Chapter 172: Reward from Blackbone Grove

Because today was the first day of winter break, the academy suddenly became very busy.

Aside from a small number of people occupied with end-of-year socializing, most were packing their luggage, preparing to return home.

Similarly, due to many having already purchased tickets for the last magical steam train of the day in advance, the originally scheduled “Annual Meeting” by the White Ballet Shoes Club had to be cancelled and replaced with a small-scale dinner gathering.

So, after parting ways with Vivian Rose, Janna was once again invited by Richard Eva to attend a long-awaited internal dinner in the private room of the Feathered String Tavern.

The attendees of this small-scale gathering were all familiar faces to Janna—besides Soro Flare, Bell Moonshadow, Lo Silverfox, and Hugh Stone, this time even David Berg managed to take time out of his busy schedule to join the dinner.

From the initial slight awkwardness to the lively chatting after a few rounds of drinks—

With the atmosphere warmed by alcohol, everyone’s mood became exceptionally relaxed.

By the end of the dinner, David Berg even took the initiative to distribute VIP tickets to the Nightingale Opera Troupe to everyone present.

At the same time, David Berg patted his chest and guaranteed that this “new production” under his supervision would be a groundbreaking masterpiece!

He repeatedly emphasized that every one of them must come to see the premiere at the Nightingale Opera Troupe—it was absolutely not to be missed.

After hearing David Berg’s introduction, everyone’s curiosity was piqued, and they all started pressing Janna for spoilers.

After all, everyone now knew that Janna was the leading actress in the Nightingale Opera Troupe, second only to Anna Moonshadow—and she was sure to play a major role in David Berg’s new work.

The only unknown was which female lead role she would play.

“Janna is the protagonist!”

Under everyone’s persistent questioning, David Berg, who initially had no intention of spoiling anything, couldn’t help but reveal a bit of inside information.

After speaking, he even raised his eyebrows proudly and looked at Janna with a face full of pride.

“Don’t worry, if it’s not good, I’ll refund your ticket—wait, no, you’re all invited for free anyway.”

“Then we still want our money back!”

As the drinks continued to flow, so did the conversations.

Especially Richard Eva—after drinking, it was like he had become a completely different person. The former restraint was gone, and he laughed the loudest of them all.

“All right, it’s getting late. For this last drink, I must say a few words—”

Seeing that the clock in the private room had already struck eleven, the somewhat tipsy Richard Eva wobbled as he raised his glass filled with strong liquor and said solemnly:

“This year, I’m very happy to have met all of you. I hope that in the coming year, we can continue to support and help each other. Let us always remember the original intention with which we founded our club—Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year!”

The crisp clinking of glasses rang out across the dining table, and with those slightly early New Year blessings, the small-scale “Annual Meeting” of the White Ballet Shoes Club concluded in a harmonious atmosphere.

The night breeze was brisk, the night frost slightly cold.

Having only drunk fruit wine throughout the dinner, Janna was just a little tipsy by the end.

Once she stepped out of the Feathered String Tavern and was hit by the cold wind, the last traces of alcohol in her system quickly dissipated.

Among the attendees, besides Janna, everyone else was a local apprentice from Turin City.

So, after politely declining Soro Flare’s offer to escort her back to the dormitory, Janna walked alone beneath the dappled shadows of the trees, bathed in moonlight, and strolled back to her dormitory.

“Miss Janna, there’s a package for you.”

Just as she arrived at the dormitory entrance, the Door Spirit spoke up and turned around, pulling out a tightly wrapped black box from within the painting.

“Thank you, Door Spirit.”

“No trouble at all—this is what I’m supposed to do!”

Lightly weighing the box in her hand, Janna could clearly feel that its contents weren’t light. After entering the room, she walked straight to the experiment table.

“I didn’t expect Blackbone Grove to be so efficient. It’s only the third day, and they’ve already delivered the reward for the ‘Three-School Joint Examination’—”

With the alcohol completely worn off, Janna took off her Wizard Robe and impatiently cast a spell to lift the restriction on the package.

“What a pure aura… this must be top-quality Elemental Essence—”

After opening the box and seeing the inner walls covered in water droplets, a trace of joy flashed across Janna’s face.

“It’s Water Elemental Essence. Not bad luck.”

Although the top ten Elemental Essences were distributed randomly, Janna personally didn’t want to receive an essence with an attribute conflicting with her own, like Dark Essence…

As a Summoning Wizard of the Mysterious-Side, Janna could theoretically contract Magical Creatures from Another World of any element.

However, there was a question of “control.”

Especially creatures summoned through top-tier Elemental Essence would naturally be powerful and full of potential.

If the attributes were compatible, Janna had great confidence in subduing them.

But if the attributes clashed, regardless of strength, Magical Creatures from Another World that were naturally averse to conflicting attributes would inevitably react strongly against Janna.

Even if she managed to forcefully subdue it, Janna, who was only a Second Tier Wizard Apprentice, would not be able to control it effectively.

In extreme cases, the Contract Summoned Creature might even retaliate with a “mutual destruction” mindset, which would be a complete loss.

“After Aph’s evolution, my Soul Power will no longer be additionally burdened. This is the perfect opportunity to conduct the third 【Spirit Summoning】 ritual—”

However, the Elemental Essence in Janna’s hand was nothing like the cheap materials used when summoning a Flame Guardian.

This was truly a top-tier elemental material, extremely rare and valuable.

Therefore, just to be safe and ensure the material was used to its fullest, Janna needed to prepare thoroughly before officially conducting the 【Spirit Summoning】 ritual.

“The next reward… is for the first-place winner of the ‘Three-School Joint Examination’—”

As she continued unwrapping the other item inside the box, which was wrapped in thick silver foil, Janna couldn’t help but feel a bit of anticipation.

“Hm? This is—”

Looking at the metallic, pineapple-shaped oval object before her, Janna’s eyes showed a hint of helplessness.

“Another Miraculous Alchemical Seed—”

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