Chapter 277
The Mist Blade firmly set the time, “Come find me to fulfill your promise when the time comes, or I’ll take that little Ma Qi and make an example of her.” With that, the Mist Blade began to deal with Hufflepuff, “The book.”
Hufflepuff, who had just been standing in front of the Mist Blade, sat back down, a shy smile on her face. “Principal… is next month okay?”
Yu Xunge stared in shock at the Mist Blade. This is the principal?
The Mist Blade, the Moon Empress, smirked mockingly. “I still prefer the way you jumped onto my desk back in the day, shouting that you wanted to drop out.”
Yu Xunge, Tu Lan, and little Ma Qi: ·?·
Hufflepuff coughed lightly, pressing her fist to her lips. “I was young and foolish back then.”
The Mist Blade replied, “Hmm, and now you’re much more sensible, sending apprentices to my library to steal books, pilfering my World’s Tomb.”
Hufflepuff gritted her teeth and pulled out 5 grams of moon sand from her pocket, handing it to the Mist Blade. “I was wrong. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Yu Xunge watched as the Mist Blade’s expression melted once again. She tucked the moon sand away. “Deliver the book to my palace by February.”
So, the Mist Blade was here to stock up, huh? With dragon blood and moon sand!
But that wasn’t all. She noticed the Mist Blade’s gaze sweeping back and forth in the air, left to right, more than a dozen times.
Ah, this… she wouldn’t be checking to see if she had lost something, would she?
The Mist Blade didn’t look at little Ma Qi, but everyone present knew who she was referring to. “She knows what to say and what not to say, right?”
Hufflepuff reassured her, “Don’t worry. She understands the seriousness of this matter and won’t speak of it.”
The Mist Blade didn’t press further; she trusted Hufflepuff to know the stakes. “I hope so.”
With that, she transformed into mist and left the alchemy shop, the sound of the moon fox’s footsteps following her out.
At that moment, the three inside finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Xunge quickly sat down and poured herself a glass of ice water to calm her nerves. Little Ma Qi ran over to ask for a glass too, and she even thoughtfully poured one for the meerkat.
Hufflepuff grabbed a bottle of ice wine for herself. “That was terrifying…”
Yu Xunge asked curiously, “Teacher, how did she find out about me? I wasn’t even called by this name when she first discovered me.”
Hufflepuff took a big gulp of ice wine, her brows relaxing. “Haven’t you read the Alchemy Daily? The Mist Blade, the Moon Empress, invented a new gem called the ‘Moon Midnight Melody.’ When used, it reveals which beings owe her something. Those who owe her will have musical notes appear above their heads. She must have seen the notes above yours.”
Yu Xunge struggled to swallow the water in her mouth. This gem was specifically designed to target her! If this kind of gem became widespread in Zelan, wouldn’t she be a target for everyone? And the Mist Blade was such a genius; she could invent whatever she needed on the spot!
Yu Xunge nervously asked, “What level is this gem? Is it expensive? Will it become common?”
Hufflepuff shot her a complex glance. How many people had she offended outside? “High-level.”
Tu Lan couldn’t hold back anymore. She was no longer as intimidated by Hufflepuff and asked, “So, do the musical notes look the same no matter how much someone owes?”
Hufflepuff, hearing the dragon language, stared at little Ma Qi for a moment, her voice softening. “Of course not. The more one owes, the more notes appear.”
Yu Xunge’s hand trembled slightly around her cup.
Little Ma Qi stood up, her dark-circled eyes peering at the notes above Yu Xunge’s head, panicking internally, “She didn’t see a complete score, did she?!”
But Yu Xunge had calmed down. She thought that the Mist Blade probably couldn’t be sure she was the goblin. The value of a World’s Tomb was immeasurable, and the ‘Moon Midnight Melody’ had just been invented. The difference between stealing one piece of the World’s Tomb and two might not be discernible right away.
Or perhaps she had guessed, but the importance of the universal language outweighed that of the World’s Tomb?
Thinking of how Yu Xunge dared to steal from the Mist Blade’s World’s Tomb, Hufflepuff admired her. “You’re really bold, just like I was back in the day.”
Yu Xunge humbly replied, “I’m not as brave as you, Teacher. I wouldn’t dare to provoke the Mist Blade by jumping on her desk.”
Hufflepuff nodded in satisfaction. “Right, you’re the one sneaking under the desk, rummaging through the Mist Blade’s pockets.”
Yu Xunge: “…” What was supposed to be a thrilling adventure sounded so lewd when you put it that way!
Tu Lan silently nodded, but before she could react, Yu Xunge had grabbed her head.
Little Ma Qi had been holding her cup in silence. Hufflepuff and Yu Xunge thought she was too scared to speak and didn’t pay much attention. Yu Xunge handed her a game console to help her relax.
