unlike the Great Sage, who still had the potential to break through to Archsage level. Shui Jun had basically gone full salted-fish mode, relying on completing her research projects for any hope of progress.

That’s how most sages advanced their power — through their research.

“Half a year… or maybe a year. You…”

The Great Sage looked at Jiang Cha, her tone stiff but caring:
“Study hard. Your power’s still too weak.”

“But witches aren’t like those fantasy worlds where power’s everything, you know?”

The girl blinked mischievously, teasing.

— Say that again when you can take me on for real.

The Great Sage instinctively flicked her forehead — and only after doing it realized the gesture was oddly intimate.

But Jiang Cha didn’t seem to notice.

In those shared memories, gestures like this were quite common. Even though she knew they weren’t truly the same person, that faint sense of familiarity lingered — a natural closeness.

“Ow~ that hurt! I’ll work hard, okay?”

Watching Jiang Cha pout playfully, the Great Sage sighed softly, then produced a short staff from somewhere and handed it to her.

“That broken stick you’re using is terrible. Use this instead.”
“Consider it a gift.”

“Ehehe~ thank you, Great Sage~!”

Jiang Cha’s pout instantly transformed into a bright smile, and she thanked her obediently.

The staff was clearly no cheap item.

Although it looked like a standard short wooden staff, the craftsmanship and materials were top-notch.

It boosted casting speed by 20%, saved 30% mana, and even had several useful enchantments — Spell Enhancement, Magic Shield, and more.

Something Jiang Cha definitely couldn’t afford.

At least a million credits, easily.
Short staves weren’t as powerful as long ones like Lina’s, but they were cheaper and handier to carry.

“I didn’t prepare any equipment this time, next time—”

Halfway through speaking, the Great Sage suddenly changed her tone stiffly:
“Handle it yourself. I won’t meddle.”

For witches, magical gear was like everyday clothing. Lina’s stockings, red choker, and little shoes — all magic items — were things she rarely changed.

Giving clothing as a first gift… that was a bit too much for someone like the Great Sage.

“I know, I know~ I’m already super happy that you even remembered me!”

Jiang Cha wasn’t greedy — getting a new staff was already a surprise gift.
She hadn’t planned on asking the Great Sage for anything anyway.

“I’ve got a good memory.”

The golden-haired, heroic woman seemed slightly flushed, though not exactly shy — she just turned her head away, hiding her expression.

“Me too! My memory’s amazing!”

Jiang Cha didn’t notice, answering cheerfully, all her attention fixed on the staff, happy and carefree like a kitten.

But that casual remark seemed to make the Great Sage even more flustered — she quickly threw out a short line and turned to leave.

“See you next time.”
“Byebye~”

The girl lifted her head, smiling like a little cat as she waved her hand playfully.

The Great Sage gave her one last, deep look — then turned and left.

Before she could go far, Shui Jun sidled up beside her, smiling mischievously:
“That little kitten won’t be easy to tame.”

“Shut up.”

The Great Sage shot her a cold glare.

The two were friends — though their relationship was a bit strange.

It always seemed like Shui Jun was the one enthusiastically chasing after the Great Sage, who barely tolerated it — but when something serious happened, the Great Sage would still end up following her lead.

Like this visit to Jiang Cha — Shui Jun had decided it on her own.

When dealing with a tsundere, you can’t listen to what she says. Just act.

Or so Shui Jun claimed — speaking from experience. Lots of experience.

“Aren’t you leaving too, Shui Jun?”

Jiang Cha tilted her head curiously at the witch who’d stayed behind. She couldn’t quite figure Shui Jun out, but she wasn’t a bad person — and since she was a Sage, any help she offered was a huge benefit.

Besides, Shui Jun was kind and beautiful.

“I’m not going. I’m planning to take a break and focus on research for a while… Wanna help me, little Jiang Cha?”

“What kind of research?”

“The development and application of psychic force fields — I’ve been studying how they might interact with omnipotent systems. I’ve made some progress. The specific topic’s the transformation and interaction between the four fundamental forces.”

“…Sorry, that’s not really my field.”

The girl smiled awkwardly — she didn’t understand a thing.

Force magic was an obscure field, combining psychic and shaping magics, deeply tied to physical laws and the world’s fundamental rules.

Jiang Cha only knew a little — she could use one type of force magic, but research it? Not a chance.

“You’re walking the path of intellect, right? Your Mind Overlap spell is quite interesting — it could be useful for my studies. Would you be willing to sell it? I’ll pay fairly.”

“Once I’ve perfected it. Soon — within a month at most.”

Jiang Cha didn’t refuse this time.

After all, magic thrived on exchange — and Mind Overlap wasn’t her core battle spell. It was powerful, yes, but not the foundation of her combat style.

It was like in a Pokémon battle — a weather team’s core is the weather ability, not Swords Dance or Calm Mind.

Buff spells were plentiful, but unless you were playing an all-out brawler, they were never the true core.

“Then I’ll wait a month.”

Shui Jun winked and nodded, unhurried.
“What kind of reward do you want, little Jiang Cha?”

“Force magic? I’m quite interested in that.”

“Deal.”