Chapter 220: Midnight Chat
After selecting a new location, we officially prepared to spend the night here.
“How about everyone sleeps a little longer? I usually sleep quite late, so I’ll keep watch first, and we’ll switch in the early morning. After all, our two main powerhouses from the Witch Academy need to get enough sleep!”
“What are you saying? Do you really think keeping watch is a child’s game?”
After my suggestion was rejected by both me and Tan Han, no one brought it up again.
After all, this is the dream world of the exchange competition, and not everyone from every academy would be sleeping at night. Who wouldn’t be afraid of being discovered while keeping watch and then having everyone captured?
Not to mention, this is the first night, and it’s the easiest night to seize an advantage. Many academies were thinking of taking advantage of the night to make some big moves.
For the Blood Clan Academy, night could even be considered their home ground, and the Beast Academy has quite a few nocturnal creatures.
Especially now that the three major academies are suddenly being suppressed by two others, would they really be able to sleep well at night?
If they can’t sleep well and are experiencing insomnia, they will definitely think about causing trouble at night.
In the late afternoon approaching evening, the exchange competition was in a passive state. Many academies were avoiding confrontation and accumulating energy to prepare for a big night.
At this moment, in the Witch Academy, I had already fallen into the first group of those who decided to sleep early. After all, my life is relatively regular, and going to bed early is normal. I would definitely choose to sleep early and rise early rather than stay up late and wake up late.
“Sister Xiao Han’s sleep quality… is really good…”
Before long, my breathing became steady. Actually, at this hour, it wasn’t the best time for young people to go to bed.
Even the two who decided to sleep with me only closed their eyes to rest, not truly asleep.
“Maybe they’re really tired? It seems like Sister Xiao Han has been busy causing trouble in the exchange competition since the morning. You can tell from this terrifying score, right?”
“By the way, you guys should’ve seen the strange phenomenon that appeared near the World Tree of Aphhemia Academy this afternoon as evening approached, right? What was that?”
“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t seem like the work of the elves.”
“If I’m not mistaken, it should be the Excessive Consumption Spellbook,” Tan Han spoke up at this moment.
“Excessive Consumption Spellbook? I know that; isn’t it a terrifying spell that consumes at least four digits to cast? The reward for first place in the New Student Competition was just about that, right?”
“Yeah, it’s just a guess. Such a terrifying phenomenon likely indicates that it’s true—it should be Sister Xiao Han who… um…”
“Sister Xiao Han has such capabilities? I’ve never heard of that!” Minian whispered.
After all, we are all new students, and such a gap is too vast. It can easily cause discontent among many new students.
Even though they were among the top ten new students, they were curious why there was such a disparity.
For a moment, the chatting atmosphere turned a bit strange.
Tan Han could naturally sense this. Although all of this was decided by the academy, and while they might not care about fairness, as the beneficiaries, they would be the first to experience so-called exclusion.
“I want to ask, where did you all get your spellbooks?”
“From the counselor. After competing for class leader, we received a tilt in class resources.”
“My first spellbook was given to me by the club president. The president was really nice to me when I joined the club and deliberately gifted me a spellbook, along with a Magic Source, after I became class leader.”
Most of the spellbooks and Magic Sources here were given by their own counselors, which is essentially provided by the academy. Of course, there are also some counselors who have high hopes for their students and provide them with resources under their own name.
Many ordinary students may still only be using the badge fixation spell from the Witch Academy’s four-piece set, and even the Magic Source they have is just the one given at enrollment.
The disparity here is evident.
One could say that the first turning point for resource tilt is becoming class leader. The class leader is someone designated to set a goal that everyone in the class pursues, serving as a motivation.
This is the Extraordinary Academy; the academy doesn’t care whether resources are allocated to all students. They only care whether resource tilt has taken place.
This year’s cohort is the most special; in previous years, by this time, the New Student Competition had already concluded, and everyone had returned to their normal academic life, following normal courses systematically to understand the extraordinary world.
But this year’s situation suddenly changed, as if the academy had suddenly become wealthy.
Although Tan Han was given special treatment for entering the Witch Academy as a full-score student, many still felt it was unfair.
After all, before enrollment, everyone had a relatively similar understanding of the extraordinary level. These people wanted to be treated fairly and hoped everyone could start again from the same starting line.
But the so-called same starting line is merely an illusion.
In the extraordinary world, there is no such thing as a same starting line. The academy providing a platform for them to learn extraordinary knowledge is the greatest fairness for everyone.
Moreover, those holding onto this mindset know even less about the so-called world script power and do not understand how the extraordinary world operates. Do they really believe that merely being a student grants them a fair treatment?
Even outside the Extraordinary Academy, it is challenging to attain what can be called fairness, let alone in the Extraordinary Academy.
As the saying goes, unless compared, one doesn’t feel hurt; this mentality of “I should have that too” only arises from comparisons.
Even now, many in the new student group believe they possess Magic Sources and spellbooks like Tan Han and can stand at the same height as her.
