Chapter 253: Heart-to-Heart with Dongli Yiren
“The wind leaf grass seeds need to be buried in the soil… I need to maintain soil moisture… Wait, how do I measure soil moisture?”
“Just open your phone and look it up; is that something you need to ask about?”
“To test soil moisture, the soil needs to be dried at a temperature of 100℃ to 105℃ for 7 hours… Wait, if I dry it, can I still plant the seeds?”
At this moment, I had just returned from the secret realm and conveniently bought some flower pots suitable for the terrace, along with a lot of tools. These things were actually not expensive for me now, so I ended up buying quite a bit.
However, according to the notes given to me by Sofiry, if I wanted to plant plants containing extraordinary elements, there would be quite a bit of trouble, including needing to use a lot of extraordinary materials to create mixed soil and fertilizers.
I, along with my Illusionary Clone, had been busy for a while, and I had not yet planted the seeds.
This didn’t even mention the subsequent cultivation techniques tailored to the extraordinary properties of the plants.
Originally, I only wanted to cultivate some precious plants to cultivate my character, after all, in my plans, I couldn’t keep studying at such a high intensity; otherwise, I would end up failing.
So, I needed something to divert this anxiety, and this trip to the secret realm inspired me.
I could try the profession of a planter; I could learn more about plants, and who knows, I might eventually get into alchemy and potion making. With a foundation in this area, if I wanted to become an alchemist or study potion formulation in the future, I wouldn’t be left without a base.
The terrace on the third floor of the villa was really nice, very suitable for planting these seeds, with plenty of sunlight and a great view. I just hope that those guys inside the villa don’t accidentally pull up my flowers thinking they are weeds.
“Xiao Han, what are you doing here?”
A sudden voice came from behind me, causing me to stop my actions and turn around.
“Dongli Yiren… I didn’t expect you to like coming here.” I was surprised to see her. “I thought you would just lock yourself in your room.”
“Being cooped up for too long makes me want to get some fresh air.” Dongli Yiren walked towards me and then leaned lazily on the edge of the railing.
“How is it? Life at the Witch Academy.” I continued my busy work while opening up a conversation.
“It’s just okay, d*mn academy. All other academies deserve the same damnation. I should have just gone to work in a factory right after graduation.”
“Really? Maybe you could try to find some joy in the extraordinary world; this is more interesting than just working in a factory.”
I shook my head with a smile. Dongli Yiren seemed unchanged, still hating the Witch Academy like she did back then, but she had changed quite a bit after the academy exchange competition.
“Joy? There isn’t a bit of joy…” As soon as the word “joy” was mentioned, her face instinctively turned red. Perhaps she didn’t even realize it; anyway, the joy she thought of was probably quite different from what I meant.
“How could that be? Yesterday I said I’d go to the secret realm today, right? I harvested some wonderful plant seeds, I plan to plant one. Planting and harvesting, isn’t that a form of joy?”
“Seeds?”
“Yes, unfortunately, none of you accompanied me in the morning, but I’m glad no one came with me. I went to a low-level secret realm where the entry threshold is just one Red Copper, but even such a secret realm is filled with dangers.” I began to explain to Dongli Yiren.
“You’re so strong; can it really be dangerous for you?” Dongli Yiren had watched the exchange competition, so don’t treat her like a fool.
“It’s not deadly dangerous for me, but have you ever seen a pod that can swallow both me and my protection spell at once?”
“Man-eating flower?”
“Pretty much. There are indeed man-eating flowers there, some are similar to Venus flytraps but bigger, more terrifying, and even capable of preying on small animals. Their sharp teeth can bite through bone.”
“Does such a thing really exist?” At this moment, Dongli Yiren seemed a bit unable to imagine this. These were things she had seen in movies, but she didn’t expect what was in the movies to become reality.
“Am I lying to you?”
“It’s impossible… There can’t possibly be such plants in this world… Even if there are…”
“And what? Rumors? This is an extraordinary world; all information is isolated from the outside world. And how can you be so sure that our world is the only one?”
“Really? Are there really other worlds?” Dongli Yiren’s eyes widened slowly at me.
