"I Became a Witch, but Now Everyone's in Love with Me!"

Chapter 41: Product Upgrade

The girl drank a double dose of potion before heading out.
Of course, it wasn’t to give Lina a big performance boost—she just had a busy day ahead.
A month had passed, and it was time for her master to evaluate her apprentice. She also planned to make use of the outing to take a few /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ basic certification exams for her secondary profession.

In truth, professional certificates didn’t offer any actual benefits. They were more of a bothersome formality—troublesome to obtain and not directly profitable. Essentially, they were just proof of qualification. Those who passed could legally open a shop and sell products at the corresponding level.
—Though street vendors without certification were common, having one did at least increase customer trust.
Well, the real reason was that without a certificate, customers would haggle harder and force you to lower your prices.

But Jiang Cha didn’t have the time to set up a stall just to make money.
She simply intended to take the exams since she had to go out today anyway. It was convenient.
“I have to go to the Battle Club tomorrow… Time is tight. I’ll ask Master how to develop thinking circuits more quickly this time.”

Mental strength determined how fast you could absorb knowledge, and thinking circuits determined how quickly you could understand it.
Both were essential. Enhancing thinking circuits helped with calculations, spellcasting, and combat. It was one of the most cost-effective areas to focus on early in one's studies.
—In any case, the returns were greater than just training your magic reserves.

“Oh, Jiang Cha, you’re here? Then help me watch the shop for a bit. I’m going to bring my mom back.”
This past month, Jiang Cha had frequently visited Myrtle’s alchemy shop on weekends to ask her questions. Over time, she had become more familiar with her daughter, Jasmine.
Now, Jasmine didn’t even wait for Jiang Cha to greet her. As soon as she saw her, she dashed off, leaving the store in her care and heading toward the red-light district with far too much familiarity.

“Actually…”
Actually, Jiang Cha wasn’t in any hurry.
Today was a lighter day in her study schedule. It could almost be considered a day off.

But before she could finish her sentence, Jasmine was already astride her broom, disappearing through space.
She’s probably already arrived at the red-light district.
The girl sighed quietly and stood behind the counter, praying no customers would show up—she still had no idea what Myrtle’s store even sold.
Unfortunately, perhaps due to Murphy’s Law, or maybe just because weekends were busier, no sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the door opened and a customer stepped in.

“Excuse me… is this Myrtle’s Alchemy Workshop?”
“Yes, that’s right. Is there anything I can help you with, sir? The owner isn’t here at the moment, but you can tell me what you need, and I’ll pass it along.”
“Or you can wait for a bit. She should be back in about half an hour.”

Jiang Cha offered a polite smile, her tone calm and professional.
“Ah… I won’t wait. Here’s a request form. Please take a look.”
The witch who entered looked slightly embarrassed—not the kind of nervousness that came from anxiety, but more like someone shyly buying their first R18 comic at a convention.

‘Is Myrtle really selling that kind of thing?’ Jiang Cha silently grumbled as she accepted the form and glanced at it.
It was just a glance—out of idle curiosity. She didn’t intend to make the item herself. Myrtle was a high-ranking professional, and Jasmine was a skilled alchemist as well. Jiang Cha, who hadn’t even passed her certification exams yet, was hardly qualified to touch their work.
Then she saw the product name at the top of the requisition form:

Love Connection Props
Jiang Cha: “…”
“I understand. You can come back to pick it up this afternoon. As for the price, it’ll be standard market rate.”

She really needed to have a serious chat with her shameless old master about copyright fees.
This thing had been a gift—something Jiang Cha brought two weeks ago for her master. She never imagined that in less than half a month, Myrtle had already improved the formula and turned it into the workshop’s best-selling item.
Yes, it had been upgraded.

After sending the guest off, Jiang Cha carefully examined the form. Most of the requested functions were completely beyond her current capabilities. From materials to techniques, everything was high-grade alchemy.
Compared to that certain witch alchemist at the peak of her career, her master—the clownish Myrtle—could actually match her.
“Don’t bother looking. You couldn’t complete that order even if you tried.”

The moment Myrtle walked through the door, she saw Jiang Cha’s constipated expression. One glance at the request form, and she immediately understood. She waved smugly and grinned.
“Well? Built-in humidifier and heater, micro-electric shock with user-controlled intensity, and it can even spray nutrient-rich hot slime! Isn’t it brilliant?”
“I can only say—you're definitely the kind of woman who’s turned the red-light district upside down. This is just…”

“Shameless!”
Jasmine cut in, clearly annoyed, glaring hard at her mother. “I’m warning you—don’t give this kind of stuff to Jiang Cha! Don’t even let her see it!”
“She’s still underage! Just because you’re a lost cause doesn’t mean you get to corrupt her too!”

“Hold on a second—”
Myrtle’s smugness deflated in an instant. She opened her mouth to explain, but Jasmine had already stormed off to the back room with the form in hand, heading straight to the alchemy lab.
“I swear I just upgraded the product…”

Hands raised in defeat, Myrtle turned to see the sly smirk on her apprentice’s face and sighed.
“You really conned her, didn’t you?”
“Well, Master, unlike you…”

“What’s the difference?”
Myrtle was genuinely confused about how this little vixen had managed to win over both her daughter and niece.
But Jiang Cha simply shrugged and let out a regretful sigh.

“I’m not old enough to get into the red-light district. They won’t even let me through the door.”
Myrtle: “…”
So, in the end, was it really that wrong for a single woman to give a poor little witch who couldn’t afford clothes a bit of help?

In witch society, after all, certain things were perfectly legal.
So strictly speaking, Myrtle’s actions—while questionable—weren’t completely beyond the pale.
“Whatever. Let’s move on to serious matters… Jiang Cha, you’ve been studying the Way of the Almighty, right? How are you finding it?”

Myrtle gave up. Her reputation was a lost cause anyway. Why bother salvaging it?
“Honestly, I haven’t felt much difference. Maybe it hasn’t been long enough, or maybe my method is off. Do you have any advice?”
“Advice? No. Your method’s fine. The path to omnipotence is all about long-term accumulation. It’s normal to see no immediate results.”

“But…”
“There are… shortcuts.”