This only indicates that such a way of thinking dooms them to suffer such hardships.
Even this kind of “hardship” would be hard to attain for students in the Inferior Demon Academy or Fallen Academy; those students begging still wouldn’t receive such treatment.
“Actually, you all know very little about Sister Xiao Han, don’t you? To be honest, aren’t you dissatisfied with the treatment that Sister Xiao Han or even I have?”
“Sister Tan Han… that’s going a bit too far.” Minian, taken aback by Tan Han’s sudden candidness, tried to change the subject and keep the peace.
“Actually, I’m also curious why. I was brought over by a senior from the Witch Academy, and the most influential person was the president of the club I just joined. Many of my Magic Sources and spellbooks were given to me by her; she said it’s an investment in me.”
“Actually, Sister Xiao Han is also part of that club; you should know that, right? I met Sister Xiao Han for the first time there.”
“Sister Xiao Han is really impressive. At that time, I still held onto my full-score identity and the feeling of being brought over and actually made some excessive demands on the academy. In fact, many of my spellbooks and Magic Sources, as well as other resources, were accumulated during that time.”
“It wasn’t until I met Sister Xiao Han that I gradually reined in that attitude. You probably don’t know, but Sister Xiao Han came to the academy early, knows a lot, and managed to successfully practice the Witch Meditation Method on her very first attempt. Even I had to consult her for related techniques before I could meditate successfully.”
“Even for getting a flight license, I only went to take the exam after her reminder.”
“Wow… Sister Tan Han had such a deep bond with Sister Xiao Han even before the semester began?”
“Not necessarily…” Tan Han didn’t explain anything. There was no need to clarify the sudden cutoff for her; for her, it wasn’t necessary to explain these trivial matters to them.
She simply wanted to convey that Sister Xiao Han is more qualified than anyone else to receive these resources and different treatment, herself included, and that was it.
“After the semester began, Sister Xiao Han and I went down two completely opposite paths. You all should know that Sister Xiao Han and I are both exempt from classes, but being exempt doesn’t mean we don’t learn. We both explore the extraordinary world according to our understanding of it.”
“You all don’t understand this at all, including the past me. It’s just that during the new student exchange competition, what kind of changes Sister Xiao Han went through since starting school are what I’m talking about. She directly denied all my efforts since starting school with just a Fireball Spell.”
Everyone knew Tan Han was referring to the first match of the New Student Competition.
It was also dubbed the most regrettable duel within the academy. Everyone felt that match should have been held at the end of the competition, not the beginning.
Yet the competition ended up missing out on the final showdown for first place because of the exchange competition, but no one felt regret because, in everyone’s eyes, that duel was already fought in the first contest.
“Maybe you all should look into the academic section of the academy system, and you’ll know just how exciting Sister Xiao Han’s life has been in that short period of time.”
“Academic section? The academy system has that?”
“The functions within the academy system are extensive, of course it exists as Sister Tan Han said.”
“Right now we are in a dream; we can’t check it. But I just want to let you know that everything Sister Xiao Han possesses is genuinely backed by qualifications for her to obtain those resources.”
Tan Han’s words triggered a moment of contemplation among the listeners. They didn’t believe Tan Han would lie to deceive them over such matters. Furthermore, Tan Han did not need to deliberately say these things for them to understand and hear from the outside.
Those who knew the truth ultimately saw those who boast to be like clowns, and the academy wouldn’t even care about their dissatisfaction.
Even the two, Shi Huiyu and Lan Baihui, who had prepared to sleep earlier, heard Tan Han’s words.
“If anyone is a genius in the extraordinary world, then Sister Xiao Han might be that person.”
“Um… Sister Tan Han, is it really okay for us to talk about Sister Xiao Han like this while she’s sleeping? Although we all know you mean well…”
“Yeah…” Tan Han rubbed her forehead, realizing she had been a bit too eager.
“Hey, if Sister Xiao Han suddenly wakes up and hears everything, that would be awkward.”
“That shouldn’t happen; Sister Xiao Han is sleeping soundly.”
As they sat beside the fire, they all greatly enjoyed this rare experience.
There was a comfortable atmosphere; listening to the crackling of the fire burning wood was truly a form of enjoyment.
However, being close to the Land of the Fallen, there were no fireflies or the sounds of insects chirping.
Everything at night fell into silence; beneath the calm surface, greater struggles were beginning.
As the first ritual lights illuminated the night sky, the battles in the distance began to unfold.
“Sister Tan Han, are there really people secretly scheming against us at night…”
“It’s fine; at least the situation is still under our control. We’re currently ahead by two points. Unless necessary, we should prioritize resting.”
With Tan Han’s words, those keeping watch relaxed. After all, Tan Han had become the backbone of the moment, and the fear of the dark night dissipated under her immense strength.
“If you’re feeling sleepy, I have some invigorating potions here.”
