Chapter 283: Gossipy Roommates
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 283: Gossipy Roommates
"I'm home~"
I pushed open the door to the villa I hadn't stepped into for a long time. After sleeping in a tent until my back felt like it was breaking, I finally realized how much I missed my big, comfortable bed.
Checking the time, I reflected on how eventful today had been for the academy. The students were just there for the spectacle, but the teachers were looking at the deeper implications.
The Transcendent Witches who were in the know understood exactly what had happened today: it was the day a new Great Spellbook was born within the Main World Witch Academy!
At the same time, it was the moment the forces from outside the world launched their fiercest assault. One mustn't forget that the Abyssal Demon race is still out there, watching this world like hawks. They had used the phenomenon of the Great Spellbook’s birth as a cover to make their move.
It’s safe to say that life in the Main World won't be peaceful from here on out.
Defending against external enemies couldn't rely solely on the Dean. Many Transcendent Witches had spontaneously followed in Dean Mei Lind’s footsteps; even if they were just there to provide support, it was a chance to show their faces.
Besides, the Dean had just completed the creation of a Great Spellbook. The educational value of that process was immense. In the Witch Academy, countless Transcendent Witches dedicated their entire lives to the study of Great Spellbooks.
Perhaps they didn't necessarily expect to create one themselves. In the process of researching [Transcendent Knowledge], one could derive numerous spell models, and it wasn't even impossible for a Primal spell sequence to emerge.
But none of that had anything to do with me—or any of the students, for that matter. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up, and the Dean was the tallest of them all.
Right now, all I knew was that once I actually tried to slow down the pace of my life, I suddenly found myself with an endless to-do list. This made it even more necessary to have a clear plan for my life.
My previous "playing house" style of planning really couldn't keep up with my current rhythm. I needed to start a new life, just as I’d thought before, and make plenty of new friends.
Stepping inside, I expected the girls to be gathered downstairs in the evening like they used to be. As it turned out, I was overthinking it.
The only one there to greet me was the smart butler, Little Ox-Horse, who looked like a glorified robot vacuum.
Seeing it immediately reminded me of what a mana-hog it was. I instinctively checked the villa’s mana reserves at the door. Seeing only three digits left, I topped it up a bit.
I doubted any other freshman villa dared to squander mana as lavishly as mine.
"Little Ox-Horse, where is everyone?" I asked, tapping the top of its head.
"In their bedrooms."
Little Ox-Horse gave a concise answer but offered no further details. Any more would probably have encroached on personal privacy.
I didn't expect them to be in their rooms; I’d assumed they were out having fun.
Just as I was about to close the door behind me, a figure appeared at the entrance.
"Huh? Xiao Han? You're back?"
A surprised voice rang out. It was a familiar one. I looked up to see Yu Yuetian.
However, the moment I raised my head, my pupils practically underwent an earthquake!
The girl before me was dressed in a black outfit that resembled a nun’s habit, but it lacked the cheap, plastic feel of a cosplay costume. The white base and black fabric created a striking visual contrast.
The overall design was bold and avant-garde. The tight-fitting top hugged her somewhat modest chest, and the skirt featured high slits that allowed her bare legs to shimmer under the foyer’s ceiling light.
"Uh... Yu Yuetian... what is this?" I looked at her in disbelief. I hadn't seen her for a few days, and she was already dressing this boldly?
Had she already been corrupted by the others in the dorm? Had they all become birds of a feather?
"Oh, this is the uniform for the new club I joined. It's an Ascetic's robe. I think I told you my old club disbanded, right? I joined this one with a senior sister I know who is also an Ascetic. So far... aside from the design being a bit 'breezy,' everything else is great."
Yu Yuetian explained calmly.
"Er... it is indeed quite breezy."
"I don't care about the gaze of others. That is the way of an Ascetic. Besides, since I've already become a girl, I might as well accept reality and experience a different life. On that point, Sister Xiao Han, you should see things even more clearly than I do."
Yu Yuetian closed the door and changed her shoes. It felt like she had completely immersed herself in her identity as a girl, carrying it through to every detail. I couldn't find a single trace of the boy Yu Yuetian used to be.
