[Coordinates obtained.]
A string of characters surged into Li Fei's mind, made up of countless symbols and digits.
Li Fei was stunned.
What the heck was this?
"Could it be… Folded Space coordinates?"
After a moment's thought, Li Fei made her guess.
The Continent of Enlos was vast and majestic, home to ten thousand races, dotted with nations rising and falling — yet ultimately not enough to supply the resources required to sustain the advancement of so many Transcendents.
And so Folded Spaces, brimming with boundless opportunity, had become contested ground — strategic resources no ambitious faction would willingly let slip.
Of course, Folded Spaces varied in quality. Folded Space D-07, for instance, was rather barren. But some were vast and abundant — nearly the size of complete planes — so immense that even Grandmaster-level cultivators couldn't probe their boundaries no matter how hard they tried.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Li Fei suppressed the urge to immediately go to Bai Mengtian for advice.
The previous dark-gold prize had been a Mythic-grade piece of equipment. Even unawakened, if word ever leaked out, it would be enough to set off a catastrophe and shake the entire continent.
Coordinates that were also dark-gold could hardly be worth less. There was no way the Li Fei of right now could digest a haul of that magnitude.
"I'll worry about this after the exchange tournament ends… For now, I need to round out my gear set."
Li Fei patted her bulging waist pouch, mounted her broomstick, and flew off toward the city without looking back. The comically-dressed Children of the Forest was once again left abandoned where it stood.
...
Outside Loxibrook.
Black-and-blue from head to toe, Klein dropped to the ground without bothering to keep up appearances and tipped his waterskin straight down his throat.
His two female teammates hadn't fared any better. Their faces were bruised, and Kova — with her crisp short hair — had taken the worst of it: one of her arms was already twisted out of shape.
"Not bad at all, you lot."
Cowell panted heavily, touching the wound on his abdomen with the look of a man still rattled. "Truly worthy of being the elites groomed by the two great academies."
He still couldn't quite believe it: two Sequence 7 girls, plus a Klein who'd only recently broken into Sequence 8, had nearly capsized him — a man just one step away from Sequence 5!
That Kova girl had astonishing strength. At the lower Sequences she was practically unmatched, more troublesome to deal with than many Sequence 6 opponents — speaking, of course, in terms of bloodline Sequence.
Klein's rate of growth was even more shocking to Cowell. In less than three months of acquaintance, he'd gone from a young man whose "spellcasting was unusually precise" to an opponent even Cowell didn't dare take lightly.
Had it been the freshly-advanced Sequence 6 version of himself… even with the vast gulf between the mid- and low-Sequences, he might well have lost to the three of them ganging up on him!
"Still got a long way to go," Klein said, tugging open his collar and giving a shrug. "No matter how hard we rack our brains for tactics, Big Brother Cowell always cracks them."
"Give it another year or two and that won't necessarily be the case."
Cowell shook his head, sighing in genuine admiration.
These weeks of sparring had given him a clear sense of these three young people's talent and potential.
At this rate, even if he managed to advance to Sequence 5 as he hoped, it was only a matter of time before they overtook him.
While Cowell felt happy for Klein, there was also an unspeakable anxiety and bitterness churning in his chest.
"Maybe I should try responding to that mysterious gray mist…"
Cowell tilted his head back toward the sky, his resolve beginning to waver.
...
The War Academy.
"A real man flaunts his muscles!"
A bald, brawny figure as imposing as an iron tower stood beneath the sunlight, beads of sweat trickling down his bronzed skin.
Even with the pressure of his high-Sequence existence reined in, the burly man still radiated a towering, weighty aura — like some primordial, undying sacred mountain, capable of crushing everything beneath it and making one tremble.
His manner, however, was decidedly less than dignified. He pounded his chest grandly, spittle flying as he bellowed: "An invincible body is the best weapon there is! That sissy armor of yours — one poke and it shatters. What good is it? Nothing but a burden!"
