NOVPUBChapter 248 – I Can’t Bear to Spend Money on an Observer!
Swordflower College, Harvest Orchard.
Mifa, donned in her work attire, stepped out of the treehouse, ready to begin her day’s duty. She looked up to find the sunlight from Radiant Star shamelessly clinging to her, turning the entire orchard into a scorching reserve of the star’s embrace, despite the weather forecast promising a sunny day with scattered clouds—truly, the clouds of Gales were as wayward as a Noble, straying off course by the morning.
Though the orchard’s glass walls kept out the heat, Mifa wasn’t fond of such a bright working environment.
Her hometown was famed as the City of Melons and Fruits, but the price for that was at least twenty hours of abundant sunlight each day. During her initial days in Gales, she would lie on the lawn every night to watch the stars, often falling asleep right there on the grass—the feeling of sleeping without light piercing her eyelids was just too splendid.
After exchanging greetings with the other part-time students, Mifa settled at her tree counter. Before her were ‘fruit trees’, but instead of fruits, these trees bore ‘Fluorite’ that sealed away High-rank Spirits.
The glass-encased Harvest Orchard had several hundred trees, each with at least twenty fruits, meaning there were thousands of sealed Spirits within, including Two Wings and Tri-wings High-rank Spirits.
This was the Spirit transaction center of Swordflower College, known as the Harvest Orchard.
Similar to the Forest Library, Swordflower College was not keen on constructing a conventional Spirit transaction center but opted for an orchard-like display, allowing students to directly see various rare Spirits dangling above them with each visit to the orchard. This was far more thrilling than perusing a Spirit catalog.
To see but not touch, oh, the tantalizing tease.
Though it appeared defenseless, this orchard was the creation of a Legendary Sorcerer. The last student who attempted to steal a ‘fruit’ nearly became a permanent addition to the trees. It was not just a deterrent against thieving students, but also used the trees as conduits to continuously nourish the Spirits, making it a famous Spirit trading platform in Gales—even if the quality of Spirits did not match those at Truth College’s “Knowledge Tomb”.
However, when it came to the working environment, Mifa had little to complain about, as most of her time was spent behind the counter, browsing the Curtain and scrolling through forums.
While Mifa wasn’t a native of Gales, she was by no means poor. Her parents were both Sorcerer Commissioners in the city’s Agricultural Bureau, making them quite distinguished in their locality. It was through her family’s influence that she was able to gain admission to Swordflower College.
It was also thanks to her parents’ advice that Mifa started part-time work at Swordflower College from her freshman year. She wasn’t in need of the money, but the rewards for working for the university weren’t just monetary—they also included Swordflower Points.
Swordflower Points weren’t a form of Currency, but rather a metric for evaluating students. Students could earn Points through achievements such as winning competitions, ranking at the top in final exams, or inventing Miracle Procedures. Accumulating a certain number of Points would elevate a student’s status level, with tiers including ordinary white students, outstanding green students, Honorary gold students, and Legend orange students.
Naturally, there were benefits to rising in student status level, and most students were eager to participate in campus life to earn Points.
However, most students had been top achievers in their local communities before entering Swordflower College, and they naturally believed they could earn Points by winning awards and ranking first. Mifa herself arrived with thoughts like, “I need to study hard,” “I want to be in the top three of my class,” “I want to compete,” and “If Truth College tries to recruit me, should I accept?”
Reality quickly sobered up these proud students. They were now competing with geniuses of the same age, and only a small fraction at the very top could truly dazzle, with the rest serving merely as background foliage.
To fully recognize and accept their own mediocrity, students generally needed a year or two. By that time, they had few avenues left to earn Points and were likely to graduate as just ‘ordinary students.’
Mifa, heeding her parents’ repeated instructions, took the most prudent path from the start: working part-time.
Though not abundant, working for Swordflower College was the most stable way to earn Points.
Her parents had calculated that as long as Mifa continued to work throughout her four years and graduated normally as a Sorcerer, she would be able to graduate as an ‘Honorary Student.’
