Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

The next day, after settling down in the church, the group first decided on the route for the next two weeks: they would use the small town as a center, split into teams to collect data at sampling points, and then reconvene.

"This way, it'll probably take about five days to complete, which is several times faster than initially expected," Phyllis looked at the partitioned tables on the projection screen.

"Because the public security in Northern Ninth District is not bad, there's no need to stay together for safety as we had to in Northern Second District."

"With 2-3 people per team, the efficiency is indeed high," Yalian entered the room, took off his coat, hung it on the back of a chair, then poured himself a hot cup of coffee and sat down.

"It's settled then, we'll start taking action this afternoon."

After lunch, Tilan sat in her room and began to change her clothes. Her upper body was clad in a long-sleeved Dailan blouse with a ruffle neckline, slightly flared cuffs resembling dangling trumpet flowers, but not in an exaggerated manner, a row of buttons down the middle that subtly accentuated the girl's curves; on the lower body, she wore a plaid skirt that facilitated movement, while her legs were covered with thicker black cotton tights, and her feet were in breathable, lightweight black and blue sports shoes.

"This should be about right," sitting in front of the mirror, she tied her hair up, twirled the two locks of hair at the sides to the back and tied them snuggly, then she put on a white headband with a blue Swallow Grass pattern, the bow on the headband hanging down with two tails flowing alongside her black hair, swaying and stirring, creating a unique sense of beauty.

After dressing, she stood up, picked up a lightweight suitcase beside her, then walked out of the room. Deloris, who was in her team, was already sitting in the lobby waiting for her.

Different from Tilan's attire which was both functional and aesthetically pleasing, Deloris looked more like she was dressed for a vacation.

She wore a loose-fitting black vacation-style dress with a wide belt that slightly cinched at the waist and sported a large black and red Rose at the hip; her feet were in thick-soled high heels, and her bare legs without stockings contrasted sharply against the black of the dress.

Seeing Tilan descend the stairs, she placed the sun hat that was hanging behind the sofa on her head, then also picked up her suitcase and stood up.

"Deloris, you're so bad, dressing like this will make Tilan embarrassed to make you work, probably Tilan will be the one busy with the tasks," another girl in the lobby, Ruby, teased with a smile.

"It wasn't intentional, it's just that most of my wardrobe is this style, I couldn't find the more professional attire in time," Deloris shook her head and looked apologetically at Tilan as she approached.

"All right, I'm just saying. It's not easy for a lady like Deloris to join us to brave the elements. I guess you've never been to a place with such harsh conditions before," Ruby said, coming to her defense.

"It's time to set off, see you tomorrow~" After saying that, Ruby waved to Tilan and others, then walked out of the house to board a small car outside. She was grouped with Yeyeber and Efnie, and they had even rented a small car from the town.

Tilan and Deloris, on the other hand, were different. Because Tilan was the strongest, she was given the tasks that were the furthest and not so safe areas, though 'unsafe' here referred to normal people; to Tilan, the entire Northern Ninth District could be considered safe.

The two approached a small plane in the yard, placed their luggage into the belly of the aircraft, and Tilan lightly leapt on board, then turned and pulled Deloris's hand, helping her step on the wing to enter the cockpit.

The plane was no longer than five meters and looked somewhat like a chubby daisy bird, with short and stout wings, and a propeller at the front; it was a vehicle used for sightseeing locally. Its flying height wasn't high, nor was its speed particularly fast, but the slower speed made it ideal for enjoying the scenery.

After taking her seat in the cockpit, Tilan, out of curiosity and freshness, tapped the instructional keys on the driving screen.

"Let me check the manual; I want to see how it operates." She quickly read through the not so long text. With the assistance of AI, driving wasn't difficult; if she really couldn't handle it, there was also a full-automatic driving system.

"First, let the plane self-check," Tilan twisted a button next to her, and soon the screen displayed that it was in the process of self-checking.

[Self-check complete, airframe normal, fuel sufficient, ready to start, Yes/No to start?]

"Start."

[Flight environment data collection initiated, please set a destination or enable simplified manual piloting mode.]

"Simplified manual piloting."

[Current wind speed is suitable, air pressure and humidity are stable. Please pilot the aircraft to an appropriate runway, ensuring there are no disruptions during takeoff.]

The aircraft's engines started, and just as Tilan might play with a toy car, she guided it to the small town's roadway; the houses here were sparsely distributed, and she could clearly see the empty, clean road in the distance.

[Runway analysis appropriate, you may take off. Confirm Y/N?]

"Confirm takeoff."

Gripping the control stick slightly tighter and stepping on the throttle, the chubby little airplane began to accelerate, faster and faster, the wind blowing by her ears, and then, in a brief moment, the trembling and bumps beneath her vanished, and the plane wobbled into the air. As the speed increased, the flight became steadier.

Not long after, the plane reached a more stable altitude.

[It is now possible to enter automatic cruising mode. Would you like to disengage manual piloting? Y/N]

"Yes." After releasing the control stick, Tilan relaxed as well. Now she could truly appreciate the scenery outside.

"Did you finish manual piloting?" Deloris's voice came from behind.

"Yeah."

"I didn't want to distract you just now, so I didn't speak up. But you learned very quickly, Tilan. You got the plane into the sky with ease." Deloris's voice carried a smile.
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"Alright, alright, I was a bit clumsy, but as long as it can fly." The girl detected the teasing in Deloris's tone, shook her head, and then leaned against the nearby window, looking down at the scenery below.

Since it was already May, the gray-blue landscape was dotted with patches of green, the distant mountains were shrouded in faint clouds, and only the snowy traces on the mountaintops could be seen.

"It's a pity there aren't the large fields I imagined, that beautiful sight of yellow-green checkers laid out on the ground." The girl spoke with a hint of regret.

"Does Tilan really want to see that kind of scenery?" Deloris asked.

"It's not that I must see it, but looking at this barren world, there's a subtle sense of sadness."

"A person's mood can change with the scenery they see. It's said that people living in areas with short daylight hours are also prone to depression," Deloris mused.

"Sunshine, wind, vibrant flowers, and plants always make one feel relaxed and comfortable. Even in the era of starfaring, people would create botanical gardens in space stations, because this love has been etched into our DNA, becoming a part of life," she spoke softly.

The cabin fell into silence, as the two of them looked down upon this world; the barren gray land and the immensely blue sky, the sparsely vegetated surface and the lively floating white clouds, the uninhabited ruins of a city behind and the unknown world still advancing towards the horizon ahead.

Can the flutter of a butterfly's wings produce a storm that changes the world? No one knows, but the world becomes a little more beautiful because of the butterfly's fluttering wings.

Everyone hopes to live in a beautiful world.