Otaku Witch

Seeing the aggrieved look on her niece's face, the Spider Witch also fell silent for a moment.

Alright, she had probably, maybe, quite possibly, indeed somewhat neglected Audrey this month.

Alas, the affection between aunt and niece had ultimately faded.

Realizing this, Noelle Rose ultimately didn't have the face to blame her niece for not telling her such an important thing.

Of course, at this moment she was too busy being overjoyed to be angry, after all, the missy who was famous across campus, described as the Devil King's second, was indeed my apprentice.

Hehehe... hold it in, smile, can't be too smug, keep it low-key, low-key.

She struggled to suppress the urge to smile too broadly, but ultimately couldn't keep it completely at bay.

In this moment, she who always revered talent above all else could only feel that this apprentice was simply too fantastic, and she was willing to do anything for such an impressive apprentice; she was already without regrets in this life.

Only...
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Looking at her dear apprentice's thirsty gaze, the Spider Witch's heart gave another twinge.

Ah no, done for, where does she have any teaching materials for what comes next?

After all, in her original teaching plan, just the basic theory was expected to take up around 20 years, so naturally there was no need to prepare the advanced strengthening courses so soon.

But who could have known that her dear apprentice was that famously formidable missy, the fierce individual who, after Lord Demon King, was the second to pass the collective exams of the Nine Major Schools, a budding Sage, whose foundations may well be more solid than those of her own teacher.

Now the question arises, as the so-called advanced teaching materials have only just reached the stage of creating new folders, how is she to explain this to her dear apprentice?

Darn it, is having a too-talented apprentice also a kind of trouble?

Noelle Rose felt somewhat overwhelmed at this point.

Naturally, she still had plenty of knowledge to share; after all, she was a double master. Even if Dorothy were incredibly talented, she would have to go through the strengthening course, the elite course, the professional course, and finally the master course after the already completed basic course to truly exhaust her teacher.

Right, corresponding respectively to the five professional levels of apprentice, journeyman, elite, expert, and master.

But just having knowledge doesn't mean it can be taught casually. Many renowned scholars are great at research but rubbish at teaching, only ever reciting from textbooks.

Therefore, how to teach in a way that is easy to understand, systematically clear, and accurately comprehensive, turning those high-concept topics into content a little witch can grasp is quite a troublesome process.

This apprentice is such a genius, and Noelle Rose does not want to ruin her by teaching carelessly. If by some inadvertent mistake she were to set her on the wrong path, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. But comprehensive teaching materials require time to prepare, and she simply didn't have that time now.

Darn, today was just not her day.

But now her dear apprentice was looking at her with so much anticipation. Could she, as a teacher, say it was not possible?

Of course not, so...

"Ahem... Dorothy, both architecture and puppetry have never been just about theory. Working in isolation will not yield good work; now that your theory is solid, let's start moving into practical lessons."

Noelle Rose had a sudden inspiration, then cleared her throat and said.

"First, go check out the academy forum to see if you can find some jobs that interest you. Take some on to get some practice, and you can earn a little extra too. Be bold and don't worry about messing up; your teacher will back you up."

These weren't just words to buy time; architecture indeed requires practice. If one does not spend days on site moving bricks and applying plaster, no amount of theory will ever make one an architect.

However, Dorothy having just solidified her theoretical foundation and jumping straight to taking on jobs was indeed a bit premature; normally, architectural apprentices at this stage must intern with their teacher for several years, learning and watching before having the capacity to take on jobs by themselves.

But my precious apprentice is no ordinary person; a genius like her becoming independent early isn't really a big problem. Let her give it a try first, and if she really can't handle it, I'll step in to ensure everything works out.

Moreover, practical experience is different from book learning, Dorothy's accelerated learning talent won't be of much help here. An engineering project like this would take her a month or two at least.

With this month or two as a buffer, I have some hope of getting a draft of the enhanced teaching materials prepared if I hunker down and work like mad.

Although this means I won't be getting any sleep for the next couple of months, that's okay. After all, I'm willing to do anything for my beloved apprentice, so what if it's a bit hard and tiring?

Right, that's settled then; all my incarnations will stop all activities for the next two months and focus solely on preparing lessons!

Deep underground, the physical body of Spider Teacher gritted her teeth and issued her orders with fierce determination.

"Uh, Teacher, can I really start taking on independent commissions so soon?"

Upon hearing her teacher's words, Dorothy's eyes lit up.

To be honest, after a month of learning, she was getting an itch to start building something herself. But as an apprentice who hadn't yet graduated, she didn't have the guts to take on commissions alone. She had to suppress her urge, but now that her teacher had spoken, there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Of course! Go ahead and do it, Audrey, you'll be your sister's assistant first, watch more, and learn more," encouraged Noelle Rose, smiling at her precious apprentice and speaking to her own niece as well.

Well, after all, she was going to be locked away writing teaching materials and genuinely wouldn't have time for classes.

Audrey: "..."

Little Fox was utterly baffled.

Wait a minute, my aunt, I came here to learn Puppetry Technique, not that I must learn Architecture. Why do I now have to go to the construction site with my sister?

Little Fox was bitterly cold again; she really didn't have her aunt with her.

But then again, she thought, since her materials were already optimized by her sister, there was no loss in leaving her aunt as a teacher. Perhaps she would learn even better from her sister.

So, in the end, Audrey nodded her head, not objecting either.

Life is tough, sighed the fox.

As for Dorothy, she had no complaints about this since an assistant, especially a free one, was always welcome.

At that moment, she was already brimming with enthusiasm, pulling out her spellbook, logging onto the Witch Academy forum, and entering the craftsman section to look for interesting commissions in the construction category.

Only...

Tch, what's all this? Why do all the orders require a club to take them? Are you discriminating against individual architects?

Homebody Witch was cold with anger as she looked at the uniform demand for construction teams on the Academy's construction board.

But when she thought about it, it made sense. It's common for individuals to take commissions in other industries, but in the construction world, witches with the ability to build entire structures on their own are few and far between.

Those going solo are either noobs or top-notch experts, and at the Witch Academy, where everyone is an apprentice, it's almost like wanting to reach the skies to think of going solo.

Normally, it isn't easy for an apprentice to complete a business deal alone, but it's relatively simple if several apprentices with complementary skills form a club. For instance, one handles the design, another the construction, and another the interior decorations.

Dorothy understood a little of everything, and she truly believed she could handle it all on her own, but her confidence was irrelevant if others didn't trust her, especially when orders specifically requested construction clubs.

Forgetting about it, establishing a club was already part of the plan anyway, so let's do it all at once. Now, to think about how to gather the numbers.

...Homebody Witch pondering...