Chapter 203: How Can a Tea Party Be Complete Without Desserts, Tea, and Coffee?
“The scenery here is truly breathtaking.”
After accompanying Tan Han to the top of this gigantic ancient dragon, I gazed at the distant landscape and the fierce lava below. Despite the relentless heatwaves, there was an indescribable shock in this place.
“Yes, this is indeed suitable for the ceremony, so I will apply for it,” Tan Han said after confirming that this location was adequate for the ritual.
The process of hosting a ceremony is an application made to the Dream World. As long as the conditions are met, anyone can apply, but the same academy can only apply once within a certain timeframe.
If Tan Han intends to hold the ceremony here, then the original plan to forge the ancient city will be entirely disrupted.
The application for the ceremony is also linked to the emergence of light columns. After all, the ceremony involves many elements. For instance, the Dragon bl**d Academy’s Dragon bl**d Feast ritual cannot set up its altar in a short period.
Likewise, the witch tea party requires tables, utensils, and desserts that can’t be readily assembled here right now.
These are the basic tools for the ceremony and will be provided after the application is approved. If they are damaged, it’s equivalent to the ceremony being destroyed.
Furthermore, no similar ritual can be held a second time in an area where a ceremony has been disrupted.
So, theoretically, there’s a limit on how many times each academy can host a ceremony. Acting recklessly and failing to maintain it would be the greatest waste.
As another towering light column rose in a similar location, the tea party scene enveloped in that light seemed like the main character under the spotlight on a stage, attracting everyone’s attention.
The light column extinguished and then re-ignited at the same spot, and this phenomenon indeed drew many gazes. Even those from other academies might not have realized what happened, but the students of the Dragon bl**d Academy understood very well.
Their own academy’s ritual was disrupted while others held ceremonies here!
Revenge!
This must be avenged!
Even if that place cannot host the Dragon bl**d Feast ritual a second time, the ones responsible for the disruption must pay the price!
This is simply a slap in their face; it’s an insult to their academy.
“It seems that organizing the witch tea party ritual is more complicated than I imagined,” I said, observing the items that had appeared.
To be honest, I wouldn’t mind transporting items or assembling tools, but since the equipment for the witch tea party is already prepared, what we lack now are the “witches from afar” and the “desserts, coffee, and tea prepared for the witches from afar.”
Just as the Dragon bl**d Feast ritual requires local creatures for bl**d sacrifices, igniting a priest’s bonfire and cutting one’s palm to soak the reverse scales in dragon bl**d with several dragon people singing the Dragon Dance, and ultimately sharing the sacrificed creatures, other academies don’t have it easier than the Witch Academy.
I was carrying the raw materials: eggs, sugar, almonds, low-gluten flour, tea, or coffee beans.
It seems that you can’t hold a witch tea party without some skills.
“Tan Han, do you… know how?” I asked hesitantly.
“I do know a bit about hand-ground coffee and the tea ceremony,” Tan Han replied, “Let’s hold the tea party with the minimum standards. That’s not the main focus; the main focus is still the witches from afar. I wonder if they can make it here.”
“Really? But don’t forget I’m from the baking club; I can’t do this without some skills. Holding it to minimum standards at the witch tea party would only invite ridicule,” I said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
“Don’t forget that everything we do is being livestreamed; just not sure from which angle,” I added. While I said this, I could see from my Spirit Vision the “scenic” perspective in the Dream World, which allowed me to roughly infer where that “hidden camera” might be.
It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t interfere with this perspective.
As long as others cannot see it, there’s no psychological burden, but I always catch a glimpse of it inadvertently, as if it constantly reminds me that I am being livestreamed.
“You’re right; I almost forgot,” Tan Han said with a smile, shaking her head. However, she didn’t mention what exactly she almost forgot: whether it was about everyone being livestreamed or that I was a member of the baking club.
“So don’t worry about hosting the witch tea party. Can’t you see the equipment is all ready here?” I stood up, carrying raw materials over to the preparation table. True to the Witch Academy’s ritual preparations, everything was fully equipped, making me feel like I had entered the back kitchen of a bakery.
I casually picked up an apron, tying it around myself. I didn’t know who designed it, but its style matched the uniform for the current communication match for witches.
“Tan Han, it looks like someone is coming to interrupt us soon.”
I picked up the whisk and checked the other tools, then sensed movement from a distance.
Tan Han, without needing my reminder, headed straight out.
There was no need to rush Tan Han with hand-ground coffee and tea. While she was also a member of the baking club, this young lady clearly hadn’t tried making any cakes before.
If she were to host the witch tea party, one could predict that the cakes she would present would be of regular shapes — that would be her highest effort.
