Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Offense.
Su Cheng described his wonderful adventure to his teammates.
"If one moment you were standing here, the next moment you went to a god's palace, and the next moment you were standing here again—"
She gestured with her hands, trying to make her description more vivid.
"So was it actually the gods who took your soul away? Or was your body and soul transported somewhere?"
"?"
Camus closed the book in his hand and looked at her with a slightly frown. "The God of Jealousy?"
Su Cheng opened his eyes wide, "How did you know?"
"...If you're by a lake, in an environment where you can see reflections, then the probability of it being him is higher."
Camus said calmly, "Part of his power is related to mirror reflections. Of course, more than one deity has this power. What have you done?"
"No," Su Cheng frowned. "If that's what you mean, there's nothing wrong with my curse. I'm just simply curious."
"So how do you feel?"
"Is he beautiful?"
"?"
The Blood Mage looks like he's about to attack someone.
Camus: "I'm talking about the magical power or cursed state—"
Su Cheng coughed lightly. "It's normal. There's nothing wrong with it. In fact, I think he's quite good. He's not as easily dizzy as other gods. His appearance is very pleasing to the eye, but he doesn't have the forced allure of the God of Lust."
"That's your consciousness," Camus interrupted her. "He simply established a soul link with you, allowing you to 'see' him. If you were to enter the divine realm directly in your current state, even if you survived, it wouldn't be unaffected."
After he said this, he turned around and mounted his mount, as if he didn't want to say anything more.
"As for you saying you weren't dizzy," Sasha analyzed with interest, "you're obviously not someone who gets jealous easily, right? I mean in every way. What do you think when you see someone who's better than you?"
"I don't have any thoughts. If someone is very rich, I might envy them, but I am rich now, so it doesn't matter."
"But you always have some thoughts when you see a handsome man, right?"
“…Isn’t that human nature?”
"Yes," Sasha clapped her hands. "If you see a beautiful person of the opposite or same sex and feel attracted to them, even if it's just a little bit of desire, it can be influenced by the power of the gods and then expanded infinitely. But if you have no desire at all, that's another matter."
The group set off again.
The night before arriving at the outskirts of the imperial capital, Su Cheng slept from midnight to dawn for the first time. When he opened his eyes, he saw the bluish-white sky.
She rubbed her stiff hands, a thin mist flowed through her fingers, and the dewdrops on the ends of her hair were blown away by the strong wind.
The dragon eagle slowed down and soared forward with the wind, passing through the surging sea of clouds.
A gentle golden orange color spread across the clouds, then spread out like lava red, flowing down like magma, completely igniting the dawn sky.
——There are no mountains blocking the view, no worldly noise, only pure light and flames rendering in the sky.
Su Cheng watched this scene quietly.
Below them lay lush valleys and fertile hills, a sea of green stretching off into the distance, where the outlines of a town already appeared.
Bailu Town is located in the southwest of the imperial capital, slightly off the main traffic route, and nestled in a gentle valley.
On the other side of the town, magnificent buildings can be vaguely seen hidden in the morning mist.
The towering tower rises from the sea of clouds, with vertical wings extending on both sides. From a distance, it looks like a cross. The white stone walls are gilded and shining, hanging high in the sky like a shining morning star.
The majestic tower is surrounded by countless courtyards and small buildings, connected to each other by floating arcades.
This entire building complex is located in the air, and it is the world-famous Cross Star Academy.
There are many famous universities in the imperial capital, some of which are located in the urban area and some in the periphery. The Cross Star is relatively far away.
Bailu Town is the town closest to the Cross Star, and part of the source of food for the academy comes from the farm market in the town.
The town is about an hour's drive from the imperial capital - that's by ordinary carriage, but it would be very fast if you ride a monster beast.
The town looked quite peaceful in the early morning, with occasional smoke rising into the sky. A few people were driving their cars towards the imperial capital, leisurely moving forward on the straight road.
The dragon eagles landed outside the town. There was a piece of land here that belonged to the mercenary guild, which was large enough for large monsters to temporarily inhabit.
The teammates got off the dragon eagle's back one after another.
Su Cheng held his stiff and painful legs, turned around and tried to jump down, but he didn't jump.
"…Your rope is not tied properly."
Amidst Sasha's laughter, Kai acted like a responsible leader and came over to help her untangle the reins.
Perhaps he thought she wanted to go down by herself, so he didn't hug her immediately this time.
Su Cheng instinctively reached out his hand, thinking that he was already here.
The black-haired man paused, then raised his hand and carefully grasped the girl's slender wrist, avoiding touching the scarred fingers.
He easily pulled her up, and the moment she leaned into his arms, he grabbed her waist, picked her up, and jumped down.
"Did you sleep well before?"
They stood in the green meadow, and the warm spring breeze blew against their faces, carrying the scent of flowers and baking bread.
