Chapter 70: Joining the Baking House
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 70: Joining the Baking House
"Speaking of the Shopkeeper's private stash, there are just too many good things in there! You have no idea—it has everything from Mana Sources to all kinds of spells. I even heard there’s [Transcendent Knowledge] inside~"
Senior Sister Tang Yihan leaned in close as she spoke, lowering her voice significantly when she mentioned Transcendent Knowledge.
"Transcendent Knowledge?"
Hearing that immediately reminded me of the time with Sister Bai. I followed her lead and asked a question to see if the so-called Transcendent Knowledge the Senior Sister mentioned was the same kind I was thinking of.
"Mm-hmm~ Well... I can't say much more. Anyway, this [Transcendent Knowledge] isn't quite the same as the ordinary kind. Just make sure you don't mention to the Shopkeeper that I told you about it. That stash is her pride and joy—it's the symbol of her foundation."
"In other words, it's something incredibly precious that's only for show and not for trade?" I asked tentatively.
Seeing how cautious the Senior Sister was, it seemed it really was the [Transcendent Knowledge] I understood it to be.
I hadn't expected the Shopkeeper to have the strength to guard such a thing. Back then, Sister Bai didn't even dare let me breathe a word about it, even going as far as to scrub the information from my Personal Data.
"Right, it's pretty much like that. But the Shopkeeper has plenty of other things! Also, Xiao Han, you absolutely cannot tell her I told you!" the Senior Sister blurted out. She quickly realized she might have said too much and continued to explain in a hushed tone.
"Understood!" I nodded quickly.
Even if that so-called [Transcendent Knowledge] couldn't be traded for, I was still very interested in Mana Sources and spells. A Mana Source was equivalent to increasing my maximum mana capacity and could even accelerate the progress of my Witchification. Spells, on the other hand, were essentially skills. Even with just those two items, it was more than enough reason for me to join the club.
As for looking for other clubs, I could certainly find one with my talent—others might even welcome me with open arms. However, given my current relationship with these Senior Sisters, this was naturally a better fit. They would look out for me more because of our existing bond.
"As long as you understand. Phew... Xiao Han, are you willing to join our Baking House?" Tang Yihan breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at me with a serious expression.
"Of course I am!" Looking at the Senior Sister's expectant gaze, I agreed naturally.
"You agree? Haha! Xiao Han, you've made the absolute right choice!" Tang Yihan was overjoyed after receiving my formal answer. In her excitement, she turned and ran back toward the shop.
"Eh? Senior Sister, where are you going?" I called out. She couldn't be ditching me right after I agreed, could she?
"To get your club application form, of course! This has to be submitted and registered. It's just a formality, wait right there~"
With that, Tang Yihan ran off cheerfully. When she returned, she held a simple form in her hand.
"Here it is. Just fill it out briefly. If there's anything you don't know, you can leave it blank. Here's a pen." She handed me the form and the pen, urging me to fill it out quickly.
I filled it out while glancing at the Senior Sisters. They looked as if they wouldn't be satisfied until they saw me finish it with their own eyes.
Finally, once they got what they wanted, they both let out a synchronized sigh of relief.
"Um, Senior Sisters, did you both just breathe a sigh of relief?" I asked, puzzled.
"Eh? Did we? No, you heard wrong." Tang Yihan quickly snatched up the form. She checked my entries, confirmed everything was basically correct, and tucked it away.
"You definitely didn't hear wrong. It's because the Baking House club currently only has... mgh... mmph!" Senior Sister Ying Shiqian leaned over, about to explain, but Tang Yihan clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Only has... what?" I asked curiously.
"Mmph... Hah! Yihan, Xiao Han is already a member of the Baking House. It's not right to keep her in the dark! Besides, what's so embarrassing about having only three people in the club? It's called 'concentrated essence'! We're an elite group!" Senior Sister Ying Shiqian finally resisted Tang Yihan, pulling her hand away to speak.
"Eh? Only... three people?" My eyes widened. How did a club with only three people manage to stay afloat?
"Correction: there are four now," Ying Shiqian said, clearly enjoying the chaos.
"Sorry, Xiao Han, about this..."
"It's fine. Like Senior Sister Ying Shiqian said, what's wrong with having few people? We'll just take the elite route~" I quickly comforted her, making my stance clear. Otherwise, I felt Tang Yihan might actually spiral into an inferiority complex.
I didn't really care about the numbers. After all, the more people there are, the more things you have to worry about. Plus, with fewer people, there's no one to compete with me for the Shopkeeper's private stash!
"Xiao Han, do you really not mind?" Tang Yihan hadn't expected to hear words of comfort from me and asked immediately.
"Of course. With fewer people, there's no one to fight me for the Shopkeeper's private stash~" I said half-jokingly.
"That's true. When the Shopkeeper gets back, I'll tell her right away and make her bleed a fortune this time!"
"Exactly! Yihan, I've been meaning to say this—how could you be so short-sighted back then? The first spell you gave Xiao Han was a Cleaning Spell? That's way too low-end! You should have at least fleeced her for an attack spell!" Ying Shiqian chimed in.
"What's wrong with a Cleaning Spell? Functional spells aren't any cheaper than average offensive spells. Back then, Xiao Han was just a part-timer. Getting the Shopkeeper to give up a spellbook at all was already the limit of my persuasion."
"Alright, alright~ Senior Sisters, please don't argue. Anyway, as long as it's a spell, I'll like it. I'm not picky at all!" I stepped in to mediate, fearing it might escalate into a real fight.
Though I'd seen them bicker before, I'd feel bad if it happened because of me.
Once I had calmed them both down, I breathed a sigh of relief myself.
"By the way, I'm still curious—what is our Shopkeeper usually busy with? I don't see her in the Bakery much. Is she not coming today either?"
"I wouldn't know. The Shopkeeper never gives us a heads-up about what she's doing."
"Yeah," Ying Shiqian agreed. "But I chat with her occasionally. I heard she's been busy with some very important matters lately."
"Important matters? Like what?" I asked.
"Hmm... it seems to be related to Tan Han. You know, the Shopkeeper played a huge part in 'abducting' Tan Han into the Witch Academy~"
"That's true..."
I nodded in agreement. This year's full-score Top Scorer didn't even make it into the Three Great Academies and ended up in the poorly-reputed Witch Academy instead. That girl must be crying her eyes out in a bathroom somewhere.
Since the Shopkeeper put so much effort into it, she was probably busy helping to "pacify" the girl's emotions right now.
Otherwise, I really couldn't imagine what else she'd be doing. Come to think of it, it's been several days since Tan Han was brought to the Witch Academy, hasn't it?
There hasn't been any news at all.
When something like this happens, you'd think they'd publicize it heavily. After all, the gimmick of a "Full-Score Top Scorer" is very powerful, even if the Academy's methods of getting her were a bit... questionable.
They probably considered that, but "abducting" people is an old tradition of the Witch Academy. Surely they wouldn't stay completely silent about it?
Based on my understanding of Witches, shouldn't they be proud of it?