Chapter 381: All of Tan Han's Spellbooks
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 381: All of Tan Han's Spellbooks
After saying goodbye to Teacher Ji Niang, I prepared to head out.
However, on the way back through the corridor, after being teased by several Witch Mentors, it suddenly dawned on me—I couldn't just leave the way I came. I had been teleported here.
I slapped my forehead, wondering if I was getting stupider. Then, with a snap of my fingers, I teleported to the villa where I lived. Since it was my home, I had left a teleportation mark there. That was only reasonable, right?
Looking at the front gate, I considered placing the teleportation mark directly in my bedroom next time. It would be much more convenient.
Just as I was thinking this, my phone erupted in a series of notification pings.
"Hm? What's going on?"
I didn't believe for a second that everyone had decided to text me at the exact same time.
When I checked, it was exactly as I suspected. These were all messages sent over the last few hours that I was only just receiving. Back there... there had been no signal!
There were recent texts, ones from an hour or two ago, and even missed calls.
They were all from the same person, but looking at the number and the contact info, I didn't recognize them. The number wasn't even a registered real-name account.
Just as I was curiously clearing the red notification dots from the texts and missed calls, the phone rang again.
"Hello? Hi, is there something I can help you with?" I asked after picking up.
"Xiao Han, this is the Red Velvet Baking House. We have a red velvet cake here that you ordered."
"Huh?" Confused, I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the screen.
For a moment, I didn't know what tone to use to respond. Besides, that voice sounded very familiar!
"Senior Sister Ying Shiqian?" I asked tentatively.
"Aha~ You recognized me?" Ying Shiqian's relaxed voice came through from the other end. "Xiao Han, you haven't been to our Baking House in so long. I thought you'd forgotten about us."
"How could I?" I replied with a smile. After all, the Shopkeeper still owed me a gift of my choice. How could I possibly forget?
"Is there a reason you're looking for me, Senior Sister? Also, what's with this phone number?"
"Oh, this is the bakery's business line. We use it specifically for handling orders. Xiao Han, we have a very important package to give you. You should know what a red velvet cake means coming from us, right?"
"Uh... I think I have an idea..." I laughed awkwardly, recalling the last time I witnessed a red velvet cake delivery. Right after that, Tan Han had been spirited away to the Witch Academy.
Was it my turn to receive one now?
Suddenly, it felt... a bit strange. Weird, even.
"Wait, why are you the one delivering the package? Doesn't the academy have a dedicated delivery club?"
"Oh? You didn't know? It's because of Xiao Tan. The items she's sending are too valuable, so she didn't dare trust those clubs. She asked us instead. Since we're all acquaintances, it's just a short walk for us, and it saves Xiao Tan the extra expense."
"Uh... I think I get it..." If it was Tan Han... she couldn't have actually sent all of her spellbooks, could she?
"Xiao Han, where are you now? I called so many times and you didn't pick up. What happened?"
"Oh, I was busy with something. The signal must have been blocked there. I just got out and I'm at my villa now, haven't gone inside yet. Um... Senior Sister, is it still convenient for you?"
"Our Red Velvet Bakery's custom delivery service runs twenty-four-seven. We guarantee delivery to the recipient's hands. Xiao Han, I thought this would be an easy job, but you really made me work for it!"
"Sorry, sorry... I really didn't expect things to turn out this way. Do you need some kind of compensation, Senior Sister?"
"What compensation? This is part of my job. Just wait there, Xiao Han. I'll be there in a flash."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
After hanging up, I let out a long sigh. Looking at the darkening sky, I felt a wave of emotion.
This Tan Han... she was playing for keeps.
Still... I wondered if the spellbooks she mentioned included that Ancient Remnant Ice Transformation.
That was the key.
To be honest, I didn't care much about over-consumption spellbooks. I already had two. To put it bluntly, I didn't even know what kind of spell was in the second one. I simply had too many spells and couldn't use them all.
The one I found most useful was actually the Basic Evocation spell.
I had been a bit slack regarding spellbooks lately, but now that I had started researching [Transcendent Knowledge] with Teacher Ji Niang, I remembered that such research often branched into many new spells. Theoretically, I shouldn't lack spells in the future. I just didn't know what field Teacher Ji Niang's [Transcendent Knowledge] covered.
