The Witch's MVP Settlement Screen

The night sky was gloomy, and a fierce wind howled.

As time passed,

The heavens grew even darker and heavier.

What echoed outside the window was no longer the whistling of the wind, but the clamor and noise from the late-night shops lining the streets.

Xu Xi didn’t dislike such sounds; he found them lively and full of life.

Sipping his tea, he planned to teleport back to the courtyard to rest in a little while.

“Krisha, do you remember the first New Year we spent in Allenson City?”

“Yes, Mentor.”

While gazing out the window, Xu Xi chatted casually with Krisha by his side.

The conversation wasn’t particularly profound, just a reminiscence of past events.

Such as the meals they had in Allenson City, the awe of witnessing divine punishment for the first time, the vast sea of Apogu City, and the peaceful exchanges during their time on Dragon Island.

A gentle breeze brushed against the face of time, parting the mists of memory.

These so-called recollections

Were like a babbling brook,

Silently moistening their words, polishing every corner of their minds.

From the initial days in Allenson City, to Wagge City, Apogu City, their journey across the world, and finally to New Allenson City.

In the dimly lit old room, Xu Xi and the witch talked at length.

“Krisha, I’m very happy,” Xu Xi finally said to the witch before him.

“You’ve grown splendidly, even surpassing me.”

“I’m truly glad to see you grow like this.”

Meeting her mesmerizing gaze, Xu Xi’s face was filled with pride.

If, at the end of the second simulation, the witch still caused Xu Xi some concern,

Now, she had reached a point where Xu Xi could fully rest assured.

“I’m still far from matching you,”

Krisha gently shook her head.

Even now,

She didn’t feel she had graduated from her apprenticeship.

The witch insisted that she still needed to learn from Xu Xi, just as before, staying close by his side.

“Krisha, sometimes being too humble isn’t a good thing,”

Xu Xi paused, then continued, “With your current strength, you’ve far surpassed me. If anything, it’s I who should be learning from you.”

Looking at Krisha before him,

Facing her unchanging 17-year-old visage,

Xu Xi couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle the top of the witch’s head.

Hmm, the texture was as smooth as ever.

“Mentor… I…” Krisha’s expression was one of confusion. She still shook her head, still refusing to accept Xu Xi’s words.

She was a bird chasing the light, only by staying close to the glow could she navigate through the darkness.

……

What is an object?

What is life?

What are shackles?

And what is love?

The witch’s life, Krisha Christina’s life, had always revolved around pondering these questions.

She didn’t have to think about them.

Such questions were meaningless and couldn’t alleviate the pain in her body.

But in the cold, dark world, there was a beam of light that tenderly pierced through the barriers of darkness, gently taking the witch’s hand and leading her into the light.

He said.

The witch was not an object to be discarded at will.

He said.

The witch was a person, just like him.

He said.

The witch was beautiful, the most dazzling flower.

He affirmed the witch’s existence, affirmed her value, patiently taught her, imparting all he knew without reservation, just so the witch could protect herself.

With his finite mortal life, he accompanied the witch until the very end.

Such dedication, such perseverance.

It was baffling.

So much so that the figure of that one person occupied every corner of the witch’s heart.

……

“Mentor,” in the thick night where her expression was unclear, Krisha softly asked, “Why did you save me when we first met?”

Xu Xi sat in his wheelchair.

He had been watching the street scene outside the window.

The witch’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Her voice was soft, plain, like a gentle breeze swirling in his ear canal.

“Why…”

The witch’s question stirred up distant memories in Xu Xi, of a filthy, stinking alley and a pitiful girl holding a small knife.

The girl, trembling, tried to rob Xu Xi.

To rob him of the half-eaten bread in his hand.

That scene remained unforgettable to this day.

“Because, Krisha, you were scared back then, weren’t you?”

Xu Xi reached out.

Gently stroking the top of the witch’s head.

Ruffling, stroking.

“…Scared?”

“Yes, when we first met, you were actually afraid of me, weren’t you?”

Xu Xi paused, recalling the scene when he first met the girl.

He smiled, saying he wasn’t someone worthy of respect, neither possessing the ambition to save the world nor the steadfastness of great benevolence and love.

He was just a fool.

A fool in the eyes of the common folk of the Survival Army.

Seeing the young Krisha, he simply couldn’t bring himself to abandon her.

“Even if your life was wasted because of me?”

“No, Krisha, I never thought it was a waste. On the contrary, I found that time very meaningful.”

“Mentor…”

The witch, as quiet as a doll,

Had much to say at this moment, yet didn’t know where to begin.

Finally, all the voices, all the emotions, condensed into a single smile—a trembling smile that didn’t need the pull of fingers to form:

“Mentor, I’m sorry.”

“It seems I still haven’t met the standards to graduate.”

Because you are here.

Because you are by my side.

As long as you exist, I will never learn how to part.

Even if you are gone, I will only keep waiting.

Waiting, always waiting, for you to return.

I’m truly sorry for being such a disappointing student, but I can no longer leave you.

“Krisha?” Xu Xi was slightly surprised. His hand, resting on the witch’s head, was held down by her, unwilling to let him pull away.

In the dimness of the night,

There seemed to be a glimmer of water,

Flowing freely.

The glimmer appeared quickly and vanished just as fast.

But the warmth and weight of the emotions had been conveyed clearly—it was everything from the witch.

“Krisha, you…”

Xu Xi was taken aback by the change in the witch’s emotions.

Her smile, her tears, were once again before him, but the hollow sadness from before was gone. Her beautiful eyes now reflected the happiness of a weary bird returning to its nest.

“You’ve made progress, haven’t you? Your smile is lovely,” Xu Xi’s expression softened as he wiped away the glistening tears from her face.

“But I’m still far from where I need to be, Mentor…”

The witch’s emotions gradually settled. She seemed to want to say more, but her attention was drawn to the window of the old house.

Is someone there?

Xu Xi followed her gaze but saw nothing.

The late-night street was empty except for a few scattered pedestrians, with nothing suspicious in sight.

Just then, Krisha moved. Expressionless, she put on the witch’s hat Xu Xi had gifted her, adjusted the sapphire necklace at her chest, and walked to the window.

Facing the outside, she raised her right hand.

First, she extended her index finger.

Then her middle finger.

Forming the common “peace sign” gesture often used in photos.

“Krisha, what are you…”

“Don’t mind it. I’m just sharing my joy with someone who’s late.”

It was eerie.

There was no simulation taking place.

But in Xu Xi’s ears, a faint prompt seemed to echo: Displeasure, great displeasure, extreme displeasure.

Ultra-super-duper-spiral-ascension-level displeasure!