Chapter 94: Finding People
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 94: Finding People
If I were to participate in this activity on behalf of the Baking House, I would need to go to the academy's designated organizing location to collect the necessary materials.
After all, I wasn't an omniscient deity; there was no way for me to know which obscure nooks and crannies those freshmen in need of help might be tucked away in.
Because of this, the academy performed a centralized consolidation of information.
This data included, but was not limited to, the entry and exit logs of the Curtain Wall. This was the most foolproof set of records for the entire student body, as it used the "one-way ticket" admission letters to track exactly which freshmen had entered the campus early.
By cross-referencing this with other data, it became clear which freshmen hadn't registered, hadn't picked up their student cards, or were missing phones, room cards, and awakened talents. It was all laid out at a glance.
As long as I could find the person and confirm their details, I would know exactly which parts of the orientation process they had missed.
So, the crux of the problem remained "finding people."
As for how to actually find them, I probably wouldn't know until I went there tomorrow to check it out.
According to Senior Sister Tang Yihan’s explanation, it apparently involved precise positioning by integrating the academy's internal Ley Line energy. It sounded like some very high-end technology.
Can the Ley Lines really do anything?
I had to admit, I was starting to get interested in Ley Line energy. I even considered heading to the library to look for some popular science primers on the subject.
As for why I wanted popular science books instead of professional texts or journals...
Well, after being demoralized by what Tan Han said about that meditation book I borrowed, I had developed a very clear understanding of my own limitations.
My optimal level of comprehension was likely capped at the "introductory primer" category.
I had no intention of actually researching Ley Line energy or diving into specialized literature and journals. I just wanted to read some basic primers to understand the things I might encounter—things that were currently unknown to me.
After all, humans naturally possess a high level of enthusiasm for the unknown, even if it only stays at the level of shallow exploration.
In the end, I took on this task for the Baking House. Shopkeeper Xia Li even took the time to come visit me today.
Upon hearing that I was willing to share the club's burdens, she briskly took me to collect a Mana Source and a spellbook.
Her decisiveness actually caught me off guard, to the point where I briefly wondered if I was being played.
But even if it was a trap, the spell Shopkeeper Xia Li gave me was a very practical protection spell. Combined with the solidification spell on my medal, I was now well-equipped for both offense and defense. One could even say I possessed a certain degree of combat capability.
Furthermore, my mana capacity limit had increased slightly. This allowed me to use mana with much more breathing room; after all, various things in the villa consumed mana, and even my phone drained it.
It wasn't until I arrived at the organizing site for the club's mandatory activity that I gained a general understanding of the specifics. We still had to find the people ourselves.
However, the academy would grant us temporary permissions within the academy system, allowing us to access the freshmen's information and locations.
It was easy to see that the senior sisters who had shown up weren't particularly happy.
Enthusiasm for the activity was low; I was probably the only one taking it seriously. When I registered under the Baking House club, I discovered that my target quota was actually just one person.
This number was definitely lower than I expected. It seemed there were far fewer freshmen in need of help than I had anticipated.
Then again, it made sense. How many freshmen could there be in one year? Besides, the bulk of the class hadn't even arrived at the academy yet.
I also saw quite a few clubs that had arrived later and weren't assigned any mandatory quotas at all, meaning they could just slack off and do nothing.
At that moment, I felt a twinge of regret for coming so early.
Walking out of the center, I looked at the new temporary permissions in my academy system. This was a function enabled specifically for the event. It was GPS positioning—a feature one usually didn't get to enjoy.
And those freshmen shouldn't have anything on them, right? No trackers, probably no academy phones, and some might not have even picked up their Ley Line-connected student cards. What exactly was being used to track them?
This technology was a bit too terrifying. I looked up at the Curtain Wall in the sky; satellite positioning seemed unlikely.
As expected, one shouldn't use conventional logic to imagine the transcendent world.
"Eh? Junior, you're a freshman, right? Are freshmen coming to participate in this activity too? You weren't scammed by some unscrupulous club, were you?"
Just then, a voice came from behind me, tinged with a hint of surprise. The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
"Hmm? Ah! It's Senior Sister Deng. Hello." I turned around and quickly reacted upon seeing her. Wasn't this Deng Xiaonan, the senior sister I had met once on the train?
She had told me her name herself, and I just barely remembered it.
"Oh? You know me? Wow, am I already this famous among the freshmen? Haha..." Deng Xiaonan merely acted surprised for a moment before laughing quite proudly, completely unbothered by the fact that I was a total stranger to her.
"Um... something like that... ha... ha..." I gave a socially awkward laugh, nearly letting my secret slip.
The fewer senior sisters who knew I was a boy, the better.
"So, Senior Sister, are you here to participate in this activity too?" I asked tentatively. I wasn't sure how she recognized me as a freshman; I already had two Mana Sources in my body, so there shouldn't have been any obvious way to tell.
"Yeah, I lost at Rock-Paper-Scissors, so I had to come crawling over. What about you? You're clearly a freshman, yet they pushed you out to guide other freshmen? That's just outrageous," Deng Xiaonan said indignantly. With her tone and "self-familiar" attitude, an outsider would have thought we were the best of friends.
"It's alright. There are benefits to be had, so it's worth the trip. But Senior Sister, you didn't come find me just to chat, did you?"
"Gosh, don't be so distant. You already know me, so it's fate. Let's introduce ourselves properly: I'm Deng Xiaonan. Just call me Senior Sister Deng. If you need anything, you can come to me. Let's add each other as friends." Deng Xiaonan pulled out her phone with a smile.
This series of maneuvers was so fast I could hardly keep up.
"Sure."
I went along with it and added her. After all, more friends meant more paths. For someone like me with few friends, these "self-familiar" seniors were the easiest to establish a connection with.
"Okay, added. If you run into any trouble in the future, you can come find me. But... hehe, well..." Deng Xiaonan spoke naturally after the friend request went through, but her tone shifted instantly, sounding as if she were about to ask for a favor.
"If you have something to say, Senior Sister, you can just tell me..." Seeing her hesitate, I knew she definitely wanted something. She wouldn't have come over just to make a friend.
Unsurprisingly, she probably wanted me to handle her part of the activity for her.
"It's just... could you take over my quota for me, Junior? Don't worry, it's only one person. When the time comes, just put the credit under my name. I'll treat you next time..."
"If you're asking for help, Senior Sister, I'll certainly help. But please, have some sympathy for your junior. I'm a freshman too, and I'm not very familiar with the procedures..." I cut her off as soon as I heard her request, immediately playing the victim.
"This... I, I obviously won't let you walk away empty-handed." Deng Xiaonan spoke up hurriedly when she saw my expression, fearing that I was about to start a full-blown performance of "poor, pitiful me."
"Oh? Really? Our president promised me a Mana Source for completing this quota, and she even gave it to me in advance. I'm not asking for anything amazing from you, Senior Sister, just a small gesture..." I looked at Deng Xiaonan with a face full of pleasant surprise until she turned her head away, unable to meet my eyes out of guilt.
At this point, I knew I had probably pushed enough. There was no way I was going to do work for free.
"Ugh, fine, fine! Alright, I'll give you a Mana Source too." Senior Sister Deng spoke with great difficulty, as if she couldn't bear to hear any more.
As she relented, a faint, imperceptible smile touched my lips. Although I didn't know the market price for a Mana Source, getting one for free was always a win.
I never intended to stop after finishing just one quota anyway. A freshman guiding other freshmen—I actually found the idea quite amusing. It would be even more interesting if I ran into someone like Quan Xiuzhu.