After being lectured by his father — the Dean — for who knew how long, the handsome, sun-bright blond youth Alex finally couldn't help muttering back in protest: "Could you actually poke through Teacher Chloe's Holy Light Armor, old man…?"
The instant the words left his mouth, the War Academy Dean's momentum stalled, and a look that was both awkward and broke-as-hell flickered across his face.
That was Immortal-grade armor, after all…
A moment later, he irritably smacked his son's shoulder and shot back, righteous as anything: "If I could punch through a sacred heirloom of the angel race, would I still be the one reassigned from headquarters to play Dean here?!"
"In any case — if you dare embarrass me at the exchange tournament tomorrow, I'll skin you alive."
"That goes for the rest of you too."
After another round of scolding, the bald Dean reckoned the timing was about right and led the three young men onto an arena platform. The cool, holy angel lady was already waiting there.
"Chloe, these three are all yours," the Dean said with a grin. "Beat them however you like — just leave them breathing."
"Mm."
Chloe inclined her head and drew her pure-white longsword amid the three young men's looks of awe and reverence.
...
The Magic Academy.
"Em… ah, no — Annesia, you need to control your mana output, okay?"
The grey-haired beauty — one of the so-called Twin Stars — was warmly and patiently coaching her junior.
"Ah, sorry, I, I… I just can't ever control my mana output very well."
The girl with the snow-white short hair flushed, her voice timid.
"Relax. Have a little more confidence in yourself."
Irena's smile was sweet, her voice soft and soothing. "Whatever the case, you're the only special-admission student in the second year — you really mustn't underestimate yourself."
"I have faith in you, Miss Annesia. Even if your innate talent comes with the side effect of unstable mana, I'm certain you'll be able to solve the problem and handle it properly."
Encouraged by Irena, the short-haired girl gave an earnest nod:
"Mm, I'll do it… I won't let Irena down."
"Come, let's try once more."
Irena, who had always been enthusiastic about giving close-quarters guidance to cute female students and resolving their little troubles, deftly pressed herself up behind the white-haired girl, took her hand, linked their mana, and guided the sensitive, unstable mana inside Annesia.
The white-haired girl flushed faintly, then threw herself earnestly back into the training.
Her hands overlapped, gripping the staff in a gentle swing. In no time at all, two dazzling orbs of light appeared, drifted and trembled toward each other, and finally merged like two girls becoming one — into a larger, more brilliant orb of light that shot whistling outward.
Boom!
The instant the light orb burst, a rumbling explosion sounded, and scorching brilliance flooded the surroundings.
"See? You did it."
Once everything had settled, Irena clapped softly and sighed — her warm smile carrying both encouragement and a touch of amazement.
"Thank you…"
Annesia gazed at Irena with shy concentration.
"Come on, let's take a little break."
Irena's eyes suddenly rolled with a mischievous glint. "Class is in session right now — everyone's stuck in the classrooms…"
She caught Annesia's wrist, and amid swaying strands of grey and white hair, the two trotted over to the burbling Lucky Fountain.
Irena sat sideways on the fountain's edge, slipped off her short boots, and her delicate, dainty bare feet were swallowed up by the crystal-clear spring water. The water kept washing toward the rim, sending her snowy little tootsies bobbing with the current.
A bone-deep coolness spread from her feet through her whole body, sweeping away the lingering swelter of late summer. But what truly delighted Irena was a small indulgence of her witch nature.
Making people who longed for luck wash their faces with her foot-water — a low-class, mean-spirited little prank like that gave Irena heartfelt pleasure.
"You should try it too. It feels really good."
Irena smiled sweetly.
"B-but…"
Annesia looked a little bashful.
"Don't worry. Her Excellency the Dean doesn't mind — she doesn't drink this water anyway."
Faced with that sweetly coaxing voice and those sapphire-bright Witch's Pupils, Annesia ultimately couldn't refuse. She sat down beside Irena, her face flushed.
The temperature difference made those glaringly-pale feet curl up. Annesia covered her reddened cheeks and let out a soft, kittenish hum through her nose.
