Waking up to the cawwing of a Crow, I'm still tired. I only slept for around 5 hours at most, so it can't be helped. [Daily Candy]. You can go back to Halloween now, Crow. Thank you. I now have 3 and a half buckets of Candy. Picking up my profits from last night, I ensured that all of my Coins aside from 6 buckets were within it. I should be taking a little over 500 Silver Coins to the Candy man.
After arriving at the Kitchen, I set down my Coins and began to make a meal. Mostly everyone else should be going to sleep about now or should already be asleep, so I didn't need to serve a platter. It only took me around 5 minutes to cook and another 5 to eat. It was good, but I can't shake the desire to eat different Fish. Or just not Fish at all. I suppose even Cats have their limits. I would like a real meal but at the same time, I can't just go splurging my Coins on unnecessary things yet. I should wait until next week when the payout is larger. Yosh!
For now, I should just focus on the Candy man. Grabbing my Broom and picking my Coins back up, I set off to meet him. I didn't bother trying to wake Cetilla because she probably didn't sleep early like I did. It would be inconsiderate to just assume that she went to sleep when I did. Even though I went to sleep, I'm still tired. So even if she slept when I did, she probably still wouldn't appreciate being woken. Yep. I'm going alone. I could have kept my Hallowed Gate open, but then I would have been forced to have my Clansmen protect it all night. Mr Scarecrow certainly deserved a break.
Making my way back to the Beastkin Kingdom by Broom required about 20 minutes of my time. I wasn't flying very fast, but I also wasn't flying slow enough to conserve all of my MP. When I reached Reygid, I found that I had forgotten exactly where the Candy Store was. After around 20 minutes of searching, it appears to be about halfway between the Clive's Store and the Beach. Huh. I probably passed it several times last night. Upon entering the Candy Store, I was greeted by a plump Koala Beastkin. He looks more Koala than Human, and is wearing an apron.
"Welcome to my shop!" [Koala Man]
"Thank you! I'll take one of these first." [Nero] said while handing a piece of Candy cane picked up from one of the store jars.
"Well, let's see here… a strand of red Candy cane will be 3 Silver Coins!" [Koala Man] said while handing back the Candy cane after receiving the 3 Silver Coins.
Okay. It's best to test out just whether or not something counts as Candy before I purchase it in plenty. So, I decided to try and use [Disguise+2] aiming for a level 20 piece of clothes. The cost of MP was 80. Looking at my status, I now have 310 MP. Eating the Candy cane, I was able to gain 4 MP. I guess Candy cane works. It gives the exact same number of MP as my [Daily Candy]. I decided to try a few other types, because I doubt that I want to be purchasing just Candy cane. I ended up trying out candied rose petals, candied violet petals, pecan praline, sorghum drops, maple drops, and cinnamon covered almonds. All of them, no matter what; they all gave 4 MP per piece. I guess the type of Candy doesn't matter, as long as it's Candy. I'm genuinely quite excited to have different tastes to try during battle. Those sorghum drops might have been my favorite. It's those or the candied violet petals. I can't tell.
After it was all said and done, I asked the man to give me as many of these types of candies as he possibly could while I laid down my buckets of Coins. He seemed somewhat shocked to meet someone willing to spend so much on just Candy, but it's a happy shock. Yep. I'm going to be your biggest customer, sir. If you'd like, you can just move in with me and use my Kitchen to make your Candy. I'll buy it all! While I was secretly plotting how one might convince a Candy man to relocate for a safari, he was counting my Coins and calculating the total purchase.
Around 20 minutes later, I had walked out of the Candy Store with 6 full buckets of Candy and not a single Coin left. I honestly don't mind. It feels like a fair trade to me. If I bring him 6 buckets of Silver Coins, he will replace them with 6 buckets of Candy. It feels fine. These buckets probably dont all fit 90 pieces, as Candy cane is much larger than the rest of the Candy types, but the other pieces all carry a similar size to my [Daily Candy]; so it might as well be the equivalent of 6 [Daily Candy] buckets. It's probably just a little bit shy.
