Is It Weird for a Guy to Apply to a Witch School?-Chapter 531 -

Chapter 531: Book in the Casket

“Does Witch Academy actually have a place like this?”

According to the location provided by Teacher Natalie, this was an independent Alchemy area designated by Witch Academy.

I could even feel the spatial separation and reinforcement.

What met my eyes was a cluster of independent Alchemy rooms, each with a unique style.

Alchemy was a technique with extremely high risks.

After all, a single slip-up could cause a serious explosion, so I understood why this area was special.

After arriving here, I had seen more than one warning about danger.

Walking in this area, I could even feel that the flow of the Earth Vein here seemed to be interfered with.

I could see that the information obtained by the Appraisal Spell was very comprehensive, especially… regarding the construction information of the Alchemy rooms here.

I could even see traces of artificial editing.

Moreover, by checking the Alchemy rooms along the way, I could even deduce how many times these Alchemy rooms had been bombed.

Only after further understanding did I realize… these buildings were connected to the Earth Vein of this area.

By recording the structural information of the building, and using a Spell that the Appraisal Spell could not analyze, the re-composition of the building materials could be completed, truly taking the utilization of the Earth Vein to an extravagant level...

Combining the Witch Academy's level of domination over the Earth Vein, I perhaps understood the confidence Witch Academy had in attempting to repair the Main World.

“Little Han has never been here? Generally, Witches involved in Alchemy will have an Alchemy room here. I was also fortunate enough to follow my mentor here before. I heard that there are no less than three explosions a day here. This area has been spatially reinforced, and the impact will not spread to the surrounding areas.”

“So, Big Sis Bai is very familiar with this place?”

“Not very familiar, but… I am now.”

As Big Sis Bai spoke, the information collection completed by her Appraisal Spell finished rendering the map of this area.

“Big Sis Bai seems to be using it very smoothly.”

Seeing Big Sis Bai effortlessly use it, I was also happy.

After all, what could be more joyful than seeing your beloved person enjoy using something you created?

“That’s right. After all, this Appraisal Spell is indeed quite powerful. But ultimately, Little Han is the most powerful. Teacher Natalie’s location is here, and it’s not far now.”

As Big Sis Bai spoke, she completed the positioning on the map, and then the Knowledge Avatar completed the route planning in my vision using its augmented reality capability.

Not long after, we arrived at an Alchemy room.

The overall look of this place was very unique, but it seemed quite normal compared to its surroundings.

Along the way, I saw many alchemical products.

If you pass by an old-fashioned pastoral house with a surrounding flowerbed, don't doubt it, that's also an Alchemy room.

Don't pick the flowers around it either; they might be Biological Alchemy products, a carnivorous plant, and reaching out might get you a bite.

I have to say that the Witch Academy of the Main World indeed has many Witches from outside the world.

The architectural styles here clearly stand out from the mainstream style of the Main World.

And the style of our destination belonged to a kind of… modern or even futuristic science fiction style.

The entire place was filled with an extremely minimalist architectural style.

It was less an Alchemy room and more an experimental building.

And I could sense that there seemed to be underground space.

After we arrived for our visit, a presence similar to a smart housekeeper quickly popped up here.

After confirming our identities, it guided us into the Alchemy room.

And after entering, the interior arrangement of this Alchemy room also gave me a considerable shock.

It was less an Alchemy room, and the section we just walked through was more like an exhibition area for alchemical products.

Many things that I could understand and many that I couldn't were displayed here, and they truly caught my attention.

“Is that Little Han? You’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for a long time. Hmm? And who is this?”

At this moment, just when my gaze was occasionally falling on those alchemical exhibits, a figure appeared directly in front of me.

Her tone sounded as if she had been waiting for me for a long time.

“Hello, I am Bai Yu.”

Big Sis Bai also introduced herself at this moment.

“Bai Yu… Oh, good. Is sister here to accompany Little Han?”

After understanding the situation, Natalie immediately referred to her as sister familiarly.

After all, as a fellow Transcendent Witch, she could certainly perceive that.

Under Teacher Natalie’s warm welcome, we finally arrived at the area that could barely be considered a reception room.

However, here I saw an unexpected person, oh no, a Witch.

“Teacher Rola Lucerne, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

I immediately greeted her politely.

Teacher Rola Lucerne was the mentor that Betty followed.

I hadn't contacted Betty for a while to exchange Alchemy techniques, and I hadn't expected to see her mentor here.

I had previously sat in on Teacher Rola’s Alchemy class too.

“Little Han, I am also very happy to see you here. Your growth seems to far exceed my imagination.”

Rola was not too surprised.

She had been there when the phone call came earlier, and she naturally understood that I would be coming soon, so she had stayed there without leaving.