Su Cheng leaned on his chest and raised her head. "It's not bad. At least I slept until the sunrise. This is the first time in so many days. I think my fighting spirit has increased a bit?"
"Well, that's normal. If you want to improve at this stage, you mainly need to do some intense exercise."
Kai thought for a moment and said, "Actual combat is fine too. If you need it, I can help you plan it."
Su Cheng hesitated for a moment.
The plans he came up with were usually quite effective, though a bit labor-intensive.
The trouble with practicing both magic and martial arts is that most people can only do one thing at a time, and it is not easy to practice both at the same time.
Of course it is possible in actual combat, but it is not easy to use magic and fighting spirit at the same time in battle.
But once you can do it, you will have an advantage over mages and warriors of the same level.
Bailu Town also has branches of the Mercenary Guild and the Magic Guild. Kai took out the lease contract, handed over the Warcraft, and returned the deposit.
The guild staff casually asked if they had any missions.
"I guess so," Sasha said with a smile, "Send her to school."
The employee's expression suddenly changed. His gaze moved among them and landed on the only girl.
She was probably the only one who looked like she was old enough to go to school.
"Congratulations," the employee said with a smile, "Which college are you going to?"
She answered, and the employee couldn't help but sigh, "There are very few places for the Secret Academy this year. I thought you would be in the Front Academy. Are you going to report now?"
Su Cheng was not in a hurry. "Yes, but there are still a few days before the official start of school, right? I can still go to the imperial capital to take a look?"
"Of course, it's very convenient to get to the capital from here." The employee gave her a small atlas, "a benefit for new Cross Star students."
"Oh, thank you! But you didn't even ask for my acceptance letter—"
"Just assume I like you," the employee waved his hand. "Is there anything else you need?"
After they left the guild, Su Cheng couldn't help but tug at the leader's wristband.
"…Should we start preparing for our big event?"
All three of them were stunned.
Sasha waved her hand. "Are you talking about the mission? There's no rush for that. I still need to meet someone and get the information first. You can go to the school first."
The three of them each had their own things to do, so the four of them separated.
Cross Star Academy has a reception in the town, which is a small white building covered with ivy. Several teenagers walked out of the entrance, chatting and laughing.
"Are you a freshman?" One of the girls looked at Su Cheng and said, "Just come this way!"
"If you want to walk around town, you can come back later," another boy reminded, "Freshmen are only allowed three teleportations."
Because the college's tower is high in the sky, some students, especially freshmen, cannot travel back and forth directly and have to rely on the teleportation magic array.
There is such a magic array in the town’s reception area, which can send people directly to the academy, and can also accept people who have been transferred from the academy.
This kind of magic array is usually very expensive to build. Even though this place is not far from the academy tower, it still costs a lot to use it once.
"...I'm a wind type," the girl said immediately, "There's no need to save those times!"
Su Cheng: “?”
The girl immediately explained that new students would receive three round trips for free, and after that, they would charge one gold coin each time. At the end of each semester, they would also receive one round trip for free.
"Of course," she added, "after you enter school, there will be many opportunities to get more reps, some small practice and competitions, etc...."
The girl looked her over and said, "I see you're not short of money. We'll see what happens. Not everyone is willing to go to those events all day long."
There are many mages who stay in their rooms and study hard, while there are also some who spend the whole day in the library and forget to eat and sleep.
Warriors mostly have to engage in actual combat frequently, but some mages' fields don't require this very much.
"But I suggest you attend if you have time. You can actually gain a lot. Especially since you seem to have fighting spirit?"
Su Cheng thanked them and then went into the building and took out her full set of documents. The staff quickly reviewed and registered her and asked her if she wanted to go to school.
She decided to go and take a look first, since she didn't need a few gold coins anyway.
And if she had enough time, she might be able to make the trip back and forth by herself.
"...Is it possible?" Su Cheng said uncertainly, "My wind levitation technique should be enough to raise it a few hundred meters—"
The mage who was debugging the magic array glanced at her and asked, "Why don't you take the third level exam?"
Su Cheng slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot."
The mage's eyes suddenly changed. "It seems you are quite capable?"
Su Cheng was stunned, "What?"
"If you were just an elemental mage," the mage said as he activated the magic array's source crystal, "you'd probably care a lot about your rank. Anyone who could cast third-tier magic would probably go to the guild to upgrade immediately. But if you have other abilities, you might not be so concerned about this."
Su Cheng: “…”
The wizard smiled at her and said, "I was right, wasn't I? Although our school doesn't have many people, it does have quite a few powerful ones."
Su Cheng said quietly, "I think you are quite amazing too."
"I just meet a lot of people," the wizard waved his hand, "Goodbye."
Before Su Cheng had the time to say goodbye, he was swallowed up by the light rising from the magic array.
The white light dissipated.
She found herself standing in a courtyard.
