Chapter 265

Chapter 265: Reunion in Winter

“Too cold!” Alena shivered as she pushed open the door to her dormitory, stepping in covered in snow.

“Miao~”

A tangerine-patterned cat peeked out from her coat collar, cautiously observing the situation in the hall. Lolan Hill was cooking dinner in the kitchen, while Nia was tidying up the room.

Alena took off her snowy coat and hung it on a rack. The cat jumped out and ran straight to the bedroom. She greeted Nia before hurrying to the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Lolan Hill, who was wearing an apron.

“Wu, I missed you, Lolan~” Alena buried her head in Lolan Hill’s back, rubbing against her continuously.

Lolan Hill, somewhat disdainful, freed herself from Alena’s embrace and said grumpily, “You miss my cooking, right?”

“Hehehe~” Alena laughed foolishly, then looked at what was boiling in the pot. Small white transparent pieces mixed with slightly elastic meat chunks were rolling in the hot soup, emitting a peculiar fragrance.

“What’s this?”

“This is mutton radish soup,” Lolan Hill quickly chopped some green onions and added them to the pot. Then, thinking for a moment, she picked up a small bottle from the kitchen shelf and poured a little pepper into it.

“Mutton?” Alena glanced at Nia who had entered the kitchen and whispered.

“Will Nia get angry?”

“If you say that, I might get angry,” Nia had become much more outgoing this semester, no longer as timid as before. She pulled Alena away.

“Alright, don’t disturb Senior Sister Lolan while she’s cooking. You can wait outside,” Alena unwillingly let Nia push her out.

“Nia, you’ve changed.”

“You’re not like the old Nia anymore; the old Nia was so obedient.”

“I’m sorry, Alena, I caused such a misunderstanding. It was always me who was wrong,” as the two walked into the hall, the tangerine-patterned cat followed, rubbing against Nia’s feet and meowing.

“Good kitty~” Nia picked up the cat and sat down at the table. A warm ripple spread around her body, and the cat lay comfortably in her arms, its paws touching Nia’s light gray collar.

Compared to the first half of the year, winter suited Nia better. She wore a light gray top and a gray-red flannel skirt, with thick long socks on her legs. As a powerful fire-type Extraordinary Being, she wasn’t very cold but remained warm around her body.

“I want some too.” Alena leaned on Nia, playing with the tangerine-patterned cat, her coldness gradually dissipating.

“When did Nia arrive?”

“I got here this morning. Senior Sister Lolan arrived yesterday, only Letis hasn’t come yet,” Nia replied briefly.

“Did your holiday mission go well? Lily and I struggled a lot. That guy is too timid and keeps running around,” Alena complained quietly about her teammate, recalling the pleasant vacation with a hint of joy in her voice.

“My part went fine; it was mostly Senior Sister Lolan’s effort,” Nia recalled the holiday, her eyebrows relaxing slightly.

Alena turned to look at Nia, “It’s strange. Why does Nia also call Lolan ‘Senior Sister’? Lolan is about our age, isn’t she?”

“Because Lolan is indeed good,” Nia explained softly, seemingly remembering something, ending with just a single word, “good.”

“Alright, let’s not dwell on this.”

The door creaked, and a blonde girl stepped in. She wore a light yellow fur-lined winter dress, her figure graceful. She removed her hood, pulling out her golden spiral hair from the hat, and sighed lightly.

“Letis, you finally came back,” Alena and Nia watched the blonde Young Lady enter the room together.

“Has everyone returned?” Letis asked as she walked, placing her box in the room.

“Yeah, Lolan is cooking in the kitchen,” Nia nodded, omitting the suffix this time.

“Sigh, it’s good. We’ll be able to eat Lolan’s food soon,” Letis dragged the box into the hall and opened it, revealing a finely crafted brass exterior.

“What’s this?” Alena asked curiously.

“This is our faction’s new invention called the ‘Circulating Cooler.'”

The brass-made alchemical creation looked roughly like a rectangular prism from the outside, with slanted openings resembling venetian blinds on both sides, and two circular openings with grids at the front and back.

Letis twisted the round knob on top, pressed a gem on the surface, and injected some magic power. A faint sound came from inside.

Looking through the grid-covered opening, it seemed there were blades spinning continuously inside, and warm air flowed out of the opening, circulating in the room.

“This seems quite useful,” Alena enthusiastically approached and squatted beside it, watching it operate.

“Does it consume a lot of magic power?” she continued asking.

“Magic Sequence 3 can make it run for a whole day and night with half the magic power. Magic Sequence 2 would barely suffice for a night.”

“Oh,” Alena murmured.

“It seems not very practical. Extraordinary Beings are already few, and they need to be of a certain magic sequence.”

“But as long as someone injects magic power, it will be very comfortable to use,” Letis explained somewhat discontentedly.

“Even if a fire-type Extraordinary Being maintains just the right temperature, it would still be tiring. If they fall asleep, it could easily cause a fire. Not to mention, standing in someone else’s bedroom while sleeping is always awkward. With this, it’s much easier and portable.”

Just as Alena and Letis debated the practicality of the new creation, Lolan Hill finally finished cooking dinner. With Nia’s help, she carried the pot and bowls out.

“Alright, alright, you two little pigs, come eat.”

“Okay~”

The four girls and the cat gathered again in the dormitory, happily eating their dinner. The clinking sounds of cutlery and dishes occasionally echoed. White steam rose from the pot, reaching the ceiling. The transparent glass on the windows was covered with a layer of white mist. The bustling room was incredibly warm, while outside, the wind howled fiercely, snowflakes swirling, the occasional gust echoing.

Alena took a full sip of the hot soup, feeling comfortable all over. “What a cozy night.”

“Mm, but these days won’t last much longer,” Letis didn’t seem as carefree as usual, her expression carrying some worry.

“What’s wrong?” Alena asked curiously.

“Well, nothing. But the year-end promotion assessment is coming up. Have you guys prepared which academy you want to go to?” Letis shook her head slightly, picking up a piece of radish slowly.

“You and I are definitely going to the Northern Lookout Tower. It depends on Lolan and Nia.”

“I’m choosing the Unfallen Bridge, War Sequence,” Nia spoke softly.

“Eh?” ×3

Thank you to PandaManSliceWatermelon, Northbound MoQi, Qidian, Reader 20170126043954308, Devouring Solar Eclipse, and Reader 20200913082258292 for your support~

End of Chapter