The Witches who were good at Alchemy, especially those nearby, would occasionally gather here to chat or exchange Alchemy techniques, seeing if they could spark any brilliant ideas.

Judging from the design of Natalie's Alchemy room entrance, one could tell she was a hospitable host.

After all, the necessary path leading up to it was her proudest exhibition area.

And at this moment, the alchemical apparatuses brought us some desserts.

“What would you like to drink? Black tea or coffee? Manual brewing might not be possible though,” Natalie said, pointing to these alchemical constructs.

“Hmm… Coffee, please.”

“I’ll have coffee too, just like Little Han.”

Before long, the brewed coffee was delivered.

I took a small sip.

Hmm… it was instant coffee.

But considering this was an Alchemy room, the standards didn't need to be so high.

Moreover… this instant coffee tasted really good, more mellow than typical coffee from the outside.

After only a brief conversation, Natalie immediately and eagerly entered the discussion about my custom weapon.

“Is Teacher Natalie so passionate about Alchemy? I already felt your passion for Alchemy when we spoke on the phone earlier.”

Just after I finished speaking, Teacher Rola Lucerne on the side couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

“She’s not passionate about Alchemy; she’s fixated on those rare materials in Mei Linde's collection. Don’t underestimate an Alchemist’s obsession with a rare material, let alone Natalie’s.”

“Don’t expose my secrets!”

Natalie shouted at Rola Lucerne from the side.

“Natalie even has a notebook that records the Witches at Witch Academy who possess rare materials. She likes to visit them whenever she’s free…”

“Rola Lucerne!”

Natalie’s sudden burst of shouting interrupted the other party's revelation of her secrets.

Then she quickly regained her composure, looking at me with a smile.

“Haha, I’m sorry, Little Han. You can forget everything this girl just said. Although I do indeed do that, it is absolutely not as contrived as she made it sound.”

Seeing the other party explain this to me, it was equivalent to tacitly admitting her behavior.

It was only at this moment that I understood what the Academy Head meant when she spoke of an Alchemist’s obsession with rare materials.

So that’s what she meant…

Did she already have her eyes on it?

What kind of material could make the other party so fixated, to the point where she was so willing, even if it wasn't for her own use?

“Well Little Han, have you decided what kind of weapon you want? Since it’s a private custom order, we will naturally help you all the way. Anyway, someone else is paying for the materials. You make bold requests, and I will boldly create.”

Natalie sat next to me at this moment, separated only by a small coffee table, but her whole body seemed to be leaning toward me.

“This… to be honest, I haven’t settled on what kind of weapon I want, which is why I specifically came here to consult Teacher Natalie for your opinion.”

“You haven’t settled yet…”

Hearing my answer, she seemed a bit surprised, but then she immediately asked again, “Then have you determined what type of weapon you want? What role do you hope this weapon will play in your hands?”

“No, I haven’t. I haven’t really looked into these professional fields. Could I ask Teacher Natalie to introduce and explain them?”

“Of course. Since you want to make a weapon, I will give you a simple explanation. Weapons are generally divided into many types, classified according to their main purpose. For example, Main Battle Weapons, which are combat weapons that directly enhance combat power.”

“Then there are Functional Weapons. As the name suggests, they are weapons that integrate multiple functions.”

“After that are Support Weapons, used to aid in combat. This includes Augmentation Weapons, which augment a specific ability, such as Chant Reduction, Casting Speed Increase, and so on. Also, Specialized Weapons, which specialize and enhance a certain ability. Generally, if there are no specific requirements, these few categories can summarize the mainstream weapon types.”

“I see…”

Hearing these classifications, I had a few thoughts, but I had genuinely never considered these things before.

I hadn't even thought about what kind of weapon I needed.

However, one point was clear: Main Battle Weapons were basically eliminated by me.

After all, rather than relying on the direct combat power augmentation brought by external objects, it was better to strengthen my own power.

The speed at which I outgrew weapons at my current stage was extremely fast.

Such weapons were not as long-lasting as Support Weapons or Augmentation Weapons.

“Right. If you are still having trouble deciding, there are also Integrated Custom Versions Integrating multiple abilities onto a single weapon is also feasible.”

Natalie offered another very tempting option at this moment.

“Little Han, don't listen to her nonsense. A weapon with many abilities but lacking refinement is a major taboo, and such weapons are also cumbersome, extremely difficult to repair, and require a lot of effort to maintain. That’s not carrying a weapon; that’s creating a burden for yourself.”

“Lacking refinement is because they don’t have the technique! A cumbersome weapon is also a matter of technique and materials! As for damage, that’s because the weapons made by others are of poor quality, do you understand? And the maintenance issue… Maintenance is to deepen one’s understanding and compatibility with the weapon. How can that be called an effort?”

Natalie retorted unceremoniously.

