Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"The starship has arrived at the Star Harbor of Antahe in the Purple Distant Grass Star Domain, Residence Star number 1. The exit passageway will open in 20 minutes, please prepare yourselves, passengers."

After a 20-day flight, the starship arrived at its destination on schedule, and Tilan, along with her companions, set foot on this somewhat unfamiliar star harbor.

As the capital star of the Purple Distant Grass Star Domain, Antahe was home to about 4 billion people. Although that seemed like a lot, the planet's large size meant that the population density was not high.

Walking through the broad corridors of the star harbor's long arms, Tilan could see the huge planet only a stone's throw away. Its entirety was a magnificent rocky yellow hue, interlaced with deep red, stone white, and iron grey ribbons, as if the entire planet's surface were a flowing mud river that suddenly solidified one day, fixing the swirling colors in place.

This planet had no large seas, only a few lakes and rivers, like blue necklaces and gems embedded in the land. The climate of the entire planet leaned toward dry, but thankfully, modern water-making technology was sufficiently developed that the residents had enough water for their needs.

In the entire Federation, the economy of the Purple Distant Grass Star Domain was middle-ranked. The economy of the main star, Antahe, was decent, but the economies of the other residence stars were average.

The venue for the "Dawnstar Lake Sword Fighting" competition was not far from Antahe, at the Redstone Valley space station. Around 3.5 million residents lived there, and the station orbited the special asteroid "Redstone 241-Σ", which was a dark red metallic color. Its magnetic fields were abnormal, and the environment was extremely harsh, with gravity hundreds of times that of a normal human residence star.

Although "Redstone 241-Σ" was not suitable for living, the dark red metal on the asteroid could be separated, purified, and collected to make the precious Red Marrow Crystal. This special metal crystal could be used to create High Rank Transcendent artifacts, or as an adornment for certain valuable pieces of jewelry. It was said that the champion's prize for the "Dawnstar Lake Sword Fighting" would be a sword made entirely of Red Marrow Crystal.

Thanks to the huge economic benefits brought by the Red Marrow Crystal, the majority of residents inside the Redstone Valley space station were wealthy. The structure of the station itself was especially spacious, with comprehensive entertainment, education, and medical facilities, comparable to those on the main star, Antahe.

"The competition will be held in four days. We can take the first two days to tour and visit Antahe. It would indeed be a shame to come to the Purple Distant Grass Star Domain and not have a look around."

After regrouping in the star harbor's waiting hall, the teacher arranged the itinerary for the next few days.

"Have you been here before, Teacher?" a student asked.

"I've been here once, but that was over a decade ago. Back then, I was on a business trip and didn't get a chance to properly explore."

"This time, let's see, Antahe's most famous sights like 'Lake Nacoxi,' 'Crushed Crystal Mud River,' 'Yellow Jade Cave'—these would be great to visit."

"Will we have enough time, just two days?" Another teacher asked.

"To fully enjoy a sightseeing spot, you need at least a day. But that's not a problem. We can make up for one after the competition; either way, we'll have to come back to Antahe Star Harbor to take the starship."

"Then let's start with the 'Crushed Crystal Mud River' and 'Lake Nacoxi.'" The group quickly decided on the plan, and then it was time to board the space elevator from the star harbor to the surface of Antahe.

They settled into the large lift cabin where safety arms pressed down, and then the entire cabin activated, dropping towards that magnificent rocky yellow planet below.

The first few minutes were smooth and quiet, but as they entered the atmosphere, the cabin began to shake and jostle. Then, as the speed slowed, it gradually stabilized.

Twenty minutes later, the lift cabin docked fully with the ground, the doors opened, and the passengers stepped out, entering the hall to rest and recover.

Compared to Jade Skirt, Antahe's gravity was a bit stronger, and many passengers needed some time to adjust before they could leave.

Half an hour later, the group left the space elevator and boarded a pre-booked small flight yacht en route to a hotel near Lake Nacoxi.

The short, plump flight yacht flew over the vast rocky terrain. Below, the endless undulating rocky earth was devoid of vegetation, with occasional grains and sandstones whipped up by the wind, which howled across the ground.

"Although there isn't much vegetation, it's quite comforting to look at," Tilan said softly, her hand resting on the window glass.

"It's probably because we've lived in cities for so long that it feels very free and open."

On the other side, Efnie flipped through a tourist souvenir booklet in her hands, which detailed the well-known sights of Antahe, as well as some geographical knowledge.

"It's said that before the Federation started to develop Antahe, this was a world of flowing mud and sand. The whole ground was like a slowly flowing river of rocks, quite noticeable from outer space."

"Later, the Federation dispatched three patrol fleets. After adjusting the frequency and mode of the main cannons of the Battleships, they bombarded the planet. It took about three years to culminate the rock and mud, forming a wide expanse of stable land."

