The Mirage Pearl (Thanks to readers "This Face Towards the Enemy" and "Readers Who Have Books Have Books" for their monthly tickets)

Seeing Ailin's vacant eyes, the Sorceress let out a soft laugh and shook her head.

"Relax, Ailin, I'm not reading your mind."

There was no need to read his mind; the Witcher apprentice's expression was quite easy to understand.

Although he still doubted Vesemir's words, Ailin pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I'm not nervous, Lady Vesemir."

Looking at Ailin's stubborn and adorable little face, Vesemir's lips curved into a hint of indulgence, and she coaxed him softly, "Alright, alright, let's continue then."

Ailin was nervously emptying his mind, not noticing Vesemir's smile, and said, "I absorb the main meal very quickly, I'm learn—"

"Wait a moment."

Ailin was interrupted by the Sorceress again.

Snap

A snap of the fingers.

The exquisite waterskin placed on the ground floated up and landed on the alchemy table in front of Ailin.

"Drink it for me."

Ailin tilted his head.

The Sorceress rested her right hand on her cheek, her expression peculiar.

Curiosity, playfulness, and a hint of eagerness.

It didn't seem like she was digging into a topic or experiment, but rather excitedly… watching a good show?

If it were a normal child from a modern family who had transmigrated, they would surely recognize this.

It was the same expression adults often had when urging children to perform tricks during the New Year.

After hesitating for a moment, Ailin could only pray in his heart that the Witcher's Handbook would be helpful and that the Sorceress wouldn't discover anything unusual.

Under Vesemir's expectant gaze, Ailin removed the stopper of the waterskin and drank his share in one gulp.

[Would you like to use the Drowner Heart Essence Fluid?]

After selecting with his mind, the familiar hot and cold currents alternated within his body, and the itching sensation disappeared as soon as it surfaced.

A moment later, seeing Ailin open his eyes, Vesemir impatiently asked, "Is it over?"

"Yes, I've absorbed it all."

Mary, who had been eavesdropping, immediately distanced herself.

"Lady Vesemir, this has nothing to do with me. I just made it according to the original recipe…"

Vesemir, with her arms crossed, casually pressed them down, stopping Mary from explaining further.

"For the first two days after the Trial of Grasses, you didn't show this special talent. Why?"

Ailin's heart skipped a beat, and he said with a stiff upper lip, "I don't know. It suddenly became possible yesterday."

"Is that so?"

Hearing the Sorceress's question, Ailin's heart leaped into his throat.

Just as he thought the Sorceress was going to investigate thoroughly, Vesemir unexpectedly let the matter drop and told him to continue.

About half an hour later, this "interrogation" finally concluded.

During this difficult time, Ailin had to hide his thoughts and fabricate a story.

Finally, he had to obey the Sorceress's commands and perform the uniqueness of the "Witcher's Eye" like a trained monkey.

He was more exhausted than after fighting Drowners all afternoon.

Finally, the torment ended.

"Alright, Ailin, thank you for your cooperation."

"Whatever makes you happy." Ailin forced a smile and quickly got up, preparing to leave this "hell."

"Wait a moment!"

Hearing those three words, Ailin couldn't help but tremble.

The Sorceress's torment always began with these three words.

It had given Ailin a phobia of these syllables.

"Wh-what is it… Lady Vesemir?"

To be honest, Ailin was at his limit. If he hadn't been certain he couldn't defeat the Sorceress, he would have been willing to fight to the death.

"You haven't used the Phantasm Pendant yet, have you?"

Ailin froze at the words and took the pendant out from inside his collar.

If the Sorceress hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten he had a magical accessory.

When he first got the pendant, Ailin had tried it in private, but no matter what he did, he couldn't figure out how to use it.

At the time, he, Ailin, thought he didn't have enough magic to use the pendant.

It wasn't until he learned the signs that he realized it wasn't just a matter of magic.

The pendant was rejecting him.

She was refusing Ailin's magic from entering her body.

It was as if it wasn't a pendant, but some kind of living thing.

The Witcher apprentice, who had never encountered magical accessories before, instinctively rejected this eerie feeling of being neither alive nor dead. He hadn't remembered to ask the Chieftain or the Sorceress about it.

Of course, it was also because the Chieftain had left too quickly, and the Sorceress had asked about the Witcher's Eye.

"Give me the pendant," Vesemir extended her slender, fair right hand.

Ailin didn't hesitate. He directly took off the necklace and handed it to the Sorceress.

The Sorceress took the necklace, traced the edge of the pendant's round gem with her index finger counter-clockwise, and then handed it back to Ailin.

Ailin took the pendant and glanced at the Sorceress.

"Infuse your magic into it. Haven't you learned the signs? Just like casting a sign, infuse your magic into the gem," Vesemir explained with a smile.

Ailin nodded, took a deep breath, then mobilized the mutated organ within his body, drew out a wisp of magic, and tentatively infused it into the pendant.

That wisp of magic was instantly swallowed. The gem on the pendant seemed to flash a white light, and then, as if lacking energy, it dimmed.

"Don't be afraid, infuse all your magic into it."

The Sorceress's voice was gentle and intimate, making Ailin unable to help but look up.

Vesemir's smile was also full of encouragement.

For some reason, Ailin saw a sense of kindness on that exquisite and beautiful face.

Kindness?

!!!

He quickly banished the thought from his mind.

It was all the Witcher Master's fault.

Knowing that the Sorceress was older than Vesemir Grandpa's Grandpa, the more Ailin looked, the more he felt that this beautiful face, which looked like an 18-year-old girl no matter how he looked at it, exuded an increasingly strong sense of loving kindness.

The key was that these two feelings weren't contradictory; they blended perfectly.

It made the Witcher apprentice involuntarily feel a sense of dependence.

Was this also the Sorceress's magic?

Ailin muttered to himself, then quickly stopped his baseless speculation.

If the Sorceress knew what he was thinking now, neither Ailin nor Vesemir would see the sun tomorrow.

Refocusing his attention on the gem of the pendant, Ailin no longer hesitated. He drew out as much magic as possible from his mutated organ and poured it all into the magical accessory in one go.

Instantly.

The crystal-clear gem seemed to be breathing, flickering with intermittent light.

A close connection was established between the gem and Ailin's soul.

The Witcher apprentice was surprised to discover that this Phantasm Pendant was truly alive.

"Crack!"

Mary, who had been openly eavesdropping, collapsed with a thud.

This time, due to her posture, the girl's head did not land on the alchemy table.

Ailin heard the sound and quickly turned his head to look.

"Don't mind her, she's just sleepy," Vesemir said dismissively.

Ailin had a lot of complaints in his heart, which he wanted to express.

Unfortunately, he didn't dare.

He could only pretend he saw nothing and refocus his attention on the pendant that seemed to be alive.

Ms. Vesemir understood Ailin's expression and said with a light laugh:

"Yes, this gem is alive."

Her name is Shanzhu, and she appeared after a certain Conjunction of the Spheres.

"Since the ancestors first sailed to this continent, no more than three 蜃珠 have been discovered, and two of them have already disappeared without a trace."

"So the one in my hand is the only one in the world?" Ailin couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"At least, it's the only one I know of."

It is said that sacrificing works from the same group can increase readership, collections, and monthly votes?