Cornflower Witch

Chapter 359 Life After School Starts

After a three-day adjustment period, the three officially began their studies.

Considering that freshmen are often unsure of their future direction and how to adapt to the new environment when they first arrive in an unfamiliar place, the school will teach general knowledge, which is about life and studies, in the first month.

"First, let's talk about where you'll be staying." Inside the classroom, a staff member explained to the students how to find accommodation, the rental prices in different areas, and other expenses.

"Currently, you are all living in officially arranged dormitories, which are all free of charge, so there is no need to worry."

"However, in 2-3 years, you will likely face the situation of finding your own place to live, and that's where you'll need the knowledge you've learned today."

"The cost of living in the Asura District is at a mid-range level compared to other college districts. A standard single room, which includes a bedroom and a study, costs about 2 gold coins a month. Of course, this is a standard price; the actual cost will fluctuate depending on the location. For example, in a bustling area, it might cost 4 gold coins a month, while in a remote area, you could find a decent place for 1 gold coin a month."

"With rent prices like these, if you haven't become a second-tier professional, you can't support yourself with the earning power of a first-tier superhuman. So I hope you all reach the second tier within three years as soon as possible, otherwise it will be difficult for you to maintain your current decent life."

"Of course, if you haven't advanced to the second tier after three years, it's not like you're without options. There are even cheaper places to sleep: communal hotels set up in specific areas. They can provide you with a bed and a locked box, and it only costs a little over 30 silver coins per month."

"Finally, there are even cheaper accommodations, but those are usually for migrant workers rather than students, so don't bother trying them. If you really want to satisfy your curiosity, I suggest you think of the country stables, and the really crowded kind."

"Once you've settled into your accommodation, the next thing is food. There should be many bakeries not far from your dormitory. The bread they sell is priced uniformly by the Mage Alliance, so it won't be too expensive. You can fill your stomach for 20 silver coins a month. If you want to eat better, you can go to other restaurants yourself."

"In addition, clothing is also a very important aspect." He tapped the blackboard.

"As new students, the school will make three sets of uniforms for you. These are all good quality cotton or wool. The price of one set is around 30 silver coins. If you buy them outside, it may cost 50 silver coins."

"Although there is no mandatory clothing requirement in the Asura district, you should at least ensure that your clothes are clean, tidy and presentable, because there are a lot of public facilities here. If you are wearing dirty clothes with mud and insects, don't blame some places for not letting you in."

"Furthermore, as your senior, my advice is that the price and quality of any clothes you buy yourself should at least match the standard uniforms provided by the school."

"You might say that you are poor and don't want to waste money on buying nice clothes, but I want to remind you that the little money you save on buying clothes is far from enough to offset the harm caused by wearing inferior clothes."

"When you are in a crowd, cheap linen clothes will clearly distinguish you from your classmates. It is like telling the people around you that you are weak, that you have a low opinion of yourself, and that you are easy to bully. This will not only easily attract malice and difficulties from others, but also make it difficult for you to make friends."

"Of course I know that a person's character is not determined by their clothes, but people really don't have much time to explore and observe your character, especially in life where you have to face a lot of strangers. It's a highly competitive place. The more friends you have, the more ways you can survive and learn. Don't let yourself give people a bad impression."

"Having covered clothing, housing, and food, let's talk about transportation here."

"The most common way to travel is by walking. The dormitories you live in are generally not too far from the school. If you want to go shopping during the holidays, buy what you need, or go to other schools, you will need to take a vehicle. Otherwise, you will spend most of the day on the road, which is not worth it."

"First, there are public carriages. They are usually pulled by one or two draft horses and can carry nearly 20 people. The cost is about two copper coins per kilometer. The advantage is that they are cheap, but the disadvantage is that they are slow, the routes are fixed, and the draft horses will occasionally defecate. The smell will waft over from the front, so you'd better wear a face mask to protect yourself." As he spoke, he gestured and a joking smile appeared on his lips.

"Secondly, there are steam locomotives. They are much faster, and only they are allowed to pass through the central main road, so they can reach their destination quickly without causing traffic jams. The advantage is that they are faster, but the disadvantage is that they are more expensive, costing about 50 copper coins per kilometer."

"Finally, there are the flying mounts. They are faster and unrestricted by routes, but they are also the most expensive and cannot carry heavy cargo. The cost is 2-5 silver coins per kilometer."

"Alright, that concludes today's lesson. get out of class dismissed."

The classroom immediately became lively, with many new students enthusiastically discussing what the staff member had just told them.

"It's so expensive! Renting a house here costs 2 gold coins a month," some students exclaimed.

“My father worked for a whole year and didn’t even earn a single gold coin.”