Being an Honorary Student had immense benefits. Not only could one keep their student status forever, even after graduation, they could continue to use the campus facilities. Moreover, there was another point—Swordflower College gave priority to Honorary Students when hiring for teaching and administrative positions!
If Mifa could land a job at Swordflower College, she could settle in Gales!
This was unlike her parents, who, after graduation, were assigned to an agricultural city where they had to endure twenty hours of sunlight a day. Even with a decent quality of life, they could only glimpse the bustling city life through the Curtain Shadow Drama.
Settling in Gales and becoming a Prospective Noble was both her parents’ hope and Mifa’s own aspiration.
But she didn’t work just for the Points; she actually enjoyed her part-time job at the Harvest Orchard.
Every day, students would come to buy or sell spirits, and Mifa could catch glimpses of their lives. Some students, not well-known otherwise, reaped a rich harvest in the Virtual Realm; others bought many different Faction spirits, seemingly planning to switch Factions; some spent a significant amount of Silver on a spirit not from their own Faction, perhaps as a birthday gift for a lover…
Trading in spirits required real Silver, a direct form of voting if there ever was one.
Besides, it was easy to run into celebrities from the school at the Harvest Orchard, like the Orange Dancer, like the Vlozrada noble, like—
Squeak.
The glass door was pushed open, and the first customer of the day walked down the orchard path. Mifa watched the visitor, instinctively holding her breath, feeling as if even the sunshine on her skin had grown warmer.
“Good morning, Mifa.”
Sonya sat down in front of her, smiling. “What a coincidence, you’re on duty again today.”
Mifa suppressed the excitement in her heart, nodding vigorously: “Yeah, what a coincidence.”
It was not a coincidence at all. Mifa had requested her supervisor to schedule her for the morning shift, and she hadn’t taken a day off for a whole month. She knew that Sonya would come to Harvest Orchard to sell her spoils after entering the Virtual Realm, so she always watched the counter.
If anyone in the school knew the most about the growth of the Red-haired Swordswoman, Mifa would dare say it was herself, even more than Professor Trozan.
The first time Sonya came to sell spirits, it was Mifa who attended to her. Their shared status as out-of-towners, coupled with Sonya’s pleasant appearance, allowed them to hit it off as friends from their first meeting, casually chatting away. At the time, Mifa’s impression of her was that of ‘a kind-hearted Genius Female Sorcerer’.
However, it didn’t take long for Mifa to realize that ‘Genius’ hardly encapsulated the full weight of Sonya’s capabilities. The Red-haired Swordswoman would visit nearly every two to three days to sell spirits, and the sheer volume she traded made Mifa keep an eye out for any news about ‘spirit warehouse theft’ or ‘red-haired female bandit’.
It wasn’t just the quantity of spirits that caught Mifa’s attention; she noticed that most of Sonya’s sales were spirits that could be looted from Slaying Fish-Dragons. It was as if she was being targeted by a Slaying Fish-Dragon Protection Association in the Virtual Realm. Given that Slaying Fish-Dragons were the Knowledge Creatures most likely to drop Swordsmanship Orbs, and judging by the number of creatures Sonya was slaying, she must have absorbed a Swordsmanship Orb, perhaps even two—a speculation that could very well cure the low blood pressure of the Swordsmanship Department’s students.
Combined with the rumors of Sonya achieving Full-Wing status overnight within the Whirlpool, Mifa’s gaze towards her started to fill with admiration.
Sonya was not just any Genius Female Sorcerer.
She was a girl favored by the gods, a Sorcerer watched over by the Stars!
Mifa firmly believed that the name of the next era would be Sonya Therave!
That’s why Mifa joined Sonya’s Fan Club. She followed Sonya’s life, hoping the Chairman would provide more insights into the daily life of the Red-haired Swordswoman. It’s hard to describe that feeling, but just knowing that Sonya was diligently practicing every day, recently summoning a new Swordsmanship spirit, made Mifa feel as if she, too, was brimming with energy.
She was destined to be an unnoticed minor star, yet she yearned to follow in the trajectory of a legendary comet.
