novelraw Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Chapter 3: An Unexpected Reunion
Lina remembered that the last time she had met Fennis was in the City of Magic, Celestis.
The memory of that parting was not a pleasant one. At the time, Lina had been preparing to head to the Underworld to advance the main quest, but she had refused Fennis, who had hoped to go along with her.
After a huge argument, Lina had trapped Fennis with magic and left Celestis alone. After that, the two of them had never met again.
Sigh, hopefully you didn’t hold too much of a grudge. As your master, it was for your own good...
Was she supposed to let you see her use the underhanded method of abusing terrain bugs to defeat the Queen of the Underworld, then play master and servant with her through a soul contract for half a century?
She really didn’t want to leave some weird impression on you.
But honestly speaking, the Queen of the Underworld really had looked pleasing to the eye in a maid outfit. Those long legs in black stockings, that icy little gaze with a hint of grievance in it...
But the current Fennis wasn’t bad either. The taciturn little loli from back then had turned into the cold, towering beauty she was now.
Fifty years wasn’t considered long for a powerful witch. Witches above B-rank basically had lifespans measured in four digits, while A-rank witches had completely escaped aging and death.
Because of that, Fennis still looked to be around twenty years old.
But this little girl had actually really been rated as an S-rank witch?
Lina found it simply unbelievable...
It wasn’t that she doubted Fennis’s strength. If they were speaking purely in terms of magical power and combat ability, Fennis was indeed a well-deserved S-rank. Even her former self had needed to put in some effort to deal with her.
But...
Lina shook her head and cast off her chaotic thoughts. The current Fennis was no longer her disciple. She herself was just an apprentice little witch, someone with no connection whatsoever to a major figure of S-rank like this.
Fennis slowly walked to the center of the high platform, and the hem of her colored robe brushed across the stone steps without making the slightest sound. Her light gray eyes swept across the silent crowd below, and wherever her gaze passed, the young witch apprentices all held their breath.
The square instantly fell into complete silence.
Why wasn’t she speaking after all this time? Don’t tell me she was nervous and forgot her lines?
Lina’s eyelid twitched. She suddenly noticed that Fennis’s eyes were also looking toward her.
Uh, why are you looking at me? Did you recognize me?
Lina blinked, but she quickly dismissed that thought.
If she had really recognized me, there’s no way she’d be able to keep a straight face... It’s probably because the way I’m dressed really is a bit eye-catching.
Everyone else either had a staff, wore a magic ring, or carried a magic book, but I alone was hugging a black bread stick.
The whole vibe really was a little strange.
To ease the awkwardness, Lina casually grabbed a copy of “Examination Instructions” from the table behind her and held it in front of herself.
A moment later, Fennis’s voice finally broke the silence.
“Today’s E-rank certification exam will be conducted in strict accordance with the Witch Association charter.” Her voice was cool and clear, like winter icicles striking stone, carrying distinctly into every person’s ears. “The assessment is divided into two parts: practical magic and a written cultural exam. Cheaters will be permanently disqualified, and fraudsters will be placed on the Association blacklist.”
She paused slightly, and several witch apprentices below the stage, so nervous that they were clutching their robe hems tightly, gave a violent shudder.
“Rule one of the examination code: it is forbidden to bring tools or equipment that exceed your own magic level...”
Fennis’s speech was simple and direct, her train of thought clear.
She recited the original text of the examination rules once from beginning to end.
“...May all of you prove yourselves through strength, and not through luck or petty cleverness.”
After saying this, Fennis gave a slight nod, signaling that the examiners could begin arranging entry.
The entire address took less than three minutes, without a single unnecessary word.
And yet this dry, flat speech stirred the crowd below once more. Quite a few young witches flushed red with excitement and whispered among themselves:
“Did you hear that? Lady Witch of the Moon said, ‘May all of you prove yourselves’! She’s giving us her blessing!”
That was the standard address for Association examiners. I wrote it, too. Lina rolled her eyes.
“This voice sounds way too good! So cold and icy... just like melting snow!”
