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If only there were a gold mine.
If she could stumble across a "wild" gold mine, she could mint her own coins, as many as she wanted. Wouldn't that be faster than robbery?
Unfortunately, three days of surveying Demon Island had turned up nothing. Not a gold mine. Not even copper ore.
She'd finally gotten a piece of unclaimed land, only to find it had no advantages beyond being unclaimed. It was small, too , not even as good as,
Wait. She had another piece of unclaimed land!
The Misty Plains! The Misty Plains continent!
The Misty Plains was enormous. There had to be countless untapped gold mines out there , and maybe some of them were right on the surface, ready to be scooped up with a single swing of a pickaxe.
Luo Wei regretted not staying a few more days. She should have at least surveyed the mineral resources. Then she'd actually have a reason to go back.
If Theodore and Hall hadn't been with her at the time, she might have just settled there and never returned.
Then again, no point in ifs.
If Theodore and Hall really hadn't been there, she'd have died at sea long ago. She never would have found the Misty Plains in the first place.
It wasn't too late to look for gold mines there now. She couldn't go herself, but she could command the Dark Elves to search for her.
Tonight, when she lay in bed and meditated, she'd figure out how to get the Dark Elves to hear her thoughts.
While the Elves were searching, she could study the teleportation array properly.
She wondered if Professor Moses had any Magic Rune books on advanced teleportation arrays. If he did, could she "borrow" one again?
They were just collecting dust in his cabinet anyway. Might as well let her have a look.
The problem was she'd already paid him one visit. A second attempt would be harder , Professor Moses had to be on guard by now.
If that didn't pan out, the academy's perimeter barrier was an advanced magic array too. She could try to disassemble it, study what made it different from simpler arrays, and see if she could adapt those principles for the teleportation array.
Besides, Headmaster Morrison had already sentenced her to a month of perimeter patrol. She had all the tim,
Oh no.
Her punishment.
Luo Wei only now remembered: she still hadn't written her self-criticism. It was due tomorrow when school started.
She had completely lost her mind. Time was this tight and she'd been poring over ledgers. There would always be time for ledgers. One moment dreaming about gold mines, the next scheming to dismantle Magic Runes , and the self-criticism didn't have a single word on it yet.
She gave herself a thorough mental scolding, then rummaged through every drawer and cabinet until she found a quill and parchment, spread it on the table, and got to work.
She'd never written a self-criticism in her past life. Turns out it felt a little rusty.
But the formula? She'd heard enough of these to know it by heart. Admit the mistake, reflect on yourself, look toward the future. The teacher needed to be convinced she had reformed and was still a good kid.
"Respected Headmaster Morrison, I write this self-criticism with the deepest remorse..."
"...I was wrong. I should not have secretly climbed over the academy's perimeter barrier in the dead of night..."
She gave her mistake a brief description , enough to pad the word count, but not so detailed that the Headmaster would relive the whole incident and form a fresh bad impression of her.
"It's entirely my fault for lacking self-control. I was young and foolish, chasing thrills and momentary pleasure, convinced I could get away with it. I violated the school's rules..."
She needed to dissect herself honestly, to lay bare the mental anguish she had suffered , the fierce internal battle between temptation and conscience.
The Headmaster needed to understand this had been a single lapse in judgment. She was not a fundamentally rotten child. She could still be saved.
"In a moment of thoughtless mischief, I committed a grave mistake. I have disappointed my teachers and set a terrible example for my classmates. I truly deserve to be punished..."
She also needed to analyze the consequences of her actions. Naturally, she couldn't suggest the school's rules were too strict , she had to turn the knife entirely on herself.
If she piled enough blame on her own head, the Headmaster would feel sorry for her. He might even start wondering whether he'd been too harsh, whether his strictness had frightened a perfectly good student into this state.
"...I will absolutely correct my behavior, abide by the academy's rules, and apply myself to studying magic..."
Finally, she assured the Headmaster that she had already turned over a new leaf, that she would go on to become an excellent mage, and that she hoped he would take her sincere attitude of remorse , and her not-insignificant magical talent , into consideration and lift her punishment.
He didn't have to cancel the community service or the perimeter patrol. But he absolutely had to give back her forty points.
Sixty points left. She had no sense of security whatsoever.
Making her walk into school every day on edge like this , how could the Headmaster live with himself?
Luo Wei finished writing, blew the ink dry, and held up the parchment to admire her work.
Fluid and composed, written in one unbroken stretch. Not a single error. Truly worthy of her.
Mission accomplished.
The night had grown late. Luo Wei stretched, picked up the oil lamp from the table, and headed to bed.
Registration wasn't until nine tomorrow morning. She could still get four or five hours of sleep.
January twentieth. Siria Magic Academy opened for the new term.
Long lines of carriages once again packed Academy Street. The Ascree Dessert Shop , which had been nearly empty for a month , roared back to life, crammed full of returning noble students.
"Oh my god, I've been dreaming about this for an entire month , mmm, that smell — ah~"
"What was I eating at home, pig slop? This is what real food is supposed to taste like. I'm telling you, Ascree's should open everywhere in the world!"
"Can the people up front stop chatting and move it? Some of us are still trying to order!"
"Seriously, blocking the whole entrance — so annoying."
"Hey, you lot who already got yours — have a heart! We still have to drive back after dropping off the students. Don't clean them out, leave some for us!"
Because of the traffic jam, Luo Wei had given up on her carriage and walked. She arrived to find the shop fit to burst, customers packed all the way to the door.
What was that smell?
Ah. The smell of money.
Luo Wei smiled, eyes crinkling, tucked her hands into her sleeves, and walked into Siria Magic Academy.
The academy square was shoulder to shoulder, wall to wall. The school's ban on carriages entering the grounds was probably the only thing keeping the cobblestones intact.
She touched the self-criticism folded in her sleeve and strode toward the junior division's registration desk.
The junior division was split into five classes with no numbered designations. Junior magic apprentices wouldn't be sorted into their tracks , Potions, Magic Runes, Spells, Astrology, Alchemy, or Swordsman , until they advanced to intermediate level.
Each class had a supervising teacher, though.
Luo Wei's was Professor Phil. She had only heard afterward that he was the one who had personally recommended Athena for admission.
Speak of the devil.
She looked up and spotted two golden heads.
Athena was standing right beside Professor Phil.
Just her luck. Luo Wei's steps slowed.
Her registration teacher was Professor Phil. Would Athena try to sabotage the whole process?
And she still had that self-criticism tucked in her sleeve. The last thing she wanted was to pull it out in front of Athena.
Losing face in front of other people was fine. In front of Athena? Absolutely not. This woman was her mortal enemy. She couldn't afford to show a single crack.
Luo Wei let the smile drop from her face, turned on her heel, and decided to circle back later.
"Luo Wei. Long time no see."
A honeyed, silken voice slid into her ear. Athena wore a smile that didn't reach her eyes, her cold gaze latching on and not letting go.
"Aren't you here to register, my dear friend?"
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