The Academy of Magic

The Padeya Academy of Advanced Magic was completely different from what Baroque had imagined. It resembled a vast garden within a city rather than a grand palace-like building. Scattered among lush greenery and flowers were tall, Gothic-style spired towers. Despite all being spired towers, each one was unique—some had diamond-shaped bodies, others were square or round. Without exception, each was adorned with intricate, ornate relief carvings. If it weren't for Lady Celine's explanations, Baroque wouldn't have known that these seemingly decorative carvings were actually runes forming the defensive and offensive magic arrays of the towers. There was a famous saying in the royal capital of Padeya: "The capital can fall, but the academy will never fall!" This confidence stemmed from the dozens, nearly a hundred, of magic towers spread throughout the academy.

The teaching methods at Padeya Academy were very unique. There were no classrooms or lecture halls; instead, all students, upon entering the academy, were assigned to a magician based on their chosen field of study and their innate talents. They would then enter one of the magic towers for apprenticeship-style education. Periodically, these students, learning under different masters, would be gathered for assessments to test their progress. The results would be determined by the academy's principal and a council of esteemed high magicians. Once their results were acknowledged, students could advance to the next level and choose a higher-level teacher to study under. Graduation was relatively simple: one only needed to reach the level of a mid-level magician.

Compared to warriors who practiced battle qi, studying magic had higher requirements, with mental power being a crucial factor that was entirely dependent on innate talent. Although mental power could gradually increase through practice, a person's original mental power directly influenced the heights they could achieve in the future.

As Baroque looked at the dazzling array of magic towers before him, he imagined the mysterious beings residing within them while listening to Lady Celine's casual explanations. About to start learning here, the little girl Serra listened particularly attentively.

"What is original mental power?" Baroque suddenly asked, puzzled.

"Everyone has a mental sea in their brain, but due to various innate or acquired reasons, some can open it while others can't for their entire life. Those who can't open their mental sea are ordinary people, while those who can can learn magic. As for what the mental sea actually is, it involves the profound study of souls, which even I don't fully understand," Lady Celine explained. She suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled charmingly at Baroque, whispering, "It's said that orc shamans have the deepest understanding of souls. Don't you know?"

Baroque felt a bit uncomfortable. He had to admit that this woman was in her prime, both mentally and physically. Leaning closer, he could feel the heat emanating from her ample body with his keen senses, not to mention the enticing breath that was quite alluring.

He discreetly took a small step back and shook his head. "That's different. We orc shamans primarily focus on communicating with natural elements and ancestral totems. We don't know much about our own brains, let alone original mental power. This is the first time I've heard of it."

Lady Celine didn't notice Baroque's subtle retreat. She didn't understand the relationship between shamanism and magic anyway; it all seemed rather confusing. Nodding, she continued, "Even among those who can open their mental sea, their talents vary. Everything depends on a point within the mental sea—we magicians call it the 'Fountain of Life.' The size of the Fountain of Life determines a person's original mental power. It's called 'original' because it is unchangeable, something that remains constant throughout one's life, no matter how much they practice."

Baroque pondered this, while the little girl Serra listened, bewildered. Lady Celine smiled and opened her hand, taking out a light red crystal from her storage ring, and said to Serra, "You've probably tested your original mental power before, so you should know what this is."

"A magic sensing stone?" Serra said. "Yes, my father took me to test it at the Mid-level Magic Academy in Dolon City. They had me hold six crystals of different colors, and in the end, a red crystal lit up, indicating that I had the talent to learn magic, with a fire attribute original talent. However, the magician conducting the test said my mental power was low, just enough to open my mental sea." The little girl said, a bit embarrassed, feeling slightly dejected.

Lady Celine smiled and turned to Baroque. "Would you like to test your original mental power? It's said that the Fountain of Life is just a term, and no one can pry open your head to see its size. The best way is to use this special crystal to test it. Given your young age and being an orc shaman, you might be a rare genius!"

Baroque quickly shook his head and refused. He knew his own situation too well. The so-called magic sensing stone likely tested mental strength, and the 'Fountain of Life' was probably the place where the soul resided. Being a fusion of two souls, who knew what kind of shocking result such a test might produce. Until it was safe, he decided it was best to avoid it.

