"Huh?"
Li Fei blinked, putting on her most pitiful expression. "But why?"
"Secret potions are scarce, and they exist for one purpose — advancing Sequence levels."
Nicole crossed her arms. "Items of this significance cannot be treated as consumables. Even low-Sequence secret potions — which aren't worth as much — are under strict institutional oversight. Every single bottle is logged. Not even I can remove them at will."
"So if you want more secret potions, you'll have to go through proper channels and trade Academic Credits for them."
Li Fei sighed. "Fine. How many credits does the 'Gambler' secret potion cost?"
"A Sequence 9 advancement potion costs one hundred credits. Sequence 8 is one thousand."
"That's exploitation! It's double what you'd pay outside!"
Li Fei puffed out her cheeks and protested with righteous indignation.
One Academic Credit was worth roughly two gold coins, and the market price for a Sequence 9 advancement potion generally hovered around one hundred gold coins.
"Collecting the ingredients is difficult — a premium is perfectly normal."
Nicole gave Li Fei's nose a light flick. "Besides, these potions exist to nurture students. That's why the Academy offers the first secret potion a student requests for their Sequence advancement either for free or at a discount. But a second potion? That's obviously meant to be gifted or traded. To prevent students from profiteering on the difference, the cost doubles."
"In truth, this policy is also a statement of intent — the Academy does not recommend students spend hard-earned credits redeeming potions they have no personal use for."
"Alright."
Li Fei drooped with dejection — though inwardly, the image of Teacher Melodia floated to the surface of her mind.
Now she could see it clearly!
Nicole only ever dangled perks she could claim for free with her Dean's authority — Special Enrollment slots, Dean's Breakfast, that sort of thing!
Teacher Melodia was the good one. Ten whole points per class.
Of course, not good enough. Li Fei personally felt twenty points per class was the appropriate figure. If she had ten teachers as straightforward and generous as Melodia, she could come down here every morning and redeem two secret potions per day — one to gargle with, one to juggle for fun.
As she daydreamed, Li Fei refused to give up, running her fingers along the rosewood shelves with diligent persistence. If something good was hiding in there, she'd find it — double credits be damned, she was taking it.
"Of course," Nicole said, "as the second new student to advance to Sequence 9, the Dean should also offer a reward."
Li Fei turned her head. Nicole smiled, gave a wink with her left eye — that particular combination of poised maturity and playful charm sent a flutter straight through Li Fei's chest. "One hundred credits."
"Mama."
The Special Enrollment student's grievances evaporated on the spot. She threw herself into Nicole's arms.
If she had a hundred mothers like this one, could she eventually haul that drool-inducing [Magic Library — 027] home and keep it for herself?
"Oh, right — who was the first student to advance to Sequence 9?"
"Grace."
Nicole answered, "She advanced on the very first day of term… Truth be told, Grace could have set foot on the Transcendent path before enrolling. She could have entered directly as a second-year student — that wouldn't have affected her treatment here at all."
"Advanced to Sequence 9 ahead of time, just to be my classmate?"
Li Fei let out a cold laugh.
After their chance encounter in the Secret Garden, the star courtesan — with her finely honed instincts for reading people — had immediately sensed something off about Grace. Out of caution, after finishing her language lesson the previous evening, she had made a detour to the Thieves' Guild and commissioned Hathaway to pull Grace's background file. It cost nothing, and a couple of kisses never took anything off her.
The one thing she felt genuinely bad about was the angel lady who had booked an appointment with her that night — Li Fei had been over an hour late, keeping her waiting far longer than she should have.
But the star courtesan was simply too captivating. No matter what she did wrong, she was forgiven.
Worth noting: when she'd finished her shift at the tavern and walked the angel lady out on her arm, she had run directly into Hathaway arriving with the intelligence report. The lipstick prints on Hathaway's face had still been sitting there, unwiped, hours later. Two high-Sequence women of consequence locked eyes across the doorway — and the sheer collision of their auras shattered every paving stone down the length of the street.
Thank the stars neither of them had actually come to blows. If they had, the star courtesan caught between them would have been reduced to star courtesan paste — truly a death well deserved… no, wait — an innocent fish caught in the crossfire.
But it had all been worth it. Li Fei now had a thorough picture of Grace's background.
"Oh? You two knew each other before enrollment?"
Nicole tilted her head with mild curiosity.
"She has her eye on me. I don't know her."
Li Fei suddenly asked, "Did you reward her credits?"
"Fifty."
Nicole spread her hands.
"Fair enough."
Li Fei released Nicole and resumed browsing the shelves.
Before long, she spotted a cluster of around twenty bottles grouped together — Druid secret potions. She plucked one out and gave it a casual wave.
"This one's mine."
[Class Secret Potion — Druid]
Advancement Requirements: Intelligence 7.
