Wensente’s sharp gray eyes flickered slightly at the words.
She gave a small nod, stepped soundlessly to Antuxi’s side, maintained a perfectly respectful distance, and asked politely:
“Your Excellency, forgive my dullness. What style of dress does the young lady prefer? Should it lean toward the traditional court banquet style, or…”
Antuxi clearly had an answer ready for Wensente’s question.
A meaningful smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
She raised her right hand and snapped her fingers crisply in the air.
Snap.
At the sound, a ball of fiery glass appeared from thin air.
The flame had no heat, but it rippled through space as it burned, blooming with a halo of seven colors.
A beautifully decorated scroll materialized among the rising and dissipating flames and dropped steadily into Antuxi’s hands.
With a flick of her wrist, Antuxi sent the scroll streaking toward Wensente like a beam of light.
Wensente reacted quickly, stretching out both hands to catch the scroll Antuxi had tossed.
“Make it exactly according to the designs I’ve drawn. As for the witch’s hat, you don’t need to bother with that. I’ll make it myself later. That way, I won’t have to trouble you busy witches.”
Antuxi’s voice was not loud, but it carried an authority that could not be disobeyed.
Wensente bowed obediently.
Her fingers brushed the edge of the scroll gently, and she was about to unfold the design to examine it when she heard Antuxi’s flat voice fall like a thunderclap in her ear again.
“Listen to my requirements.”
The metal must be Primeval Alloy, freshly smelted—no old stock from the warehouse.
The stitching thread must be from Time Dragon Sinew, with a vintage of no less than a thousand years.
The leather must be Force Dragon Hide, taken from the toughest part of the dragon’s claws.
Use only dragon species above the king rank for both materials.
Don’t try to cut corners with me.
“As for the fabric, use Shadow Fringe, and… her hair.”
“Construct it to military-grade quality. The protective capability must be able to withstand an eleventh-ring legendary spell head-on. I want to see my daughter standing before me in this dress tonight.”
Halfway through, Antuxi paused slightly in her tone.
She looked up at the six bright moons in the sky, and a hint of release crept into her voice.
Antuxi’s barrage of harsh demands came out like rapid fire, making the corner of Wensente’s mouth twitch.
The composed expression on her face cracked a little, as if she found it very difficult.
Wensente took a deep breath, leaned close to Antuxi’s ear, and lowered her voice to a whisper audible only to the two of them:
“Your Excellency… aren’t you being a bit too demanding?”
The materials you listed—Primeval Alloy combined with legendary-grade dragon sinew and dragon hide, plus military-grade defensive enchantments—that alone is already the specification of a legendary ceremonial dress! And you even want to use… the hair left behind by that one.
“To process it all in just a few hours, not to mention the difficulty of handling the materials, but the magical load on the artisans… isn’t that asking too much of the witches?”
But in response to Wensente’s advice, Antuxi only cast a cold glance at her before letting out a sneer.
“Oh? Can’t even handle this much? Looks like while I was away, you’ve been hosting parties every day, living too comfortably, and can’t muster this much efficiency. Do I need to speed up my return to ‘loosen up’ your stiff bones?”
Understanding the subtext in Antuxi’s words, a chill ran down Wensente’s spine.
She quickly forced a smile and apologized, a thin layer of sweat breaking out on her forehead.
“Forgive me, Your Excellency! I spoke out of turn! I was only thinking about the young lady’s dress. After all, with such a tight deadline, any flaws would be terrible. You know that when I work for you, I always adhere to the principles of highest quality and fastest efficiency, without any complaints! I’ll go follow your orders immediately!”
Antuxi withdrew her gaze and stared at the door of the Queen’s Tower.
“Then go do it.”
Wensente nodded in acknowledgment, but did not leave right away.
After a moment’s hesitation, she asked Antuxi cautiously:
“Your Excellency, are you sure… you want to use the hair left behind by that one? This is your last memento. If you use it, there will truly be nothing left. If… I mean, if that one really can’t come back… this would be your last keepsake.”
Wensente’s words melted Antuxi’s iceberg-like back nine-tenths of the way.
For once, Antuxi did not speak with a sharp tongue, nor did she get angry.
She just let out a faint sigh, obviously having made up her mind long ago.
“Use it. No need to worry about anything.”
Antuxi’s voice was low, laden with emotions that were hard to define.
“Some things, if kept around, only trouble the witch and bring more worry. It’s better to make them into a ceremonial dress for my daughter than to let them rot in a collection cabinet.”
Hearing this, Wensente said no more.
Though regretful in her heart, she chose to carry out Antuxi’s orders resolutely.