Lady Celine didn't insist. After all, there were rumors that the shamanistic orcs and human magicians were somewhat hostile to each other, each looking down on the other, so Baroque's resistance was understandable.

Not everyone could enter the academy. Serra's maid, Liv, and two guards from Red River Valley had to find an inn outside. Lady Celine took Baroque and Serra into the academy on foot. As pets, the green arrow squirrel and a certain dog were allowed in.

The academy was vast. They chatted as they walked through large gardens, passing several tall magic towers before reaching a beautiful residential area deep in the academy. Pretty detached houses stood in well-kept gardens, very tranquil.

Powerful magicians each occupied a magic tower, forming their own domains, while especially excellent students lived directly in their teacher's tower. This area was for ordinary teachers and students. Even though Lady Celine came from a noble background, she was only a mid-level magician and couldn't qualify for a magic tower, so she lived here. Ultimately, this world respected power above all; sometimes, no amount of influence could change that.

Baroque noticed something odd. "Lady Celine, why haven't we seen anyone since we entered? Doesn't the academy have any defenses? Aren't they afraid of intruders?"

Lady Celine laughed softly and pointed to a badge on the left chest of her magic robe. It wasn't a family crest but a metal academy badge with two crossed magic wands surrounded by a circle of irises. "The academy's magic defense array is always active, though invisible. We can pass because of this badge. Without it, outsiders would trigger the magic alarm."

Baroque stared at the metal badge. To be honest, he was impressed. He had felt a slight oddness along the way but hadn't detected any trace of magical fluctuations. Given his formidable mental strength and shamanistic abilities, it was incredible. He now felt deeply cautious of this magic academy. It deserved its reputation as one of the eight great magic academies on the continent. His desire to secretly learn grew even stronger.

Lady Celine suddenly blushed, feeling embarrassed by Baroque's gaze at her chest, but since she had invited him to look, she couldn't complain. With a soft hum, she turned and led Baroque and Serra into her house.

The three-story house had enough rooms. Lady Celine lived on the third floor, as did Serra, who chose a room there. As for Baroque, he had no choice—Lady Celine put him on the first floor. The room was quite nice; compared to the crude orc tents he was used to, it was like a five-star hotel.

"Let's call it a day. Rest well. If you're hungry, there's food in the kitchen. The academy's dining hall is likely closed now. Tomorrow, I'll take Serra to enroll," Lady Celine said as she settled them in before leaving. She was anxious to visit the palace to see her niece, Princess Claire, and to discuss Baroque's situation with her sister, the queen, and the king. Baroque had requested that his identity as an orc shaman remain secret, which was difficult but worth trying to keep under wraps for as long as possible until he found and rescued his people.

"Lady Celine, where is the library?" Baroque asked. The academy had many spired towers, but none were marked as a library.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Lady Celine gently patted her forehead, taking out a gold card from her storage ring and handing it to Baroque. "This is my teacher's magic card. You can't enter the library without it. There..." She pointed to a distant statue of a long-bearded old magician, seemingly the only non-tower structure in the academy. "It's under the statue of Ingor. Show this card to the librarian, Zachary, and he'll let you in. Remember, I'm in the Magic Department, don't go to the wrong place."

"What? The library is under that statue? Not in a tower?" Baroque asked, surprised.

"Yes, who told you the library is in a tower?" Lady Celine said proudly. "The Ingor Grand Library is famous across the Solon continent for a reason. A single tower can't hold the vast collection of scrolls and books. The entire library is underground, like a maze..."

Lady Celine left, leaving Baroque in awe. The little girl Serra, excited and nervous, went to bed early to prepare for her big day tomorrow.

Baroque found the kitchen, which was well-maintained and stocked with fresh food. He brought out a pile of pastries and roasted meat, placing it in front of the dog. Patting its head, he said, "Hey, brother, don't worry. Enjoy yourself here. I'm going out to explore."

The dog, Lak, gobbled down the food, nearly choking on a chicken leg, completely ignoring the self-important guy...