Did I… say something wrong just now?
Watching the back of the junior as she walked ahead in silence, the white-haired girl sensed that something was off with her mood. She had no idea what to do about it, so she could only glance at the older teacher for help.
Melodia shrugged helplessly. She had no clue where the problem lay either.
"If I wear the crown…"
Li Fei narrowed her eyes, lost in thought.
Emotional control was a basic skill in public relations. Li Fei wasn't great at it, but that didn't make her petty. She was only quiet because she was thinking.
A moment ago she had made a guess: visiting a [Dream Mentor] would grant experience equal to Aptitude ×100.
If she was right, all she had to do was wear [Bai Mengtian's Handmade Crown] and activate [Descent: Bai Mengtian]… and every [Dream Mentor] she visited would give her 101,100 experience points!
Visit a few more of them, and the returns would be enormous.
The cost was just as staggering, though. The crown's natural recharge took a full month, and forcing a recharge consumed a [Sacrificial Gem], maybe more than one. That was hard currency for high Sequences, and Li Fei had only the single gem she'd gotten out of the Metis family. On top of that, a [Dream Mentor] wasn't a facility open to everyone for free, like the Rainbow Altar or the Fountain of Luck. Most of them were held by the major powers, with steep ticket prices, and some in the core of an organization wouldn't let outsiders in no matter how much you paid.
Li Fei thought it over from every angle and couldn't find any way to get a pile of [Sacrificial Gems] and [Dream Mentor] tickets for free in the short term. All she could do was quietly make a mental note.
Of course, the poverty that welled up in her only made her moodier.
In the silence, the three of them wandered around and finally arrived at a fountain.
The deep blue water was remarkably clear. Through the rippling surface, she could see the blue-gray veins of the stone at the bottom.
The fountain tinkled away. Two beautiful long-haired elves came forward, each carrying an elegant tray with small glass cups on it.
"Madam, would you care to partake of the Holy Fountain?"
Their posture and dress were graceful and proper, and gentle smiles sat on their pale, delicate faces. But those seemingly poised smiles looked measured with a ruler, identical down to the curve of the lips, and their pleasant voices carried not the slightest ripple of emotion.
They were living, breathing Beyond-class beings, yet their dull, lifeless eyes were exactly like those of summoned units. It was as if the souls inside had already died and been stitched into the skin by force, just to keep the hearts beating and the lungs breathing.
"No cup needed."
Li Fei wasn't fussy. She bent down, scooped up some water in her hands and tasted it.
It wasn't crisp and cold. It was close to body temperature, though not as flavorless as plain boiled water. If she had to describe it, it was something like warmed mineral water.
One mouthful down, and her mind felt clear and open, and the magic factors in her body grew noticeably livelier.
She glanced at the System Panel. Her Mana cap had gone up by ten. It wasn't much, but it was quick, easy and pollution-free, and no mage would turn down magic power that came so effortlessly.
Unwilling to give up, she tried two more mouthfuls. When her Mana stopped budging, she shook the water off her hands with a sigh of regret and gave her verdict:
"Not as good as the Fountain of Luck."
It was her honest opinion. She liked her drinks cold, and this water lacked that girlish fragrance. There was a reason a pretty girl's foot sweat had been a bestseller in Loxibrook for years. Once you got used to that seasoning, it was hard to give up.
"Ridiculous."
An arrogant girl's voice suddenly came from behind her. "How could something you can find anywhere, like the Fountain of Luck, compare to the Holy Fountain?"
"Exactly!"
Another girl chimed in. "Every drop of the Holy Fountain brims with pure, flawless magic power. Even the air around the fountain is sweet and fragrant. Only country bumpkins from some backwater branch academy would have such bad taste."
Li Fei sensed hostility in their words. She didn't know where it came from, but instinct made her hit back without even turning her head.
"So this is the quality of Main Academy students? The barbarians at the War Academy do better."
"Hmph."
The girl gave a cold laugh. "You dare pass judgment on the Main Academy? Who do you think you…"
Li Fei turned around. Her breathtaking beauty filled the girl's eyes, carrying a magic that stirred the soul.
The words on the girl's tongue stumbled and her voice faded bit by bit. "Wh-who do you think you… you cutie."
Clearly, charm was a double-edged sword. Li Fei won the favor of women easily, but she lost plenty of challenges and troubles because of it.
"Have I offended you two somehow?"
