Chapter 766: Leisurely Days During the Freshman Enrollment Period
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 766: Leisurely Days During the Freshman Enrollment Period
"Mhm, all done~"
I hung up the call with Millian and resumed my conversation with Tan Han and the others.
Although I had set the visibility permissions for the call just now, I hadn't been particularly secretive about what I said.
"Xiao Han, that was..."
"Oh, just asking someone to help me handle the aftermath of what I did earlier. It won't be long before our exploits in the Arena start spreading across the Academy Network. I don't want my normal life to be disturbed because of it," I explained.
"I see."
They didn't press for details. Regarding the things I mentioned afterward, they seemed to have collectively chosen to ignore them.
"So, where are we heading next? Should Xiao Tan go with you first, or what?" the Shopkeeper asked.
They had been out of the Arena for a while now, but aside from walking along the street, they didn't have a specific destination in mind.
"Back to the Baking House, of course. The laboratory is empty during the first few days of the semester, and I promised them we’d take it easy for a bit. I’ve been busy with all that stuff the whole break; everyone needs a rest eventually."
"True... but why choose the start of the semester to rest?"
"It just so happens that the experiment hit a bit of a bottleneck, so I need to look up some extra materials. I figured I’d take a vacation while I’m at it. The others... they’re probably at the Freshman Market, dealing with the experimental byproducts they’ve piled up."
As we chatted about self-generated mana and laboratory business, we hopped onto our brooms and sped toward the Baking House.
The Shopkeeper’s Baking House was still in the same old spot. I remembered this place was called the Xinmengli Block, and my very first dormitory had been around here too. Looking into the distance, I could just make out the silhouette of the villa complex.
Since the new semester was starting... those girls in the dorm should be back by now, right?
I wondered what they were up to.
"We’re here, we’re here! Haha! Yihan—did you keep the place safe?" Upon arriving, Ying Shiqian was clearly excited. At the very least, being at the bakery was much better than being at the club recruitment stalls.
We had mentioned the recruitment earlier, but in the end, the Shopkeeper couldn't bear to make Ying Shiqian go back there.
"Hmm? Ying Shiqian, aren't you supposed to be in charge of recruitment? Why are you... oh... you're all back?" Tang Yihan heard the commotion from the back room and immediately came out.
She was about to nag Ying Shiqian, only to realize the shop was suddenly full of people.
The Shopkeeper and Tan Han were there, along with Xiao You, and...
"Hi~ Senior Sister Tang Yihan, long time no see~" I greeted her warmly. It really had been a while since I last saw her.
"Xiao Han? You... you came too? You're already a Teaching Assistant, so stop calling me 'Senior Sister'..."
"It’s fine~ It’s just a habit. I call Ying Shiqian 'Senior Sister' too, and the Shopkeeper is still the Shopkeeper." I shrugged with a smile, indicating it wasn't an issue.
"Alright then~" Tang Yihan didn't dwell on it, accepting the address.
"By the way, is it just you and the others left at the Baking House again?" I looked around and saw the shop was quite empty. Aside from the neatly arranged bread and some "Tang Yihan Specials," there wasn't a single other club member in sight.
"It can't be helped~ Our Baking House is just a small club. we can't provide much help to the other students, so the members have all left," Senior Sister Ying Shiqian said helplessly from the side. At some point, she had already slipped behind the checkout counter and slumped over it lazily, returning to her usual listless state.
"Not a single one left?"
"I wouldn't say not a single one. Old-timers like me are still here, counting on the Shopkeeper to provide for my retirement~ But the club really only has a few people left. They helped out during the break and worked part-time; there are plenty of freshmen who have to worry about money. But once the semester started, the Shopkeeper sent them back. We can't let them miss their classes."
"Is that so? Just curious, why didn't those few leave?"
"Well... because of you, Xiao Han~ I heard those girls are all fans of yours, members of your fan club and such. And of course, some stayed because of Tan Han, like... Xiao You..."
"Oh, it looks like things aren't looking too great for the Baking House."
After all, the Shopkeeper was essentially supporting the entire club by herself.
"It’s true things aren't great, but... this club holds my memories. There are so many clubs in the Witch Academy, and I used to fight tooth and nail to get into them. But eventually, I realized that clubs... are just like that. Those groups that hide behind the guise of a 'club' are ultimately just tools for profit. It’s better to return to the basics and let shared interests bring like-minded people together."