“Yes… There must be.” I nodded; otherwise, was everything in my previous life just a dream?
And how did these extraordinary academies that invaded this world come about?
This was self-evident, right?
“But don’t think too much. We basically have no chance to leave our world. You probably only qualify to become an extraordinary witch after graduation, right? Otherwise, where do all those seniors go after graduating each year? They must be out exploring the outside world, right?”
“I see…”
“Mm, you look like you really want to leave this world?” I asked curiously, noticing her shocked expression flash with excitement just a moment ago.
“I want to… of course I do…” Dongli Yiren turned around and sighed, placing her hand over her somewhat prominent chest, “I’ve become like this, I don’t want to stay in this world anymore. I want to change to a world where no one knows me…”
“Still unable to accept the fact that you’ve become a girl?”
“Impossible to accept… haven’t I already been forced to accept this? Xiao Han…”
“What’s wrong?”
“You… how did you accept it so quickly? Is it because… of your horrible family?”
“Haha… I guess that’s part of it, but mainly it’s because I’ve lived long enough and wanted to change the way I live… it’s not that I can’t accept becoming a girl. Oh, I forgot to mention that we are technically not becoming girls, but becoming witches. According to my understanding, after becoming a witch, we won’t be affected by normal physiological cycles and so on… In fact, even before fully becoming an extraordinary witch, we don’t even have reproductive abilities.”
“Oh I see… I envy how open-minded you are… wait? No reproductive abilities?”
“What? Is there a problem? Do you want to experience the feeling of being pregnant?” I tilted my head in shock, looking at Dongli Yiren.
Though I knew she was definitely not thinking this, teasing her was quite nice. After all, chatting with my Illusionary Clone was too straightforward; we understood each other well enough to skip over conversational formalities.
“Of course not! How could I think about that! I don’t want to be pregnant and have a big belly… ugh…” At this point, Dongli Yiren’s expression turned dismissive, “Well… since there are no reproductive abilities… then why does a witch still have a full set of reproductive organs… things that aren’t useful shouldn’t just be there, right? Besides, I was originally a boy; there’s no need for extra stuff.”
“First, let’s correct something: we’re only preparatory witches, not real witches. Second, we are just reproductively isolated from any beings, including other preparatory witches. It’s not that we can’t conceive; if someone used a pregnancy spell on you, you might still be able to conceive…”
“Wait… wait! There’s really a pregnancy spell? Does such an evil spell truly exist?!” Dongli Yiren immediately interrupted my explanations, locking onto the keywords.
“I’m not sure, but from what I know about spells, such a spell shouldn’t exist. At the very least, the academy doesn’t have a spell that really makes you pregnant, and even if there were, you being ‘pregnant’ would just be a spell effect—spell effects and real pregnancy are two different concepts. Spell effects are just effects and have an expiration time; you’re not really pregnant.”
“Oh… I almost got scared to d*ath…” Dongli Yiren instinctively patted her chest, looking somewhat frightened.
“Wait a minute, what do you mean by that sigh of relief? You’re not messing around behind my back, are you?” I casually asked.
“I… no! How could that be! I wouldn’t!”
“Mm?” I observed Dongli Yiren’s expressions; she really should manage her facial expressions better.
Unfortunately, I didn’t shatter her words.
“Actually, it’s nothing; it’s just normal physiological needs, I understand. The study pressure at the Extraordinary Academy is heavy too. Look, I’m already preparing to grow something to relieve stress.” I waved the small shovel in my hand.
“I see… Xiao Han, you also think this is normal, right…”
“Mm, very normal.” I nodded.
“Normal… um… so, how often do you…?”
“Ah?”
I suddenly looked up at Dongli Yiren. Had our topic strayed too far?
“That cracked me up! And you just ‘ah’? Do you know how much damage that causes Dongli Yiren? She’s treating you as a confidant and asking about such private matters, and you’re playing tricks on her?” At this moment, the Illusionary Clone directly began mocking me and was swiftly eliminated by me.
Yes, I had indeed thought about Dongli Yiren having such needs, but I didn’t expect her to be so straightforward and ask such a question directly.
