Chapter 755: The Long-Awaited Baking House and Senior Sister Ying Shiqian
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 755: The Long-Awaited Baking House and Senior Sister Ying Shiqian
The market here at the opening ceremony would be staying open for a while. As I wandered through, I ran into several sisters I knew from the laboratory.
If I didn't know them personally, who would have guessed that the people manning these unremarkable market stalls were actually senior sisters or even Teaching Assistants who were usually impossible to find?
Unfortunately, after rummaging through my storage equipment, I realized I didn't have anything worth selling. Otherwise, I would have loved to set up a little stall next to them. Just selling random trifles would have been quite fun.
It wasn't that I lacked the money; I just craved the novelty of the experience and the feeling of having friends around me.
Leaving the market, I headed toward the path designated for freshman guidance.
Regardless of how they arrived, once the new students passed through the Curtain Wall of the Witch Academy using their admission letters, they entered a place completely different from the Magic City.
This was the Witch Academy.
Perhaps it was their first time in the Magic City and they didn't know their way around, but it didn't matter. As long as they were within the city limits covered by the academy's influence, holding their admission letter would transport them into the academy in the next instant.
Once inside, the Root Network of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree would guide the freshmen to registration. It was incredibly convenient.
I remembered when I first enrolled; Sister Bai had to lead me personally. Back then, the procedures weren't even fully standardized, and some students failed to complete the enrollment process, requiring clubs to help track them down within the academy.
Considering how scattered the freshmen were, it was no wonder the Ley Line Operating System suffered from Ley Line Stagnation after enrollment was finished.
Of course, from my perspective, the main reason many freshmen couldn't complete their enrollment on time... was probably those overly thirsty senior sisters.
Passing through the crowds of new students and seeing their faces full of passion and longing, I couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia. To think that even someone like me has become a "Senior Sister" in their eyes.
My clones were busy every second of the day.
However, I didn't plan on stealing work from my own clones. Today was freshman enrollment, and my clones were stationed at the main paths and nodes of the enrollment process to guide the newcomers. Although the numbers were high, the work had become simpler.
The flow of the crowd and the guidance markers formed by the Root Network naturally showed the freshmen where to go. My hundred or so clones acted as volunteers, answering common questions.
"Wow~ It's another Sister Xiao Han!"
"Hello there~" I replied to a group of three or four girls walking alongside me.
"No way! Are you a Sister Xiao Han too?" one of them asked, surprised by my response.
"I am."
"Seriously, how many Sister Xiao Hans are there in the Witch Academy? I feel like I've run into several along the way. I've been checking them off one by one."
"I heard a senior sister say that the enrollment process requires you to successfully 'collect' all the Sister Xiao Hans to be considered fully enrolled. Is that true?"
"Who's spreading such rumors?"
Hearing this, I immediately realized they had been pranked by some senior sister. What a bunch of naive freshmen~
"Eh? It's not true?"
"Of course not. My clones are only responsible for guidance. Once you've registered, you can just ask anyone to find out what to do next."
"I see... what a shame. I even prepared a notebook specifically to collect all the Sister Xiao Hans. Wait! Does that mean... once I'm done with enrollment, I can keep looking for Sister Xiao Hans to check off my list?"
"If you're persistent, I suppose there's no harm in it," I replied, sounding a bit helpless. "Alright~ I'm heading that way. Bye-bye~"
"Wait! Wait! Sister Xiao Han! we haven't checked you off yet!"
"Yeah, Sister Xiao Han, where are you going? Aren't you going to guide the freshmen?"
"Guiding you is a job for my clones." I smiled and took the notebook from the girl who wanted to "collect" me. It already had several instances of "Xiao Han" written on it. I quickly scribbled the signature "Yang Yuehan" across the page.
"As the main body, I naturally have to enjoy a rare bit of leisure~ So, I'm going to check out the club recruitment area."
"Wait, the main body?!" The girl stared at me in shock, then looked down at the signature in her book.
By the time they tried to say something else, the figure in front of them had vanished, leaving only the moving crowd.
"Ah! That... that just now! Was that really the real Sister Xiao Han?"
"Whoa... it's her full signature! It might really be that legendary senior sister herself!"
