3. Youthful aspirations

Flying broomsticks, the most commonly used means of transportation by the Transcendents of this world, hold a status similar to bicycles and electric bikes in Dorothy's previous life, basically one per person.

Cheap, effective, and economical, it's easy to get started—all you need is a little bit of Magic Power and a simple Flying Spell, and you can take off directly from the spot, woohoo.

Such Low-Level Magic Spells as the Flying Spell are taught in elementary schools at mage academies in this world, making it one of the most common Basic Level enlightenment spells for mages.

Although Dorothy had not met the entry standards of the Witch Academy over the years, she had graduated early from the ordinary Mage Academy and was a top scholar—scholars among scholars, with a scholarship in hand—and naturally, she had no reason not to know such basic spells.

She meticulously mounted the broom following the most standard riding posture, her long and smooth legs tightly clamped around the wooden pole, her hands gripping firmly to maintain balance. Finally, she let a trace of Magic Power surge from her hands into the Flying Spell Array inside the broom.

"Woohoo..."

Chanting her own unique takeoff code word, the once lax broom beneath her suddenly surged with strength, and her feet, which had been on the ground, slightly lifted off,

The young girl was already floating.

Since ancient times, humanity's yearning for the sky had never ceased. In her previous world, people tried every means to conquer the sky, but it always remained out of reach for the ordinary person, even though airplanes had long become common. Nevertheless, many people still never got a chance to fly in their lifetime.

But now, in this world, just by relying on their own strength, people could easily conquer the skies and soar freely.

No matter how many times she had flown, Dorothy always maintained that deep sense of emotion, smiling as she slowly urged the broom beneath her to move forward.

However, she wasn't the type to race; with a mild temperament, she always did things slowly, including her flying, which was even slower than an old lady who had just passed by—so much so that, with a whoosh, a phantom zipped past her.

"Sister, you're so slow."

The rapidly accelerating Alice looked at her sister, who was leisurely flying at the standard speed limit, feeling even more exhausted. Her sister was only sixteen, a blooming age, yet she always seemed to harbor an old man's heart.

Oh no, there she goes, pulling out her insulated cup with goji berries tea again, which totally screamed old man vibes. And wasn't this health-centered approach particular to those Immortals in the East Land? Sister, why are you so adept at it, being a witch and all?

"Flying unsafely brings the family two lines of tears, little sister. You're the one who should slow down a bit, my beginner-level broom can't go any faster; this is as fast as it gets."

Once the Flying Spell was activated, invisible Magic Power would tightly secure the rider and the broom together. At this point, there was no need to keep gripping the pole tightly. Dorothy calmly reached into her bag, pulled out her beloved insulated cup, took a gentle sip of hot tea, and showed a blissful expression on her face.

She glanced ahead at her sister, Alice, who was sitting askew on her latest model Terminator-linked Flight Wing 6000 broom—a posture although not standard for broom flight, was most commonly adopted by female mages and witches, after all, girls always loved wearing all sorts of beautiful skirts, unlike her, who always dressed in pants.

"Sis, you really need a new broom. Let's go buy one together later today. That's a kid's model you have; it's been so many years, I'm surprised you've managed not to replace it, especially given your witch-level Magic Power could easily burst it."

Alice rolled her White Eye ahead.

"I don't go out often; this one has been sufficient, but, yeah, it's indeed time for an upgrade."

Dorothy gently caressed the old companion between her legs, feeling a slight reluctance to let go.

But as her sister had said, this child beginner's broom was indeed not quite sufficient anymore, and since she would be going to the Witch Academy often starting tomorrow, a good flying broomstick was essential.

Moreover, this old pal was indeed too fragile to withstand her current witch-level Magic Power. It was like a plastic sword toy that could easily break when an adult swung it too hard. She was fortunate to have a bit of Talent in her precise control of Magic Power, otherwise, this old pal would have been destroyed by her long ago.

"Then help me pick one out later, Alice. I'm not too well-informed about which brands are good these days,"

Dorothy nodded and said this.

"Sure, sis, I'll pick out the latest model for you later, guaranteed to be both fast and stable."

Alice nodded excitedly, it was obvious from the latest high-end broom beneath her that she knew her stuff. She was a regular at broom racing, and now that her antique-loving sister was finally preparing to replace that outdated broom, Alice started pondering how to convince her sister to fall in love with the thrilling broom races.

"Yes, yes, just make sure it's not too expensive, our budget is limited—we can't afford those professional racing-level ones."

Knowing her sister's character, Dorothy saw through her scheme in an instant.

The sisters chatted as they flew toward the massive floating city in the distance.

Witches, as the ruling race of this world and a natural aristocracy, naturally lived in areas different from others, usually residing above the clouds.

Floating Islands are the most common residential structure for witches. These islands, made from Hoverstone, were once rare, but ever since the witches had deciphered the mysteries of Hoverstone and synthesized it artificially, this once rare commodity had become common building material. It was not only popular among witches but also favored by wealthier spellcasters of other races.

After all, the trend among ruling witches dictated the fashion for other races in the world.

The home where Dorothy currently lived was a typical Witch Sky Island building, purchased by her glamorous witch stepmother as a bridal home for her pretty-boy father.

Standard-sized small islands had an internal space expansion structure; although appearing as a small island with less than a square kilometer's surface area from the outside, its interior space was about as large as a giant manor on human lands, complete with living spaces for the family and designated areas for farming, breeding, experimentation, and more—standard for a witch's family in this era.

Each island was essentially a luxury version of other race spellcasters' Mage Towers, with the only downside being the steep price.

"Tsk, to think that I'd still be a mortgage slave even in another world, it's exhausting."

Following the tradition of witch families, little witches would usually leave their parents' home upon reaching adulthood to establish their own homes. Dorothy was already sixteen and her birthday was just a few days away. After her coming-of-age ceremony, she would have to move out and fend for herself. The mere thought of the exorbitant price of her own island made Dorothy weary.

Fortunately, she still had to attend the Witch Academy, and she could at least squat in the dorms for about twenty years, which gave her time to alleviate the pressure and save up with the hopes to buy her own place right after graduation, becoming a winner in life.

Moreover, with the monthly allowance from her stepmom over the years, combined with scholarships from Mage School and other sources, Dorothy had managed to save a decent amount. Among her peers, she was considered well-off, though she was still a little short of the ultimate goal of buying her own home.

"Tsk, at times like this, I really envy my cheap old dad, living off his looks really allows him to do whatever he wants."

Thinking of her dad, a professional gold digger, Dorothy couldn't help but admire him a bit.

Yet, now she was her own girlfriend, and as a purehearted War God, she absolutely couldn't tolerate incidents like having a Minotaur, even if the other party were a witch of the same sex....

Well, not so easily, I'm not that desperate. I refuse to be a gold digger; I want to reach the pinnacle of life through my own hard work and effort.

Dorothy silently made up her mind, reinforcing this belief by focusing on the increasingly closer giant floating island ahead.

"Successful witches are exactly like this. One day, I will establish my own Witch Association and build an even more magnificent city of sky islands."

At that moment, the young half-witch made a vow to herself.

Great Witches should be like this too; eventually, I may take their place.

"Sister, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up, or we'll be too late to get back for dinner," called Alice from ahead.

"Coming, coming, I'm already moving as fast as I can," replied the young half-witch as she sighed and pushed the old fellow beneath her to speed up.