"Soaking in a hot spring in Xueman while watching the snow would definitely be amazing."
"I'd want to custom-order a patterned thrust sword made by Master Ronan."
"Can't you guys think long-term and stop focusing on such vulgar material comforts? I'm different. I want to buy a suburban villa. I heard Jialesi is planning to develop satellite cities, so buying a house now could appreciate in value and give me a place to live."
"Wouldn't living in the suburbs make commuting to work inconvenient, though?"
"Why would I still work if I bought a house? If I have to work before buying a house and still have to work after buying a house, didn't I buy it for nothing?"
Returning to the dormitory after finishing her training, Sonia overheard her roommates discussing some very adult topics.
Pouring herself a glass of water, she remarked, "While I'm glad to hear you all looking toward the future, given that even Adele is chiming in—did a new show about chasing dreams just premiere or something?"
"Hey, now!" Adele protested. "I'm not completely drama-obsessed! I don't just do things based on whatever new show comes out!"
Gulping down the large cup of water, Sonia asked, "How many visits do you have left on that archery club membership card from your *Heartseeker* promotional tie-in?"
"Ninety-nine... But that doesn't prove anything!"
"What were you doing last night, the night before, the night before that, and in the early hours of every morning this month?"
"Watching shows... But that's just the Jialesi film industry corrupting commoners like me!" Adele threw her hands up. "A bunch of handsome men and gorgeous women playing out thrilling tales of love and hatred on the light screen just to entertain a young, innocent college girl like me. If I didn't get hooked, I'd be doing a disservice to those high-budget productions costing tens of thousands!"
"'Young'?" Lois looked bewildered.
"Lois, we're the same age," Adele said, exasperated.
"Sorry, it's just hard to tell, considering you love cracking middle-aged dirty jokes and lounge around in your pajamas all day avoiding exercise like an old person," Lois replied. "I've always suspected you came to college to retire—or to force the professors into retirement. I heard the blood pressure numbers on their physical checkups shot up quite a bit this year."
"What does that have to do with me?" Adele blinked innocently. "Isn't that because of the big incident in the Void Realm?"
"The Void Realm only tortures sorcerers for a few hours at most, but you can torture them for an entire semester," Lois countered. "Failing a class now means adding another semester. I'm certain that when the professors reach the end of their lives, they won't remember the brilliant, diligent students, but they will definitely remember you, you little demon."
"Can you please stay on topic?" Adele sighed helplessly. "Let's go back to talking about me being a drama addict."
"We were discussing those three wanted fugitives," Ingrid explained to Sonia. "The chat shifted to the bounties, and from there, we started talking about how to spend the money once we collected it."
Sonia slipped off her boots, hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her stockings, and smoothly peeled the black pantyhose down her thighs. "If I remember the notice correctly... aren't all three of those wanted fugitives Sanctuary Sorcerers?"
"Yes."
"And you were discussing how to spend the bounty for capturing them?"
"Yes."
The country girl looked at the three of them and shrugged. "Well, at least you aren't at a numerical disadvantage."
"If you got thirty thousand gold coins, Sonia, how would you spend it?" Adele asked. "Buy real estate? Start your own personal studio? Or maybe invest in a blockbuster show tailored specifically for you as the leading lady?"
"If I had thirty thousand gold coins, I'd definitely buy the Supernova Longevity Insurance from the Stellar Chamber of Commerce," Sonia said with a shrug. "And unbelievably, Supernova isn't even their most expensive plan. Good grief..."
"You're not even twenty yet. Why are you already looking into extending your lifespan?" Lois asked, thoroughly puzzled. "You don't even plan to visit the Abyss. On the surface, the only things that could threaten you aside from Legendary Sorcerers are chiffon cakes—wait, did you gain weight?"
Lois reached over and squeezed the Claw-Extending Sword Saint's abdomen. The Sword Saint didn't mind at all and let her pinch away. "I just got stronger! My belly is all muscle, I haven't gotten fat at all!"
"Really? Let me feel too."
"Damn it, that actually feels pretty firm. Shouldn't you sword sorcerers have waistlines like tree trunks? You unqualified sword sorcerer!"
Sonia swatted their hands away. "Speaking of money, Lois, could you help me pick up a few more endorsement deals? As long as the pay is high, I'm open to considering it."
"Didn't you say before that you'd rather go without than settle, that you couldn't ruin your commercial reputation and would only take jobs that interested you?" Lois asked. "You're still a student. You should be enjoying your rosy university days. There's no need to squander your precious youth on work. You won't even need to work after graduation anyway—Stars will support you Sanctuary Sorcerers."
"Must be nice, being supported by the state after graduating," Adele pouted. "The only people willing to support me are my dad, my fiancé, and the neighbor's five-year-old son—"
"Targeting little children is unethical, you know," Ingrid said solemnly.
"I didn't! I just wanted to trick him out of his allowance to buy ice cream," Adele huffed. "I spent too much money last semester, so when I was home, Dad wouldn't give me a single cent. But it didn't matter—there's always a man willing to spend money on me!"
Lois threw up her hands in surrender. "I take back what I said earlier. You really are young—at least young enough that a five-year-old child felt obligated to take care of you..."
"I've been wanting to earn more money lately," Sonia said. "I want to buy more insurance policies for my mother. After all, she's not getting any younger. I only found out after inquiring that there are so many types of commercial insurance: savings-oriented, critical illness, longevity... Even though I've saved some money, it's far from enough."
