Chapter 62: Chapter 62

An upperclassman with red trim on her own robe smiled and led Lilian off the stage.

Mu Ying was the second to go up. The other new girl, with blue eyes, was still dazed, embarrassed from her earlier fall.

“Green Witch!” the result came as expected, with green smoke swirling inside the crystal ball. In fact, this talent test was mostly a formality—witches’ bloodlines almost always matched their mothers’, with very few exceptions.

There were eight types in total, representing their elemental affinities and areas of expertise.

Red witches favored fire, orange witches the earth, blue witches water, black witches metal, green witches plants, purple witches lightning, cyan witches wind, and white witches ice and snow.

But bloodline only indicated the strongest talent. In reality, every witch had a well-rounded aptitude and could learn all kinds of magic; it was just easier to master and excel at the element they were most attuned to.

Mu Ying introduced herself as well, and a witch in a green-trimmed robe led her down.

“I’m your direct upperclassman, Rosie, also a Green Witch. If you have any questions about study or life here, just ask me,” said the older girl, who smelled faintly of grass and trees, taking Mu Ying’s hand and guiding her to her seat.

The last girl, shy and blushing, was named Windsor—a Blue Witch. Her upperclassman, Renee, was also a Blue Witch.

After the talent test, the seven witches—across both grades—sat down on either side of the long table.

The three lower-grade students sat on the left, each facing an upperclassman of the same type, plus a cyan-trimmed upperclassman sitting opposite the principal.

It was nothing like the grand, bustling magic schools Mu Ying had imagined—more like a tiny class.

“Welcome to the academy, everyone. Let me introduce myself: I am Melani, the principal of the Witchcraft Academy this year, a Purple Witch, and also your teacher for all subjects.

“For the lower grade, your main task this year is to get an introduction to all the witchcraft courses. After a year, you’ll choose a specialization based on your interests. Classes are Monday to Friday mornings; afternoons, evenings, and weekends are yours to arrange as you wish.

“For the upper grade, there are no more general courses. You’ll focus on your chosen specialty, mostly through self-study. Every Friday, a witch accomplished in a particular field will come to give targeted lessons. Use this opportunity to decide on your area of expertise and prepare for the Witch’s Trial and independent life after your coming-of-age ceremony.

“But whether you’re upper or lower grade, self-management doesn’t mean self-indulgence. The quality of your life after the coming-of-age ceremony depends on the effort you put in now.

“Witches never rely on others. I hope you all remember that.”

Principal Melani delivered this long speech with a stern face, as if to drive the point home.

Mu Ying had just decided she must be a strict woman, when the next second, Melani relaxed against her chair and cracked a joke.

“I trust you’ve all met your direct upperclassman by now. This year’s new witches are lucky—each of you has an upperclassman of the same type. As for Lucia, since there’s no Cyan Witch this year, you…”

Principal Melani paused for a long moment, but failed to get any reaction from the student in question. “…All right, Lucia, you’re no fun at all. You’ll be in charge of all affairs for the new students. After all, your principal here wears many hats—I barely have time for my beauty sleep!”

Lucia ate her food elegantly, but at a glacial pace.

The food on the table didn’t look or taste great, so everyone ate slowly—except for Mu Ying, who didn’t mind at all. In her real world, food was precious. A meal with both meat and vegetables, plus juice and balanced nutrition, was something many people hadn’t had since the apocalypse began.

Mu Ying didn’t notice, but Rosie, sitting across from her, was already watching her with a look of gentle pity.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded in her ear.

“Mu Ying, don’t eat too much—there’s a late-night snack coming up!”

Mu Ying looked around, but no one else seemed to notice. Only Rosie across from her winked at her.

She had no idea what kind of magic this was, but she nodded repeatedly.

She’d been so focused on calculating the time flow in this world that she only now realized her upperclassmen were eating even slower—Marguerite was even cutting her steak into tiny shreds.

Her two classmates didn’t seem to have much appetite either.

Today was Friday, and there were no classes on weekends. One hour of free trial time was enough for her to spend three whole days in the Emerald World—the time difference here was even greater than in the Block World.

In other words, classes wouldn’t officially start until the next trial.

She’d better use these two days to learn as much as she could from her classmates."

"After finishing their late-night snack, Mu Ying and the others were led by their senior sisters out of the hall through a small side door. They went up a narrow spiral staircase and arrived on the second floor.

“This is the classroom area. All our indoor classes are held here.”

Although Senior Lucia didn’t seem to have much patience for the principal’s mischievous ways, she was very gentle with her junior sisters, carefully giving them a brief tour of the school.

However, her voice was as light and swift as the wind—you had to stay close to hear her clearly.

Mu Ying smiled gratefully at Senior Rosie. No wonder Rosie had told her to stick close behind Lucia—she obviously knew about Lucia’s speaking style.

The main building of the Witchcraft Academy was a five-story tower: the first floor housed the hall and storage rooms, the second floor was for classrooms, the third was the library, the fourth was the student dormitory, and the top floor was the principal’s office.

Entering the dorm, you’d find a circular common lounge. Ten wooden doors lined the walls, each leading to a student’s room, with nameplates hanging on each door.

Apparently, since the school was founded, these rooms have never been fully occupied.

The freshmen’s rooms were next to each other—Mu Ying’s was between Windsor’s and Lillian’s.

Back in the dorm, the fiery-tempered Senior Margarita was the first to complain: “Ms. Melanie’s cooking magic really isn’t up to much. Thankfully, she only cooks on the first day of term. Rosie, my dear, my stomach is counting on you to save it!”

Rosie shot her an exasperated look, then turned to the three somewhat overwhelmed freshmen with a warm smile. “Go check out your rooms first, little ones. There’ll be something tasty waiting for you soon! Welcome to the family!”

Renee, who was as gentle as Windsor and had an amazing figure, comfortingly patted the three juniors on the head.

Lucia, on the other hand, was the cool and silent type—she simply waved her hand, summoning a gust of wind that blew open their doors and swept away the dust inside.

“…What do I do? The senior sisters are all so pretty and cool—I love it here! (≧?≦)?”

Mu Ying obediently went into her room, screaming internally—she was already falling in love with this place!

Her room was a bit bigger than her old treehouse. Right inside the door was the bedroom, with a small workspace to the left, and a bathroom with a sink, bathtub, and toilet.

At the far end of the bedroom was a small balcony, about four or five square meters, which connected to the balconies of the rooms on either side.

She stood on the balcony, letting the night breeze wash over her as she gazed out at the forest.

On the neighboring balcony, Lillian came out too. They exchanged a smile.

Witches, just like in her memories, really were a united group!

On the other side, Windsor joined them. The three of them gathered around the pile of school supplies on Mu Ying’s desk, chattering excitedly. The broom grass seeds and wand wood were the biggest hits.

“I’m finally going to have my own broom! I begged my grandmother for ages, but she wouldn’t let me plant broom grass early—otherwise, I could have flown to school myself!” Lillian counted her little bag of broom grass seeds over and over, itching to plant them right away.

“What if none of them sprout?” Windsor worried—her gardening skills weren’t the best.

“Don’t worry, growing broom grass is second nature for witches. Almost no one fails. One seed is enough for a broom, so this little bag is more than enough,” Mu Ying reassured her.

Her mother’s herbalism books had a whole section on broom grass. Every little witch dreamed of having her own broom—Mu Ying was no exception, and she could recite that information by heart.

Broom grass was an ordinary plant, but in a witch’s hands, nurtured with magic from seed, it would transform into the perfect material for a flying broom.