Chapter 37: If You Can’t Practice, Don’t. If You Can, Then Practice.

“There are quite a few people at the small gathering this time.”

“Many have come from other places,” Nancy said, looking at Bai Yu. “They need to eat food that contains no magic elements, and there is enough food here to provide for them.”

Through their time together, Nancy had gradually realized that the three sisters were not as powerful as she had imagined. However, without them, all the food on the small gathering grounds that was free of magic elements would disappear.

It wasn’t just her; others had more or less noticed this as well.

Yet no one dared to act rashly. In fact, everyone helped hide the trio’s identities, so aside from the original group, not many outsiders knew their true situation.

Even if the three of them weren’t particularly powerful, the item they held that could absorb magic elements was extraordinary. One look was enough to know it wasn’t something an ordinary person could obtain.

Bai Yu didn’t know Nancy was thinking so much in that moment. She simply pondered Nancy’s words before asking, “Next time we come, you can prepare more Magic Beast meat.”

“Can you really?” Nancy asked excitedly.

Bai Yu nodded. “It’s not for free; it’s an exchange. We won’t lose out, so just make sure you have it ready.”

Nancy bowed hurriedly. “Thank you so much.”

Absorbing the magic elements from Magic Beast meat took only a moment when using an Upgrade Card. Having the chance to absorb more magic elements while obtaining more items from this Plane was like killing two birds with one stone.

After speaking with Nancy, Bai Yu held Bai Miao and used the Upgrade Card to absorb the magic elements from the Magic Beast meat. Then, they left the cave and headed toward the market.

Since she had promised to take Bai Miao to find Qiqi, Bai Yu would not break her word to her younger sister.

Shortly after they left, people quickly entered the cave.

The simple cave was piled high with ordinary meat, and everyone wore smiles as usual.

Nancy then brought up Bai Yu’s words: “More meat means we can feed more people. Our gathering area can expand even further.”

“In that case, perhaps we can seek out those wealthy nobles. After all, every family has some ordinary people who cannot eat Magic Beast meat. Most of the relatives and friends around these people possess magic; we can have them help us build houses.”

“Would they be willing?”

“They’ll have to be, whether they like it or not. This batch of meat has the lowest magic element content I’ve ever tasted, one could even say it has almost none. Only this can allow us to have a normal lifespan.”

“Should we ask those three sisters for their opinion?”

“But they don’t seem interested in deep communication with us.”

Nancy thought for a moment and said, “If they truly want to live with us, they will naturally come once the houses are built. If they don’t, it’s best if we don’t disturb them.”

“Then let’s handle the matters at hand first.”

…

“Between the magic that extends the Transit Pass’s duration and the things we’ve traded for, I feel almost embarrassed to take it all.”

“But for them, this trade should be a bargain. It’s just like…” Bai Yu thought for a moment. “It’s like in some inland areas where fish are very expensive. Many merchants who wait at the docks to collect fish will transport them inland to earn a profit from the price difference. Sometimes the difference for a single fish can be as much as dozens of copper coins.”

“That much?” Bai Xi was surprised. “Are people inland willing to buy them?”

“Of course. Aren’t we also willing to spend money on expensive chicken, duck, and pork?”

“How is that the same? We only buy those once in a long while.”

“The feelings of people inland buying fish should be the same as ours when we buy chicken, duck, or pork. They might only buy it once in a long while, but if there are many people, almost every shipment of meat sent there will be sold out quickly. Our trade with Nancy is the same,” Bai Yu said, looking at Bai Xi. “Did you see her expression today when I told her to prepare more meat next time?”

Bai Xi thought about it and quickly said, “She was very happy.”

“Yes. Just as we are happy to receive these things, she is also happy to exchange for more meat without magic,” Bai Yu said, picking up Bai Miao. “Let’s put this away and go. We still have to walk to the market.”

Bai Xi didn’t overthink it further and nodded immediately.

The three returned to their temporary hiding spot in the Magic Plane and headed toward the market.

The market here had only recently reopened, and many buildings were still being rebuilt. However, everyone wore relaxed expressions, as if they had survived a great catastrophe.

The three sisters didn’t feel this as deeply, as they didn’t live here permanently. They only came occasionally to find materials and trade with Nancy. Aside from Qiqi and her mother, they didn’t know anyone else.

Still, seeing everyone starting their lives anew made them feel happy for them.

The market was being rebuilt, and the villages within a few miles were also under reconstruction. Flying Carpets, which hadn’t been seen for months, were now visible. Standing there, they saw several carpets flying by, some coming to buy things and others to sell.

The Flying Carpets were high up, so they couldn’t see the people sitting on them.

It wasn’t until a voice calling “Miao Miao” rang out from the distance that they realized Qiqi and her mother had landed a while ago. However, the current market was very different from before, and they had also been looking for the three sisters.