“No, you should feel fortunate, because setting such a high price means that many students will be able to afford it in the future,” someone encouraged their companion.

"Keep up the good work. I don't want to go back to my hometown and live a life where I can only eat potatoes."

"At least you still have potatoes to eat..." someone added quietly.

On the other side of the classroom, Hilti and her two companions were also sitting in their seats talking.

"Is it really that cheap to stay for a month for only 2 gold coins?" The one who said this was naturally Miss Luo Wei'er.

"Compared to the outside world, it's already very expensive." Hiltiya shook her head helplessly.

Aurora, on the other side, didn't say much, only replying when the girl asked her a question.

"Back home, it seems like you need 50 silver coins a month to rent a decent place." Her home is in the Great Elro district, which has a famous theater and is home to many actors and artists. It's one of the more bustling areas within the Mage Alliance.

"What about Hedra? How are prices in Quebec?"

"Well... you can probably rent a decent single room for 12 silver coins." Compared to Regas, where the girl used to stay, it's naturally much more expensive, but in the Mage Alliance, it's really cheap.

As the three girls chatted, they unknowingly attracted the attention of other students in the class. This was not because their topic was particularly novel or special, but because the three girls' appearances were so extraordinary that it was hard to ignore them.

Especially Luo Wei'er, this young lady not only has bright and soft blonde hair, but her striking pink and white dress and various rare and expensive ornaments on it almost tell the people around her that her family background is definitely not ordinary, and that it is not something that ordinary people can fake.

"Shh, do you see that girl?"

"She's really beautiful; she must be a young lady from a wealthy family."

"I estimate that her outfit is worth at least 100 gold coins."

"100 gold coins? You're so ignorant. I'd say you might not even be able to buy it for 1000 gold coins." His companion shook his head.

"I'm so envious. I wish I had a family background like that."

"Why don't you go after her? If you marry her, you'll never have to worry about anything again."

"Hehe, forget it, the gap is too big." The student looked at the delicate woven bracelet on Luo Weier's wrist and then shook his head.

"That bracelet is a 'third-tier' artifact; I might never be able to afford it in my entire life."

"Let's take a look at the other two. I feel that the black-haired girl seems easier to approach."

What's her name?

"It seems to be called, Hedra Griffin."

"And the other one?"

"That silver-haired girl holding the doll is called Aurora, but I don't recommend you go looking for her."

"why."

“Because I’m also a student in the Greater Elro district, I can roughly guess her family background. She should be a direct descendant of the prestigious ‘Hert family’ of the ‘Opera School’.” “Huh? How did you guess that?”

"Because her silver-gray hair and eyes are practically a trademark in the area, she's too famous. But as a member of the 'Hert' family, she should be able to directly enter the subordinate academy of the 'Opera School', there's no need for her to come here."

"Perhaps they have different ideas. Just like you and me, didn't we become knights as our parents expected? Speaking of which, we've both learned breathing techniques. With this foundation, as long as we accumulate experience for a few more years, becoming a knight with the help of our families is almost a matter of course."

"Haha, that's true."

After finishing their morning classes, the students ate in the school cafeteria, which was also the first time for many freshmen to visit the place.

"Wow, what a big restaurant! But the decor is so simple." As she entered the restaurant, Hilti heard the students in front of her exclaim.

She looked around. The walls were made of red bricks with embedded beams. Sitting in the restaurant, she could see the crisscrossing beams above. The place was very spacious, with the roof four or five stories high. The open space in the middle allowed the heat to rise and dissipate, making the air in the restaurant below refreshing, like sitting in a large church.

"Three lunches." When they arrived at the window, Hilti and her companions received steaming bread, vegetable soup, and two small pieces of bacon on their trays.

After finding a seat, the three of them began to eat slowly.

Hilti and Aurora were quite used to this kind of food, while Lovell, on the other hand, looked at the food on her plate repeatedly as if she were on a treasure hunt, and then tried it in small bites.

"The bread and vegetable soup were rather bland," she commented first, referring to the parts she thought were edible.

"As for the smoked meat..." She poked it with a small fork, carefully sniffed it, and then blinked her eyes to observe it.

"It's not very fresh, and it smells of cooking oil." She didn't even want to put it in her mouth.

"Of course there's smoke, because it's from the firewood," Hiltiya reminded her helplessly.

“But, Hedra, this kind of smoke will make you look very unclean. Imagine all that black smoke sticking to your skin and then you eating it.” She gestured with her fingers.

"Cough, hearing you say that, what am I going to do if I can't eat anymore?" Hiltiya covered her mouth and chuckled.

To be honest, the method of making smoked meat is not very clean, but most ordinary people will overlook this point, just like the slight charring that occurs when roasting sweet potatoes.

