Chapter 11
Chapter 11
This time, she was really, really dead for sure.
【Current Fate Points: 10】
……?
Ling Xi’s movements paused.
The spatula was still suspended midair, and the piece of Flame-Scaled Boar loin in the pan sizzled, releasing an enticing aroma.
Ling Xi leaned closer to the pan and gave it a light sniff.
“This smells pretty good, doesn’t it??”
“You just said you weren’t picky about food!!”
What did the system mean by this, was it going to deduct wages for not meeting performance targets?
Wait, was Scarlet Moon going to dock her pay too??
She took a deep breath and plated the already cooked pork chop.
There were still the prepared Prismatic Mushrooms left in the pan.
She picked up the spatula again, poured the Prismatic Mushrooms into the pan, and stir-fried them quickly.
Soon, two portions of lunch that looked fairly presentable were ready.
She found a small metal serving cart and placed the two plates, knives and forks, along with two glasses of water on it.
The metal cart was slowly pushed forward, its wheels producing faint sounds against the floor.
The plates were set on the table, and the knives and forks clinked with a crisp sound.
Scarlet Moon walked down from the second floor, her footsteps light.
She sat at the other end of the dining table and picked up her knife and fork.
Metal cut through the pork chop, producing a scraping sound.
A small piece of meat was brought to her mouth, and she chewed.
“The heat was too high.”
Ling Xi’s fingers tightened around her fork.
“The meat fibers were damaged, and the texture turned dry and tough.”
【Scarlet Moon is dissatisfied with your cooking skills. Fate Points -1】
【Current Fate Points: 9】
…It really deducted points.
Scarlet Moon picked up another small piece of Prismatic Mushroom.
“The toxins were handled very cleanly.”
“However, you stir-fried them for too long. Too much moisture was lost, and they lost their original crisp texture.”
【Scarlet Moon finds your cautiousness dull. Fate Points -1】
【Current Fate Points: 8】
That deducted points too?
Ling Xi lowered her head and poked at the pork chop on her plate with her fork.
The meal tasted like nothing.
The plates were cleared away, and the serving cart was pushed back into the kitchen.
Dishes clinked against each other in the sink.
“After you finish eating, go wash my clothes.”
“Hand wash them. Don’t use that Cleaning Spell of yours.”
...
By the time she finished a whole day of work, it was already 5 p.m.
Only then did Ling Xi return to the main hall and pick up that book, Foundations of Magic Studies.
She moved a chair over, sat down at the table, and solemnly opened the book.
The title on the first page alone made her feel as if her brain was starting to suffocate.
What even was all this supposed to mean?
She forced herself to read word by word.
The text was obscure, the diagrams complicated.
mental energy, magic circuits, spell models.
Each concept felt like its own separate world, and now she had to cram all those worlds into her head.
After flipping through more than a dozen pages, a highlighted passage caught her attention.
“For beginners, one’s mental energy has yet to stabilize. Directly releasing a spell model is highly likely to fail and may result in backlash.
Therefore, it is necessary to use specific syllables, namely chanting, to assist in guiding mental energy and ensure the stable release of the spell.”
Ling Xi’s eyelid twitched.
Chanting?
Wasn’t that just like having to channel a skill?
In a game, you just pressed a key. Here, she actually had to recite incantations.
The wind-up was way too long. It would be useless in real combat.
What if she got interrupted halfway through?
The Cleaning Spell she had exchanged with points earlier did not seem to require chanting.
Perhaps it was because that spell was too basic?
She continued reading. The book even included the complete chanting incantation and gesture diagrams for the most basic Light Spell.
The incantation was three full lines long, with seven changes in hand gestures.
For a lighting skill, it was made to look like she was about to cast some forbidden spell.
She placed the book on the floor and stood up.
Her fingers clumsily imitated the first gesture from the book, nearly cramping.
She took a deep breath and, facing the incantation in the book, tried to make a sound.
【Listen…】
【Gather the radiance within the void…】
【At my fingertips… manifest…】
As the final syllable fell, she completed the last gesture.
At her fingertip, a tiny speck of light flickered.
Then it went out.
Like a light bulb with a loose connection.
But her heart still began pounding uncontrollably.
It worked!
Even though the effect was practically nonexistent, this proved that the path was viable!
She immediately flipped to the back of the book, searching for the next spell that looked simple and practical.
Fireball Spell.
On the page was a drawing of a round little fireball, with its incantation and hand gestures annotated beside it.
This incantation was even longer, and the gestures more complicated.
She cleared her throat and focused her mind.
【Floating heat…】
【Heed my call…】
【Become an arrow that scorches all things…】
Her mental energy was stirred, gathering between her hands.
The temperature of the air seemed to rise slightly.
A fist-sized, unstable fireball flickered into shape above her palm.
It worked!
Just as the final syllable was about to leave her lips—
Tap.
A clear footstep came from the corner of the corridor not far away.
Ling Xi’s attention was disrupted for a split second.
The gathered fireball lost control.
【…Launch!】
She subconsciously finished the last word.
The fist-sized fireball detached from her palm and flew crookedly toward the direction the sound had come from.
Scarlet Moon had just stepped out from around the corner.
Puff.
A soft sound.
The fireball struck squarely against Scarlet Moon’s chest.
It was over.
She was dead for sure.
This time, she was really, really dead.
Her mind went completely blank, with only those few words wildly flashing across it over and over.
“Miss, I…”
Ling Xi’s lips were trembling, yet she could not force out a single complete word.
Apologize? Explain? Beg for mercy?
“Oh my?”
She let out a cute rising syllable, and a smile slowly bloomed across her face.
“So this was the first offensive spell my little maid learned?”
“Using it to entertain her master, how very enthusiastic.”
As she spoke, she walked toward Ling Xi.
That smile made Ling Xi’s scalp prickle. She instinctively backed away, only for her back to hit the sofa, leaving her nowhere to retreat.
Scarlet Moon did not stop. She walked right up to her and bent down.
“Eh?”
Ling Xi let out a short cry of surprise.
A force came from behind her back and beneath her knees, and her body was lifted into the air in an instant.
Scarlet Moon picked her up directly in a standard bridal carry.
With her body deprived of support, she could only instinctively reach out and wrap her arms around the other woman’s neck to keep her balance.
Scarlet Moon’s face was right before her eyes, so close that she could clearly see, reflected in those crimson eyes, her own flustered face.
“Your control is too poor.”
Scarlet Moon ignored her struggle, carried her in her arms, and turned toward the staircase.
“Even a fireball this weak went out of control.”
Her steps were steady. Carrying a person felt as effortless as carrying a bouquet of flowers.
They passed through a long corridor and climbed the spiraling stairs.
The sound of the wind poured into her ears.
Scarlet Moon pushed open a heavy stone door and brought her to the open-air platform at the top of the tower.
She carefully set Ling Xi down on the ground.
As her feet touched the hard stone floor again, Ling Xi’s legs were still a little weak.
The fierce wind lifted her silver hair and the skirt of her maid outfit.
“Try it again.”
Scarlet Moon’s voice came from behind her.
A pair of slightly cool arms wrapped around Ling Xi’s waist from behind, enclosing her whole body in an embrace.
Scarlet Moon’s chin gently came to rest in the hollow of Ling Xi’s shoulder.
Her hands covered Ling Xi’s hands, guiding her into the spellcasting gesture.
“Recite the incantation from earlier again.”