I then decided to make my way to the Weapon Store. I remembered seeing one when I first came here and was scouting the Kingdom… Yep. There it is. Right beside the Human Slave Market. Isn't that kind of dangerous? Oh yeah, let's just throw down a Weapon Store beside the chained slaves. They won't ever break their shackles. If they do, there's no way that they'll make it the full 10 metres distance into the Weapon Store. Making my way inside, the store is entirely built from various woods. There are shelves and tables with random weapons littered everywhere. Looking around, I don't see any Brooms. Brooms are technically mounts, so I guess it's no big deal if they don't carry them here. I don't see any Lanterns either though. I guess Lanterns are a rare form of weapon? No one else is looking for the most luxurious Lanterns? I'm telling you, there's a demand for high end Lanterns; sir. Why do you not carry them?! Am I going to need to have Lanterns commissioned from a Blacksmith? I can probably find Brooms in the Forest of Witches though.
Instead of flying back, I decided to raise a [Hallowed Gate] and teleport to the Wailing Keep before closing it. After dropping off my new Candy, it now appears as though I have 9 and a half buckets of Candy. This is an all time high. I've never felt this prepared for anything ever since reincarnating into this world. I'm finally prepared to go meet with the Witches on behalf of the Scarecrows. I still feel tired though, so I'll take a nap until sunset and do it then. That way, Cetilla can join me! Can't hurt to bring a Sorceress to your rendezvous with Witches. Yosh. Goodnight~
************
Nyaahhhhh~ It feels good to be able to yawn without creeping out nearby people. When I yawn in Cat form, it still leaks out in a Human voice. Everyone else finds it disturbing to see a Cat talk, so I've been keeping on my paws about it. Rather, why do they find it disturbing if a Cat talks? The Bears and Rabbits used to speak? Why can't the Cats?! Is it because most speaking Cats are Catkin, whereas I'm just a regular Cat? I don't understand. Now that I have my own room, totally isolated from everyone else; I no longer need to worry about it! Nyaaaahh!
After audibly yawning twice for good measure, I made my way to the Kitchen to find that Goblin Hunk is making breakfast. Put a shirt on! No, a beach towel hanging over your shoulder does not count! Stop it! Setting him aside and leaving the Kitchen, I made my way to the Dining Hall. Crowli and Cetilla seem to be playing some kind of card game. Oi! I want in~ Where did these come from anyway? They aren't like any playing cards that I've ever witnessed. They don't have shapes, they have animals. Instead of numbers, the animals have stats. Is this some kind of trading card game?
Apparently all of the cards are predetermined by the deck, so it's not like you need to collect them. The deck is split into two, so it's genuinely a luck of the draw. Both players place a card from their hand face down every turn. Then, they reveal the card and calculate which card wins. The player with the winning card gets to keep the losers card, while the winning card gets thrown into the bottom of the deck. Both players must have 7 cards total in their hand. If your card is a loser, you lose a point. The first person to lose 10 points loses the game. The game seems stupidly luck based, but I guess you can try and read poker faces to determine what card to place. You don't want to just place all your strong cards in a row, and you generally want to place a card slightly better than the opponent, or you want to place a horrible card when your opponent places a great one.
Looking at the game, I dont think it's possible to play it with 3 people. You can't just have 3 way battles. I could probably fix some kind of system into it to enable 3 players to take part, or we can just take turns; but I'll pass. No. I have other things to do right now! Things! Fishing probably. That, and making level 20 pieces of clothes. Level 20 pieces of clothes are going to take a long time to make, as I haven't really leveled up too much recently. That will give me considerable downtime in between each piece created. Should I use it to Fish, or should I use it to learn the safari card game? Goblin Hunk has brought the meal, so I guess I'll just dig in and watch for a bit.
I would like to host another festival, but there's no way that I can afford to make enough clothes for donations. Maybe I should just cancel level 20 pieces for a few days, and make level 3 pieces instead? Because of the bonus from [Disguise+2], I should be able to make more level 3 pieces than level 2 pieces if I aim for level 3 pieces. Even with the [Wailing Keep] being summoned and restricting 20% of my MP, I can still afford to create around 50 pieces clothes if I aim for level 3 pieces without even needing to take a break to recover MP.
