Recaps

After paying for Yue Yating’s dress, Jiang Han learned how costly Lin Zhaojun’s usual banquet companions were and offered her own services through Witch House. Lin Zhaojun then let Jiang Han choose two prepaid spells, and Jiang Han selected Fireburst and Flame Shroud.

• Lin Zhaojun paid 21,533 for Yue Yating’s dress, and Jiang Han was astonished by the expense of high-end banquet companions.
• Jiang Han offered to accompany Lin Zhaojun at future events through Qin Shunying, and Yue Yating said she wanted a companion too.
• Lin Zhaojun offered Jiang Han any two Level 4 or Level 5 spells as compensation and promised three higher-level spells if she named one Lin Zhaojun had never seen.
• Jiang Han chose the Level 4 Evocation spell Fireburst and the Level 5 Flame Shroud.

Jiang Han received Lin Zhaojun’s spell research notes and an evening gown in preparation for accompanying her to a Witch League banquet. After learning that Lin and the Absolute City Team would enter the tournament as fourth-tier seeds, Jiang Han eagerly anticipated seeing which groups would draw them.

• Lin Zhaojun gave Jiang Han notes on the Flame Burst Spell and Flame Shroud, along with a flower and her email address.
• Lin Zhaojun arranged to pick Jiang Han up at eight-thirty the next evening and lend her shoes, a hat, and jewelry.
• Jiang Han returned home with the evening gown, and Jiang Xuan and Jiang Zhenling questioned her about Lin Zhaojun.
• Jiang Zhenling described Lin Zhaojun’s championship record and explained the Witch League tournament formats.
• Jiang Zhenling revealed that Lin Zhaojun and the Absolute City Team would be fourth-tier seeds at the '95 Gmi, and Jiang Han became eager to see who drew them.

Jiang Han and Jiang Zhenling settled the household accounts, and Jiang Han learned how carefully her sister planned their spending. They finished with plans to cut pet expenses and invest in supplies for a simple alchemy workshop.

• Jiang Zhenling invited Jiang Han to barbecue on Monday, and they agreed to meet on Tuesday instead.
• Jiang Zhenling asked Jiang Han to fetch the account books from Ye Keshu and Jiang Xuan's room.
• Jiang Han told Jiang Zhenling that grain prices were falling because of new policies and improved transport routes.
• Jiang Zhenling recorded the week's expenses, noted that Ice Bear's costs had risen, and proposed buying a vodka Wine Stone to save money over time.
• Jiang Han spent several hours reviewing the accounts and realized Jiang Zhenling had detailed plans for improving the household.

Jiang Han boarded Lin Zhaojun’s floating city and changed into shoes and a hat Lin had prepared for her. Lin then introduced the Type-V city as the base of her Absolute City Club.

• Jiang Han watched the enormous floating city approach her home and boarded the three-masted ship that emerged from its gates.
• Lin Zhaojun welcomed Jiang Han aboard and steered the ship through the city gates while joking that Jiang reminded her of a first love, though she had never had one.
• Lin Zhaojun took Jiang Han to the captain’s cabin, where she gave her navy-blue shoes, a matching cap, and spell-powered earrings.
• Jiang Han examined the earrings, but the ship shuddered before she could ask Lin about the scenes engraved on them.
• Lin Zhaojun led Jiang Han onto the deck and introduced the Absolute City as a Type-V floating city and the base of her club.

Jiang Han met Absolute City Team coach Su Suwei and learned how the team’s star-studded roster had been assembled through lucky long-term contracts. Su Suwei credited the players, rather than her own coaching, for the team’s three consecutive championships.

• Lin Zhaojun introduced Jiang Han to the Absolute City Team witches, and Su Suwei joked that Jiang Han reminded her of her first love.
• Lin Zhaojun introduced Su Suwei as the head coach who had led Absolute City to a three-peat dynasty.
• Su Suwei and the other witches teased her coaching ability while praising her takeout choices, uniforms, and contract negotiations.
• Su Suwei introduced star players Jia Yu, Lilian, and Agnes LeBlanc and described their championships, accolades, and favorable contracts.
• When Jiang Han asked how Su Suwei had coached the team to three straight championships, Su Suwei said its four star players could have won the titles with anyone as coach.