"Can I not eat it, Hedra~" Lover looked at the smoked meat on her fork, her face showing difficulty. Then she pouted at her companion, hoping someone would allow her to be a little willful.

"Okay, then I won't eat it." Hilti thought for a moment, since it was just a small matter.

Okay~

Upon hearing Sylvia's words, Lovir immediately put down the slices of smoked meat in her hand, an action that made Aurora, who was standing to the side, look like she wanted to complain.

Just spoil her.

After lunch, classes continued in the afternoon. During this time, the curriculum outlined the essential courses that new students must learn and master.

"You all need to master these things. If you haven't heard of or learned these subjects before coming here, please catch up within six months, otherwise it will affect your subsequent course learning." The teacher tapped the blackboard, on which were listed courses including mathematics, history, languages, geography, basic esoteric knowledge, basic runes, and so on.

These are things that should be taught in the primary schools in various places before coming to the college area, but some freshmen have not learned them all and need to make up for them during this period.

After finishing their first day of classes, the three left the school together. They hadn't gone far when a roaring steam locomotive pulled up by the roadside, and two young men in splendid formal attire stepped off.

"It's a pleasure to meet you three ladies. My name is Anderson."

"My name is Andrei."

The two men had their hair neatly combed and slicked back. When they removed their hats to bow, their snow-white gloves were revealed. Combined with the luxurious silver motorcycle with engraved patterns behind them, it drew gasps and admiration from many girls on the street.

"Asura's night view is exceptionally beautiful, featuring the famous 'Golden String Hall,' the pristine 'Winged Tower,' and the dazzling 'Glass Flower Hall,' all of which are unforgettable places."

"Please, ladies, hop on board and join us for a tour." They extended a sincere invitation, and their gestures drew a crowd of onlookers, with many students gazing enviously at the luxurious silver motorcycle.

While Hilti was still thinking about how to politely refuse the two, Lowell beside her had already pulled her hand and stepped forward.

“Okay, how much will it cost to take us sightseeing?” As she spoke, she twirled her fingers and pulled out a shiny gold coin from somewhere. What surprised Hilti even more was that the floral pattern on the gold coin was exactly the same as the gem on Lover’s chest.

"How much?" The two were a little confused. They had invited the three of them, of course, to get closer to them and pursue them.

Seeing that the two did not answer, Luo Weier closed her fingers and lightly touched her chin with the back of her fingers. "Is it not enough? I'm sorry."

She politely bowed in apology, then took out a sparkling gem, which should be a garnet of 'Tier 2, Excellent' quality.

"Is this alright? Can you show the three of us around the Asura district?" Although this young lady was a bit naive, she certainly wasn't short of money.

After a long explanation from the two, and with Hilti's whispered reminder in Lovir's ear, she finally understood the other party's intentions.

"So you're planning to pursue me? No way, because I'll only marry the person I'm destined to marry."

"But can't you really take the three of us shopping? I can pay you, you won't lose out." The young lady was still pleading with them, her pure eyes radiating a pitiful expression that was hard to ignore and look away from.

Although their plan to pursue Lowell failed, the two young men eventually succumbed to the young lady's charm and the lavish payment she offered, agreeing to take the three of them on a tour of Asura's night view and bustling areas.

After receiving the gems from Lovir, the two changed their mindset and began to describe the scenery along the roadside and the most famous buildings in the area in detail. During the conversation, Hilti and the other two also learned about their identities.

The two belong to the 'Owen family,' one of the oldest families in the Asura District. To this day, they own a considerable amount of real estate in the Asura District. Many of the dormitories where new students live and the schools they attend are their family's properties. The Mage Alliance pays them a fee every year.

Although the Owen family is very wealthy, and the two were able to buy luxury cars when they were young, they are not the core heirs of the family after all, and the wealth they can usually control is actually limited. So when Luo Weier took out the gemstone, the two of them couldn't help but be tempted.

After a night of sightseeing, the three were taken back to their accommodation.

After one night, Luo Wei'er's name quickly spread among the freshmen. Not only in their school, but also among freshmen in other nearby schools, they all heard of her.

"Did you know that last night, that blonde young lady in the pink dress completely outshone the two young masters of the Owen family in terms of wealth, and even got them to be her chauffeur?"

Wow, that's amazing!

"Now I guess not many people will dare to pursue her. No one among the freshmen can afford to offend the young master of the Owen family."

After this experience, many students who were originally planning to pursue Luo Wei'er inevitably had second thoughts. The remaining students, although they did not give up, became more cautious and began to consider how to improve their conditions in order to attract the attention of this young lady.

And so, not long after the start of the semester, Siltia and her two roommates began a life that was both striking and relatively peaceful.

(End of this chapter)