Unbeknownst to Amber, during her bouts of drunkenness, the great white goose had transformed from a coveted feast into a creature to be avoided at all costs.
Every morning, at the break of dawn, those carrying water buckets would find a round body occupying the irrigation ditch.
Its snow-white wings, misted with the morning dew, the great white goose preened itself to look both beautiful and ethereal. But at the slightest movement, it would puff up its fluffy chest, flap its wings, and charge over, pecking and biting, intent on making a nest on people's heads.
That ferocious demeanor was quite intimidating. The household familiars, the cats, became the primary victims, being chased through the streets by the goose, leaving the witches at a loss.
On the contrary, Rosemary, devoid of those ears that brought her news, found peace and was able to adjust her mood, growing increasingly fond of the great white goose.
Not only did it protect its master, but its snow-white, round body, stepping on a pair of red feet, waddled behind its owner, and just watching it walk was therapeutic; when feeling down, one could hold it and stroke it, and the feathers that came off were soft and fine, perfect for pillow stuffing.
A living, walking eiderdown sprite—how could she not love it?
"The goddess herself has bestowed this friend upon me, hasn't she? Turnip, this is your favorite, isn't it?"
Rosemary placed the washed, verdant turnip leaves into a basket on the ground. The great white goose immediately flattened its feathers, showing a docility it never showed to others.
Even the worldly Amber was left agape.
They say the Moon Goddess is the protector of the forest, and the forest animals are, without a doubt, her subjects; the black cat shares the goddess's inspiration, the white deer symbolizes the goddess's purity, and as for the great white goose... Amber couldn't see it before, but now she could discern a thing or two.
After all, apart from her formidable power, the Moon Goddess is famous for her capricious temper; even the most devout followers, if they break the taboo, are turned into animals to eat dirt; let alone outsiders who intrude into her sacred land. The Moon Goddess has a strong sense of territory, and her heavenly punishment is precise, like shooting stars with unerring accuracy.
Amber recalled the goose's fierce protection of its master and territory, and that ferocity could be considered a partial inheritance from the goddess?
"By the way, you call it Turnip?"
"Isn't it a good name? It matches me so well."
Indeed, a Rosemary and a Turnip together just make a dish name: Maiden Rosemary with Roasted Turnip and White Goose, which would make even the werewolves next door drool with desire.
Amber saw a hint of self-abandonment in the disciple's resigned smile.
Unable to watch any longer, the senior witch turned and opened the window, letting everyone cool off with a breeze.
Rosemary had been practicing "Witch's Fire," a potion of courage that can ward off evil in the dark. She followed the ancient book's steps: a dried sheep's heart as the base, three drops of scorpion venom, a pinch of devil's hair pepper, and stirred clockwise for half an hour... Rosemary, unsurprisingly, smelled the aroma of mutton hotpot.
The girl immediately closed all the doors and windows, preparing to destroy the evidence, which led to what happened next.
"I can make Witch's Fire with my eyes closed, I just lack some inspiration."
Rosemary clarified seriously, but the fragrance filling the room was not very convincing. Amber's response was a growling stomach, so the two of them shared the pot of fragrant spicy soup, with Rosemary adding the leftover snake meat to the soup for extra flavor.
Amber took it as a hangover soup, and it was, without a doubt, quite warming to the stomach, and to some extent, it really did "ward off evil" for the drunkard.
The master and apprentice enjoyed the spicy soup with delight.
"After the blessing ceremony is prepared, Perrin will return to the Junli River," Amber burped, then quickly hunched her shoulders, lowered her head, and took several sips of hot soup.
Rosemary remembered that she had spent several nights in the tavern, so she turned and closed the window to prevent the careless woman from catching a cold.
Technically, the young witch who had never entered the temple of the goddesses was not a favored one, but a servant of the favored ones. Since she was learning their magic, she naturally had to serve their daily needs, and Rosemary took her as an apprenticeship, with no discomfort at all.
