Chapter 5: Gabriella
Translator: Udong Editor: IceTea
Qian Jin dragged his wooden tub and moved out of the way.
The mage apprentice bowed down 90 degrees to show her thanks and then ran toward the water well. It seemed a bit exaggerated.
Qian Jin turned his head and looked at the girl’s figure. He was worried that she might trip on something; from the speed she was running at, if she fell, she would fall straight into the water well and be severely injured.
The situation that Qian Jin was afraid of didn’t occur. The mage apprentice threw the bucket that was tied on a rope into the water well.
“Bam!” The bucket hit the water.
“Gulp.” Then, the sound of the bucket sinking into the water followed.
After that, the mage apprentice started trying to pull the bucket up. She didn’t seem strong; it was rare for a mage to have a lot of physical strength.
The girl tried really hard and was only able to swing the roller on the water well one cycle; that only pulled the bucket above the water surface.
Qian Jin couldn’t just stand there and watch anymore. As a warrior, he felt anxious for her as she was having a hard time pulling the bucket up. To get rid of his anxiety, he walked to the mage apprentice’s side, reached out, and grabbed onto the wooden roller on the water well.
The Mage Apprentice was obviously scared by Qian Jin’s actions. She stared at Qian Jin in surprise and timidity.
“You’re a mage, as well as a girl. It would be a lot of trouble for you to do these kinds of physically demanding chores.”
Qian Jin quickly swung the wooden roller with a single hand, and the rope coiled around the roller. He didn’t realize that he was able to work the roller so easily with one hand; he needed to use two hands on the roller before.
The mage apprentice was still staring at him behind her big pointy mage hat with her big watery eyes.
“Here, use it.”
Qian Jin poured the water into the tub that the mage apprentice put on the ground. He turned around and went back to washing his own stuff and didn’t pay attention to how she was looking at him.
Qian Jin was fast. It wasn’t too complicated to wash the sweaty blanket; after scrubbing and rinsing them once in water, they would be cleaned.
Qian Jin got himself one more bucket of water. After seeing the female mage apprentice who was still washing her clothes, he thought about it, filled the bucket up again and placed the bucket beside her.
The girl raised her wet hands and wiped some sweat off of her forehead. She looked at this outgoing warrior again in curiosity; it seemed as if her big expressive eyes were showing her thanks.
“Great! All done!” Qian Jin pulled his sheet from the water in the tub and appreciated his own masterpiece.
He then folded the wet sheets and twisted it with force; he was trying to squeeze out the water.
“Rip… Squeak…”
A clear ripping noise sounded beside the water well, and both people heard it.
The girl looked up at Qian Jin who was standing not too far from her. She was surprised. Although she wasn’t a warrior and was only a weak mage apprentice, she knew how tough an item like a sheet was when folded together. It wasn’t easy to tear it, let alone ripping it apart by simply twisting it.
“This…”
Qian Jin looked at the ripped sheet in his hands and was surprised himself.
“What is this? The sheet ripped after I fully twisted it? How is this possible? When I twisted the sheet before when I washed it, this never happened. Did my strength really increase?”
Qian Jin quickly shook his head. He had never heard of such a story where a person was able to experience a great increase in strength after one night. Both elders in his family and Instructor Rodriguez had said that everything could only be achieved step by step. Even the great Holy City wasn't built in one night.
“But did my strength really increase that much?” Qian Jin looked at the mop-like sheet in his hands. A bitter smile appeared on his face. It wasn’t the appropriate time to check if his strength really increased; buying a new sheet was the top priority. He couldn’t sleep without a sheet, since the mattress that the academy provided was very uncomfortable to sleep on.
“Sheet?” Qian Jin rubbed his forehead softly. It looked like he would have to increase his spending again. It was quite unfortunate. After he left his family, he had to come up with the money himself to survive. The allowance from his family wasn’t even enough for him to have full meals, let alone buy daily supplies such as clothes.
“It looks like I have to visit the Commercial Trading Firm and see if I can find a simple job like carrying baggage or something.”
Qian Jin threw the sheet into his wooden tub. He looked at his cotton blanket listlessly. If he ripped this apart as well, he would be in big trouble.
A small hand quietly reached into the wooden tub and grabbed onto the cotton blanket that was still soaked in water.
Qian Jin looked up and wanted to see who it was. It was the mage apprentice. She was still timid, but somehow, she found the courage to approach him. She carefully lifted up the blanket and used her all her strength to twist it and squeeze out the water.
The mage apprentice really gave everything she had. Qian Jin even believed that she used 120% of her effort. Her face was all red, and her body was shaking a little.
Qian Jin had to admit that although the mage apprentice was weak, she had enough strength to deal with a cotton blanket.
“Thanks,” Qian Jin said with a big smile on his face as he safeguarded the cotton blanket. “If you need to do any physical work, just come and find me. Remember, I’m Qian Jin. I’m in Grade One in the Warrior Branch.”
“I’m Gabriella. Ma… Mage Branch, Grade Two…” The mage apprentice lowered her head and looked down at her toes. Her weak and uneasy voice sounded softer than a mosquito's buzz. Qian Jin was barely able to hear her name after listening super carefully.
“Grade Two? Gabriella?” Qian Jin observed the mage apprentice in great detail. This girl looked like she was only fourteen years old from both her appeal and figure. Was she actually sixteen? Qian Jin wasn’t able to tell from just looking at her.