Jiang Han attended a gathering of the Absolute City Team, met its captain and youth trainees, and learned about the team’s members and lavish tea setup. As Su Suwei brewed tea, Jiang Han reflected on the witches’ history of hunting demons, devils, and angels.

• Jiang Han overheard Lin Zhaojun and her teammates discussing the draw banquet while the players’ companions gathered in the lounge.
• Su Suwei introduced the Absolute City Team’s youth trainees to Jiang Han, including captain Dong Shuhan, Jia Yu’s companion.
• Jiang Han met the team members and realized why Absolute City was known as the female model team.
• Su Suwei showed Jiang Han the expensive tea utensils and explained that she had arranged them for the team.
• As Su Suwei brewed tea, Jiang Han remembered the witches’ massacres and their recorded advice about finding materials.

Jiang Han brewed tea for Lilian and Dong Shuhan, who discussed Rachel’s match-fixing plans and the dangers of domestic rivalries in the upcoming tournament. Their joking about teams, players, and newspaper leaks ended when Lilian wondered how reporters had learned she was Lilith’s sister.

• Jiang Han made tea while Lilian revealed that Rachel, known as R God, planned to bet on her team beating lower-tier opponents.
• Dong Shuhan and Lilian praised Jiang Han’s tea and joked about recruiting her to Absolute City’s team.
• Lilian and Dong Shuhan discussed the risks of facing Rachel’s team or the FM Forest Folk Team in the tournament.
• Lilian imagined an elaborate series of trades that might let Forest Folk win the championship, and Dong Shuhan teased her about players’ loyalties and match performance.
• Lilian realized that reporters had once exposed her as Lilith’s younger sister and wondered how they had found out.

Jiang Han learned how Absolute City’s feud with the Forest People began and heard how Kapudun Chaina’s leak changed Lilian’s draft prospects. After discussing Jiang Han’s Eternal Ice Eyes, Dong Shuhan invited her to hunt with them, and the group arrived at the Folded Space of the Spirit Sea for the banquet.

• Jia Yu explained that Absolute City had provoked the Forest People by deliberately losing a game, mocking their fans, and fighting them, while Kapudun Chaina’s leak had also affected Lilian’s career.
• Lilian realized that without the leak she might have been drafted by the Horsehead People and become R God's friend.
• Jia Yu asked whether Jiang Han could enter the draft, and Lilian explained that Jiang Han’s eyes were Eternal Ice Eyes with powerful control abilities.
• Dong Shuhan invited Jiang Han to go hunting with the group, and Jiang Han agreed.
• The group reached the Folded Space of the Spirit Sea, where the banquet would be held.

Jiang Han traveled by ship to the Spirit Sea for a banquet and witnessed a spectacular wave of crimson sea flowers. Lin Zhaojun gave her a Polaroid photo of the event, leaving Jiang Han with a keepsake of the rare sight.

• Jiang Han admired the floating-city fleet and wondered how France had still been driven back to Paris.
• On the ship, Jiang Siqi offered Jiang Han candy for seasickness, touched her hair, and mistook her embarrassment for nasal allergies.
• Jiang Han arrived with Lin Zhaojun at a banquet in the Spirit Sea’s Folded Space and learned about the magical flowers and a legendary sea dragon clan beneath the water.
• A surge of crimson sea flowers swept over the banquet island, filling the sky with glowing petals and magic.
• Lin Zhaojun showed Jiang Han a Polaroid photo she had taken of the flower wave, and Jiang Han happily accepted it.

At a banquet, Jiang Han met Rachel Lin, the Fow Minotaur Team’s coach, and befriended her companion An Xin. Lin Zhaojun revealed that Rachel had once tried to draft her, leaving Jiang Han with another surprising connection in the Witch League.

• Jiang Han admired the Polaroid photograph of the sea-flower tsunami and put it in her wallet.
• Jiang Han and Lin Zhaojun entered the banquet hall, where they met Rachel Lin and her companion, An Xin.
• Jiang Han and An Xin talked about the Spirit Sea, folded spaces, and An Xin’s family business raising swans for magical goose feathers.
• Rachel Lin gave Jiang Han her business card and said she would help her as a friend.
• Lin Zhaojun told Jiang Han that Rachel had arranged for the Fow Minotaurs to tank in an attempt to draft her.