In fact, Amber was carefree and relied on magic for everything, often needing Rosemary's careful attention.
"Should we prepare a farewell gift for Lady Perrin?"
Amber drank hastily and said vaguely, "Why don't you leave with Perrin?"
Rosemary was pleasantly surprised. She had never left Miller Valley in her life and immediately agreed, "Okay!"
She eagerly cleaned up the dishes and table, and some miscellaneous medicinal materials were wrapped in parchment and put into her small medicine chest—a portable suitcase made of driftwood from the east coast, with a rose gold lock on top that opened to reveal a well-organized medicine cabinet.
This was Rosemary's birthday gift from a few years ago. Heaven knows she originally wanted a backpack, but Amber was not good at sewing. However, the final product was still something Rosemary cherished. It was originally a dilapidated Eastern-style shrine, which Amber had transformed, claiming to purify the unknown divine power on it.
She restored the exquisite carvings on it, then covered the damaged wood with black ink, and made a small door in the middle that could be opened, with countless delicate hidden cabinets and boxes underneath; the wood inside was also coated with layers of special potions that could extend the preservation of herbs and conceal the scent of magic.
The well-fed great white goose waddled after its owner, and Rosemary picked it up, stroking its soft white feathers and said:
"But we must ask Lord Perrin to wait until my blessing ceremony is over. I don't want the Moon Goddess to misunderstand that I'm running away without a fight. In the end, Lord Peron might have to carry me there."
Amber stared at the girl's oblivious face for a while. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"If you want to go, you can leave with Perrin tomorrow night. I'll handle everything here, and no one will know, including the Moon Goddess."
After saying it all in one go, Amber pressed her aching head. Heaven knows how many barrels of wine she had to drink to gather enough courage. But even so, she still couldn't control the trembling tone.
"Madam..."
Rosemary finally noticed something was wrong. The woman in front of her was clutching her head, her thick golden hair covering all her expressions. The turnip on the ground obviously didn't know how to read the situation; it pulled and tugged at the fallen long hair with its red beak, treating it as ripe rice.
"Rosemary, abundance can also replace fertility, and the three goddesses will like you. You can live a safe and happy life under their protection in the Junli River."
The blue-eyed cat on the windowsill was listless, and the powerful woman seemed to have lost all her magic. Now she was huddled, even a great white goose could bully her at will.
She's more scared than I am. Rosemary was shocked by the thought that flashed through her mind.
She recalled the woman's persistent teasing and pranks in the past few days, but in fact, it was a close protection of herself. A few egg thieves fled in panic, and no one dared to have any ideas about Rosemary anymore.
When the egg hatched, it was not only Rosemary's illusion that was shattered, but also Amber's last hope.
The familiar quickly noticed the change in its master. It squawked as if it had been pricked, quickly let go of Amber's hair, flapped its wings, and then, with a grievance, it waddled back under its owner's skirt.
"I will never betray the Moon Goddess in my life."
I will never betray you. Rosemary found her voice trembling slightly.
She thought of Amber's usual carefree appearance and tried to put on a relaxed smile and said, "If it weren't for the goddess, I would probably be living in a brothel in the port now, maybe still just a slave to be scolded and beaten by the master, no, maybe I would have been buried under the dirty fish goods from the beginning and suffocated to death."
If it weren't for you, Amber, I would have already rotted and died in this primitive and strange world.
It was you who brought me into this world, how can you just let go?
Rosemary looked at the woman who had become like her own mother, and she had a lot to say, but her throat was dry and hoarse. On the contrary, the emotions surging from her heart were constantly warming her body.
A surge of courage arose.
She had been afraid and terrified, but she had never thought of running away, just because Amber was here, her faith was here, and her home was here. Whenever fear gripped her throat, that faith would pour courage back into her cold chest.
The maiden placed her palm over her heart, bowed in reverence, and spoke in the name of the divine:
"My love and loyalty are forever to the Lady of the Moon, and I shall offer the werewolf's head to Her, beseeching Her blessing."