If it was similar to the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art, the resulting spells would likely be auxiliary ones, much like the meditation technique I had acquired back then.
Before I could think much longer, a figure appeared in the dark night sky, riding a broom toward me. It was Senior Sister Ying Shiqian.
It had been a while since I'd seen her, but she looked exactly the same... well, it hadn't actually been that long.
"Over here~"
I called out softly and cast a small Light Illumination spell. It was particularly bright in the darkness, and she spotted it immediately, heading straight for me.
"Xiao Han~ My, it's been ages since I saw you."
Ying Shiqian performed a sharp brake and a tail-flick, coming to a steady halt right in front of me. She was clearly a very experienced broom flyer.
"Senior Sister Ying Shiqian, it has been a while. I've been so busy lately, I haven't had a moment to stop."
"Oh, I know. You were caught up in that Sleep Curse. Xiao Tan was too. The Shopkeeper and I were worried sick."
"So you knew about that, Senior Sister?"
"Of course. I heard you did something big in that dream realm too." Ying Shiqian didn't put her broom away, looking like she didn't plan to stay long.
"Not really, I just wandered around a bit..."
"Modest, aren't we? Xiao Han, I heard the gist of it from Xiao Tan. You really turned the tide this time. Why else would Xiao Tan give you all her spellbooks? By the way, what kind of shady deal did you two make? Care to share?"
"That's... a bit inconvenient to talk about. I just said it in passing at the time, but Xiao Tan took it seriously. Didn't you guys try to talk her out of it?"
"We couldn't talk her out of it even if we tried. Even the Shopkeeper tried, but Xiao Tan's mind was made up. She said she was carrying things she shouldn't have to at her level, and she wanted to lay those burdens down. So... here~ the burden is being transferred to you. Remember to sign for it." As she spoke, Ying Shiqian handed over something that looked like a card.
"This is... storage equipment?"
"Yep, it's all yours. It contains every single one of Xiao Tan's spells. I was practically drooling with envy, but don't worry, I didn't touch a single one!"
"I trust your character, Senior Sister." I took the card and swept it with my mental power. The storage space was packed with neatly packaged spellbooks, enough to make my eyes bulge.
"I've got the items. So... about the signing?"
"It's a one-sided sign-off. The proof of receipt is... this~" Ying Shiqian pulled a beautifully wrapped large box from her own storage equipment, tied with a ribbon. Inside the small, transparent square box, the red velvet cake looked exceptionally vibrant under the light of my spell.
"Hehe~ Red velvet cake. This is Yihan's latest rush-order creation."
"Then please thank Senior Sister Tang Yihan for me."
"Oh, it's fine. Yihan asked me to say hello to you. She knows you're busy and that you're practically a celebrity at the Witch Academy now, so we won't disturb you."
"Alright, I guess that's it then?"
"Mhm~ I'm off to start my nightlife. But I have to ask, Xiao Han—what were you doing out so late that your signal was blocked?" Ying Shiqian hopped back onto her broom and looked at me curiously.
"Oh, I was helping my mentor with something. We went to a place similar to a secret realm. I'll probably be going there often from now on. If you can't reach me by phone, Senior Sister, I'm likely there. Just leave a message and I'll get back to you when I see it."
"I see... must be nice... You're still a first-year, right, Xiao Han? And you're already helping a Transcendent Mentor... Well, keep it up! I believe you'll keep creating miracles. Hehe~ I'll have something to brag about in the future~"
"Sure, but could you not be so sappy about it, Senior Sister?"
"Sappy? Isn't this a perfectly normal blessing? Oh, whatever. That's it for now. I'm off. Bye-bye~"
"Bye-bye~" I waved to the figure receding into the sky until she disappeared from sight.
"Sigh..."
I looked at the storage card in my hand. Tan Han had really given me a difficult problem...
Still... I suppose I could use them to fill up my Witch Bookshelf.
If Tan Han ever regretted it, I could just give them back. After all, I wouldn't have much use for most of these spellbooks anyway.
I swept my mental power through the books and found the most unique one.
I pulled it out. It was in a book-like carrier; "fragile" things like spellbooks would self-destruct without a proper vessel.
Scanning it with Spirit Vision, I could sense the information within the spellbook even without absorbing it into my body.
