A Peculiar Guest

Jiang Han held a tray, upon which sat a glass of Dragon Egg Wine. A massive dragon egg with red scales had been hollowed out on one side, filled with a special concoction of Absinthe, atomized mint, and gold rum.

First, this drink was expensive.

Second, this drink was really expensive.

Finally, it cost as much as two weeks of Jiang Han's wages, and it smelled absolutely divine!

Walking up to the second floor, Jiang Han pushed open the door and entered the third lounge currently in use.

The room was filled with books—ancient tomes and unopened new releases.

Near the inner side overlooking the stage below was a low table, where a figure sat kneeling, flipping through a book.

She lowered her head and placed the drink on the table. The lounge on the second floor had a Japanese-style design with soft tatami mats, low tables, and cushions. It made Jiang Han feel slightly awkward having to kneel to set the tray down and arrange the items one by one.

She snuck another glance at the figure; it was a young Witch wearing a black dress.

This Witch was also draped in a high-end knit shawl and wore a wide-brimmed hat. The hat was twice the width of her shoulders and pitch black.

Because the hat was so large, even from up close, one could only see the lower half of her face and the occasional flash of orange-red eyes beneath her long black hair.

Wearing a hat indoors...? Jiang Han muttered to herself, but she suppressed her curiosity, put on a sweet, hundred-percent sincere smile, and said:

"Miss, your Dragon Egg Wine."

The Witch lifted her head, and Jiang Han saw her face clearly. Her features were exquisite, her lips naturally curved, but her skin was pale, and she wore light black eyeshadow.

She nodded very politely:

"Good evening. Please add some lemon juice and two pineapple slices for me."

After Jiang Han added the garnishes to the Dragon Egg Wine, the Witch solemnly removed her wide-brimmed hat, held the dragon egg with both hands, lifted it, and took a sip.

"Cough... cough cough... cough..." She let out a series of coughs.

Just as Jiang Han began to worry if the girl was alright, she closed her eyes and wore an expression of lingering enjoyment:

"This is it... haha... this is the feeling."

She seemed very frail... Jiang Han subconsciously opened her mouth to say: "Miss, your health..."

"Are you going to advise me not to buy alcohol?" The woman smiled politely, stroking the wide-brimmed hat in her hands: "Hahaha, shouldn't you be advising me to drink a couple more?"

"...Yes, I suppose I should." Jiang Han sighed. This was the first time she had sold alcohol, and she had already run into something like this.

She felt that this Witch was ill, and her conscience made it hard to keep pushing her to drink... Jiang Han had been hoping to make a killing today, too.

"Sit over here, sit a little closer, Miss," the unnamed Witch said.

Jiang Han sat down obediently, leaning in beside her.

"What is your name?" she asked.

I feel like I'm selling my charm... Jiang Han sighed inwardly, but she put on a smile and replied: "Jiang Han. And yours?"

"My name, huh?" The Witch smiled and took another sip of the Dragon Egg Wine, though this time she only took a tiny amount. After finishing, she said: "Lin Qiang. 'Lin' as in the forest of two trees, and 'Qiang' as in the 'stingy' character... hehehe, the stingy one."

Qiang, a very rare name...

The exquisite-looking Miss Lin Qiang reached out her hand, letting out a soft laugh:

"Then let's make a formal acquaintance. Good evening, Miss Jiang Han."

Jiang Han felt the other woman's eyes staring directly into her own. Controlling her emotions, she smiled: "Yes, good evening, Miss Lin Qiang."

"Oh, they're ice-colored," Lin Qiang said, staring straight into her eyes. She leaned closer toward Jiang Han and asked: "You don't mind if I take a closer look, do you?"

I do mind! Jiang Han shouted internally, but she kept her smile and nodded.

Jiang Han watched as Lin Qiang leaned her face in; she could even smell the crisp, alcoholic fragrance.

Actually, I should be blushing right about now, right? Maybe let out a little whimper and turn my head away... She let her mind wander, but she still watched the face of Lin Qiang, who had leaned in close.

Honestly, she was quite beautiful. Her brow was filled with a sense of confidence and pride, and even those orange-red eyes had a warmth that felt domineering. But looking closer, Jiang Han finally realized that the Witch's features still held a hint of childishness. Yet, because of that confident temperament, she appeared mature—like a girl who had grown up as an orphan but had become self-reliant and strong.

