Sunlight filtered down through the green leaves, dappling the stone steps of the School of Sages' Ancient Tower Library.
Only a scattering of early risers hurried along the adjacent path in the dawn light. A gentle breeze blew past, carrying a mingled fragrance of blossoms and book ink.
"By the way, if someone joins a team, what are Shadow World expeditions like?"
Lanqi showed no rush to agree to join any team, simply chatting naturally with Vivian.
Since first-year students were not permitted to challenge the Shadow World alone, Lanqi could not queue up for matchmaking on his own.
Once challengers entered the Void Gate, the Shadow World automatically matched them with an appropriate difficulty based on the combined profile of their tiers.
When a team was not at full capacity, the system would often match them with other challengers entering through Void Gates across the world.
"Silver-rank second- and third-years would lead you through the expedition. Given your comprehension, I'm sure you'd quickly get used to actual combat in the Shadow World," Vivian replied.
The sight of the library—a key landmark of the School of Sages—told them they had entered the school's grounds.
Gold-rank registered challengers were found almost exclusively among third-years, and none stood below Tier 5.
Setting aside whether it would make practical sense, such challengers were barred by regulation from teaming up with a Tier 2 student like Lanqi.
To ensure the safety of all challengers, the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association strictly forbade teaming up if the tier difference exceeded two, which would drastically spike the difficulty.
Thus, even if Lanqi joined a team, he would at most be led and guided by experienced Silver-rank upperclassmen of Tier 4.
"So I'd basically just follow commands and do a solid job on support?"
"That's correct."
"Please let me think it over a bit more."
Lanqi's response was tactful,
but Vivian knew it was a polite refusal.
Clearing a Shadow World usually yielded rewards tied to the overall achievements of the run, as well as one's personal final rating.
Coasting through a Shadow World yielded meager rewards, and the challenger advancement points awarded by the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association upon review would be correspondingly low.
Yet under normal circumstances, newcomers considered it a blessing just to survive and clear an expedition.
Achieving an exceptionally high personal rating upon clearance was out of the question—unless some god-tier player descended upon the Shadow World to stomp noobs.
A thought struck Vivian.
"Don't tell me you want to lead the expedition yourself?" she asked, somewhat incredulous.
Lanqi couldn't possibly be that arrogant, could he?
Even if a team's command tower was sometimes held by a support, no team would ever let a rookie take the reins.
After all, a Shadow World expedition was a gamble where the entire team's lives hung in the balance!
"Not at all. I'm not very good at commanding lots of people," Lanqi quickly denied.
"You must be cautious when challenging the Shadow World—it's far more dangerous than you think! Especially as a newcomer, never get full of yourself. Watch, learn, and absorb as much as you can first," Vivian warned with a solemn expression, always feeling that Lanqi had no real grasp of the Shadow World's perils. "If you weigh your options and decide our team isn't bad, you can come find me directly. Also, watch out for teams that are powerful but possess terrible character."
Vivian did not press him to join, leaving it at that.
After all, Lanqi would have plenty of teams to compare and choose from, and she did not want him settling for theirs reluctantly.
Before they knew it, Lanqi and Vivian arrived before a towering red-brick edifice resembling an estate hotel.
"Alright, thank you, Your Highness Vivian."
Smiling his gratitude, Lanqi passed through the revolving glass doors of the School of Sages dormitory building.
For now, it seemed people in the academy were already paying attention to him. Whether he joined a team or not, his Shadow World expeditions would draw considerable eyes.
By regulation, whenever registered challengers took part in a Shadow World, they were required to carry an official magic card from the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association: the [Shadow World Recording Program].
It recorded a challenger's circumstances and intel in real time throughout an expedition, serving as the most vital foundation for various research societies to review and analyze Shadow World data.
At the same time, carrying it was the only way the Shadow World Management Association could tally advancement points for registered challengers after the run concluded.
Most importantly, the [Shadow World Recording Program] featured a live broadcast function similar to the one built into the [artificial Shadow World launch terminal]!
For instance, as an official partner institution of the Shadow World Management Association, Ikerite Academy's promotional department under the School of Magic Engineering could select student runs from the backend—ones with notable educational value or immense public interest—and stream them live across the academy's magic screens.
