April 5th.
Seventh week of the sester, Monday.
Clear and Bright Festival.
According to tradition, the Clear and Bright Festival is supposed to be a day off.
Last year’s Clear and Bright Festival fell on a Saturday, which was already a holiday. After discussing it, the Professor Joint eting committee mbers ultimately decided not to add an extra holiday, but instead combined the Clear and Bright holiday with Saturday into one day.
So technically, this year’s Clear and Bright Festival is Zheng Qing’s first Clear and Bright holiday at First University.
However, for a sophomore like Zheng Qing with a unique graduation situation, worrying whether the Clear and Bright Festival has an extra day off is completely unnecessary. He’s not an Atlas student and doesn’t need to participate in the Yellow Robes’ Luo Tian Grand Ceremony; he also has no relatives in the Wizard World, so he doesn’t need to offer prayers and blessings on this day.
With twenty-seven assignnts lined up on his desk, an extra day off wouldn’t an fewer assignnts for him—rather, skipping one class would reduce his study efficiency, which isn’t ideal.
Of course, the extra day off on the Clear and Bright Festival is still very tempting for other students besides graduates like Zheng Qing.
Freshn who have been enrolled for over half a year are still enthusiastic about university life and engage in group activities like haunted houses or scare mazes on this day.
Sophomores and juniors enrolled for one to two years have no graduation pressure ahead and don’t need to worry about graduation thesis or practice tasks; behind, there are no miscellaneous entanglents, as student council and club affairs can be handed over to freshn, making the holiday infinitely comfortable.
As for seniors who have been enrolled for over three years and are near graduation, many have already left school to complete their respective graduation practice tasks. Although only a year apart from juniors, holidays at school seem to have beco a distant mory for them.
Zheng Qing realized belatedly, while discussing the whereabouts of Sepulano with Xiao Xiao, that many once-familiar nas have been appearing less frequently on campus.
"He’s almost graduating!" Zheng Qing thought of the robust ’Augustus’ in Alpha Academy and couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
"Anyone can say that except you," the Fat Wizard grumbled from the other side of the desk.
"Do you know what his practice task is?"
Zheng Qing, holding a cup of orange juice with both hands, looked left and right. It was raining lightly outside, the raindrops pattering against the glass window, making a subtle crackling sound that harmonized with the fizzing sound from the effervescent tablet in Zheng Qing’s cup, creating a particularly peaceful and soothing atmosphere that made one feel sleepy.
Just because the atmosphere was too comfortable, Zheng Qing needed to chat casually with his companions from ti to ti to ensure he wouldn’t fall asleep while doing howork.
"No idea."
Xiao Xiao replied lazily and straightforwardly, leaning against the headboard with a book titled "Liu Ren Divination Course" in hand. A feather pen floated just above his shoulder, ready to respond to the reader’s gaze by marking notes on the pages.
"Not knowing is normal."
Xin Fat Man, focused on arranging dried fruits on a plate by color and size without looking up, kindly offered Zheng Qing more explanation:
"Undecided students at school are like ripe fruits on an autumn branch—tempting, yet fragile. To provide them with the most effective practical experience, the school must create the most realistic test environnt; to ensure they live to complete their graduation thesis defense, the school must offer them the strictest protection... Top hunting teams, Trident Sword, Danghag, and many organizations both inside and outside the First University and the Alliance sign joint training agreents to protect these fragile ’ripe fruits.’ So, there are so things we don’t know, and that’s normal."
A lengthy discourse successfully annoyed the napping Tuan Tuan.
The Fat Cat opened its sleepy eyes, got up, and, with dispassionate steps, moved to stand before Xin Fat Man, flicking its tail to scatter the neatly arranged dried fruits on the plate into chaos before bouncing onto Xiao Xiao’s bed to lie down.
Xin Fat Man sighed.
"ssed up is good... A chaotic ss has an unbalanced, imperfect beauty."
He mumbled, shoving the fruit plate aside, no longer interested in arranging them again, and turned to Zheng Qing, complaining: "You took ’one, two, three’ to Greenhill Mansion, fine, but why take all the other sprites as well... making Tuan Tuan’s temper awful these days!"
"Separating them is too cruel." Zheng Qing sipped a small mouthful of orange juice, answering slowly.
This topic finally piqued Xiao Xiao’s interest.
He raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and looked at Zheng Qing: "You’re sure you’re not going to change your graduation thesis topic anymore? I think using the observation diary of the sprites’ transformation as your thesis content is very good... A group of normal alchemist sprites transforming into a Great Elf with nearly real flesh—don’t you think this is a remarkable achievent?"
Zheng Qing shook his head.
"I don’t even know how they transford successfully, how am I supposed to write a thesis."
He laughed half-truthfully, trying to disassociate himself from the whole process: "Besides, these sprites are not ’ordinary sprites.’ They once lost their host and were revived with the help of Doctor Du Zemu... As for the formula of the Millet Grass Essential Oil used during their transformation, you found it, you recorded the observation diary, and although my thick skin usually serves well, including all these in my thesis slightly exceeds my moral boundaries."
"You could make and the professor second or third authors." The Fat Wizard didn’t mind being lower on the list at all.
Zheng Qing cast a sideways glance at him.
"Although you’re ugly, you dream beautifully." He chuckled: "If you want to be a second author so badly, why not ask your Senior Linda? She graduated a year early too, right?"
The Fat Wizard lowered his head, focusing on peeling pistachio shells, pretending not to hear Zheng Qing’s sneer.
But Xiao Xiao didn’t continue reading and directly proposed a suggestion to Zheng Qing: "Since you’re not planning to write a thesis on their transformation, do you mind if I use their observation diary for a paper? Hmm, the second author will be you."
Zheng Qing paused for a mont.
Looking at the serious expression in the professor’s eyes, he realized he wasn’t joking.
"Of course!"
He was pleased to offer the professor so help and readily agreed: "The second author’s position doesn’t matter; the data was all recorded by you anyway. Also, if you need to chat with ’one, two, three’ and the others about their transformation experiences, I can help you arrange a ti to et at Greenhill Mansion... They’ve really improved a lot these days and can already communicate normally with others... It’s just that they’re accustod to using honorifics in every sentence, which isn’t ideal..."
The Warlock rambled on, like a truly concerned father.
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