“One of the farming ladies from our district is in it. She’s very kind; I found out by chatting with her in her spare time. Basically, everyone in our district knows about that organization.”
“Even farmers can get in? Does that mean I can get in too?”
“You need skills, you know? Besides, Tarot Villa is invitation-only. They only reach out if you catch their eye. They’ll observe your character before you're recommended.”
“That’s really strict.”
“I think it’s necessary. It’s an academic group, after all. There must be many secrets we don't know, especially regarding magic. I heard you even have to write a thesis with your own insights once you’re in. It’s very complicated.”
“I see. No wonder the Witch is in Tarot Villa. It explains how they produced so many new races so quickly. The Witch of the Tower must have taught them the methods.”
“Looks like I won't be joining. I fall asleep as soon as I look at a book.”
The conversation drifted toward the villa. Once people heard about writing theses, they started backing out.
An academic symposium required actual contributions. Constant discussions meant pretenders would be exposed immediately.
While the world channel discussed Tarot Villa, a discussion was also taking place inside the villa itself.
High Priestess: “No way, you want us to handle that many?”
The Emperor: “@Justice, do you want me dead? Do you have any idea what it means to mix twenty thousand cocktails? Do you want my arms to fall off?”
Yes, the topic was the Ancestor Cooperation Plan that had just appeared on the world channel.
However, Chu Yuan had clearly underestimated the difficulty and time cost. Gu Xiaobei’s hand-shaken cocktails took several minutes each. Even without sleep, she could only make two or three hundred a day—and that was with full spirit and stamina. Making twenty thousand would likely ruin her arms.
Of course, there were those who enjoyed the chaos.
The Star: “Haha! Good thing I had foresight. After seeing the deal between Justice and The Tower, I knew Justice would pull this. I chose to enchant mass-producible algae.”
Hierophant: “The Tower’s side seems mass-producible too. It’s not that much trouble.”
Magician: “Why don’t you try the versatile Chariot? The smart ones have already started ordering production lines.”
The Tower: “Wait, I just went to take a shower. What happened while I was gone?”
Having just finished her bath and crawled into bed, Lan Qingyou was confused by the chat. With the others’ noisy reminders, she finally learned what happened on the world channel.
The Tower: “Wow, acting first and asking later without even a word?”
Justice: “Not exactly. I have the Witch potions anyway. I’ll just distribute a few when the time comes. Didn’t you say you wanted to advertise?”
...
Lan Qingyou couldn't refute Chu Yuan’s words. Fine, she did want to advertise. And she didn’t mind making the Witch potions. She had foreseen this when he offered to buy them.
The Tower: “Fine, but the production fee better be right.”
Justice: “Of course. By the way, when should I send those materials over?”
The Tower: “Not right now. My shelter’s magic shield went out when I got back, and the glass windows are broken. Wait until I’ve built a warehouse.”
Lan Qingyou felt helpless about the situation. She hadn't even decided how to proceed yet; there was no room for a hundred tons of materials.
Justice: “Then just upgrade. Upgrading the shelter will automatically repair the damage, though it might cost more materials.”
The Tower: “Let’s wait a couple of days. I have a few books to finish first. The magic shield’s energy is back up, and I’m not short on food or lodging.”
Justice: “Alright. Send me the materials you need for the upgrade later. I’ll have people prepare them so they’re ready whenever you need them.”
The Tower: “Can do.”
The Tower: “@Wheel of Fortune, do you have 《Basic Astronomy》?”
Wheel of Fortune: “I do. You want to learn it?”
The Tower: “Yeah. I’ve started a new subject and need that knowledge.”
Wheel of Fortune: “Sent. I also sent some books I collected on celestial movements. Take your time; no rush to return them.”
The Tower: “Thanks.”
Basic Astronomy primarily taught the laws of movement for planets, stars, and moons around the planet. This was fundamental to drawing and operating magic circles.
When she first looked at 《Magic Circle Drawing》, Lan Qingyou knew it wouldn't be easy. Not only did she need to study 《Basic Cartography》, 《Basic Mana Circuits》, and 《Semiotics》, but she also needed 《Basic Astronomy》, 《Basic Mana Conversion》, and 《Basic Mana Resource Recycling》.
Lan Qingyou knew a little about most of these subjects but hadn't studied them deeply—especially astronomy. That was why she asked Esmeralda, who loved divination.
With the friendly sponsorship from Wheel of Fortune, Lan Qingyou didn’t feel relieved. Instead, seeing the stack of books sent over, she felt overwhelmed. It would take at least a month to get through them.
But since the other party wasn't in a hurry, she could take her time.
Lan Qingyou picked up her 《Magic Circle Drawing》 and began reading.
Magic circles were generally divided into four types:
Summoning Circles: Magic circles used alongside prayers, incantations, or sacrifices. Usually used to summon contracted monsters or to summon monsters for contracting.
Mana Circles: Circles drawn with mana circuits that draw upon surrounding elemental mana for attacks.
Physical Circles: Circles that manipulate an object’s mana by placing items in specific orientations.
Composite Circles: Magic circles that use both mana circuits and physical items.
In Lan Qingyou’s view, summoning was for familiars, mana circles were pure attack forms, and physical circles were more like barriers. Composite circles leaned toward support—her alchemy pedestals were basically this type.
Each type had its own strengths and weaknesses. In practice, different types were usually mixed to minimize flaws and maximize benefits.
For a beginner like Lan Qingyou, this was somewhat difficult.
But that was fine. The one thing Lan Qingyou didn’t lack right now was time.
Rate on N.U.
