No one dared to speak. A weird silence descended upon the shop.
Dorothy turned around stiffly, her face scrunched up in a pathetic, pitiful expression as she looked to Wang Yue for help.
“Your destructive power is always so impressive,” Wang Yue remarked, raising a well-shaped eyebrow. She took the broken fang and the half-wand from Dorothy, put them back in the box, and carried it to the counter.
“I am very sorry,” Wang Yue said politely. “She broke this wand. We are willing to compensate you. It looks like a clean break; is there any way to repair it?”
The shopkeeper fished a pair of reading glasses from beneath the counter, perched them on her nose, and inspected the damage for a while.
“This is a ‘Shelley Wand.’ It’s different from normal wands. The shaft is short, called the ‘grip,’ while the tip is extremely long, called the ‘spike.’ This style was invented by the legendary witch Charlotte Shelley.”
“Is there a difference between a Shelley Wand and a normal one?” Wang Yue asked.
Since she wasn’t the one who broke it, she felt no psychological pressure. She figured she’d use the opportunity to chat and gain some knowledge.
“Using a Shelley Wand weakens the power of the sorcery, but the accuracy and casting speed are increased.”
“Fast and accurate?”
“Indeed. It is more suited for… careless witches,” the grandmother said, glancing at Dorothy.
Dorothy let out a tiny whimper and hung her head in shame.
“This isn’t Charlotte Shelley’s personal wand, is it?” Wang Yue asked, suddenly worried.
“Of course not. Mistress Shelley passed away centuries ago.”
“That’s a relief. Let’s discuss the compensation, then.”
“The spike of this Shelley Wand is a vampire bat’s tooth. It takes at least five years to grow to this length. The grip is made from a drakeling’s spine; that part isn’t damaged.”
“So, we just need to pay for one tooth?”
“Market price: ten Golden Spike Coins.”
“No problem,” Wang Yue nodded.
“Master, thank you…” Dorothy was moved beyond words. She felt as though she were basking in sunlight, but her heart was still heavy with guilt. She cursed herself for being a “money-loser” who always caused trouble for her Master to clean up.
To her surprise, Wang Yue patted her on the back and said, “From now on, you’ll work here to pay off the debt.”
“Eh?”
“What do you mean, ‘eh’? I wasn’t the one who broke it.” Wang Yue looked at the shopkeeper. “Ma’am, as you can see, she’s a poor kid and can’t afford this. Why don’t you hire her as a clerk? You could finally enjoy your retirement.”
“To be blunt, hiring her wouldn’t just be unhelpful—I’d probably lose more money,” the old woman said flatly.
“True, her destructive power is consistent. But look at her—clumsy, scatterbrained, a bit dim… doesn’t she remind you of yourself when you were young?”
“I was never like that,” the old lady said, her eyelids drooping.
“You must have been an exceptionally talented person.”
“Well, I suppose I was alright.”
“Then why be stingy with your experience? Wouldn’t it be a great achievement to mold her into a steady, reliable person?”
“Don’t bother trying to convince me. I have a feeling she’d dismantle my shop in three days. However, while she’s a lost cause, you have potential. I see an unusual level of calm and focus in you. Are you interested in learning wand-crafting from me? You would make an excellent wand-maker. If you’re willing to learn the trade and keep my craft alive, you won’t have to pay for the Shelley Wand.”
“Wand-making? Sounds interesting. I’ll do it.” Wang Yue wasn’t about to pass up any opportunity to learn.
(Note: In the original text, the term for wand-making is a homophone for a Chinese slang term for “idiot,” creating a subtle layer of irony in Wang Yue’s enthusiasm.)
Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief. Ten Golden Spike Coins was a fortune; working in a shop, it would take her years to pay it back.
Then, Wang Yue patted her on the back again. “Now, you owe me ten Golden Spike Coins.”
“…”
***
On the way back to the dorms.
The evening breeze blew, causing the little witches’ robes to ripple like velvet curtains on a stage. The moonlight spilled down, white and crystalline, looking like a layer of fine salt.
“The moon is so big,” Matcha said, walking with her head tilted back.
“Watch your step,” Wang Yue reminded her softly.
“It looks big because we are under the Eternal Night and at a high altitude. We’re closer to it here,” Dina explained.
Wang Yue nodded in agreement.
She noticed that Matcha and Dina were very close—they were even desk-mates in class. Meanwhile, Veronica and Cerceybe seemed to share a “silent type” bond; they were often together and both disliked noisy companions.
As for her and Dorothy, the relationship was complicated. Sometimes it felt like mother and daughter, other times like sisters.
Dorothy walked beside her, holding her breath to puff out her stomach, looking down to see if her recent binge-eating had given her a belly. Seeing that her stomach was as flat as ever, she exhaled in relief.
“Master, am I especially useless? I can’t do anything right,” she asked dejectedly.
“It’s fine. Just focus on doing one thing well first. Once you’ve mastered that, pick the next thing. Slowly, you’ll find you can do many things well.” Wang Yue’s “chicken soup” for the soul was served in generous portions.
Dorothy twisted the hem of her robe, thinking for a moment. “I’m going to take good care of the little lamb. That will be the first thing I do well… What was her name? Lucky-Lamby?”
“Kira Yoshi-lamb.”
The group arrived at the dorm and opened the door. Dorothy sprinted straight for the balcony, but the lamb was gone. The blanket was empty.
They searched the study and found it with its front hooves propped up on a stool, its head shoved sideways into a drawer, chewing incessantly on something.
This was the long desk against the wall, and this specific section was Wang Yue’s area. The drawers, of course, held her textbooks and notebooks.
Wang Yue checked the damage. Her Sorcery textbook had been half-eaten. Even after being pulled away, the lamb’s jaw continued to grind, likely ruminating on the pages. Its horizontal pupils gave its face a particularly irritating expression.
Wang Yue didn’t explode immediately. Instead, she checked her roommates’ drawers one by one.
Their books were untouched. Clearly, the lamb had only eaten hers.
She walked swiftly over to the little lamb, reached out with a dainty, white hand, and firmly clamped the animal’s wooly snout shut.
“You brute… do you have some kind of problem with me?”
