[Translator/Editor: otwentyfirst/pikchu]
[Host: justreads.net]
[Jan. 18th, 2019]
Although Feng Wu and Jier were getting used to it, it was still troublesome. Students had to be in uniform while on campus, so each time they returned they had to change out of their ordinary clothes before passing through the gates. They had to do this several times because their haul of vegetables and wild beasts were so big. The beasts were a particularly good catch, being the kind often served at restaurants. The low price point and tastiness made it very popular.
They were the first students to try such a thing, and the sight of them carrying so many things back and forth caught everyone’s attention. The other students looked on curiously, having never seen such a sight before.
“Ha! Back when I was a freshman I never thought about going out to the woods to hunt. Those days were so hard!” so said a boy from the Magic Division. He wanted to beat his chest and stomp his feet when he realized the possibility.
“You’re stupid,” laughed a girl from the same division. “Those two are smart. They’ll save a lot of money this way. Then when they find their way to make money, they’ll be able to pass the mission.”
“Hey you. You shouldn’t be talking. I remember in our first year you said you would complete the task in a month. In the end it took you over three months,” said another.
One by one the onlookers began insulting one another. Eventually everyone’s feelings were hurt and they each ran back to their respective dorms.
Jier whispered, “Ignore them.”
Feng Wu, “…” Huh?
By the time they reached Feng Wu’s dorm the sky was already dark. Xi, Annika, and Jasmine were all back from the cafeteria.
Feng Wu and Jier made it inside and slammed the door shut behind them, surprising the girls. The girls turned around and were stunned to find Feng Wu and Jier.
“Xiao Wu, you and Jier aren’t planning on hunting to make money, are you?” Annika spoke because she didn’t think it was a good idea. Such small game wouldn’t sell for much.
If they wanted to rely on hunting to make money, then they should at least try for magic beasts. Magic beasts had a much higher value than ordinary beasts.
Feng Wu looked directly at Annika and replied with, “No.”
Annika: Wow… so serious.
“Then do you want to cook it here?” Xi asked as she helped Feng Wu put the basket on the ground.
Jier put his bundles down and poured himself a drink of water after settling down on the sofa.
“Mm. I’m low on money. I have to do for myself.” She had spent almost all of her two silver coins, so she wasn’t averse to resorting to manual labor.
“Definitely two silver coins aren’t enough to last for more than few days. I was thinking of going into the mountains to pick some goodies too, but I totally can’t tell which ones are edible,” said Annika as she cutely stuck out her tongue in annoyance.
“I know a few,” Xi said, “but I made some cash today so I don’t have to go out and dig or hunt for food.” Xi smugly smiled to herself thinking of the ten gold coins she made. It was more than enough to cover the month’s living expenses.
This piqued Jasmine’s curiosity so she asked, “What kind of work did you do to get so much money so quickly?”
“I teamed up with a few people I know and we went hunting for some low-level magical beasts. Magical beasts can sell for money, but honestly, what’s 100-200 gold per beast going to get you? When divided up among a group of five, it’s only about twenty gold per person.”
“Wow! You swordmasters are amazing, even though class only just started you can do so much. In the Magic Division we can’t even think about hunting magical beasts to earn money.” If only the freshman Magic Division class were as strong, they’d be able to hunt magical beasts too, but they were so much more delicate. As it is, the students of the Magic Division could only stand on par with swordmasters once they reached the tenth rank.
“Yeah but your magic is good for making money, right? I heard those specializing in water magic can even do a full body heal for nobles. You can earn 100 gold coins just from one session.” Xi felt it was too easy when she thought about how quickly water magicians could earn money.
Jasmine’s expression took a turn for the worse at Xi’s suggestion. She thought it was really a bad idea so said, “Not likely,” as she shook her head. “There are too many esteemed healers in Central City already. I dare not offer my unworthy abilities.”
Jasmine’s attitude made Xi’s lips twitch. The words gave Annika an idea though.
“Hey! How about selling enchanted water? Water treated by water magicians have healing abilities. One bottle can go for two gold yeah?”
“I’ll think about it,” was Jasmine’s unenthusiastic reply. Annika’s suggestion wasn’t bad per se… but as a young lady of noble breeding, Jasmine had an image to maintain. How could she sell enchanted water at some random street corner? It would be so mortifying if someone recognized her. Were Xi and Annika seriously brainstorming? Were they giving her any consideration when they threw out the suggestion?!
Feng Wu and Jier hadn’t eaten anything all day so they were starving. They’d gone to the kitchen and were preparing something to eat, not caring at all about Jasmine’s dilemma.
At first it didn’t seem like they would have any vegetable dishes as Feng Wu’s cooking was poisonous and Jier only knew how to barbeque. Fortunately Feng Wu was good at giving direction. So although Jier didn’t know how to cook, he was able to follow her instructions. They limped along together and made a decently nutritious meal thanks to Jier’s awesome cooking abilities. Not only was it nutritious, the aroma was mouthwatering.
Xi and Annika looked towards the kitchen with hungry eyes thinking of ways to sneak a few bites. Jasmine wasn’t as affected. She didn’t like commoners and wasn’t interested in anything a commoner like Feng Wu would have made. She didn’t eat food from commoners. She forgot one thing though: it was impossible for every chef in the world to be a person of the peerage. By this simple fact she would have already eaten plenty of foods cooked by master chef commoners.
Ignoring Feng Wu and Jier Jasmine turned to Annika. “Have you found a job yet?”
“I did. I got hired to use wood magic to help the crops grow at one of the local manor houses. I get paid according to how much yield they get. The pay’s not bad.”
Of the five elemental magic systems, wood and water were the two weakest in terms of offensive abilities, however when it came to earning potential, they were the best. Despite this, magicians from the aristocracy rarely used it to make money, finding it distasteful. They were a noble lot who didn’t like abasing themselves to others in order to make money, so few engaged in it unless they were in dire straits.
The students in the Magic Division at Xingguang Holy Academy were no exception. They had an innate sense of superiority and refused to consider using their magic abilities to make money – at least for the first couple of days. Most caved in as time passed and no viable options appeared; no one wanted to fail the mission and repeat the grade.