"Is this where you landed last time?" Tilly asked, gazing at the towering cliffs ahead.

The Pretty Maiden had been sailing west along the coast since spotting the shoreline, until it reached this beach, where Ashes called for the ship to stop.

"Yes, look," she pointed to the top of the ridge.

Tilly followed her gaze and saw two orange flags fluttering in the wind.

"Although it was a beach when we came last time, those two flags indicate that we haven't taken the wrong path."

"I remember too," Old Jack said, puffing on his pipe. "But last time they also had a huge balloon to transport all the witches over the cliff. How will you get across?"

"A huge balloon?" Tilly asked curiously.

"Yes, it can fly when filled with hot air," Ashes nodded. "It's said to be His Highness Roland's invention, using the power of rising hot air to lift the balloon and people into the sky."

The Five Kings Daughter looked complicated for a moment. "The court tutors didn't teach me about these things." Then she exhaled a puff of white air. "Anyway, I'll see him soon enough, and then I'll naturally know the answer. Let's go ashore."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait for him to pick you up on the ship?" the captain shook off the ashes. "What about this cliff?"

"Leave it to Shavi," Tilly smiled.

Since this was a naturally formed coastline, no one knew the depth of the seabed. The Pretty Maiden dared not get too close, so they had to send people to the shallow beach by launching a landing craft.

After the group stepped onto the thick snow, Tilly looked at Jack One-Eye, "Captain, then I'll trouble you to wait here for three or four days. Lian and the others still need your help to send them back to Sleeping Island."

"Of course," the captain responded. "Without you on the ship, I wouldn't dare to return the same way. Heaven knows if those mutated water ghosts will come looking for us again."

Tilly walked to the cliff edge and used the magic stone's ability to fly straight to the top of the mountain. After observing the surroundings, she found that the terrain behind the mountain was much higher than the beach, almost level with the top of the mountain, meaning that they only needed to climb, not descend. The cliff was about fifty steps high. The magic consumption would increase significantly when the barrier was used to lift objects, but this distance should be no problem for Shavi. She slowly descended to the four of them. "Shavi, I'll leave the three of them to you."

"Yes, Tilly-sama," the latter smiled and patted her chest. Then she summoned an invisible barrier. After two days of rest, she had recovered from resisting the force of the sea monster's impact. When everyone stepped onto the transparent barrier, she activated her magic, causing it to slowly rise upward. In a short while, they crossed over the mountain.

Then, guided by Ashes, the group spent half a day finally arriving at Border Town.

The first thing that caught Tilly's eye was a uniquely shaped steel bridge. It straddled the wide river, with only two piers at the bottom. Apart from the neatly arranged iron beams and columns, there were no unnecessary decorations or patterns on its body. The snow covering the bridge deck formed a sharp contrast with the exposed black bridge body, giving it an unspeakable momentum at a glance.

"This bridge… is so big," Hefeng exclaimed, "How much iron ingot did they melt to build such a bridge?"

"What a waste of materials. It's obvious that a pontoon bridge can solve the traffic problem. What's the point of building it so high?" Ashes said disapprovingly. "Border Town itself is the last stop for merchant fleets. Does anyone want to go to the source of the river to do business?"

"Ignorant comments," Andrea elegantly waved her index finger. "Even if I'm not a Graycastle, I can see that this woodland to the west has great development value. The absence of towns now does not mean there will be none in the future. If you want to continue expanding your territory, expanding into uninhabited areas is the best choice. Then the pontoon bridge will become an obstacle to river transportation. Tilly-sama's brother is obviously considering things more long-term than you are."

Ashes raised her eyebrows, "Before you were a vulgar noble who liked barbaric cooking, and now you're calling her Tilly-sama's brother?"

"You added the word 'vulgar noble'," the blonde witch turned her head away in disdain. "Also, foresight and barbaric cooking are not contradictory. You don't need to sow discord in front of Tilly-sama."

Tilly didn't pay attention to the two's routine quarrel, but turned her attention to the other side of the river.

She noticed an incredible phenomenon.

At this time, it was still snowing, and the temperature was no different from midwinter. Logically speaking, the townspeople should all be hiding in their homes, either around the stove or curled up in their quilts. Even in the royal capital, you wouldn't see many people on the streets in winter. The cold would increase physical exertion, and you would have to eat more than usual to keep warm, not to mention the risk of catching a cold when going out. Therefore, apart from the necessary eating and drinking, most commoners would always avoid action in winter.

However, people were constantly coming and going by the river in the town. Some were pushing carts, some were carrying large bags of things, and they were walking in a hurry, looking like they were working. Tilly couldn't find any supervisors with whips around them, which meant that these people were working completely voluntarily.

This… how is this possible?

After crossing the iron bridge, two guards holding strange long guns immediately walked over. They were wearing uniform clothing, looked energetic, and their expressions were completely different from the patrol teams commonly seen in big cities. "Stop, why are you coming from the south?" One of them looked at them carefully for a moment. "Wait, you are… witches?"

This question made Tilly slightly stunned. Although she already knew that the town had publicly acknowledged the existence of witches, a wave of emotion rose in her heart when she personally heard an ordinary person ask this question in such a calm tone. "That's right, we are witches."

"You want to join the Witch Cooperation Association, right?" The guard smiled. "Please wait here, I will report to the higher-ups immediately."

"Wait? No, this is"

"Okay, we'll wait here." Tilly interrupted Ashes. "Also, can I ask what these people are busy with?"

"Ah, they are rushing to repair the dock, because this heavy snow came too suddenly, and many things are in chaos. As for what needs to be done specifically, I'm not very clear."

After the guard returned to his post, Ashes asked in confusion, "Why didn't you tell them your identity?"

"Aren't you curious? How he will receive a witch from another city." Tilly winked playfully.

Before long, a tall woman in a white dress walked towards them. She had long, curly blonde hair and flawless features. Even without seeing her magic, Tilly could feel the sharp aura emanating from her, just like a drawn sword.

Without a doubt, the person was a combat-type witch, and a very powerful one at that.

"I really thought a new witch wanted to join the Witch Cooperation Association. Didn't you go back to Sleeping Island?" She glanced at Ashes first, then swept over everyone. When her eyes fell on Tilly, she suddenly froze. In an instant, the sharp feeling disappeared, replaced by a warmth like water.

"Hello, my name is Nightingale," she nodded in greeting. "You must be Tilly Wimbledon, His Highness Roland's sister, right?"