Su Cheng described her wondrous adventure to her teammates.
"If one moment you are standing here, and the next you go to some deity's palace, and very soon you are standing right back here—"
She gestured with her hands, trying to make her description more vivid.
"Does that mean the deity actually pulled your soul away? Or were you teleported somewhere, body and all?"
"?"
Camus closed the book in his hands and looked at her with a slight frown. "The God of Jealousy?"
Su Cheng's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"...If you were by a lake, in an environment where you could see reflections, then the probability of it being him is quite high."
Camus said calmly, "A part of his authority is related to mirrors and reflections. Of course, he isn't the only deity with this kind of power. Did you do anything?"
"No," Su Cheng said, her forehead practically lined with exasperation. "If you mean that, my curse is fine. I'm just purely curious about this."
"Then what did you feel?"
"He was very pretty?"
"?"
The blood mage looked like he was about to hit someone.
Camus: "I was talking about your magic, spiritual energy, or the state of your curse—"
Su Cheng coughed lightly. "It's very normal, no problems at all. In fact, I feel great. It wasn't like with other gods where it's easy to get dizzy. His appearance is very pleasing to the eye, but he doesn't have that forced attraction like the God of Lust."
"Then it was your consciousness," Camus interrupted her. "He only established some sort of soul link with you, allowing you to 'see' him. With your current state, if you were to directly enter a divine domain, even if you didn't die, you wouldn't come out unaffected."
After saying this, he turned and got on his mount, seemingly not wanting to say anything more.
"As for you saying you didn't get dizzy," Sasha analyzed with interest, "you obviously aren't someone who easily gets jealous of others, right? I mean in all aspects. What do you think when you see someone better than you?"
"I don't think much of it. If someone is very rich, I might be envious, but I have money now too, so it doesn't matter."
"But you always have some thoughts when you see a pretty man, right?"
"......Isn't that just human nature?"
"Yes," Sasha clapped his hands. "If you see a beautiful person of the opposite or same sex and your heart stirs, and you want to touch them, even if there's only a tiny bit of desire, it could be influenced by a deity's authority and then magnified infinitely. But if you have absolutely none, then that's a different story."
The group set off once again.
On the night before arriving at the outskirts of the imperial capital, Su Cheng slept from midnight until dawn for the first time. Opening her eyes, she happened to see the pale blue sky.
She rubbed her stiff hands. Thin mist flowed through her fingers, and the dewdrops on the tips of her hair were scattered by the strong wind.
The dragon-eagles slowed down, soaring forward with the wind, passing through the surging sea of clouds.
A gentle golden-orange color spread among the clouds, then bloomed into a magma-like crimson, pouring down like liquid fire, completely igniting the dawn sky.
—Without the obstruction of mountains, without the noise of the mortal world, there was only pure light and flame painting the canopy of the heavens.
Su Cheng quietly watched this scene.
Below were verdant valleys and fertile hills, a continuous sea of green stretching into the distance, where the outlines of a town had already appeared.
White Dew Town was located southwest of the imperial capital, slightly off the main traffic routes, nestled in a gentle valley.
On the other side of the town, magnificent buildings hidden in the morning mist could faintly be seen.
Towering spires rose from the sea of clouds, with vertical wings extending on both sides. From a distance, it formed a cross shape. The white stone walls glowed with a gilded light, hanging high in the sky like a shining morning star.
Around that majestic tower, there were countless courtyards and small buildings, connected to each other by floating arcades.
This entire architectural complex was located in the air; it was the world-renowned Cross Star Academy.
The imperial capital was filled with prestigious schools. Some were in the city proper, some on the outskirts. Cross Star was relatively further away.
White Dew Town was the closest town to Cross Star. Part of the academy's food source came from the town's farm markets.
The town was about an hour's drive from the imperial capital—that is, by an ordinary carriage. If riding a magical beast, it would be much faster.
The town looked quite peaceful in the early morning. Occasionally, cooking smoke rose into the air. A few people drove carts toward the imperial capital, proceeding leisurely along the straight roads.
