Chapter 122: Aim High, But Face Reality
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: Aim High, But Face Reality
I woke up early and had already finished getting ready.
The three who had such a "rich nightlife" yesterday still hadn't woken up. It seemed they had either overdone it or simply had nothing better to do.
Then again, this showed that their relationship was quite good... Wait, were they excluding me?
No, no, no—it’s probably just me being antisocial again!
At that moment, I felt a slight sense of urgency. While I was long used to being isolated, the Witch Academy was supposed to be a new beginning for my life. Why was I already being ostracized by my roommates right at the start of the semester?
Was it because I knew too much?
I swallowed hard, feeling a bit at a loss for a moment. It seemed I really needed to build some sort of rapport with them; I couldn't just keep treating them as sources of entertainment.
I checked the private messages on my phone. Although I felt I had woken up quite early, Teacher Ji Niang had risen even earlier and had already contacted me. Perhaps fearing she might disturb me, she had simply sent an address.
It looked like I needed to head there.
I quietly closed the door and got into a car.
En route, I habitually checked to see which other classmates had arrived at school and hadn't been pulled into my group chat yet.
After another round of administrative work, I waited quietly until I reached my destination.
The address Ji Niang had sent was an experimental building in the academy's Central Teaching Area.
Calling it a teaching building would probably work too.
The specific address was Room 8401 within that building.
That meant Classroom No. 1 on the 4th floor of Experimental Building No. 8. I hadn't been there before, and I felt a bit nervous about my first visit.
Walking into the first-floor lobby, I passed by senior sisters who looked like they weren't to be trifled with, as well as teachers who brushed past me from time to time.
Being here really made me, a mere freshman, feel a lack of confidence. If Teacher Ji Niang hadn't given me this exact address, I certainly wouldn't have come here.
One could imagine that the people who frequented this place were all top-tier academic elites. The pressure they exerted on a "slacker" like me was overwhelming.
But then I remembered the promise—or rather, the goal—Teacher Ji Niang had set for me: to surpass Tan Han. Although it felt unrealistic, the fact that I had been forced to set such a goal at least proved I was qualified to reach for it.
All I lacked was the accumulation of time. Sooner or later, I too would become an existence that others looked up to.
After climbing to the fourth floor, I immediately spotted the first classroom, its door half-open.
Calling it a classroom felt a bit off, as there were no neat rows of desks or chairs inside. It was actually quite cluttered, looking as though it hadn't been used in a long time.
I pushed the half-ajar door open, and a strange smell of fermentation wafted out.
"Xiao Han, you're here so soon? You didn't even stop by my office to let me know." A voice suddenly came from behind me, nearly making me jump out of my skin.
I turned around guiltily to see Ji Niang’s signature smiling face.
"Te... Teacher..." Out of politeness, I greeted her. Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, I felt incredibly self-conscious.
"Mhm~" Ji Niang seemed to enjoy being called "Teacher." "By the way, my office is in 8405. If you need anything, you can come find me directly. This Room 8401 is a laboratory that stays vacant year-round, so it's a bit dilapidated. Of course, it will be the regular lab for our research group from now on."
I scanned the interior of 8401 again. Was "a bit dilapidated" perhaps a bit of an understatement?
"Um, okay." Although I was internally reeling, I had to agree verbally first.
"I know you think it's a bit run-down, but it can't be helped. Who told this place to be the closest one to my office? I'll have to trouble you, Xiao Han, to clean the place up. Throw the useless stuff into the garbage station downstairs; just keep the useful lab benches and equipment."
"Feel free to be bold with your cleaning. Even if you throw out every single item inside, I can just apply for a brand-new set of equipment. You can handle that, right, Xiao Han? I know you have the Cleaning Spell. As a reward for the manual labor, today's lunch is on me."
"O-Okay." I nodded quickly. It wasn't because of the promised meal; I just didn't want to waste time on these chores and wanted to get it over with.