“No thanks, we have plenty ourselves. Speaking of which, most of the supplies we’ve found recently are things intended for the exchange competition. Have you all found any rewards that you can take away?”
“Yes, when I went with Sister Tan Han to the Wizard Tower, I used the designated supplies to grab some Magic Sources and spellbooks.”
“And there are Magic Sources? But what about people from other academies who grab Magic Sources? Can they just join the Witch Academy on the spot?”
“I’m not sure; they might be able to exchange them for other resources.”
“On the map, there are resource guardian bosses; didn’t you encounter any?”
“Not at all.”
“Speaking of which, the influx of resources is really rare; it’s all about luck, and it doesn’t mark the entire map like rituals do.”
“Maybe it mainly depends on the final ranking rewards. Sister Tan Han, will you compete with Sister Xiao Han for it later?”
“Things that should be competed for naturally need to be contested. I admit Sister Xiao Han’s strength, but that doesn’t mean I will back down. However, there’s no need for us to start infighting so soon.”
“That does sound like something Sister Tan Han would say.”
During the first half of the night, the sentinels, Tan Han, Minian, and the others witnessed the night battles, from the first attacking Blood Clan to the Wizard Academy, as the glimmer of the rituals shone in the night sky.
Even at the borders of the Land of the Fallen, the residual waves of conflict could be felt.
“Sister Xiao Han… Sister Xiao Han.”
With a gentle call and a slight shake, I woke from my dream.
“Mm… Hm? Is it my turn?”
Upon waking, I suddenly recalled that I was still in the exchange competition.
“Yes, it’s your turn for the second half of the night.”
After waking me up, Tan Han moved to the side, still holding a jar of already finished invigorating potion.
“Okay, thanks for your hard work.”
I got up and stretched my body a bit. Since I wasn’t sleeping on a bed and had no blankets, I felt a little sore after getting up, and that made me somewhat drowsy.
I looked at the others; those who were supposed to keep watch had also fallen asleep. It seemed Tan Han stayed awake until the end, letting them sleep first.
I rummaged through my storage equipment and found three bottles of invigorating potions, taking a swig.
“Shi Huiyu, have a bottle too. Lan Baihui, you should as well; it’s our turn now.”
“Thanks, but I won’t need one. I have plenty of these potions, so I won’t waste yours.”
“Um… I…”
“If you don’t want it either, just keep sleeping. You’ve been through quite a bit today; don’t worry, I’ll get my revenge for you in the morning.”
“Uh… thanks… Actually… you all don’t need to go through so much trouble for me…”
“Feeling a bit guilty inside? But it’s okay.” I walked over and picked up some unused dry wood and threw it onto the bonfire.
“Thinking this way means you don’t have to worry so much. We’re not just avenging you; we’re also stirring up the entire exchange competition. Of course, this plan was mine. I thought about how to flood the Land of the Fallen, given its low terrain and proximity to the sea, ever since I first saw it.”
“Huh? So you had plans that early?” Shi Huiyu, having sipped her own invigorating potion, came over.
“Not really a plan; I just felt it was a possibility. Besides, now I want to flood the Land of the Fallen because of my personal motives.”
“Huh?”
“Since it’s still early, let me share this with you. You might not believe it, but the Inferior Demon Academy is my enemy. Before entering the Witch Academy, I almost got sold to the Inferior Demon Academy for fifty thousand.”
Looking back, if it weren’t for the early acceptance letter from the Witch Academy and Sister Bai taking me away, those guys from the Inferior Demon Academy would have found me at home. Was there any room left for me to resist at that time?
Even Sister Bai might not have stood by, but I didn’t know that back then. Thinking back now, I break into a cold sweat.
“How… how is that possible? Being sold to the Inferior Demon Academy over fifty thousand? How could a family be like that?”
“Well, they did manage to raise me at the very least to the minimum standard; it’s all in the past now, just treat it like it never happened.”
“Um… Sister Xiao Han, is it really okay to tell us this? Shouldn’t we still be live-streaming?”
“That’s true… But how late is it now? At this hour, who would be watching the live stream?”
“Uh… that seems to be right… maybe?”
“After all, there isn’t much entertainment here. Speaking of it also serves to liven things up, you know. Actually… I’m not that out of reach; I feel like I’m becoming more distanced from those around me, especially my classmates, some of whom only communicate in group chats…”
“Not that out of reach…” Shi Huiyu repeated my words with a twitching mouth. If it weren’t for her hearing what Sister Tan Han said before sleeping, she almost believed it.
“By the way, Xiao Han, can you teach us how to use spellbooks? Um… I also want to learn; if I could learn it, it would help improve our combat power, right?”
“Learning to use a spellbook? You mean a modified spellbook?”
“Yes, that’s the one!”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. You won’t be able to learn it in a short time; in fact, you can’t even get started. How about I explain the theory of elements to you? I’m quite knowledgeable in that area…”
“Uh? Forget it! Let’s not talk about that. Let’s chat about something else.”