Yosh! I'll just be extra charitable this time, and only make clothes for the Goblins. Clive has plenty enough merchandise to keep going for awhile, and I'm currently happy with my outfit. It should be fine. It's like I'm not going to skip a shipment, I'm just not going to worry about it wholeheartedly is all. So, I flew off to the waterfall to begin my Fishing and charity work. My Tier 5 Bat is currently helping me with making sure that I dont miss out on any Fish falling by using his haki from behind me. The other 3 Bats are keeping him company. I say that, but I also join the conversation at some points. They're talking about wanting to go check back in on the Chasm, I guess they want to go see their brethren. I made sure to permit them the night off tomorrow for them to go make a visit. I'm not going with them, but they can~
About 3 hours into Fishing, I was struck in the face. I had forgotten that I wanted to go see the Witches tonight. Oops! Okay~ Lets wrap it up, kids. Turns out, you can all go see your family tonight as long as you help me carry these clothes back to the Wailing Keep. Deal? Deal. If things go south with the Witches, I just might be forced into summoning them. Even so, I shouldn't move just making the assumption that the Witches won't be considerate to the monsters that they give life to. In a way, the Scarecrows are like the sons and daughters of the Witches. The Witches are responsible for the well being of the Scarecrows to a large extent for having created them. They also happen to be related to Halloween via a much more ancient connection, but the Witches are not uninvolved with the Scarecrows by any means. At least for these Scarecrows anyways.
After returning to the Wailing Keep, I had my Bats leave the clothes in the Throne Room. The Throne Room is so obnoxiously large, that a pile of clothes on this magnitude is nothing. It's not messy. I wonder how many pieces it would take to cover the entire floor of this room? Oh well~ I went and grabbed my 9 and a half Buckets of Candy before making my way into the Dining Hall. When I arrived, it seems like everyone's here except for Cloaked Hunk #wassup and Budget Dragon. Watching me juggle the Candy, my Lantern, and Broom; Cetilla let out a giggle before admitting defeat in her card game. She's now taking some of the Buckets off of my paws, and is giving me a look of excitement upon noticing how none of them are filled with Coins. She's ready to go too~
I informed the others that we were off to see the Witches, and that I would return before dawn. If the Keep suddenly disappears, I died. Yep. One might think that I'm straddling 9 and a half buckets of Candy as a means of fighting, but that one would be wrong. I'm carrying 9 and a half buckets of Candy so that I can summon all of my Clansmen alongside a Hallowed Gate with high MP to escape in the event that anything goes wrong. The Candy is intended to heal my Clansmen after I escape and force them to return to Halloween. I'll only keep the Hallowed Gate open for a few moments, so my Clansmen just need to be capable of buying me a few moments of time. Even if my Clansmen get utterly obliterated by the power of the opponents, I can still heal them with Candy after. I just need a few moments.
They would need a Witch highly competent in space magic to be able to trace my Gate back to the Wailing Keep; considering that it's a Combo Gate. I'm only using the Gate to go to Halloween, an entirely different dimension. From within that dimension, I can use a different Gate to go to the Goblin Village. I can imagine if a Witch were able to trace the Gate back to Halloween, but being able to trace it back to the Wailing Keep is another story entirely.
It would be much more likely for them to have a Witch capable of quickly following me into the Hallowed Gate, which could then technically follow me to the Wailing Keep. However, if they aren't fast enough to get their bearings after entering Halloween; I could easily lock them inside. If I close the Hallowed Gate, then the combo Gate leading to the Wailing Keep also closes. All I need to do is walk around a large alleged trick blood fountain and boom! If I can capture an enemy Witch within Halloween, they're practically doomed.
Every day, my Clansmen would be capable of relentlessly attacking them by making use of the natural night in Halloween. Natural night in Halloween means that they are buffed. According to [This is Halloween], Clansmen take less damage during Halloween. It wouldn't be strange to assume that it's always Halloween in Halloween. I wouldn't even need to be present and accounted for in order for them to begin the fight. My Clansmen automatically heal if I'm supposed to be regenerating MP while at my maximum. That happens most often when I'm asleep, which also happens to be the time of natural night within Halloween, so they would always be fighting at the best of their abilities and it would surely divulge into a natural battle of attrition coming in waves every day. If they tried to escape my Halloween Town, they would meet with the cataclypse level monsters dancing in the distance. If they actually managed to travel beyond those cataclypse level monsters, even if they found another Halloween Town led by a different Halloween Cat and managed to slip through a Hallowed Gate; they would not be returning to a world they know. They would not be my problem so long as I avoid casting [Hallowed Gate] until they die or leave.
