Mrs. Hoa lifted her cigar to her lips and inhaled slowly. Smoke curled through the air as she exhaled, as though measuring her thoughts before releasing them. Her eyes were sharp as blades, yet her mouth curved into a restrained half-smile.
"Oh, Mai. You've come to visit me?" Her voice was low, layered with implication. "I've heard that Witchiecoop is quite stirred by the news that you interfered with Mimi's liquidation."
Mai did not waver.
"Yes, ma'am."
Mrs. Hoa inclined her head slightly. The softness vanished from her expression.
"That is not a trivial matter. You understand the agreement between the nobility and Witchiecoop. Neither your father nor I can afford to violate it. If they cease production of AI Witches for our families…" Her voice cooled further. "The consequences would be severe."
Long stood silently at Mai's side, disbelief tightening his chest. Mimi had belonged to Lan—Mrs. Hoa's own daughter. Yet Mrs. Hoa spoke of liquidation with unsettling composure.
Mai's voice remained steady.
"I understand. And I will take responsibility."
Mrs. Hoa's eyes flashed.
"You are being reckless! This affects both our families!"
Mai met her gaze directly.
"I didn't come here to argue. I came to uncover the secret in Lan's will. Don't you want to know what it is?"
The hall fell silent.
Mrs. Hoa's expression shifted—subtle, but unmistakable. Even Sharky, the massive white shark-shaped Superior AI Witch hovering beside her, withdrew its oppressive aura. Its cold eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Mai continued.
"If you wish to know the truth… allow me to enter Lan's room. I believe what she left behind is closely connected to Mimi."
Mrs. Hoa leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes halfway and tilted her face toward the glass ceiling. Smoke drifted upward and dissolved into the vast, chilled air of the hall.
No one dared to speak.
Then her gaze snapped toward Long and Dreamy.
"And who are you?" Her voice echoed sharply.
Mai answered without hesitation.
"This is Long. And this is Dreamy, his AI Witch companion. We volunteered together at the AI Witch training center."
Long's heart pounded. He was not accustomed to lying, and the smoothness of Mai's explanation made him uneasy. He forced a polite smile.
"Yes… that's correct. Good morning, ma'am."
Instinctively, he glanced at Dreamy.
Dreamy blinked its blue eyes calmly. It was an old habit—whenever Long bent the truth, Dreamy would quietly log it and later report it to Mrs. Huong as a reminder.
Mrs. Hoa barely acknowledged the greeting. Her gaze lingered briefly on Dreamy, sensing a faint but unusual magical fluctuation. As the master of a Superior AI Witch, she was adept at recognizing subtle currents of power from it.
But after a moment, she dismissed the thought.
With a slight wave of her hand, her voice resonated through the hall.
"Escort them."
Two guards materialized almost instantly, as though summoned through teleportation. Beside them stood two formidable AI Witches: a sleek serpent with frost-like eyes and a muscular leopard with radiant yellow fur.
The group proceeded through expansive grounds and into long corridors lined with towering portraits of former Tran family heads.
In every painting, an AI Witch stood beside its master.
An eagle with wings fully spread.
A wolf mid-howl.
A tiger baring its fangs.
Each radiated overwhelming power.
Long slowed his steps, unable to tear his eyes away.
He paused before one particular portrait.
A dignified man stood proudly, and beside him was a young woman gripping a massive broadsword.
Mai's voice echoed softly in the corridor.
"That is the first-generation head of the Tran family. His AI Witch took the form of his daughter—an exceptionally powerful Superior AI Witch."
Long swallowed. Awe pressed heavily against his ribs. The world of nobility—and the forms AI Witches could assume—was far beyond anything he had imagined.
Finally, they arrived.
Before them stood a pink-and-white room. Beyond its windows stretched a courtyard filled with blooming cherry blossoms. Petals drifted gently through the air, beautiful yet hauntingly fragile.
This had been Lan's room.
Mai stepped inside. Her movements were slow, weighted with memory. Tears shimmered in her eyes.
Long and Dreamy followed in silence.
Mai closed her eyes and called softly, "Miki."
A shimmer of creation magic rippled through the air.
Miki's eyes glowed as it scanned the room. Light gathered—and a scene unfolded before them.
Lan appeared in a wheelchair.
Sometimes she laughed freely, talking animatedly. Sometimes she stared out the window, her expression clouded by thoughts of her illness.
Then Mimi entered the memory.
Lan's face brightened instantly.
Her smile—rare and luminous—seemed to bloom like the cherry blossoms outside. Over time, Mimi's presence had brought warmth and color back into her life.
The image shifted.
Lan wheeled herself into the room and gently closed the door. Her face was pale. Her eyes were swollen with grief.
Suddenly, she began to cry.
She pulled Mimi into her arms, hugging it tightly, whispering something too faint for Miki to reconstruct. Then, wiping her tears, Lan moved to her desk.
She opened a drawer.
Took out a notebook.
And began to write.
Each stroke of her pen felt deliberate—heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Mai gasped softly.
"That's right… Lan once told me she kept a diary."
The vision flickered and faded.
Miki turned to her.
"I cannot reconstruct anything further. Lan passed away afterward. Images of the deceased cannot be generated beyond their final recorded imprints."
Mai approached the desk slowly.
Her hand trembled as she opened the drawer.
Inside lay a simple notebook.
Lan's diary.
Untouched.
Waiting.
Mai looked upward and whispered,
"I'm sorry, Lan. But if this can protect Mimi… and help fulfill your final wish… I must read it."
Her fingers trembled as she opened the first page.
Ink met her eyes.
Day X, Month Y, Year YYYY…
Another wonderful day with Mimi. But…