The weather in the fjord was quite peculiar. Yesterday it was a clear blue sky with no clouds for thousands of miles, but today it was gloomy and windy, with thunder rumbling, and a downpour seemed imminent.

Ash held down her disheveled hair and entered Tilly's residence. The first thing she saw was the giant pigeon perched on her shoulder.

"Maisie?"

"Goo!" The pigeon raised its head, its eyes lit up, and it flapped its wings straight towards the door. Ash easily stopped it with her hand. "Transform and then talk."

"Ooh... Goo," Maisie fluttered to the ground, shedding her feathers to reveal her true appearance, pouting her mouth, "Do you hate pigeons?"

"I always find it strange that a big bird can talk," Ash smiled and pulled up the girl who was sitting on the ground, "When did you get back?"

"Just a little while ago, I was afraid of encountering a storm, my wings were almost broken," she patted her chest, "Fortunately, I flew to Sleeping Island before the rain fell."

"You just... flew back like this?" Ash held her forehead, "Why didn't you transform into a petrel? Isn't it much faster?"

"Ah..." Maisie blinked her eyes as if she suddenly understood, "I forgot, goo."

Tilly couldn't help but laugh. She put down the letter in her hand, "Thank you for your hard work. I already know the news from over there. You can go play with Lotus and Muriel first, and I'll let you know when I've decided how to reply."

"Okay, goo!" Maisie saluted and hopped out.

"What did Luo Lan. Wenbudun say?" When only the two of them were left in the room, Ash walked to Tilly's side and sat down on the ground. A map was spread out in front of her, and she took a closer look. It seemed to be a map of the terrain near Border Town.

"This is his letter," Tilly handed her a piece of paper, "I have to say, the witches he chose are really... special."

Ash quickly finished reading the letter and couldn't help but frown. "He actually chose Sylvie? Doesn't he care about being exposed?"

"I don't know," Tilly said noncommittally, "Perhaps my ability annotation was too vague, so he didn't delve into it? Or perhaps he doesn't mind revealing his identity in front of us to show his sincerity in cooperation? Of course, there is another possibility..."

"He is really your brother," Ash continued, "So he doesn't care about Sylvie's ability at all."

"But this possibility is very small," she smiled self-deprecatingly, "Who knows my brother better than I do? If it is really Luo Lan. Wenbudun, he would never choose to be an enemy of the church in order to protect the witches. From childhood to adulthood, what he is best at is escaping, whether it is facing challenges or difficulties... Even when he was transferred to the Borderland by the battle for the throne, he never saw him make a kàngyi to his father, even if it was symbolic."

Ash raised her eyebrows, "In short, it's a good thing for us that he took the initiative to choose Sylvie, so we don't have to find an excuse to send another witch out. But what about the other witches... are you really going to agree to him?"

"Why not?"

"Lotus is one of the most important witches on Sleeping Island. If she's not here, who will repair the mud houses when they break down? If we want to build something, or transform the island's terrain, it is extremely inconvenient without the ability to reshape the terrain. After all, we have only utilized less than 30% of the entire Sleeping Island, and there are many places that can be transformed," she counted her fingers, "And Honey is also important. She can drive ospreys to catch fish for everyone, and everyone enjoys all kinds of delicious fish soups thanks to her. As for Candle and Evelyn, there aren't too many problems... Can't you refuse his request and send two witches who don't have much use instead?"

"What is useful and what is useless? I am sending them to Border Town in the hope of forming an alliance relationship with them, not abandoning them," Tilly's expression was a little serious, "Regardless of their abilities, the sisters who choose to come to this isolated island are all witches. If we want to build Sleeping Island into a home for witches, how can we screen them according to the amount of their ability and usefulness?"

Ash had seen her show such an expression in the palace before - this was the Fifth Princess's true anger, and she couldn't help but change her address, "I'm sorry... Your Highness, I just..."

Tilly sighed and said slowly, "Moreover, it is difficult to measure everyone's abilities through a certain standard. Luo Lan chose these five from more than a hundred witches, including Candle and Evelyn, who you said were not very useful. Are they really useless? Perhaps through this contact, we can understand whether his purpose in choosing these two is accidental, or whether he has seen aspects that we have not realized." She paused, "In any case, we are already a very small part, and any witch is worth fighting for. They are not tools for building a home, but partners with common goals. Don't say such things in the future."

"Yes, Your Highness," Ash said, lowering her head.

At this moment, a bolt of lightning flashed across the clouds and fell straight into the sea. As if it were the command of a god, deafening thunder followed closely behind, exploding above Sleeping Island. Rain fell from the sky, first in sparse drops, and then quickly converged into an undulating roar. The dense rain curtain tinted the scenery outside the window with a layer of white mist, and the heavy rain even temporarily drowned out the sound of the two people's conversation.

Ash got up and closed the window to prevent rain from entering the room. Turning her head, she saw Tilly swaying twice, looking a little haggard.

"You stayed up late again yesterday?"

"Yeah," Tilly yawned, "The books brought back from the ruins are all written in the same kind of text, and I have already found the common points among them. As long as I give it some time, I will definitely be able to translate them all."

"Yes, given time... anyway, we've gotten rid of the entanglement of the church, and there's plenty of time. You don't need to study it all night long," Ash frowned, "This has a great impact on your health."

"Don't worry, I'm an extraordinary witch, and my body won't collapse so easily." The Fifth Princess took a deep breath, "And I have a vague premonition... the scene I saw in the ruins makes me feel uneasy, and it's better to decipher the contents of these books as soon as possible... By the way, when the witches go to Border Town this time, let them also bring a copy of the ancient book."

"If even you can't understand it, the witches of the Cooperation Association are even less likely to."

"Just try your luck," Tilly said, "I heard that there is also an ancient ruin in the Eastern Forest, and the Cooperation Association originated in Seawind County, which is right next to the forest. Maybe someone among them has seen this kind of text. If it can be proved that the texts in the two places are the same, it means that these ruins all come from the same group of people."

"Yes, I understand," Ash responded.

"Also, I wasn't blaming you before, you also have a certain truth to your words - but not the part about judging by the size of their ability," she stopped Ash from wanting to say anything, "I have reached an agreement with the Crescent Bay Chamber of Commerce, and they will transfer some ordinary people to Sleeping Island in the spring of next year. If Lotus leaves for too long, it will indeed affect the subsequent construction of the island, so before winter comes, I will let them return to the fjord."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

"However, in order to avoid misunderstandings, I will also lead several combat-type witches to replace them in Border Town to help the Cooperation Association resist the Demonic Month." Tilly showed a sly smile, "Are you willing to go with me then?"

Ash was stunned for a moment, and finally had to reply helplessly, "Of course, Your Highness."