She turned and waved at the maid group of the Lintian Palace, signaling them to move.
The two maids holding Tunzuo nodded at the order, lifted Tunzuo, and walked straight toward the Bishop’s Tower beside the Queen’s Tower, with the other maids following behind.
“Hey? Wait! I still don’t understand what’s going on! Can any witch explain this? Hey, hey! I can walk by myself! Put me down! Be gentle! Mommy! Mommy!”
Lifted high and practically floating away, Tunzuo kicked his legs wildly in the air, calling out to Antuxi like a cry for help.
But sadly, in response to Tunzuo’s shouts, Antuxi only waved her hand without turning back.
Her voice was ethereal, completely unconcerned.
“I’ll see you tonight, silly daughter. Hope you can dress up beautifully and not disappoint me. Come on, little dragon cub. You’ll accompany me inside.”
“Yes, Your Excellency Antuxi.”
Olivia watched Tunzuo disappear into the distance.
Though she felt a thousand regrets, under Antuxi’s oppressive authority, she had no choice but to obey.
The heavy doors of the Queen’s Tower swung open with a bang.
Antuxi strode inside with Olivia, completely ignoring Tunzuo’s fading cries.
The doors closed again, cutting off Tunzuo’s voice entirely.
In a high-level room of the Bishop’s Tower, spacious but ornately decorated.
The room had no extra furniture, only a luxurious deep red carpet laid on the floor, muffling all footsteps.
Several large square mirrors hung on the walls, reflecting the room in every direction without a blind spot.
In the center of the room, Tunzuo had been stripped of all her clothes, left only in a thin black undergarment.
Her face was flushed crimson.
Her hands frantically covered her body up and down, trying to hide the exposed skin.
Her eyes darted around, too embarrassed to look at herself in the mirrors.
Wensente held various precision measuring tools, focusing intently as she measured various dimensions on Tunzuo’s body, occasionally calling out a string of numbers for a maid beside her to record.
On the other side of the room, several maids stood against the wall, holding the clothes Tunzuo had just taken off, staring straight ahead.
But after measuring for a while, Wensente took a step back in frustration, frowning at Tunzuo.
“Young lady, please don’t move. Relax. Your muscles are too tense. That will cause deviations in the data. Please relax.”
In response, Tunzuo covered her chest with one hand and her rear with the other, curling up like a witch, her voice weak.
“I mean… isn’t there a magic spell that can finish measuring without taking off clothes? There are so many witch spells—surely there’s one that can do this?”
Hearing this, Wensente shook her head with a smile, reaching out with her tape measure again.
“Oh, my dear young lady, you don’t understand. Alchemical magic measurement is fast, but it lacks the tactile sensation of touch. Only data measured by hand, infused with soul, can highlight the artisan’s spirit, allowing the craftsmen to pour in more passion. Well, at least that’s what they say. Patience, young lady. We’re almost done. Just the hip and chest measurements.”
Helpless, Tunzuo let out a resigned long sigh, put her hands down, closed her eyes, and stood as straight as a pine, letting Wensente measure her with the tape.
The cold touch of the tape gave Tunzuo goosebumps all over.
Finally, after going back and forth, Wensente finished measuring.
She handed the data, along with the design and Antuxi’s requirements, to a maid, instructing her to immediately deliver it to the craftsmen in the Bishop’s Tower alchemy workshop, with no delay.
After the measurement ended, Tunzuo turned into black mist in a flash and darted back into her clothes.
She wrapped her outer garments tightly around herself, patted her chest lightly, let out a long sigh of relief, and felt the security that clothes gave her after so long.
Then, maids brought two delicate chairs and a small table into the room, bowed respectfully, and retreated outside.
For a while, only Tunzuo and Wensente remained in the large room.
“Young lady, would you like something to drink? There’s still some time before the ceremonial dress is finished. I thought we could chat and get to know each other better.”
Wensente said it in a casual tone while organizing her tools.
The sudden invitation to tea surprised Tunzuo.
She blinked and asked:
“Aren’t we going to find Mom… the Chief? Why wait here? Is there some other arrangement?”
At that, Wensente smiled brightly, elegantly arranging the tea set while patiently explaining:
“You can’t say that, young lady. Her Excellency’s meaning is clear. The next time she sees you, it will be wearing the ceremonial dress. That’s the surprise she wants. If you go back looking the same, you’ll ruin Her Excellency’s joy of unwrapping a gift, and I’ll be punished. So please, wait here with me patiently. Think of it as preparing the most perfect display effect for Her Excellency.”
