Chapter 307

Chapter 307 Dinner and Gathering

Inside the fortress at night, lights shone through the windows and curtains, reflecting on the clear lake surface. Occasionally, a few students walked down the corridor, their laughter echoing, and the reflected lights on the lake rippled.

In Lolan Hill’s dormitory, inside the laboratory,

A gemstone lamp hung on the wall, casting white light over the room. Though not as bright as daylight, it was sufficient for writing, reading, and conducting experiments.

Unlike ordinary people who use candlelight, an Extraordinary Being can easily charge a gemstone lamp with magic power and light it. When not in use, they simply cover it with a lampshade, allowing it to slowly extinguish itself, saving much trouble.

The small furnace used for heating experimental equipment had been moved by Lolan Hill to a nearby wooden table. Beside it were several white porcelain plates holding ingredients like sliced mushrooms, vegetables, potato slices, and two clean fish—these were caught by the girl earlier.

“Keti, ignite the fire, pay attention to the temperature, keep it low,” the silver-haired girl instructed. Since they were in the dormitory, she didn’t need to maintain Lolan’s appearance all the time.

“Okay,” Keti replied eagerly.

Crimson flames danced like tiny snakes among the charcoal, warming and reddening them before gradually dispersing.

Seeing the charcoal ignite, Lolan Hill placed a small iron pot on it, heating up the red oil soup base. She dared not do this immediately; if Keti couldn’t control the heat properly, the entire pot could burn through, leaving them with only roasted mushrooms for dinner.

After a while, the soup began to boil, releasing steam and fragrance. Lolan Hill then added the ingredients—colorful mushrooms, yellow potatoes, green vegetables—creating a vibrant and appealing sight.

“Just let it simmer until it’s cooked. Got it, Keti?”

“No problem, Lolan~” The witch stared at the boiling food, her mouth watering as she eagerly agreed.

Watching Keti follow instructions, Lolan Hill felt slightly relieved and turned to write something else on another table. In the small room, only the sound of bubbling soup and occasional scratching of a pen could be heard.

Lolan Hill was preparing for the ‘Rainbow Neck Bottle’ competition at the school, a contest for developing new potions. For the past couple of days, she had been studying and researching related materials.

Participants must pass two preliminary rounds before the final competition, where they create their newly developed potion on-site. A new potion means no more than 30% similarity in materials or processes compared to existing ones, encouraging students to explore extraordinary potions.

She wanted to join because of the rewards. Although she made the Golden Moon Potion during the break, her current pace would take too long to advance her Angel Sequence to Level 5. She aimed to speed things up by using potent Extraordinary Potions.

Since the Golden Moon Potion had already been used, she needed to create a new one. Ingredients became crucial; she didn’t want to owe anyone favors and wanted to participate in campus activities. So, she signed up.

On a pale yellow parchment, a quill swiftly traced elegant lines, leaving clear black formulas. Lolan Hill silently calculated quantities and changes, losing track of time as she focused.

“Lolan, the mushrooms are ready,” Keti reminded her.

“Mm, okay, hold on,” Lolan Hill quickly finished writing the last steps. The bubbling sound from the pot grew louder, and the mushroom aroma filled the room.

That’s enough for today. Lolan Hill put down her pen and approached the pot. Keti had already eagerly grabbed a spoon.

Lolan Hill picked up a dark red mushroom, placed it in her mouth, and savored its smooth and hot texture as the juice burst out, filling her mouth with the mushroom’s freshness.

It seems pretty good, probably not poisonous either. Lolan Hill nodded at Keti, who quickly ladled some into her own bowl and tasted it with chopsticks. To be honest, Keti’s eating manner was quite refined, as if her body remembered these actions. If one didn’t know better, they might think she was from a prestigious family.

“The mushrooms are delicious,” Keti whispered in admiration.

“Mm-hm.”

In the warm dormitory, the two girls quietly enjoyed their dinner.

