Chapter 45: The Castle Warehouse

Chapter 45: The Castle Warehouse

"How on earth am I supposed to use this book!"

Vasida pored over it repeatedly, studying it. Hers was a slate book containing only two sheets of coarse paper; a quick flip was all it took to finish.

"You should find out this afternoon!" Sylph, on the other hand, was not quite as anxious.

Moran stood up. "Are we going to the castle warehouse?"

"What for?" Vasida asked, puzzled.

"Didn't the Dean say? An apprentice-level Witch's Book can hold up to a hundred books! Even if we don't know how to store them yet, at least we can prepare the blank pages in advance! The paper needs to be imbued before it can be used! Besides, do you really plan on using these kinds of carriers forever? At the entrance banquet, none of the seniors' Witch's Books were this crude!"

Moran added, "So, what do you say? Shall we head to the castle warehouse together and grab some useful materials?"

"Of course!"

Since Moran had laid it out so clearly, Vasida and Sylph were naturally not going to remain indifferent. The little witches, who had been unsure of what to do, finally found a leader.

"Count me in!"

"Wait! I need to hit the restroom first!"

...

The twenty-seven first-year little witches rushed toward the warehouse in a flurry of excitement.

The castle warehouse was located on the first basement level and consisted of three rooms.

Warehouse No. 1 primarily provided school supplies such as paper, ink, pens, and notebooks.

Warehouse No. 2 mainly provided clothing, footwear, socks, fabrics, and sewing kits. Of course, all clothing and footwear were academy uniforms, identical to what was issued upon enrollment. However, the variety of fabrics and sewing supplies was quite extensive.

Warehouse No. 3 was a general household goods warehouse, containing pots, pans, toiletries, bedding, and furniture, though all were the standard dormitory models.

Of the three warehouses, only the sign on Warehouse No. 1 indicated that it was open to witches of all academic years. Warehouse No. 2 was only open to first and second-year students, and second-years were not permitted to collect ready-made clothing. Warehouse No. 3 was also restricted to first and second-year students.

It was clear that this involved the academy's training for the witches' self-sufficiency and survival.

Moran and the others entered Warehouse No. 1.

Many little witches headed straight for the notebook shelves. A moment later, sighs of disappointment drifted through the air: "Why are they all plain softcover notebooks? They're so dusty and dull, not pretty at all!"

"I saw the seniors' Witch's Books, and they were all quite beautiful!" Ais said, confused. "Did they all make them themselves?"

"I don't know! Is that a senior over by the ink shelves? She looks like a fourth-year, but I forgot her name!" Alba said.

"..." Ais had also forgotten. "Why don't we let Moran go ask? She remembers everyone's name!"

They found Moran by the paper shelves. She was currently discussing which type of paper to take with Vasida and Sylph. One only needed to select the material, not the size, because the paper here was taken by the roll. Each roll was 1.5m × 10m, and they would have to cut it to their required size upon returning.

Hearing Ais and Alba, Moran peeked over. "It's Senior Tracy! Leave it to me!"

This was a perfect opportunity to sell another card.

"Senior Tracy!" Moran walked over.

"Moran!" Tracy asked with a smile, "Are you adjusting well to academy life?"

"Very well! It's just that the breadfruit is a bit hard to swallow," Moran said with a grimace.

"Hahaha!" Tracy couldn't help but laugh. "Seeing you all now reminds me of three years ago. I really miss those days! Cherish these good times while you can!"

Moran noticed the heavy dark circles under the senior's eyes, making her look extremely exhausted. She asked concernedly, "Senior! Is the environment in the Inner Zone that harsh?"

Tracy sighed. "You'll understand once you reach your third year. I can only say this: you must study magic diligently! Especially magic that can improve your quality of life. We are doing alright in the Inner Zone, but the fifth-year seniors in the Outer Zone have it much harder!"

Her beloved red tea trees had all been trampled by those wretched beasts! Otherwise, she might have been able to invite her juniors for afternoon tea.

"Understood! I'll remember that!" Moran said. It seemed life in the fourth and fifth years was truly difficult.

"By the way, Senior, do you need any cards?"

"Cards?"

"Yes! It's a manifestation of my talent! I can provide a direct observation of mana values, just like during the talent test..."

Three minutes later, Moran's mana reserve increased by +16 Mana.

Senior Tracy chose to pay in installments over two days, paying 26 Mana per day.

"Does injecting 150 Mana allow for an upgrade to Junior level? Can the mana for upgrades also be paid in installments?"

"Yes! With a daily interest of 1 Mana."

"Alright! Then I estimate it will take about six days to complete the upgrade."

"Regarding the cards, if you have any questions, Senior, you can come find me at the dormitory! I live in Dormitory 69!"

"69! That's right after Lilith's, isn't it? I used to live in that room!"

"What a coincidence! Oh, Senior, may I ask—are your Witch's Books all handmade? They are so beautiful."

"That? Isn't there a book in the first-year extracurricular reading list called *The Birth of an Exquisite Cover*? Everyone learns from that."

"Oh! I see. Thank you, Senior!"

After bidding farewell to Senior Tracy, Moran returned to the group of first-year witches and shared what she had learned.

" *The Birth of an Exquisite Cover*? So they really are handmade!"

"Why is it always books!"

"Suddenly, I feel like my bark book has a nice natural vibe. Maybe I won't change it!"

"My slate book isn't bad either; even a thief wouldn't bother stealing it!"

"I actually think the plain softcover notebooks are quite good. It doesn't matter if the cover is pretty; what matters is that they are sturdy! Plus, it saves the trouble of cutting and binding paper!"

"True. The important thing about a Witch's Book is the content, not the appearance! In the academy, resources are limited, so it's best to keep things simple. Once we graduate, we can just buy beautiful books to replace them!"

...

Regardless, the little witches had abandoned the idea of obtaining a beautifully covered, ready-made notebook. The academy was truly something—it wouldn't provide any finished products if it could avoid it, yet it provided a mountain of methods to make them!

Some witches took the plain softcover notebooks, intending to replace their current Witch's Book carriers with them after the imbuing process, making do for now. Others still wanted to craft a proper new Witch's Book, so they only took paper and utility knives.

Moran and Sylph were in the second group, while Vasida was in the first. Everyone had found what they needed, even if it was far less than they had initially hoped for.

"Let's go! Let's head back to the classroom to imbue our notebooks and paper!"

This time, Moran didn't even need to lead the way; the little witches were already heading back to work on their own. For nothing else, they had all heard Senior Tracy's warning.

If they didn't work hard now, were they waiting to be kicked out of their dormitories and suffer later?