Seeing how earnest Wensente was, Tunzuo could only nod and obediently sit down in the chair, saying nothing more.
Seeing Tunzuo so cooperative, Wensente happily began brewing tea.
As hot water poured into the teapot, a strange fragrance spread.
Wensente explained while making the tea:
“Eden Black Tea, produced in Heaven. It can repair and nourish the soul, improve magic recovery efficiency, and tastes quite good. It’s one of Her Excellency’s favorites. You should try it, young lady.”
Hearing this, Tunzuo picked up a delicate teacup and took a small sip.
As the tea went down, she felt a warm current rising from her stomach, spreading through her body.
Wensente also leisurely picked up a teacup, sat down in another chair, took a sip, and with casual-seeming but calculated intent, probed Tunzuo for information.
“Speaking of, young lady, what has Her Excellency been doing during her time away? She looks… quite different. She seems more unfathomable now.”
Out of wariness toward Wensente, and because she truly didn’t know Antuxi’s specific whereabouts, Tunzuo simply evaded every question Wensente threw at her with meaningless platitudes.
“Huh? Mom… just went around and looked at things, you know? She likes to wander around the universe all the time.”
“Oh? Did Her Excellency encounter any interesting creatures or events during that time?”
“Hmm… probably not. She seemed pretty free every day, but she didn’t pay much attention to me.”
After several exchanges, Wensente had basically gotten no useful information.
She inwardly cursed her luck, uncertain whether Tunzuo had been trained by Antuxi to keep her mouth shut, or if she truly knew nothing.
At the top floor of the Queen’s Tower, Antuxi stood with her hands behind her back before the huge floor-to-ceiling window of her office.
Her silhouette stretched long under the starlight, looking a little lonely.
From the top floor of the Queen’s Tower, one could overlook the entire flower part of the Dona Yala World, with brilliant colors swaying in the starry sky.
If Antuxi wanted, she could adjust the window with magic and let her sight appear in every corner of the Dona Yala World.
Olivia sat on the sofa in the Chief’s office, feeling like she was sitting on needles.
Since Antuxi didn’t speak, she couldn’t initiate a conversation either.
After all, her mother-in-law was infamous in witch society for being moody and unpredictable.
Helpless, Olivia could only silently endure the suffocating silence, feeling as if breathing was a little blocked.
Finally, one hour, two hours, or perhaps even longer passed.
A knock on the door broke the damn silence.
“Enter.”
With Antuxi’s crisp voice, Wensente pushed the door open, her face full of almost fanatical satisfaction.
Then, she stepped aside, revealing the completely transformed Tunzuo to Antuxi and Olivia.
Antuxi and Olivia turned to look.
There, stepping into the room, was Tunzuo wearing a ceremonial dress that was pitch black and decorated with purple spiral patterns.
The black fabric devoured all surrounding light like a black hole, while the purple spiral patterns glowed faintly, flowing slowly like living things.
The straight, form-fitting trousers perfectly outlined Tunzuo’s long legs, simple and sharp.
Her boots, edged with silver metal guards, tapped the floor with a clack-clack sound, like precise drumbeats.
The hem of the coat was just right, reaching precisely to the back of the knees, swaying gently as Tunzuo walked.
Silver buttons were tightly fastened, engraved with a rose pattern entwined with thorns—the Olis family crest, mysterious, beautiful, and dangerous.
The shoulders of the dress were covered by demonic-style pauldrons, whose fierce oni-face designs added a hint of ferocity to the outfit.
Silver-white heavy bracers engraved with skull patterns covered half of her forearms, exuding an aura of ferocious power.
At the collar, a spade-shaped Eternal Night Gem was set.
And Tunzuo’s hands were encased in silver-white sharp gauntlets, which emitted a chilling gleam under the light, sharp and fierce, adding a sense of heroism and killing intent to Tunzuo, as if she were a sovereign commanding the shadows.
The whole ceremonial dress shaped Tunzuo into an image of evil and mystery.
Seeing Tunzuo in the ceremonial dress, Olivia’s eyes instantly widened.
She couldn’t tear her gaze away, her eyes full of rapture and infatuation.
Antuxi’s gaze at Tunzuo was complicated, a mix of nostalgia and awkwardness, as if she saw another familiar figure through Tunzuo, but it eventually turned into relief.
But the very next moment, Tunzuo’s words instantly shattered Antuxi’s expression.
She covered her eyes in pain, and the perfect atmosphere a moment ago was ruined.
Tunzuo scratched her head with her hand, breaking into an oblivious, silly grin.
“Hehe, Mommy, I’m so handsome.”