Chapter 416: How About Turning into a Witch as a Birthday Gift?
It has been several days since I returned to this small world.
After extreme contemplation, I eventually chose a nice place to temporarily reside.
Not for any other reason, but because there is a Wanlian University of Technology nearby, which can be considered one of the most prestigious institutions in the country of Lanas Island, and the Lanas Institute of Information Science and Technology was established based on this university.
The place I live is not far from here. As for where the money came from… there’s nothing faster than robbing the rich to aid the poor when it comes to getting cash.
At this moment, holding a large amount of cash, I found myself pondering a question: how should I spend this money? Otherwise, besides improving my living conditions, these things will just occupy my storage equipment.
Moreover, bringing this money and precious metals home would be useless, as most of what I currently use are extraordinary materials, such as Aoqin and Secret Silver.
After getting into alchemy, I came to understand why these materials are so expensive—they are basically universal alchemical materials, and anything related to the extraordinary field cannot possibly be cheap.
So now I need to spend this money in some way to turn it into my support.
This led me to think of a saying: there are two quick ways to spend money when you have plenty of it. One is charitable poverty alleviation, as this world is not short of poor people; the other, of course, is investing in cutting-edge technology. To be honest, the speed of burning money in research is unmatched.
But let’s not forget that Lanas Island is a nation focused on technological development, with a massive proportion of its annual funding allocated to research, but Lanas Island is small.
The money invested by some large countries with just a flick of a finger could surpass what Lanas Island invests. Yet, curiously, Lanas Island remains the most technologically advanced country in the world, without exception.
This place is regarded as a holy land by the geniuses of this world, and it is also a cradle for nurturing cutting-edge technological talent.
I naturally noticed this unusual situation, as it is not just a rumor but a reality.
I have ample reason to suspect that this is the effect radiating from Qiu Ruxin’s extraordinary item, and now I just need to personally verify this theory. Unfortunately, I’ve been too busy recently to study it in detail; indeed, once life becomes fulfilling, time seems insufficient.
Initially, I just wanted to get my hands on the scientific data developed in this world, but unfortunately, I know nothing about it.
So I can only start with the basic information, and if you want to know where the most abundant basic knowledge repository is in this world, it must be in these prestigious institutions.
And so my busy schedule these days has been like this.
I am very interested in these unknown and fascinating plant technologies, but mostly out of curiosity, as their direction of development doesn’t necessarily interest me.
The cutting-edge technologies they focus on are premised on conforming to the current world development trends, and some are centered around profit.
After all, the people capable of research in this world are not its leaders; those who master the theory and skills can only be used as tools by others. Thus, to express their talents, they need to cater to others’ needs.
But what truly interests me is mostly the “impoverished” research teams that cannot attract investment, waiting for the meager annual funding from the government. Among them, those that pique my interest are my targets; there’s nothing that money can’t resolve. Even if I know nothing, I can still use money to let them know that I understand technology.
Besides these matters, I also obtained a student identity within this academy, allowing me to act freely within the institution. The identity I acquired is actually a result of using disguise magic to replace someone else’s identity, while the original owner of this identity… naturally has died.
Of course, it has nothing to do with me; I originally intended to pay her off to go travel for a few months. After all, this is an academy, and not everyone’s goal is to develop technology; some merely aim to earn a degree, package themselves, and sell themselves for a good price. However, she provoked an excavator, and there was no further chance for her.
However, I took my revenge for her afterward and cremated her, considering it a reward for borrowing her identity.
Moreover, I wanted to enter this institution for another important reason: the first Wanlian Main Network Tree in this world took root here.
Although that area is heavily guarded, none of this matters much to me. One could say the reason this academy is the most famous is indeed related to the Wanlian Main Network Tree.
……
Although things have appeared to go smoothly these days, I am also attempting to socialize with some people, which I have never tried before—it’s quite novel, but I’m also not used to it.
Perhaps my initial ideas were wrong; I must admit that I felt somewhat fatigued at heart during interactions with others due to my lack of experience in dealing with such social practices. Social niceties exist everywhere, and this world is no exception.
Ordinary people have no choice but to endure for the sake of living, while I am an exception since I can flip the table.
After experiencing the lessons of the past few days, I have come to understand a few truths: as long as you interact with those in high positions, they will dare to spar with you over trivial matters, so it’s better to stay away from many issues. My desire to grow strong is, in a sense, aimed at avoiding such social interactions that I detest, right?
Thus, after a series of simplifications, I now only maintain contact with my investment projects and that student identity, discarding the rest. Relaxed, I felt a wave of mental relief and my spirits lifted a bit.