Emboldened by the divine, in the name of the goddess, the girl uttered emotions that were hard to voice.
So, all you need to do is wait for my triumphant return, teacher.
The girl's clear and bright voice was like a bucket of ice water, thoroughly sobering Amber's drunken mind.
The Lady of the Moon would take a liking to this child.
Memories flooded in like a tide.
The baby, crying vigorously amidst the reeking fish, with a dirty face framed by bright eyes, and a tiny mouth desperately biting the woman's finger, exerting a force that was urgent, a will to live.
She tore off her cloak to wrap the infant, and said to the dark-haired, dark-eyed merchant beside her, "I'll take this child."
The Lady of the Moon would take a liking to this child.
That's what she thought at the time, and despite all that happened since, now as she looked at the girl, she still thought the same.
Amber opened her mouth, her beautiful eyes seeming to hold a thousand words, then she pointed, "Do you know, your tongue is glowing?"
Snap, the bubble of emotion burst, and Rosemary immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, rushing to the half-broken stained-glass mirror on the windowsill; at the same time, the flower cat on the table leaped down, swiping its paw, pinning down the eager great white goose.
Rosemary's "Witch's Fire" still had a half-baked effect; she frowned, using the mirror to reflect the glowing of her tongue, then looked over her shoulder to see Amber laughing uncontrollably; her own tongue was as orange as a worm.
Huh? The sharp-eyed girl noticed something peeking out from the other's embrace.
Rosemary spotted a bottle of wine hidden in the crook of the other's arm, cursed the drunkard in her heart, and reached to snatch it, only for Amber to nimbly dodge like a cat.
"Hey, be careful, this is very precious!"
The bottle in the woman's hand shimmered with a kaleidoscope of colors, reflecting beautifully with the stained-glass bells outside, a few cute, powder-green plums slowly sinking to the bottom of the bottle, creating playful little bubbles on the surface. The moment Amber uncorked the bottle, a refreshing sigh brought Rosemary back to that distant summer, the bottle of plum sparkling wine she hadn't had the chance to drink, and the continuous snowflake ice.
"Perrin brewed it, the plum wine from the East Shore; she might have added some extra seasoning, but it should taste much the same."
Amber, watching Rosemary's affectionate embrace of the bottle, couldn't help but laugh. The wine was indeed brewed by Perrin, but the ingredients were personally purchased by her from the port, going to some lengths, enlisting the help of a few sea witches to transport the goods.
Originally, this bottle of wine was meant as a birthday gift for the girl, but now Amber had other ideas.
"This bottle of wine will count as Perrin's gift," she prompted the girl, "As for my gift, you can ask for anything you want from Miller's Valley."
The most powerful spell she knew, the black panther familiar of the great witch Bathsheba, or even the beautiful silver hair blessed by moonlight from Mida, if Rosemary asked, Amber would not hesitate to fetch it for the girl.
She had become the most powerful witch of Miller's Valley once again.
Amber planned to give Rosemary a day and a half to think it over, but the girl, without hesitation, said:
"Can I have Lord Mida's Grand Parables?"
Initially, upon hearing the first name, Amber was about to fetch a razor, but upon realizing, she couldn't believe it and asked in return, "Just like that? You only want a box of games?"
Rosemary was a bit embarrassed, but she truly loved that exquisite set of porcelain cards, thinking that the journey with just herself and her goose would be lonely, so she might as well bring the Grand Parables for entertainment, and if needed, set up a fortune-telling stall; if worse came to worst, the gems on them could be pried off and sold.
Considering her lack of magical prowess, and weapons being out of the question, a box of the glittering Grand Parables was much more practical than anything else. Rosemary was making her own calculations, preparing to eat and drink well on her journey.
Of course, she didn't plan to reveal her shallow thoughts; the girl pressed her hand to her chest, looking devout, and said, "I think it's the goddess's will, hoping that I embark on my journey with a calm and joyful heart."
Looking at this mischievous girl she had raised, Amber's response was a big yawn.