Chapter 255 : Chapter 255

Chapter 255: Rewards in Hand

Today was a day worth celebrating.

Because after the exchange competition ended, the academy synthesized the rewards from various academies and distributed the ranking rewards.

This notification was not announced within the academy, but rather, the counselors notified us to collect them.

After all, only ten people from the Witch Academy participated, so there was no need for a school-wide announcement.

And this lack of announcement was also a form of protection for the participating students.

After all, a direct school-wide announcement would be like exposing one's assets, which would attract unnecessary hatred.

One should not underestimate the jealousy of others.

To a certain extent, it is the most terrifying thing, because no one knows what kind of insane things they might do at what moment.

Although even without saying it, such things would inevitably happen.

Those wolf-like individuals would be watching their prey at all times, waiting for a moment of weakness.

"These are your rewards. Honestly, so many good things, a collection of rewards from various academies, even I'm a bit shocked seeing them," Teacher Ji Niang handed me a piece of storage equipment and said.

"Really? Teacher, aren't you a Transcendent Witch?"

I calmly took the storage equipment.

It was a card with a relatively hard texture, similar in format to my student card, with the words "Witch Academy" on it.

It should be a storage equipment specially used by the academy for distributing such rewards.

It looked easy to store.

"I'm worried for you, really. Teacher, I'm about to worry myself sick over you. Originally, the distribution of rewards was supposed to be written into an announcement and sent out. That way, it would promote competition among the top students of your newcomer grade, and you also know..."

At this point, Teacher Ji Niang cast an isolation spell before continuing.

"Tan Han's identity, she originally needed to be constantly tempered through the script. No matter what kind of blows or suppression, or benign competition, or malicious competition, these are all trials for Tan Han. But because of you and various other reasons, it won't be announced for the time being. The academy doesn't dare to play so big anymore. Whether it's because Tan Han is no longer the only Child of Destiny, or because they're afraid that the destiny you carry will be further dispersed among the senior grades of the academy, making unified operations difficult, etc., in short, it has become this form. This exchange competition has ended with a tiger's head and a snake's tail..."

"So I should say thank you?"

I asked with a smile.

After all, with the rewards in my hands, I couldn't still be stone-faced, right?

"You should thank me. But are you prepared for the price you have to pay after taking these rewards?"

Teacher Ji Niang asked seriously.

In fact, the academy originally wanted to issue an announcement, but she argued against it.

"Speaking of which, I naturally won't let others covet my things, nor will I let go. But does the academy really not care?"

"As long as you report it, the academy will naturally care. But don't expect the academy to give you justice. The academy is not your personal protective umbrella, you understand what I mean, right?"

"They'll care, but not much, right?"

I asked with a smile.

This answer was not beyond my expectations, or rather, it was already benevolent and righteous.

The academy's attitude of caring was already a great help.

If the academy directly said they didn't care, then this kind of competition would be even more rampant and without a lower limit, and there would be no fair transactions at all.

"That's right. You may think the academy is ruthless or indifferent, but the will of the academy will not be moved by it... let's not talk about these things. With your strength, you should be able to solve a lot of trouble... let's talk about your Magic Power Source problem, do you need my help?"

"Of course."

I nodded immediately.

Some things, when they should be used, should be used without hesitation.

Even if these things might be snatched away the next moment, does that mean I can't use them?

That would be a joke.

Then, I opened the storage equipment.

At that moment, I was startled by the things inside.

They were piled up like a mountain.

The most conspicuous were the Magic Power Sources and Earth Vein Memory Crystals at the very front.

I remembered the rewards for the competition back then.

The first place had over a thousand Earth Vein Memories and five hundred Magic Power Sources.

Now there was another exchange competition.

The rewards for the Witch Academy's ranking hadn't changed, but I also had many rewards provided by other academies here.

Unfortunately, I didn't recognize many of the things.

"Wait... why are there odd numbers of Magic Power Sources? I remember the first place in the competition was five hundred, right?"

After I took out all the Magic Power Sources, I asked curiously while playing with the container holding them.

"Do you still remember the resources you obtained after holding the tea party?"

Teacher Ji Niang reminded me.