The dragon-eagles landed outside the town. There was a piece of land here belonging to the Mercenary Guild, large enough for giant magical beasts to rest briefly.
The teammates dismounted from the dragon-eagles one after another.
Su Cheng pressed her stiff and aching legs, turning to jump down directly, but ended up not moving.
"...You didn't untie your rope properly."
Amidst Sasha's laughter, Kai once again acted like a dutiful commander, coming up to help her untangle the knotted reins.
Perhaps thinking she wanted to get down by herself, he didn't immediately carry her this time.
Su Cheng, however, instinctively reached out her hands, thinking that since he was already here, he might as well.
The black-haired man's gaze paused, and then he raised his hand, carefully grasping the young girl's slender wrists, avoiding her scarred fingers.
He easily pulled her up, and the moment she leaned into his embrace, he held her waist, lifted her up, and jumped straight down.
"Did you sleep well earlier?"
They stood on the emerald green meadow. A warm spring breeze blew against their faces, carrying the scent of flowers and baked bread.
Su Cheng leaned against his chest and looked up. "Not bad, at least I slept straight through to the sunrise, the first time in so many days. By the way, I feel like my battle aura has increased a bit?"
"Mm, that's normal. At this stage, if you want to improve, you mainly need a certain intensity of training."
Kai thought for a moment. "Actual combat works too. If you need it, I can help you plan it out."
Su Cheng hesitated for a moment.
The plans he proposed were usually quite effective, they were just a bit exhausting for the person involved.
The trouble with cultivating both magic and martial arts was that most people could only do one thing at a time, and trying to cultivate both together was not easy.
Of course, actual combat was fine, but using magic and battle aura simultaneously in a fight was also not very easy.
However, once you could do it, you would have more of an advantage than mages and warriors of the same tier.
White Dew Town also had branches of the Mercenary Guild and the Magic Guild. Kai took out the rental contract, handed over the magical beasts, and got the deposit back.
The guild employee casually asked if they had a mission.
"I suppose you could say that," Sasha said with a smile. "Escorting her to school."
The employee's expression changed immediately. His gaze swept over them and landed on the only girl.
She was probably the only one who looked the age and part of someone going to school.
"Congratulations," the employee said with a smile. "Which academy are you going to?"
After she answered, the employee could not help but sigh. "The Academy of Mysteries has very few enrollment spots this year. I thought you would be from the Academy of Blades. Are you going to report in right now?"
Su Cheng wasn't in a hurry. "Yes, but there are still a few days before school officially starts, right? I can still go take a look around the imperial capital, can't I?"
"Of course you can. It's very convenient to go to the imperial capital from here." The employee gave her a small map booklet. "A perk for new students of Cross Star."
"Huh, thank you! But you didn't even ask for my admission letter—"
"Let's just say I like the look of you," the staff member waved a hand. "Is there anything else you need?"
After they left the guild, Su Cheng couldn't help but tug at the commander's bracer.
"...Should we start preparing for our big operation?"
The other three froze.
Sasha waved his hand. "You mean the mission? There's no rush for that. I still need to meet a contact and get some intel first. You can go check out the school."
The three of them all had their own things to attend to, so the four parted ways there.
Cross-Star Academy had a reception office in town. It was a small white building covered in ivy. At the entrance, a few teenagers walked out, chatting and laughing.
"Are you a new student?" one of the girls looked at Su Cheng. "Just go this way!"
"If you want to look around the town, you can come back later," another boy reminded her. "New students only get three free teleports."
Because the academy's tower was located high in the sky, some students—especially the freshmen—couldn't travel back and forth directly on their own yet, so they had to rely on the teleportation magic arrays.
The reception office in town housed one such array, which could send people directly into the academy and also receive those coming down from it.
These arrays were usually very expensive to build. Even though it wasn't too far from the academy tower, using it once still cost quite a bit.
"...She's a wind mage," the girl immediately said. "She doesn't need to save those few trips!"
Su Cheng: "?"
The girl quickly explained that freshmen were given three free round trips, after which they would be charged one gold coin per trip. At the end of each semester, they would also receive one complimentary round trip.