That was because she had social anxiety and didn’t know how to talk to people. The only time she ever had any force behind her words was when she argued with me back then, bouncing around like crazy. Lina shook her head helplessly.
“I’m Lady Witch of the Moon’s dog!”
No, you’re not. Fennis was most afraid of dogs. The first time I took her to the market, she got chased for three whole streets by Ah Huang at the village entrance and cried until she was hoarse.
Fennis’s figure disappeared through the Association doors, and the examiner began reading out the rules: “...The practical assessment will be ‘cooperative exploration.’ You may freely form teams and head to the secret realm, with at least two people per group. You have five minutes to form teams freely.”
“Teams?” Lina smacked her tongue impatiently. The whole reason she had come to play a single-player game like ‘Embers’ was because she didn’t want to team up.
Besides, a beginner-difficulty secret realm like this posed no challenge to her at all. Forming a team would only be a burden instead.
Hugging the black bread stick, she silently withdrew to the edge of the crowd, planning to wait until the final draw and get matched with some random teammate who wouldn’t get in the way, just to go through the motions.
At that moment, the witch apprentice in the luxurious robe, together with several little followers of hers, came drifting over gracefully, a warm smile hanging on her face.
Her nose bridge was high, her lips vivid. The top of her fluffy golden long hair was tied with a gorgeous ruffled ribbon, and her emerald-green eyes, paired with slightly upturned corners, gave off a faint but unmistakable arrogance.
Hey, hey, no way, she’s coming at me?
Was the classic scene of a noble young lady bullying a commoner girl about to begin?
“Hello, my name is Sibyl. This classmate, you look a little lonely on your own. Would you like to join us?”
Sibyl’s gaze quickly swept over Lina’s worn-out robe and that black loaf of bread.
A commoner girl who looked this poor and destitute was the easiest kind to buy over.
Let her see a bit of the world and give her a little sweetness, and she would easily become wholeheartedly loyal.
After all, they were all witch candidates. Once they grew up, their value would be impossible to estimate.
Most of the little followers at her side had come to her that way.
What kind of eyesight did Lina have? This old la...dy, who had lived through two lifetimes, had seen everything there was to see. That little scheme of Sibyl’s looked to her like nothing more than a kindergarten child’s trick.
She had no desire to get involved with a young lady who so obviously looked full of ulterior motives.
She tugged at the brim of her hat and revealed a polite smile. “Thank you, but no need. I’m the sort of person who likes to keep to myself. I’d be afraid of causing you trouble.”
Sibyl had not expected to be rejected so cleanly, and she froze slightly.
One of the little followers beside her immediately spoke up in support: “Hey, Miss Sibyl is trying to help you!”
“Exactly. Just look at how poor and shabby you are. Who would even want to team up with you!”
But Sibyl raised a hand to stop her follower. Not only was she not angry, she instead gave Lina another interested look.
Interesting. This girl, who looked utterly ordinary, didn’t have the slightest trace of timidity in her eyes. Instead, there was a kind of... inexplicable calmness and confidence?
Sibyl smiled and said, “All right, since you’re unwilling, I won’t force you. Good luck.” After a one-second pause, she added, “If you get the E-rank witch certification, you can come to the Sibyl family and mention my name: Lainie Sibyl. We can have a good talk afterward.”
“Thank you for the invitation. If there’s a chance, definitely.” Lina smiled.
Like hell I will!
She had no interest in getting dragged into some family dispute. The waters there ran deep. A little witch like her, with neither background nor strength, stepping into that muddy water would probably end up dying in the streets one day, or even becoming a Fate Seat scattered all over the place.
Lina did not take this little episode to heart and continued searching through the crowd for a suitable tagalong teammate.
Her gaze swept across the noisy crowd and finally settled on the most inconspicuous corner of the square.
There stood a little girl with short pale blue hair. She was very small and wore a perfectly neat beginner apprentice robe.
Her hands nervously twisted at the corner of her clothes, and her large, damp eyes were filled with confusion and helplessness, like a young deer lost in the forest.
