Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

In November, the Northern First District surrounded by mountains wasn't as cold as one might imagine.

Hexia sat in her dorm, gazing at the somewhat gloomy sky outside, watching the potted plant on the windowsill shivering in the wind, its tiny leaves appearing especially delicate against the backdrop of the gray-white sky.

Come to think of it, this was her first time experiencing winter on the surface, closely feeling the transition from autumn to winter. Previously, she had always lived underground, where the temperature didn't change much with the seasons; only when it snowed was she brought above ground by her parents to play in the snow and run around.

Wrapping her arms around her knees, feeling a bit chilly, Hexia walked to her bedroom, fetched a thin blanket to cover her legs, and then leaned back in her chair to flip through her books.

Compared to delving into the complex knowledge of economics and finance at Edith Academy, studying the habits of various birds and the breeding of Transcendent animals at Yuanting Academy had become a sort of leisure and relaxation.

The printed illustrations in the book were clear and vivid, featuring birds of various colors, with a few animals mentioned in passing; she was quite curious about how the authors had observed these things and then summarized them into records.

While interestedly learning these things, Hexia stroked the large spider in her arms, which seemed much more settled lately, possibly because winter was approaching.

The Sun gradually rose, and slanting rays of Sunshine slid from one corner of the balcony toward the center, slowly brightening. Soon after, chirping sounds followed—it seemed the three little ducklings had woken up.

Putting down her book, Hexia thought it was time to go out for a walk, so she stretched, walked to the balcony, picked up the three ducklings from the cage, then extended her wrist for the Indigo Snake to climb onto.

With her fishing rod and tackle prepared, she opened the door and headed toward Fragrant Leaf Lake.

One of the tasks given to her by the Academy was nearly complete; she had already caught 16 different kinds of fish, with only a few special ones left.

On the weekend morning, dew still lingered on the grass beside the path, giving a refreshing coolness when walked through.

Along the way, Hexia saw many upperclassmen passing by—some with person-tall bears, some riding fiery steeds, and others soaring through the sky on birds—an impressive display of capabilities.

Someone like her, who walked humbly along the path, was mostly likely a first-year, with little animals in their arms still in the growth phase, not yet strong enough to carry their owner.

"Hexia, are you going to the lake to fish?" a familiar voice made the girl stop in her tracks.

Agnes, the class president of the girl's class, happened to come by, with a brown and gray goat at her feet, its fur clean and slightly fluffy, a sign of its owner's diligent grooming.

"Meh~" Upon seeing Hexia, the little goat bleated once, then continued to stay by Agnes's side.

Natural Sequence 3: Brown Palm Goat, named after its fur which resembled palm tree fibers, was softer than actual palms. However, as a Transcendent animal, its fur was extremely durable; it wouldn't burn easily even in high temperatures, and in the distant past, locals used its wool to make light but durable garments and armor.

"Yes, I'm planning to fish at Fragrant Leaf Lake, and bring these three little ones for a swim," said the girl, stepping aside to reveal the three ducklings that had been following her.

These three were bold; seeing the goat, they didn't shy away but instead brazenly waddled over, quacking and circling the goat curiously.

"The ducks Hexia's raising have grown so big; my three have been staying in the small pond on top of the tree canopy and don't seem to like to follow me around much," Agnes said, shaking her head.

Although the Corr ducks were quite friendly, they were still small animals, sometimes unable to understand human intentions well. The ease with which Hexia brought hers along like this was quite rare.

"Let's walk together, I'm taking the little goat for a stroll anyway," she suggested.

With that, the two of them walked toward Fragrant Leaf Lake, chatting about class matters and recent novelties along the way.

"In freshman year, we are mostly exposed to ordinary animals, like taking care of ducks, but in sophomore year, we start learning how to raise Transcendent animals," Agnes shared what she knew.

"Before I came to Yuanting, I had already done a lot of research. I was born in the Northern First District, so I'm quite familiar with it."

"And what about junior year, what do you start learning then?"

"Well, in junior year, you start exploring the direction you want to specialize in," Agnes said, touching her chin with her finger, tilting her head in recollection.

"For example, specifically raising Transcendent pets as a 'Pet Master', like Yuanting Academy's 'Amber Parrot', 'Light Cotton Bird', 'Emerald-necked Crow', which are not only famous in Jade Skirt but also rank among the top in specialized fields throughout the Federation."

"Or, you could also head in the direction of becoming a 'Pet Doctor', which, due to scarcity, can be even more popular than a regular doctor."

"Alternatively, you can take a more unusual academic path to become a renowned 'Zoologist' or 'Explorer'. Every year, the Federation provides subsidies to those who contribute to the field, although this path requires at least a college degree to truly engage with, so it's a bit early to think about it now."

"Of course, the most famous is 'Breeder'. Compared to 'Pet Masters', they go a step further, learning to specialize in breeding at least one class of Transcendent animals. When I say specialize, I mean at least breeding Transcendent animals to Sequence 5 or above. Even amongst Yuanting Academy's students, less than half will have obtained their Breeder qualification by graduation. Often many have to accumulate years of experience post-graduation before they can gradually approach the threshold of becoming a Breed Master."