“Qiqi!”

The two children ran toward each other and gave one another a big hug.

Qiqi’s mother took Bai Yu and Bai Xi’s hands to talk: “We wanted to wait for you that day, but I didn’t expect that Magic Beast to come so quickly. If we hadn’t left then, we wouldn’t have been able to get away. Have you been well these past few months? Are you okay?”

“We’re fine. We hid quickly back then. Perhaps because we have no magic, the Magic Beast didn’t chase us,” Bai Yu said. After several months, she had learned that Magic Beasts track those with magic but don’t aggressively pursue those without it.

Qiqi’s mother breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful. Qiqi has been worried about you these past months, and I was very worried too. It’s good that you’re all fine. But why didn’t you come back?”

When Qiqi’s mother said “come back,” she meant the area with the Flammable Grass.

Bai Yu shook her head and mentioned the location of the small gathering. “We’ve settled down over there for now.”

Qiqi’s mother knew the situation there and didn’t insist. “That’s good too. That place is full of people without magic elements; it will be very safe for you to live there. Actually, even if you did come back, Qiqi wouldn’t be able to see you often. She already has magic elements in her body and has started practicing magic, so she can’t enter the Flammable Grass Grassland anymore.”

Magic elements automatically cause dry Flammable Grass to ignite. Therefore, those who gathered Flammable Grass to make Fire Starters were either young like Qiqi used to be, before their internal magic elements became concentrated, or like Nancy, who for various reasons could no longer retain magic elements in their bodies.

In most cases, ordinary people here could practice magic; only a few special cases could not.

This was why Qiqi’s mother had looked at the three of them with a hint of sympathy when she first saw them coming out of the Flammable Grass Grassland.

Listening to Qiqi’s mother, Bai Yu felt happy for Qiqi. “That’s great. Being able to practice magic means her life will be better in the future.”

“What she becomes later will depend on her talent,” Qiqi’s mother said with a smile.

Bai Yu understood the underlying meaning.

A booklet Nancy had given them mentioned that while the vast majority of people in this Plane could practice magic, the level they could ultimately reach depended on individual talent. The stronger the talent, the higher the cultivation level.

Those with the worst talent were essentially ordinary people with only a trace of magic.

Even steering a flying carpet requires a certain level of talent and reaching a specific rank. Ordinary magic users are not entirely incapable of piloting them, but they often lack sufficient magic elements within their bodies, meaning they can only make the flying carpet travel a very short distance.

For instance, Qiqi’s mother is an ordinary person who knows magic, but her innate talent is not even enough to pilot a flying carpet from their home village to this market. That is why she has to pay to ride on someone else’s flying carpet.

Most people in this Magic Plane live very ordinary lives.

…

“What is wrong? Why the long face? Weren’t you happy to see Qiqi?”

“I am happy,” Bai Miao sighed like a little adult, “but Qiqi said she is going to be very busy. Her mother told her that her current age is the best time to practice magic. If she doesn’t work hard while she is young, it will be very difficult for her magic to grow when she is older.”

“This is very important for Qiqi. Just as you have to study hard, Qiqi has to study too,” Bai Yu said, ruffling her hair.

“What exactly is magic anyway?” Bai Miao shook Bai Yu’s hand. “Qiqi said learning magic is like forming a bottle inside your body. This bottle can grow larger, and the larger the bottle, the more magic elements it can hold.”

Listening to this, Bai Xi suddenly asked, “That description sounds so familiar.”

Bai Yu also felt it was familiar, but for a moment, she could not recall where she had heard it.

At that moment, Bai Miao looked up. “A Dantian¹ is the same way!”

“The White Mist Plane?!” Bai Xi remembered. “The Dantian that lets us store Spiritual Qi to make us stronger is almost exactly like the bottle Qiqi described. Does that mean we can absorb magic too?”

“It is written in the books!” Bai Miao raised her hand.

“Can we?” Bai Xi looked at Bai Yu, seeking her opinion.

Bai Yu did not actually know. After all, before obtaining the Check-in Shell, she had been just an ordinary fisherwoman. Although she had seen a bit more of the world than her two younger sisters, that was the extent of it.

She did not dare to make a decision on her own. After thinking for a moment, she said, “How about we ask Nancy when we get back?”

“Alright, let’s ask her if people our age can practice magic. If we can…” Bai Xi began to imagine the possibilities, “maybe we can pilot flying carpets and fly through the sky ourselves.”

When Nancy faced their inquiry, her subconscious reaction was also a question: “Is it possible?”

She did not know if older people could start practicing again after losing their magic. After all, in most cases, it was impossible.

“It isn’t possible?”

“If it can be practiced, then do it,” Nancy said, pausing before adding a similar sentiment, “If you are able to do it, then practice.”

If it were her, and the day came where she could practice magic again, she certainly would not refuse.

Translator’s Notes