Isn’t it common sense for girls to know a bit about making cakes and cookies?
Otherwise, if the ceremony requires students from various colleges to be hands-on, and yet none of their own students could do it, wouldn’t that be awkward?
Although I hadn’t practiced at the baking club for many days, I still knew how to make some simple cookies and cakes. Moreover, the senior had given me a list of recipes before; while I might not use most of them, this is a witch tea party, not a dessert buffet. I only needed to make a few items, and I certainly couldn’t let Tang Yihan’s dark cuisine appear here.
At this moment.
Outside the Dream World, in the Arena, the massive Earth Vein Operating System supported numerous livestreaming and commentary perspectives, ensuring that everyone here could catch the most exciting scenes from every angle.
If we were to say who looked the most downcast right now, it would undoubtedly be the students from the Dragon bl**d Academy who had come for the exchange.
As the first academy whose ceremony was disrupted, those here to observe today felt somewhat unable to hold their heads high.
And the many students of the Witch Academy in the audience would certainly not miss such an opportunity.
Whether it was the recent massacre that occurred in the Dragon bl**d Nest volcanoes or the performances of those students from the Dragon bl**d Academy, the atmosphere of the scene lifted significantly.
This made it even harder for the substitutes and exchange students from the Dragon bl**d Academy to keep their heads up.
After all, things like Illusionary Clones wouldn’t be visible on livestream, and the Dream World wouldn’t present such illusion effects for the sake of better viewing, making them appear even more dumbfounded.
Moreover, what excited the Witch Academy even more was the convergence of the two beauties, a dramatically charged meeting.
This was Xiao Han and Xiao Han, two of the currently recognized most powerful newcomers.
And now, with the preparations for the witch tea party, one team went external to clear strong opponents while one team remained internal to put on aprons. Such contrasts immediately thrilled many senior female students.
Some even started shipping the two as a couple, and at this moment, only the world with Sister Bai injured… was born.
Bai Yu had never rushed into the competition arena like this before, but she found it impossible to do so.
Oh no, and the students and teachers from the Dragon bl**d Academy and its affiliated academies were also quite hurt.
“It’s Xiao Han! Tang Yihan, why don’t you teach Xiao Han your skills a bit more?” Ying Shiqian excitedly pointed at the giant projection wall in the bakery.
Since the senior students felt they couldn’t see the live scene, they didn’t rush to get tickets this time. Instead, they stayed in the bakery since there was this Earth Vein system to watch the livestream, and they didn’t complain.
Actually, it was mainly because they couldn’t get tickets.
“You’re talking as if you have taught her before. Xiao Han has great baking talent and good ideas; does she even need me to teach her?” Tang Yihan said, directly giving the overly excited Ying Shiqian a whack to calm her down.
“Be gentle… I really want to eat the desserts made by Xiao Han.”
“Well, here’s something I made, make do with it. Didn’t you distribute the ones Xiao Han made for free earlier?” Tang Yihan shoved a nearby cake into Ying Shiqian’s mouth, making it hard for her to even talk.
“Ugh… (chew chew chew)”
Of course, without Ying Shiqian’s chatter, the bakery quieted down a bit.
However, quite a few people arrived out of admiration.
Sometimes, certain skills are very ordinary things, but if placed in a special context, they evoke remarkably magical effects.
Watching the seamless flow of operations in the images, the decisive grace in movements, certainly captivated many; after all, who wouldn’t want to see a beautiful girl making desserts for them?
The only pity is that the people outside can’t taste it.
If a beautiful girl participated in the Dragon bl**d Feast and shared the bl**d banquet, I bet many wouldn’t be able to handle it, right?
Thus, the Dragon bl**d Academy’s culture is inherently at a disadvantage.
Only the muscle-head students from the Dragon bl**d Academy would feel proud and worship such crude behavior.
Perhaps it’s similar in the Demon Academy, but because the ceremony needs to consider the visual aspect, many academies have spent considerable brainpower on this, while only the muscle-minded students of the Dragon bl**d Academy would disregard this.
As time passed little by little.
The cakes I made had already come out of the oven, and the cream made in the meantime could also come in handy.
“Does it really need to be that exquisite?”
Tan Han, who had just finished her battle, returned and looked at the cakes and cookies I had made, swallowing instinctively before asking.
“It’s just a conventional procedure. Want to try? You looked quite exhausted after the battle,” I said, using a long kn*fe to cut the decorated cake, then inserting whipped cream flowers and adding a fresh cherry on the plate.
“Um… thank you.”