At the witches’ banquet, Jiang Han watched Lin Zhaojun leave and learned elegant curtseys from Xu Wenji and Lin Ruiqiu. Ruiqiu introduced her to the banquet’s exotic meats, leaving Jiang Han with a plate piled high as they discussed the history of Eastern and Western witches meeting at sea.

• Lin Zhaojun told Jiang Han to eat while she went to deal with something, then left as other witches headed the same way.
• Xu Wenji passed Jiang Han, greeted her with an elegant curtsey, and inspired Jiang Han to imitate the movement.
• Lin Ruiqiu corrected Jiang Han’s curtsey and shared advice on how to make it flow smoothly.
• Jiang Han and Ruiqiu selected food while Ruiqiu introduced unusual dishes, including greenrock dragon steak and angel steak.
• Jiang Han piled her plate with meat, and Ruiqiu described how Eastern and Western witches first exchanged goods and stories at a banquet aboard a seafood-harvesting fleet.

At the banquet, Jiang Han met Archwitch Lilith and listened as she and Lin Ruiqiu recalled the witches the Horsehead People had passed over in the 1979 draft. Lilith then spoke with Jiang Han about their difficult younger sisters, leaving Jiang Han thinking about her own sister.

• Lilian introduced Jiang Han to Lilith, and Jiang Han exchanged formal curtsies with the Archwitch.
• Lilith teased Lilian about her allowance, then reunited with Lin Ruiqiu and recalled how the Horsehead People had passed on drafting her fifteen years earlier.
• Lilian and Lilith discussed the 1979 draft, including its powerful picks and the first overall pick, Xiao Jiurui, whom they called a bust.
• Ruiqiu took Lilian to find desserts, and Lilith sat with Jiang Han to ask whether her younger sister had disturbed her.
• Lilith and Jiang Han agreed that younger sisters could be difficult to describe, and Jiang Han thought of Jiang Zhenling.

Jiang Han grew closer to Lilith while they shared desserts and discussed their backgrounds. After Lilith clashed with Qin Shunying at the banquet, she asked Jiang Han for her contact information, and the 1995 World Witch League Masters Tournament drawing ceremony began.

• Lilith told Jiang Han about her unusual birth in Fog City and invited her to have dessert with her.
• Jiang Han and Lilith encountered Qin Shunying, who rejected Lilith's offer to transfer Jiang Han to headquarters and left to meet promising newcomers.
• Lilith reflected on the limits of being a great witch, and Jiang Han offered reassurance before giving her a business card.
• Jiang Han sampled desserts with Lilith, then watched a witch announce the start of the 1995 World Witch League Masters Tournament drawing ceremony.

Jiang Han attended the Witch League drawing ceremony, where Lin Zhaojun and Lilith traded barbs while their teams awaited their group assignments. The draws left Lin Zhaojun’s team facing a brutal Group B7 lineup, and Lilith comforted her despite their rivalry.

• Elsa Stern opened the ceremony, and Jiang Han watched Lin Zhaojun and Lilith compete over drinks and needle each other while waiting for the draws to begin.
• Elsa Stern drew the first-tier teams, placing FOW Horsehead People in Group A6, FM Forest People in Group C9, and Lilith’s SE Snow Elves in Group A7.
• Jiang Han noticed Du Lingxuan, Forest People’s captain, exchange greetings with Elsa Stern, while Lin Zhaojun made a throat-slitting gesture at her and Lilith warned Jiang Han to avoid her.
• The second-tier draws placed FOW Horsehead People with GPC Green Punk Team, and Group B7 received LE Lake People Team and BBS Barbarossa Team.
• Group B7 then drew RDF Royal Rosas Team and Absolute City Team, creating a daunting group for Lin Zhaojun’s team, so Lilith patted her shoulder in comfort.

After the first dance, Jiang Han shared a meal and conversation with Lin Zhaojun before Lilith invited her onto the dance floor. The chapter left Jiang Han dancing with Lilith as the banquet continued.