If Lanqi drew enough attention, he was very likely to be singled out by the staff of the School of Magic Engineering!
*I really don't want to be publicly executed like that.*
Lanqi felt conflicted. The reaction to the second-round exam, [Winter's Hidden Flame], didn't seem to have been very positive.
Amid these thoughts, fresh air greeted him, accompanied by a light, cheerful melody in his ears.
Stepping into the dormitory lobby, he was greeted by lavish platinum chandeliers hanging overhead, illuminating the entire space like clusters of bright stars.
The ground-floor lobby had sofas and tea tables where students could sit and rest anytime. Even though it was still early morning, several students were already drinking tea or chatting on the couches, looking relaxed and content.
They paid little mind to Lanqi and Vivian; seeing new students check in had become a daily occurrence recently.
Walking across the antique carpet, Lanqi and Vivian approached the reception desk in the lobby.
The administrator looked up at them.
"Checking in starting today?" the administrator asked with a smile, wearing an Ikerite Academy staff badge.
"Yes."
"The boys' dormitory is in the left wing, the girls' is in the right wing, and the building behind is the dining hall. Rooms are first come, first served. You two are the earliest students to register for the boys' and girls' wings today, so you may choose whatever room you like. Every floor currently has vacancies," the administrator explained pleasantly. Since the graduated third-years had all moved out, their former rooms were now empty.
"Then I'll take the second floor. See you later,"
Vivian decided on the spot.
Taking the key handed over by the administrator, she turned and left.
"Goodbye,"
Lanqi waved.
He felt that Princess Vivian might appear haughty and sharp on the outside, but she was not difficult to get along with; whenever she answered someone, she was genuinely sincere.
After a moment's hesitation, Lanqi also thought the second floor of the boys' wing sounded like a good choice.
Going up and down was convenient, and unlike the first floor, it wouldn't be as damp or noisy with people constantly coming and going.
"Just to add, the first floor has a few rooms in addition to the lobby. However, because the ground floor has never been popular, the school later merged adjacent rooms during renovations to deal with long-term vacancies. As a result, the first-floor rooms are twice the size of those on other floors," the administrator said somewhat helplessly.
Earlier, Her Highness the Princess had decisively claimed the second floor before he even had the chance to pitch the ground floor, and he hadn't dared to hold her up with chatter.
He truly wondered how this black-haired, green-eyed youth could remain so thoroughly calm and composed in front of a royal princess.
"In that case, I'll take the first floor,"
Lanqi replied amiably.
He sensed that the dormitory administrator really wanted someone to take a first-floor room.
"Excellent. Here is the key to Room 101."
The administrator smiled and handed Lanqi a silver key engraved with a spell formula.
Even though he pitched the first-floor rooms like this every year, they rarely got taken.
Having the very first student of the year choose the first floor made him quite happy.
"Thank you. Where are the firefighting tools located?"
Taking the key, Lanqi asked politely.
"?!"
Even though the administrator knew it was an entirely constructive question,
it was the very first time he had ever met a student whose first question upon moving in was about fire safety.
It gave him an inexplicable sense of dread!
A brief silence fell on both sides of the reception desk in the School of Sages dormitory.
The administrator sized Lanqi up.
Lanqi tilted his head, his eyes innocent and puzzled.
"Ahem."
Before long, the administrator cleared his throat.
This student looked the very picture of warmth, modesty, and courtesy; he couldn't possibly be a dangerous character.
"Of course, young man. Our academy places great emphasis on student safety, and fire prevention is naturally a top priority. The entire dormitory building strictly complies with and enforces all fire safety regulations and building standards of the Hutton Kingdom..."
Out of professional duty, the administrator explained the building's emergency exits and the locations of the firefighting equipment.
Lanqi listened attentively, nodding from time to time.
Which only made the administrator feel even more unsettled...
"Young man, pardon my asking—this might be a bit forward—but you haven't brought any hazardous materials with you, have you?" the administrator asked once he finished the detailed walkthrough.
"None at all. Please rest assured,"
Lanqi gave a firm promise.
Hearing that, the administrator figured it was fine.
The dormitory was equipped with the latest automatic security scanning devices from the School of Magic Engineering; flammable or explosive items couldn't possibly be brought inside.
After bidding the administrator farewell, Lanqi happily took his key and went in search of his room.
