Controlling Power

Sipping her drink, Lin Qiang admired Jiang Han's eyes.

She smiled, took a sip of Moon Sugar Wine, and said to Jiang Han, who felt a bit unnatural under her gaze:

"Do you know about Sirens?"

Sirens were an endangered species, creatures reported to exist in folded spaces. It was said that every one of them was a soprano... Jiang Han tentatively replied:

"Sea Sirens?"

Lin Qiang nodded, her voice soft:

"Sea Sirens, Sirens. Some subspecies among them possess this kind of magic eye."

"They are distributed in the Caribbean and the southern seas. There are also quite a few Sea Sirens in the rivers of our country. Of course, they aren't called Sea Sirens there; the official designation is Rain Maiden. Your ancestor might have been a Rain Maiden, and their genetics can persist for centuries, only manifesting after five generations."

Sounds like my ancestors were pretty impressive... even though I heard the combined magic power of my maternal and paternal lines is only 7,000, and less than 5,000 if you split them... Jiang Han's expression remained unchanged, though she subconsciously touched the lower eyelid of her left eye.

Watching her movement, Lin Qiang pulled out a mirror and handed it over:

"By the way, after being activated, your eyes will be even more beautiful. Want to take a look?"

"Thank you."

After thanking her, Jiang Han hurriedly looked into the mirror. The eyes reflecting back had changed from their previous icy color to... something more activated? It was as if countless ice shards were bonded together, simultaneously separating and fusing, melting and congealing.

It was as if a master artist had used tens of thousands of ice-related colors, meticulously polishing and carving them, natural yet bearing signs of artificial craftsmanship. Azure yet silvery-white, grayish-blue and gray-ice.

Regardless, these ice-colored eyes possessed a stunning beauty.

In some manga or anime, ninety-nine percent of the time, someone would find a way to gouge them out...

Szzzzzz—Crack.

The mirror was encased in ice, and in an instant, it was compressed inward, emitting a cracking sound as dozens of fissures appeared on the glass within the ice.

...This might be the only downside... Jiang Han stared at the mirror in shock, gaining a new understanding of her own destructive power.

"Hahahaha!" Lin Qiang, sitting nearby, let out a very unladylike laugh, slapping her knee before breaking into a series of coughs. Finally, she stopped and looked at Jiang Han with a smile:

"Impressive, truly worthy of the magic eyes of a Siren... Miss Jiang, your magic power isn't low, is it?"

How did she see that? Jiang Han maintained an expression of indifference, offering a simple, calm response:

"...Mm."

"No wonder, no wonder..."

Lin Qiang muttered to herself twice before saying:

"Your magic power is leaking out through these eyes. Generally speaking, for a witch without high magic power, even if she possessed these eyes, they would become a burden. But you can use them at will; their consumption is practically nothing to you... You must control them, not let them run wild. They are your power; do not let them dominate you in return."

Easy to say, but not a single word on how to actually do it... Jiang Han's mouth twitched.

Perhaps realizing she hadn't provided any practical instructions, the other woman smiled sheepishly and continued:

"Methods to control the Eternal Ice Eye are only found in a few ancient texts, and only a small number of witches who enjoy studying ancient texts and developing new spells from old ones would know them. I just happen to know a little."

...Thanks, I guess? Didn't you just activate my eyes... Jiang Han felt her emotions slipping; the Eternal Ice Eye was triggering her desire for destruction and ruin.

"You know how to meditate, right? Close your eyes now."

"You need to construct a new meditation pattern in your mind. Now, assume your magic power is a five-layered vortex surrounding you."

"The distance between each layer is 6 centimeters. 6 is a number inseparable from the ocean, and it is also a number full of spirituality."

"For the first three layers of the vortex, imagine the moon in the three directions of east, west, and north, with you at the center. The east is the waxing crescent, the west is the waning crescent, and the north is the full moon. Leave the south empty to symbolize the new moon. The moon is very important in meditations or rituals related to the ocean."