At this point, the remaining two relationships are one channel for obtaining information inaccessible to ordinary people through money, and the student identity which allows me to rationally utilize the educational resources of the academy to fill in the gaps in my basic information about this world.
The following time marks the beginning of my daily routine.
“Sister Xiao Han, you’re back! Are you busy again today?”
“Mm, not so busy afterward,” I nodded and said.
“Eh? Why not? Didn’t Sister Xiao Han want to understand…”
“Right, I only want to understand plant technology, not things that aren’t useful to me,” I interrupted Qiu Ruxin.
At this moment, my heart was as clear as a mirror. From the very beginning, I was wrong; I shouldn’t have followed their pace but should have continued at my own speed. I had over-simplified everything; if I truly wanted to learn the basics of this world’s plant technology to its cutting-edge aspects, no matter how many years I had, I wouldn’t finish learning.
I should have my own rhythm, my pursuits, and plans. I am not a scientist; I am merely a witch researching magic. Perhaps this seems highly similar, but fundamentally, they are different.
The technology they possess should provide me with inspiration, not require me to learn and then replicate it, as such duplication holds no practical significance for me.
In summary, I have concluded that I was too crude and dealt with things too naively. I abandoned my advantages to enter the framework of others’ rules, using my disadvantages to play mind games with others.
Looking back now, I can’t help but laugh a bit.
But it’s not too late to come to this realization now.
At this point, my gaze suddenly fell on a beautifully packaged box with a complex and pretty ribbon on the table.
At that moment, Qiu Ruxin noticed my gaze and hurriedly began to explain.
“This… is a cake…”
“A cake?” I looked at Qiu Ruxin with confusion, unsure of what she meant.
“Um… Sister Xiao Han, today is my birthday, so I ordered a cake, it’s not too big…” At this moment, Qiu Ruxin’s face turned slightly red, showing that youthful shyness.
“Birthday?” I suddenly reacted.
At that time, Qiu Ruxin told me she still had some time before reaching adulthood, and now that it’s her birthday, does that mean… Qiu Ruxin has already become an adult?
Adult birthday… for a moment, I felt a bit dazed.
“Happy birthday…”
In the end, I managed to squeeze out these few words since birthdays feel somewhat distant to me and I don’t celebrate them much, or rather, this life’s birthdays hold no meaning for me.
“Thank you for your wishes, Sister Xiao Han~”
Qiu Ruxin did not mind that I only said those few words after a long pause but was excitedly thanking me, as if my words carried the weight of blessings that delighted her.
She then stepped forward to unwrap the small cake, indeed as she said, it wasn’t large, roughly enough for two people, and it included numeral candles and disposable plates and forks.
In this world, people mainly celebrate birthdays with cakes, but there were no singing birthday songs; they just light the candles and make wishes.
“I’ll do it,” I said immediately when I saw Qiu Ruxin placing the candles on the cake, wanting to light them.
“Eh?”
“I’ll find it easier.”
With a snap of my fingers, the fire elements gathered at my fingertips to form a small flame, casting a soft glow on both our faces.
“Is this magic? Really… so amazing…”
“Is it? Do you want to learn?” I smiled and asked.
“Can… can I learn too?” Qiu Ruxin asked somewhat incredulously. She had shown her desire for this extraordinary power before but never truly expressed her wish to learn.
Because most of the time, I had overlooked her subtly hinted wishes, and she had taken note of it, so she never brought it up again.
Now that I took the initiative to mention it, her first reaction was, of course, excitement!
And disbelief!
“Of course.”
“I’m willing! I really want to learn!” Qiu Ruxin exclaimed excitedly, afraid I might change my mind or that I was joking.
“Even if the use of power comes with a cost?”
“Cost? As long as I can master extraordinary power, I don’t care about the cost… um, but I still want to weakly ask, what’s the cost?” Qiu Ruxin eagerly replied, but after saying that, she realized something was off and quietly asked.
“The cost is transforming into a witch; from then on, you are no longer human. You will slowly distance yourself from the opposite s*x, and even before you ascend to the extraordinary, you will lose the ability to bear offspring…”
“Is that all? I’m willing!” At this moment, Qiu Ruxin’s voice rose a bit louder.
“Well, if you regret it later, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t, I won’t!” Qiu Ruxin shook her head repeatedly.
“Alright, it’s time to make a wish.” At that moment, I lit the candle representing 18, the warm yellow light flickering to illuminate a small area, and then I realized something and continued.
“I didn’t expect today was your birthday. I originally intended to give you a gift; it looks like I’ll have to give it along with the birthday present.”
Initially, I thought of giving Qiu Ruxin a magic source to turn her into a witch; her desire for extraordinary power was obvious, and I had not responded to her expectations until now, and now it coincides with her birthday—and as a coming-of-age gift.