"Ancient Remnant Ice Transformation..."
I shook my head, tossed the spellbook back into the storage card, and then threw the card into my Four-leaf Clover Hairpin.
Then, I picked up the box of red velvet cake. It seemed like fate; the girls back at the dorm were in for a treat, assuming they weren't asleep yet.
I pushed open the front door. I could hear the sound of the living room TV—it wasn't loud, likely turned down on purpose for the night.
"Is that you back, Sister Xiao Han?"
The sound of me opening the door naturally caught the attention of the person watching TV.
"Yeah. Guan Qiuling? You're not asleep yet?" I asked, surprised to see the petite figure on the sofa.
"No, I'm not really sleepy, and I didn't know what else to do, so I'm just watching TV. These channels help me learn about things outside the academy."
"You want to know about the outside world?" I placed the whole red velvet cake on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa.
"Yeah... Eh? Sister Xiao Han, what's that you're carrying... is it someone's birthday?"
"No, a friend gave me this red velvet cake. I was a bit surprised too, but I don't have much of an appetite right now. Let's try it together. It was made by a Senior Sister I know from the bakery where I used to work part-time."
"You have a connection like that?" Guan Qiuling put down the remote and sat up straight. "But eating sweets this late at night... is that okay?"
"What's wrong with it? We're basically Prospective Witches now. Can't the witchification from our mana sources burn off the calories from a little dessert? Don't worry. Look at the upperclassmen who indulge in sweets every day—do any of them look fat?"
"I guess you're right..." Guan Qiuling thought back. Indeed, in all her time at the Witch Academy, she had seen many Senior Sisters, but none of them were overweight. In fact, she hadn't even seen an ugly one.
"Is this a red velvet cake? I haven't really had one before."
"It is. But about red velvet cakes... if you can help it, if someone ever tries to give you one in the future, you'd better not accept it."
"Huh? Why?"
"Maybe it's just some industry secrets I picked up while working there. Especially red velvet cakes at the Witch Academy—it's best not to touch them, or you might pay a price."
"What? There are secrets like that?"
"Of course. Word on the street is that Tan Han, the top student in our year, received a red velvet cake and was then 'kidnapped' into the Witch Academy."
"For real?"
"Probably..." I smiled without over-explaining, using a small plastic knife to slice the cake. "Here, this piece is for you. Give it a try."
"Thank you, Sister Xiao Han."
"It's fine. No need for thanks between us." I took a piece for myself and then looked at Guan Qiuling, asking casually, "By the way, where are the others? Are they asleep?"
"Um... I'm not sure, but Dongli Yiren and Yu Yuetian are upstairs. I don't know if they're asleep. Hong Chenyi seems to be out messing around, though I'd bet she's actually with Shi Huiyu."
"Don't say it, that's actually very likely."
I sat on the sofa, smiling. The news was playing on the TV, which reminded me of what the Academy Dean had told me—the matter regarding the merger of small worlds. It seemed they were starting to guide public opinion in advance.
Unfortunately, the Transcendent Academy remained a very mysterious entity to the outside world. Just as I was wondering how they would handle the narrative, the news made a vague mention of some unusual reports.
They were rumors originating from the Transcendent Academy, suggesting theories about the possible existence of other worlds beyond our own, pending further verification, and so on.
Well... I had worried for nothing. These groundless rumors were things I used to hear all the time even before I entered the academy; they often made headlines. As long as the source was tied to the Transcendent Academy, it would spark heated discussions.
Like those doomsday prophecies that became popular every few years.
Most people would probably treat this as just another joke. A world beyond this world... likely no one would believe it.
But knowing the inside story, I was well aware that this time, it was for real.
Just then, there was some movement from upstairs.
I looked up to see Dongli Yiren. "Dongli Yiren, come down and have some cake. It's free, so don't let it go to waste."
"Cake? Where'd it come from?"
"A Senior Sister gave it to me. We'll just leave a portion for Hong Chenyi and Yu Yuetian. Oh, why don't you go see if Yu Yuetian is asleep?" I suggested.
"Better just leave it for her. She's already put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on her door."
"Fair enough. Come down and taste the handiwork of a Senior Sister from the bakery where I worked. I believe you've been there before, Dongli Yiren?"