Description: If advancement requirements are not met, consuming this potion will cause flesh and bone to grow in grotesque distortions until the user transforms into a blood-flesh oak tree. If requirements are met but the advancement ritual has not been completed, consuming this potion will induce a three-day coma. If requirements are met and the advancement ritual has been completed, consuming this potion will grant the [Druid] Class.
The Druid advancement ritual was famously simple — but out of an abundance of caution, Li Fei had chosen the one whose failure condition carried the lightest side effects.
"Mm."
Nicole nodded.
Li Fei skimmed through the shelves at a blur. In no time at all, she'd passed her hands over every one of the several hundred vials. Other than the [Gambler] potion, nothing else caught her interest.
"Hm? How did I miss one?"
Just as she was about to turn and leave, Li Fei spotted a dusty, grey-looking bottle tucked away in the corner. She reached for it.
[Class Secret Potion — Witch (Special Edition)]
Advancement Requirements: ♀; Charisma 100.
Description: If consumed by a ♂, body detonates upon consumption. If consumed by a ♀ who does not meet the requirements, grants Charisma +10 and inflicts 'Witch Dependency Syndrome.' If requirements are met but the advancement ritual has not been completed, consuming this potion grants Intelligence +500 for 5 minutes; Morality permanently reduced by -10. If requirements are met and the advancement ritual has been completed, consuming this potion will grant the [Witch] Class.
Holy—!!!
Li Fei stared at the System description with eyes wide enough to fall out, her mind roiling like a storm-tossed ocean.
She had to have this.
The thought surged up the moment her shock cleared.
Down this thing with the enhanced Lucky Potion, and five minutes was more than enough to fire off three rounds of Abyssal Lava. And afterward, her Charisma would go up by a hundred points. The tiny Morality hit was completely ignorable.
Combined with the garter her best friend had given her, she'd have two separate insurance policies in her back pocket.
And if — just as a thought experiment — she herself advanced to Witch someday, she could use this to create a fluffy little companion with 109 Charisma points and a chronic case of Witch Dependency Syndrome. Back when she'd been the most popular courtesan at school, her Charisma had only been 80.
"I want to redeem this one!"
Li Fei pointed at the Witch secret potion.
For once, Nicole's smile faded. Her expression turned serious.
"I confiscated this from a Witch. You know what being a Witch means."
"Don't worry — I have no intention of becoming a rat that the whole world wants to stomp on," Li Fei said, nodding quickly. "But this potion is extremely useful to me."
She explained its effects — omitting, naturally, the Morality -10 detail.
The Witch's Coven had a reputation that could generously be described as catastrophic. Those beautiful, chaotic Witches never did anything remotely decent. Their villainy put even the Death and Chaos alignments to shame — practically the entire continent called for their heads on sight.
And yet, for all that, the Coven's inner sanctum had never been found. Rumors of Witches continued to surface across Enlos like an inextinguishable flame. The most recent and spectacular victim was the Holy Church — their Sacred Saint had been spirited away by the 'Ash Witch.' The Sacred Saints throughout history had been symbols of purity, goodness, and beauty, bearing the honor of serving the Goddess of Life herself.
What the Ash Witch had done was, in effect, the equivalent of defiling the Goddess of Life herself. The Church's fury had been biblical — angels poured out of the Radiant Altar in waves, high-Sequence ascetics who had spent decades in seclusion revealed themselves one by one, scouring the heavens and the earth, practically turning the Holy City upside down.
She had heard that even Nicole had personally traveled to the Holy City — and still, the Ash Witch had slipped away.
After causing that much destruction and still living freely — that spoke volumes about how formidable the Witch class truly was. If not for the absolutely catastrophic aggro it generated, Li Fei would have honestly been tempted.
"Don't worry, Mama Nicole."
Seeing Nicole's furrowed brow and lengthening silence, Li Fei stepped forward and wrapped both arms around her, blinking up with wide, earnest eyes. "I'm a Special Enrollment student at Loxibrook — Grandmaster potential, a bright future ahead of me. Why on earth would I want to associate myself with the Witch covens?"
"...Alright."
Nicole let out a long, slow sigh and personally placed the secret potion in Li Fei's hands.
...
Melodia stood at the front of the classroom, presenting Transcendent items one by one to her students with careful, detailed commentary.
At the moment, she was holding up a vessel draped in black cloth. When she lifted the cloth, what lay inside was a powder shimmering with shifting, iridescent colors.
"This is Revealing Dust. It must be stored in a light-proof container at all times — otherwise it degrades quickly and loses its effectiveness."
After covering the vessel again, Melodia leaned forward with earnest emphasis:
"Everyone, Rule One of the Mage's Code: when you leave the house, you must — must — must — bring Revealing Dust with you."
"Detection-class Transcendents — assassins, thieves, rogues — the reason they're called mage-killers is precisely because of their stealth and invisibility. If you don't want your throat slit without ever seeing it coming, use Revealing Dust to break stealth!"