"Of course," she added, "once you enroll, there will be plenty of opportunities to earn more trips, like through small exercises or minor competitions..."
The girl looked her up and down. "You don't look like you're short on money anyway. It'll be up to you. Not everyone enjoys participating in those things all day."
There were plenty of mages who holed up in their rooms to bury themselves in research, or who spent all day in the library, forgetting to eat and sleep.
While warriors mostly needed frequent combat practice, some magical fields didn't require much of it at all.
"But I'd recommend joining in if you have the time. You can actually gain a lot from them, especially since it seems you have battle aura too?"
Su Cheng thanked them and went inside the building. She took out her complete set of documents. The staff quickly reviewed and registered them, then asked if she wanted to head to the school.
She decided to go take a look first; she wasn't short a few gold coins anyway.
Besides, if she had enough time, she might even be able to travel back and forth on her own.
"...I can, right?" Su Cheng said, a bit uncertainly. "My Wind Levitation spell should be enough to ascend a few hundred meters—"
The mage adjusting the magic array glanced at her. "Why haven't you taken the third-tier exam?"
Su Cheng slapped her forehead. "I forgot."
The mage's eyes immediately changed slightly. "It seems you're quite capable?"
Su Cheng paused. "What?"
"If you were just an elemental mage," the mage said while activating the array's source crystal, "you would care a lot about your tier. Anyone who can cast a third-tier spell would usually rush to the guild to rank up immediately. But if you have other abilities, you might not care as much about it."
Su Cheng: "..."
The mage smiled at her. "I hit the mark, didn't I? Our school might not have a lot of students, but there is no shortage of formidable figures."
Su Cheng said quietly, "I think you're pretty formidable yourself."
"I've just seen a lot of people, that's all," the mage waved a hand. "Farewell."
Before Su Cheng could even say goodbye, she was swallowed by the light rising from the magic array.
The white light faded.
She found herself standing in a courtyard.
Suspended in mid-air ahead was a giant crystal. It was a translucent blue-white stone with golden streams of light rippling across its surface, resting above overlapping layers of magic arrays.
Surrounding the courtyard was a ring of towering, circular pillars. Emerald vines half-concealed the reliefs carved into the stone columns, which connected to intermittent vaulted ceilings above, forming a semi-open corridor.
The corridor was bustling with people. Many mages were carrying thick tomes or various tools. Some were chatting with companions, while others walked briskly by themselves.
Su Cheng tilted her head back to look higher up.
The towering main spire pierced straight into the clouds. Unlike from the ground, at this distance, she could see many more details—
Spiral outer corridors wrapped around the tower like vines, connecting to hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller auxiliary towers.
She knew that most students had their classes in the main tower. As for those smaller structures, they were likely the personal magic towers of the various mentors and professors.
"New student?"
A young man walked over.
He was tall and quite handsome, with dark red curly hair tied back in a low ponytail, revealing a subtle black diamond stud on his ear.
The embroidered patterns on his mage robes were exquisite, looking incredibly expensive, yet there was no mage insignia displayed on his chest.
"First time here, right? Hmm? You don't have any more luggage?"
He paused as he spoke, his gaze shifting as he assessed her. "Or do you have a spatial storage item?"
Su Cheng was just about to speak.
The man waved his hand again. "No need to answer, I was just saying. Usually, I'd take someone to the dorms to drop off their things first, then go pick up their schedule and booklist. But since you aren't carrying a bunch of bags, what do you want to—"
"I want to go to the dorms first!" Su Cheng said immediately. "Could you please lead the way, or point me in the right direction?"
He immediately agreed to take her. "You don't need to rush, though. There's no need to fight for dorm rooms here. We don't have those situations like other schools where 'if you arrive late, you have to rent or buy a place off-campus.' After all, our enrollment numbers are fixed to ensure everyone gets a single room. Historically, there are always vacancies; it's never fully booked."
Su Cheng nodded. "It's not mandatory to live on campus anyway, right?"
"Right. If you prefer to live in White Dew Town, or if you have a house in the Imperial Capital, that's fine too. It's just faster to get to class if you live at the school, though some people don't come to class very often anyway..."