"By the way, I heard you went to a Witch Secret Realm for some kind of trial. Since you were gone so long, you must have made a lot of progress, right?"
"Eh? Why the sudden question?"
"Just curious. The Academy Network has been buzzing today about the strange disturbances. I saw a lot of people pointing fingers at you, so I wondered."
"Even you saw that?" I massaged my temples, feeling a bit helpless.
"Yeah. I'm not a caveman; I know how to use a phone. Is everything... okay, Sister Xiao Han?"
"I'm fine, of course. But enough about me. Yu Yuetian, what have you been up to lately? I feel like I have no idea what you guys do on a daily basis."
"Me? I go to class when there are classes, and when there aren't, I go to the library to read. I know too little about the transcendent world and transcendent power. There's a lot of common sense I need to learn on my own. The 'Introductory Theory of Transcendent Common Sense' course is way too vague. It can't be helped."
"I didn't expect you to be so hardworking."
"It's alright. Most students who get into the Witch Academy have some level of ability, so they naturally know what they need. Besides... Sister Xiao Han, you might be underestimating the influence of freshmen like you. Not just you, but Tan Han and the others as well. You've triggered a massive wave of cutthroat competition among everyone else."
"Everyone's grinding, huh? Good, good."
I shook my head with a smile. I had just decided to relax, and everyone else was starting to grind like crazy. I just hoped they didn't work themselves into a breakdown.
While Yu Yuetian and I were having our awkward chat downstairs, there was movement upstairs.
"Who's back? Is it Hong Chenyi? My food... wait, Sister... Xiao Han?"
"Hi~ Dongli Yiren. It's been a while. How have you been?" I looked up and smiled at her. So, when Little Ox-Horse said they were in their bedrooms, it was referring to her.
Dongli Yiren was currently in loose pajamas, holding a pen. But the moment she saw me, she seemed to remember something and scurried back into her room.
"What's up with her?" I asked Yu Yuetian.
"Not sure. She's been quite diligent lately. She even started growing some plants and flowers on the roof. She said you were the one who guided her..."
"Oh~"
I nodded. It seemed Dongli Yiren had changed quite a bit too. After coming to terms with her situation, she had found a new source of motivation.
A moment later, Dongli Yiren emerged from her room again, this time carrying several notebooks.
"Um... Sister Xiao Han... about these... I've finished taking notes from them. I'm returning them to you..."
"Keep them. You don't need to return them. Just keep them as a souvenir," I said with a wave of my hand. Those things would just gather dust if they were back with me anyway.
"What's the story here?" Yu Yuetian asked.
"Well, it's like this..."
"I figured out what I wanted to do, and Sister Xiao Han helped me borrow these notes," Dongli Yiren explained before I could. "In that case, I'll hold onto them for now."
"Sure, whatever you like." I nodded. Seeing how seriously she was treating them, it seemed those notebooks had been quite an inspiration.
"By the way, Dongli Yiren, just a casual question—would you be interested in a part-time job as an assistant at the plantation? You might get to handle a lot of rare transcendent plants."
"The plantation?"
Faced with my sudden question, Dongli Yiren immediately caught the keyword.
"Yes. It's the place in the Witch Academy specifically for cultivating transcendent plants. It's huge and a hassle to maintain. Even with spells, there are things they can't quite cover. There..."
"I understand. I'll go check it out when I have time." Clearly, she had her own plans.
Seeing her like this, I didn't make any decisions for her. It was a good thing I hadn't told Sofiri that I was definitely recommending her.
However, compared to these trivial matters, they were much more interested in my sudden return and the big commotion I’d caused today.
I gave them a general summary of what happened in the secret realm, skipping the parts I couldn't talk about. They listened with rapt attention, especially regarding the Fool's Dream race. This was the first intelligent species they had heard of besides humans.
As for the other races in other academies, I gradually realized that they didn't really care about those racial changes. They still considered themselves human, just manifesting in a different form due to transcendent power.
This way of thinking was likely a concept drilled into them since birth. They probably found it all very logical, but to me, it felt awkward—especially my repulsion toward academies like the Lesser Demon Academy.
Yet there were many such academies, and they still managed to recruit a large number of students. That spoke volumes.