While thinking about such things, I was currently flying through the Beastkin Kingdom towards the Forest of Witches. It would have been faster to fly over the Elven City, but I don't feel like facing unnecessary risks before facing necessary risks. Too much risk! I don't want to meet the Elves. To be frank, I feel as though they're probably overly serious. And self righteous. I doubt that we'd see eye to eye. I'd probably be labelled a villain. They could have lie detection abilities, or appraisal. Or both. I just can't face them, nor do I really have any need to at present. It's not like I've heard rumors of Scarecrows being created in the Elven City and poached as slaves, or anything at all for that matter. The Witches may also have those abilities, so I should still be careful. It's time to put my cover story to the test. I'm nervous.
After passing over the border of the Beastkin Kingdom and getting a sight of the Forest of Witches, it would appear that around 30% of the territory is actually Prairie Fields littered in meadows, while the rest are Forests, and there's a Lake. Within the Forest, there's a pretty large clearing with less trees growing. There are still trees here and there, and it's obvious that this was originally part of the Forest. Spread out among this clearing are numerous facilities and homes. I say facilities, but a few of them are leaning towards the line of shops that create the merchandise within the shop. There's a Potion Brewery, a Herbology Greenhouse Dome, and an Alchemy Laboratory. Towards the southern end, there's a large Arena, and towards the northern end near the coast is a large Tower. In the middle of the City appears to be the Witches Academy. It's surreal. Everything here is a home, or it's something related to witchcraft. It's like this entire city is dedicated to witchcraft and nothing else.
I descended into the town near the Witches Academy and walked inside with Cetilla. Upon entry, I was greeted with some rather strange looks. Thankfully, there's a receptionist for visitors. She's wearing a rather basic Witch hat and cloak, but she has a scarf and pair of glasses which exude the air of being reliable. I decided to go talk to her.
"Hello, I'm called Nero. I was hoping that I might be able to get a moment of your time?" [Nero] asked while looking up at the Witch.
"My~ What small children you are. Little Miss, are to enroll in the future?" [Receptionist]
Woah. Did she just ignore me and talk to Cetilla?
"Eh? Why would I do that?" [Cetilla] asked while tilting her head.
"Well, all the best Witches attend the Witch Academy, of course." [Receptionist] said proudly.
"But I'm a Sorceress…?" [Cetilla] awkwardly stated. To which, she received a gasp from literally anyone around. Woah.
"Hey~ I was actually hoping to ask you a few questions?" [Nero] chided in to the Receptionist.
"Why would you choose to be a Sorceress? Of all things… Inferior magic users have no reason to be here. I must ask you to leave." [Receptionist] stated firmly towards Cetilla, still ignoring me.
"Hello?! I need to know who chooses the curriculum of this Academy!" [Nero] proclaimed rather loudly.
"The curriculum? Why, that would be the Witches Council. Now scurry along~ We have no use for delirious children here..." [Receptionist] stated while rolling her eyes.
"Gladly." [Nero] said with a smile and took Cetilla's hand as he skipped away.
"Tsk!" [Receptionist]
Jeez. What was that all about?! Class supremacy much?! She was horribly rude to Cetilla based on her choice in magic, but she wouldn't even acknowledge my presence until I was literally screaming in front of her. Some people should never work in the service industry. I swear~ After leaving the Academy, I asked around nearby Witches for the location of the Witches Council. I say that, but I was genuinely just screaming 'where is the Council of Witches?!' at the top of my lungs until someone pointed towards the large Tower. Figures.
Flying to the Tower with Cetilla and Candy, as I arrived I noticed that there were two Witches guarding the entrance. There are no windows, so it's genuinely the only option. The Tower is huge. It's like a sky-scraping Castle Tower but the Tower is over 10 times wider than the Towers of my Keep. I wonder what they even fill such a massive structure with~
"Hello, I am called Nero and I seek an audience regarding the future of the Scarecrow race with the Witches Council." [Nero]
"Hmph. The Witches Council can't just see anyone, you know?" [Witch Guard #1]
"That's fine and all, but I genuinely need an audience with them as soon as possible." [Nero] stated without backing down.
