Chapter 47 – Transcribing Books

Chapter 47 – Transcribing Books

Now that they knew how to add books to their collections, the young witches were all itching to get started.

Amisha saw their eagerness and handed each young witch a long reading list.

“This is the first-year book list. The required texts at the top should be transcribed into your Grimoires as soon as possible—you’ll need them for class.

As for the elective texts, I’d recommend not skipping those either. They’re important for supplementing your extracurricular knowledge, and you should study them carefully whenever you have time.

If you need help finding books, check the index book on the first shelf.

Alright! Go pick your books! If you have any questions, come find me in the reading area.”

The young witches immediately pounced on the bookshelves like starving beasts spotting food.

Mo Lan was in no rush to start transcribing. According to Lady Amisha, all you had to do was press a book’s spine against the Grimoire, and it would be transcribed.

She looked over the reading list first.

“First-Year Required Reading:

1. 《Culinary Magic from Scratch》

2. 《Sewing Magic from Scratch》

3. 《Broomgrass Cultivation Guide》

4. 《Household Magic: Cleaning, Organizing, and Repair》

5. 《Fire, Light, and Water》

6. 《A Thing or Two About Growing Vegetables: A Plant Magic Primer》

7. 《Common Magical Plants and Basic Potion Brewing》

8. 《History of Witches》

9. 《The Changing Ages of the Continent of Valen》

10. 《What Exactly Is Magic?”》

Ten books in total. From these alone, one could get a rough idea of what the year’s studies would entail.

The elective list was much longer. Besides the books the senior witches had recommended—《The Path of the Sorceress》, 《Traces of Energy》, and 《The Birth of an Exquisite Cover》—and the ones the Headmistress had recommended—《The Sorceress’s Contract》 and 《Lifelong Learning Companion: The Grimoire》—there were also titles like 《A Culinary Atlas of the Continent of Valen》, 《Choosing Your Ingredients》, 《The Making of a Chef》, 《Fashion and Dress Culture of the Continent of Valen》, 《The Complete Guide to Fashionable Attire》, 《The Origins of Broomgrass》, 《An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Magical Plants of the Continent of Valen》, 《The Wonders of Household Magic》, 《The Art of Flames》, 《Babbling Brooks》, 《Edible Plants and How to Cook Them》, 《Wands Upon Wands》, 《The Origins of Witches》, and 《The Continent of Valen》.

They appeared to be supplementary reading for the required texts.

“Looks like the blank pages I prepared should be roughly enough,” Mo Lan thought.

But when she took the reading list and went to find the books, she realized just how naive she had been.

The Continent of Valen alone filled several entire bookshelves—hundreds of volumes!

It was an encyclopedia covering the terrain, climate, culture, languages, factions, history, and more of every region in Valen.

Richly illustrated with text and pictures, “see the world through one book” was no exaggeration.

This single work alone would exceed the capacity of an Apprentice-level Grimoire.

Most of the other elective titles also spanned multiple volumes.

Only the ten required texts were relatively concise, each consisting of just a single volume.

Mo Lan’s Grimoire could currently transcribe thirty-three books. Aside from the ten required texts, she didn’t have many choices left. She could only prioritize the ones recommended by the senior witches and the Headmistress.

Among those, The Birth of an Exquisite Cover had the most volumes at fifteen, and Traces of Energy had two.

Most of the young witches had only prepared enough blank pages to transcribe the required texts.

Mo Lan went ahead and transcribed the elective books first. It really was just as Lady Amisha had said—press the spine bearing the Transcription Rune against a blank page, a flash of light rippled across the page, and the book’s contents appeared.

You could even turn pages and search for keywords, just like an e-reader. It was remarkably convenient.

A single Grimoire was practically a mobile library.

Mo Lan transcribed them one by one, wishing only that she had more blank pages. These were all nourishment for her mind! She used to always worry about not having enough to read, but now, sitting in a library with thousands of volumes at her fingertips, her only concern was not being able to give each book the attention it deserved.

Although transcribing books was quick and simple, the Transcription Rune needed some time to recharge between uses.

By the time Lady Amisha called them over, Mo Lan had just finished transcribing all thirty-three of her chosen books.

“That’s all for today. There’s no rush with the book transcriptions—we won’t be using some of the required texts until next week’s lessons, so you have the whole weekend to prepare.

Also, there is homework today… Listen carefully, all of you young witches: after class, go snap a tree branch and bring it to class tomorrow!”

“A tree branch? What kind of tree branch?” Mo Lan pressed. “What’s it for?”

This assignment was downright baffling! Why on earth would they need to snap off a random tree branch? There had to be some purpose behind it!

“Any tree branch will do. Length, thickness—all up to you. But it must be freshly snapped, no more than three days old, and the fresher the better. As for what it’s for, you’ll find out in tomorrow’s class.”

Lady Amisha hurried off the moment she finished speaking. Mo Lan strongly suspected she was trying to escape before they could press her further about the branch.

“I’ll bet anything that branch is going to play a huge role tomorrow!” Vasida declared with absolute conviction.

“Obviously!” said Sylph. “No matter how mischievous Lady Amisha can be, she wouldn’t assign homework without a purpose.”

“The fresher the better! So let’s get up early tomorrow and hurry to the little grove outside the dormitory to snap one!” Vasida suggested.

“No! Tomorrow morning we’ll bring a knife and go to the grove outside the dormitory—no, to the castle gardens—and cut several!” Mo Lan said.

“Cut? Several?” Sylph and Vasida were confused.

“That’s right! We’ll cut one thick, one thin, and one medium, and make them all nice and long. That way, once we get to the classroom, we’ll have options for whatever’s needed,” Mo Lan said.

“Huh? Do we really need to go through all that trouble? Didn’t Lady Amisha say we only need one, and the thickness and length don’t matter?” Sylph said.

Mo Lan countered, “Tomorrow’s Friday! Do you remember what Lady Amisha said during the first lesson this week?”

“What?” The young witches looked at each other blankly, unsure what they had missed.

“Lady Amisha said that this week’s Introduction to Alchemy class would teach us how to make our own Grimoire and Wand!” Mo Lan said. “We’ve already made the Grimoire today, but what about the Wand?”

“We’re going to learn to make Wands tomorrow?” Sylph shook her head. “That can’t be right. Wands are magical items—you can’t just make one from a random tree branch, can you?”

Mo Lan hefted the Grimoire in her hand. “Look at our Grimoires—are they made from anything rare? I think we’d better prepare extra materials. Even if they’re not for making Wands, having more options when the time comes can’t hurt!”

She had no intention of cutting corners only to end up stuck with a Wand that didn’t feel right.

“Then tomorrow morning, let’s come to the castle early. I noticed plenty of trees in the castle gardens last time—we can cut some branches without doing any real harm!”

“Deal! Tomorrow, together!”