"For the final two outer layers, start imagining ice blocks within them... Take your time, don't rush."

Jiang Han closed her eyes and began to meditate, following the other woman's voice.

A witch's body is extremely well-suited for meditation, or rather, humans meditate to perceive magic power, while witches are born with it.

She made the assumptions easily, as if playing some kind of construction game, and effortlessly meditated the five-layered vortex into existence. As her magic power flowed into this vortex, she felt a remarkably clear perception.

The darkness before her was like a calm lake, with ripples spreading across the surface.

The tavern was brought into the range of her perception; those ripples symbolized the magic power of the witches present, some strong and some weak.

She could see them—she could see the witches.

The gaze hidden beneath her eyelids became calm. She looked down at the water surface, and knowledge that would drive others mad surged into her mind—knowledge that taught her how to appreciate these 'ripples' and how to distinguish their positions.

I've seemingly turned into a new type of radar. Jiang Han woke from her state of forced calm and opened her eyes to see Lin Qiang standing before her, looking at her encouragingly:

"Congratulations, you clearly succeeded, Miss with the powerful magic."

I can't perceive her magic power... Jiang Han felt a bit dazed. She couldn't perceive the presence of those with extremely low magic power, but the person in front of her... she didn't look like a weak witch at all, did she?

Strong perception. Lin Qiang smiled, a gentle smile:

"There are great witches who love to show off their powerful magic, but I am not one of those humble, normal witches."

Jiang Han nodded, still expressing her gratitude.

The other woman had caused her less than an hour of trouble, but had given her a pair of eyes with immense lethality and taught a high-magic-power witch how to meditate.

Hearing her thanks, Lin Qiang laughed again, her orange-red eyes fixed on Jiang Han:

"You don't need to thank me for this. A friend of mine might be quite interested in those eyes of yours. If you really want to thank me, how about you let her study them when I bring her over next time? Don't worry, just like me, she only looks and doesn't touch."

Jiang Han naturally stroked the area beneath her eyes, nodded after a few seconds of silence:

"Alright."

"Um... are my eyes that rare?" Jiang Han said, trying her best to sound indifferent.

"Would you like a drink too?" Lin Qiang didn't answer, instead pulling out another glass and pouring a serving of Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar into it, placing it in front of Jiang Han.

Jiang Han stared at the glass.

The liquor was ice-colored, boiling yet cooling, with tiny shards of ice constantly forming and rapidly dissolving within it. It looked incredibly beautiful, just like her own eyes.

After a moment of silence, she said with some hesitation: "It's work hours..."

"To hell with work hours. You look like you really need a drink. Besides, I'm a customer—a paying customer. If you're selling drinks, little girl, shouldn't you sit a bit closer and keep me company?" Lin Qiang always managed to say outrageous things with such elegance.

Jiang Han nodded and moved over, sitting much closer this time.

She picked up the glass, admired it for a moment, and then opened her mouth to taste the expensive liquor.

A cool yet rich, refreshing aroma instantly exploded in her mouth, so potent she could even smell it in her nasal cavity. Everything before her eyes seemed to turn dreamlike, yet real, and her body began to heat up slightly. Jiang Han widened those beautiful eyes and instinctively downed the entire glass.

She felt very clear-headed. She tapped her flushed cheeks, exhaled a small breath, and her body naturally twisted at the waist as if craving oxygen.

"If I weren't a decent person, I'd make you drink another glass." Lin Qiang's laughter sounded as if it were coming from very far away, yet also from very close by.

...Hic, these orange-red eyes are so pretty.

...Hic, this person's smile is so bewitching.

...Hic... damn it, I want to sleep with her.

Jiang Han reached out in a daze and pinched her customer's face, which wore a look of helpless amusement, letting out a laugh like a small animal. Before losing consciousness, Jiang Han heard this beautiful customer shouting downstairs:

"Boss, your employee seems to be drunk!"

...Hic, screw you, I'm not drunk.

Closing her eyes, she felt as if she were seeing a sky full of stars, cozy and comfortable.