They walked for a while. The cloud-shrouded sky disappeared, replaced by a gilded, frescoed arcade dome.
The crowd around them grew thicker, and people bearing warrior insignias began to appear, as well as those wearing both warrior and mage insignias.
Su Cheng realized they had entered the main tower.
Her guide pulled out a map. "Our main tower is cross-shaped. If you look from the outside, the top and bottom are very clear. The Court of Mysteries has its classrooms in the upper tower. The Court of Valor is in the left tower—and by 'left,' I mean relative to the direction of the Imperial Capital. The Court of Blades is in the right tower. The lower tower houses the dorms, various practice and research grounds, and a few small libraries. Right now, we are in the central ring area of the main tower—"
He stopped walking and gestured for her to look to the side.
They were currently standing in a spacious rotunda. The floor was paved with milky-white marble, smooth and gleaming.
The hall extended in all directions, with more than a dozen archways leading to different areas. Quite a few people were gathered in front of the elevators right in the middle.
"You're good with directions, right?" the guide asked. "You're not the type who can't remember a route even after walking it multiple times, are you?"
Su Cheng: "...I'm not. I can pretty much remember the way after walking it once. I can even walk back to the teleportation point we just came from right now. Why do you ask?"
"It's good that you're not. I just remembered that some people tend to get lost in the school."
The guide touched his nose. "For example, because they couldn't find the elevator, they had to jump out the window and fly directly to the classroom."
Su Cheng: "?"
Su Cheng: "That seems like a valid method, doesn't it?"
Although they were thousands of feet in the air, for higher-ranking mages or warriors, it was no big deal.
The guide looked at her and silently shook his head. "Ah, wind mages."
The two of them walked past the elevator area.
A large group of mages was gathered here waiting to enter. From time to time, their discussions could be heard, filled with all sorts of obscure vocabulary and even unfamiliar languages.
Some simply kept their heads down reading, indifferent to everything happening around them.
"Ferguson!" a mage waved at them. "Are you a new student? Wow, you're here quite early. Where are you from? Muguang City? Lannao City?"
"...No, Jinpo City."
The surrounding mages turned their heads one after another, surprise showing on their faces.
"So fast?" the person who asked said in amazement. "Do you have a flying magical beast?"
Su Cheng told the truth. "I rented one from the Mercenary Guild."
"Hahahaha, no wonder," another eavesdropping mage laughed. "I thought our Academy of Secrets was going to get another dragon knight!"
"Where would we get so many dragon knights?" his companion rolled his eyes at him. "That person isn't just an ordinary guy, alright?"
The mage who spoke first counted on his fingers. "Coming all the way from Jinpo City, calculating the days, you couldn't have rested for more than a few days in between, right?"
At least seven or eight mages were staring at her, and some looked for a few seconds before whispering to their classmates. From their lip movements, one could vaguely tell they were talking about battle aura.
Su Cheng nodded. "Rested for about two days, mostly for the magical beast to eat."
That person gave her a thumbs up. "Not bad. If you're interested, you can sign up for the Basic Magical Beast Rearing course. I'm the teaching assistant."
Su Cheng thought for a moment. "I am quite interested, but I saw on the freshman course selection list earlier that I need to pass the Introduction to Magical Beast Studies exam?"
"That's just a recommendation. Otherwise, you might find some materials and props unfamiliar..."
This senior wanted to say more, but the elevator had already arrived. She had to go over with her classmates first, waving to Su Cheng as she left.
"Let's go."
The guide patted her shoulder. "Anyway, there's an elevator at this location on every floor. There are a lot of people right now, so we won't wait. I'll take you up the stairs first."
As they walked, he explained that the main tower of Cross Star was a hundred stories high. Right now, they were in the middle area. Below them were fifty floors of dormitories, and above them were dozens of floors for the Academy of Secrets' teaching and research areas.
But the layout of some of the upper floors was quite complicated, and there was even space above the top floor.
"Most people never finish exploring the entire academy even by the time they graduate..."
