Same lake. Same pavilion.
But once you crossed the garden bridge on the other side…
It was a completely different world.
The air itself felt like freedom.
Students no longer had to obey the rigid academy dress code. A single wardrobe-type magic card could transform your entire appearance.
"Goodbye, uniforms!"
Darc even saw a usually stern senior girl scream in delight as her tightly buttoned uniform morphed into a lace-trimmed black dress that bared her shoulders and collarbones.
A dull-looking senior with a bowl cut ran a comb-like magic card through his hair and instantly turned into a slick-haired gentleman in a tailored suit, a red rose appearing in his breast pocket.
Dressing up. Shopping. Dating. Drinking. Playing.
Traveler's Street felt like a fairyland that had nothing to do with St. Marian.
And enjoying it only cost a little credit.
…
Though the Academy Cup was held every year, no one was thinking about restraint at the start of term.
A phrase circulated inside St. Marian:
The more you spend, the more you earn.
Because a few people truly lived by this philosophy, others used it as an excuse to splurge.
Of course, some students couldn't even afford to splurge.
…
When Darc passed Veit and Robert, they were exiting a toy shop, visibly dejected.
Clearly, their remaining credits weren't enough for what they wanted.
Darc spared them a glance and moved on.
Which meant he didn't notice Emma Metis, another high-credit student, getting cornered by the two.
…
Emma had come to Traveler's Street to look for miscellaneous books unavailable in the library.
But when she spotted Darc searching for something, she instinctively followed him.
Only to get intercepted by Veit and Robert.
Annoyed, she snapped:
"So your credits ran out, and that's somehow my problem? Even without bonus points, a normal student should have 480 credits by now. How much do you have?"
Veit muttered, "250…"
Robert blushed. "Emma, we only need to borrow five points! We'll pay you back on Monday!"
Veit glanced longingly at a magical chess set inside the shop. "We're just short five…"
Emma suddenly felt something shift inside her.
She frowned.
"Fine. I'll lend it. But you must repay double. And for every extra day you delay, it doubles again. Day two is twice day one. Day three is twice day two. One payment only. If you agree, we sign with the Sorting Card."
Robert agreed instantly. "Ten tomorrow, twenty the next, forty on Monday! That's just two classes' worth. Easy!"
Veit felt something was off… but the desire for the chess set overrode his intuition.
They signed the contract.
Then rushed into the shop to buy the latest singing-dancing-rap magical chess.
…
Meanwhile, after much searching, Darc finally found a store selling magical instruments:
Morgan's Shop
Traveler's Street had many general stores, but something like a Mind Pipette was specialized alchemical equipment.
He had searched a long time before finding the shop squeezed between two jewelry stores.
The wooden door creaked open, releasing a damp, rotten smell.
"Kid, don't touch anything. You can't afford to break it."
The one-eyed shopkeeper, Morgan, glanced at Darc and immediately judged him as a freshman.
He waved him off. "The cheapest item here costs over a thousand credits."
Darc calmly pointed at a test tube set. "That costs a thousand?"
Morgan paused.
Then snapped, "Of course it does! It's a constant-temperature magic set!"
Darc pointed at other items. "And those?"
Morgan slammed the counter. "None of your business!"
Darc sighed. Bad temper. Possibly hormonal.
He began browsing anyway.
There were test tubes. Beakers. Flasks.
Surely there had to be pipettes.
"Flame crucible… spirit alcohol lamp… magic separator… flexible glass rod… magic pipette…"
Magic pipette.
A lower-tier version. Only capable of extracting magic power.
In advanced magic-card crafting, pipettes could extract magic, knowledge, thoughts—even souls.
The legendary soul-pipette could create intelligent spirits of level 3.0.
Darc didn't need that.
He just needed a Mind Pipette.
But it wasn't on display.
He returned to the counter.
"Excuse me, do you have a magical pipette?"
Morgan didn't look up. "What does a freshman need that for?"
"Experimentation."
Morgan finally looked at him oddly.
"…Wait here."
After a moment, he returned with a worn-looking instrument.
A Mind Pipette.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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