Tan Han looked at the desserts handed to her without refusing. The enemies she needed to face really weren’t many, considering the competition had just begun, and all the academies were preparing for their respective ceremonies.
After all, hosting a ceremony is an effective means of “converging” participants from the same school.
Tan Han dealt more with the students from the Dragon bl**d Academy here, but after killing a few, they understood what “don’t seek d*ath” meant. Once she stood there, many troublemakers were directly intimidated.
So they either gathered strength, waiting for more people to attack together, or joined forces with others from different academies checking the situation, or witches arriving on the way.
But Tan Han wouldn’t give them such opportunities.
“Have you been waiting for a while? With their flying broomsticks, they shouldn’t be that slow,” I inquired.
“The Earth Veins within the ancient battlefield are abnormal, and various situations arise; they might be in big trouble,” Tan Han said, glancing at the rankings, where one could see every individual’s scores and remaining respawn count.
The Witch Academy is currently… not without casualties.
We can k*ll students from the other academies, and the other academies can k*ll us too.
Although Tan Han and I can easily overpower Dragon bl**d Academy, their strength hasn’t been revealed yet.
Their enhancements from Dragon bl**d have far exceeded some transformation spells of the Witch Academy.
Those hard dragon scales, that terrifying physical quality and vitality cannot be blocked by students who have mastered transformation spells.
Given that they were selected as competitors in the exchange matches, the academy would naturally invest resources in them. Magic Sources and Spellbooks wouldn’t be lacking, and their combat capabilities have surely qualitatively improved since my previous encounter.
At this moment, I just need to trust them.
“More and more academies are getting ready for their ceremonies. At this rate, it seems like every academy wants to take advantage of this opportunity and not be left behind,” I remarked, looking at several new light columns emerging on the horizon, realizing ultimately that only one ceremony could succeed.
“Our progress may be lagging behind, Tan Han. How about you check out that ceremony over there? According to the order, the one over there started before we did. If they complete it first, we’ll be at a disadvantage. You wouldn’t want my desserts to be wasted like this, would you?”
“What about this side…”
“Don’t worry about me; do I seem like I need your protection?” I looked down at my apron. While it may not look very convincing, Tan Han wouldn’t think I lacked strength.
“Can you handle it alone? After all, you have to deal with enemies and protect the tea party.”
“Of course, I can handle it. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve,” I shook my head and unleashed a massive Ability Shield around the tea party area—this wasn’t just an Energy Shield but also included protective shields, to prevent the aftermath of battles from affecting the desserts.
“Is that so? Your methods are indeed beyond my expectations,” Tan Han remarked, relieved by my actions. In some ways, the spells from the Spellbook can be quite rigid; for example, some protective shields can only be used on oneself, or the size of a shield can only self-adjust within a certain range, something that could encompass the entire tea party area exceeds the limits of the Spellbook.
“Don’t worry—take a piece of cake with you to eat on the way out.”
“Thank you, but what about you…” Tan Han asked, noticing I hadn’t loosened my apron and seemed keen to continue working.
“I’m going to make some more desserts. The ceremony doesn’t specify that desserts must be made on the spot, so those prepared in advance can also be used directly. I remember you brought Storage Equipment, right? Make sure to take some with you when you come, to facilitate hosting the witch tea party,” I said, playing with the whisk and smiling.
“Okay, just be careful alone.”
“I will,” I smiled as I sent Tan Han on her way.
The positioning of the Witch Academy has always been decentralized; perhaps there are one or two companions, but more so one wanders alone. This fits the premise of holding a witch tea party after choosing a venue and inviting witches nearby to gather together.
Because once the witch tea party ritual begins, everyone needs to speak up, attempting to share their experiences and joys; tasting desserts and coffee is secondary.
“Was that Tan Han who just left?”
“Tan Han actually left?”
“What’s going on? Leaving just one person who can only make cakes? Has she given up on hosting the witch tea party?”
“Be cautious; it might be a trap. You can’t trust witches.”
“That person… she’s not just someone who can make cakes!”
Regardless of how they debate from afar, Tan Han’s departure undoubtedly made them feel the greatest threat had left.
Such an excellent opportunity cannot be missed!
So, at this moment, their sharpened dragon claws were fully exposed.
“Oh dear, this is a tough situation. Are you all sure you want to interrupt a weak girl making desserts?” I stood inside the light column, my tone filled with a hint of playfulness.
Looking at them, I showed no signs of nervousness, only an inner sense of delight. These points were all for scoring, and I wouldn’t want Tan Han to harvest them.
“Hehe, I wonder who gave you the courage, that shield as fragile as the eggshell in your hands?”
“How could it be? But I’m very sorry, the desserts I made aren’t for you.”
