Chapter 3 : Rick

Rachel made her way to a secluded tavern.
It was crowded, with a row of televisions above the bar broadcasting a boxing match.
A group of people holding beers were cheering for the two fighters on the screen, creating a lively atmosphere.
Rachel bypassed the crowd and found a corner table to sit down.

Less than five minutes after she arrived, another person furtively entered the tavern.
He looked to be in his forties, shabbily dressed, grimy, and with a somewhat sleazy demeanor.

Spotting Rachel in the corner, this man waved at her and limped over to her table to sit down.

Rachel was holding the game console from earlier, still focused on playing.

“So, what news do you have this time?” she asked casually, her eyes still on the game.

“Yes, yes.” The lame man wore an ingratiating smile.
“I’ve found a few more people this time, all of whom meet your conditions.”

He then called over the bartender.
“Get me a mug of ale, and for her…”

“I don’t need anything,” Rachel interrupted.

“Don’t be polite, my treat today,” the lame man said cheerfully.

“Using the money I gave you to buy me a drink?” Rachel shot him a deadpan glance.
“A bottle of beer.”

“Alright,” the server said, bringing their drinks.

“Cut the crap. Let’s get down to business,” Rachel said, putting down the game console and crossing her legs.

“Who did you find this time?”

“Haven’t you always wanted information on the internal staff of the Astral Academy?
I have an acquaintance whose superior had a chance to visit the Astral Academy some time ago and looked through some files.” The lame man pulled a manila envelope from his pocket.

He handed the envelope to Rachel.
“Inside are the files of basically all the faculty members. Although their backgrounds and abilities are summarized in just a sentence or two, or even a couple of words, I think this will be a great help to you.”

Rachel was taken aback when she heard the words “Astral Academy.”
The most prestigious academy in the Celdine Empire, the only place in the entire Empire, and possibly the world, where humans could learn magic.
It was incredible that this disheveled man before her could obtain information from there.

Rachel placed her hand on the envelope but didn’t pick it up immediately.

“How did you get such important information? Is it reliable?”

“This kind of thing is both hard and easy to get. But this time, it was a pleasant surprise,” the lame man said.
“Court officials, the Imperial military, nobles, and even various wealthy individuals and journalists have a chance to get in. In a way, it’s a place for the upper class to socialize and do PR. If you have the right connections, you can get in. Whether or not you can get information depends on if you know someone on the inside. It works from the outside in, layer by layer, link by link. As long as you know someone on the outermost layer, you can gradually work your way into the internal network, moving up level by level. The information is reliable, you can rest assured.”

“How much?” Rachel asked.

She wasn’t worried that the man in front of her would cheat her.
This wasn’t their first transaction, and she had all his information.
He wouldn’t dare lie to her.

“Hehehe, the usual,” the man named Rick said, his gaze fixed on Rachel’s chest.

“Of course, if you’re willing to go on a date with me, you can have it for free this time.
We could get a room, order a few bottles of red wine, and together…”

Rick stopped.
He felt a soft hand rest on his knee.
Just as he was about to wear an expression of enjoyment from the soft touch, an intense pain shot up from his knee.
The pain forced his face to turn crimson, veins popping on his forehead.
He slumped onto the table, one hand clenched into a fist, the other trying to pry away the source of his pain.

“No, Rachel, stop! Okay, I apologize, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Rachel silently withdrew her hand.
“Sometimes I really want to shatter the kneecap of your leg, so you’ll never have to walk again, Rick.”

“I was just joking.”

Rachel sighed.
“Then remember this, never make that kind of joke in front of me again.”

“Okay, okay…” Rick muttered, slumped over the table, his face contorted in pain.

“Here’s your money. I’m leaving.” Rachel placed a wad of cash on the table.
She picked up the envelope, the beer, and the game console, and walked straight out of the tavern.

“So tired.”

Rachel returned to the apartment she was renting.

After entering the room, Rachel turned on the lights and immediately sat down on the sofa, impatiently tossing her jacket aside.

She popped open the beer and took a sip from the bottle.

“Ugh, beer is as disgusting as ever.”

Rachel had never liked drinking.
She always thought alcohol tasted terrible and couldn’t understand why so many people liked it.
Of course, alcohol addiction was due to its addictive properties, not its taste.
In any case, she didn’t like drinking, and whenever she did, she would get red and itchy all over, which was very uncomfortable.

But her dad loved to drink.
He basically had to have a drink every day, and his face would always turn as red as if it were on fire, but he still drank.
It was one thing for him to drink, but he always tried to persuade me to drink with him, honestly.

Thinking of this, Rachel took another sip of beer.

She put down the bottle, tore open the envelope, and began flipping through the documents inside one by one.

“Nie Yiyi, female, age 23, from the Imperial Capital, birthday December 21st, daughter of Prime Minister Nie Guangyu, Dean of the Astral Academy’s School of Magic and instructor of Elemental Combat… Hmph, hmph, she looks quite pretty in the photo… The most talented student in the history of the Astral Academy, majored in magic and minored in psionics, a high-achieving dual-major student who became the youngest dean in the Astral Academy’s history after graduation…”

“Damn it! This stupid file, it’s just bragging. It doesn’t reveal any information about her abilities. What is this garbage?”

“Useless… useless… useless… useless, useless, useless, useless!” Rachel looked at one sheet and tossed it aside.
By the end, all the papers were scattered on the floor, covered in brief profiles of different people in a uniform format.

“That son of a b*tch Rick, what kind of trash did he get me? He has the nerve to try and fool me with this?”

Rachel paced around the room impatiently.
“Then again, their personal files would never be that detailed, no one would be willing to write the color of their underwear in their file. Can’t be hasty, Tang Rui, calm down, take it slow.
This information is still very useful to me.”

Calming down, Rachel picked up all the papers from the floor, put them away, and stored the envelope neatly in a cabinet.

“When can I go back?” Rachel sat on the windowsill with the beer bottle, feeling helpless.
She propped one foot against the window frame and started chugging the beer again while gazing at the moon outside.

That’s right, Rachel was not her original name.
Her original name was Tang Rui, and she used to be a male from Earth.

“How did I end up in such a strange world, and turn into a woman on top of that?” The more Rachel thought about it, the angrier she got.
“How can I get back? Am I supposed to raid the Astral Academy at night? Capture all the sorcerers and psionics and make them research a way home for me overnight? I’d probably not even make it past the front gate before the top students of the Astral Academy use me as free material for their combat practice, target me with all sorts of advanced weapons, or even capture me alive to become a plaything for those spoiled brats. After all, I’m so beautiful now, with big breasts, fair skin, long legs, and a curvy butt. Those horny monkeys would definitely want to vent their lewd desires on me.”

Rachel had been in this world for a year now.
It had been a very difficult year, and this seductive body had caused her a lot of trouble.
But fortunately, no one had been able to take advantage of her.
No one.