Well, this was just great. Elliris couldn’t go anywhere now.
If she forcibly chanted a large-scale fire spell, she could probably break through here. However, if she did that, Nino would probably never forgive her for the rest of her life…
‘I should find something to do…’ Elliris tried to calm herself down. These past few days, she felt like she had become a different person.
Approaching Nino’s magic cauldron, Elliris began to observe what Nino was making.
Although it was smaller than the alchemy vat she had at home, the operation and usage were the same.
“Salamander scales, tindergrass essential oil, and phosphorus ore? I see~ so this is a tool for making something like otherworldly gunpowder~”
Elliris rubbed her chin with her finger, her interest in the alchemy tools Nino was making growing naturally.
Elliris activated her Appraisal Eye to identify the small half-bottle of finished product remaining on Nino’s workbench.
**[Phosphorous Potion: Can negate ice damage from the Yeti tribe and increase fire magic damage dealt to them. Current quality: Blue.]**
“Oh, right. I’ll add a tool. I hope Nino likes it~” With that, Elliris began a new alchemy project.
She rummaged through Nino’s material cabinet and finally found what she needed. Nino’s alchemy knowledge was still slightly inferior to Elliris’s; she had overlooked that a certain alchemy tool, when paired with the Phosphorous Potion, would ensure that one plus one was greater than two.
Elliris took out a **[Fluorescent Stone]** and an **[Ice Field Crystal]**. She stirred the crushed alchemy materials evenly in the magic cauldron while gently infusing Light Magic energy to balance the ratio. Before long, a **[Cold Breath Tracking Stone]** was complete.
**[Cold Breath Tracking Stone: A tool specifically designed to capture the scent of the Yeti tribe. When embedded in snow, it releases a pale purple fluorescent trail visible only to the user. Even in blizzards, it can track the movements of the Yeti tribe.]**
“Heh heh~ the **[Cold Breath Tracking Stone]** combined with the **[Phosphorous Potion]** is the ultimate answer. As expected, I’m an alchemy genius! I’ll add a little decoration; Nino will definitely love it~” Elliris’s lips curled up slightly as she puffed out her chest with confidence.
Once she finished her work, she tidied up Nino’s workbench and arranged the alchemy tools. After washing her hands, Elliris ate three macarons that Nino had prepared and crawled back into the warm covers to catch up on her sleep.
*Zzz…*
—
“Big dummy Sister Elliris, are you inside?”
After finishing the tasks assigned by Mother Rachel during the day, Nino arrived at her front door, wanting to check on Elliris’s current state.
“Mm… *yawn*… I’m not here… I’m really sleepy…”
Elliris didn’t expect Nino to return so quickly. She remembered falling asleep at noon, and only two or three hours had passed since then.
It couldn’t be helped. The weather was so cold, and the bed was so warm.
Elliris felt like she hadn’t been kidnapped by Nino, but rather by Nino’s bed.
Nino opened the locked door and dispelled the ice magic on it. As soon as she walked into the room, she saw Elliris lying on the bed wrapped in blankets, curled up like a caterpillar.
“Sister Elliris, are you okay? If you’re angry, Nino will apologize right now…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine~ It’s just that the weather is cold. Whenever I’m idle, I just want to sleep. Your black tea wasn’t entirely a bad thing.” Elliris spoke lazily with her back to Nino, resting one hand on her waist.
It had to be said that Elliris’s adaptability was indeed very strong in a certain sense — well, in many senses.
“Oh, right, Nino. I saw you making **[Phosphorous Potion]**, so I helped you make a **[Cold Breath Tracking Stone]**. My mother’s book says these two alchemy tools are the best combination.”
“Thank you, Sister Elliris — wait! What are you doing? Why did you wrap so many layers of woven rushes around the **[Cold Breath Tracking Stone]**? Aren’t you afraid it will affect the core’s sensing?”
In fact, Elliris had noticed many rushes on Nino’s table. This type of grass was very tough and elastic, and simple weaving could make stone ornaments look quite beautiful, which was something Sophia had taught her. Since Elliris thought the light from the **[Cold Breath Tracking Stone]** was too dazzling when activated, she wanted to make it look nicer.
“I improved the sensing range of the tracking stone. The rushes won’t block the signal, so don’t worry…”
“Don’t worry about what?” Nino suddenly interrupted her. This girl’s tsundere side was acting up again; she easily got heated during an argument. “Dealing with the Yeti tribe requires efficiency! If this tool doesn’t activate properly, it could be life-threatening!”
“Huh? I help you make a tracking stone out of the goodness of my heart, and you’re lecturing me? It’s none of your business! I like adding pretty decorations to my tools!” Elliris bit her lip and swallowed the reasonable explanation she had prepared, instead offering a defiant sneer.
“No wonder Sister Sophia insisted on leaving you. I finally get it now. Drop the little princess act! Do you really think outdoor exploration is just playing house?” Nino’s words were fast and aggressive, using the worst possible way to strike at Elliris’s recent sore spot.
“What did you say? Say that again!” Elliris suddenly raised her voice, her sky-blue eyes flashing with a rare anger. “Nino, do you hate me? Why has everything you’ve said lately been so prickly!”
This was it; Nino had completely lost her cool as well. She took the random suspicions and inexplicable temper she had been carrying recently and vented them all on Elliris:
“Who’s being prickly? You’re just thin-skinned and can’t even take a joke!!”
The moment the words fell, the Witch’s Cottage became deathly silent, as if the sound of a needle dropping could be heard clearly.
However, this was merely the silence before the storm. Both sides were holding in a surge of rage, like a powder keg with a lit fuse. The sparks had already burned halfway down the line, and the explosion was only a matter of time.
“Nino, if you don’t let me out, I’m going to make a scene!! I can’t stand this crappy place for another day!” Having been lectured like that, Elliris finally exploded.
“Sorry, Sister Elliris. Until you’ve calmed down, you won’t be able to leave my house.” Nino refused Elliris’s departure with a resentful tone.
“Hiss!” Nino crouched down on all fours, her hair standing on end as she hissed at Elliris.
“Hiss!! Nino, why do you always copy me! You stinky copycat! You copy everything!” Elliris refused to be outdone. She jumped off the bed and prepared to hiss back, giving her a taste of her own medicine.
“Hiss!!! I don’t care, I’m going to copy you! Sister Elliris isn’t going anywhere! Hiss!!”
Both white-haired, round-headed felines were hissing at each other, both maintaining a hostile stance. It seemed the victor was about to be decided; let’s see who the strongest white-haired feline really is.
BINDING LIGHT!
FREEZING ART!
At almost the exact same time, Elliris and Nino both launched their spells.
Elliris’s legs from the knees down were frozen by Nino’s ice magic, while Nino was bound by Elliris’s light magic and fell to the floor.
The first skill Elliris could think of was BINDING LIGHT. Her attack spells all had relatively long chanting times, while her short-chant or instant-cast spells were mostly light-based healing magic.
Nino was different. She possessed strong interrupt mechanics as well as mechanics that pushed back an enemy’s action bar. Even though Elliris’s Level was higher than Nino’s, Nino still held the upper hand in a one-on-one PVP match. Nino’s attack magic chanting was faster than hers, proving the adage that in the world of martial arts, speed is paramount.
Unless Elliris went to develop dark magic…
As the two of them began hurting each other, neither was willing to dispel the crowd control on the other, making the scene incredibly awkward.