It took me by surprise for a moment.
“If it’s about that, I haven’t experienced it yet.”
“Ah?”
Now it was Dongli Yiren’s turn to be shocked. What kind of double standards was this? Advising others that it’s normal while never engaging in it herself?
“This is related to personal philosophy and thoughts… but this behavior itself is still quite normal.”
“You…” Dongli Yiren really wanted to point at me and question whether I was lying.
“Thinking positively, since you’re becoming a preparatory witch and can’t bear the next generation, isn’t that just a way to relieve your stress? Don’t think too much about it. By the way, maybe you and Guan Qiuling would have a lot to talk about.” I comforted her.
After all, it seemed Guan Qiuling hadn’t severed her relationship with that senior. Since the last time that senior came over and I discovered them, they hadn’t visited our villa again.
In any case, I didn’t express any opinions about it, only wishing them well. Even if it was just that kind of relationship, I wished them comfort.
Personally, I viewed this quite openly; after all, we were roommates and needed to be accommodating.
“Her? Forget it, I can’t really play with her. I feel like we’re not the same kind of people.”
“I thought you two got along very well; at least, the kind of relationship you have makes me envious.”
“Envious… do you have things to be envious of?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve never had any friends since I was young; I was treated as an outcast. Besides a sister before enrollment, I had nothing.”
“Friends… is indeed a luxurious term. If in your eyes, our relationship counts as friendship…”
“Are you not enjoying yourselves together?”
“The more I interact, the more it seems like this, Xiao Han… If you, actually, if you… never mind, thinking about it makes me want to advise you not to get too obsessed; you wouldn’t agree, would you? You seem so passionate about the Extraordinary power.”
“In your view, am I very obsessed? Is that so? I just… have nothing much to say…”
The mindset formed under the education of my previous life couldn’t be changed overnight. If I didn’t study at the academy, I felt like I was wasting my life…
Haha, such thinking has truly plagued me for two lives, but wanting to change it… is indeed quite difficult.
“Actually, it’s all centered around Hong Chanyi. She’s the most lively one, so she must be the one without worries, right?”
“An ease-loving fool? Haha, have you heard this saying… The more lively a person seems on the surface, the more they hide a loneliness they absolutely do not want to face. Do you think Hong Chanyi might be like that?”
“I see her as carefree, so could it be?”
“Who knows? Everyone lives uncomfortably in this world, but it’s precisely because of the existence of the Extraordinary Academy that we can say goodbye to the past. Maybe Hong Chanyi is precisely revealing her true self by completely saying goodbye to the past?”
“Her? I don’t think so. Didn’t she say she used to be a simp? Her self-awareness is quite clear now, but isn’t she still all cuddly with that girl called… Shi…”
“Shi Huiyu,” I reminded.
“Isn’t she still all clingy with Shi Huiyu?”
“No matter what, at least she’s got something. Character is hard to change, especially after the education from her father since childhood. Plus, now that Shi Huiyu is close to her, do you expect her to wake up? Don’t say that; this is actually quite good for her.” I said as I shook my head while smiling.
“Haha… one after another…”
“Alright, let’s not talk about them anymore; it’s not really good to gossip about others, although we’ve finished venting.” I lifted the watering can and poured it over the flower pot. The seeds were considered planted now.
“Well, then you have nothing left to do?” Dongli Yiren looked at the watering can and flower pot in my hand.
“Pretty much. By the way, Dongli Yiren, are you interested in planting some flowers and plants?”
“No thanks, it’s a waste of time.” Dongli Yiren shook her head in refusal.
“I remember… you seem to be short on money, right?”
“What does that have to do with me lacking money?”
“You could try planting flowers to sell for money.” I suggested.
“No way, the cycle is too long; I don’t want to.” Dongli Yiren once again shook her head.
“But these are extraordinary plants; many of them have very short maturation cycles. Besides, now that classes have officially started, you won’t earn much by working part-time; it’s better to take care of some extraordinary plants.”
“Better to forget it. For planting, direct bulk cultivation is much more efficient than me doing it alone.”