He had avoided bringing much luggage from the South Vantina frontier territory, intending to purchase everything after settling into the dormitory in the capital,
including card-making tools and materials.
So if the dorm was spacious enough to set aside an area as an art studio and card-crafting workshop, that would be ideal.
That was one reason he leaned toward the first floor.
Besides, failure was an inseparable part of making cards; that was just the craft.
Talia had already taken to mocking him as a "card bomber."
So if he was going to practice card crafting in the dorm, the ground floor was probably the safest place to do it,
Lanqi thought.
After just a few steps along the corridor adjacent to the lobby, he found Room 101.
Inserting the key into the lock and turning it, the solid wood door opened with a crisp click, revealing the entryway. A large, classical European-style coat rack and shoe cabinet provided convenient storage for coats and footwear.
The entire foyer was practical, understated, and elegant. Passing through it, Lanqi entered the spacious main living room.
Inside stood a comfortable sofa, a matching coffee table, and a magic screen mounted on the wall.
The throw pillows and blankets on the sofa were all in warm tones. A vintage floor lamp stood to one side, and sunlight illuminated the various brown wooden furnishings, making the entire space feel soft and inviting.
It didn't take Lanqi long to map out the layout of his new home. The living room connected to four separate spaces: a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, a balcony, a study, and a largely empty room resembling a giant storage area, which could presumably be customized and furnished however a student wished.
While the room was a bit excessively large, a cramped space would undoubtedly have invited complaints from students.
As he pondered this, a knock sounded at the door.
Opening it, he found staff from the Student Service Center delivering the luggage he had left in their care.
From there,
the unpacking went smoothly. Before noon had even arrived, the room was mostly set up.
The furnishings were complete, and the storage space was abundant and well organized—by far the most satisfying part.
Lanqi sat on the sofa, leisurely flipping through the *Southern Continent Card Makers Association Registration Bylaws*, waiting for lunchtime.
This was his first step toward becoming a world-renowned master card maker.
The minimum requirement to sit for the registered card maker exam was Tier 3, along with the ability to craft three types of magic cards: summon cards, spell cards, and equipment cards.
Lanqi still needed to hone his card-crafting techniques for a while longer,
as well as raise himself to Tier 3 as soon as possible.
Then he could try taking the card maker exam at the Southern Continent Card Makers Association's royal capital branch in Ikerite.
Only by becoming a registered card maker and earning certification could one obtain patent protection.
It also exempted one from numerous cumbersome appraisal and guarantee procedures as well as certain processing fees, allowing efficient sales under one's own name on the Card Makers Association's official trading platform.
"I skipped the exam entirely and received Iron-rank registered challenger status for the Shadow World. I wonder if I can start a bit higher on the card maker assessment..."
Lanqi murmured to himself as he turned the pages.
The registration exam for card makers was also called a grading exam.
Its ranking system adopted seven levels similar to the Shadow World Management Association: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Magic Crystal, and Grandmaster.
The registration exam determined an applicant's initial rank based on their potential.
Generally, passing and being graded as Iron was already cause for celebration. Naturally, exceptional prodigies who demonstrated immense potential could be graded directly into Bronze or Silver.
A Silver-rank card maker was already extraordinarily impressive.
Rumor had it that Gold-rank card makers were exceedingly rare even in this academy, and across the entire Southern Continent, Gold-rank card makers were vastly fewer in number than Gold-rank challengers.
"Alas, my craft is still too unstable."
Lanqi sighed and closed the book.
Although he had independently created two Purple Rare magic cards, [Basic Etiquette] and [Friendly Communication],
those two and a handful of Blue Precious Tier 1 cards were all he had managed to produce over the past few months.
The rest of his Faulty Healing series cards had all been purchased from the association. Fortunately, those cards sold at rock-bottom prices and weren't expensive.
"Regardless, I should venture into a real Shadow World first! Without reaching Tier 3, I can't even take the card maker exam."
Lanqi was an optimist by nature, never worrying about what lay beyond tomorrow.
As the saying went: enjoy the wine while you have it today, for tomorrow is another day!
Becoming a master card maker couldn't be achieved overnight.
All that mattered right now was—
his brand-new school life at Ikerite was about to begin!
Chapter 38