A giant crystal was suspended in the air ahead, a translucent blue-white crystal with golden light spreading on its surface, and below it were layers of magic arrays.
The courtyard is surrounded by a circle of towering circular columns, with green vines half-covering the reliefs of the stone columns. Above them are intermittent arches, forming a semi-open corridor.
People were coming and going in the corridor. Many magicians were holding books or various tools. Some were talking to their companions, while others were walking alone in a hurry.
Su Cheng raised his head and looked higher.
The towering main tower reaches into the sky. Unlike on the ground, more details can be seen at this distance.
One after another, spiral external corridors, wrapped around the tower like vines, connecting hundreds of small sub-towers.
She knew that most students attended classes in the main tower, and those small buildings were probably the magic towers taught by the instructors.
"newborn?"
A young man came over.
He was tall and handsome, with dark red curly hair tied in a low ponytail, revealing the discreet black diamond studs on his ears.
The man's robe was intricately embroidered and looked very valuable, but there was no mage emblem on his chest.
"First time here, right? Hmm? You don't have any more luggage?"
He paused as he spoke, and the way he looked at her changed. "Or do you have a storage item?"
Su Cheng was about to speak.
The man waved his hand again. "Don't answer me. I'm just saying this. Usually, I take people to the dormitory to put their things down, and then go get the class schedule and book list. But since you don't have any big bags with you, how do you want to—"
"I want to go to the dormitory first!" Su Cheng said immediately, "Could you please lead the way or show me the way?"
He immediately said he could take her there. "Don't worry, we don't have to fight for dormitories here. We won't have the situation of those schools where you have to rent or buy a house near the campus if you arrive late. After all, we have fixed quotas, ensuring that everyone has a single room. There are always vacancies, never full."
Su Cheng nodded. "It's not mandatory to live in school, right?"
"Yes, if you're happy to live in Bailu Town, or if you have a house in the capital, it's fine. It'll just be faster to get to and from the classroom, but some people don't come to class that often..."
As they walked for a while, the misty sky disappeared and was replaced by a dome of painted and gilded arcades.
There were more and more people around, and some began to appear, wearing warrior badges, or people with both warrior and mage badges.
Su Cheng realized that they had entered the main tower.
The guide pulled out a map. "Our main tower is shaped like a cross. From the outside, the top and bottom are clearly visible. The classrooms for the Academy of Secrets are in the upper tower, the Academy of Bravery is in the left tower (left refers to the direction from the imperial capital), the Academy of Vanguard is in the right tower, and the lower tower houses dormitories, various practice and research facilities, and a small library. We're currently in the central area of the main tower—"
He stopped and motioned for her to look to the side.
They were now in a spacious circular hall with a floor covered with milky white marble, shiny and smooth.
The hall is interconnected, with dozens of archways leading to different areas. Many people are gathered in front of the elevator in the middle.
"You know the way, don't you?" the guide asked. "You're not the type who can't remember a route even after walking it over and over again, are you?"
Su Cheng: "...I'm not. I almost remember it after walking there once. Can I still walk back to the teleportation point? What's wrong?"
"That's good, I just remembered that some people would get lost in school."
The guide touched his nose and said, "For example, because you can't find the elevator, you have to jump out of the window and fly directly to the classroom."
Su Cheng: “?”
Su Cheng: "This seems to be a solution?"
Although this place is thousands of feet in the air, it is not a big deal for higher-level mages or warriors.
The guide looked at her and shook his head silently, "Ah, a wind mage."
The two passed by the elevator area.
There was a large group of magicians waiting to enter. From time to time, one could hear their discussions, using all kinds of obscure words and even unfamiliar languages.
Some people simply lower their heads to read, indifferent to what is happening in the outside world.
"Ferguson!" A wizard waved to them. "Are you a freshman? Hey, you're early. Where are you from? Muguang City? Lannao City?"
“…No, Amber City.”
The surrounding magicians turned around one after another, with surprise on their faces.
"So fast?" the questioner asked in surprise, "You have a flying monster?"
Su Cheng told the truth, "I rented one from the Mercenary Guild."
"Hahahaha, no wonder," laughed another magician who was listening, "I thought our Secret Academy was going to have dragon knights again!"
"Where do all these dragon knights come from?" His companion rolled his eyes at him. "That one isn't just any ordinary person, is he?"
The mage who had spoken first counted on his fingers and said, "You've come all the way from Jinpo City. Counting the time, you haven't had many days off in between, have you?"
At least seven or eight mages were staring at her, and some of them looked at her for a few seconds and then whispered to the classmates next to them. From the shape of their lips, one could vaguely tell that they were talking about fighting.
Su Cheng nodded, "I rested for about two days, mainly because Warcraft went to eat."
The man gave her a thumbs-up and said, "Not bad. If you're interested, you can sign up for the basics of Warcraft breeding course. I'll be the teaching assistant."