Yesterday, she said she would show me the charm of the Transcendent world.
And yet, here I was, having to face reality.
Like cleaning—isn't this a bit too realistic?
Fortunately, I had the Cleaning Spell. Otherwise, I had no idea how long it would take to clean this place by myself.
I stepped into Room 8401. The dilapidated equipment and the thick layers of dust were proof enough that this place hadn't been used or cleaned in ages.
I ran my finger across the transparent surface of a lab bench, and it was instantly coated in a layer of grey.
However, the quality of the lab bench actually impressed me. If it were cleaner, it would probably look like new.
As for the various tools on the side and the unidentifiable stains on the floor, I’d just clear them all out together.
There were also many half-used materials lying around, which piqued my curiosity since I had never encountered them before.
I suppose everyone has a quirk for collecting unknown things.
I picked up a few novel materials at random, cleaned them with a Cleaning Spell, and prepared to put them into my Storage Leg Ring.
But rationality quickly stopped me. These were likely Transcendent materials; heaven knows if they would cause me some horrific harm.
What if there was radiation?
Toxins would also be terrifying.
Even derived bacteria or colonies could cause unnecessary harm...
Compared to the desire to collect, my fear of death won out.
Better to just pack it all up and toss it into the garbage station downstairs!
In the future... there will be plenty of novel things in the future. There's no rush right now.
After a period of cleaning and repeatedly heading up and down to dispose of waste, the large classroom returned to its original state.
Luckily, I had frequently cleaned the villa before and had plenty of experience; otherwise, I would have been even busier.
With the excess junk gone, the room felt much more spacious. But that was none of my business—I didn't even know what I was supposed to do next, so why would I need so much stuff?
I quickly went to find Ji Niang, who was currently sitting leisurely in her office.
"Teacher, the lab has been cleaned."
"Oh? So fast?" A flash of surprise crossed Ji Niang's eyes. She stood up and walked over to me, accompanying me to see the results of my work.
She had originally thought a room that size would take half a day to finish, but she hadn't expected such efficiency.
Upon arriving, she found she couldn't pick out any flaws.
"Not bad at all. It seems we can move our schedule up. Xiao Han, regarding what I told you yesterday—have you reached a conclusion after thinking it over all night?"
"Yes, I've made up my mind." I looked at Ji Niang with a slight bit of surprise, not expecting her to be so direct. "I want to study Spellbooks, using my Spirit Vision..."
"Mm-hmm... I think I get what you mean. You want to learn how to use Spirit Vision to analyze the mysteries of Spellbooks, right?"
* * *
Author's Note
Hehe~
This is my second contracted novel. When the last one went premium, I said I’d start another one for you all to read for free if I had the chance. Well, I’ve let you "leech" until now, but if I don't go premium soon, this book is going to flop.
Thank you to everyone who has read this far. I imagine those of you here must be very dedicated readers!
Thank you for your company. I check your comments every morning~
They are my motivation!
Although sometimes comments make me sad, problems have to be faced head-on.
Thanks again for being here, and thanks to my boss (Sister Guwang) for taking care of me and giving me recommendations—she’s a wonderful person!
Anyway, the book is about to go premium. The upcoming premium content totals over 20,000 words, but I’ve split it into five chapters, roughly 4,000 words each... so they might be a bit more expensive than a standard 2,000-word chapter...
Since you've made it this far, whether you continue for free or pay, I wish you all happiness~
Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day is in two days. Please have a great time!
Take good care of yourselves~
If it's convenient, feel free to join my group chat to hang out~
There are a lot of "perverts" in the group, and even I, the author, am a bit scared. Please come and keep me company~
Even just saying "good morning" in the group every day is fine~
The group number is in the pinned comment outside. It's the "Ying ♡ Pa Group"~
Oops, I almost set the Author's Note as a VIP chapter. That was close~
Anyway, Happy Holidays everyone~