"Does Annesia feel confident about the exchange tournament?"
Irena asked curiously, swinging her feet.
"N-not really…"
The white-haired girl answered honestly.
"Eh? You should have confidence in yourself."
Irena leaned in close to Annesia's ear and whispered: "You could try those little tricks I taught you."
"For example — controlling the airflow to lift the hem of your robe might be just as effective as a control-type spell."
"Or — some people's necks are weak spots. Compared with being hit by a damage-type spell, blowing on their neck might actually be more disruptive."
"Give it a try. You'll fall in love with the feeling, my freshly-minted Miss Witch."
...
"Achoo!"
Li Fei sneezed, feeling like some unscrupulous person was scheming against her.
But she quickly tossed the thought aside and walked out of the casino humming a tune.
Li Fei didn't enjoy gambling, and she wasn't very good at it either. But the effects of the Enhanced Lucky Potion hadn't yet worn off after she entered the city… so she'd had a flash of inspiration and decided to head to the casino to scoop up some easy money.
However, the moment she set foot inside, the rituals laid out within the casino flagged her as "cheating."
Clearly, running a casino in a transcendent world was no easy job. To prevent gamblers from pulling off all manner of bizarre cheating tricks, the owners had to scramble to obtain the latest version of identification rituals and update them at least once a year, just to safeguard the house's profits.
Her plan to ride her luck and snatch some quick cash was officially dead.
Not far away there was also something resembling a lottery — a business operated by an agency under the municipal government, the brainchild of Bai Mengtian. But forget thirty-some points of Fortune — even with three hundred points, Li Fei absolutely would not buy that thing.
Because she knew very well: even if she memorized the winning numbers and went back a few days to buy the supposedly winning ticket, the prize would still end up going to someone else in the end.
On the other hand, when Kalida went shopping in her spare time, she'd occasionally receive gifts — among them lottery tickets, which somehow always happened to win.
As for why Kalida — a high-ranking figure in city hall — was so lucky? Well, those who know, know. Wink wink.
Li Fei sighed regretfully and strolled at a leisurely pace toward the transcendent gathering. A black-haired girl every bit as breathtaking as her was waiting at the entrance.
"Tingbao~"
Li Fei drawled in a syrupy tone, greeting her with a snuggly press-up.
At first glance the two looked a little like twins, except Li Fei was a touch taller, with a more mature, sultry charm, and an air that leaned toward the classical East Asian woman — when she wasn't killing anyone, anyway, she was reserved and gentle. Add to that her frequently-flaring "soul-damage aftereffects," and acquaintances were left with the impression of someone delicately fragile.
Tingbao, on the other hand… her getup looked plenty wholesome, but the fabric at her neckline always seemed a bit tight, her eyes were perpetually dewy and damp, and those misty-red, dewy lips of hers looked like they could murmur something suggestive at any moment — a textbook fallen high-school girl, the kind that could topple kingdoms.
Casually taking the fruit tea Tingbao handed her, Li Fei hooked an arm through hers, and the two strolled along at the unhurried pace of best girlfriends out shopping, eyes drifting across the all-encompassing array of transcendent items.
Her purpose for this trip was to buy some serviceable New Moon-grade equipment — according to information Her Excellency the Dean had let slip, the rewards from this exchange tournament would be unusually generous, and there would even be private rewards from one's parents on top of that.
Given the high return rate, the courtesan lady was hardly going to skimp on investment — and besides, New Moon-grade equipment was enough to carry her well into the mid-Sequences.
"How about that one?"
Bai Mengtian pointed at a flashy-looking horse-chopping saber.
"No good. I plan to commission a 'sword-staff' later on, so for now I'll make do with a one-handed sword."
Li Fei sipped her fruit tea and shook her head.
Before long, the two spotted a wide, velvety-textured purple mage robe at one of the stalls.
[Mage's Long Robe]
Equipment Rating: New Moon
Attributes: Intelligence +20, Spell Resistance +15%
The moment Li Fei laid hands on it, the brutally simple stats won her over instantly.