Su Cheng thought for a moment, "I'm indeed quite interested, but I saw on the freshman course selection list that it said I had to pass the Introduction to Warcraft exam."
"That's a suggestion. Otherwise, some of the materials and props might be unfamiliar to you..."
The senior wanted to say more, but the elevator had already arrived, so she had to go with her classmates first. She waved to Su Cheng as she left.
"Let's go."
The guide patted her shoulder and said, "Anyway, there's an elevator at this location on every floor. There are so many people here right now, so we won't wait. I'll take you up the stairs first."
He introduced as he walked, saying that the main tower of the Cross Star was a hundred stories high, and now they were in the middle area, with fifty floors of dormitory area below and dozens of floors of secret academy teaching and research area above.
However, the division of some levels upstairs is more complicated, and there is also space above the top floor.
"Most people don't even complete their college journey until they graduate..."
Su Cheng followed the guide out of the hall, passed through an archway, and went down a corridor on the side.
There is a faint scent of spices floating among the spiral staircases, which smells refreshing.
"There's no such thing as freshman dormitories at our school. When someone graduates and leaves, the rooms become vacant for the new students."
The guide casually said, "If you are not satisfied with the room you were assigned, or if there is a conflict with your neighbors, you can come to me again and I can help you see if you can switch with someone else."
She responded, "Thank you, Mr. Ferguson. By the way, what's the situation with the dragon knight?"
"Oh," the guide waved his hand, "that's Prince Pei'e. He seems to have been a dragon knight since he was a child. Some people say he has dragon blood in his body. Now he has entered the Secret Academy -"
Su Cheng: “…………”
There are many royal family members in the Silver Moon Empire. The current emperor Leo III is obsessed with magic, so he made his children princes and allowed them to participate in the imperial court meeting.
In the original novel, any male character with a noble status is basically a villain.
All of the emperor's sons are enemies of the male protagonist. They either look down on him, have camp conflicts with him, or are love rivals.
There are also those whose wives and even children were seduced by him.
The situation of the emperor's daughters is more complicated. Some are sex partners, some are partners, and some are in love and hate with each other.
One of them is studying in the secret academy of the Cross Star.
He's a dragon rider.
Su Cheng vaguely remembered that the prince had a bad temper, not to mention that Lin Yun had once peeped at him while he was taking a bath.
So he was almost killed.
Su Cheng's expression couldn't help but look a little weird.
"...His Royal Highness, well," the guide thought for a moment, "Anyway, uh, I hope you don't have a crush on the Dragon Knight. Even if you do, don't take him as your target."
Perhaps because he felt her reaction was a little subtle, he began to give her instructions like a worried old father.
"Don't worry, I don't have any," Su Cheng shook his head, "and I know a dragon knight. He might be waiting for me to treat him to a meal in the imperial capital right now."
The guide breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."
Su Cheng: “…”
Don't you suspect that I'm bragging?
At this moment, a student holding a crystal ball was walking over from below, with a nervous expression on his face, as if the thing in his arms would explode at any time.
Su Cheng vaguely heard a crisp clicking sound.
At that moment, the air around seemed to be squeezed, and countless wrinkles appeared like crumpled paper.
“?!”
The leader cursed, quickly hugged her, and turned around, as if trying to use his back to shield the newcomer from harm.
However--
The burst of magic power instantly swept over the two of them.
With a violent pulling sound, Su Cheng felt the space around him split open and he fell into a pit of nothingness.
She staggered a few steps, and the dizziness receded like the tide.
The scenery around me changed completely.
The soles of my feet were made of warm, non-slip stones, and in front of me was a huge, cave-like bathroom.
The towering dome is painted with underwater scenery, colorful corals, and schools of fish swimming in the caves.
The fish even moved.
A moment later, Su Cheng realized that it was some kind of magical effect.
The air was filled with moist white steam, and the lights were refracted and scattered in the misty water.
In the middle of the room is a huge, sunken circular bathtub. The water in the pool is as clear as sapphire, and warm steam rises like a hazy veil.
In the mist-like water vapor, a tall man was leaning against the pool wall, his golden-red curly hair was damp, hanging down wetly and then floating in the pool.
His broad chest was well-defined, every inch of its lines were smooth and powerful, and his lean waist and abdomen were submerged in the water.
Drops of water slowly fell along the sharp jaw, dripping onto the well-defined abdominal muscles, and then disappeared in the ripples of the pool water.
Su Cheng slowly retreated.
The next second, the man suddenly opened his eyes, and the expression on his face changed from confusion to anger.
"...If you were an assassin, you would die here."
He sneered and said, "If you are just a freshman who doesn't know how to live or die, you will pay the price for offending the Imperial Prince."
In the rippling bath, in the moist and moist bathroom—
Suddenly, a blazing fire ignited.
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