Gathering the Potion Ingredients

Jiang Han's life had gradually entered a busy, turn-based cycle—work, then class, class, then work; exhausting, yet fulfilling.

She didn't share the typical student's complaints, likely because after returning to the age of 18, she had rediscovered a passion for learning.

On Saturday, after a fulfilling week, Jiang Han—who had been summoned an hour early by Qin Shunying—walked into the tavern and received her first weekly paycheck in the staff lounge along with the other working witches.

The weekly salary was 950 yuan after tax, plus 24.7 yuan in beverage commissions after tax, and 120 yuan in non-taxable tips, totaling 1,094.7 yuan. Counting her original 50 yuan in pocket money and the additional 100 yuan for the new week, Miss Jiang Han's total assets had reached the peak of her life so far! A full 1,244.7 yuan—congratulations, congratulations.

Although she was still dissatisfied with her total net worth, a look of genuine satisfaction undoubtedly appeared on Jiang Han's face.

The fatigue from the continuous cycle of waking up at 11 PM to work until 6 AM, then attending classes from 8 AM to 4 PM, was completely cured by the sight of her weekly pay.

Lovely money.

Great money.

After counting her wages twice, Jiang Han once again discovered with a smile the pros and cons of a weekly salary system.

The downside was that after receiving pay every week, it was easy to immediately think of ways to spend it all, making it hard to save; recording income and expenses was also troublesome, and the moderate amount of money easily triggered a desire to consume.

The upside was that getting paid felt incredibly good—once a week meant four times the joy a month!

The witches receiving pay on Saturday included Jiang Han, Du Ningzhuang, Chu Yujun, Tang Wen, and a witch named Chen Ligu. There were quite a few of them, and according to Qin Shunying, witches preferred to collect their wages on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Jiang Han caught a glimpse of the others out of the corner of her eye. Tang Wen and Chen Ligu were both extroverted types, laughing happily and giving off a particularly cheerful and optimistic vibe.

Even the introverted Du Ningzhuang and Chu Yujun couldn't help but reveal smiles.

When receiving a paycheck, a person is at their most cheerful and extroverted!

"Good evening, Miss Jiang Han. How are you? What do you plan to do now that you've got your pay?" Tang Wen approached familiarly, flashing a brilliant smile.

Unlike the slightly reserved extroversion of Chai Ying, Miss Tang Wen was the type of woman who could make others empathize with the very word 'excitement.' Her smile was radiant, her eyes squinting slightly when she laughed; she was a bit charming and full of vitality, giving off a feeling of, Ah, so this is what an 18-year-old girl is like... though Miss Tang Wen seemed to be pushing 30?

Ahem... For a witch, the peak period didn't even start until after 40... Jiang Han's thoughts raced, and she replied with a sweet smile:

"Good evening, Miss Tang Wen. I want to buy some potion ingredients. Doesn't the weather forecast say a storm is coming soon? I need to prepare the potions that must be consumed during a storm, otherwise, I might have to run all the way to the Southeast Asia Storm Cape to brew them next time."

Miss Tang Wen fell silent for a moment, then stroked her cheek with her left hand and let out a laugh that was a bit charming but bright:

"...Hahaha, I hadn't thought of that at all. I thought Miss Jiang Han would be like me, going to buy pretty clothes and living it up... haha, I didn't expect such a serious use for it!"

Living it up, my foot... Jiang Han's mouth twitched as she looked toward Chu Yujun.

Chu Yujun tucked away her wages with a faint smile on her face. Seeing Jiang Han look over, her eyes widened slightly, and she shared her own plan: "...I'm going to buy a magical artifact. I've been saving up for a long time."

"Eh? Huh? Ehhh?" Miss Tang Wen made a sound of confusion.

Du Ningzhuang held her money bag and looked at the ceiling, her dark green eyes revealing the temperament of an intellectual: "Buying books, and a bottle of Dragon Blood Ink."

"Ah? Do all of your funds have such serious purposes?" Miss Tang Wen looked at Chen Ligu, who was just as cheerful and lively as she was.

Chen Ligu waved her hands with a smile and said something unanswerable:

"Um, I'm only 15, you know. Living it up isn't really an option for me..."

Jiang Han happily watched Miss Tang Wen make 'eh' and 'i' sounds; the embarrassing noises this person made were truly delightful!

