Chapter 465: Encountering Luxien Again
“Of course, I don’t mind.” Daphne quickly replied.
After all, she knew just how terrifying the person before her was. Even though she was aware that the other was just a first-year student, it wouldn’t be long before she became a teaching assistant.
As a member of the All-purpose Association, her tasks naturally served the academy, such as accurately bringing Luxien, the Child of Fortune, to the Witch Academy.
Regarding Xiao Han, this matter wasn’t a secret within the club, but not all members were qualified to know this information.
The role of teaching assistants usually has a time limit. Although not explicitly stated, a teaching assistant who lacks the capability or ambition to become an Extraordinary Witch would quickly be abandoned by her guiding instructor. As students display such eagerness, it wouldn’t be long before they would be promoted to Extraordinary Witches and leave the academy. Some major clubs support their members in trying to become teaching assistants as a long-term operational project and take it very seriously.
Thus, Yang Yuelan’s information would soon appear in the sights of many clubs.
The connections of the other party were also clearly presented, and the most prominent information was… a deep relationship with a senior who had graduated and returned, although many were curious about how this first-year student knew such a senior.
To know that a senior graduating means becoming an Extraordinary Witch, and returning in a way that complies with the rules takes a long time, so Bai Yu’s situation exceeded their expectations.
They had done similar things before, helping a senior become an Extraordinary Witch and then return, but by the time they returned, many years had passed. Even if they recognized their junior, they had either graduated or finished their studies; time doesn’t give them much. Lower-year juniors also lacked the ability to build such relationships with such seniors.
Moreover, becoming an Extraordinary Witch was no longer the same as it once was; the seniors who once cared for them were no longer around.
Many complicated things they couldn’t understand, but they could see the situation clearly. This was how events unfolded, and they had to accept it, acknowledging that the other party had a high probability of becoming a teaching assistant.
Such an independent existence as a teaching assistant was sought after by many clubs, but as for the baking club she joined… sorry, no one would care about that.
“Are you doing questions?”
At that moment, I sat down, right across from them. I looked at the textbooks and even the exercises on their table; everything felt so familiar. Was it a sea of questions strategy?
However, the library didn’t sell such exercises; they must have obtained them from somewhere and decided to come to the library, a place with a good study atmosphere, to teach.
“Yeah, I’m helping Luxien practice some questions. After all, we’re nearing the final exam, and her theoretical grades are only average since she enrolled a bit late and isn’t quite used to this teaching atmosphere.” Daphne said, placing her hands on Luxien’s shoulders.
“I see.” I gazed absently at the question bank. Practicing questions… a somewhat distant term, but for me now, such behavior was already far beyond my current capabilities.
“Since you just said that, I’ll call you Xiao Han junior. Luxien can’t compare to you, but… I wonder if you plan to participate in this final exam, Xiao Han junior?”
“Maybe depending on the situation? Most likely, I won’t participate.” I shrugged, not wanting to sound too definite, but the probing tone from the other side was a bit too obvious.
Curiosity suddenly struck me; did this Daphne senior know anyone? After all, I had met quite a few seniors after the written exam, and many were members of large clubs within the academy. They would certainly mention me when they returned; this was inevitable.
But at that moment.
Completely out of tune, Luxien’s eyes widened in surprise. What did she just hear?
Not participating in the final exam?
Who did she think she was? It was one thing to skip the monthly exam, but to miss the final exam?
She opened her mouth, but was stopped by Daphne’s hand resting on her shoulder, and her stirred emotions and words crumbled at that moment.
Meanwhile, my gaze intentionally or unintentionally fell on Luxien. Indeed, it resembled the manifestation of fortune… quite similar.
Having a benefactor, very likely this person, and being deeply involved might indicate losing the initiative?
It was impressive to have a senior tutor her in theory alone, especially considering this senior’s status. At least, before the information about me becoming a teaching assistant was leaked online, she already seemed to know about me.