"Among all Transcendent items capable of countering stealth abilities, Revealing Dust offers the best effectiveness and the best value for money. Do not forget this."
Melodia's gaze swept across every new student. Satisfied to see them all paying close attention, she gave an approving nod.
Of course, she knew perfectly well that no amount of a teacher's repeated reminders guaranteed anything. The Academy would need to find other methods to drive the lesson home.
"Li Fei — summarize the content of today's class."
After calling on the Special Enrollment student by name, Melodia settled back into her chair and knocked back the last of her coffee in one go.
Li Fei rose to her feet with easy confidence, wearing the smile of a model student:
"Minor Cleanse Potion — rapidly restores mana in non-combat situations…"
"Illusion Staff…"
"And finally — please carry Revealing Dust at all times. Without it, an enemy in stealth is effectively invincible."
Snap.
Melodia clicked her fingers, unsparing in her praise: "Precise and perfectly put. Li Fei, ten points."
Excellent. One tenth of the hundred credits she'd spent this morning, recovered…She needed to scout for other generous teachers, and fast.
The Special Enrollment student rejoiced inwardly, but maintained the composed, modest air befitting a diligent student, and gave a small curtsy of thanks to the teacher, fingertips lightly lifting the hem of her mage's robe.
"Mm—"
The moment she sat back down, Li Fei jolted with a startled sound, slapping a hand over her mouth just in time. She shot a murderous glare at the culprit beside her.
Irena looked genuinely surprised. She had only given Li Fei a gentle poke in the ribs — why such an extreme reaction?
Then the realization hit her, and a sly smile spread across her face. "Are you acclimatizing yourself to Sensitivity Aura?"
"Mm."
Li Fei confirmed it with a nod.
Following Bai Mengtian's advice, she had gone to Lady Gneia the previous night and procured two pairs of high-end full-body stockings — one burnt orange, one jet black. Who could have imagined that these impossibly delicate, tear-if-you-breathe-wrong luxury goods cost more than Starlight-grade Transcendent items?
But stockings made from Nightmare Beast velvet, processed through multiple stages of refinement, were something else entirely. The moment Li Fei slipped them on, the comfort was undeniable. Even accounting for the slight difference in proportions between her and Lady Gneia, the stockings clung to every curve like a second skin — perfectly fitted in appearance, with virtually no binding sensation, stretching with effortless ease. The experience surpassed even those WOLFORD velvet thigh-highs her high-school senior had once gifted her — and those were the Hermès of legwear.
With the help of these luxurious stockings, Li Fei had already reached the point where she could tolerate Lv1 Sensitivity Aura without visibly reacting.
She had also, during the fitting, hit an all-time personal record for Charisma. If she hadn't still been in the early stages of adjusting to the Sensitivity Aura last night, she might very well have cast a spell on herself in front of the full-length mirror.
None of this, however, had shaken Li Fei's unwavering conviction that full-body stockings and lace thigh-highs jointly held the undisputed crown of all hosiery.
"You know, this is a road with no return," Irena said, with the tone of someone imparting ancient wisdom.
"It does have combat benefits — but using this spell long-term is like being an alcoholic. The tolerance keeps climbing and climbing."
Li Fei knew exactly what she meant. As the reigning queen of public relations, she was very familiar with certain clients whose threshold had grown to the point that 1.1x Sensitivity Aura no longer did anything for them. According to the girls, last month a certain Viscountess had held on for five full minutes under a 2.7x Aura — shattering the Golden Kumquat Tavern's standing record of over a year. The star courtesan, who was still struggling to acclimatize to the entry-level setting, felt a surge of admiration so profound it could have flooded a river.
"It's fine. Leveling up the spell is way easier than developing the tolerance."
Li Fei waved it off with breezy confidence.
"Oh? In that case…"
Irena drew out the words, and her mischievous fingers made a pass toward Li Fei.
"Don't start something."
Li Fei batted her hand away. "We still have one more class."
"Yes, yes — one more class."
Looking at Irena's bright, beaming smile, Li Fei caught a faint echo of Mama Nicole's face — the one that had thoroughly and completely wrecked her — and felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine.
...
The last class of the morning felt like it stretched on for an eternity. By the end of it, the Special Enrollment student was panting for breath and drenched in sweat.
Now she understood. Nicole and Irena — mother and daughter, both of them — wore the sweetest, most disarming smiles imaginable on the outside while being absolute black-bellied menaces underneath.
Annie and Lilith were so much better…
The moment the teacher left, Li Fei stood up — red-faced — grabbed Irena by the throat with both hands, and sank her teeth into her arm.
"Ow — easy, easy."
Irena scratched gently under Li Fei's chin, the way one might soothe an angry cat.
"Hmph."
Satisfied only after leaving a bloody bite mark, Li Fei released her, stood up in a huff, and walked out of the classroom without a word of goodbye. She headed straight for the next class over — in search of Grace.
____
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