The look wasn't bad either. Although Li Fei prioritized function, she couldn't entirely ignore appearance — she wasn't about to head into a fight wearing a gaudy, mismatched mess. Unless the stats were exceptional, of course.
Another very important point: the stall owner was a kindly-looking, vaguely creepy catgirl — which meant the courtesan lady's negotiation skills could come into play.
"How much for this one?"
Li Fei flashed a sweet smile.
"This piece, hmm… eighteen hundred gold coins."
The catgirl's lips had clearly been forming the shape of "two thousand," but under Li Fei's wide, dewy gaze, the number had unconsciously dropped to eighteen hundred.
— A bit pricey.
Li Fei silently made her assessment.
New Moon-grade Transcendent equipment usually ran around a thousand gold coins, with some fluctuation depending on performance and extras. This mage robe could be considered a fine piece — fifteen hundred would be a reasonable price.
She bit her lip and gave the catgirl a shy, hopeful look:
"Could you make it a little cheaper…?"
"Then… how about sixteen hundred."
The catgirl wavered under Li Fei's gaze.
Li Fei cupped the catgirl's hand against her chest and swayed her body — landing a double critical hit, both visual and tactile — and said in a melty, drawling voice:
"I'm still a student, I don't have much money…"
"I can't, I really can't."
The catgirl hurriedly snatched her hand back, thought it over for a moment, and conceded again:
"This bo— ah, no, this robe, I'll let you have it for fourteen hundred."
"Could it be a bit cheaper still~?"
Li Fei pressed forward again, looking pitiful.
"I'm a cat with a family, you know."
The catgirl's tail whipped back and forth behind her. "If you keep at it like this, miss, my wife is going to be upset…"
But in the end, after a tea-scented round of haggling, Li Fei walked away with the robe for twelve hundred gold coins — and left the stall owner her mailing address.
"I really am a frugal, capable little homemaker," Li Fei said cheerfully, patting the goldsmith notes she had left — a remaining face value of eighteen thousand eight hundred gold coins.
Just in terms of gold-coin income, Li Fei's two biggest hauls were the condolence pension and the city hall loan that came with her taking over the Secret Garden — together, those amounted to roughly sixty thousand. On top of that, potion appraisal, wine sales, and her four properties all brought in a steady stream of gold.
On the expense side, the two biggest items were the house purchase and the Moon Pillow. There were also her early-month "Ogre Battle Markings installment payment" and her "city hall loan installment repayment," plus "purchasing Mana Crystals to convert into Witch Points," daily living expenses, Secret Garden construction costs, and so on.
At that level of income and expenditure, Li Fei's current cash on hand was a little over twenty thousand.
"Good tea."
Bai Mengtian sipped her fruit tea, her tone laden with meaning.
"Sis, I have a suspicion you're being passive-aggressive at me."
Li Fei shot her a glare and bit down on her own straw — only to make a slurping ssss-ssss sound. The fruit tea had been quietly drained dry.
She poked at the fruit pulp at the bottom of the cup with her straw, thought for a moment, and simply activated her spell-type ability outright.
Partial Transformation — Succubus Empress (Lips)
Before entering the city, Li Fei had tested out the transformation's effects and quickly noticed that, beyond the description the System provided, there were also some hidden bonus effects — minor in combat, but highly interesting in certain contexts.
For instance, her sense of taste became more sensitive.
Or — Li Fei stuck out her tongue and, from the bottom of a cup a full thirty centimeters tall, nimbly curled up a clump of fruit pulp.
Then, smug as anything, she shot Bai Mengtian a wink — ostensibly asking "Can you do that?" but in truth recklessly toeing the line where friendship turns into something else entirely.
Bai Mengtian was silent for a moment. Then she suddenly seized Li Fei's wrist and turned to march toward the exit of the transcendent market.
"Eh? Where are we going?"
"An inn."
"Big sis Ting, n-noooo!" (terrified)
____
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