Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"Such impressive people." Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

Sitting in the chair, Tilan carefully examined the information on these individuals, ideas emerging in her mind. Before, each of these talented people was someone she had to look up to, but now they were just insignificant names on a list, and no one could find fault with whoever was chosen or not.

Is this what power tastes like? Will I too, one day, become intoxicated with this sense of superiority? She lightly tapped her forehead with her finger, the cool touch spreading.

Maintain vigilance at all times, there's still a long way to go, Tilan, the girl told herself, then focused on making her selections.

Although there were many suitable candidates, considering the limited number of participants and the need for rational team allocation, she had no choice but to eliminate some.

Twenty minutes later, having drawn up the list of 12 participants, Tilan handed it to Annelli.

"These will do. If we score the highest in the first stage, 12 people can take the stage. Of course, if the situation is extremely bad and the judges give zero marks to everyone, then only 2 people will be able to perform."

"That won't happen; I believe in you, Tilan~" Annelli cheered on the young girl.

"I'll go notify everyone then. If you're tired, Tilan, you can take a nap in the small room to the side," Annelli, also aware of Tilan's fondness for a midday rest.

"I know." While it felt good to be understood and accommodated, Tilan also felt a bit embarrassed. As president, sleeping lazily in the office didn't seem quite right when word got out.

Never mind that, time for a quick nap. After thinking it over, Tilan then summoned the large spider from the shadows beside her.

"Just squat under the desk and don't move. If someone comes, press the button to wake me in the next room, got it?"

The large spider moved its legs, its black eyes gently turning, producing a faint hiss as a sign of understanding.

"Uh, and don't scare anyone, preferably don't let anyone see you," Tilan instructed again.

"Hiss, hiss." The large spider felt a bit aggrieved, missing out on some fun, but it nodded in affirmation, acknowledging Tilan's serious manner.

"That's good, be good, and I'll make you something delicious tomorrow." Tilan promised a treat to make the slightly mischievous creature obey before she went off to rest.

Time passed serenely, and the next day, Tilan visited the place where Geyin lived.

"This is... quite special indeed." Tilan surveyed the room's layout, her gaze drifting over various mysterious and floating objects.

The dormitories at Edith Academy were basically similar to city apartments, with two students sharing one, equipped with facilities like a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and separate bedrooms.

Geyin's suite was for her alone, and it was filled with objects of various sizes, some presumably advanced technological instruments, some appearing as ancient mystical artifacts, and others were specialties from other Star Domains.

When Tilan inquired about the origins of these things, Geyin replied that they were all purchased online.

"Interstellar shipping must be expensive," Tilan had heard classmates mention this kind of online shopping before. Generally, only a few high-value-added items were worth the expensive cost of interstellar transportation.

"Hmm." Geyin nodded her head without further comment. Unless Tilan continued to inquire, she rarely elaborated.

"Okay, are these all Geyin's instruments?" In one corner of the bedroom, Tilan found several cases and boxes piled together, their outlines suggesting they contained musical instruments.

After helping to pick them up, the two made their way to the music room.

"First, the violin."

Upon opening the case, Tilan saw an exquisitely crafted violin, its material resembling White Ivory, and its surface carved with lifelike flowers. It felt surprisingly light to hold, and even Tilan, who usually paid little attention to luxury goods, could tell that it was definitely a work of art.

Once the violin rested on her shoulder, Geyin gently started to play. The soothing, crystal-clear sound echoed around the room, then slowly drifted away.

Several minutes later, Tilan clapped her hands, not expecting Geyin's proficiency with musical instruments to be so high—even slightly better than herself, although this was partly because she didn't practice much.

"When did Geyin learn to play the violin?"

"Nine."

"How long did it take?"

"Half a year in the beginning, a year in the intermediate stage, and then another two years of study," Geyin set down the violin and answered with a clear, cool voice.

"Do you like it?"

"Not dislike, but, my mother likes it." She then put away the violin and opened another case, taking out a guitar from inside.

The black guitar, with its edges covered in a silver coating, and as Geyin tuned and plucked the strings, subtle patterns emerged on the surface of the black guitar, tracing out the shape of white roses, making it look particularly beautiful as a whole.

"It's quite extraordinary," Tilan remarked, sensing this feeling once again as she looked at the guitar.

In the following guitar performance, the woodwind instruments, piano, and trumpet, Geyin showed a level of skill far beyond the ordinary person, but gradually, Tilan also began to spot a problem: although Geyin could be described as accomplished in technique, achieving a professional high rank, the emotional depth within the music was rather one-dimensional. This subtle difference might not be discernible to the average person, but to her, it became progressively noticeable.

It was like an exquisitely beautiful but cold and silent piece of art.

Indeed, this was the feeling that slowly started to take shape in Tilan's mind.

"What does Geyin's mother do?"

At last, she couldn't help but ask this question. In reality, this was a bit abrupt, but fortunately, Geyin didn't mind and remained as placid as a still pond.

"My mother is a renowned artist, fond of sculpture, pyrography, painting, and the like," Geyin said calmly, then took out a personal terminal, input a name, and showed it to Tilan.

"Shafaqiqilisi H. Aiselaide, a well-known artist, at 21 she won second place at the 478th 'Tricolor Feather' art competition with her work 'Eyes in the Pale Prism', at 24 she won third place at the 227th 'True Blood Beauty' art competition with 'The Torn Face', and at 29 she won first place at the 829th 'Song Festival' in the Twin Trees Star Domain with 'Tears of the Flower Crowned Girl', causing a sensation. However, three years later, she suddenly announced her marriage and withdrew from the art scene, publishing no new works since."

In the image, a woman with straight silver hair, deep purple eyeshadow, and a cool expression appeared. She wore a silver suit with pants, but the style was very different, giving off an extravagant and impactful feel. If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't think this was Geyin's mother because the temperaments between the two were vastly different; however, upon closer inspection, one could find that both shared a certain indescribable coolness.

"Were the musical instruments given to you by your mother?" Tilan could tell that each instrument was a work of art, not something one could simply buy on the market.

"Yes."

"Does Geyin like her mother?"

"Not really." She shook her head, expressing a sentiment other than indifference for the first time.

"Why is that?"

"I don't know."

"And your father?"

"Mother dumped him."

Well, it looked like that question wasn't going to be answered.

The test was complete, and with that, a segment concluded. Tilan helped Geyin pack away the instruments, and began to ponder the next steps in their plan.

Currently, with Geyin's addition, the band members were nearly complete, and now that the combat personnel had been selected, what remained was constant refinement to reach perfection.