“You make it sound like you're so amazing. Wouldn't it be better to focus on one aspect and achieve mastery?”

“What good is specializing in one aspect? It’s too easily countered!”

“A weapon is part of what the user uses to compensate for shortcomings. You are neglecting the role played by the user in the use of the weapon.”

“How can you guarantee that the user only has one shortcoming?”

“How can you be sure that a user can only have one weapon… Huff… Stop. This is not the time for you and me to argue. You should be asking Little Han more questions.”

Rola Lucerne took a deep breath, ending the pointless argument.

“That’s true…”

Natalie seemed to have just realized it and leaned toward me again.

“I’m sorry, Little Han. That was just a clash of philosophies between her and me. The actual decision is up to you. Little Han, do you have any ideas now? Speak boldly. I’d like to hear your thoughts too.”

“My thoughts…”

I subconsciously looked at Big Sis Bai.

“It’s alright, Little Han. Even if the effect you want is just a poker, I won’t object,” Big Sis Bai said with a smile from the side.

She naturally didn’t want to put pressure on Little Han.

After all, she could tell that Little Han’s demand for a weapon wasn't high.

In fact, based on our conversation earlier, she could also sense that Little Han seemed to place more importance on the “amusing nature” of the weapon.

Of course… if it were before, she wouldn't have noticed so much… but who told her she had the Shadow of Knowledge to assist her?

“It's alright, speak boldly. You are only responsible for imagining, and I am responsible for implementing it. Don't feel too much pressure. Since Mei Linde has promised to give you these materials, she is not afraid of you wasting them. So, let’s take it step by step.”

Natalie also said from the side.

After all, she considered herself to have a decent emotional quotient.

“Let’s start with the appearance. What do you expect it to look like? Hmm… How about I give you a catalog of weapons I’ve created for reference?”

“That would be great!”

I immediately nodded and said.

Not long after I nodded, Natalie walked over to me with her catalogs, and then she introduced the design concepts and abilities of these weapons to me like a connoisseur proudly presenting her treasures.

As I looked at these weapons, my eyes were truly opened.

It was evident that Natalie’s manufacturing style for weapons spanned a wide range, and the abilities covered were extensive.

She truly lived up to the Academy Head’s recommendation as an Alchemist Master.

“Hmm? This one…”

When I flipped toward the back, I found that the collected illustrations were no longer actual photos but rather in the form of hand-drawn blueprints.

“These later ones are all design concepts. They are either discarded drafts from previous commissions or designs that were canceled after the custom order was placed. But since they are all products of my inspiration, I kept them. I will improve them whenever I have time. Some were impossible due to a lack of suitable materials, and some were due to my insufficient technique at the time. In short, these are all my past hard work,” Natalie quickly explained to me.

“So that’s how it is…”

I nodded and flipped backward until I stopped at one design prototype.

I stopped because I found that the prototype of this design was a book.

Actually, there were quite a few Spell-casting Magical Artifacts in the form of books, but most of them were for recording Spell Rituals, solidifying Spell Rituals to speed up casting, or carrying a Spellbook to assist in casting.

However, the reason this one caught my attention was that it had a lot of functions.

“You like this one?”

Natalie immediately asked when she saw the look in my eyes.

“This is one of my previous wild designs. Although my mentor once criticized it harshly, I still kept it. After my continuous refinement, I have now named this design… Book in the Casket!”

“It is most suitable for friends with decision-making difficulties because it can store… that’s a bit inaccurate. It should be said that it can collect and summon various weapons. It’s one of the representative works of Functional Weapons, perfectly solving the cumbersome problem of multi-functional weapons…”

“Is this weapon… not just a Magical Artifact with a Storage Equipment disguised with an outer layer?”

At this moment, Rola Lucerne walked over, looked at the blueprint and the concept, and roughly understood the essence of this weapon.

“Don’t insult my inspiration and creativity! According to you, aren't all weapons just a mixture of materials refined and then engraved with some Runes? But is this the same? This is a clever combination of inspiration, concept, and design! How can you, as an Alchemist, say such a thing!”

“Um… two teachers, I think this concept is quite good… I just don’t know if it can be modified according to my needs?”

Seeing the two aggressively confront each other, I quickly interjected.

I originally did intend to use a book as the physical carrier for my weapon's appearance, but seeing such a ready-made design, I was indeed tempted, although it still didn’t fully meet my requirements.

However, this was just a weapon customization.

It wasn't like I couldn't change it later.

Perhaps I would like something else after achieving Transcendent Witch status?

So, instead of constantly hesitating, it was better to make a decision right now while I was tempted!

“You have good taste! Of course, it can be modified! Just say how you want to modify it and what requirements you have!”

Natalie’s eyes lit up, and she immediately said.