Her roommates fell silent. Adele clutched her plush toy and murmured, "Now that's what truly makes it impossible to guess someone's age. At least I could never bring up such a heavy, serious topic about real life. It's making me so tense I almost need to pee."
"Couldn't you just buy a few of the most essential policies, Sonia? And if I remember correctly, they can all be paid annually. That way you only have to cover a small amount each year, which you can easily afford," Lois noted. "You aren't planning to buy them all outright in a lump sum, are you?"
"A lump-sum purchase costs a lot less overall..." Sonia said softly. "And my insurance plan aims for my mother to live to eighty without her bodily functions declining, so..."
"You're your mother's best insurance policy, Sonia," Ingrid said gently. "A Sanctuary Sorcerer daughter guarantees your mother's quality of life far better than any insurance plan ever could."
"Yeah, I know," the country girl replied with a soft hum. "Still, it's better to be prepared. What if...? Anyway, making extra money is never a bad thing. Do you have any suggestions?"
Adele blinked and tapped her light screen. "Then we'll let you have those three wanted fugitives. Want me to send you the mini-app with their real-time tracking info?"
"No thanks. I only take jobs that are safe, lucrative, and easy," Sonia tilted her head. "Preferably something where I can leverage my dominant position as a sorcerer to plunder wealth."
"That might be tricky," Lois remarked. "The Tax Bureau already exists, and I wouldn't recommend competing with them for business."
At that moment, the alarm rang, drawing their conversation to a close. Lois and Ingrid got ready to shower, while Adele turned to Sonia. "Soni, Soni, are we rewatching *The Flawed Edge of Cunzhou* tonight, or checking out the latest *Echoes of the Mortal Realm*?"
Since both Lois and Ingrid had to go to the Meditation Building to enter the Void Realm, only Sonia and Adele would remain in the dorm at night. Both being avid drama enthusiasts, it had naturally become their routine to spend evenings watching shows together.
Just as Sonia was pondering, her expression abruptly changed. She sprang to her feet and shouted, "Wait!"
The others froze. Lois, who had been about to step into the bathroom, stopped in her tracks. They watched as Sonia walked toward the bathroom door with a grim expression, pushed it open, shut it behind her, and began rustling out of her clothes.
"I'm showering first tonight! Lois, bring me some clothes!"
Lois was furious enough to curse. "No way!"
"Then I'll just have to walk out naked later!"
"You..."
Lois let out an exasperated scoff. She had no choice but to open Sonia's wardrobe, pick out a set of clothes, and walk over to hand them through the bathroom door with her head turned away.
Sonia showered shockingly fast this time. In no time at all, she stepped out, radiating steam. She hurriedly brushed her hair, pulled on her short boots, raised both hands to gather her long hair, and loosely tied it up with a hairband before giving her head a quick shake to let the locks settle, sending the fragrance of shampoo wafting through the dorm room.
"I get it!" Adele said with utter conviction. "Did your soul have a spasm?"
"How did you know?" Sonia asked in surprise.
"Thanks to my astonishing insight, brilliant deduction, and the blush rushing to your cheeks after your shower, of course," Adele said, spreading her hands. "You tried your best, but before me, a legendary master of romance, you can hide nothing."
Sonia reflexively cupped her flushed cheeks. "B-but this really is just from taking a hot shower!"
"Right, right, of course," Adele nodded repeatedly. "I'd look like that too if I took an hour-long shower."
"Would that be from taking a shower, or from playing roleplay games with your boyfriend? 'Adele, the Captured Investigator'?" Lois chimed in.
Adele glared at Lois and muttered, "A bit of both."
"Congratulations, Sonia," Ingrid smiled. "In every sense of the word."
"Thank you." The Claw-Extending Sword Saint grabbed her sword bag and breezed out of the dorm with light footsteps. They could hear Sonia greeting people in the hallway, even humming a tune as she made her exit, as though every wisp of wind in the night sky was infused with joy.
"What did she mean by 'what if'?" Ingrid suddenly asked.
"Could it mean anything other than 'what if she's gone'?" Lois said. "Even though I've never met her boyfriend, my impression of him is honestly abysmal."
"Wait," Adele suddenly realized something. "If you're all going to meditate tonight, doesn't that leave me all alone in the dorm?"
"Isn't that great? You can turn the volume all the way up for your shows."
"Of course it isn't great! I'm scared to sleep alone! Whenever I go home, I have to sleep with Debbie!"
"Who's Debbie?"
"My dog!"
Lois spread her hands. "Pets aren't allowed in the dormitories. Looks like you'll just have to sleep in the doghouse."
"No way," Adele bit her thumb. "Even if it's just to avoid sleeping alone, I have to become a sorcerer!"
Lois: "Deep down, I'd love to encourage you, but if I were the Void Realm, I would never approve your knowledge resonance."
"Why?" Ingrid asked, surprised. "Don't you want to see how many days Adele would cry after being mauled to death by a Fishcleaver Dragon?"
Lois shook her head. "There's nothing to bet on... She'd definitely use that as an excuse right away to ask for leave, skip her homework, and binge shows in the dorm to her heart's content."
Adele gritted her teeth. "You two... How could you curse me like that..."
"We aren't cursing you at all!" Lois cried out earnestly. "We just want to watch you look foolish and weep pathetically when misfortune strikes, entirely out of the goodness of our hearts!"
"That IS a curse!"
Chapter 762