Miss Witch, even if we're poor, we can't sell ourselves!

Miya stood at the door, her finger hovering over the door panel, hesitating for a moment.

In those few seconds, a lot of things ran through her mind.

Is Professor Meredith busy? Was it too abrupt for me to suddenly come here? The bottle of herbal tea I wanted to give Meredith was just something I bought casually at a convenience store on the corner. Was the packaging too casual? Her panel is so bad, would the academician really be willing to teach her?

Then she took a deep breath, suppressed all those chaotic thoughts, bent her fingers, and tapped them three times lightly.

dong dong dong.

"Please come in."

Meredith's voice came through the crack in the door, as gentle as it had been that night at Nightingale's Nest.

Miya pushed open the door, peeked her head in first, and then tiptoed into the room like a kitten exploring a new cat's nest.

Meredith's lab was larger than she had imagined, but also much messier.

Three walls are lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, each shelf crammed with books, scrolls, and loose manuscripts. Some stacks are so high they've tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, only held together by a small, floating, stabilizing magic circle.

In the center of the room was a huge solid wood desk, on which lay three or four thick books. The margins of the pages were covered with annotations written in neat but messy handwriting, clearly indicating that the person writing them thought faster than they wrote.

In the corner stood a working magical instrument, its pale blue flames burning quietly inside a glass container—that must have been the source of the light Miya had seen through the crack in the door.

Meredith was sitting behind the desk.

Her long, dark brown hair wasn't tied in a low ponytail today; instead, it was casually draped over her shoulders.

Gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, the lenses reflecting the instrument's deep blue light.

She was wearing a dark gray cardigan with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing her fair but slightly thin wrists.

Just like that night, there were dark circles under his eyes and fine red blood vessels in his eyes, clearly indicating that he had stayed up all night again.

But when she saw Miya's golden head peeking in through the door, her expression lit up immediately.

"Miya?"

Meredith took off her glasses and placed them on the table, looking quite surprised.

"Why are you here? Come in, come in quickly, don't just stand at the door."

She stood up, walked around the desk, and as she went, she casually pushed the stacks of papers that were about to fall off the table into a safe area. Then, as if remembering something, she quickly walked to the corner and turned off the buzzing magic device.

After the cold, blue flames died down, the room became much softer, leaving only the morning light streaming in through the arched windows, casting a warm, golden glow on the floor.

Mi Ye walked in, her steps a little slower than usual. She had pulled her hoodie sleeves up so long that only half of her fingers were showing.

She stopped in front of the desk, then took the bottle of herbal tea out of her handbag and presented it to Meredith with both hands.

It's just a very simple bottle of herbal tea. The glass bottle has a convenience store price tag on it, and the tag hasn't been completely removed yet, leaving a small piece of white edge.

"Thank you for your hard work, teacher."

Miya's voice was a size softer than usual, her eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes.

"This... is for you."

Meredith took the herbal tea, glanced down at the small white border on the label that hadn't been completely torn off, then looked up at the little girl in front of her who was so nervous that she had hidden her hands with her sweatshirt sleeves, and a very faint tenderness rose in her eyes.

"Thank you."

She placed the herbal tea in the most conspicuous spot on her desk, directly above the stack of academic papers that was taller than her head.

"I don't have any plans this afternoon. I'm bored to death sitting alone in the lab revising my paper. I'd be happy if you came and chat with me."

Miya raised her head and met Meredith's gaze.

The academician spoke casually, leaning against the edge of the desk, his fingers idly fiddling with the cap of the flower tea bottle, as if chatting with a long-time friend.

But Miya realized that Meredith was trying to comfort her.

That statement that he didn't have any plans for the day was probably a lie; the books spread out on the table and the half-finished annotations were proof of that.

But she told these lies so naturally, so casually, as if they were more real than the truth, with only one purpose: to prevent Mi Ye from feeling like she was a nuisance.

Miya silently thanked him in her heart, without saying it aloud, but simply loosened her fingers hidden in her sleeve.

"Teacher, I...I have a request."

Miya pulled her hands out of her sleeves, clasped them in front of her, straightened her body, and spoke with a much firmer tone than when she entered.

"I want to learn magic. Although my foundation is very weak and my stats are terrible, I really want to learn."

After she finished speaking, she held her breath, as if waiting for the moment when the exam results would be announced.

Meredith looked at her but did not answer immediately.

