Chapter 15: Dormitory No. 69

Chapter 15: Dormitory No. 69

Under the expectant gazes of her companions, Sylph forced herself to speak: "What appeared in my wooden box was a plant seed, so why don't we call it... call it the Box of Ten Thousand Species!"

Having said that, she looked at her friends somewhat nervously. "It doesn't sound too bad, does it? I really couldn't think of any more domineering names..."

"How could it be bad! The Box of Ten Thousand Species sounds very powerful!" Vasida said, being very supportive.

"It is indeed quite good!" Moran added.

"Names can sometimes have a special guiding effect. Perhaps in the future, tens of thousands of plant seeds truly will appear in your box!" Lilith commented.

The affirmation from the others allowed Sylph to relax; she liked the new name even more.

Now that the junior witches' manifested talents all had imposing and grand names, Lilith was satisfied. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she let out a yawn. "Alright, I'm heading back first. You all should get some rest early too!"

"Goodbye, Senior!"

"Goodbye!"

After Senior Lilith left, Moran and the other two also headed toward their respective dormitories.

Holding a cluster of breadfruit in one hand, Moran used the other to push aside the weeds in the courtyard, treading out a path.

The dormitory door was unlocked and opened with a single push. She flipped the switch for the magic lamp by the door, and the entire room lit up.

There was no instance of "simple on the outside, magnificent on the inside."

Looking up, one could see tiled beams; looking down, one saw rough earthen floors.

The only redeeming quality was that the floor was much flatter and more solid than the walls.

The dormitory was not large; the entire room could be taken in from the doorway.

To the left of the entrance was a small open kitchen, fully equipped with cookware and tableware.

Next to the kitchen counter was a high stool, which likely served as the dining area.

To the right, by the window, was a set of a table and chairs. On the wall by the window were several rows of wooden bookshelves, and on the table sat a stack of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink.

A bit further in, there was a fireplace.

Beside the fireplace was a small staircase leading to the second floor, which had no partitions.

The second floor contained only a single bed and a small wardrobe.

The space under the stairs had been partitioned into two small rooms using wooden boards.

One was empty, while the other contained a washstand with three wooden basins, some toiletries, and two wooden buckets stacked together.

Two towels and one bath towel hung on the wall, and at the very end were a toilet and a water tank.

It appeared to be a washroom, but it had neither a mirror nor a door.

Throughout the entire dormitory, except for the stove and knives in the kitchen and the toilet and pipes in the washroom, all the furniture was made of wood.

Furthermore, they were all the simplest styles, without a hint of decorative pattern.

There wasn't even an extra chair in the entire room.

However, despite being small and simple, it had everything one needed, and it was actually a bit better than Moran had imagined.

After all, the academy didn't even provide three meals a day; the fact that the dormitory came with tables, chairs, a bed, and a wardrobe meant she could move in immediately, which was quite good.

At least she wouldn't have to find ways to procure every single daily necessity herself.

Moran placed the breadfruit in the kitchen and went up to the second floor. She opened the wardrobe to find two sets each of school robes for spring, summer, autumn, and winter, as well as two sets of underwear, shoes, and socks.

She found a nightgown and prepared to go downstairs to bathe.

Although she had bathed at home before leaving, the walk from the academy castle and her subsequent busywork in the breadfruit grove had left her covered in sweat and dust.

Carrying her change of clothes to the washroom, she found no shower facilities and could only wash using water from a basin.

However, when she turned on the tap, not a single drop of water flowed out.

There was no water!

Moran remembered the water towers in the backyard of every dormitory. Could it be that there was no water in the tower at all?

She went out into the dark, reached the backyard, climbed the ladder beside the water tower, and opened the lid.

By the light of the moon, she saw the dry interior walls.

Moran: "..."

Fine, she would just have to fetch the water herself!

She went back to get a bucket and headed out, only to run into Sylph and Vasida, who were also coming out, each carrying a bucket.

"Going to fetch water?"

"Fetching water."

The three of them looked at each other and laughed helplessly.

"I remember there's a well at the intersection up ahead," Moran recalled. "There are water trails on the road; the other little witches must be fetching water from the well too!"

Because Senior Lilith had mentioned the name of this well yesterday, Moran had paid special attention when she returned. There was indeed a stone monument by the well, engraved with "Gudan Well."

Although the name did not originate from Earth, it was the same as the legend of the Gudan Well on Earth: "Never runs dry, crystal clear, pure and sweet."

"I never thought we'd have to fetch water ourselves. Such a huge water tower, and not a single drop in it!" Vasida sighed.

Who would have thought that on the very first day of school, even at this hour, they would have to fetch water just to bathe?

"It looks like I really must learn the Spring Water Spell properly. Otherwise, with such a large water tower, how much trouble will it be to fetch water ourselves!" Sylph said.

Moran counted on her fingers: "Light Spell, Spring Water Spell, Cooking Magic... we've only just enrolled, and we already have three spells we're desperate to learn!"

"And the Cleaning Spell! Although the dormitory isn't big, the earthen walls and floors gather dust easily. Without the Cleaning Spell, daily cleaning will be a hassle!" Vasida added.

"That's four!" Moran held up another finger.

"And the Levitation Spell! Climbing the mountain to the castle is tiring enough; I don't want to walk that long distance while carrying heavy loads! It'll be useful for picking breadfruit too!"

Sylph gazed toward the academy castle perched far away on the mountain peak. The thought of walking such a path for over a year made her legs feel weak.

"That's five!" Moran felt she finally understood the academy's logic.

The difficulties were laid out before them, and the solutions were readily available.

The quality of one's life depended entirely on the results of their magical studies.

Under such circumstances, even the laziest little witch wouldn't choose to slack off.

Moran could already imagine the enthusiasm the little witches would have for learning magic once classes began!

When that time came, the most popular spells certainly wouldn't be powerful combat magic, but the most ordinary life magic.

No wonder Shana's mother couldn't use the Freezing Spell well, yet she was quite proficient in the Spring Water Spell, which belonged to a different specialty.

It was likely practiced by adding water to the tower during her time at the academy.

After all, even if one's talent was mediocre, it could be partially compensated for with a thousandfold effort.

Besides, a witch's magical talent would, at the very least, reach the Apprentice level.

The three of them complained about the academy's operations all the way, but their pace in fetching water didn't slow down in the slightest.

The Clan provided subsidies to the little witches, but that didn't mean they had privileges.

Moreover, from this day forward, they had left their mothers' protection and had begun to learn, step by step, how to become qualified witches!

It was very late, so after each fetching a bucket of water, they returned.

The well water at night was very cold, so they had to heat it up once they got back.

Fortunately, they had magic stoves with abundant energy, so they could boil it just by lighting a fire.

By the time she had finished washing and climbed into bed, Moran no longer had the energy to study the Book of Cards she had been thinking about all night; she fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

A strange house, a strange bed—she didn't feel out of place at all.