Chapter 12: The Golden-Haired Sword Maiden

"Do you want to explore the academy? I've been here many times, so I'm quite familiar with it," Geof volunteered.

"Sea Thistle Academy is one of the top ten academies in the empire, a first-class magical institution. It's much higher in rank compared to Sea Haven Magic Academy, and there are more rules here, with certain areas off-limits to outsiders," he explained.

Upon hearing this, Field nodded. "Then let's go together."

"We want to go too!" Warrenwald chimed in.

Martina was about to speak up when Geof interrupted, "You stay here; we still need to wait for the recipient."

Martina pursed her lips, feeling a bit disappointed, but she still nodded in agreement.

In fact, except for Keke, who was a new member and visiting for the first time, everyone else had delivered goods to Sea Thistle Academy several times with Geof and wasn't particularly interested in the academy.

The main reason they wanted to tag along was because of Field. The strength Field displayed meant he couldn't remain an unknown brass-ranked mercenary forever, so establishing good relations was necessary. But for the sake of the mission, she had to stay and wait.

"Oh, by the way, you mentioned Sea Haven also has a magic academy?" Field asked curiously.

"Yes, it's called Sea Haven Magic Academy, but it's only a third-rate magic academy and can't compare to Sea Thistle Magic Academy," Geof explained.

Field nodded, pondering inwardly. Perhaps he could start by visiting Sea Haven Magic Academy to see how it operates.

"Up ahead is the main playground, a public place for students to exchange magic," Geof suddenly said.

Field looked over and was impressed by the sheer size of the playground.

The playground here was much larger than the ones in the Wasteland Company's academy, which were usually four hundred or eight hundred meters long. But the one in front of Field seemed to be over a thousand meters long, quite spacious indeed.

On the beautiful lawn of the playground, many students were engaged in various activities. Some seemed to be picnicking, some were napping under trees, some were playing with their pets, and others were gathered together practicing magic.

Some students conjured water balls the size of human heads with a lift of their hands, some showed off their stone armor, and others had visible greenish air currents swirling around them, lifting them off the ground.

Watching these students freely display their magic, Field felt envious. What he wanted to learn most was wind magic because he had heard from the village guard captain that wind magic was one of the few magics that could carry people in the early stages.

Field had quite a passion for flying. In his previous life, the armed helicopter he snatched from the corporate dogs was his exclusive ride. Flying freely through the sky by his own means would definitely be more exhilarating than sitting in a crowded cockpit.

After crossing the spacious main playground, they arrived at a building that looked like a church.

Compared to a church, the building in front of them was larger and longer. Through the glass-like windows, they could see spacious classrooms inside, resembling parliamentary halls, with a large podium in front and rows of seats.

Coincidentally, Field saw a classroom in session.

A curved long table could accommodate exactly five people, but the seats in the classroom were not all filled. Either two people shared a table or three people, with about forty people in the entire classroom, sitting scattered around, making it look spacious and not crowded.

Field thought the seats were quite spacious; his large physique could sit comfortably.

He wanted to give it a try.

However, Geof told him he could only watch from the outside, as outsiders were not allowed to enter the teaching building area.

For the next forty minutes or so, Field and Keke followed Geof and the others around the academy and returned to the main playground.

They had to admit that the academy was really big, and forty minutes was far from enough time to explore it all.

Unfortunately, many areas were off-limits to outsiders, and they could only admire the beautiful scenery of the academy and feel the atmosphere.

Areas like the library, pet garden, magic practice area, combat training area, and the academy's magic shop were off-limits to Field.

"I'll definitely get into those places sooner or later!" Field declared.

His companions smiled and remained silent. Having confidence was a good thing, but without magical talent, it was all in vain.

Sea Thistle Magic Academy was different from Sea Haven Magic Academy; it wasn't something you could get into just by being wealthy.

Unless you had enough money to significantly influence the academy...

They all agreed that Field's large physique would definitely make him an excellent warrior, but becoming a mage... the possibility was quite low.

But Keke seemed to believe in Field a lot. Clutching her little fists, she chimed in, "Then... I want to go in too, meow!"

"Haha, we'll go together when the time comes," Field laughed heartily.

"Yeah!" Keke exclaimed eagerly, and Geof and the others didn't dampen her enthusiasm.

Just then, the noise from the playground caught their attention. Field looked over in confusion and saw the students gathering in one direction, cheering loudly.

Out of curiosity, Field decided to check it out.

It seemed like class was over, and students were streaming out of the teaching building. However, they willingly made way on both sides, creating a spacious path down the middle.

Then, accompanied by cheers, a group of students who clearly differed from the ordinary ones slowly emerged.

What made them different?

Firstly, their attire. While regular students wore blue-themed uniforms, this group was dressed predominantly in white, with gold accents. Their attire was simpler yet exuded elegance and nobility.

Next was their demeanor. These individuals clearly had an air of arrogance, walking with their heads held high and a faint smile on their faces, as if enjoying the awe of the surrounding students.

Lastly, on their arms were armbands bearing the emblem of a silver unicorn.

Seeing this group, Field thought of one word.

Nobility!

Indeed, these people exuded an air of wealth and nobility.

But what truly caught Field's attention was the leader of the group.

She was a tall, slender girl, dressed predominantly in gold with silver accents, exuding even more nobility than the group behind her.

She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, but she walked with grace and dignity, her form-fitting suit emphasizing her nearly perfect figure.

With each step, her golden hair seemed to shimmer like waves in the ocean, radiant and resplendent.

At her waist, she carried a slender silver sword.

Her chin was slightly lifted, declaring her as a proud and confident individual.

Though her expression was stoic, her golden lashes and deep blue eyes made her appear angelic.

Her beauty was so striking that even Field couldn't help but marvel at it.

Truly perfect!

You see, in his previous life, corporate technology was quite advanced, and cosmetic surgery was child's play. Many wasteland celebrities spent exorbitant amounts of money to completely alter their faces, replacing them with custom-made facial prosthetics that were indistinguishable from real faces, achieving an almost perfect appearance seen in virtual and cinematic works.

As long as you were willing to spend money, you could have whatever appearance you desired.

Therefore, Field had seen too many beautiful women like that in his previous life.

But compared to the girl in front of him now... there was no comparison. Field felt that comparing those artificial, synthetic beauties to her would be an insult.

Because those technological faces were ultimately fake, like faces generated by AI. No matter how beautiful and perfect they were, they could still be recognized as fake at a glance.

Field could even tell which female celebrities had their faces done by the same company, even if they looked different.

But the girl in front of him now, her natural beauty surpassed the so-called beauty of technology by far.

It was a recognizable, distinctive, and equally perfect visage from every angle.

Once you saw her, you wouldn't forget her.