Su Cheng followed the guide out of the hall, through an archway, and down a side corridor.
A faint scent of spices drifted through the spiral staircase, smelling quite refreshing.
"Our school doesn't have a designated freshman dormitory. When someone graduates and leaves, their room is freed up for a new student."
The guide said casually, "If you're not satisfied with the room you've been assigned, or if you have conflicts with your neighbors, you can come find me again. I'll see if I can help you swap with someone else."
She agreed. "Thank you, Mr. Ferguson. Speaking of which, what's the deal with that dragon knight?"
"Oh," the guide waved his hand. "That's Prince Peier. It seems he's been a dragon knight since he was a child. Some rumor that he has dragon blood in his veins. Now he's entered the Academy of Secrets—"
Su Cheng: "......"
The Silver Moon Empire had many royal family members. The current emperor, Leo III, was obsessed with magic, so he granted all his children the title of Prince or Princess, allowing them to enter the Privy Council to participate in politics.
In the original novel, any male character with a noble status was basically a villain.
The emperor's sons were all enemies of the male lead. They either looked down on him, had factional conflicts with him, or were his romantic rivals.
There were even some whose wives or children were seduced by him.
The situation with the emperor's daughters was more complicated. Some were friends with benefits, some were business partners, and some had a love-hate relationship with him.
One of them was studying right here in the Academy of Secrets at Cross Star.
A giant dragon knight.
Su Cheng vaguely remembered that this prince had a bad temper, not to mention that Lin Yun had once peeked at him while he was bathing.
So he was almost killed.
Su Cheng's expression couldn't help but look a bit strange.
"...That His Royal Highness, well," the guide thought for a moment. "Anyway, uh, I hope you don't have a hero-worship complex for dragon knights, and even if you do, don't make him your target."
Perhaps feeling that her reaction was a bit subtle, he began to advise her like a worried old father.
"Don't worry, I don't," Su Cheng shook her head. "Besides, I know a dragon knight. He might be waiting for me to treat him to dinner in the imperial capital right now."
The guide breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good then."
Su Cheng: "..."
Aren't you even going to suspect that I'm just bragging?
At this very moment, a student holding a crystal ball was walking up from below. The expression on his face was quite tense, as if the object in his arms would explode at any second.
Su Cheng vaguely heard a crisp cracking sound.
In that instant, the surrounding air seemed to be squeezed, forming countless wrinkles like a crumpled piece of paper.
"?!"
The guide cursed, quickly grabbed her, and then turned around, seemingly wanting to use his own back to shield the newcomer from harm.
However—
The erupting magic swept over the two of them instantly.
Amidst an intense pulling sensation, Su Cheng only felt the space around her split open as she plunged into a pit of nothingness.
She staggered a few steps, and the dizziness faded like an ebbing tide.
The scenery around her had completely changed.
Beneath her feet was warm, non-slip stone, and in front of her was a massive, cave-style bathroom.
The towering dome was painted with underwater scenery, featuring colorful coral and schools of fish weaving through the stone caves.
Those fish were even moving.
A moment later, Su Cheng realized it was some kind of magical effect.
The air was filled with damp white steam, and the light scattered as it refracted through the misty moisture.
In the center of the room was a huge, sunken circular bathtub. The pool water was as clear as sapphire, and warm steam curled upward like a hazy veil.
Within that veil-like mist, a tall man was leaning against the wall of the pool. His golden-red curly hair was damp, hanging down wetly before floating in the water.
His broad chest was well-defined, every inch of its lines smooth and powerful, while his lean waist and abdomen were submerged beneath the surface.
Water droplets slowly fell along his sharp jawline, dripping onto his distinct abdominal muscles before disappearing into the spreading ripples of the pool.
Su Cheng slowly backed away.
The next second, the man suddenly opened his eyes, the expression on his face shifting from confusion to anger.
"...If you are an assassin, you will die here."
He let out a cold sneer. "If you are nothing but a reckless freshman, you will pay dearly for offending a Prince of the Empire."
Above the rippling waters of the bathing pool, inside the damp and steamy room—
A blazing burst of flames suddenly ignited.