“Xiao Han junior is being humble~” Daphne said with a smile, not buying it. She preferred to believe it was true rather than false. There was no way she would automatically consider someone who was humble to be lacking in confidence.
Even if the other party couldn’t become a teaching assistant this time, she still had ample opportunities to try. If not this year, maybe next year or the year after… Who could say for certain?
Then her gaze turned to the pile of books beside me, and she initiated another topic.
“Did Xiao Han junior come to the library to borrow books this time?”
“Of course, I like to come here to read whenever I have free time. Although I can read on my phone, I still prefer the feeling of flipping through physical books.” I said with a smile.
As for the real reason, I wouldn’t say it out loud; even if I did, they probably wouldn’t believe it, right?
“Really? Xiao Han junior has such an interest? I wonder what kind of books you usually like to read?”
“Well, mainly Rune Literature and Alchemy; I read a bit of various other subjects.”
“Oh? Such a wide range of interests?” A hint of surprise flashed in Daphne’s eyes, but she wasn’t fooled; at least she thought the other party’s focus should be on Rune Literature and Alchemy.
To be honest, she was only slightly familiar with Alchemy; as for Rune Literature… was she sure it wouldn’t make her lose hair?
But she certainly wouldn’t say that.
“As far as I know, Rune Literature and Alchemy are far beyond the scope of the curriculum…”
“I’m exempt from courses, so I can be a bit more selective in what I study.”
“Oh, I almost forgot; look at my memory.” Daphne seemed to just realize it, as if she had just been shown up, “Xiao Han junior’s learning ability is so exceptional that anything she learns should be fine. I wonder… if you could give some advice, since Luxien has some relationship with you, even just giving her a bit of guidance would be good.”
“If it’s for me to give guidance, I’m afraid you might not be able to accept it.” After all, could others walk the path I did? They couldn’t.
“It’s fine; we’ll just take it as a reference.” Daphne said with a smile.
Her tone was quite indifferent, and she might be able to praise whatever I said next.
“Then I’ll say this: steer clear of what you don’t like, choose a path you’re interested in, and stick to it. Three years only give new students a buffer period, to embrace the grandeur of the Extraordinary. When we applied to the Extraordinary Academy after finishing the college entrance examination, we had no guide to choose from, but entering the Witch Academy gives us that; we’ll spend up to three years choosing the direction of our lives.”
“In these three years, we should be bold enough to try. Failure and ranking are both illusions; there’s no need to adapt to such a way of studying. You should have your own plan; otherwise, you’ll just follow everyone else’s rhythm, which leads to no future.”
As I finished speaking, they all fell silent, including Daphne. She was merely being polite, and even if the other party just recommended some books, after hearing all this at once… she was somewhat touched.
She was a senior, considered a “veteran,” so she knew that what the other party said was largely correct. If students adapted to the three years of course study, by the fourth year, when they chose supervisors, without course restraints, their minds would be entirely empty, and whatever needed to be done depended entirely on the supervisor with no thoughts or initiative of their own.
“I didn’t expect you to understand this so deeply, Xiao Han. No wonder you’ve achieved so much in such a short time since entering.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, just very simple reasoning. It’s mainly about mindset.” I waved my hand, but my gaze focused on Fortune.
I was checking if what I said had any influence on Luxien’s fortune.
Luxien could also be said to be a genius, but as it stood, it probably wasn’t in terms of doing exam questions. In other aspects, she was clearly very concerned about scores as she made up for her studies right before the finals.
However, after I finished speaking, Luxien’s related fortune did indeed show some changes, but I couldn’t understand it, since I lacked a point of reference.
Nonetheless, what I just said came from the heart. Approaching the end of the semester, the library was filled with numerous students, and they had emptied out almost all the books that could help with their study on the exam.
Walking through the shelves, I could see that a certain category of specific books was completely taken, while others remained untouched, neatly lined up gathering dust.
The library began to resemble a self-study room more and more; the presence of books other than textbooks was nearly zero at that moment.