Thus, a single magic source might not suffice; perhaps… I should throw in a spellbook too?
After all, I’ve acquired quite a few spellbooks and even have duplicates, so giving it away won’t affect me much.
“It’s alright, birthday gifts are just symbolic small gifts. I’m already very happy that Sister Xiao Han is willing to give me a gift!”
As Qiu Ruxin joyfully made her wish and blew out the candles, cutting the cake, everything looked so wonderful.
However, the misfortune brought by the extraordinary items was not absent, such as moths flying in, lights from the ceiling loosening and potentially falling, broken cutting wooden knives, and candles that couldn’t be blown out in one go. I silently dealt with all of this.
At this moment, I held a piece of cut cake and looked up at the loosening light fixture; it had already been fixed with magic. If it fell, it would land right on the cake.
Even with a coming-of-age gift, Qiu Ruxin had a day full of troubles. I silently shook my head and sighed before placing the piece of cake in my mouth.
Feeling the sweet cream on the cake from this world was a very peculiar taste; I thought I could attempt to bring some tutorials and innovations about baking from this world to Senior Tang Yihan. Surely, Senior Tang Yihan would spark some new ideas with it.
Happy moments pass quickly, and so does Qiu Ruxin’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Today, I was the only one accompanying her for the birthday; if not for my unexpected arrival, Qiu Ruxin might be celebrating this birthday alone.
Although during the cake-eating, Qiu Ruxin appeared quite enthusiastic, I could see that she was merely trying to liven up the atmosphere, which unfortunately, neither of us seemed adept at.
She also momentarily displayed a hint of loneliness; perhaps she was thinking of her family?
If there were no excavators in this world, she might still be a happily fulfilled girl from a complete family.
Of course, if none of all this had occurred, she would have just been an ordinary girl unnoticed by anyone, and it wouldn’t even relate to me or the Witch Academy.
……
“Are you ready? Once you don’t regret it, there won’t be another opportunity to turn back,” I asked with a smile, holding a magic source in my hand.
“Mm! Sister Xiao Han, you’ve asked many times already; I won’t regret it!” Qiu Ruxin repeatedly reassured me.
“Alright.” After receiving her confirmation again, I stepped in front of Qiu Ruxin.
Qiu Ruxin looked at my open hand, seeing nothing, but she still trusted that Sister Xiao Han wouldn’t deceive her.
Qiu Ruxin did not possess spirit vision, or similar abilities in this small world; its world will does not treat the inhabitants like those in the main world, where talents awaken.
At this moment, she no longer said anything. After deciding, she immediately shoved the magic source into Qiu Ruxin’s body.
Perhaps a single magic source was already trivial to me at this point, but for Qiu Ruxin, it was a journey from nothing to something.
Back then, I was completely transformed by just one magic source; that was the moment of greatest change for me, while subsequent magic sources merely slightly accelerated the Witch Transformation Progress.
This was my first time giving someone else a magic source, and it felt very magical. I sensed the magic source being taken out and then placed into Qiu Ruxin’s body, and this unfamiliar environmental change caused the magic within to explode.
It felt like the massive burst of magic I had personally witnessed back during enrollment, with overwhelming energy quickly transforming into light and heat, enveloping her entire being as if she were surrounded by a massive orb of light.
This was the initial transformation into a witch, and it was also the most significant change. I waited calmly, feeling somewhat anxious; perhaps… at that time, Sister Bai’s feeling when she inserted a magic source for me was somewhat akin to this.
A slight worry tinged with expectation, but since Qiu Ruxin is a girl, her appearance should not change too dramatically; I realized again how much fun it is to give magic sources to boys. I seemed to understand the enjoyment of those mischievous senior sisters.
Time passed; I waited for several hours. This duration was somewhat beyond my expectation, but I didn’t worry too much. After all, she is the Child of Fortune in this world, so it’s okay if things are a little special.
I waited a little longer; at this moment, the magic on Qiu Ruxin dissipated completely, and the magic source had also slightly settled, meaning the magic was used up.
I moved closer to check on Qiu Ruxin’s body; her body was hot, almost akin to a high fever but not quite.
However, I could feel her temperature gradually returning to normal.
Before long, Qiu Ruxin’s eyelids, which had been closed for a long time, trembled slightly; I naturally caught this action.
“Mm… Uh… Did I faint… Have I already… become a witch?”
The slowly awakening Qiu Ruxin asked excitedly as she regained consciousness, and then she subconsciously brushed a strand of her long hair, “Eh? Why hasn’t my hair turned white?”
“Turning white is just my personal preference; not every witch will have white hair. Do you think becoming a witch means your hair will turn gray?” I helplessly explained, looking into her curious eyes.