"Shopkeeper~ don't make it sound so high and mighty! Aren't we running the bakery to earn funding? You really can't keep a club running without money," Senior Sister Ying Shiqian chimed in, deflating the mood.
"The bakery's revenue has been consistently in the red! You call that earning funding?" the Shopkeeper shot back.
"Don't we have a side hustle..." Ying Shiqian turned her head and whispered, "It’s not like we’re strictly a legitimate bakery..."
"Alright, stop bickering. Do you want to try what I just made?" At that moment, Tang Yihan emerged from the back with a tray. She had been working back there and had only popped out briefly to say hello before returning.
"Stay... stay away from me!"
At the sight of the tray, Ying Shiqian was the first to react, waving her hands frantically.
"Did Senior Sister Tang Yihan make something new?" I leaned in curiously. Unlike before, I wasn't as afraid of Tang Yihan’s "creations" as Ying Shiqian was.
I was a body cultivator. As long as it was food, it was a form of cultivation to me.
"It’s not a new product, just doughnuts. The kind with icing," Tang Yihan said, shaking her head. "I was planning to restock, but seeing the current foot traffic, we might as well just eat them ourselves."
"If it's not a new product, then we're good..." Hearing this, Ying Shiqian leaned back in. It seemed that even she acknowledged Tang Yihan’s skills—as long as she wasn't experimenting with new recipes, her food was delicious.
"Thanks~"
I picked one up. Just as Tang Yihan said, it was dusted with a layer of icing. It was incredibly soft when I bit into it, carrying the unique sweet aroma of baking, and the icing added a rich texture.
"Ah~ so good. Every bite tastes like the club's funding disappearing," Senior Sister Ying Shiqian commented from the side.
"Then don't eat it," Tang Yihan said as she walked past.
"Hey! No, no, no, let me have one more~"
After a bit of rowdiness, I sat to the side, feeling that old familiar atmosphere return.
If the Baking House club could stay as pure as a regular baking interest group, with every day being this fun, it really wouldn't be bad. I suddenly understood why Senior Sister Ying Shiqian wanted to "retire" here.
Soon, the conversation shifted from doughnuts to the unavoidable topic.
For the current Baking House, the most important matter was undoubtedly Tan Han’s situation. It was only natural for Tang Yihan to be concerned.
This time, Ying Shiqian took over as the primary narrator, as her excitement over the incident hadn't faded in the slightest.
Listening to Senior Sister Ying Shiqian recount the events, I could hear her blatant bragging, constantly lamenting how much of a shame it was that Tang Yihan hadn't come along.
Though her storytelling was exaggerated, she did stick to the facts. I hadn't expected that something so mundane in my eyes could sound so passionate when coming from her.
Perhaps this was how ordinary people viewed geniuses?
Once upon a time, I had also considered myself an ordinary person. Standing here by the register, I could almost remember my old conversations with Ying Shiqian about Witch Meditation Methods, talking about the gap between geniuses and the mediocre...
I spent a rare amount of time lingering in the bakery, acting like a customer and chatting idly with them. In my hand, I held the Book in the Box, occasionally flipping through the materials Sister Bai had organized for me regarding the Great Witch Subject.
Time slipped away unnoticed.
"By the way, do you really have no intention of promoting to Transcendent Witches? Even if you say that, many senior sisters who have been graduated for years end up promoting to Transcendent Witches in the latter half of their lives without even realizing it."
I suspected that most people who promoted late in life still kept a significant portion of their mana sources to maintain their life level, occasionally researching their own subjects.
They were just waiting.
Waiting for a time when they had no more attachments, using this "foolish" method to reduce the impact of the Ley Line Shackles on themselves.
In truth, everyone could break free from the restrictions of the Ley Line Shackles this way, but not everyone could maintain the philosophy of ascending to Transcendent and the research of their subject throughout their entire life.
Most ordinary people simply missed the opportunity to promote once the shackles were gone; once their mindset had aged, they lost the passion to take that further step.
"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak"—that probably described this state perfectly.
"Xiao Han~ you seem to have a very strange obsession. Are you still trying to help a salted fish like me flip over?"
