“Look at this one. It’s a 17th-century Bologna binding, half the weight of a Venetian one. The binding is also exquisite, made from Camilla's top-grain leather, with an embossed pattern of Aegean mermaid tail scales, a dipped flower edge, and a story of Poseidon and four cherubs on it. The spine has five golden raised bands, and the top is left blank for you to engrave your symbol. The flyleaf contains a prayer to Athena, on Hatifa linen paper, which feels refreshing to the touch.”
“How much?”
“Twenty-three jade coins, thank you for your patronage.” Manager Xiao Yuan’s Face was practically blooming with a smile.
“Too expensive, too expensive.” Zheng Qing carefully handed the spell book back.
“Then how about this one, an 18th-century Ashmole binding, ancient and substantial, made from North Sea Brent sharkskin, with a delicate feel, rolled gold edges, continuing the faint blue afterglow of the sharkskin, simple and clean. It has a bookmark ribbon made of ice silkworm silk, and the inner pages are translucent fish skin paper, most suitable for frequent Spell recording.”
“How much?”
“Fifteen jade coins, thank you for your patronage.”
“It just feels too bloody.” Zheng Qing reluctantly touched the cover and handed the spell book back again.
After looking at several sample spell books, the prices were all a bit jaw-dropping.
The scholarship amount was very limited; he couldn't spend it all on one spell book.
He decided to pick and choose more.
Following the shop assistant around a bookshelf, Zheng Qing saw a familiar figure.
The fatty from Cloud Dream Pavilion.
At this moment, the fatty wasn't holding a roasted chicken, and the satchel hanging on his shoulder seemed much cleaner.
He was frowning, looking bored as he followed the clerk, choosing a spell book.
Zheng Qing didn't like this guy with an ostrich egg-shaped head.
He stopped in his tracks, intending to go around to another display cabinet.
But the ostrich egg-head moved, and saw Zheng Qing’s figure.
“Oh, the Publicly Funded Student is here.” The fatty broke the quiet atmosphere in the bookshop with his loud voice: “I forgot to ask earlier, are you a first-year Publicly Funded Student this year?”
The customers who were leisurely browsing in the bookshop all looked up, their gazes falling on Zheng Qing.
Zheng Qing seemed to hear some whispered murmurs.
“Yes,” he replied briefly.
His ears felt a bit hot.
He felt very awkward.
His childhood experiences with illness had made his personality somewhat sensitive. He hated being different, hated being unique, and hated being looked at strangely by others.
After studying, his favorite phrase was 'to harmonize with the light and blend with the dust,' like water benefiting all things without contention, harmonizing its light, blending with its dust, so that nothing under heaven can contend with it.
However, the fatty's loud greeting exposed Zheng Qing to everyone's scrutinizing gaze, and this feeling was very unpleasant.
“No wonder you don’t have a spell book. My brother is also a Publicly Funded Student at First University, and the University gives him a stack of simply bound spell books as prizes every year. It’s the one I just used.” He patted his satchel.
Zheng Qing recalled his bulging, earthy yellow soft-covered spell book.
Stacking three of those soft-covered spell books would perfectly replicate the fatty's chin.
Thinking of this, Zheng Qing's mood improved slightly.
“But I want a new spell book. When you're out and about, a simply bound one just doesn't look good. I told my brother, you really need a hardcover, classic edition spell book, so he doesn't lose Face. You know, he's also a Publicly Funded Student.” The fatty continued to bluster with his loud voice, as if no one else was around: “He enrolled last year, and only five people in their cohort received full scholarships, unlike this year. Do you know how many full-scholarship Publicly Funded Students there are this year?”
Zheng Qing shook his head, not speaking.
The interested gazes around him still lingered, and he felt very uncomfortable.
“I don’t know either.” The fatty grinned: “I was just trying to trick you. It seems Publicly Funded Students don’t know any more than us ordinary students after all.”
A few chuckles broke out around them, as if they found the fatty's words amusing.
Zheng Qing tried to ignore these distractions.
He was here to buy a spell book.
He needed to choose a suitable spell book for himself using his intuition.
This spell book would accompany him for a long time to come, and it was one of the basic conditions for his successful survival at Wizard University.
He took a deep breath and smiled, looking at Manager Xiao Yuan, the bookstore manager next to him.
Manager Xiao Yuan very shrewdly leaned over, pointed to a lavishly styled spell book in the display cabinet, and asked: “How about this one? As far as I know, Publicly Funded Students buy this spell book every year.”
Zheng Qing tightened the soft leather gloves on his hands and took the sample spell book Manager Xiao Yuan handed over.
“This is a 19th-century Paris binding, ostentatious, and a more modern style of luxury. Although it’s second-layer leather, Romanian Fire Dragon leather is consistently very thick, so it can be cut into five or six layers. The second layer feels and has just the right texture. It also has rolled gold edges, and on it is Matthew 7 from the New Testament—‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it; but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’” He recited in a deep, 詠嘆調 tone.
“How about I buy this one?” The fatty squeezed between the two, snatched the spell book from Zheng Qing’s hand, and exclaimed: “I remember a classmate of my brother’s bought this one too. How much is this spell book?”
“Thirteen jade coins, thank you for your patronage.” Manager Xiao Yuan beamed, repeatedly praising the fatty’s unique taste.
The fatty’s original guide manager watched his customer run off halfway, silently.
Zheng Qing pouted, also not speaking.
He highly doubted whether this fatty could enter the narrow gate as described in the Gospel.
Moreover, he felt that no matter how lavish the spell book this slovenly fatty held, in his impression, he would always look like he was holding a bulging, earthy yellow soft-covered spell book.
“Which University are you from?” Watching the bookshop manager package the Paris-bound spell book, the fatty suddenly turned his head, staring at Zheng Qing with his small eyes: “I almost forgot to ask.”
“Nine Provinces College,” Zheng Qing replied quickly.
He hoped this fatty would disappear from his sight quickly.
“I guessed as much, the bookworm’s University.” The fatty nodded, with an 'I knew it' expression: “Looking at your attire, you’re definitely not from Alpha or Atlas. If you were from Starry Sky Academy, earlier at Cloud Dream Pavilion, even if you didn’t have a spell book, you would have charged over with your fists swinging.”
Zheng Qing silently looked at another heavy sample spell book beside him, unsure whether to throw it and hit that triple chin.
“My brother is from Atlas, but I was assigned to Alpha Academy this year.” The fatty continued to babble: “Relatively speaking, it’s tolerable. After all, Alpha Academy students are all very well-mannered. If they made me go to Nine Provinces College, I’d rather drop out. My brother once said that a Wizard who is strong in exams is not a truly strong Wizard.”
“Then your exam results must be terrible,” Zheng Qing stated, nodding affirmatively.
The fatty frowned, feeling that Zheng Qing's answer had a logical problem.
“Hello, customer, your spell book has been packaged. Please check it.” The clerk in the bookshop led the fatty, who was struggling to think, to the front desk.
Zheng Qing placed the Western-style hardcover spell book he was holding back in the display cabinet and turned to Manager Xiao Yuan.
“Do you have any spell books with a Huaxia style? These Western styles still feel a bit restless.”