"And then? What about those Fool's Dream? If the secret realm collapsed, don't they have nowhere to go?"
"Yeah... Sister Xiao Han, that's kind of cold. Did the secret realm really blow up because of you?"
"Wait... Hong Chenyi? When did you get back?" Dongli Yiren noticed another person had joined the group. "Did you bring my food?"
"Aiya, I did, I did! How could I not bring food for the starving Yiren waiting in the dorm?" Hong Chenyi held up a takeout bag.
"That's more like it." Dongli Yiren took the box and sat down quietly, waiting for my response.
"Sister Xiao Han, you still haven't said what's going to happen to the Fool's Dream."
"Nothing much. Though I do know some inside info," I said.
"What info?"
"The Fool's Dream might appear in the Witch Academy in a different form. I heard the Dean is personally stepping in to reshape their bodies. You might see them around the academy eventually."
"Really? I'm looking forward to it!"
"By the way, Sister Xiao Han, since you're back from the secret realm, why don't you post something in the group chat to prove you're back? You are the nominal Class Monitor of Class 14, after all!"
"That... probably isn't necessary." I looked at Hong Chenyi. Despite my words, I instinctively opened my phone. The class group and the mutual aid group were beyond "exploding"—calling it that was an understatement.
"If you don't want the trouble, Sister Xiao Han, just leave it to me. Can I tell the class group about your situation? I think everyone would be very interested."
"Whatever. Just don't exaggerate too much." I waved it off. I didn't really mind Hong Chenyi’s love for gossip and chatting. Even when she took photos of me at the start of the semester, I didn't care; I just treated it as a way for the class to get to know me.
Speaking of getting to know each other, they were always learning about me, but I realized I had never proactively tried to learn about them.
As the days passed, the heat on the Academy Network gradually died down. No one ever saw an official announcement naming a person responsible for the collapse of the Witch Secret Realm.
In the end, the only official notice was about Dean Mei Lind successfully creating a Great Spellbook. Unfortunately, that announcement didn't cause much of a stir. A large portion of the students didn't even know what a Great Spellbook represented, or that such things even existed. The senior sisters who did know were self-aware enough to realize they weren't qualified to obtain one.
I spent those few days completely relaxing. Of course, I wasn't just lying around doing nothing; I began to carefully plan my future studies.
Once I sat down to crunch the numbers, I realized I really did have a lot to do. Setting aside the matter with the Dean, just organizing and understanding the various new spellbooks I’d acquired would take a massive amount of time. Even if I didn't plan to obsess over spellbooks at this stage, it didn't mean I didn't need to understand my own arsenal.
Sometimes, knowing yourself is more important than knowing anything else. Next was utilizing the prizes from the exchange competition, like the custom alchemy item. I hadn't decided on that yet, so I planned to save it; there was no time limit anyway.
Then there was... Shopkeeper Xia Li. I still hadn't cashed in on the promise regarding her private stash from before the competition.
I had already contacted her via phone. She assured me she wouldn't go back on her word; as long as I wanted it, she would open her private stash for me immediately.
Finally, I had originally planned to master a craft, specifically alchemy. I had even gone out of my way to learn the runes for alchemy rituals. But after seeing Sister Bai’s overwhelming power with body arts in the Fool's Dream Secret Realm, I also wanted to try my hand at body cultivation.
However, my energy was limited. So, I decided to stick to the plan and continue learning alchemy. I even intended to use my reward from the shopkeeper to get some alchemy-related items.
As for spellbook mana sources, they weren't exactly a pressing need anymore. I already had more spellbooks than I knew what to do with. Adding more would just be icing on the cake, a way to enrich my foundation.
If I wanted to enrich my foundation, I had another plan: the Minor Spellbook collection project.
While Minor Spellbooks were much weaker in effect and power compared to standard spellbooks, they were incredibly useful for everyday life. For example... Lighting, Fire-starting, Unseen Hand, and so on.
Just as I was enthusiastically planning my future academic life, my phone rang.
"Hello, Teacher Ji Niang. Is something wrong?"
"Something's up, something big. Get over here quickly. The Dean wants to see you. I'll take you there."