Seeing the two girls lose their domineering air, Li Fei realized that a feud was not going to take root here.
"It seems Miss Lisa and Miss Karen aren't in a very good mood today."
Melodia actually knew them, and stepped in to smooth things over. "If you ever have time, let's all have a cup of black tea and a chat. But we have a tight schedule today, so we'll take our leave."
After a brief farewell, the blond teacher hooked an arm around each of her students and led them away. Beside the fountain, the elves bowed in perfect unison, like mechanical constructs, and asked the next guests in the same exact posture and tone:
"Madam, would you care to partake of the Holy Fountain?"
*
Melodia waited until they were some distance away before she let out a soft sigh and wiped sweat from her forehead that wasn't there.
"So they weren't targeting me just now. They were targeting students from the Loxibrook Branch Academy?"
Li Fei had a vague idea of the answer.
"Mm-hm."
Melodia came clean. "You know Irena once came here too, and entered Folded Space B-01."
"You also know Irena is a kind, warm-hearted girl who's always willing to help pretty female students."
"And lastly, sometimes she isn't quite so… focused or serious about matters of the heart."
"So it's understandable that Miss Lisa and Miss Karen aren't very friendly. In truth, they're both good girls who are hard on the outside and soft on the inside."
Melodia had tactfully laid out the truth: that scoundrel Irena had flirted and fled, and her two abandoned local wives had turned love into hatred, and now, hating the house for the sake of the hated one, they harbored hostility toward any visitor from the Loxibrook Branch Academy.
"How could Sister Irena be so irresponsible! I wonder who she learned it from."
Li Fei's mood lifted all at once, and she took the chance to needle the Dean as well.
"Who knows?"
She hadn't expected the teacher, so sharp and commanding at work and so easygoing the rest of the time, to share the same hobby. Melodia picked up the thread without a moment's thought. "But I heard that a few noble ladies at the Main Academy are still single to this day. It seems they're waiting for someone. I wonder who held them up for so many years. Come to think of it, their ages seem about the same as a certain gray-haired Archmage's."
Clearly, the Loxibrook Branch Academy had long suffered under the Dean. Even the soon-to-be Vice Dean harbored thoughts of rebellion, and had taught herself to needle the Dean without any instruction.
The corners of Li Fei's mouth curled up, and then she said with a perfectly straight face:
"First of all, we can rule out the Dean. She once said that anything harmful to the alma mater shouldn't be spread around, so we wouldn't dare speculate."
"Right. And the spell portraits those ladies treasure, the ones they made with the Dean, must be a pure coincidence."
Melodia nodded as though she agreed wholeheartedly.
"Teacher, you've seen them?"
"Mm."
"Hiss…"
Li Fei gasped in horror. "If the ones you got to see are spell portraits, what about the ones you didn't? I can't even imagine."
Melodia sighed. "So Irena's personality wasn't born that way after all… Poor Miss Lisa and Miss Karen. If you want to blame someone, blame the person who taught her by word and example…"
"So this is the Loxibrook Branch Academy spirit, passed down from generation to generation? I love it, I love it!"
Li Fei let out a string of giggles.
The two of them traded barbs, saying things they wouldn't necessarily have dared say in Loxibrook even with the door closed, and enjoying every second of it.
Beside them, the shivering white-haired girl quietly covered her ears, so that if the whole thing came to light, she wouldn't get blood splattered on her.
*
Li Fei didn't know how many residents the Main Academy had, but all along the way it had felt quiet and focused. The occasional mage who passed by always seemed to be deep in thought.
Clearly, as the holy land of mages, this Folded Space was large and thinly populated. Most of its residents were immersed in Beyond knowledge and not very active.
But besides that, she also sensed something awkward and oppressive.
For instance, along almost every stretch of road, an elven woman in uniform stood smiling by the roadside. Their faces, hair colors and eye colors all differed, but their stances and smiles came from the same mold. There was a vacant quality to them that felt a little eerie.
"Are they being punished and made to stand there?"
Li Fei pursed her lips and asked.
"They're mage servants, mostly elves. In some areas, elemental beings serve in that role."
Melodia sighed softly. "Most visitors to the Main Academy are teachers and students from the various branch academies who come for further study. They might need a guide to show them the way. Then there are the mages stationed here, who are either focused on teaching and research or in seclusion for cultivation. If they run into problems in daily life, these servants come in handy."