It felt as if the library’s role had become inverted; the academy did have self-study rooms, and I simply couldn’t believe they were all occupied.
But I just sighed; I had no intention of blaming anyone.
After chatting with the senior for a bit more, we eventually turned the topic towards the upcoming final exam.
“I heard this final exam is extremely different from previous years.”
“Oh? What do you mean?” I asked curiously.
After all, as of now, the information about the final exam hadn’t been officially announced by the academy, and since I hadn’t made a point of understanding, I naturally didn’t know the details.
“You know, in previous years, the courses at the Witch Academy for the first three years were generally quite plain. There were basically no practical assessments in monthly exams or final exams, so we typically didn’t conduct joint final assessments with other academies.”
“Are you saying that during final exams, other academies often have joint assessments?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s natural. Other academies’ teaching incorporates a lot of practical combat training, while we only mixed in some practical skill courses to a minimal extent. The differences arise from the power paths we have mastered. I didn’t say what the Witch Academy is doing is wrong, but since there have already been reforms in the monthly exams this semester to add practical assessments, there is a high possibility that the Witch Academy will align with other academies for joint assessments.”
“I see.” I nodded; that explanation seemed very reasonable. “Do you have any specific details? Such as the format and content of the joint assessments?”
“Are you also curious about this?”
“Of course, I am.”
“But I’m sorry; I don’t know much about that either. Since it’s a joint assessment among multiple academies, the content can’t be decided by the Witch Academy alone. However, I believe it will definitely be a joint assessment that far surpasses the previous academy exchange competitions.”
“Alright.” Seeing she didn’t know, I didn’t pry any further. Whether she truly didn’t know or didn’t want to say, I understood she wouldn’t divulge.
After a brief chat with her, I took my books and left.
After all, I should prepare for the upcoming interview. Even if Sister Bai said it was just a formality, I felt that respect was still required.
Watching me leave, Luxien, who had remained silent, could hardly contain herself at that moment.
“What’s wrong? Do you have many questions?” Daphne asked gently, taking her hand off Luxien’s shoulder.
“Yes, that’s right. I have too many questions.” Luxien nodded.
Whether it was why Yang Yuelan could skip the final exam from the start or Daphne’s attitude toward her, these were all places of confusion for her; she couldn’t understand or grasp them.
“Before I explain, I need to indicate one thing: you have to acknowledge that the gap between people is immense.”
“Are you saying there is a gap between me and her…”
“There is an insurmountable chasm between you and her. Perhaps recently, the negative information about Xiao Han has flooded the academy online, but that’s just self-deception among you lower-year students. Do you remember what you said about Yang Yuelan cutting off her Fortune Seed, essentially digging her own grave?”
“Why bring that up suddenly?”
“That thinking is naïve among you lower-year students, but for us upperclassmen, Xiao Han has always perceived that the so-called script and the so-called Fortune Seed are unique opportunities for you, but she considers them merely obstacles in her path. This difference in perspectives is what sets you apart.”
“How could that be? We’re both freshmen; how could she… be like that? Where does she get her confidence?”
“I don’t know where her confidence comes from, but her abilities and wisdom are evident to everyone, and what she aims to achieve is something you cannot reach. Nobody knows what she will do next, while you’re still looking forward to the upcoming joint exam to showcase yourselves. She has already completed her learning and accumulation, and before long, she will become a teaching assistant at the Witch Academy!”
“T-teaching assistant?” Luxien’s face was filled with confusion, and it was obvious she didn’t understand much about this.
“If she becomes a teaching assistant, she will entirely change her student status, becoming one of the ranks of Witch Academy instructors. Even I must address her as ‘instructor’! Do you understand this concept? This is not just a change in status, but a leap in rank within the Witch Academy! She will accomplish something far beyond ordinary capabilities. Can you imagine how terrifying that is?”
“…?” Luxien slowly formed a question mark. Were they truly talking about one person?