"Oh... but I didn't get any at that time."

"For the designated drop resources, they discussed at the final tea party to have Tan Han bring them back and then distribute them uniformly. A part of your first-place reward is what Tan Han distributed to you."

"Then she must be too kind-hearted. This kind of thing should belong to whoever snatches it," I commented slightly, but in my heart, I was still a little grateful to Tan Han for not forgetting me.

"Hehe... don't act coy after getting a bargain. Including these 634 Magic Power Sources, about how many do you have now?"

"634? About 1704... that's really fast... maybe before I graduate, this number will be at least in the tens of thousands, right?"

I calculated a bit and sighed.

"Hmm? You don't know? Before you become a Transcendent Witch, the number of Magic Power Sources you can obtain is about ten thousand."

"Huh? Wait, ten thousand? How did I not know? Why?"

Hearing Teacher Ji Niang say this, I was suddenly stunned.

I only knew that the more Magic Power Sources, the faster the Witchification.

Although the speed of Witchification did not stack in the later stages, if you added this ten-thousand limit, wouldn't the speed of Witchification have an upper limit?

"Now you know. You actually didn't know about this? Then do you know that the highest level spellbook the academy can give you is the Myriad Spellbook?"

"I know this, after all, the upper limit is ten thousand."

"It's good that you know. So you have to understand, you are now a student with two Super Consumption Spellbooks. The Myriad Spellbook is hard to come by, but the status of the Super Consumption Spellbook in the academy... you can imagine it yourself."

"I know..."

I felt like the weight on my back had become heavier again.

Sure enough, possessing a treasure invites crime, but not being envied is a sign of mediocrity.

As the Magic Power Sources flowed into my body, I could feel the pressure of a force, impacting my whole body.

This was the Magic Power Source adapting to the new environment in my body, and it wouldn't be long before it became a power I could master.

"You should have nearly two thousand now, how does your body feel?"

Ji Niang asked.

"Not bad. I feel my physical fitness has become stronger. Even though I don't meditate much every day, my Mental Power is steadily improving."

"You should meditate more. Mental Power is what determines many things."

"Mm, I will."

I nodded.

Since Teacher Ji Niang said meditation was important, then I would extend the time for meditation in my plan.

It's not that I don't want to meditate from morning to night every day.

If that were the case, I probably wouldn't be able to sit still.

Even with the suggestion of Unity of Knowledge and Action, if I kept doing this, there would be problems sooner or later.

"You also obtained quite a few spellbooks this time. How do you plan to handle them? First, I can't guarantee that you won't get duplicate spellbooks, but... even if they are duplicates, you can still use them, but the effect will be the same. At most... you won't have to wait for the so-called cooldown of the spellbook."

"There might be duplicates... but it doesn't matter. This exchange competition has taught me a lot. I plan to completely organize my spellbooks. My spellbooks are a bit chaotic and not systematic. Some I haven't used much, and some have similar effects that might conflict," I thought for a moment and said.

Even though I would lament that my methods were somewhat insufficient, there were some spells I really had no chance to use, such as the Spirit Cat Summoning Spell, Falcon Summoning Spell, Hypnotic Charm Song, and even the high-consumption spellbook, Shadow Legion Summoning Spell, I had never used.

"Indeed, you should organize your spellbooks. Sometimes, more doesn't mean better. You should also confirm your own spell system. I see you have a special liking for Evocation Spells, which is a good choice."

"But I also can't deny that other spells have a great effect, even if they are not very offensive," I added.

"It's meaningless for me to argue with you about this. You can decide for yourself. But it's also time for you to build your own spell library to deal with various situations."

"A spell library..."

"Of course, every official Transcendent Witch has her own spell library. Many witches even like to collect various spellbooks. You could say that every Transcendent Witch is a mobile spellbook treasure trove."

"Is that so?"

Although I had thought of this possibility, hearing Teacher Ji Niang say it herself still shocked me.

A witch's lifespan is long, and the number of spellbooks she collects will surely increase.

But there must be many that are useless.

Is it to organize them into a spellbook library?

Then that is a foundation!

I don't have to use it, but I can't not have it.