Why do parents and teachers always say 'the learning environment is important'? This is why! The environment is crucial; when everyone in a circle loves to learn, those who don't feel awkward and lonely. The witch circle was the same. Since everyone else collecting their pay had serious plans for their money, those who wanted to just party and play would be influenced in return.

Though kids these days are developing quite well; Chen Ligu is actually only 15... Jiang Han quietly leaned half a step toward her and realized her assessment was correct—Chen Ligu was half a head taller than her...

"Then... then I'll save mine too, and wait for a serious purpose one day," Tang Wen said with a guilty tone.

Qin Shunying, having finished distributing the pay, tapped the table lightly with her pipe and laughed:

"Miss Tang, it seems you've reached the age where you need to save money too... otherwise, you might not be able to find a wife in the future."

Tang Wen let out another mournful whine:

"C-can't I be the one who gets married later?"

Regarding this 'marrying or being married' topic, the lounge erupted in collective laughter and various teases. Even Chu Yujun, who usually spoke slowly, poked fun at Tang Wen a couple of times.

"Alright, alright, stop picking on Miss Tang." Qin Shunying stopped the situation from escalating further before the story turned into a 'Kong Yiji' scenario, and chuckled: "You ladies still have some time to shop. Remember to come back on time."

Jiang Han checked the wall clock; it was 10:30, and she still had an hour and a half before her shift. It seemed Qin Shunying had set aside time for them to go shopping after getting paid.

Taking out her notebook and scanning her list, Jiang Han decided to collect all the ingredients for the 'Dispel Magic' potion today. Since it was Saturday, it was also the day the witch market received new stock, and many ingredients that were usually scarce would be delivered to the bazaar.

At the Saturday witch market, even in a small city, many ingredients would appear.

And in the largest market in the south, even legendary magical materials were sold. Treasures on the level of Ancient Dragon Jade would quietly appear at certain stalls... South City not only had the largest market in the south but also the most resource-rich hunting grounds in the region, and in the future, it would house the world's largest folded-space special zone.

Before walking out of the Witch House, someone called out to Jiang Han from behind.

She turned around and saw Miss Tang Wen, dressed in a sweater and shorts, waving at her with vibrant energy. Her ruby-red eyes looked at her as she asked:

"Miss Jiang Han, are you familiar with the witch market?"

Jiang Han shook her head. Her first time there had been with her previous substitute teacher, Cen Jing, and later she had only come for work, so she hadn't wandered around much. "Not very familiar. I might just look around first."

"Then would you like me to take you to buy your ingredients?" Miss Tang Wen tapped her lips lightly with her index and middle fingers and said sincerely, "I'm actually quite familiar with this place."

I was just worried I wouldn't be able to find all the ingredients in an hour and a half... Jiang Han replied happily:

"That would be a great help."

"It's no trouble at all." Tang Wen was indeed quite lively. After hearing the list of items Jiang Han needed to buy, she took the lead and began guiding her with clean, efficient movements.

I have to say, she was like a walking encyclopedia of the market; all I had to do was tell her what I was looking for, and after a brief moment of contemplation with her chin in her hand, she could pinpoint the exact stall selling it.

With such a helper, Jiang Han felt both pained and happy as she quickly spent most of her 1,200 savings, leaving only 50 left in her pocket for any unforeseen needs.

She had purchased all the materials required for the Dispel Magic potion. After returning to the Witch House lounge with Tang Wen and the material kits, Du Ningzhuang, who was reading, and Chu Yujun, who was transcribing spell data, curiously gathered around.

At the same time, Qin Shunying, who had been idling away by smoking and playing cards, also joined in on the fun.

Including Tang Wen, the four witch colleagues worked together to help Jiang Han check the integrity of the materials.

"15 grams of Volcanic Rock, high quality, and 6 grams of pure gold."

"Expensive 10 grams of Blue Cat's Eye Stone, for a mysterious ritual?"

"2 grams of Wine Stone, sniff sniff... vodka! It's vodka Wine Stone."

"20 milliliters of Agave Lavender Solution, 10 grams of Moon Root slices, all perfectly preserved."

Finally, Qin Shunying delivered her verdict:

"Excellent materials for a Dispel Magic potion. Now you just need a stormy day. Be ready with a Rainproof Cloak and a Lightning-Resistant Cape, and have a map of the hot springs prepared. Once the storm hits, you might need to head to the springs to brew the potion."

"Of course, if you're willing to pay me 20 Witch House points, I can assist you when you brew it! My A2 exam was in Potions, and I scored a 98."