Chapter 248: Witch Secret Realm
Hong Chanyi: Sister Xiao Han! You finally popped up! I didn’t see you during the competition! Congratulations, Sister Xiao Han, for winning first place in the exchange competition!
Yu Yatian: Congratulations
Dongli Yiren: Congratulations +1
Guan Qiuling: Congratulations +1
Yang Yuelan: Stop going off-topic. I’m asking if anyone brought food?
Hong Chanyi: You should have said it earlier! I wouldn’t have gone out to eat, but I still can’t eat a little more. I want a soup bun with a bag of vinegar to go.
Dongli Yiren: No, I won’t eat.
Guan Qiuling: Just some ordinary fried rice, if it’s not on the way, you don’t have to. I can order takeout.
Yu Yatian: Actually, there’s food in the villa; I can cook for you to try.
Hong Chanyi: Forget it, forget it.
After chatting with these guys in the group for a bit, I rode my broom back. The food they wanted was actually nearby where we lived, not too far. What considerate roommates I have!
“I’m back~” I pushed the door open, only to find that even though it was already night, the lights in the villa were off. I clicked the switch, and saw a bunch of them lying on the living room sofa.
“What are you all doing in the dark? Holding a secret party?”
“Woo, Sister Xiao Han, save the children! The villa is about to run out of power!”
“Huh?” I looked at Hong Chanyi running over, confused by her words. “Didn’t I say where the villa’s energy can be charged? There are quite a few of you here, even if you only have one magic source, it should be enough, right?”
“But we need to conserve it. I didn’t know the magic power would deplete so quickly. We even dare not use it too harshly. When watching your live stream, we had to go to the empty classroom to leech off magic.”
“Sounds like you all are having a tough time.” I opened the magic power meter for our villa and found there were still several units of magic power.
“Yeah, we’re all drained by this thing. We have no magic power left.” Hong Chanyi said, “The reading on that meter is our last bit of magic.”
“You could have told me about this sooner.” I held the place where the magic power is drawn, and the meter started to rise slowly. This speed wasn’t fast, at least it felt much gentler compared to spellbooks.
“By the way, Sister Xiao Han, hasn’t your magic source reached over a thousand already?”
“Indeed, it just broke a thousand.” I nodded.
“That’s definitely the case; Xiao Han can use the Excessive Consumption Spellbook, so it must be over a thousand.” Dongli Yiren teased from the side.
“In any case, with Sister Xiao Han around, we don’t have to be thrifty anymore! I’m turning on Little Cattle Horse!” Hong Chanyi bounced over to the Intelligent Butler and opened its charging pile.
“Speaking of which, Sister Xiao Han, why is this thing called Little Cattle Horse? That name sounds too…” Hong Chanyi placed this robotic vacuum-like Intelligent Butler on and asked.
“I was too lazy to name it; I just used the previous name it had when it was activated. If you’re curious, you can ask the previous year’s senior, but you first need to know who lived here last year.” I shrugged, indicating that I didn’t know.
“Okay… wow~ having magic power reserves is really convenient! I’m going to eat that stuff first.” Hong Chanyi opened the bag I had brought over and threw a box of fried rice to Guan Qiuling, while her soup buns were at the bottom.
“Sister Xiao Han, you’re back so soon?” At this moment, Yu Yatian came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a plate of stir-fried vegetables.
“Hmm? You… have you cooked? Are you eating alone?”
“Aren’t they eating too? And it’s not just me eating, Dongli Yiren, it’s time to eat.”
I watched as Dongli Yiren was called and walked into the kitchen. So she was eating with Yu Yatian…
“I cooked quite a bit; Guan Qiuling, you should come have some too, consider it a side dish.”
After I finished replenishing the magic power, I directly laid down on the sofa and chatted with them. After all, I hadn’t seen them for several days, and I missed them a bit.
However, as the topic progressed, it completely turned towards me.
From them, I also heard that I had acquired a new title, the original title of “Witch of All Laws” had continuously transformed during the past two or three days of the exchange competition, and eventually turned into “Catastrophe Witch.”
Well… that kind of threw me off a bit. I don’t care how others call me, but let’s not spread false rumors; this title makes it sound like I’m some witch that brings disaster! I’m not that scary, right?
After we each took turns complaining, the topic continued to shift.
“Not to say, Sister Xiao Han, but your ex-girlfriend before seems to be much too… something, right?”
“But… Sister Xiao Han, you actually had an ex-girlfriend. So didn’t you also… before?”
“Does it matter? I never said it.” I pretended to be deadpan at that moment.