If only I had such a foundation.

Originally, I was still thinking about whether to organize and sell the useless spellbooks in exchange for other resources I wanted.

Now I really have no intention of selling them.

In any case, my goal is to become a Transcendent Witch.

A foundation is formed through gradual accumulation.

This reminded me of Shop Manager Xia Li's little treasury.

I wonder how much money the shop manager spent to collect so many things?

"What? Starting to enter fantasy time?"

At this moment, Teacher Ji Niang's words pulled me back to reality, "It's okay, I'm not restricting your fantasies here. But if you want to turn your fantasies into reality, you still need to achieve it step by step."

"I know."

I turned my head and said.

After all, being interrupted while fantasizing is very embarrassing, right?

"It's good that you know. I have nothing else for you here. But before you go, I think we can make a deal."

"A... a deal? What kind of deal?"

I looked at Teacher Ji Niang with some surprise.

I was a little surprised that Teacher Ji Niang would actually make a deal with me?

"I have a rather special high-consumption spellbook here. I want to use it to exchange for things you might not need, such as the Earth Vein Memories you don't want, or Earth Vein materials, and some completely unrelated things from other academies."

"Huh? Why?"

This was my first reaction.

Teacher Ji Niang didn't need to be my garbage disposal plant, right?

Although I didn't lack high-consumption spellbooks now, in the academy, the value of this level of spellbook was still very high, second only to the super-consumption spellbook.

If the Myriad Spellbook was hard to come by, then the super-consumption spellbook was a foundational resource for many groups and clubs in the Witch Academy, and the high-consumption spellbook was a commonly used trump card.

"Because I'm a counselor, and I manage the collective of Class 14. You are the class president and a member of my group, which is why I'm so attentive to you. You can ignore the class, but I can't. I'll exchange a high-consumption spellbook for things you don't want, and I'll use them for rewards and punishments in the class to motivate them. It's a good deal, isn't it? And I'll announce it to the class in your name. You'll get both the benefits and the reputation. What do you think?"

"This..."

"Is it a difficult choice? Or do you have some concerns?"

Ji Niang asked curiously.

At least she felt it was a pretty good deal.

And the spellbook she prepared was a special effect spellbook.

For a student with a long-term vision like this, she felt that the other party should be able to see the value of this spellbook.

And Ji Niang also knew very well that Little Han did not lack spellbooks with powerful destructive power.

On the contrary, a special effect spellbook was more likely to attract her.

"This motivation... what does it mean? Distribute it directly to them?"

"Similar to rewarding those with good grades, while the bad ones get nothing. You're not worried that I'll betray the reward you fought for in the exchange competition, are you?"

"Uh... of course not... I just don't want some people to get something for nothing..."

I said with some embarrassment.

"There is nothing in the world that is gotten for nothing, only equal value for equal benefits. Getting something for nothing will lead to disaster."

"That's true..."

I very much agreed with what Teacher Ji Niang said, but sometimes this sentence had to be changed to: only by showing one's value can one obtain equal benefits without causing disaster.

I was a newcomer.

To the senior sisters, I hadn't had time to show my "value", so if I got so many resources, I might suffer disaster.

Even though I had already shown my strength in the exchange competition, strength was also a kind of value, and it could maintain equal value.

Perhaps my current status as a newcomer was too glaring and made them unbalanced?

There will always be people who hold onto a sliver of hope.

"So do you accept this deal?"

"Then can I see what spellbook it is first? Teacher Ji Niang, don't try to trick me with a duplicate spellbook."

"Am I such a disreputable witch? You don't trust me that much? Don't worry, although it's a high-consumption spellbook, strictly speaking, it can also be considered a non-restricted consumption spellbook, and it's also a very famous spellbook. It's the Spellbook Shelf spellbook," Ji Niang said.

She would not only tell Little Han the name of this spellbook, she would also explain and popularize other things.

This was what she should do as a teacher, and also to let her understand the importance of this spellbook, and further understand the information about the Void.

She was not afraid that Little Han knew too much, only that she didn't know enough.

She was destined to appear on the stage of the Void.

"Huh? What? Spell...book...shelf...spellbook? What kind of tongue twister is this?"

