Chapter 206: Magic University – The Hard Life of a Part-Time Worker

“It’s not too late even now. But, hey, do you think that guy is stronger than Xue You?”

Sang Chu was urging a rose to bloom as she glanced curiously at Tu You, who was scattering crystal cores. She was so intrigued that she stopped what she was doing, fell silent for a while, and finally said, “I don’t know either. I heard someone mention a guy with that name before, but I’m not sure if it’s the same person.”

“Let me tell you.”

Tu You twitched her big ears, carefully placed a crystal core on the soil, and said, “I heard there was a guy with that name, very capable. He managed to find Mian-ge all on his own and asked him to help find his missing fiancée. Apparently, his fiancée disappeared without a trace the day before their wedding.”

Sang Chu’s hand paused, and the rosebud in her hand almost broke. She asked, “So that rose was for her?”

“I don’t know about that,” Tu You replied. “By the time I heard about it from the other spirits, he had already found his fiancée and paid Mian-ge a huge reward. But no one knows who he is—everyone’s curious, but Mian-ge won’t say anything, so the whole thing just faded away.”

Sang Chu asked, “So what about the client who commissioned the task? Was it someone on the official list?”

Tu You shook her head. “No. If it was an official commission, everyone would know about it. Official tasks are always public, and even if you try to hide it, someone will find out. But this time, no one knows who got the reward, and that’s what makes it so mysterious!”

“How strange.”

Tu You nodded. “Yeah, some people guess there’s another secret list of tasks, otherwise it’s hard to explain why none of the ticket holders know who took the job, and why it never showed up on the official list. But anyway, it doesn’t really matter to me. My main job now is to finish my work, get paid, and then return safely to the apocalypse. That’s enough for me.”

“You’re right.”

……

Castle, Third Floor

Rose was dressed in white, her mask already removed. Her face was so pale it seemed to glow, completely devoid of color. On her right arm was a rose-shaped scar, strikingly vivid against her fair skin.

_ walked in from outside the door and saw her standing by the window, her body hidden in the shadow below the windowsill, only her feet bathed in light. He walked over, his voice softening, “Are you watching him?”

From the window, you could see Sang Chu busy in the greenhouse. Rose looked out, her eyes gentle. “I just want to bask in the sunlight. It feels so warm and comfortable on my skin.”

She raised her hand slightly, as if trying to touch the sun through the thick glass. _ slowly approached her, lowering his voice: “Once I find out more about Qin Tang, you won’t have to hide in this castle anymore.”

Rose leaned back against _, her voice soft: “It’s enough for me to be alive. I don’t want to use up all my luck. Just being able to stand here and feel the sunlight is enough. I don’t want you to take risks, either. I don’t want another An An to appear in this world. After she saved us, I just want to live a peaceful life.”

“But I want you to see the world outside this castle.”

“I’m fine here. The roses in this castle used to be fake, disappearing at a touch. But now, as long as I’m here, I can smell their fragrance. That’s enough for me. Promise me, don’t go looking for trouble, and don’t let me lose you, okay?”

Rose turned to face _, her eyes earnest as she waited for his answer. After a long while, _ finally nodded, “Okay, I promise.”

“Mm, I believe you.”

Rose turned back, her gaze drawn again to Sang Chu. Watching the roses bloom in her hands, Rose’s smile grew brighter. “_, her greenhouse is too big. Even if she can’t grow that many roses, when the time comes, let her leave, okay?”

“Alright, I promise.”

“_, don’t you think she’s a lot like someone—a good friend I haven’t seen in a long time?”

“Li An’an?”

Rose smiled and nodded. “Seeing her in the greenhouse reminds me of how An’an dug my plan out of the ruins. She was just a little girl, but she held onto the red string and found my plan, saving me. If not for her, I don’t know when I would have woken up. I miss her a bit. I wonder if she’s still alive.”

“If you want, when the moon rises, I’ll take you to the trading market to ask for news. As long as she’s alive, your letter will reach her, and she’ll write back.”

At that, Rose shook her head gently and refused, “No need. Her tasks are too dangerous. I’m afraid she won’t be able to reply. She promised me that if she could, she’d come see me. I’ll just wait here for her. I believe she’ll come.”

“Mm, she definitely will.”

Rose watched Sang Chu through the window, as if looking through her to see her old friend. She hoped her friend, like Sang Chu, would have many companions and be safe and happy.

……

After Tu You finished with the crystal cores, she lay on Sang Chu’s lap. Sensing the presence had disappeared, she said, “Finally, they stopped staring. I don’t even know who it was, but they kept watching me and it made my fur stand on end.”

Sang Chu didn’t stop working as she replied, “Let them watch if they want. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong. But are you sure that rose isn’t human?”

“Of course I’m sure. Didn’t you notice that when we first arrived, there wasn’t a single light on in the castle? But the greenhouse was brightly lit, all the curtains drawn tight!”

“Oh, I didn’t notice that…”

At first, she just thought the castle was bright, but she hadn’t checked if it was natural light or not.

Tu You rolled her eyes. “You’ve been tricked by a ghost, as they say. You need to get your spiritual power up to level six or seven, or next time you run into something like this, you’ll be in trouble. But that rose isn’t a ghost, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to stand on the platform. I don’t know why the magic world designates the platform, but this place isn’t dangerous.”

Sang Chu grinned. “It’s not dangerous—if you can’t make a rose bloom, you can’t get on the platform!”

“But that’s the problem! What can we do?”

Sang Chu: “What about using a fake rose?”

Tu You shook her head. “If there are already rules, you have to follow them—unless you’re that guy, but that’s unlikely.”

“How do you know?”

Tu You: “Of course I know! No one would dare break the rules here. This is the platform, and I can feel the power of those standing on it. This place is different from anywhere else I’ve been in Magic University—nowhere else has this kind of power. So I don’t think he cheated. Besides, the list is a real thing. As long as you have a ticket, no matter where you are, as long as you’re alive, you can get on and off. So there’s no need to worry. The list can’t be faked.”"