"Now, the capital of Antahe is located at Kernai Mountain, which is the most stable bedrock point on the planet. Even before the environmental remodeling, it was an unyielding peak."

"The Crushed Crystal Mud River we'll be visiting tomorrow isn't far from Kernai Mountain," Efnie read from the booklet.

Crossing over the vast lands bathed in a reddish hue, the flying ship slowly descended into a city nestled between valleys. Protected by the mountains, the winds and sands were mild here, where sturdy and towering buildings stood firmly on the ground.

After disembarking from the flying ship, the group walked through the streets of 'Antahe' for the first time. There weren't many vehicles in the streets or in the sky, but there were quite a few pedestrians, many of whom were tourists from other Star Domains, dressed in various styles of clothing. The local residents had long since grown accustomed to them.

"It feels like we've come to the land of giants," a student remarked while walking down the street.

The buildings along the street, whether shops, hotels, or restaurants, were all exceptionally tall, and their walls were remarkably thick. Many buildings had exterior walls more than one meter thick, conveying an incredibly solid and substantial feeling.

The stores along the road sold common goods and electronics found throughout the Federation, but they were particularly known for their distinctively sharp, curved blades and special salt-stone products.

"Hey, want to try it?" As soon as they entered a shop, the shopkeeper tossed out a narrow, reddish curved blade.

"This?" A student clumsily caught it, looking somewhat bewildered.

The curved blade in his hand was far from ordinary steel. It had flowing patterns, and the cold metallic blade faintly glowed with a soft red hue that was weak and barely noticeable unless one concentrated hard on it.

"See that rock over there? Don't worry, just slice right through it. You'll see how wonderful the world can be~" The shopkeeper, standing behind the rock counter, pointed to a two-meter-tall stone placed on the ground nearby, encouraging the student to go ahead and chop.

Not understanding the logic but with a knife in hand and an obstacle in front, it was hard not to be tempted to give it a try.

After feeling the grip of the curved blade, the student slashed down without much force, as it was just a trial.

The blade smoothly cut through the rock as if slicing into clay and not stone.

This scene elicited exclamations of amazement from the student, and soon other curious customers in the store gathered around.

"How is it? Isn't it extraordinary? This is our masterpiece, the 'Cold Red Blade.' I think it's a fantastic work of art," the shopkeeper said as he described the Transcendent Blade forged in his workshop.

After a story and a detailed explanation, many customers were quite interested, and one after another, they tried the blades on the counter, with most achieving the feat of slicing through stone as if it were mud.

"The price is 30,000 Federation Coins. A good knife for good people," he said, his manner of speaking having a certain antique charm.

Watching tourists eagerly purchasing, many of the accompanying students were intrigued, some itching to try it out.

"What do you think, Tilan?" Efnie asked quietly beside the girl, who should have been more worldly-wise, but lately, she seemed to have gotten into the habit of asking for Tilan's opinion.

"Efnie wants to buy one, doesn't she?" the girl responded with a smile, knowing that this young lady wasn't short of money and that 30,000 Federation Coins might just be her pocket money for a week.

"Although it's not as impressive as I'd imagined, it's indeed original. If Efnie wants to buy, you can get one."

Tilan might not have been familiar with other special Transcendent craftsmanship, but the way this sword was crafted and the Transcendent effects it produced fell right into her area of expertise, so the girl immediately understood its underlying principles.

When chopping through stone, the blade's contacting part would split the rock. This was a unique effect tailored specifically for rocks, giving excellent cleaving performance. However, used on a hammer, it wouldn't be very useful.

Also, it was only effective on certain rocks. If it were pure crystals or metal ores, the performance would be poor.

These shortcomings were perfectly concealed by the Workshop Master, unbeknownst to the tourists. They simply assumed that since the blade worked well on stones, it would similarly excel in cutting other materials as well. In fact, the shopkeeper was quite eloquent. He hadn't lied but had deliberately omitted certain facts, and since 30,000 Federation Coins weren't too expensive for such an extraordinary blade, even if customers realized the truth later on, they wouldn't scrutinize too deeply.

"Then I'll buy it," Efnie said upon hearing Tilan's approval, and along with her classmates, she went up to select a beautifully designed blade from the array of knives.

Watching Efnie handle the curved blade with a child-like joy, Tilan couldn't help but find it amusing; perhaps this was the real side of Efnie—usually, the halo of her status was too overpowering in other's eyes.

After leaving the shop, the group continued to explore and admire the local specialties and goods. The street-side stores were akin to ancient temples, imposing and spacious, with rough and rugged décor, reminiscent of caves hewn out of mountainsides. The flooring was simply solid rock, and the walls were uneven and rugged.

Though they appeared rudimentary compared to modern stores brimming with glossy glass and electronic devices, as a tourist spot, the architecture offered a novel and unique experience.

After thoroughly enjoying the main thoroughfares of the city, the group finally retired to their hotel, contented and satisfied.