Chapter 296

Chapter 296: New Dormitory

—

The new semester had begun, and the freshmen who were originally gathered in the central school building dispersed, heading towards their respective advanced academies. However, a few students remained. They also exchanged their new badges.

Originally, the freshmen’s badges were outlined in white lines depicting the central school building, while these second-year students wore solid white badges of the central school building.

Standing in the empty classroom, Cafella stretched out her hand and caressed the empty desks one by one. The afternoon sun slanted into the classroom, and the once bustling corridors were now eerily quiet.

Those classmates she disliked or who liked her had all left. Only a few of her classmates chose to stay at the central school building.

Out of the original sixteen freshman classes, only about one class’s worth of students decided to advance to the central school building; the rest mostly went to other academies.

Looking back on the past year, many events had deeply moved her. From initial confidence, to self-doubt and prudence, to meeting the black-haired girl, to the struggle to catch up, and now to the current state of ease and calmness.

This year, she had experienced both highs and lows, and life and her outlook on it were no longer as panicked and uncertain as before.

Such was life, and life must continue.

—

On the other side, Lolan Hill carried her luggage box to Fortress Academy by the lakeside to register.

Riding the magic-guided motorcycle through the snowy forest road, sitting by the window, Lolan watched the tall tower spires peeking between the branches, followed by the familiar elegant white stone castle slowly coming into view.

The buildings within Fortress Academy were mainly divided into three parts: the fortress by the lake, then the white stone castle halfway up the mountain, and finally the wooden classrooms and small houses in the woods.

Firstly, the fortress, which served as the students’ residence, housed over four hundred small dormitories within an area equivalent to two football fields.

From the outside, this fortress was much smaller compared to the entire Quiet Moon Lake, perhaps less than one-tenth of its area. The white-gray bricks shimmered with a faint greenish hue, and many lichens could be seen in the gaps and shaded areas. Half of the fortress stood on land, and the other half extended into the water.

In the emerald-green forest, one could occasionally spot yellow leaves, and these trees surrounded the lake. The fortress stood half-hidden beside the lake, with white walls and yellow-green tree shadows reflecting in the water, creating a serene scene.

Lolan held the key and note given by the teacher, navigating the labyrinth-like interior of the fortress. Despite the fortress’s large size and its use of a certain loop structure, lighting was still poor. Many corridors had shallow yellow flower-shaped lamps hanging overhead, resembling blooming morning glories, supported by metal vines, with light seeping through five-petaled thick glass, softly illuminating the depths of the fortress.

Walking down the corridor, Lolan encountered fewer upperclassmen. Most wore uniforms primarily in red or green, some carrying swords, others knives, and many holding thick copper-bound books. Compared to the noisy central school building, the dormitories here were more scattered and quieter.

As she descended via the stairs, the windows along the corridor grew darker, and the air felt slightly chilly.

With continuous searching and positioning, Lolan finally found her dormitory, located at the end of a secluded corridor.

Under the dim yellow light, Lolan inserted the key into the thick wooden door of her room, and a ray of light entered her eyes.

A breeze constantly blew in through the half-open window, rustling the light curtains, and one could hear the subtle sounds of the curtains moving. The afternoon sunlight illuminated the room, causing tiny dust particles to float in the air. Through the lattice glass window, the lake and distant forest could clearly be seen, with the lake reflecting the sky and tree shadows, showing shades of blue and green.

Lolan walked into the room, closed the door, and began to carefully examine her new dormitory.

The first room she entered was directly the bedroom, with two wide and ancient-looking wooden beds. The dark brown bed frames and legs indicated that these pieces of furniture had been around for some time, but the sheets and quilts on the beds were very clean and new.

Besides the standard bedside tables, there was also a pine wood wardrobe near the main door. Most of these furnishings were made of pine due to the abundance of pine and spruce trees in the surrounding forest, making it convenient to use local materials. Occasionally, a faint scent of pine could be detected from the furniture.

After putting away her luggage, Lolan walked to the window and opened the lattice glass window, allowing the scenery outside to come into view.

At this height, about ten meters above the lake, looking out the window downward, one could see the blue-green waters, occasionally dotted with fallen leaves from afar, creating ripples on the surface. Gazing into the distance, one could see birds flying among the mountains and forests, chirping.

“It’s quite peaceful here.”

Although the corridor outside was secluded and deep, Lolan was quite satisfied with this dormitory.

Next to the bedroom was a slightly larger room, equipped with an empty desk, cabinet, and fireplace. It seemed to have been used by previous students for experiments and reading, and it could even serve as a kitchen if needed.

Further inside was a spacious bathroom, where a bathtub could comfortably fit three or four people. On the wall, there was a mermaid statue, and turning the nearby rotating switch would release a constant stream of hot water from the bottle she held.

Between the laboratory and the bathroom, there was a small passageway with a sturdy iron door. Pushing open the iron door led to a small balcony outside. Due to walls on both sides, although one could hear the wind blowing, it wouldn’t be blown away by strong gusts.

On the adjacent wall, a copper plate was nailed, inscribed with “Garbage Disposal Area.” Below it was a square wooden barrel, newly made, assembled with wooden dowels instead of nails, with a crossbar on top, resembling a basket structure.

Would someone come to collect the garbage placed here?

Looking at the wooden box, Lolan thought for a moment. Yes, because living in such a secluded and deep area, it would be inconvenient to carry garbage out every day. This arrangement by the school was indeed convenient.

However, there seemed to be some fine lines carved below the copper plate, possibly added by later students.

[Every Saturday at 3 PM, birds will come to collect.]

Once a week, that wasn’t bad, considering the amount of garbage produced by students. Just as Lolan was thinking about returning, a sound of flapping wings came from above, followed by a gray owl flying in and landing on the crossbar of the wooden box.

Collecting garbage so early? Could the owl carry such a large wooden box? A wave of doubt crossed the young lady’s mind. Then the owl hooted and took off again, revealing a small wooden cylinder hidden in its feathers.

Skeptically, Lolan reached out to support the somewhat plump owl, removed the wooden cylinder from its leg, and found a piece of paper inside.

“Little Lolan has arrived at the new dormitory. Please come to the observatory on the tower when you see this. A roommate needs your help.”

It looked like it was sent by the Book Witch Night Mistress, but Lolan felt that Night Mistress’s tone was not as lively as usual. The young lady thought to herself but didn’t linger. After closing the door, she jumped from the balcony and flew north toward the high tower.

(End of Chapter)