She paused, and a trace of sympathy surfaced in her emerald eyes. "In fact, even mages who practice and work at the Main Academy for long periods usually build their homes outside it. The place has unmatched cultivation resources, but it isn't an ideal place to live."
"So the most numerous permanent residents in this Folded Space are the mage servants, whose families have lived here for generations. Most of their ancestors were born of Summoning Magic, so their origins are clean and their loyalty is guaranteed. Their descendants are put through systematic, strict training from the moment they're born. Serving mages is their lifelong mission, and the only way to escape it is death."
"No wonder it's so quiet."
Li Fei understood.
Without a doubt, for these pitiable beings, individuality and freedom were concepts that didn't exist. Following the rules and carrying out the mages' orders was a stamp branded on their souls by generation after generation of ancestors, and they would never make a ruckus.
As for the mages, almost all of them came here with a task to do and had no time for nonsense. If they really wanted to enjoy life, they could easily go outside.
With an atmosphere this oppressive, stifling and even sickly, it wasn't hard to see why the mages chose to start families elsewhere.
Fortunately, even in the Main Academy, there were livelier places.
"We're here. The market."
At the entrance to a spotless alley, the blond teacher stretched.
Clearly, this mature big sister had a mature figure. As her limbs extended, her tightly buttoned robe collar looked about ready to burst. Still, "alluring" wasn't the right word for her. She radiated warmth and vitality instead.
Between the hem of her short robe and her straight long boots, her full, slender thighs got to breathe too. They were bound by not-quite-sheer flesh-toned stockings into firm, tight lines. Perhaps because her legs were so stunningly long, they looked plump without being heavy, and the taut stockings let you feel their strong elasticity from sight alone.
Li Fei, with her tall and graceful figure, normally had quite the commanding older-sister aura of her own. But once she linked arms with the blond teacher, she suddenly looked like a clinging little wife, and the soft, adorable Annesia looked like their daughter. Considering the difference in hair color, this little wife was obviously not very chaste or faithful.
The three of them strolled into the alley. The floor was white ceramic tile, polished to a gleam, yet not slippery underfoot. The tiles must have been treated with an anti-slip finish.
The passersby in the alley were an odd assortment too: furry beastkin, octopus monsters floating midair with trailing tentacles, scaled half-dragons, boldly dressed green-skinned gorgons with snake hair… But whatever their race, they all turned to look as they passed Li Fei's group, with a flash of amazement in their eyes.
After all, once charm reached a certain level, it was no longer bound by the aesthetic standards of any one race.
Li Fei studied them out of the corner of her eye as well.
The proportion of other races was higher than in Loxibrook, like walking into an alien zoo.
What drew the eye, though, were the brooches pinned at their collars. In just a short stop at the mouth of the alley, Li Fei had already passed eight Silver-rank students and two Gold-rank students.
A Silver-rank genius student would be a rare, outstanding talent of the new generation in any city. And a Gold-rank student was one of the chosen few, a favorite of heaven, that you could count on one hand even in Loxibrook.
About to compete with a crowd of exceptional mages, Li Fei couldn't help feeling the pressure, however well prepared she was.
She quickly adjusted her mood and began hunting for treasure at the first stall.
"Customer, what are you looking for?"
The elven woman greeted her with a stock smile.
"I'll just look around."
Li Fei shook her head lightly and soon moved on to the next stall.
"Customer, what are you looking for?"
The elf smiled.
"I'll just look around."
Li Fei touched every item, then turned and left without hesitation, repeating the same exchange again and again.
Clearly, most of the people running stalls here were mage servants acting on orders, and their reactions to customers were as standard and uniform as a machine's. The shops on both sides were mostly minded by mages themselves.
Before long, Li Fei had gone through every stall without any pleasant surprise. Finding a bargain at the Magic Academy's Main Academy was a long shot, since vast learning was the prerequisite for becoming an outstanding mage.
Of course, she wasn't the only one leaving empty-handed. The whole street's turnover was low. Most of the genius mages visiting the Main Academy these two days had come for Folded Space B-01. They'd surely made full preparations before setting out, and only came to the market to broaden their horizons.
But Li Fei still had her eye on the [Withered Purple Nightmare Eyeball]. If money could solve the problem, she naturally didn't want to spend Wealth Points.
"Come on, let's check the shops."
Only after Annesia's gaze moved away from the stalls did Li Fei link arms with her two shopping companions and head straight for the first shop at the head of the street.
____
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