After chatting for a while and confirming that the Mist Blade wouldn’t suddenly return to attack, Yu Xunge finally took out the 400 grams of moon sand she had collected from the irritable moon on her way and handed it to Hufflepuff.
Before she could say anything, Hufflepuff snatched the large bottle of moon sand from her hands. Just as she was about to say something that would lead to an awkward situation, Yu Xunge quickly interjected, “It’s for Lucia!!!”
Hufflepuff closed her mouth, a look of regret on her face, just a breath away from exclaiming, “Is this for your most esteemed teacher? Thank you! It’s getting late…”
Yu Xunge sighed in relief. That was close. She explained Lucia’s instructions, and Hufflepuff’s expression turned serious as she immediately began to store the moon sand according to Lucia’s request.
“Lucia taught you both ‘The King of Little Fish’ and ‘The Second-rate Fool’?!”
“Yeah, you know how it is. Lucia just talks big, but when she sees real talent, she can’t help but show favoritism.”
“…”
“Teacher, why does your face look pale? Is it sour?”
“Laughable! How could it be? This is the complexion of the undead. You, an outsider, know nothing.”
“Oh—”
Yu Xunge sat for a while longer, discussing some of the issues she encountered in the tower with Hufflepuff. Once Hufflepuff learned that she had been to the tower, she understood how Yu Xunge had progressed so quickly. She directly handed Yu Xunge ten new notebooks for her to study on her own.
As the skill ‘When Out and About, Your Identity is Self-Given’ was about to expire, Yu Xunge bid farewell to Hufflepuff and little Ma Qi. After leaving the alchemy shop, she had only walked a few minutes when she stole from a passing undead, and little Ma Qi’s voice rang out behind her.
—“Ravenclaw!”
Yu Xunge and Tu Lan turned around in unison. Little Ma Qi, panting, ran up to her, slightly taller than the wind-scythe Yu Xunge at that moment.
She was still clutching the game console, looking at Yu Xunge with a mix of anxiety and hope. “Would you like to come to my house as a guest? Thank you for saving me today.”
Yu Xunge didn’t think it was a big deal, and she couldn’t really say she had saved little Ma Qi; she had just saved herself. But seeing the seriousness in little Ma Qi’s eyes, she agreed. Worst case, she could just drink another bottle of ‘Melting Time.’
**Chapter 350: The Big Shot**
Yu Xunge wasn’t worried that little Ma Qi would scheme against her. First, she couldn’t; second, for little Ma Qi, the most important thing was Hufflepuff. They weren’t on opposing sides, so little Ma Qi had no motive to plot against her.
Little Ma Qi’s rented house was in the slums of the Dark City, and the two little ones navigated through the streets and alleys.
Hufflepuff actually treated her quite well. She had her meals at the alchemy shop, and every quarter, she would get three custom robes. Moreover, as long as little Ma Qi wanted, she could easily live above the alchemy shop and save on rent.
But it seemed she had an obsession with having a small house that belonged entirely to her. So even though the alchemy shop had a room for her, she still rented a place outside.
Besides, little Ma Qi already knew quite a bit about potion-making; she could easily make potions to sell.
Yu Xunge asked, “Is the little house you’re eyeing nearby?”
Little Ma Qi replied, “The one I wanted has already been bought by someone else. I’m looking for a new one now.”
Yu Xunge sighed, “You said the same thing last time… How much more do you need? Do you want to work part-time for me? Help me with potion-making, and I’ll pay you.”
Little Ma Qi always claimed she was saving up to buy a small house in the Dark City, but the houses she was interested in were all in the slums. Yu Xunge roughly calculated that just from the money she had spent on little Ma Qi since they met, little Ma Qi should have saved enough. She just couldn’t understand why she hadn’t bought one yet.
The little undead skipped through the dark, damp alley, avoiding the dripping water from the eaves, her voice cheerful. “Of course! I’m almost there; I should be able to buy it next year.”
Tu Lan immediately chimed in, “You can’t say that! If you say it like that, you definitely won’t be able to buy it next year.”
Little Ma Qi was surprised. “Is there really such a logic? Why?!”
Tu Lan began to explain to little Ma Qi what a flag was.
The alley was filled with little Ma Qi’s exclamations of surprise. Yu Xunge observed little Ma Qi several times, noticing her constant smile and how much more she was talking, a stark contrast to her earlier silence. Yet she could tell that little Ma Qi was even more nervous than when she faced the Mist Blade.
Hufflepuff’s alchemy shop was in the central district of the Dark City. After leaving the shop, the two took the city’s teleportation array and walked for over an hour before finally reaching little Ma Qi’s home.
Most of the residents here were undead, living decently, dressed neatly, and looking spirited. They resembled little Ma Qi, after all; those who could live in the Dark City, no matter how poor, were better off than the undead outside the city.
The undead clearly recognized little Ma Qi and knew she was Hufflepuff’s apprentice. Upon seeing her, they greeted her respectfully.
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