NOVPUBThe Dean’s office at Ichrite Academy’s Sage Academy.
The dark grey walls are offset by high-end black wooden furniture, giving a low-key, deep impression. A row of bookcases full of spatial overlapping effects are lined up against the wall, filled with classic works of Magical Engineering, as well as some academic reports and research journals.
A small conference area is set in one corner of the office, with a round low-legged conference table and several comfortable chairs, often used for brief meetings or informal exchanges with students and teaching staff.
The window is large and bright, overlooking the beautiful scenery of the campus, especially the courtyard of the Sage Academy and the distant Gu Ta Library. Natural light spills into the room abundantly, making the whole environment seem more spacious and bright.
Behind his broad wooden desk, Loren is engrossed in the documents in his hand.
The roller-coaster of a semester has finally come to an end.
As the Dean, he only had some wrapping up work left to do.
Seeing the mark that Lanci was absent for one exam and the near-perfect scores of Hyperion on the report card, Loren felt a lump in his throat. He could not figure out how these two ended up together.
Previously in the Royal Capital, almost everyone unanimously agreed that Miss Duchess Hyperion was far less capable than her father, Duke Migaya, showing no signs of inheriting Duke Migaya’s talent. But now, to Loren, that was not the case. Her talent was remarkable and she was able to tie up Lanci.
Loren dares not imagine what free-spirited Lanci would do to the Sage Academy without her around to keep Lanci’s attention.
Thinking of Lanci, then of the students from the Arolan Kingdom who were still in the hospital, and Juliana saying she’s waiting for him, Loren felt a stabbing pain in his head.
Suddenly.
The doorbell rang once.
"Come in."
Loren came back to his senses and motioned towards the door.
Then the office door was slowly pushed open.
Two students walked in with files.
They were dressed casually in their own clothes today, appearing very relaxed.
"Lanci, Hyperion, do you have holiday plans?"
Loren’s gaze immediately fell on the file in Lanci’s hand, it should be an application form.
"Yes, all other procedures have been completed at the Student Service Center, we just need your approval."
Lanci replies.
"Let me see your files."
Loren took the file folder offered by Lanci and began to read it carefully.
"’Visiting Tablet Holder’, huh... I’m happy to see you’re so engaged."
Although Lanci and Hyperion did not choose the most conventional graduation project of Sage Academy, but rather chose a project that was common in the Magic Engineering College.
But when Lanci said he wanted to do this project, Loren was not surprised.
Because Sage Academy and Magic Engineering College had a common compulsory course, "General Knowledge of Magic Series", students from Sage Academy with talent in Magical Engineering could also choose such a project. Sometimes when students from Magic Engineering College chose this topic, they would also bring a bouncer from Sage Academy who could protect them to work together.
This project sometimes took a long time to get to, and the attitude of the person being visited was unpredictable, so the difficulty of the project could not easily be assessed.
There were no restrictions on who the students chose to visit; the academic value of the graduation project was determined by the visit results and reports submitted by the students when they returned.
Lanci was an excellent Magic Artisan; he should explore beyond his horizons.
"Lanci, Hyperion, this project is not only our college’s project, but also involves agreements with the Magic Tower Association. Once you sign, the results you chose to submit for review will be made public by the Magic Tower. Do you understand this?"
Lorn asked, raising his eyes.
Many years ago, the initial search for Tablet Holders was merely a spontaneous action by the outstanding Magic Artisan students of the South Continent. It wasn’t until later that it gradually developed into a graduation project option for the Magic Engineering College, and many institutions and influences on the South Continent also had similar advanced tasks.
Finally, under the unification of the Magic Tower Association, there gradually came about an accepted procedure.
The optimal choice was to seek the strongest in the allied nations of the South Continent. There is almost no risk of rejection and the only downside is that the tasks given by the strongest ones might be slightly difficult, but it’s very safe.
Alternatively, there are powerful countries on the South Continent that don’t have an alliance relationship, like the extremely remote Canberra Kingdom or traveling south along the coast into the territory of the Cerryti Empire. Firstly, it would be difficult to meet the strongest beings and secondly, they may not necessarily pay attention to students.
The most dangerous places are the hazardous lands on the Northern Continent, which are isolated from the South Continent all year round. There, one might seek the leaders of large powers. There are no rules of the South Continent to speak of there, and if one’s skills aren’t up to par, they might be killed at any time.
Excluding the Tablets held by the five bishops in the North Continent and the Tablets in the hands of races such as Elves, Demons, Orcs, Dragons, Witch Spirits and so on, among the known human Tablet Holders, the only possibilities for visitation are [Original Tablet - Healing] held by the Church of the Goddess of Destiny, and the [Original Slabstone - Undead] and [Original Slabstone - Light] held by the giant Empire, the Protoss Empire, on the southern coast.
No matter which Tablet is visited in the end, it will be evaluated by the Magic Tower Association for its value and recognitions will be given. For students who make outstanding academic contributions, they might even be publicly praised by the Magic Tower branches in all the countries of the South Continent.
Lanci has stood out in the past three months, currently a hot topic in the Capital City Ekrite of Hutton. However, across the whole South Continent, he doesn’t yet have anything that could be considered prestigious, except for a few individuals who are paying attention to him.
If Lanci can make a name for himself through this project, he may gain some international academic prestige. That would be helpful at the time of his Platinum Level review.
Only when he becomes an official Platinum Level Card Maker, can Lanci be said to have gained a small reputation in this vast continent.
"No problem, I’m obliged to contribute to the development of Magical Engineering."
Lanci answered earnestly.
Loren nodded at the news. He’s never been reticent about supporting anything that might help Hutton Kingdom gain another Platinum Level Card Maker.
"Are you leaving today? Wouldn’t you rest for a couple of days after the holidays before leaving?"
He asked, looking at Lanci and Hyperion.
"Yes, we have already bought our tickets."
Hyperion saw a long-lost smile on Loren’s face. It was obvious that Loren was speaking words of concern for his students, but he was probably itching for Lanci to leave and give Ichrite Academy some peace.
"Time is quite tight. It will take us more than two months to travel to and from the North and South Continent."
Lanci, who was very reluctant to leave Ichrite Academy, answered honestly.
"Northern Continent, huh... The Northern Continent sounds good..."
Loren muttered to himself, signing their application forms.
"By the way."
After signing, Loren put away his pen and looked up at Lanci with interest.
"Who is the strong person you are planning to visit?"
Hearing that Lanci will be leaving the Hutton Kingdom for a while, Loren’s mood had improved significantly. If one had to describe it, it felt like the New Year’s Festival in the Capital was taking place the next day.
Since Lanci’s destination is the Northern Continent, he certainly can’t be going to visit Juliana.
This relieved Loren of a big worry.
Lanci and Hyperion exchanged glances.
Silence spoke volumes at that moment.
Hyperion felt a bit of a headache, supporting Lanci really tired her out.
"I think I’ll keep it a surprise for now. I will give you a surprise when I come back."
Lanci thought for a moment, then looked at Loren and answered.
