Partner

Following Cheng Yu out of the library cubicle and back to the tutoring center's main entrance, Jiang Han saw an exceptionally unusual girl sitting on the long sofa in the lobby.

She had blonde hair, a rare sight in China—come to think of it, Jiang Han had not seen any of the different-colored anime-style hair in the past half month. Nearly every witch in China had black hair; at most, their eye colors differed.

What drew the most attention was the pair of fox ears atop her head.

Fox ears.

When the blonde witch saw them, she stood and strode over.

The weather had become scorching with summer heat, so Jiang Han and Cheng Yu beside her both wore thin robes and short skirts. Unlike Cheng Yu's long boots, however, Jiang Han wore round-toed dress shoes. Even dressed this lightly, she still felt a little hot and had to occasionally cast a little trick spell to cool herself down. Yet the blonde witch had fluffy fox ears, a fluffy cloak, a pure black skintight bodysuit, and long boots. She looked unbearably warm.

Jiang Han's appraising gaze was met with an equally scrutinizing look. The girl's lips were pressed tightly together, and her bright violet eyes seemed to glow with a touch of coldness.

Her fluffy cloak had exquisite white lace trim and white floral patterns. It looked expensive and seemed to absorb the chill. As she approached, the temperature gradually dropped.

Jiang Han finally understood why this witch could dress so heavily without feeling hot. The cloak she wore had to be a magical item, though Jiang Han had no idea how high-grade it was. Wrapped in that cloak, she stopped before them.

She was quite tall—shorter than Cheng Yu, but much taller than Jiang Han.

Once she stopped, she extended a hand covered by the black bodysuit. With her index and middle fingers together, she gave a light flick, and a letter appeared in her hand as though by magic.

"I received a letter saying that a new partner and instructor would be assigned to me."

Cheng Yu stepped forward and shook her hand. "Hello, I'm Cheng Yu. I'll be your new instructor from now on, and this is your future new partner."

Changing instructors and partners apparently was not common, because visible confusion appeared on the blonde fox-eared witch's face.

"Hello, my name is Li Li."

She released Cheng Yu's hand, gave Jiang Han a slight bow, then impatiently asked, "Instructor Cheng Yu, what happened to my former instructor?"

Cheng Yu said, "Nothing happened to your instructor, Chen Wenqin. This reassignment was made with your interests in mind."

"With my interests in mind? What kind of consideration?" Li Li looked rather blank, which made her quite cute.

Cheng Yu nodded and winked her left eye at Jiang Han while Li Li was not paying attention. "Consideration of your grades. We noticed that in six months, you mastered six third-level spells and fourteen second-level spells, completed several high-difficulty commissions in practical classes, and achieved an excellent score of 97 out of 100 on the A2 mock exam."

"Is that so..." Li Li, who had seemed so cold before, immediately blushed a little. Jiang Han could not help marveling at how innocent this student was... She did not even look eighteen yet.

"Based on your outstanding academic results and excellent conduct, you have indeed embodied everything the South City Witch Training Base hopes to instill in its students." Cheng Yu was thoroughly practiced in official rhetoric. "We will promote you from a one-to-ten teaching class to one-on-two elite training free of charge. We will also provide spell materials below level three and key practical A2 exam materials for free."

A free upgrade, complimentary gifts, and a pile of flattery.

Jiang Han felt that this training institution truly deserved to be called an international exchange organization that had learned from abroad. This whole routine was almost exactly like the aviation service industry of the future: offer delayed—rather, inconvenienced—customers a cabin upgrade, free premium food, and dedicated service. Even the worst-tempered customer would surrender under such a combination...

Pointing at Jiang Han, Cheng Yu said in an even more boastful tone, "Miss Jiang Han here is only one step away from becoming an Archwitch. She is an elite among elites."

The title of Archwitch was still useful. Li Li immediately became enthusiastic upon hearing it. Although her smile was somewhat stiff and frightening, at least she smiled.

Jiang Han returned a sweet, well-behaved smile. Her heart remained perfectly calm as she extended her hand and said with a smile, "I'm looking forward to being your partner. My grades at school aren't very good, so I also hope you can guide me more."

"I am merely a humble traveler on the path of magic. We can exchange knowledge and improve together." Li Li's voice was soft and gentle, but her words came out stiffly. She stumbled over them slightly, sounding excited, as she clasped Jiang Han's hand with one hand.

Jiang Han looked at her sincerely while discreetly feeling the texture beneath her fingers.

What material was this bodysuit made from? It had the feel of silk, yet also that rubbery texture unique to skintight suits, along with a dry, smooth sensation as though it had been dusted with talcum powder.

It seemed to be a magical item as well.

Jiang Han saw thin blue fluorescent runes along the side of the black bodysuit's waist, though she could not make out what they said.

After they released hands, Cheng Yu, who had been watching from the side, made arrangements.

"I'll go to the Witch Office on Park West Street to collect the commissions you need to complete. You two can head to Wine Immortal Ridge and wait for me there... Oh, right. I remember there's one of our institution's airships near Wine Immortal Ridge. Just wait for me in the café aboard it."

"Sorry to trouble you." Seeing that Li Li was not the talkative sort, Jiang Han had no choice but to answer herself.

Cheng Yu swept out of the lobby, her black cloak swaying behind her. Out on the road, she looked up at the sky, seemingly with no intention of summoning a broom.

Was she going to open a portal?

Just as Jiang Han was wondering, Cheng Yu suddenly let out an enormous roar outside the institution. Her black cloak began growing wildly, while her body continuously expanded and became increasingly distorted. Her beautiful face twisted into that of a reptile, backward-curving horns grew from her head, and the cloak covering her body transformed into beautiful black scales. Then a tail and enormous wings emerged.

Jiang Han watched in amazement as her instructor changed from a human into... a black dragon.

Cheng Yu beat her wings, creating a tremendous blast of wind. With one fold of her wings, she shot into the sky like a spinning arrow. Through the glass, they could see her circle three times in the air before spreading those sky-covering wings and flying out of Jiang Han's sight with graceful yet astonishing speed.

"Level-eight spell, Transform into Dragon." Li Li's voice carried envy as she explained with a slight tremor, "It is an extremely rare, extremely difficult-to-obtain legendary spell. No one even knows what materials it requires. Although it is not a legendary-tier spell, the secrecy surrounding its formula is exactly the same as that of legendary-tier spells. Instructor Cheng transforms into a true dragon with formidable spellcasting abilities, not an ordinary dragonkin."

The envy in her words was almost tangible.

Jiang Han did not know why a girl would envy the ability to become a dragon, but that did not stop her from remembering it.

Jiang Han retrieved her broom from the lobby's administration desk, went outside with Li Li, and obediently took off on their brooms together. Then she suddenly understood why Li Li envied the spell that transformed one into a dragon.

Looking down at her retro broom, she immediately made up her mind.

Once I learn an awesome transformation spell too, I'm firing this broom!

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