"You don't understand. The Witches Council will only see Witches." [Witch Guard #2]
"That's still fine. I am a Witch, after all." [Nero]
"The likes of you? A Witch?! That's preposterous. Run along now~" [Witch Guard #1]
"Claiming to be something you aren't is a grave mistake. You should reflect on your actions and not do it again." [Witch Guard #2]
"I'm a Witch. If you can't appraise me, then you shouldn't jump to the conclusion that I'm lying." [Nero] said matter of factly.
"Boys can't be Witches. That's just how it works. Leave now." [Witch Guard #2]
"Nero is a Witch though! You literally just watched him riding a Broom!" [Cetilla] exclaimed.
"It was obviously just some cheap knockoff version of [Flying Broom]." [Witch Guard #1]
"It was not. If you continue to refuse me a an audience with the Witches Council, then I will force the matter. I must apologize, but I won't be taking no for an answer on this one. There are far too many lives at stake." [Nero] proclaimed while raising his Lantern.
"Hah! Like you could possibly force the matter. What is that? A Lantern? Going to light me to death?!" [Witch Guard #1] laughed while struggling to contain herself.
"I wouldn't mess with us, kid." [Witch Guard #2] said firmly while raising a wand.
"Clansmen! I command you to defeat these vile sexists and lead me to the Witches Council!" [Nero] beckoned while raising his Lantern higher.
Moments later, a familiar orange glow enveloped the area after gushing out of my Lantern before evaporating. What remained were Crowli, White Sheep Lady, a Tier 5 Bat, Mr and Mrs Scarecrow, and Weeping Angel. Only the tough guys came this time, huh? I can accept that.
"What-?!" [Witch Guard #1]
"Haaah~ Exposing your identity, Tamer?" [Witch Guard #2]
"You're incorrect. I'll tell you this one time. I'm a sub-class of Witch and Tamer. What's more? I should probably be in that Council of Witches. Now, die for your mistake." [Nero] said as if commanding them.
As I finished my final line, Crowli used [Aerial Assault] and rapidly slit the throat of [Witch Guard #1]. She tried to raise some sort of Barrier, but it shattered immediately. After that, Witch Guard #2 seems considerably shaken up. I think I'll try to use this.
"Wait~ If you've realized your mistake, then lead me to the Council of Witches. If not, then I'll ask the next person." [Nero] warned with a mischievous tone of voice. To that, she fell back on her knees and looks like she's on the verge of tears.
"I-I'll take you to the Witches Council! Please just let me live!" [Witch Guard #2] begged while cowering up against the wall of the Tower.
"Of course I'll let you live! See? Was that so hard? When someone asks you to take them to meet the people you guard, you're supposed to take them to meet the people you guard. It's just common sense, right?" [Nero] asked while smiling and looking between the guard and Cetilla.
"Yep! That's more like it!" [Cetilla] chimed in.
"...This way." [Witch Guard #2] said while trembling and beginning to walk within the Tower.
On entry, the first floor looks like it's a waiting room or something. There's an attendant at the front desk, and she looks considerably confused as to why one of the Guards is walking two children into the Tower. It might be fear due to my Clansmen walking with us. This floor of the Tower has tall enough ceilings for my Clansmen to fit within them. It's fine. If the floors are all this tall, then there might only be around 10 or 15 floors. Oh well. In the middle of one of the walls in the room, there's an elevator. I say that, but it actually looks more advanced than any elevator I've ever witnessed. It's most certainly just magic and not science though. It looks like a platform made of some sort of dark blue metal. There's a pedestal in the middle of it with a bright green cube sitting on top. The cube has some sort of intricate design engraved into it.
After being led onto the Elevator, I had all my Clansmen return to Halloween except for Crowli. He can stay. One might say that he'd be the reason why I was even allowed entry into this facility. He's the most valuable player tonight, folks. After stepping onto the elevator, the Witch Guard who lived put both hands onto the Cube. It began to glow violently through the intricate design engraved into it. Moments later, rays of green light appeared surrounding the elevators expected trajectory and we began to rise. While we rose, there was a strange sound being made from the elevator, it almost sounded like an explosion was about to happen but it was winding up slowly. It looks like a green barrier was just erected around the elevator but it reaches high up above us. It appears that the Witches Council gathers on the highest floor. Figures. The elevator wasn't any faster than elevators from earth. It was considerably slow. I could have easily flown up the elevator shaft to shorten the time taken to reach the top, but that wouldn't be very much fun. It's much more dramatic to arise to the top floor via slow moving elevator. It feels exciting.