She tilted her head slightly, a gesture somewhat similar to Flores', then reached out and gently placed her slender fingers on Miya's head, ruffling her fluffy, short golden hair.

Have you received any formal magical education before?

Mi Ye pursed her lips and shook her head.

"No, I only attended magic school for a year before I was expelled before I even learned any magic. After that, I stayed in a rented room... I've never even touched a wand."

Meredith slid her hand from the top of her head to her shoulder and patted her gently twice.

"It's okay. Magic doesn't care about where you start; it only cares whether you're willing to learn."

Her voice lowered.

"As long as you are willing to work hard, you will definitely reap the rewards."

"I have been teaching in the Moon Forest for so many years. I have seen too many students who were exceptionally talented but arrogant and gave up halfway. I have also seen a few children who started from a very low point but went very far in the end."

"You're no worse than anyone else, understand?"

Miya nodded vigorously, but her throat felt like it was stuffed with hot cotton, and she couldn't speak.

"If you have any questions in the future, feel free to contact me on WW. You know my ID. Or you can come directly to the research lab. I spend most of my time here."

Meredith suddenly smiled and added a sentence.

"Anyway, you're not afraid of me like other students. After all, you let me sleep on your lap for an hour."

Miya's face flushed red instantly, the emotion she had just felt instantly overwhelmed by shame. She opened her mouth as if to explain something, but Meredith had already waved his hand with a smile, indicating that he was just joking.

Then she straightened up, pulled a chair from behind the desk and placed it in front of Miya, then sat down on the edge of the desk herself, crossing her long legs at her ankles, clasping her hands on her knees, her expression regaining the focused concentration characteristic of a scholar.

"Before I begin the formal instruction, I need to examine your consciousness, is that alright?"

"The Sea of ​​Consciousness?"

Miya blinked. She had only heard the word a few times, but had never actually encountered it before.

"right."

Meredith nodded.

"Every witch has a sea of ​​consciousness, also called a spiritual space."

"It is the source of your magic, and the place where you store all the magic you have learned, all your memories, and all the branches of your mind."

You can think of it as a world that belongs only to you.

"Your magic is born there, your thoughts operate there, and your talents take root there."

She reached out and gently tapped her temple with her finger.

"Everyone's sea of ​​consciousness is different. Some are like a library, some are like a forest, some are like a starry sky, and some are like a city."

"The form of your sea of ​​consciousness is related to your personality, experiences, and talents."

"Once I'm inside, I'll be able to see what your magic flow path is like, which direction of magic your talent is better suited for, and exactly where your current foundation lies."

Meredith spoke her last words with a hint of a smile, but there was no sarcasm in that smile.

Then her expression turned slightly serious, and she leaned forward slightly, her deep blue eyes looking intently at Miya through her gold-rimmed glasses.

"However, there's one thing I need to tell you beforehand: the feeling of having someone else enter your sea of ​​consciousness might be a little strange."

"...How should I put it? It's like someone gently pushing open a door to your private space. You might feel a little uncomfortable, or even a little shy. That's all normal."

"If you feel unwell, just tell me and I'll come out immediately, understand?"

Miya listened attentively, then nodded.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, relaxed her body on the back of the chair, placed her hands flat on her knees, and spread her fingers slightly.

The morning light streamed in through the window, falling on her short, golden hair and gilding each stray strand with a halo of light.

Meredith looked at her obedient yet nervous appearance, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.

Then she raised her hand and gently touched Mi Ye's brow with her fingertips.

"Relax, don't think about anything, just like you're about to fall asleep."

A soft blue light emanated from her fingertips, seeping into Mi Ye's brow little by little, like a glowing pebble being thrown into a calm lake.

Mi Ye's breathing paused slightly.

That feeling was indeed very strange.

It felt as if some warm and soft liquid was slowly injected into her brain from the point between her eyebrows, and then flowed through her entire body along a channel she had never been aware of before.

She could feel her own body and Meredith's fingertips, but on top of these sensations lay an even deeper layer of perception.

There was a space she had never actively opened, which was being gently knocked on by another tender will.

She instinctively gripped the fabric of her hoodie on her knees, but didn't call for a stop.

A thin blush rose on her cheeks, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her breathing became a few beats shorter than usual.

But her lips were pursed tightly, revealing a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.

Meredith closed his eyes and slowly probed his consciousness into Mi Ye's sea of ​​consciousness.