“Let’s sell these spirits first,” Sonya said, displaying four spirits. Mifa immediately used her work Bracelet to scan and appraise them.
News of Sonya’s Soul’s recovery and her early departure from a friend’s party to explore the Virtual Realm had already spread across the school’s Curtain the night before, so Mifa was not surprised by Sonya’s harvest.
However, something seemed a bit odd—although all four spirits were One Wing, the ‘Fierce Claw’ spirit was relatively rare in the Sea of Knowledge. If Mifa’s memory served her right, the main source of the ‘Fierce Claw’ spirit was supposed to be the Gregarious Creatures, the Fierce Wolf Dragons, from the Time Continent.
A daring hypothesis spun in Mifa’s mind, but she said nothing, instead serving Sonya as usual. She gave the purchase price for the spirits and finally added, “Since your student level is ‘Excellent Student’, the selling price is increased by 5%, which is already included.”
Sonya was able to secure a Scholarship last semester, naturally earning a substantial amount of Points at Swordflower College. Selling spirits to the Harvest Orchard also resulted in point gains—Swordflower College encouraged students to sell their Virtual Realm harvests to the school to diversify the school’s spirit collection.
However, due to variations in student quality, the number one student spirit platform in Gales was naturally Truth College’s “Knowledge Tomb”. As for “Harvest Orchard”… it ranked in the top three at best, although there were five candidate colleges vying for that spot.
As an ‘Excellent Student’, Sonya got a 5% increase in the selling price and a 5% reduction in the buying price at the Harvest Orchard, and the consignment fee for spirits was waived. For the average Sorcerer, these perks might seem negligible, but for a heavy seller like Sonya, this 5% benefit might actually result in a loss for the school.
Of course, the school’s loss was not Mifa’s concern. If possible, Mifa would love to offer a 500% benefit.
Sonya chose to sell all her spirits, saying, “I’d like to purchase miracles and spirits.”
The “Harvest Orchard” was associated with the Stars Miracle Catalog compiled by the Star Extreme Hall, allowing students to directly purchase miracles and procedures there.
“Please go ahead.”
“First, an Attack Miracle based on Sword Scar and Heart Sword, preferably without involving any other rare spirits.”
Mifa checked, “There are three miracles that meet your requirements: mid-tier true gold ‘Heart Pen’ valued at 15 Gold Coins, down-tier Radiant Gold ‘Sword Jail’ valued at 58 Gold Coins, and upper-tier Radiant Color ‘Heart Procedure’ valued at 100 Rainbow Coins. Would you like to see the effect images of these miracles?”
“No need,” Sonya said with a darkened face. “I can’t afford any of them.”
This is the downside of rare spirits—’Heart Sword,’ as one of the Peerless Secret Sword of the Five Spirits, forms the basis for Miracles that are all of a high tier. The most expensive ‘Heart Procedure’ is even an upper-tier Radiant Color Miracle, incredibly powerful even in the hands of Sanctuary Sorcerers. If ‘Slash Sword’ and ‘Sword Scar’ were combined, it would certainly yield a large number of more affordable upper-tier Radiant Silver Miracles.
However, after speaking, Sonya hesitated, “Let me see the effect of the ‘Heart Pen’.”
Mifa turned the Holographic Screen towards Sonya to display the Combat footage of the ‘Heart Pen.’
The Holographic Screen was transparent, and while Sonya was watching, Mifa pretended to casually observe her from behind the screen.
The Red-haired Swordswoman is truly amazing! Indeed, the only one who can dazzle me is you, and only you as the Red-haired Swordswoman of tomorrow can bring more surprises! The outfit you wore during your duel with the Orange Dancer was incredibly cool, although you’ve always been cool! How can you be so incredible! Remember, super awesome Swordswoman, to take good care of yourself, eat well, sleep well, and be happy every day!
Oh, it’s a pity you’re going to the Virtual Realm and won’t sleep, I really hope the Chairman takes more pictures of you sleeping… Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself, but I really want to see!
“…Okay, thank you.”
“Do you want to buy it?”