• Elsa Stern invited Lilith to perform the first dance, while Lin Zhaojun partnered with Jiang Han.
• Jiang Han and Lin Zhaojun danced simply, then returned to the feast and talked about food and their families.
• Lin Zhaojun told Jiang Han that she had gone to wars in other worlds with her mother from childhood.
• Lilith complimented Lin Zhaojun's dancing, then asked Jiang Han to dance with her.
• Jiang Han accepted Lilith's invitation, and the two began dancing together.

Jiang Han ate her way through the witch banquet while dancing with Lilith, Lilian, and Lin Zhaojun. After Jia Yu took her home, Jiang Han's little sister gave her a strange look at the parade of beautiful witches bringing her back.

• Jiang Han secretly ate roast beef tongue and Jedi Dragon steak while Lilith and Lin Zhaojun discussed Lin Zhaojun's upcoming match against Dorothy Jordan.
• Lilian complained that Lilith had failed to wait for her and asked Jiang Han to dance, then recounted how Lilith's bluntness had repeatedly turned potential romances into elder-sister relationships.
• Lilian said Lilith was still single because other witches saw her as a dependable elder, while Lin Zhaojun was widely admired as a romantic prospect.
• Lin Zhaojun, Lilith, and Lilian took turns dancing with Jiang Han until the banquet ended and her legs were exhausted.
• Jia Yu took Jiang Han home after she said goodbye to Lin Zhaojun, and Jiang Han's little sister gave her a strange look after seeing yet another beautiful witch bring her home.

Jiang Han’s social calendar filled with invitations, but she made time to barbecue with her younger sister Jiang Zhenling at a sky-island restaurant. After sharing a lavish meal and admiring the sea, the sisters felt closer.

• Jiang Han received invitations from family and friends, including Jiang Zhenling, Ye Keshu, Lilith, Cen Jing, Yue Yating, Lin Zhaojun, and Chu Yujun, and turned down Lilith and Yue Yating because her schedule was full.
• Jiang Zhenling brought Jiang Han to a barbecue restaurant on Century Window Sky Island and introduced her to chef Sheila Milton and server Tang Xin.
• Jiang Han ordered gray rock dragon brains, dragon meat, Australian longhorn beef, and ginkgo tea, while Jiang Zhenling ordered an assortment of seafood and tea.
• Jiang Han and Jiang Zhenling enjoyed their dinner, drank refillable beverages, and admired the sea and cloud river together.

In the summer of 1994, Jiang Han struggled through a sleepless morning amid nonstop rap music before getting ready to go out with Ye Keshu. After turning down Jiang Xuan’s invitation for the next day, Jiang Han left with Ye Keshu for a squash outing by hot-air balloon.

• Jiang Han smashed her radio after its early-morning music woke her, then went back to sleep despite the noise outside.
• Ye Keshu entered Jiang Han’s bedroom to hurry her along, but Jiang Han asked her to leave while she was still in bed and undressed.
• Jiang Han washed up, changed into athletic clothes borrowed from her younger sister, and read sports headlines while greeting Jiang Xuan.
• Jiang Xuan invited Jiang Han to go out the next day, but Jiang Han declined because she had work and classes.
• Ye Keshu took Jiang Han out in a small hot-air balloon she had booked for their squash outing and lunch.

Jiang Han visited Mist Sea Pass with Ye Keshu, where Ye explained how its defenses had stopped a Great Witch’s invasion two centuries earlier. Ye also described plans to build a fortified Sky Island chain around the super-giant space near South City, and the two went on to the squash club.

• Jiang Han admired the frost-filled breach in Mist Sea Pass’s wall while eating hot eight-treasure porridge with Ye Keshu.
• Ye Keshu explained that a Great Witch had pierced only a narrow section of the wall, allowing Southern troops to surround and devastate the invading army of 350,000 witches.
• Ye Keshu said South City could reconnect its Sky Island defenses within a day and described plans for sixty-seven Sky Islands and a cloud river to protect Twin Cities and support the deployment of a million witches.
• Jiang Han finished her porridge and followed Ye Keshu to the squash club beside Hot Spring Valley.

Jiang Han and Ye Keshu visited a squash court in Crystal Valley, where they rented a room and tried out the equipment. Ye Keshu began playing and accidentally hit herself in the head with the ball.