"Even the name she signed is different. Yang Yuehan... the name practically radiates golden light!"
Amidst their exclamations, the girls resumed their enrollment process. For freshmen in the Transcendent world, this was the essence of coincidences and fortuitous encounters.
"Hey, hey~ after we finish enrolling, let's go to the club recruitment area Sister Xiao Han mentioned. Maybe we'll run into her again?"
"I want to see what clubs in a Transcendent Academy are like. It must be interesting, right?"
"But... how long will that take? Sister Xiao Han might be gone by the time we're done."
"What if? Just what if, right? Let's just go look~"
"Not me. I'm going to keep collecting Sister Xiao Han signatures!"
The cheerful voices of the girls gradually faded into the crowd as I arrived at the club recruitment area.
The reason I came here was to see if I could find any familiar faces.
And... to see Shopkeeper Xia Li.
Although my opinion of her was average and I had my fair share of stereotypes about her, she was still one of the few people I actually knew.
Back when I worked part-time there, I had a decent daily life. If it weren't for the series of turning points that followed, I might have thought that studying, living, and working part-time until graduation was a fine choice.
But things changed far too quickly.
Going to see her now, I didn't even know what to say. Perhaps the act of visiting was the meaning itself.
Moreover, when I went to pick up my cheap brother for his enrollment, I noticed Shopkeeper Xia Li had gone there too. Although she eventually left in a huff because Yang Yunhan pissed her off, the fact that she brought her special Red Velvet Cake showed how much she cared.
After all, last year, only the top scorer Tan Han received such treatment.
I'd treat this as an apology on behalf of my cheap brother—a clumsy excuse, but an excuse nonetheless.
When I reached the recruitment area, a large crowd had already gathered.
It wasn't just freshmen; students from other years were there looking to switch clubs or try something new. It was a rare moment where all the clubs were gathered in one place.
For freshmen, a club was essentially a platform—a springboard to help them take off in their early days. Those who just wanted a quiet academy life could choose hobby-based clubs.
However... after circling the area, I noticed that the clubs gathered here were mostly those with little name recognition.
Clubs like the Jack-of-all-trades Club or the Witch Secret Realm Club were nowhere to be seen. Or rather, the memberships for such clubs were likely decided internally from the very beginning.
If they wanted to play it that way, fine by me.
I walked toward a more peripheral corner and spotted a familiar figure and a familiar club section.
In the area marked "Baking House," there were only a few simple tables and chairs. A figure was sprawled lazily across the tabletop. Beside her sat a basket and some small cookies that hadn't been handed out yet.
I stood there, my shadow blocking the sunlight hitting her.
"Mmm... who is it? Want to check out the Baking House?" Ying Shiqian rubbed her eyes and spoke listlessly.
"Senior Sister Ying Shiqian~ it's me."
"Huh?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Ying Shiqian let out a strange little sound of confusion, as if her brain hadn't quite caught up. She lifted her head.
Her misty eyes slowly regained their focus, and her vision sharpened.
"Xiao Han?! Ah? You! What are you doing here!"
"You gave me a fright, Senior Sister. Slacking off again?" I leaned my hands on the table she had been sleeping on, smiling at the person I hadn't seen in ages.
"Xiao Han... what a surprise..." By now, Ying Shiqian was fully awake, her face a mix of shock and joy. "You're not a clone, are you? Is the main body actually here? I've been seeing so many of your clones outside lately..."
"Of course the main body came to see you~ It looks like you don't have many visitors here?" I smiled and pulled up a spare chair to sit down.
"Of course not. Who enters a Transcendent Academy just to learn how to bake? Sigh~" Ying Shiqian sighed. "But Xiao Han, you're usually a ghost. What brings you here today?"
"I'm just giving myself a vacation. I don't know many people in the Witch Academy, so the few of you from the Baking House are practically family to me."
"Heh~ hearing you say that makes me feel a bit flattered."
"Senior Sister Ying Shiqian has actually become humble? That's not the person I remember. I don't mind if you use our relationship to brag to others, you know~" I chatted with her playfully.
It felt a bit like when I first started my part-time job, yet there was a clear barrier now. I knew it would be difficult to return to the way things were.
After some small talk, we moved on to other topics.