When we arrived, the door automatically opened and I realized that had I flown above; I would have still needed to break their door. Hmmmm~ I can't tell if I made the right choice or not. It might have been more dramatic to break their door, dammit! On entry, there are roughly 10 Witches sitting around a table who look very busy. They're all women or girls. Jeez. It must be some kind of meeting, but only half the chairs are even occupied right now. Is it not mandatory to show up? This Council is weird. Walking into the room, I decided to introduce myself before I was obnoxiously greeted.
"Hello, my name is Nero. I am the True Halloween Cat-a unique sub-class of Witch and Tamer who represents the Halloween Clan. I am a Fish Mongerer, a Master of Disguise, and From Another World. Before I resume my reasoning for being here on this fine night, I would like to request that one of you holding appraisal publicly confirm my existence as legitimate." [Nero] said boldly while looking around the room.
"What the boy says is true. Now get on with it." [Witch Councilwomen #1]
"I second that. I can view all of his titles and abilities." [Witch Councilwomen #2]
"Fine. Hurry up, filthy boy." [Witch Councilwomen #3]
"I have come here tonight on behalf of the Scarecrows." [Nero] said while summoning his Scarecrows and gesturing to them before continuing.
"It has come to my attention that your Witch Academy has been creating Scarecrow monsters. Those Scarecrow monsters are then abandoned to the wild and captured by poachers to later be sold off as slaves to foreign Kingdoms. The Scarecrows are not properly fed, nor are they properly sheltered. I find this fact to be absolutely unacceptable. An entire race of monsters should not be enslaved. Moreover, as Scarecrows are one of the Halloween Clan races; I feel as though their well being is my responsibility. From here on out, I would like to formally request that Scarecrow monster creation be banned within the Witch Academy or that any Scarecrow monsters created within the Witch Academy are granted their rightful choice to join me and the Halloween Clan." [Nero] stated assertively.
"What the hell are you saying?!" [Witch Councilwomen #4]
"The Scarecrows are being enslaved?" [Witch Councilwomen #5]
"I've heard nothing of the case!" [Witch Councilwomen #6]
"He's probably lying about it so that we give him free monsters." [Witch Councilwomen #7]
"Even if he's lying about it, the fact remains. He has tamed several Scarecrows. There are only a few, but those two are remarkably strong." [Witch Councilwomen #3]
"Yes, I know for a fact that we never released any Scarecrows of that caliber into the wild." [Witch Councilwomen #2]
"Did they Evolve?" [Witch Councilwomen #6]
"Does it even matter?" [Witch Councilwomen #8]
"I suppose not." [Witch Councilwomen #6]
"What if we were to stop creating Scarecrows? Couldn't we just try creating a different monster?" [Witch Councilwomen #9]
"Yes. That's probably the best idea to resolve this matter. It leaves a sick feeling to know that our naive students do their best only to have their results thwarted by slavery." [Witch Councilwomen #5]
"I agree. Is anyone in disagreement?" [Witch Councilwomen #1] asked, to which no response was given for around 30 seconds.
"If that's settled, then what of the boys abilities? I see some strange things listed here." [Witch Councilwomen #2]
"I've never witnessed quite a few of them. What do you have to say for yourself, half blood?" [Witch Councilwomen #1]
"That's some nerve. Goodluck~" [Cetilla] responded while smiling at me.
"I know right~ Okay, first off; I'm not a half blood of any kind. I am 100% a purrblood Halloween Cat. Secondly, I have nothing to say for myself. If you stop creating Scarecrows entirely, that's fine. If you continue to create them but give them to me, that's also fine. That being said, I have no reason to answer to any of you." [Nero] proclaimed after removing his sunglasses.
"What did you say?! You claim to be a Witch and you come to our table yet you don't have any reason to answer to us?!" [Witch Councilwomen #6]
"Preposterous!" [Witch Councilwomen #7]
"I do not hail from this Forest, nor do I intend to stay. I've been treated horribly ever since arriving here, so you should try to understand that I have very little trust left in you. As you refuse to acknowledge me as a true Witch, I refuse to acknowledge you as a true Witches Council. And so, I won't be answering to you. If I continue to find more Scarecrows popping up in slavery, I'll just take them for myself. Farewell~" [Nero] concluded, taking a second to wait for response before leaving.