—

At a certain spot on the rooftop of Fortress Academy, several tables were set up, and a group gathered for a meal. Most wore black and red uniforms, studying the Demon Sequence, with a few studying the Natural Sequence. Many were nobles.

“To the beautiful Miss Othuna, wishing you great success,” said a handsome young man, his shoulder and chest adorned with a delicate pocket watch and a golden chain resembling wheat stalks.

“Thank you for your praise and congratulations, Senior Aniel,” Othuna replied. Her hair, styled beautifully, flowed in large waves, with spiral ends cascading over her shoulders. Two amethyst tear-shaped pendants hung by her ears, shimmering under the night lights.

“Congratulations.”

Others began to congratulate her, mostly second-year students with a few upperclassmen. There were about forty people, which was considerable since the total number of Demon Sequence students at Fortress Academy was around seven hundred.

“I didn’t expect Senior Aniel to be here,” three students whispered below.

“I just arrived, don’t know him well. Is he really impressive?” asked a tall student.

“I haven’t seen his prowess, but he is part of the ‘True Crimson Rose,’ ” said a thin student.

“Oh, that’s the shadow club within Fortress Academy, rumored to house the top-tier students. Each member is an elite and expert. Violin, the former vice president, graduated last year.”

“Yes, Senior Aniel is also the eldest son of Earl Silver Arrow of the Cui Feng Empire, set to inherit the title. He is very popular among female students on campus.”

“Why did he come? Is he interested in Miss Othuna? As expected, the nobility has good connections,” said the tall student, sounding somewhat wistful.

“Ah, with such a person here, we have no hope,” said a chubby student, whose red and black uniform couldn’t hide his plump figure.

“You’re still dreaming. Miss Othuna is a witch. How could she look at you? Just being near her is happiness enough,” the tall student scolded his friend.

“Why did Miss Othuna choose to participate in the ‘Rainbow Neck Bottle’ competition instead of the ‘Dance of Swords’? Clearly, her powers favor group battles.”

“Shh, be quiet. Don’t say such things. Be careful not to get noticed by those fanatics,” said the thin student, making a gesture, then whispering.

“I heard there’s another genius second-year student, incredibly strong. She signed up for the ‘Dance of Swords’ to avoid competition, so Miss Othuna chose the potion competition.”

“Who? I haven’t heard of her.”

“The name isn’t known, but she appears ordinary and kind. However, she scored 99 points in the battle assessment last year.”

“Isn’t that a mistake? I heard someone got 98 points. Miss Othuna said that person benefited unfairly from weapons.”

“Not the black-haired girl. It’s another one. She appeared at the very end of the exam, when only a few remained, so not many knew about her.”

“When she appeared, she didn’t even draw her sword, dodging with the sheath. The remaining few didn’t see clearly, and the test ended. Supposedly, even the teacher was surprised. Later, the teacher admitted giving 99 points out of fear of error, otherwise, it should have been 100.”

“Wow, I haven’t heard of this. That’s impressive,” the other two asked, slightly astonished.

“They don’t know her name, but recently, someone saw her in a horticulture class and joined the ‘Bud of Nectar.’ She follows the Natural Sequence. Her participation in the ‘Dance of Swords’ was rumored from the ‘Bud of Nectar’ club.”

“It seems this year will be full of surprises. Who knows if Fortress Academy can reclaim its dominance among the four major academies after Miss Violin graduates.”

Amidst the chatter, clinking of porcelain dishes, and pouring of drinks, the gathering gradually came to an end. They agreed to attend Othuna’s next competition next month.

As the night deepened, Othuna returned to her dormitory slightly tipsy, with her roommate having prepared her bed and helped her bathe.

“When I become the top student, I’ll have a luxurious room with a bath,” she muttered drunkenly.

“It will happen, Miss Othuna,” her roommate flattered, herself a mid-level student, naturally wanting to curry favor with the ‘witch.’

—

(End of Chapter)