Jiang Han carried a tray with a glass of dragon eggnog on it. One side of the enormous egg, covered in red dragon scales, had been scooped out, and the hollow was filled with a special drink made from Absinthe, vaporized mint, and golden rum.
First, the drink was expensive.
Second, it was really expensive.
Finally, it cost as much as Jiang Han's wages for two weeks—and it smelled absolutely delicious!
She went up to the second floor and pushed open the door to the occupied third private room.
The room was filled with books—old books and brand-new, unopened ones.
Near the back, where one could see the stage downstairs, there was a low table. A figure sat kneeling beside it, flipping through a book.
She lowered her head and set the drink on the table. The private rooms on the second floor had a somewhat Japanese-style design, with soft couches, low tables, and cushions. Jiang Han wasn't used to having to kneel to set down the tray, then place its contents on the table one by one.
She glanced at the figure again. It was a young witch wearing a black dress.
The witch also wore a very high-end knitted shawl and a wide-brimmed black hat. It was twice as wide as her shoulders.
Because the hat was so large, even up close Jiang Han could only see the lower half of her face, and the occasional flash of orange-red eyes beneath her black hair.
She's wearing a hat indoors...? Jiang Han wondered, but kept her curiosity in check and put on a sweet smile that was one hundred percent sincere.
"Miss, your dragon eggnog."
The witch raised her head slightly, and Jiang Han got a clear look at her face. Her features were exquisite, and the corners of her mouth naturally turned up a little. But her skin was pale, and she wore light black eyeshadow.
She nodded politely.
"Good evening. Could you add some lemon juice and two slices of pineapple, please?"
After Jiang Han added the garnishes to the dragon eggnog, the witch solemnly took off her wide-brimmed hat. She held the dragon egg in both hands, raised it, and took a sip.
"Cough... cough, cough..." She started coughing.
Just as Jiang Han began to worry whether the woman was all right, she closed her eyes and savored the taste.
"That's it... Haha... That's exactly the feeling."
She seemed so frail that Jiang Han instinctively opened her mouth. "Miss, your health..."
"Are you going to tell me I shouldn't buy alcohol?" The woman smiled politely as she stroked the wide-brimmed hat in her hands. "Hahaha, shouldn't you be encouraging me to have another couple of drinks?"
"...Yes, I should." Jiang Han sighed. This was quite the experience for her first time serving drinks.
She had a feeling this witch was sick, and she couldn't bring herself to encourage her to drink more... Still, Jiang Han had been hoping she'd make a decent commission today.
"Come sit over here, a little closer, miss," the witch said.
Jiang Han obediently moved over and sat down beside her.
"What's your name?" the witch asked.
...I feel like I'm being paid to flirt... Jiang Han sighed inwardly, but smiled as she answered, "Jiang Han. And yours?"
"My name..." The witch smiled, raised the dragon egg, and took another sip. This time, she drank only a tiny bit. Then she said, "Lin Qiang. Lin with two tree radicals, and Qiang with the woman radical and the character for 'stingy'... Hehehe, the character for 'stingy.'"
Qiang—a rather unusual name...
Lin Qiang, her exquisite features looking even more striking, reached out with a soft laugh.
"Then let's properly introduce ourselves. Good evening, Miss Jiang Han."
Jiang Han felt the other woman's eyes fixed on hers. Keeping her composure, she smiled. "Mm, good evening, Miss Lin Qiang."
"Oh, they're ice-colored." Lin Qiang gazed into her eyes and leaned a little closer. "Would you mind if I took a better look?"
I mind! Jiang Han screamed inwardly, but still managed to keep smiling and nod.
Jiang Han watched Lin Qiang lean in until their faces were almost touching. She could even smell the woman's refreshing wine-scented breath.
I'm supposed to blush right about now, aren't I? Then let out a little whimper and turn away... She let her mind wander for a moment, then simply watched Lin Qiang's face as it drew near.
Honestly, she was very beautiful. There was confidence and pride between her brows, and even her orange-red eyes seemed warm yet domineering. But looking closely, Jiang Han finally noticed that the witch's features still held a trace of childishness. Her confident air made her seem mature, like the sort of girl who had grown up an orphan but learned to stand on her own.