“Not at all, Sister Xiao Han, if you had said it earlier, we wouldn’t have to be like this! We’re all like brothers in the dorm now!”
“Yeah… right, Sister Xiao Han…”
“Since we’ve all entered the Witch Academy, we’re brothers. Don’t think too much; I just simply think it’s time to say goodbye to the past.”
“Hong Chanyi… stop talking…” At this moment, Guan Qiuling spoke softly from the side.
“I can understand Sister Xiao Han; after all, her past life… Okay, okay, no more mentioning it. But Sister Xiao Han, if you have anything, feel free to tell us. Although we might not be able to help, it’s definitely better to say it out loud than to hold it in alone. Just like me, Sister Xiao Han, you don’t still not trust me, right? In the past, I was a love-struck fool!”
“Love-struck fool?” Guan Qiuling looked at Hong Chanyi with confusion, curiosity already written all over her face.
“Ah, fine, I’ll tell you guys my story once more, it’s a catastrophe from my dad’s generation!”
Hong Chanyi then casually recounted her glorious story again about Shi Huiyu, who was also a contestant in this exchange competition.
“Believe it or not, as soon as the competition ended, I asked her out to eat, and ah, it was so wonderful! Even though she is no longer my girlfriend… it was better than a girlfriend. You won’t believe it; when we were eating, she even mentioned Sister Xiao Han!”
“And then?”
At this moment, Guan Qiuling had transformed into a gossip queen, her originally low presence completely vanished, but she would only act this way in front of familiar faces.
“Nothing much, anyway, I felt like she seemed to have changed her opinion of me. In short, thank you, Sister Xiao Han, for connecting us!”
“Why thank me? I didn’t say anything.”
“I’m in the same dorm as Sister Xiao Han, so this is a benefit! By the way, Sister Xiao Han, what are your plans after this exchange competition? Will you continue to do as before? By the way, what have you really been up to, secretly trying to roll without us?”
“Hmm, it was indeed like that before.” I nodded. “After all, I have course exemptions; I can’t just lie around here, can I?”
“Sister Xiao Han, please take me along when you roll! I want to roll over others too!”
“I don’t think it will work out. Besides, after the exchange competition, I don’t plan to do as before. I’m preparing to change my approach and do something different,” I said.
“What does Sister Xiao Han plan to do? I’m sure I can do it! Look, Sister Xiao Han, you are a new student, and I’m also a new student. The gap isn’t large; I can definitely do it!” Hong Chanyi turned her gaze to the others, “What about you? Say something!”
“I at least won’t cling to Sister Xiao Han like that.” At this moment, Yu Yatian spoke up. “Everyone has their own duties; we can’t force others.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to take you. The place I’m planning to go is the Witch Secret Realm. Have you heard of it?” I said.
“Witch… Secret Realm? What is that?”
“Don’t ask; it’s a secret realm! It sounds like a place with good things! Sister Xiao Han, please take me along! I’ll cheer for you on the side!” At this moment, Hong Chanyi begged me.
“Alright! You!” I pressed down on Hong Chanyi’s head and pushed her away. “You don’t even know what that place is, and you’re shouting to go? Are you not afraid of dying?”
“What? Dying? Is that true? Don’t scare me!” Hong Chanyi was directly frightened by my words but quickly calmed down.
“Of course it’s true. By the way, the Witch Secret Realm is a legacy left by graduated seniors for the academy. Inside, there are usually useless things left behind by those seniors, including spellbooks, magic sources, and even many materials, notes, and topic materials.”
“Ah? Then I should go even more! I’m just short on magic sources and spellbooks!”
“Don’t rush; don’t forget what the secret realm is for. It’s a trial left by past seniors! Only those who pass the trials can reap benefits. Don’t forget, the graduated seniors are Extraordinary Witches; it can’t be that straightforward, can it? And even if it were simple, who would leave it for you?”
“Uh… that sounds very reasonable…” Hong Chanyi sighed, having to face reality.
But even after realizing reality, Hong Chanyi remained steadfast.
“Sister Xiao Han, I still want to see the world! Please take me with you! A horse that doesn’t eat cross-bred grass won’t gain much; if I proceed step by step, I’ll only become as mediocre as everyone else. I don’t want to become mediocre!” Hong Chanyi clung tightly to my leg.
“You… sigh.” It was the first time I had seen such a fervent Hong Chanyi, but since she was so eager to go, I didn’t mind. After all, those who can persevere will always reap rewards.
As for those who can’t persevere, they can continue to be slackers in the dorm; this is also a reflection of a person’s character.
Those who are willing to work hard will shine anywhere, and sometimes all one needs is an opportunity.
