Chapter 104: Fan Gift
"Please count it."
Looking at the tray pushed in front of her by the Gray-skinned Goblin, Jia Na quickly verified the amount with just a mental scan.
"The amount is correct."
"Okay, here is your withdrawal card—"
After retrieving her withdrawal card, Jia Na saw the Gray-skinned Goblin's hesitant expression. Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Jia Na pretended not to notice and directly poured all the jin sule on the tray into her clam-shell purse.
.
"Miss Jia Na, I am a loyal fan of yours—may I be so bold as to ask for an autograph?"
As expected—
Jia Na, who already had considerable fame in Turin, had encountered similar situations several times in the past few days.
Not only outside the academy but even within the academy, some performance footage of "blood shadow rose" secretly recorded with recording stones had begun to circulate.
Gradually, Jia Na, who was already renowned within the academy, saw the attention around her suddenly increase by another level.
As a result, no matter where Jia Na went now, the intense gazes, which were several times more numerous than before, followed her like a shadow.
Like a shadow.
Although Jia Na had mentally prepared herself beforehand, the fervor and curiosity of the people around her completely exceeded her imagination. The intensity of this concentrated attention made even Jia Na, who was already accustomed to being watched by others, feel somewhat overwhelmed. "Of course, no problem."
"That's great!"
Seeing Jia Na agree, the Gray-skinned Goblin, who was originally hesitant, quickly took out an autograph board from under the counter and carefully handed it to Jia Na.
"Miss Jia Na, you can sign here."
"Okay."
After neatly signing her name and returning it to the Gray-skinned Goblin, Jia Na put her large Wizard hood back on.
She was about to leave.
"Miss Jia Na—"
As soon as Jia Na stood up, the Gray-skinned Goblin who had been sitting behind the counter quickly stood up from his seat, pushed open the small door next to the counter, and quickly walked up to Jia Na.
"I hope you can accept this."
"Hmm?"
Looking at the honest and shy Gray-skinned Goblin holding a pink pouch-shaped extradimensional space bag in his hand, Jia Na's pupils couldn't help but widen slightly.
It's an extradimensional space bag!
"Because I saw that you are still using an ordinary purse, which must be very inconvenient for you—so, this extradimensional space bag is just a small token of my personal regard. I hope you can accept it."
Her lips were a little dry, but after only a two-second pause, Jia Na, who had taken off her Wizard hood again, quickly adjusted her slightly stiff expression to the best smile for a social setting under the effect of the 【Muscle Control】 talent.
"May I ask your name?"
"Ah, I—I'm Grey! Miss Jia Na—"
"Mr. Goblin Grey, I appreciate your kindness, but this gift is too valuable—"
"I bought this with my own money! And it's 100% voluntary! Please, you must accept it—" "Please let me finish."
Her voice was ethereal, and her gaze was calm. Looking at the mysterious female Wizard whose demeanor seemed different from Natasha, Goblin Grey, who had finally mustered up his courage, felt a little disheartened instead.
"Thank you for liking 'blood shadow rose,' but I hope your liking can remain focused on the work. After all, I am Jia Na, not Natasha."
"Sorry—"
"You don't need to apologize, this is not your fault. However, I still want to tell you that I am a Wizard Apprentice, and the principle of 【Equivalent Exchange】 is also a rule that every Wizard must abide by—I hope you can understand what I mean."
"Okay—okay."
"Of course, I also hope that I can save enough five hundred thousand jin sule in the Bauhinia Bank soon. In that case, I might be able to naturally receive an extradimensional space bag that truly belongs to me."
Hearing Jia Na's words, Goblin Grey finally realized that the "extradimensional space bag" she had just mentioned was a gift specifically given by the Bauhinia Bank to every customer whose deposit reached five hundred thousand jin sule.
"I'll be leaving now."
Without giving Goblin Grey any more time to react, Jia Na smiled slightly, put on her Wizard hood again, turned around directly, and strode out of the Bauhinia Bank. She left behind a graceful figure, leaving the still-stunned Goblin Grey inexplicably lost in thought.
"Alas—if I had known this, I shouldn't have done something that made Miss Jia Na uncomfortable—"
"It's an extradimensional space bag—"
Jia Na, who was quickly leaving the Bauhinia Bank, kept trying to control herself from thinking about that thing. However, touching the clam-shell purse that only contained over four hundred jin sule, Jia Na couldn't help but mutter.
"I didn't expect this Goblin to be quite rich. He actually spent money to chase a star."
Getting autographs was acceptable to Jia Na, but receiving gifts, especially extremely valuable ones like the "extradimensional space bag," was something Jia Na had never thought about since she became an apprentice.
"Although it's very attractive, this item is not a necessity for me at the moment. With my current income, I'll be able to afford it in no time."
Moreover, Jia Na is currently a truly "public figure" in Turin. Her every move is being watched by many people.
Even if this Goblin is as honest as he appears today, Jia Na is not going to gamble that after she accepts his gift, he won't make further demands or spread rumors.
Humility, politeness, adherence to principles, exceptional talent—these are all Jia Na's current character labels. With the display of her cultivation talent, Jia Na has also gradually gained the attention of the academy, but this attention has not yet translated into real benefits.
Not only that, but Jia Na, who is currently only a Second-level Wizard Apprentice, cannot abandon the positive image she has painstakingly cultivated with a lot of effort.
A good image is sometimes an invisible business card. Whether it's to better integrate into high-quality social circles and gather resources; or to accumulate personal popularity to increase her bargaining chips with the Nightingale Opera Troupe a year from now.
The sunk costs spent on these plans alone are far more significant than an extradimensional space bag worth five hundred jin sule.
"Fortunately, I stuck to my principles and didn't easily succumb to this sugar-coated shell—"
Of course, if there really is a windfall one day, and this windfall is something Jia Na absolutely cannot refuse, and it also has a huge impact on her path as a Wizard... then her principles can also be considered for adjustment...