Chapter 240 – The Invisibility Cushion

Chapter 240 – The Invisibility Cushion

“Headmistress, may I go outside and test the effect of the invisibility cushion?” Mo Lan raised her hand and called over Madam Amisha.

“Go ahead!” Amisha said. “There’s a washroom at the far right end of the corridor. It would be better to take off your flight shorts before testing.”

“Okay.” Mo Lan agreed readily enough, but after leaving the classroom, she didn’t so much as glance to the right.

Because she hadn’t worn her flight shorts at all when she’d gone out this afternoon.

She walked straight to the open area outside the classroom and straddled her broomstick.

Normally she would take off with a single thought, but today there was an extra step—channeling mana into the invisibility cushion’s runes.

Broomsticks were special. They were mentally linked to their witch and didn’t require mana as an additional energy source to operate.

But alchemical runes inscribed onto a broomstick were a different matter.

The runic force within the runes could only give them shape. To actually activate them, additional energy was needed.

More advanced invisibility cushion rune combinations could store some mana, so you only needed to top them off every now and then without interrupting use.

Even more advanced ones could absorb elemental force from the air to replenish their energy, serving as a self-sustaining power source for the runes.

But the invisibility cushion rune combination taught in the introductory alchemy textbook certainly didn’t have any of those features.

It required a continuous infusion of mana or magical power to operate.

Fortunately, you only needed to mind the rate of input—controlling it wasn’t difficult.

And you could always add more runes to it later as a foundation for improvement.

The moment Mo Lan channeled her mana, she felt something materialize on the broomstick handle, supporting her bottom.

The sensation was more or less like sitting on a wooden chair.

Not soft in the slightest.

But far more comfortable than sitting on a wooden stick, and it didn’t dig in.

In terms of comfort, it was about on par with the flight shorts.

The mana consumption wasn’t large either.

Mo Lan had always liked spending her free time Attuning things, never idle even while sleeping, so she had long since grown accustomed to maintaining a low, steady output of mana.

The small amount of mana needed to sustain the cushion while riding was nothing to her, and it barely affected her flying.

After a quick low-altitude lap, Mo Lan landed and returned to the classroom.

This time, she placed her broomstick on the broom rack outside the classroom.

There was still half a period left, and Mo Lan planned to finish the last magical item as well.

The final magical item was a low-level constant-temperature magic circle.

After Mo Lan read the alchemy blueprint for it in the textbook, she had only one question: “Did Shana’s mom not pay attention in class back then?”

Otherwise, back in Emerald Creek Plains, why on earth would she have used Flash Freeze to make ice for cooling even in the summer?

The low-level constant-temperature magic circle taught in the textbook required only three stones as materials.

There was simply no scenario where you couldn’t afford the raw materials.

Mo Lan gave it a try and succeeded on her first attempt. “This isn’t even hard! Mom definitely didn’t study properly!”

Next time the Academy opened its mail channel, she would have to write and ask her mom about this!

These basic things the Academy taught really ought to be learned properly. You couldn’t just toss them aside because they weren’t your major.

The way she saw it, if you hadn’t even mastered these basics, what business did you have watching cute little Merfolk and collecting little pearls!

Meanwhile, Shana—who was all packed up and flying toward the Witch Council—sneezed and rubbed her nose as she prepared to land.

“I’ll only fly this far today! Any more and I’ll catch a cold from the wind.”

With the low-level constant-temperature magic circle mastered, there was nothing left in the introductory alchemy class for Mo Lan to learn.

“Headmistress! Do I not need to attend alchemy class anymore?” Mo Lan asked Madam Amisha before class ended.

“That’s right. Alchemy class runs for a maximum of twelve weeks, after which it’s replaced by combat techniques class. When the switch happens, I’ll have the other young witches let you know,” Amisha said.

“A maximum of twelve weeks?” Mo Lan asked, puzzled. “Required courses have deadlines? I thought you just had to keep going until you’d learned everything.”

“Of course there are deadlines,” Amisha said. “There are teaching objectives every year—we can’t let things drag on indefinitely. But they do account for the young witches’ learning abilities. There are almost never cases where someone still hasn’t learned the material by the deadline. The difference is mainly in the quality of what each person has learned.”

Mo Lan thought to herself, “Could it be that Shana’s mom actually learned the constant-temperature magic circle back then, but just gradually forgot it after graduating?”

The Castle’s bells rang out, and Amisha said “Class dismissed” before leaving.

“Finally, class is over!” The young witches began packing up their things. “Today we finally don’t have to do extra practice!”

They had all learned how to make golden bird stationery.

“Moira, look! I made this many sheets of stationery! I can write so many letters now!” Sylph said, holding up four or five sheets of golden bird stationery inscribed with runes.

Vasida had also made several sheets. “I’m going to write a nice long letter to Mom, Dad, and the zombie chef!”

The other young witches hadn’t made as many sheets as those two, but they had all mastered the technique.

Mo Lan was happy for them. “All that hard work has finally paid off! Our class should be one of the faster ones to learn how to make golden bird stationery.”

“We’re definitely the fastest ever! Setting everything else aside, just having you in our class means we’ve worked harder than any other year!” Cheryl said.

A year ago, she had considered herself quite diligent too.

When she wanted to master something quickly, she would at most use her free time to study and practice.

When she ran out of magical power, she’d rest for a while, read a book or something.

But now? When she wanted to master something, she squeezed out time when there was none, and ate Breadfruit when she ran out of magical power.

Every time she thought she had given her all, along came Mo Lan to redefine what “giving your all” meant, and she’d learn from her an even more dedicated approach.

“Oh right, Moira—I saw you leave with your broomstick halfway through class. Was that to test the invisibility cushion? Did you learn the constant-temperature magic circle at the end?” Cheryl asked.

“I did,” Mo Lan said.

“I knew it!” Cheryl wasn’t the least bit surprised anymore. “So you don’t need to attend alchemy class either?”

Mo Lan nodded, then thought for a moment before saying to them, “Do you all want to finish up alchemy class sooner too?”

“Of course!” The young witches’ main interest in alchemy class was the golden bird stationery and the invisibility cushion, with perhaps the magical seal as well. Beyond that, there wasn’t much they really needed.

“Then take this weekend to learn the Wood-Shaping Spell and the Gold Shaping spell!” Mo Lan said. “Once you’ve got those down, the remaining alchemy classes will go much more smoothly.”

This was advice born from her own experience.

The sooner the young witches finished alchemy class, the sooner she could move on to the next class too.

The earlier they completed this year’s curriculum, the sooner they’d have a full holiday to arrange their own study plans.

“These two spells aren’t dangerous to learn, and there’s nothing special you need to watch out for. Hmm… 《Kneading Wood》 and 《Kneading Gold》 in the Second-Year Reading Room are good choices for getting started.”