"...that's fair enough." [Witch Councilwomen #1] responded while waving me off.
And so, I left. She was probably one of the more helpful ones among them. As I left, I heard all sorts of bickering amidst themselves but I continued to leave. I really don't have time to spend listening to all of them drone on and on. It turns out that I didn't even need to use my cover story yet. Sweet~ I was able to save my Candy too!
After leaving the Tower, I decided to try and find a store selling Brooms. There were no specific stores selling Brooms in the Beastkin Kingdom, but this whole Town is inhabited by Witches. Looking around the Town area, I honestly don't see a store selling any. I found it strange, so I decided to call out my question obnoxiously as if I were lost. Around 15 minutes later, someone finally answered. There is apparently a place called the Hags Hollow which sells Brooms of all kinds. It's a house built out of a tree, and it's apparently on the northeast edge of the Town. On arrival, it reminds me a lot of the Squirrbit Hollow except this Tree is actually built inside of it and under it, instead of just under. It's a fairly huge tree. It's definitely rotting though. Walking up the roots as if they're stairs, I knocked on the door and heard a scratchy voice call out.
"Hurry on in now! It's a store, not an inn room!" [Hag of the Hollow]
"Right! Sorry, I was hoping that I might be able to take a look at some Brooms~" [Nero] replied while taking a step inside and looking around.
"You're supposed to buy them, you know." [Hag of Hollow] exclaimed brashly.
"Yes. I definitely will! I want to know the prices first though, I don't have any Coins on me right now." [Nero] explained while still browsing.
"Say boy… Are you actually able to fly a broom?" [Hag of Hollow] asked in an unsure tone of voice.
"I can assure you, I am quite capable of flying brooms. Believe it or not, I promise that I'm a Witch." [Nero] replied exhaustively.
"Well, try to find a Broom that speaks to you and ask me for the price." [Hag of Hollow] said.
"Uh… Okay? How about this one?" [Nero] asked while picking up a Broom made of a dark green colored lumber for the Broom bar which had black material for the Broom head.
"Ah… A fine Broom indeed. It's a Darkhorse String Elmwood Broom. It will set you back 12000 Silver Coins or 12 Gold Coins." [Hag of Hollow] replied with a smile.
Woah. Oi! Isn't that like way too expensive?! Is it just this one Broom, or are they all stupid? Is it even worth it?! If I equip this Broom and my stats don't skyrocket, I think I'll just go ahead and drop dead.
"Excuse me if I may, but what is the lowest costing Broom in this establishment?" [Nero] asked cautiously.
"The lowest costing Broom… Hmm... Well, I think that it would be this one here. Yes, I'm almost certain of it. This is a Lion Mane String Oakwood Broom. It will set you back 1500 Silver Coins or 1 Gold and 500 Silver Coins." [Hag of Hollow] replied while looking around the shop.
"May I hold it for a second?" [Nero] asked while taking off his glasses, hood, and placing his Lantern to the floor to signify goodwill.
"Yes, I don't see why not." [Hag of Hollow] accepted while shrugging as if it's no big deal.
Okay, after grabbing the Broom and looking at my status, it does appear that it gives stats. This Lionmane String Oakwood Broom is bestowing me a cool 60 INT, 120 MP, and 36 AGI. It's not bad. It's literally giving me 6 free levels worth of stats but only for those three stat types. Is it worth 1500 Silver Coins? I don't know. What I do know is that there was no store dedicated towards selling Brooms in the Beastkin Kingdom. I might be able to commission a woodworker to craft me a Broom, but I think the issue here is the materials involved.
The Lion Mane fur, and the Oakwood. Actually, does this mean that the type of sand used to make the glass for a Lantern might impact the efficiency of the Lantern? It's not just the metal, you need glass too. Thankfully I dont need candles, but it might even improve them. I have no idea. I know that I can find rare stones in the Chasms if I procure myself a Pickaxe, but I don't know where I can find rare sand. I know that I can't procure valuable Lanterns from stores, but at least I can skip finding materials for Brooms if I just pay the Hag.