"Ah, how beautiful." Lin Qiang sighed, then said in delight, "Miss Jiang Han, try narrowing your eyes."
...I'm starting to think going along with people isn't such a good idea... Jiang Han's smile slowly faded, and her lips pressed together a little.
Lin Qiang raised an eyebrow, nodded at her, and made an apologetic gesture. Then she picked up the menu.
"One bottle of Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar, with the ice on the side, and one order of Cream Corn."
Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar was made by mixing a fungus with gin, freezing it under a protective spell, then unsealing and cooking it all at once with an extremely high-temperature spell. Magic kept it suspended between "boiling" and "cooling."
The drink remained at a constant minus three degrees, yet bubbled as if boiling. Its rich, intensely fiery flavor after a sip had won over drinkers around the world...
Since it was created with magic, it was completely harmless to the body.
It could even help with deep, high-quality sleep and heal postpartum trauma...
That's right, witches were among the creatures that could suffer from postpartum trauma. It wasn't common, and mostly affected witches who were exceptionally small.
More often, it was used to slow the flow of a witch's magic, allowing witches with a weak magical sense to become more aware of their own bodies.
Most importantly, one bottle of Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar cost 3,400 yuan. That meant Jiang Han would get 340 yuan in commission from just one bottle.
No wonder the base pay for selling drinks was low... Make a sale on an expensive bottle, and you'd earn a fortune... Jiang Han noted down the order. Under Lin Qiang's gaze, she stepped out of the private room and went downstairs.
Business downstairs was neither booming nor dead. Chu Yujun and Qin Shunying were chatting at the bar.
Jiang Han handed the order to the bar. Chai Ying, who was working there, exclaimed, "Wow, Moon Sugar?"
Qin Shunying immediately looked over and asked with a cough, "Forest Moon Sugar?"
Chai Ying smiled. "Icy Seafloor."
Qin Shunying lifted her chin slightly, placed her left hand over her chest, and sighed blissfully.
"I really am a talent scout."
Jiang Han laughed along, said goodbye to her colleague and the manager, and carried the tray back to the private room.
Lin Qiang was flipping through her book. When she saw Jiang Han return, she put it down and pointed to the spot beside her.
Jiang Han paused, then carried the tray over and sat down.
Seeing as you've earned me 340 yuan in commission, I'll let you look at my eyes all you want... Well, putting an arm around my waist would be fine, too. You could even touch my thigh... Jiang Han calculated her limits, only to discover, to her dismay:
So being a drink server was pretty great after all.
"Miss, your Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar and Cream Corn."
"Thank you. Come closer," Lin Qiang said. "Haha... Narrow your eyes a little."
Out of respect for the 340 yuan in drink commissions, Jiang Han did as she was told and slowly narrowed her eyes.
Then she gave a surprised "Huh?" As her eyes narrowed, a pale blue hue, like transparent ice, bloomed before her.
At first, it was so faint that she thought she was imagining it.
Then it slowly spread, and patterns gradually appeared beneath her eyelids. She was startled and began to wonder if there was something wrong with her eyes.
But the more she looked at the icy hue, the more beautiful and profound it seemed...
"Miss Jiang Han," Lin Qiang's voice came, and at the same time, a violent, blinding flash burst before Jiang Han's eyes.
Jiang Han let out a small, instinctive cry of alarm, then opened her eyes wide.
Lin Qiang was very close, her arms wrapped around Jiang Han. The witch held a small mirror, now covered in ice. The flash had come from the mirror.
Did frost just shoot out of my eyes? So... am I actually Dio? Can I stop time...? Or am I Medusa? No, doesn't Medusa turn things to stone? I froze something... Jiang Han stared blankly at the mirror she had iced over.
"What is this...?" Jiang Han looked at Lin Qiang.
Lin Qiang chuckled, let go of her, and explained, "It's a rare phenomenon, a latent talent that doesn't easily manifest. Don't worry. Every witch has latent talents like this. They're the same sort of talents as being able to run fast, jump high, or grow tall."
Growing tall, really...? Jiang Han covered her mouth with her left hand to keep from spraying her with laughter.
Before you continue