When Lina clearly saw her brows and eyes, something in her heart stirred for no reason—that pair of clear pale gray eyes faintly overlapped with a certain image deep in her memory.
It was when she had first met Lilia Fennis.
Beside the ruins of some border village, that little girl who had been chased into a miserable state by monsters had also looked at her with exactly such a pair of gray eyes full of confusion and panic...
Sigh, what a cursed bond...
Lina walked toward that corner.
“Hey, you.” Lina asked stiffly, “Still haven’t found a teammate?”
The little girl jumped in fright and nodded timidly.
“Then that works. I’m missing one too.” Lina did not look into her eyes. “You’ll do. We’re a team.”
The little girl froze, as if she could not believe that someone would take the initiative to ask her to team up.
She lowered her head and said softly, “I... my name is Annie. I only know a very weak Ice Crystal spell... I... I’m not a spellcaster of one of the nine great elemental attributes...”
“Ice Crystal spell?” Lina’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
Ordinarily speaking, every person who awakened to magic would obtain an affinity for one element at birth. Generally speaking, there were nine kinds:
Metal, wood, water, earth, fire, lightning, wind, light, and darkness.
Among them, the light and darkness attributes were especially rare. The original owner of Lina’s body had been a magic-affinity user of the fire attribute.
Although in theory spellcasters could learn magic of every attribute, if the magic they used did not match their own affinity attribute, the effect of the spell would be greatly reduced, and the amount of magic power consumed would multiply.
Because of that, very few people would learn magic across attributes.
Of course, non-attribute general-purpose magic such as divination and healing was not constrained by this rule. After mastering magic of their own attribute, some diligent witches would also study this kind of magic.
However, not everyone’s magic attribute could be classified within the nine great attributes.
A very small number of people, when awakening their magic power, would obtain an attribute outside the nine great attributes. The overwhelming majority of these people would become obscure nobodies, remaining at E-rank for their entire lives: because they had nowhere to learn magic that matched their own attribute, and it was also difficult for them to find a way to advance.
But among these awakeners outside the nine great attributes, once in a blue moon, if a genius or lucky person found a way to advance, they would very easily become top-tier powerhouses of A-rank or above... and might even reach S-rank.
Looks like... this little girl has something going for her too. I’ll observe her later. Maybe in the future I can even ride on her coattails!
While making calculations in her heart for a “genius cultivation plan,” Lina looked Annie up and down.
“My name is Lina, I’m twenty this year, and I’m self-taught in magic.” Lina extended her hand in friendship and deliberately emphasized her age.
Because the original owner had suffered from malnutrition for years, Lina’s current appearance looked like that of a girl of fifteen or sixteen. But for an old la... big sister who had lived through two lifetimes, she still did not want to be treated like a child.
“I’m eighteen this year... I, can I call you Sis Li... Sis Lina?” Annie timidly offered her own tender white hand.
That sweet, soft voice and those beautiful large eyes veiled with a faint mist of moisture made Lina’s heart tremble, and an intense protective urge was instantly stirred awake!
I’m covering this little sister today!
“Of course you can. Once we go in, just follow me.” Lina held Annie’s hand and spoke in a relaxed tone.
Seeing her look so confident, Annie also relaxed slightly.
When the five minutes were up, the examiner began verifying the team list.
Just as the candidates in each group were all itching to get started, the chief examiner’s voice spread across the square through the magic amplification device: “Silence! The following are the specific rules and precautions for the practical assessment. I will say them only once!”
“Assessment content: groups of two will enter the ‘Dark Cave,’ a simulated secret realm constructed by the Association. Your task is to successfully gather at least one portion of ‘Moonlight Moss’ growing in the deepest part of the cave within the allotted time, and return safely here. Those who exceed the time limit or fail to gather Moonlight Moss will fail the assessment.”
The examiner paused, and his tone turned stern. “Although the secret realm is simulated, real risks still exist. To ensure everyone’s safety, the Association has prepared life-saving measures for every candidate.”
