Chapter 2088: Chapter 309: Gift (Part 2)

“The reaction is genuine and intense.”

Doctor Xiao examined the fat wizard’s reaction carefully, took off his glasses, and slowly started wiping them, mumbling: “…It does seem like we’re not dreaming.”

“Ouch!” The fat wizard sucked in a breath, teary-eyed: “Why… why did you poke me? If you’re suspecting illusions, poke yourself!”

“Poking myself would hurt more… Besides, weren’t you the one who said ‘give me a poke’?” The doctor put his glasses back on with a look of surprise, and glanced over at the red-faced male wizard.

Zhang Ji Xin nodded calmly to back him up.

“I never said that…” The fat wizard rubbed the deep pit poked by the feather pen tip, extremely irritated.

Zheng Qing hurriedly intervened to stop the small internal conflict among his teammates.

“A spell with a legendary aura is worth at least dozens of jade coins, right?” He had just snapped back from the rewards announced by the professor, counting on his fingers eagerly calculating the value of this reward.

“Dozens of jade coins?”

Xiao Xiao shot him a sideways glance, sneering repeatedly: “No sense of value at all… A spell sealed by a legendary wizard, at the Wandering Bar, can sell for at least a thousand jade coins… If it’s a special sealed magic or a massive destructive spell, the value could be even higher.”

“I know, last year at an auction in Nanjing Pavilion, a ‘Flowing Fire in July’ spell of legendary rank sold for as high as four thousand seven hundred jade coins…” Zhang Ji Xin immediately provided a very specific reference.

Four thousand seven hundred jade coins?!!

Hearing this number, Zheng Qing almost bit his own tongue.

As a scholarship student, his annual scholarship was a mere ten jade coins; a small roast chicken on the pedestrian street sold for just twenty-four copper coins; a high-quality Green Bee bottle at the Wandering Bar could be bought for two silver dimes; Doctor Zhao wrote assignments for a week to earn only twenty gold beans… Uhm, of course, the last comparison was slightly inaccurate because the commissioning party actually paid one hundred and twenty gold bean grains.

“Many little wizard families, adding up both their liquid and fixed assets, might not have five thousand jade coins in total.” Xiao Xiao scribbled random calculations in his notebook with the feather pen, speaking rapidly: “As far as I know, the total sales including the prize pool and commission at the annual school hunting party do not exceed three thousand jade coins… last year it seemed to be only over two thousand.”

“A Bologna Binding Edition of the Law book costs only twenty-three jade coins, and a Paris Binding Edition is thirteen jade coins,” Zheng Qing muttered about the most expensive items he could remember, suddenly feeling the world was both cheap and expensive: “…and the set of pre-Qin bamboo slips Sima gave you, with Shu Mountain silk and fox backskin, the price definitely doesn’t exceed twenty jade coins!”

“That set of bamboo slips is priceless.” Doctor Xiao corrected righteously.

On the podium.

Old Yao pinched a tuft of golden tobacco, stuffed it into his pipe, then tossed a spark into the bowl, inhaled deeply, and with eyes half-closed in satisfaction, grinned at the classroom that was chaotic again, feeling a bit proud for not lifting the bans on doors and windows.

“I want to have a professor-sealed magic too… Is it still time to join Absolution?!”

“Keep dreaming, Absolution stopped recruiting long ago. I applied before this school hunting competition, but Brother Qing said Absolution had locked in their numbers for the year…”

“Ahhh! Such a pity, Nicholas invited me to join his hunting team before!”

“Why didn’t you go?”

“I thought Matthew’s hunting team was a bit stronger…”

Well, they say comparisons are odious. Some were rejoicing while others were bitterly disappointed, and some suffered unwarranted complaints.

As organizers of the other two participating hunting teams in the class, Tang Dun and Matthew both felt extremely unlucky, truly taking blame for nothing.

Matthew, though keen of hearing, had a very indifferent personality. Upon hearing some unpleasant remarks, his facial expression did not change a bit; in contrast, Tang Dun seemed more magnanimous, with an air of turning the cheek. When Duan Xiao Jian complained about not getting rewarded, Tang Dun joked about the idea of ‘applying for the whole team to join the Absolution Hunting Team’.

Old Yao smilingly took in this lively scene, and only after finishing a bowl of smoke did he blow a neat string of smoke rings, tapping the lecture in front of him.

“If anyone has thoughts, we can talk it over after class.” He put away his pipe and picked up the list in front of him, slightly pulling back the smile on his face.

Influenced by this, the classroom atmosphere immediately turned a bit more serious:

“…Now, the students I call upon, please come up to the podium to receive everyone’s encouragement!”

“Absolution Hunting Team: Zheng Qing, Xiao Xiao, Zhang Ji Xin, Sinn Bana Schmidt-Bayer, Jiang Yu.”

“Fringe Hunting Team: Nicholas Green, Liu Feifei, Carmen.”

“Everyone, let’s give a warm applause…”

Old Yao put down the list in his hand, picked up the pipe again, intending to say something more, when out of the blue, he noticed a short arm raised high not far from him, nearly poking into his nose.

“Does student Li Meng have a question?” The professor asked kindly.

“I’m also a member of Absolution, why wasn’t my name called!” The owner of the short arm stood up, protesting angrily: “Su Ya can testify for me, this season I’ve worked so hard… even Su Councilor praised my unique status in the hunting team!”

“Meng Meng!” Jiang Yu, already standing at the podium, urgently signaled her with his eyes.

Uncommonly, this time Li Meng did not back down but returned the gaze with an equally aggrieved look, putting the witch in a tricky position, batting her eyelashes at the professor on the podium.

“Li Meng is a member of your hunting team?” Old Yao looked at Zheng Qing in surprise.

“Um… she’s the hunting team manager,” the young scholarship student nodded slightly, rubbing his nose and swallowing that ‘deputy’ word, while vaguely acknowledging: “During previous trainings, indeed she made many contributions to the hunting team.”

This evaluation made the little witch even more arrogant: “Distinguishing between core and auxiliary members is identity discrimination! I’m going to complain to the school!”

“Mhmm, the school has already received your complaint.”

Professor Yao nodded seriously, but also with curiosity asked: “I know Su Councilor… who is this Su Ya you mentioned who can testify for you?”

“Su Ya is the maid at Greenhill Mansion.” Zheng Qing quickly answered succinctly.

The professor understood suddenly.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he decisively took out a piece of parchment emitting a faint golden glow, added it to the line of prizes, permitting the little witch to come to the podium, but also added: “Due to rule restrictions, you can have a prize, but it must be collected by student Jiang Yu… This is not my rule, but the mandate of Danghag.”

The little witch didn’t care about the rules.

Hearing that she could get an award, she instantly beamed with joy and eagerly squeezed onto the podium.