Chapter 366 – The Library Lounge

Chapter 366 – The Library Lounge

After giving Zhizhi a proper heads-up, Mo Lan put away the Spatial Tent, transforming it back into a Spatial Tent Card.

Then, cradling Zhizhi in her arms, she stepped through the dark portal.

What greeted her on the other side was a door.

“This is… the library?” Mo Lan murmured, glancing back at the rows of bookshelves behind her.

But since when had there been a room here?

“To help you prepare for the graduation exams, the Academy has arranged a communal lounge inside the library for the fifth-year witches. You may spend your final week before graduation here. All the other witches are already inside — you’re the last one.”

Madam Amisha’s voice drifted over.

Mo Lan: “…”

How unexpectedly thoughtful! She was almost not used to it.

She reached out and pushed open the door. Inside was a rather spacious hall — one half filled with sofas, the other half taken up by an enormous mattress.

It was clearly a temporary arrangement.

Even more extravagant than the large bed on the second floor of her tent. Mo Lan estimated that all twenty-seven witches of the fifth year could sleep on it without feeling crowded.

Some witches sat on the sofas, others lay on the mattress, and still others sat directly on the floor. Without exception, every single one of them had their noses buried in their Grimoires.

The little witches, locked in fierce battle with their books, looked up at the sound of the door.

“Moira! You’re finally back!” Vasida exclaimed, her voice a mix of delight and grievance.

Sylph’s eyes were immediately drawn to the silver-furred little monkey in Mo Lan’s arms. “Is this Zhizhi? And it’s wearing a bow! So cute! Can I hold it?”

Bi’er, perched atop Sylph’s head, also peered at Zhizhi with curiosity.

“Of course!”

Mo Lan had already talked to Zhizhi about this beforehand, so the little monkey didn’t resist and was passed into Sylph’s arms without fuss.

Only its tiny hands clasped tightly together and its eyes — wider than usual — betrayed its nervousness.

In their year, aside from Mo Lan and her two fellow Sorceresses, there were no witches with strong Summoning talent.

During the survival trial, Mo Lan had been the only one to bond with a magical pet — and an adorable yet formidable one at that.

The witches had read about Zhizhi countless times in Mo Lan’s letters, and now they were finally seeing the monkey in person.

As a result, Zhizhi proved even more popular than Mo Lan herself.

Before long, all the witches who had gathered around Mo Lan drifted over to crowd around Sylph and the monkey she was holding.

Zhizhi was passed from witch to witch — held by one for a moment, petted by another — and a string of exclamations erupted from the group.

“So cute!”

“Its fur really is as smooth as silk!”

“Its voice is so squeaky and baby-like — it’s still just a little baby monkey!”

…

Only Vasida showed little interest in the magical pet.

She could barely feed herself as it was — where would she find the rations to keep a pet?

After flicking the bow on Zhizhi’s head, she withdrew from the circle surrounding the monkey and went to find Mo Lan.

“It’s already the twenty-fifth! How are you only just getting back? Aren’t you worried about the graduation exams at all?”

“I looked over the graduation exam reading list yesterday and realized I’d already read basically everything on it before fifth year even started, so I wasn’t in a rush to come back and study. My clothes were a complete mess from the trial, so I made a few proper sets of witch robes to change into before heading back,” Mo Lan said.

Vasida — who was still dressed in a complete mess, who still had a mountain of unread books on the graduation exam list, and who had forgotten most of what she had read: “…”

She shouldn’t have bothered asking Mo Lan!

Some witches had everything well in hand and thus arrived fashionably late.

Other witches had prepared nothing at all, yet were still standing around chatting.

“I’m done talking to you!” Vasida spun on her heel, marched back to her usual spot on the sofa, hugged her Grimoire, and retreated into her own little world of misery.

After Zhizhi had been thoroughly petted by every single witch and returned to Mo Lan’s arms, the other witches also asked how her exam preparations were going.

Mo Lan gave them the same answer she’d given Vasida.

The witches stared at her in disbelief. “Moira! Do you hear what you’re saying? You read every single book on the graduation exam reading list before fifth year even started?”

“They’re all important general-knowledge books. You all know I’m a Soul from Another World — I’m naturally more interested in those kinds of books, so I prioritized them,” Mo Lan said.

“There are so many books — even with priority, that’s not something you can get through overnight!” Iris said.

“Moira, once you’ve read something, you really don’t forget any of it?” Cheryl pressed, unwilling to give up. “Not even after a whole year?”

Mo Lan shook her head. “No, I don’t forget.”

The witches felt a stab of pain in their hearts, and all desire to chat evaporated in an instant.

Some at least told her they were going back to study. Others just waved a hand as they walked away. And some said nothing at all, simply returning to whatever they’d been doing.

Mo Lan, who hadn’t seen her friends in a year and had been looking forward to a nice long catch-up: “…”

Even Zhizhi had been so overwhelmed by the witches’ enthusiasm that it was hiding in her bag, not daring to poke its head out.

The area around Mo Lan went quiet all at once.

But with exams right around the corner, her friends were all in the thick of intense revision. She’d experienced the same atmosphere before final exams during her university days in her previous life, so she understood.

The exams didn’t start until the day after tomorrow — nearly two full days remained. During that time, the witches probably wouldn’t have time to pay her any attention.

So Mo Lan found a spot, sat down, and opened her Grimoire to read as well.

She might have finished the graduation exam reading list, but there were still plenty of other books she hadn’t gotten to yet.

Before long, she was completely absorbed.

It wasn’t until her stomach growled that she closed the book and looked around the lounge. There was an open space next to the sofa area — it should be big enough for her mobile kitchen.

She went and set up the mobile kitchen, then began preparing a meal with Culinary Magic.

Watching the witches growing increasingly frantic as they studied, Mo Lan spoke up. “Leave the meals to me for the next few days — I’ll prepare enough for everyone!”

The witches — who since returning had been surviving on nothing but Breadfruit and jerky, with no time for a proper meal — were moved to tears. “Moira! You’re the best witch ever!”

Mo Lan tilted her chin up proudly. “Just a moment ago you were all ignoring me! Now suddenly I’m the best witch ever?”

The promise of good food to come eased the witches’ tension somewhat.

“The exam pressure is just too much!” Alba said. “It’s been a year and I’ve forgotten everything I learned. I’m honestly terrified I’ll score a big fat zero!”

“Exactly! And the rewards for this graduation exam are incredibly generous — if we can get them, life after graduation will be so much easier,” Cheryl said.

“The reading list is so long — how are we supposed to finish it in three days? I’m losing my mind!” Vasida rubbed her head in frustration.

Her already messy hair became even more disheveled.

“If I remember correctly, it’s an open-book exam, isn’t it?” Mo Lan had been wanting to mention this. “The reading list may be long, but since it’s open-book with three days to prepare, shouldn’t it be manageable if you just outline all the books on the list and do a rough overview?”