Perhaps this is a great attempt to improve my relationship with these guys in the dorm.
Despite saying goodbye to everything in the past and starting a new life, trying to make friends, unfortunately, the progress hasn’t been ideal, and now, the opportunity is right in front of us.
“Alright… but you should have classes, right?”
“I don’t have classes every day; even when I do, it’s not for the entire day.”
“Sister Xiao Han… can you take me along when you go?” At this moment, Yu Yatian suddenly interjected.
“Huh?” I hesitated and looked at Yu Yatian. She had just said she wouldn’t bother me. Why the change now?
“Sorry, if this is a hassle, please disregard my earlier request.”
“It’s nothing. Actually, I haven’t been there either. If you want to go, just let me know. But I need to warn you first; the Witch Secret Realm was told to me by a teacher, and it may not be suitable for you since you need to have a certain combat ability. Additionally, us lower-year students basically have nothing to gain, and there’s a fee to enter the secret realm.”
“And a fee?” At this moment, Dongli Yiren spoke up, possibly having some interest earlier. But hearing about payments, she reacted so intensely. Speaking of which, did Dongli Yiren run out of money?
After all, I did see her working at the maid café before; I still have her black history saved.
“The fee isn’t that high, and if you all go with me, I can cover your costs.”
“Oh, there’s no need to trouble Sister Xiao Han with that~”
“Are you sure?” I turned to Hong Chanyi, “The fee for the Witch Secret Realm is Red Copper, and the more expensive ones even require Aoqin. The money we usually use there isn’t applicable, you know?”
“Huh? Aoqin? Red Copper? What are those?”
“These are common Extraordinary Materials. There’s not just Red Copper and Aoqin, but also Secret Silver. However, for us, these Extraordinary Materials are quite expensive. The money we usually have can buy Red Copper, but Secret Silver and Aoqin are uncertain.” At this moment, Yu Yatian explained these materials to the others.
“Then I guess I can only sell myself to Sister Xiao Han…” Hong Chanyi said with a bitter face.
“I’ve already said I’m not short on this amount of money. If you want to try, just tell me. But once we go, don’t disregard the main business. I don’t care if you can’t help; if you’re just going to play around, I won’t bring you next time.” I gave them a heads-up.
“Okay! Sister Xiao Han, you’re so nice! If I succeed in the future, I’ll definitely repay you!”
“I really don’t care how you repay me. Just go familiarize yourselves with the Witch Secret Realm. The related information is still within the Witch Secret Realm Association. Paying attention to this association can help you understand a lot of information; I might go test the waters tomorrow.”
“Huh? So soon? I have classes tomorrow.”
“Well, then it’s out of my hands~ Anyway, I’m going to wash up and sleep now. I haven’t slept well these past few days. Ah, I’m so tired; I was in the library for most of the afternoon.” As I said this, I yawned and got ready to go upstairs.
“Sister Xiao Han really should sleep a bit more. During the exchange competition, you… wait? Sister Xiao Han, what did you just say? You were in the library for half the day? Are you rolling us again? Seriously, Sister Xiao Han, just after the competition ended, everyone else is relaxing, and you’re still trying to roll us?”
“What’s wrong with rolling you? To gain strong power, you have to pay an equivalent price. Don’t just see me shining.” I shook my head and laughed at them.
Seeing me go upstairs, Hong Chanyi felt speechless as well. Rolling isn’t done like this!
“I… did we have a top student in our dorm? Don’t you guys want to say something?”
“What else can be said? It only shows that you’re not working hard enough or are working in the wrong direction. It’s enough to show that Xiao Han is willing to take us, and we should seize this opportunity.” Yu Yatian seriously said to Hong Chanyi.
“Sister Xiao Han doesn’t need to bother with you, but thank you for your effort, letting us share in the glory, so come eat some of my dishes.”
“I won’t eat. Are you a purifier who doesn’t even put salt in?”
“You shouldn’t consume too much salt every day.”
“If that’s the case, too many dishes in the world would be eliminated! One meal would require salt for several days! You purifiers are truly scary.”
At this moment, I had returned to my room, brought my tools, and walked into the bathroom.
I really should take a good shower. With the warm water rinsing my entire body, I looked at myself in the reflection of the bathroom; I must say, I looked quite alluring at this moment.
However, the bathroom is indeed a great place for pondering life. After all, the feeling of warm water pouring down is very relaxing, and once my mind clears, I start to think about the meaning of existence, all while my head is filled with memories of telling these guys about my past.
“It’s just that I no longer need to disguise myself. Is this what it feels like to let go?”