The rustic girl subconsciously bit her finger, completely oblivious to how this small act could stimulate her fans: “…Not for now.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t have 15 Gold Coins, nor was it that she was unwilling to spend 15 Gold Coins on a Miracle Procedure for her Observer, but if she did, her liquid assets would be halved, leaving her with very low risk resistance. And well… she just wasn’t willing to spend 15 Gold Coins on her Observer.
She had never even spent 15 Gold Coins on herself!
If only it were possible to exchange spirits in the Virtual Realm, Sonya would rather research new Miracles herself for her Observer than spend 15 Gold Coins to buy someone else’s Procedure!
Just the thought of spending such a large sum of money, even if her wallet could handle it, made her physically ill, to the point where she couldn’t eat from the pain!
Besides, the Observer’s ‘Sword Art’ Miracle wasn’t unusable, it was just a bit subpar…
Perhaps in the future, she could acquire spirits that better complement ‘Heart Sword’…
For now, the team’s combat strength was sufficient…
Sonya convinced herself with three reasons not to spend the 15 Gold Coins and continued to ask, “Is there a spirit that can quickly calm the mind?”
“There are many,” Mifa replied, “Calm Heart, Tranquil Mind, Banish Thought… these are mostly from the Mind Faction.”
Spirits from the Mind Faction, aside from being expensive, have no real drawbacks. Although they are cheaper than Miracle Procedures, their cost is still enough to make a rustic girl cry at night. Suddenly remembering something, Sonya asked, “Is there a Miracle Procedure that includes the ‘Sincerity’ spirit and can quickly calm a Sorcerer?”
Mifa gave a positive answer, “Yes.”
When the transaction concluded, Sonya not only failed to increase her assets but had actually lost one-sixth of her wealth. However, the rustic girl was in good spirits; evidently, she believed this investment would yield a satisfactory return.
As Sonya prepared to leave, Mifa could no longer contain her enthusiasm for her idol and whispered, “Good luck!”
Sonya looked puzzled, “What?”
“Good luck tonight!” Mifa said with a fist pump, “I believe you can definitely win at Orbit College!”
Orbit College?
Sonya was taken aback, “Wait, what do you mean?”
“There’s a friendly match between Swordflower College and Orbit College tonight!” Mifa exclaimed, “Didn’t you know?”
“I knew about it,” Sonya admitted, having heard about the event just as Truth College had sought a friendly match with Swordflower College, which would naturally look for other colleges to do the same, “But what does it have to do with me?”
Mifa was taken aback, “You’re one of the participating students, and I heard that Senior Sister Leoni voluntarily gave up her spot as the Chief, leaving you to handle the Chief Battle.”
Friendly Matches generally consist of five bouts: the Vanguard Battle, the Front Battle, the Center Battle, the Vice-Chief Battle, and the Chief Battle. Sonya’s first reaction to being responsible for the Chief Battle was excitement, as the Chief Battle was the confrontation between the strongest members of both sides, and representing Swordflower College meant the public acknowledgment that she was the strongest student of this term!
But she quickly realized a problem: since the Chief Battle was the most anticipated, it was usually saved for the last.
“…Mifa, do you know until what time the Friendly Matches at the Mixer Party usually last?”
“They typically go until 3 AM,” Mifa thought for a moment before adding, “After each match, professors from both schools give critiques and guidance. Sometimes, there’s even a rematch on the spot where students compete again under the professors’ instruction… Once the five Friendly Matches conclude, there’s also a Professors’ Exhibition Match.”
“That’s where one professor takes on five students from the guest school. It’s the most explosive event of the evening.”
“If there hadn’t been an incident last time, the mixer would have lasted until 3 AM as well.”
In Stars, the more significant a Sorcerer competition is, the later it is held at night, the better, because the Stars represent the gaze of the Stars Sovereign. Although the faith of the Stars Sovereign isn’t actively propagated in everyday life, everyone subconsciously holds the night sky in awe and desires the favor of the Starlight.
Sonya blinked, “So, when does the Chief Battle start?”
“Midnight.”
