章 11: 11. Laughter and Cat

"A Research Witch, you say? Then I suggest you choose a Long Wand,"

As for Dorothy's decision, Alice was struggling on her side, seemingly with much to say, but the shop owner, an elderly man, naturally had no objections. He simply followed professional ethics and continued to give advice.

Among the Short Wand, Standard Wand, and Long Wand, the first two are more suitable for the battlefield, and are the type of wands chosen by the majority of Armed Witches.

After all, on the battlefield, situations can change ever so quickly, and sometimes, casting spells even a fraction of a second faster can truly save lives. In this regard, the Short Wand has a great advantage.

And the Standard Wand, with its well-balanced advantages, also adapts better to the complex combat environments of the battlefield.

As for the Long Wand, which saves more Magic Power and can amplify a spell to a greater extent, it is generally only used by the Artillery-type and Support-type Armed Witches. These witches tend to stay in relatively safe rear areas, casting spells to their heart's content under layers of protection.

However, these types of witches are also often easy targets for enemy assassinations. To reduce unnecessary casualties, the Council of Sages has set relatively high entry thresholds for these two professions. Generally, only the most talented witches are trained in these directions.

In such cases, if there are still people foolish enough to attempt an assassination, they will surely experience what it means to face the cruelty of a hexagonal talent.

After all, if you can't overwhelmingly defeat an Armed Witch of equal rank in close combat, how could you dare to become an Artillery Witch or Support Witch?

Therefore, these two types of witches have always been the elite among Armed Witches, absolute elite troops. Usually, upon graduating from Witch Academy, they are immediately commissioned as officers.

And being elite often means scarcity in number. The reality is that most witches aspiring for armed professions ultimately only have the option to choose the oversaturated path of facing the enemy head-on in the brutal frontline as Assault Witches.

Well, Alice is an embarrassing Assault Witch. Although this little girl has high Magic Power talent, enough to become an Artillery or Support Witch, her talent and specialty are almost entirely front-line assault type, a natural-born Assault Witch. That can't be helped.

Hehehe, although it's quite inconsiderate to say so, every time Dorothy thinks of this, as the older sister, she can't help but want to indulge in schadenfreude and laugh out loud.

Of course, while Assault Witches are common to the point of ubiquity, it doesn't mean they are weak. Artillery and Support Witches can only bully weaker opponents in lower levels. If they really encounter a powerhouse among Assault Witches, once they get close, they are bound to be beaten just as badly, crying for their fathers and mothers.

After all, never lightly challenge another's livelihood with your side hobbies.

Dorothy believes that her little sister will surely become one of the top Assault Witches one day, but well....

Indeed, when the heavens are about to place a great responsibility on a person, they must first suffer in their mind and toil in their bones....

Hopefully, Alice can endure this lonely period of growth before she becomes famous.

"Hahaha...."

In the end, Dorothy couldn't hold back and laughed out loud.

This puzzled the storeowner.

"Miss Dorothy, are you dissatisfied with the Long Wand?"

"Not at all, I just remembered something amusing, that's all. I absolutely trust your professional judgment; the Long Wand it is,"

Dorothy suppressed her laughter again and spoke earnestly.

The old man looked doubtfully at his customer, whose mouth twitched as she held back her smile, but he did not say anything more. Having confirmed the customer's request, it was time for him to get to work.

He once again took the materials and went back into the workshop behind the shop.

After seeing the old man leave, Dorothy no longer held back. While laughing joyfully, she also let go of her little sister, whom she had been covering the mouth of, and who was still struggling in her arms.

"Sister, I always feel like you're laughing at me."

The little witch, now freed, acutely sensed the malice hidden in her older sister's laughter and immediately became wary.

"Not at all, not at all. Alice, what are you talking about? We are the dearest of sisters; how could I possibly laugh at you?"

"Really? Then that's good."

Alice was still somewhat skeptical. She wondered whether her intuition was faulty, but that shouldn't be possible. Her talent was of the highest-order Intuition Talent (SSR); theoretically, once further developed, it could even grant brief glimpses of the future. There's no way it could be wrong, right?

So....

"Sister, you are definitely laughing at me."

The little witch frowned, realizing that something was amiss.

"No, really, I'm just happy thinking about getting a new magic wand later."

Dorothy certainly wasn't going to admit it.

"You're lying, you're definitely laughing at me, and you never stopped. Are you looking down on me as a great Assault Witch again?"

This time, Alice wasn't so easily fooled. She glared at her worthless sister, grinding her teeth in anger.

"Swear to me, sisters shouldn't laugh at each other. If you're innocent, then swear it, sister."

The little witch, gesturing wildly, was ready to pounce on her worthless sister to settle the score, but unfortunately, Dorothy just extended a finger and pressed it against Alice's forehead, leaving the frustrated little one swinging at the air.

Alice, having used every ounce of her strength except for her magic power, turned her delicate and cute face red with effort but still couldn't break through her sister's one-finger seal.

"Hmph, I'm done playing, you ungrateful sister. With such great talent and you don't go make a name for yourself on the battlefield, instead becoming a Research Witch? Let me tell you, sister, if you keep this up, when I go make a name for myself and become a Lord, you'll just be moving bricks on the construction sites in my territory."

The little witch was filled with exasperation, lamenting her sister's wasted potential. In Alice's eyes, her own talent as an Assault Witch was somewhat lacking in comparison since she had always been easily overpowered by her sister in fights. A sister who could suppress her so effortlessly must be a superior talent.

After all, her sister's witch's bloodline was from that family.

It was just unfortunate that her sister had shown little interest in combat from a young age, always lost in the Magic Network and now even choosing a career path in research, which the little witch saw as unpromising. This genuinely angered her.

She had always looked forward to fighting alongside her sister on the battlefield. They would be the most dazzling witches there, achieving great feats and establishing their own Witch Territory—what a beautiful and happy prospect.

Thinking that her hopes were now being dashed made Alice's eyes well up with tears. She turned away awkwardly, not wanting to see her unworthy sister any longer.

This caught Dorothy off guard. It wasn't the first time she had teased her sister, and usually, the little girl would just rage for a bit and then be fine. Why was she reacting so strongly today? Why had she started to cry?

"Don't cry, Alice. Think about it, you'll build the territory, and I'll help you with the construction. That's great, isn't it? If we sisters work together, we can definitely make the territory thrive. And don't look down on brick moving, alright? Civil engineering witches are the future real estate moguls. Let me tell you, in new territories, real estate is where the money's at. Once I make some money, I'll support you..."

"Get lost, worthless sister! Don't come looking for me within a month; I won't forgive you."

When Alice heard her sister's resolve to continue down the Research Witch path, her tears fell even faster, her dream shattering even more completely.

"How about we have roast sub-dragon wings for dinner tonight?"

Dorothy, left with no choice, played her trump card.

"Yay, sister, you're the best! I want a double portion."

The little witch immediately turned her tears into laughter, her previous resolution of ignoring her sister for a month forgotten.

....

As the sisters were squabbling, the door to the workshop opened again, and an old man came out holding a sleeping kitten.

"Mission accomplished, Miss Dorothy. Here's your new magic wand. Give her a name. This is the proudest creation of my life."

Dorothy: "...."

Alice: "...."

The sisters looked at the little kitten in the old man's hands and fell into thought.

What the heck? Is this a magic wand?

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