He turned slightly aside in indication, and several staff members could be seen carrying a sealed box forward. When the box was opened, inside were neatly arranged rows of translucent crystal stones flickering with a soft blue glow.
“This is the ‘Guardian Magic Stone.’ Now, members of each group, please come forward in order to receive one. One per person. It will automatically activate when you encounter mortal danger... Of course, it will also activate when the exam time ends. Hopefully none of you will have to see that happen.”
The line began moving forward, and Lina and Annie followed the flow of people to the front of the stage.
The staff distributing the magic stones all wore the Association’s standard uniform, but one of them was especially eye-catching—not only did he wear a large hood that covered most of his face, he even wore leather gloves on his hands. His entire body was wrapped up tightly.
Silently, he handed a magic stone to each candidate. From start to finish, he never raised his head, nor did he exchange a single word with anyone.
When it was Lina’s turn, that gloved hand passed a blue crystal stone into her palm.
The magic stone felt warm and smooth to the touch, and through its surface she could see liquid-like blue light slowly flowing inside.
Lina accepted the magic stone and instinctively gave the hooded person an extra glance, but all she saw was shadow. She could not make out his face at all.
So mysterious...
She muttered inwardly, but did not pay it too much attention. Right now, there was something more important.
She squeezed the Guardian Magic Stone in her hand, and her eyes lit up.
Good stuff!
In the game, this thing counted as a rare early-stage item.
Back then, to get one of these life-saving stones, she would have had to run three hundred and sixty-five li of mountain roads, talk to seven or eight NPCs, and in the end help an old lady rescue a cat from an absurdly tall windmill, listen to him finish telling the sad story of his late spouse, and only then would she finally get one of these.
The Association was really making a grand gesture this time. They were even using this for an E-rank assessment?
A crafty smile curled at the corner of Lina’s mouth. As long as she did not fall into a dying state and the exam time did not end, this magic stone would not trigger.
For an old hand like her, someone who knew the attack patterns of every monster and the location of every trap, getting injured in a beginner secret realm like this would already be difficult, let alone taking a mortal wound.
Then...
After the assessment ended, wouldn’t this perfectly intact magic stone be... heh heh.
She could practically already see shining silver lions waving at her. This thing should fetch a good price!
Very carefully, she tucked the Guardian Magic Stone into the inner pocket of her robe.
Treasure, you’ve got to behave yourself. Don’t activate no matter what. Let me take you out and trade you for money!
“Sis Lina, we should go in now,” Annie reminded her softly. She had also received her own magic stone and was holding it tightly, looking somewhat nervous. Her gaze fell on the bread stick in Lina’s hand and the absurdly oversized empty cloth sack at her waist, and she could not help asking, “Sis Lina, you only brought... a loaf of bread? And also... such a big bag?”
“This is my only weapon.” Lina waved the rock-hard black stick in her hand, then pointed at the cloth sack and said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “The exam registration fee was one silver lion. Since I finally got in, shouldn’t I earn that money back?”
Annie blinked. It was the first time she had ever heard of someone entering an exam secret realm in order to make money!
“Let’s go.”
In front of the teleportation gate, two magic-guided walking machines armed with heavy machine guns stood guard imposingly on both sides.
Lina’s eyes swept over the six-barreled magic-guided heavy machine guns in their hands, and she could not help smacking her tongue.
Once I save up enough money, I’m definitely getting one. How could a wand possibly be as useful as a magic-guided heavy machine gun! Then I’ll think of a way to get something like a magic-guided grenade cannon too...
The assessment officially began.
The breath of a dark, damp cave rushed over them. Lina took a deep breath and stepped in first. Annie hurriedly trotted after her.
A dim and damp cave passage appeared before their eyes.
Standing at the entrance of the cave, Lina quietly took out a polished copper deer coin from her pocket and flicked it with her thumb.
As the coin spun through the air, a faint glimmer flashed in the depths of Lina’s pale golden eyes—divination, activated!
She attached a trace of intent to the coin: the potential risk in this assessment.
The coin dropped back into her palm, tails.
This exam actually had danger in it?