Mage Manual-Chapter 288 - 248: I’m Reluctant to Spend Money on the Observer!

Sword Flower University, Harvest Orchard.

Mifa dressed in her work uniform stepped out of the treehouse, ready to start her day on duty. She looked up, the blazing sun shamelessly clutched her tightly, turning the entire orchard into the sun’s forbidden reserve, baking everything intensely. The weather station had clearly predicted a sunny day with scattered clouds—true to Jiale City’s clouds, which, like nobles, had gone off course by morning.

Although the glass curtain walls of the orchard had blocked out the heat, Mifa wasn’t too fond of such a bright working environment.

Her hometown was praised as the City of Melons and Fruits, but the price to pay was at least twenty hours of ample sunlight per day. During her first few days in Jiale City, she would lie on the lawn at night to watch the stars, and even fell asleep there—an utterly delightful feeling without any light piercing her eyes.

After greeting the other part-time students, Mifa settled down at her wooden tree counter. Before her were ’fruit trees’, but instead of fruits, the trees bore ’Fluorite’ which sealed Technique Spirits.

Covered by glass walls, the Harvest Orchard had hundreds of trees, each bearing at least twenty ’fruits’, meaning that there were thousands of Sealed Technique Spirits here, including high-level Two-winged and Three-winged.

This was the place—Sword Flower University’s Technique Spirit trading center, the Harvest Orchard.

Like the forest library, Sword Flower University did not like to create a conventional Technique Spirit trading center, but rather adopted this orchard-style display, letting students see various rare Technique Spirits hanging right above their heads every time they stepped into the orchard. This was far more thrilling than looking at a Technique Spirit catalog.

You can see them, but you can’t pick them. Ah, it teases you!

Despite seeming defenseless, this orchard was the work of a Legendary Mage. The last student who tried to steal a fruit almost ended up becoming part of the trees. Not only could it restrain Technique Spirits and guard against thieves, but it also continuously nourished the Technique Spirits using the trees as a medium, making it quite a renowned Technique Spirit trading platform in Jiale City—although it could not compare with the Technique Spirit quality from Truth University’s Knowledge Grave.

Yet regarding her work environment, Mifa had little to complain about, as she would mostly sit behind the counter browsing forums via the Veil.

Not a local of Jiale City, Mifa wasn’t poor either; her parents were Mage specialists in the local agricultural bureau, considered quite noble in their community. It was due to their nurturing that Mifa managed to secure admission to Sword Flower University.

Thanks to her parents’ insistence, Mifa had been working part-time since her first year at university. She didn’t need the money, but the rewards of working weren’t just monetary—they included Sword Flower Points.

Sword Flower Points were not a currency, but an indicator to assess students. Students could earn points through regular learning competitions, ranking high in final exams, inventing Miracle Techniques, and reaching certain thresholds in points would elevate their student status, which included ranks like ordinary white students, green outstanding students, gold Honored Students, and Legendary orange students.

It was naturally beneficial for students as their status levels increased, with most students actively participating in campus life to earn points.

However, most students who had been top performers locally before joining Sword Flower University thought they could earn points by winning competitions and securing top ranks. Even Mifa arrived with thoughts of ’I must study hard,’ ’I need to be top three in grades,’ ’I want to compete,’ and ’What if I get an offer from Truth University, should I accept it?’

Reality quickly humbled these proud students; now competing against peers who were equally talented, only a small handful could outshine the rest—while most played the part of supporting greenery.

It would typically take students one to two years to truly understand and accept their mediocrity, but by then, there weren’t many ways left to earn points, often graduating as ’ordinary students.’

Warned incessantly by her parents, Mifa chose the safest route from the start: working.

Though not abundant, working for Sword Flower University was the most stable way to earn points.

Her parents had calculated that as long as Mifa continued to work for four years and graduated normally as a Mage, she could graduate as an ’Honored Student.’

The benefits of being an ’Honored Student’ were tremendous. Not only could she retain her student status forever, continue using school facilities even after graduation, but there was also another perk—Sword Flower University’s teaching positions were prioritized for Honored Students!

If Mifa could secure a position at Sword Flower University, she could settle in Jiale City!

Unlike her parents, who were allocated to an agricultural city requiring twenty hours of sun a day post-graduation, where they could only grasp a glimpse of bustling city life through Veil dramas, living in Jiale City, becoming a ’preparatory noble’, was both her parents’ hope and Mifa’s aspiration.

But she wasn’t working just for the points; in fact, she thoroughly enjoyed her part-time job in the orchard.

Every day, students came to buy or sell Technique Spirits, and through these transactions, Mifa could catch a glimpse into corners of their lives. Some students, not well-known usually, reaped substantial rewards in the Void Realm; some bought many different faction Technique Spirits, seemingly planning to switch factions; some spent a lot of money on Technique Spirits not belonging to their faction—perhaps as a birthday gift for a lover...

Buying and selling Technique Spirits required real silver—there was no clearer vote than this.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