“You don’t understand this, do you? These are extraordinary plants; they can’t… oh, no, they basically can’t be mechanically or mass-produced. Today, I teamed up with a planter to go to the secret realm. Planting plants is a formal profession, cultivating extraordinary plants, and she has contracted an entire plantation at the Witch Academy, yet it’s still not mechanized production; personal skill and mastery are fundamental.”
“Planter?”
“Yes, and there’s something very important to note: the money earned from extraordinary plants is in Red Copper, Secret Silver, and Aoqin. Earlier, I told you the minimum entry threshold for the secret realm is Red Copper, right? These three extraordinary materials are the common equivalents used in the Witch Academy and the extraordinary world. The money you’re earning now is only useful in the early stages; you might not even be able to spend it in the future.”
“Really… is that true?” It was clear Dongli Yiren was feeling a bit tempted at this moment.
“I can’t guarantee it’s true, but while money can buy many things at the academy, the stronger you are, the more resources you’ll need, such as Magic Sources, Spellbooks, Potions… all require these extraordinary materials. You should plan your path ahead, right?”
“Path ahead? But I don’t want to spend my life planting flowers and plants, even if they’re extraordinary.”
“Are you not getting it? Asking you to plant extraordinary plants doesn’t mean you’ll be farming for life! You’re planting extraordinary plants! While planting, you will gradually have basic knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of these extraordinary plants. After that, you can walk the path of a potion maker! Potion makers can make a lot of money! If you’re talented, you could even develop into alchemy! After mastering magic powers, you could switch paths to brew potions! With such a good promotion pathway, are you still hesitating?”
“Uh… I…”
At this moment, with so much information, her mind felt a bit overwhelmed, but words like potion maker, alchemy, and magic potions were swirling in her mind, making her feel impressive.
“Can… can I have some time to think about it?” Eventually, Dongli Yiren asked.
“Of course. If you agreed right away, I would doubt you could handle it. It’s better for you to learn about this area; after all, this is planning your future path. Moreover, you and I are both new students, we have the time and resources to start over, don’t we?”
“Thank you… I… will head back first…”
“Wait.”
“What’s wrong?” Dongli Yiren turned back to look at me in confusion.
“If you decide, I’ll be entrusting you with these extraordinary plants. It’s a gift to you, and when they mature, the results will also belong to you.”
“Wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate?” Dongli Yiren glanced at the flower pot, then looked at me, feeling a bit uneasy about taking advantage of me.
“This is just what I gained from a secret realm; how about considering it an investment for your future as a potion master?” Of course, mainly I probably wouldn’t have enough time and energy to handle so many seeds and seedlings. I was just putting things to good use.
And also giving myself a bit of relaxation. Besides, it’s not like I couldn’t nurture them; I just needed intermittent relaxation, but these plants couldn’t be watered and nurtured intermittently; it was better to do it all at once.
Moreover, these things wouldn’t sell for much, so I could afford to give them away. However, for her, it might be a considerable income.
Thinking of this, I recalled that little rich girl Sofiry, who was even willing to exchange her notes for those hundred Red Copper coins. But sometimes knowledge is the most priceless thing, and it seemed she hadn’t realized this.
If she couldn’t understand this, she might end up wasting her life in that plantation.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the right to preach to others; I was just making deductions based on my own understanding.
“Oh, by the way, I asked that planter senior for some notes and insights on planting and cultivation. If you decide, you can ask me for them.” I told Dongli Yiren because I had also reviewed some of those notes and could first record the parts I wouldn’t remember easily onto the Memory Shelf this afternoon.
“Mm? Thank you.”
At this moment, Dongli Yiren genuinely expressed her thanks.
After all, the guidance she received pointed out a seemingly good development path for her, and naturally, she wanted to give it a try.
Being a potion maker or apothecary… this clearly sounded like a profession that could earn big money, although there would likely be a substantial cost before that.
But before that, she could slowly save… or… seek out that person?
No, no, no! Dongli Yiren shook her head, pushing the tempting thought away. If that were the case, how was she any different from Guan Qiuling!
She… she was going to be a potion master in the future!
At least she had this plan for now.