• Jiang Han and Ye Keshu arrived at the Crystal Valley club, where waitress Han Xue explained the court and sparring prices.
• Ye Keshu asked Han Xue to be her sparring partner, but Han Xue politely declined; Jiang Han ordered cola with goji berries.
• A taciturn Witch led Jiang Han and Ye Keshu to their squash room, where Jiang Han admired the valley and tested her new shoes and socks.
• Ye Keshu practiced with a squash racket, hit the ball against the wall, and was struck on the head when it rebounded.

Jiang Han showed off her squash talent while playing against her mother, Ye Keshu, then the two spent the rest of the day relaxing and cooking together. The chapter ended with them enjoying a meal at home.

• Jiang Han quickly mastered Witch squash and repeatedly outplayed Ye Keshu with her speed, flexibility, and reactions.
• Ye Keshu tried to catch up by setting up a powerful shot toward Jiang Han’s weak side, but Jiang Han used magic and a backflip to save it.
• Jiang Han realized the Eternal Ice Eye had made her dynamic vision exceptionally strong, giving her an advantage over Ye Keshu.
• After playing all day, Jiang Han and Ye Keshu soaked in the hot springs, bought wild boar meat, and cooked a feast at home.

Jiang Han got ready for the day with Jiang Zhenling’s help, then learned that her magic had made her hair sharp enough to cut. Jiang Zhenling suggested they skip class and play Magic: The Gathering instead.

• Jiang Han read the newspaper with Ice Bear and discussed its strange headlines.
• Jiang Zhenling noticed Jiang Han had forgotten her hat, socks, and other parts of getting ready, then helped comb her hair and apply makeup.
• Jiang Zhenling cut her fingertip on Jiang Han’s hair and explained that magic had formed a protective layer around it.
• Jiang Han said she was tired after sleeping only a few hours, and Jiang Zhenling offered her the choice to rest or play Magic: The Gathering.
• Jiang Han questioned whether they should go to class, and Jiang Zhenling suggested skipping for one day.

Jiang Han and Jiang Zhenling wrestled playfully while lounging on Ice Bear, and Jiang Han decided to skip her bar shift. When Jiang Zhenling asked about her job, Jiang Han admitted she sold alcohol at a bar and received her sister’s reassurance about staying safe.

• Jiang Han and Jiang Zhenling fought over what to watch, then wrestled and bit each other while Ice Bear watched in confusion.
• Jiang Han decided to skip work, accepting that Miss Qin Shunying would count it as a day of leave.
• Jiang Zhenling asked Jiang Han why she worked at midnight, and Jiang Han quietly admitted that she worked at a bar.
• Jiang Han insisted that she only sold alcohol, and Jiang Zhenling reassured her that the Witch Association would protect her if she refused rude requests.

Jiang Han returned to Witch House and met Li Yun, a new witch hired for her necromancy skills. After changing in the suspicious new changing room, she learned Qin Shunying wanted to commission her for a task involving her Fireball Spell and alchemy knowledge.

• Jiang Han returned to Witch House after skipping work and met the newly hired Li Yun, whom Chai Ying introduced as a necromancy specialist.
• Jiang Han discovered that the new changing room had an erotic label and several suspicious fixtures and supplies.
• Qin Shunying entered the changing room and changed into an elaborate outfit while Jiang Han put on her work clothes.
• Qin Shunying asked Jiang Han whether she knew the Fireball Spell and some alchemy, then offered her a commission.

Jiang Han accepted Qin Shunying’s commission to explore Greenfield Oasis on Saturday in search of rare bamboo and other valuable materials. Qin Shunying promised an advance spell, supplies, equipment, and payment, and the expedition could extend through Sunday if they did not find a suitable campsite.

• Qin Shunying offered Jiang Han paid leave, a share of the harvest, the Level 5 spell Hudson's Apartment Building, potion ingredients, combat gear, and an allowance for the commission.
• Qin Shunying explained that the commission involved exploring Greenfield Oasis, surveying its rare Xiang Tears Bamboo and South Mountain Bamboo, and possibly fighting native creatures while acting as her bodyguard.
• Qin Shunying described South Mountain Bamboo paper and explained that the waters of the Eastern Sea were a dangerous memory-erasing substance used in potions.
• Jiang Han accepted the commission, and Qin Shunying offered an additional 1,500 yuan if the expedition had to continue into Sunday.