Chapter 15 – Dormitory No. 69

Under the expectant gazes of her companions, Sylph steeled herself and said, “What appeared in my wooden box were plant seeds, so why not call it… the Box of Ten Thousand Seeds!”

After saying this, she looked at her companions somewhat nervously. “It doesn’t sound bad, does it? I really couldn’t think of anything more impressive…”

“How could it sound bad! The Box of Ten Thousand Seeds—it sounds amazing!” Vasida said, ever the supportive one.

“It really is quite good!” Mo Lan agreed.

“Names can sometimes have a special guiding effect. Perhaps one day your box really will produce tens of thousands of plant seeds!” Lilith remarked.

The others’ approval put Sylph at ease, and she found herself liking the new name even more.

Now that all the junior Sorceress students’ Manifested Gifts had grand new names, Lilith was satisfied. Drowsiness washed over her, and she yawned. “Alright, I’m heading back. You all should get some rest too!”

“Goodbye, senior sister!”

“Goodbye!”

After Senior Sister Lilith left, Mo Lan and the other two headed toward their respective dormitories.

Mo Lan carried a bunch of breadfruit under one arm while pushing aside the weeds in the yard with her free hand, trampling out a path.

The dormitory door had no lock—a single push swung it open. She flipped the magic lamp switch by the door, and the whole room lit up.

There was no pleasant surprise of a humble exterior concealing a spectacular interior.

Looking up, she could see roof tiles and exposed beams. Looking down, she saw a rough dirt floor.

The only thing worth praising was that the floor was considerably more level and solid than the walls.

The dormitory wasn’t large—she could take in the entire room from the doorway.

To the left of the entrance was an open kitchenette, fully stocked with cookware and tableware.

Next to the kitchen counter stood a high stool, which apparently served as the dining area.

On the right side, by the window, was a desk and chair. The wall beside the window had several rows of wooden bookshelves. On the desk sat a stack of parchment, a quill pen, and a bottle of ink.

A bit further in, there was a fireplace.

Beside the fireplace was a small staircase leading up to a completely open second floor.

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

The space beneath the staircase had been partitioned into two small rooms with wooden boards.

One was completely empty. The other had a washstand holding three wooden basins with some toiletries inside, and beside it, two wooden buckets stacked one atop the other.

Two towels and a bath towel hung on the wall, and in the very back were a toilet and a water tank.

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

Throughout the entire dormitory, aside from the kitchen’s stove and cleaver, and the washroom’s toilet and water pipes, every piece of furniture was made of wood.

And all in the plainest style imaginable, without a trace of decorative carving.

In the whole room, there wasn’t even a single extra chair.

Still, though small and modest, it had everything one needed—it was actually a bit better than Mo Lan had expected.

After all, the academy didn’t even provide three meals a day. The fact that the dormitory came furnished with a desk, chair, bed, and wardrobe, ready for immediate move-in, was already quite decent.

At least she wouldn’t need to figure out how to procure all her daily necessities on her own.

Mo Lan set the breadfruit down in the kitchen, went up to the second floor, and opened the wardrobe. Inside were two sets of School Robes for each season—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—along with two sets of undergarments, shoes, and socks.

She picked out a nightgown and prepared to go downstairs to bathe.

Although she had bathed at home before setting out, after walking back from the Academy Castle and then bustling about in Breadfruit Grove, she was covered in sweat and dust.

Bringing her change of clothes to the washroom, she found no shower equipment—she would have to fill a basin from the tap.

However, when she turned the faucet, not a single drop of water came out.

No water!

Mo Lan recalled the cisterns behind each dormitory’s yard. Surely the cistern couldn’t be completely empty?

She groped her way back outside in the dark and into the rear yard, climbed the ladder beside the cistern, and opened its lid.

By moonlight, she could clearly see the bone-dry interior walls.

Mo Lan: “…”

Fine—she would just have to go fetch water herself!

She went back to grab a bucket and headed out, only to run right into Sylph and Vasida, who had also just emerged from their dormitories, each carrying a bucket of their own.

“Going to fetch water?”

“Going to fetch water.”

The three of them looked at one another and couldn’t help but laugh in resignation.

“I remember there’s a well right at the intersection up ahead,” Mo Lan recalled. “There are still water marks on the road—the other young witches must have gotten their water from there too!”

Because Senior Sister Lilith had mentioned the well’s name the day before, Mo Lan had paid special attention on her way back. There was indeed a stone stele beside the well, engraved with the words “Ancient Elixir Well.”

Though the name didn’t originate from Earth, the well shared the same legend as Earth’s Ancient Elixir Well: “Never runs dry, with water clear in color, pure in quality, and clean in taste.”

“I really didn’t expect we’d have to haul our own water. That huge cistern, and there isn’t a single drop in it!” Vasida sighed.

Who would have thought that on the very first day of school, well past midnight, they’d still be fetching water just to bathe?

“Looks like we absolutely have to master the Spring Water spell. Otherwise, with a cistern that big, relying on ourselves to carry water would be such a hassle!” Sylph said.

Mo Lan counted on her fingers. “The Light spell, the Spring Water spell, Culinary Magic—we’ve barely started school and there are already three spells we urgently need to learn!”

“And the Cleaning spell! The dormitory may be small, but with earthen walls and a dirt floor, dust builds up so easily. Without the Cleaning spell, sweeping every day would be exhausting!” Vasida added.

“That’s four!” Mo Lan extended another finger.

“And the Levitation Spell! Climbing the mountain to the castle is tiring enough already—I don’t want to carry heavy loads all that way too! It’d be useful for picking breadfruit as well!”

Sylph gazed up at the Academy Castle perched far away on the mountaintop, and the thought of making that trek for over a full year made her legs feel weak.

“That’s five!” Mo Lan was beginning to appreciate the academy’s reasoning.

All the difficulties were laid out right in front of you, and the solutions were readily available too.

One’s quality of life depended entirely on one’s progress in learning Magic.

Under these circumstances, even the laziest young witch wouldn’t choose to slack off.

Mo Lan could already imagine the enthusiasm the young witches would have for learning Magic once classes began!

When that time came, the most popular subjects would definitely not be powerful combat magic, but the most ordinary everyday spells.

No wonder Shana’s mother couldn’t use Flash Freeze well, yet had managed to learn the Spring Water spell quite competently despite it also being outside her aptitude.

She had probably honed it during her academy days, filling the cistern over and over.

After all, even with poor talent, a thousandfold effort could still make up the difference to some degree.

Besides, a witch’s magical aptitude was guaranteed to reach at least Apprentice level.

The three of them complained about the academy’s arrangements the entire way, but their hands never slowed for a moment as they hauled water.

The Witch Council provided subsidies for young witches, but that didn’t mean young witches were entitled to special privileges.

Besides, starting today, they had left the shelter of their mothers and begun learning, step by step, how to become proper witches.

It was truly too late, so they each filled a single bucket and headed back.

The well water was bitingly cold at night, so after returning, they still had to heat it up.

Fortunately, the stove ran on magical energy, which was plentiful—just light it and go.

By the time Mo Lan finished washing up and climbed into bed, she no longer had the energy to study the Book of Cards she had been thinking about all evening. The moment she closed her eyes, she was asleep.

An unfamiliar house, an unfamiliar bed—and she didn’t feel the slightest bit unaccustomed.