So I Became a Witch and Started Doing Daily Quests

Chapter 129: Three-School Joint Examination

The script adaptation of "Song of the Ocean" would still take some time, so today, Janna merely chatted with David Berg about ideas for the work, without any other business.

Around two o’clock in the afternoon, seeing that the troupe had no further arrangements, Janna, who valued time like gold, confirmed that she would still be paid as usual even if she left early today. With no burden, she returned to White Coral Academy.

“Miss Janna, around noon an apprentice named Bell Moonshadow came looking for you. When she saw you weren’t in, she left a card and an envelope and departed.”

“And the items?”

“I placed them on the lab table in your dormitory.”

Having more or less guessed Bell Moonshadow’s purpose for visiting, Janna immediately pushed open the door and walked quickly to the lab table in the dorm.

“Sure enough, it’s money!”

Seeing the single-use Withdrawal Card from Bauhinia Bank on the lab table, Janna couldn’t hide the excitement in her expression.

She then quickly opened the envelope placed beneath the card.

“So, the auction closing price for the Shadow Cloak was 8,700 Gold Surrel after tax? That’s about what I estimated.—”

Inside the envelope was the transaction receipt from the Turin Auction House. On the back of the receipt was the transfer notice for Janna’s share—2,900 Gold Surrel.

It was, as agreed from the beginning, an equal split among the three.

Although Janna’s Celestial Finch had played a critical role in locating the Darksun Apostle, Bell Moonshadow’s earlier efforts in finding the Shadow Rift, and Vivian’s use of the Explosive Rune to blow away the Mist Tower apprentices, had all been equally important in the mission.

Precisely because of this, when Vivian and Bell Moonshadow suggested that Janna take the larger share of the reward, she had firmly refused.

On one hand, taking the larger share would only mean a few hundred more Gold Surrel than an equal split—hardly worth it.

On the other, she valued the healthy, long-term cooperation and teamwork she had built with the two far more than a few hundred coins.

Seeing that, Vivian also resolutely declined any extra compensation for the Explosive Rune, stating that she hadn’t contributed much in finding the Darksun Apostle.

In her eyes, her portion of the reward already covered the rune’s cost.

“This really eases my finances———”

“Knock knock knock—”

Just as Janna was immersed in the joy of her sudden windfall, a familiar tapping on the window brought her back to her senses.

“Good afternoon, Rook.”

“Hello, polite apprentice. This is your letter.”

She opened the window and took the letter that Rook held in his beak.

Before she could even read who the sender was, Rook had already spread his wings and flown to the next dormitory window.

“Another academy-wide notice?”

[Notice: ① Year-end exams for all grades at White Coral Academy will be held as scheduled in October. All apprentices are advised to begin their review in preparation; ② At the end of October, this year’s ‘Three-School Joint Examination’ will be held. All Second Tier Wizard Apprentices are required to participate. The host location will be Blackbone Grove Academy. Specific dates will be announced later.]

“Three-School Joint Examination?”

Reading the letter, Janna couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

The part about year-end exams didn’t stir much in her except for the feeling that the notification came a bit early this year.

After all, they were always held in October.

What really surprised her was the mention of the “Three-School Joint Examination.”

In previous years, the joint examination hosted by White Coral Academy, Blackbone Grove, and Mist Tower had always targeted Third Tier Wizard Apprentices. But this year, it was now aimed at Second Tier Wizard Apprentices.

“Though odd—it might actually be a good thing for me—”

As a long-standing tradition, the “Three-School Joint Examination” was a major event not only for the three major academies but also for the entire wizard community in Turin.

For apprentices, beyond the high rewards for good rankings, it also allowed them to step out of their comfort zones and clearly recognize where they stood among their peers in Turin.

For the academies, each “Three-School Joint Examination” was essentially a comprehensive aptitude test.

Hidden talents and dark horses who had never shown their strengths could all rise from it.

The fact that such a rare opportunity, traditionally reserved for Third Tier Apprentices, had now fallen to Second Tier Apprentices was an unexpected delight for Janna, who had only recently been promoted to Second Tier Wizard Apprentice.

“Many of the apprentices joining the test will be seasoned Second Tiers, definitely not lacking in skills—so that means I only have three months left.”

With that thought, Janna pinched the Withdrawal Card in her hand that still hadn't warmed up. After a moment of consideration, she took her things and once again left the dormitory.

“Miss Janna, heading out again?”

“If anyone comes looking for me, just say I went out. Have them leave a message.”

After instructing the Door Spirit, Janna pulled up the hood of her Wizard Robe, took the elevator, and hurriedly left the dormitory building.

“Everchanging Form!”

Tap—lightly touching the ground with her toe, Janna, unwilling to waste any time, immediately cast Partial Transfiguration to take on the form of Emerald Butterfly Wings and fluttered away.

Passing through the Vine Corridor, beneath the dappled sunlight filtering through tree shadows, Janna quickly reached Turin City. She folded her wings, walked briskly into Bauhinia Bank, and withdrew all the Gold Surrel from the Withdrawal Card.

“Miss Janna, since the withdrawal amount is rather large, the tray won’t fit everything. So I put all the Gold Surrel into this cloth pouch.”

Seeing Hui pass over a thick, purple cloth pouch about half an arm’s length through the teller window, Janna, encountering so much money for the first time, used her Muscle Control talent to keep her face composed.

She deftly picked up the pouch, and after confirming the amount, tucked it inside the wide sleeve of her Wizard Robe.

“If you’re interested in long-term deposits, I can recommend some accounts with favorable interest rates—”

“Next time for sure. I’m heading off now.”

“Of course. Looking forward to your next visit, Miss Janna—”

Watching her hurriedly leave, Hui, whose hand rested beneath the counter, couldn’t help but touch the pink purse-shaped Interdimensional Storage Pouch he had never gotten the chance to give away.

“Sigh—seems this gift will never be given——”

Ding-ling-ling—

As the entrance bell gently rang, the same young female sales assistant who had served Janna last time greeted her with a bright smile.

“Welcome to Raccoon Cat’s New Apparel—? Y-You’re Miss Janna Roland from the Nightingale Opera Troupe, aren’t you?”

Looking at that exquisitely beautiful face beneath the hood, the young sales assistant with baby-fat cheeks stammered with excitement, staring at Janna—