"Ah, how beautiful," Lin Qiang sighed, then added with pleasant surprise: "Miss Jiang Han, try squinting your eyes."

I'm starting to feel that being obedient isn't a good thing... Jiang Han's smile gradually faded, and she pursed her lips slightly.

Lin Qiang raised an eyebrow, nodded at her, and made a gesture of apology before picking up the menu:

"A bottle of Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar, with the ice cubes served separately, and an order of Cream Corn."

Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar was made by blending fungi with gin, sealing it with magic, and then using a high-temperature spell to unseal and cook it all at once, keeping it in a state between 'boiling' and 'chilled' through magical effects.

This drink would forever remain at negative three degrees while simultaneously boiling, conquering alcoholics worldwide with its mellow, fiery taste upon consumption...

Because it was magically crafted, it was completely harmless to the body.

It even helped with high-quality sleep and healing postpartum trauma...

That's right, Witches were creatures that suffered from postpartum trauma. Though it wasn't common, it mostly affected Witches with very petite builds.

It was also frequently used to slow the flow of a Witch's mana, allowing those with weak mana perception to improve their awareness of their own bodies.

Most importantly, the price of Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar was 3,400 yuan per bottle, meaning Jiang Han would receive a 340-yuan commission from a single bottle.

No wonder the base salary for selling alcohol isn't high... it turns out selling high-end liquor is where the real money is... Jiang Han noted down the order and, under Lin Qiang's gaze, walked out of the lounge with small steps to head to the first floor.

Business downstairs was lukewarm, and Chu Yujun and Qin Shunying were chatting idly at the bar.

Jiang Han handed the order slip to the bar, and Chai Ying, who was working behind it, exclaimed, "Whoa, Moon Sugar?"

Qin Shunying immediately looked over, cleared her throat, and asked:

"Forest Moon Sugar?"

Chai Ying smiled and said, "Icy Seafloor."

Qin Shunying lifted her chin slightly, covered her chest with her left hand, and said with intoxication:

"I truly am a connoisseur."

Jiang Han offered a polite laugh, said goodbye to her colleague and the manager, and carried her tray back to the lounge.

Lin Qiang was flipping through a book; seeing her return, she set the book down and pointed to the seat beside her.

Jiang Han fell silent for a moment before carrying her tray over to sit down.

Considering you provided me with three hundred and forty yuan in earnings, letting you look at my eyes is fine... hmm, letting you put an arm around my waist is also acceptable, and my thigh... I suppose I can let you touch that too... Jiang Han calculated her bottom line internally, only to discover with a sense of sorrow:

So this is how satisfying it is to be a barmaid.

"Miss, your Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar and Cream Corn."

"Thank you, come a bit closer," Lin Qiang said. "Haha... squint your eyes a little."

To respect the three hundred and forty yuan in commission, Jiang Han did as she was told and slowly squinted her eyes.

Then she let out a surprised "Ah?" As her eyes narrowed, a pale blue, almost transparent icy color bloomed before her vision.

At first, it was so subtle that she thought it was just an illusion.

Then it slowly blossomed, with patterns emerging beneath her eyelids, leaving her astonished and wondering if there was something wrong with her eyes.

However, the icy color only became more beautiful and profound the longer she looked at it...

"Miss Jiang Han." Lin Qiang's voice came through, and at the same time, a violent, blinding flash of light exploded before her eyes.

Jiang Han instinctively let out a small whimper and widened her eyes.

Lin Qiang was very close, her arms wrapped around her. The Witch was holding a small mirror, which was now covered in ice; the flash of light from a moment ago had come from that mirror.

Did my eyes just shoot out freezing energy? So... am I actually Dio? Can I stop time... or am I Medusa? No, doesn't Medusa cause Petrification? My ability is freezing... Jiang Han stared blankly at the mirror she had frozen.

"This is..." Jiang Han looked at Lin Qiang.

The other woman chuckled, let go of her, and explained:

"A very rare phenomenon, a type of talent that doesn't manifest easily. Don't worry, every Witch has these kinds of recessive talents; they are the same type of talent as running fast, jumping high, or growing tall."

Growing tall, really... Jiang Han pressed her left hand against her mouth to keep from spitting in the other woman's face.