"By the way, is it just you doing recruitment again? How is Senior Sister Tang Yihan doing?" I picked up a club application form held down by a weight; they were all brand new, not a single one filled out.
Nearby were a few crumpled ones that Ying Shiqian seemed to have ruined while playing with origami.
"That's just my lot in life~" Ying Shiqian sighed, though her tone wasn't truly complaining. She actually seemed to be enjoying herself. Perhaps since graduating from the Witch Academy, she had been living the "retirement" life she always wanted.
"Tang Yihan refused to come with me. As for the Shopkeeper... speaking of the Shopkeeper, she... well..."
"What's wrong with the Shopkeeper?" I asked curiously.
"It's about that brother of yours, Yang Yunhan. You remember, right? The Shopkeeper went to see him, but after she came back, she was... well, she seemed really angry. I don't know how she is now."
"Oh, I know about that. My cheap brother hasn't been beaten down by society yet, and he managed to offend her. I was thinking of coming by to apologize to her."
"Oh, don't worry about an apology. It's been so long, she's probably over it. Besides... I heard you actually managed to trick that brother of yours into joining the Witch Academy?"
"Yeah. I brought him here so he can experience a proper beating. That kid... he hasn't learned anything good from his parents since he was little."
"True. I heard he actually said to your face that it was good you died. I wonder if that's true. If it is... I really want to go over there and smack him myself!"
"Go ahead~ but just a lesson is enough. He's just an underage kid in the end. Children say stupid things; I can't be bothered to hold a grudge forever. If he can learn right from wrong now, life in a Transcendent Academy will be the turning point where he leaves his past behind and changes himself."
"You're certainly open-minded, Xiao Han," Ying Shiqian said with a smile. "But seriously, during the break, the whole academy was buzzing with rumors that you had died. It really scared me."
"Well~ I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? Don't listen to the nonsense on the Academy Network," I said with a laugh. "By the way, I'm curious—where is the Shopkeeper now?"
"The Shopkeeper... how should I put this? She's probably busy dealing with Tan Han's affairs," Ying Shiqian said after a moment of hesitation.
"Hmm? With Tan Han? Dealing with what?"
"What else could it be? Ever since the Shopkeeper gave her 'treasure' to Tan Han, she's basically been busy with that non-stop."
"Oh, that." Hearing Ying Shiqian's words, I remembered. As the holder of the largest fragment of that [Transcendent Knowledge], the Shopkeeper was bound to be plagued by trouble.
Even if she turned that crown into a sealed wand and gave it to Tan Han, she would likely still face many problems.
Back then, the Jack-of-all-trades Club was the first to cause trouble for her, though it eventually came to nothing.
Perhaps it had something to do with me obtaining a Heart of the Cold Wave as well?
After all, without my piece, the [Transcendent Knowledge] would never be complete.
But... now I had two Hearts of the Cold Wave in my possession.
"Xiao Han, that [Transcendent Knowledge] the Shopkeeper has... it's related to something very important, isn't it?" Ying Shiqian asked curiously.
She knew roughly what it was, but she lacked deeper understanding—for instance, what kind of existence a Great Spellbook shaped by [Transcendent Knowledge] would be.
"You could say that. It's something that even Transcendent Mentors probably can't ignore."
"Even Transcendent Mentors would fight over it? No wonder..."
"What's wrong? Did a Mentor actually make a move?" I asked.
After all, this [Transcendent Knowledge] seemed tied to Luck; Mentors shouldn't interfere too much with such things.
Or was it that other Transcendent Academies had designs on it?
"No, it's not that. It's just... too many people are eyeing it. Ever since Tan Han got that wand made from the crown... the Staff of Absolute Cold, if I remember the name right... she's been constantly challenged. People have even tried to rob her. Just listening to the Shopkeeper vent about it, I can tell Tan Han is having a rough time every day."
"Challenged?"
"Yeah, at the Arena. I sometimes go to watch Tan Han fight. I have to say, with the Staff of Absolute Cold, she's incredible! I heard that in an unrestricted duel, she can even hold her own against a Teaching Assistant!"
"Is that so?" A flash of surprise crossed my eyes. It seemed that in all this time, I wasn't the only one making progress.