"Okay, thank you very much. I'll make sure to come back around when I have more Coins." [Nero] proclaimed while placing the Broom back on the rack before retrieving the items that he had previously placed on the floor in goodwill.
After leaving the Hag's Hollow, I cast [Hallowed Gate] and returned home with Cetilla. She's acting as if Halloween is a nostalgic place to her again, but I really don't understand it. You've only been here twice, okay?! At best, you have spent a total of 20 minutes here. Ahhh~ Fine. I got on my Broom, extended my hand to which she quickly took. I'm now flying above my Halloween Town so that Cetilla can get a better view of the place. Ah-she noticed the cataclypse level monsters in the distance.
"W-what are those?" [Cetilla] asked.
"I honestly don't know. They're clearly some extremely dangerous Halloween Clansmen, but they each have different shapes so I truly have no idea what they all are actually called. They're quite far in the distance, and appear to be moving. That being said, they don't actually move anywhere. Based on my observations, I think that they're dancing to emit a wall of haki which surrounds my Halloween Town. That wall of haki protects us, and keeps any stray Halloween Clansmen from approaching my Town. It also keeps my Clansmen from exploring the rest of Halloween." [Nero] confessed.
"That's strange. Do they always dance?" [Cetilla] asked.
"As far as I can tell. Even I as a True Halloween Cat don't fully understand Halloween. I've been trying, but all I have are theories without evidence." [Nero] explained while sighing.
"...a True Halloween Cat? You usually say 'the'." [Cetilla] asked mockingly.
"Well, I'm the True Halloween Cat when we're in your world. But here, I'm just one of the True Halloween Cats. Each world can only have one True Halloween Cat belonging to it. While that's true, it doesn't mean that there can't be multiple Halloween Cats within that same world. The first of them to be born gains the True Halloween Cat title though." [Nero] explained.
"Oh~ I understand now. Still though, this place is marvelous." [Cetilla]
"I'm glad you like it. This is where all of my Clansmen live during the day. Shall we return to the Wailing Keep now?" [Nero] asked.
"Okay~" [Cetilla] answered as though she wanted to stay longer.
I wonder if when I die, will I be forced to live in Halloween? Will I still have the same Town? Will my Clansmen be there? It's probably better to not think about it. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind spending eternity with my Clansmen. Be that as it may, if it were the case, I wouldn't want them to immediately join me in eternity as soon as I die. That would be way too sad. But if I were forced to spend eternity within Halloween and they weren't immediately sent to join me, then there's a good chance that they'd never be sent to join me. Why? What if they end up being owned by another Halloween Cat after I die? Would they be forced to choose, or would both of us wind up sharing a Halloween Town?
I guess I'll know when I know. Clansmen! If I die and end up being thrown into Halloween, I'll wait for you. Don't all come at once though. I want each of you to do your best! Yosh~ Meow that that's settled, I think its high time for some dinner. Let's prepare some food. And Clothes. I want to hold a festival tomorrow night. I want to give back to the community, and bathe. After I set my Candy back into my Treasure Room, I made my way to the Kitchen to prepare our meal. Cetilla joined me and helped cut the time down. It took us around 15 minutes to serve a large platter. Dinner… Is served!
Enjoying this meal with us in the Dining Hall, we have Cyclozard, Goblin Hunk, and Budget Dragon. Mobbin Village Keef Sama is probably off doing house calls with Cloaked Hunk #wassup. While we ate, I was preparing more clothes for the charity. I'm still aiming for level 3 pieces. When we finished eating, we all went out to the Campfire and danced to the music of our bandsmen. After around an hour, Mobbin Village Keef Sama and Cloaked Hunk #wassup returned and joined us. I say that, but Mobbin Village Keef Sama doesn't really dance much on account of his age. He did a little, but he sat down within a matter of minutes.
I was getting tired from dancing anyways, so I decided to join him. We went on to talk about all sorts of meaningless things and after awhile, White Sheep Lady joined us in our conversation. It was a fine night. After a few more hours, dawn was approaching so I used [Daily Candy] and decided to head to bed. Everyone else had already retired at this point, but my conversation with White Sheep Lady and Mobbin Village Keef Sama carried on throughout the night. Goodnight, you two.