"This is a prototype spell that was seriously underestimated at the time. Its effect is to create a spell effect of a bookshelf that holds spellbooks. Spellbooks generally need a physical entity as a carrier, but this spellbook broke this perception and became a spell effect that carries spellbooks. Oh, of course, Earth Vein Energy has carrying properties, and it is also a medium for non-physical spellbook carriers, but we'll ignore that for now."

"Only the function of carrying spellbooks? But can't my body also carry spellbooks? The effect is repetitive, isn't it?"

I frowned and asked.

"Hmm... from the effect alone, that's true, but you didn't catch the key phrase in my long speech just now, prototype spell."

"Prototype spell... oh! The derivative spell is the key!"

"That's right! Only with a prototype spell can there be a derivative spell. The derivative spell is the key. The more inconspicuous the spell, the more unexpected its derivative spell might be. The Spellbook Shelf is such a spell."

"Then... what are its derivative spells?"

"Sorry, I don't know about that, Little Han. You have to understand one thing. Perhaps deriving spells is very simple for you, but looking at the world you are in, and the endless void outside, this is exclusive to geniuses. Your teacher, me, is barely considered a genius. You can only explore this yourself. I can only tell you that its upper limit is very high. Whether you agree to this deal is up to you, I won't force you. After all, this is just a suggestion I'm making."

"Then is there no news about the derivative spells of this spell at all? These transcendent skills and knowledge..."

"Skills and knowledge are not things you will know just by knowing them. But I can tell you the descriptions of the effects of those derivative spells. But before that, do you know which is more numerous among the prototype spells and derivative spells in spellbooks?"

"About the same?"

I asked tentatively.

"Indeed, about the same. But a considerable part of the derivative spells are also prototype spells. Remember when I said Fireball and Explosion Flame Spell are different expressions of the same prototype spell? But Explosion Flame Spell is also a derivative spell from Fireball, but this derivative spell can also be used as a prototype spell for further derivation."

"This is how the statistics of so many derivative spells came about. Regardless of effect and damage, the value of a derivative spell is always higher than that of a prototype spell. For no other reason than that it is rare and precious. There is always a way to get a prototype spell, but not a derivative spell."

"So low-level spells have more derivative spells, but high-level spells have very few, right? They are even secret techniques that are not passed down?"

I nodded as if I understood.

"Those who understand derivative spells understand them, and those who don't, won't understand them until they die. It's almost the same as saying it's a secret that is not passed down. But witches generally like to share. Most witches are like this. At most, the naming rights of this derivative spell will be forever recorded in the history of the witch world. But even if it is shared, not all witches can recreate it through True Editing. Some derivative spells can't even be created a second time by the creator."

"So even if I get this Spellbook Shelf, it's also a big gamble for me, betting that I can derive a derivative spell with a special effect?"

"Yes... if you can derive a high-consumption spellbook, then you might become a guest of honor for many Transcendent Witches who have mastered the True Editing technique in the Witch Academy right now. You know what that means, right? They will ask you to teach them the principle of this derivative spell like a student."

"Alright... I accept this deal. Then my original few derivative spells..."

"They won't. Do you think that the teachers who are Transcendent Witches can't even do the simple derivative spell effects that you've derived?"

"I didn't say anything, just asking."

I chuckled sheepishly.

Sure enough, my current achievements are still child's play in the eyes of a Transcendent Witch...

But derivative spells... let's put this aside for now.

At this stage, the main thing is to master skills and solidify the foundation.

Besides, I haven't even mastered Runology yet, so what's the hurry?

I don't believe I can still be a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse in front of a high-consumption spellbook.

Back then, just the spellbook for Protection of the Elemental Spirit had almost killed me.

I'd better save myself the trouble now.

But it seems I can take this opportunity to work on my Memory Bookshelf spellbook with Teacher Ji Niang.

I don't need to derive it, just mod it a little.

I really don't want to copy until my hands are sore.

It's better to sharpen the axe before chopping the wood.

Also, I can use Teacher Ji Niang's office to lie low for a while.

Who knows if I'll be blocked by some senior sister as soon as I walk out of the teaching building?