" I just find it strange... in my world, promoting to Transcendent seems like just a hurdle in life. Why do so many people see it as the finish line?"
"That’s why I say you’ve still experienced too little, Xiao Han~ You can't empathize with other people's lives, their struggles, their philosophies, or their thoughts. That’s why I say you have a strange obsession—not just toward me, but toward yourself. What exactly is it that keeps you moving forward without ever getting tired?" Senior Sister Ying Shiqian sighed.
"Actually, I’ve noticed you know a lot of life lessons, Senior Sister Ying Shiqian~ It’s like you’ve seen through the vanity of the mortal world at such a young age..."
"Stop, stop, stop! I haven't reached that level yet! I still have plenty of worldly desires!"
"Alright~" Seeing Senior Sister Ying Shiqian’s expression, I could probably guess what she meant.
She probably had someone she couldn't forget over on Sentiment Street. But... come to think of it, I’d only been to Sentiment Street once?
Back then, I had accidentally opened the passage and gone in with Sister Bai, but I was dragged out before I could experience any of the "sentimental" local specialties.
While it was a bit of a pity, I would make up for that regret through Sister Bai.
"It looks like it’s getting late. Remember to tell Tan Han to come find me after the freshman enrollment is over. She won't be able to get into the experimental zone without the permissions I grant her. Of course, if you ever suddenly feel like making progress, Senior Sister Ying Shiqian, you can come find me too~"
"Got it~ we know. Don't forget to take these with you."
"I’ll take the gesture, but next time I’m paying. Otherwise, you guys really are going to become a charity Baking House." I accepted the basket of bread Ying Shiqian pushed toward me. I had intended to pay; after all, I wasn't the person I used to be, held back by a little bit of money. This small amount was nothing to me now.
But Senior Sister Ying Shiqian, who was in charge of the register, insisted on not taking it, and in the end, she just gave it to me.
"Relax~ just take it. Think of it as a gift from the Shopkeeper. She’s always felt like she owed you. If she found out I charged you for bread, I’d probably be fired on the spot. Be a good girl~ just think of it as helping me keep my retirement job~"
"Then say thank you to the Shopkeeper for me. Also, tell her she doesn't need to feel like she owes me anything. It makes it feel like there's some kind of debt between us."
"Understood~ safe travels~"
Pushing open the glass door of the bakery, I walked down the twilight-lit street carrying the assorted bread basket.
"Where to next?" My gaze followed the street toward the distant villa dormitory area.
Although it was a question I asked myself, the answer seemed to have been there from the moment I asked.
No. 62 Block 2 Xinmengli.
That was where my old villa was located.
I took out my room card again. With a casual swipe, the door opened.
A heated discussion immediately drifted out from the living room.
"Oh oh oh! Yes! I finally passed the re-test!" That incredibly energetic voice was unmistakable—it was Hong Chenyi, the most vibrant member of the dorm.
"How did you even pass? Did Teacher Ji Niang give you a boost or something?"
"Wait, who was the last one to come in? I thought I heard the door. Did someone not close it properly?"
"Don't look at me, I was the first one to charge into the villa!" Hong Chenyi’s voice rang out.
"I remember closing it," Yu Yuetian’s voice added.
Clack—!
As the door swung shut again, my voice rang out.
"You guys would rather suspect the last person didn't close the door than think I might have come back? You're breaking my heart!"
"Huh?! Sister Xiao Han!"
"Aaaah! Ahhh! Sister Xiao Han!"
"Talk about a sense of occasion! You actually remembered us and came to visit on the first day of the semester!" Immediately, the over-excited Hong Chenyi began writhing and squirming on the sofa, trying to crawl toward me while making strange, excited noises.
"I didn't expect you all to be here~ What were you talking about just now? I think I heard something about a re-test? What was that?" I walked over curiously and found all four of them there, lounging on the sofa without any reservations, as if they were in the middle of a meeting.
"Eh? It wasn't exactly a re-test... it was a second chance! A second chance for course exemption that Teacher Ji Niang gave! But I grabbed it, and now I’m one of the people with a course exemption this semester too! Hahahaha—cough... cough cough... ow..." Hong Chenyi explained so excitedly that she ended up choking on her own laughter.