The propellers made of dark red rosewood spun, propelling the airship through the sky. Sylutia stood at the edge of the deck, her fingers resting on the railing as she gazed down at the vast land below. Her hair fluttered in the wind, flying to one side, revealing the girl's fair nape.
The mountain ridges below were densely packed in her field of vision, like thousands of amplified wrinkles. The branching foothills were the countless ravines extending from the ridges to both sides.
These hills were not particularly steep or majestic, but they were exceptionally numerous, carving up the land and making travel difficult. No wonder this place had long been isolated and had never given birth to any nations.
While Sylutia was enjoying the scenery, light footsteps came from behind her. The girl turned her head and saw Imei. Today, she was wearing a set of brown clothes suitable for walking in the mountains. The color was similar to tree bark, but compared to the mottled bark, it was much purer and simpler.
"Chief Hedra." She spoke somewhat softly.
Seeing her slightly embarrassed expression, Sylutia couldn't help but recall her own past behavior—it seemed to have been just the same.
"Come over here." The girl's voice was gentle, putting Imei at ease.
Then the two stood together, leaning against the railing to admire the scenery, chatting about this expedition.
"They say we're going to fight some magical beasts," Imei mentioned, sharing the discussions among the apprentices over the past couple of days.
"Not just us, but also the second-year apprentices from last year's batch, and some third-year apprentices as well."
"Have you ever fought magical beasts before, Imei?" Sylutia asked curiously.
"No," the other shook her head, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
"I've only seen magical beasts in cages during training, and then when I took exams, I fought those monsters."
"Actually, I'm not very good at dealing with these things. I get nervous every time." Imei came from a family of scholars and wasn't used to combat-related matters. However, her knowledge and theory were very solid, so even with a lack of experience, she could often rely on her strength, which surpassed her peers, to overpower her opponents.
"I was the same at the very beginning." Sylutia recalled the scene when she had awakened in the forest. That Tia Wolf had truly frightened her. She had gritted her teeth and faced it, barely winning under the drive of death.
The two chatted about trivial, ordinary little things, and time slowly slipped by.
Once, when she happened to look back, Sylutia saw another airship catching up from behind. Its sails on both sides were billowing in the wind as it slowly approached.
"That's the airship the third-year apprentices are riding, isn't it?" she looked, trying to remember.
"It seems so." Imei nodded.
When the two airships were moving side by side, several figures rose from the deck of the opposite airship, then flew across the nearly hundred-meter distance to land.
As they got closer, these third-year apprentices descended and greeted the two on the deck.
"Good afternoon~ you two." They walked over—three men and two women—all at the Fourth Tier. They seemed to be the stronger ones among the third-years; they would probably be fourth-years next semester.
After approaching, the group briefly introduced themselves and then explained their purpose.
"Professor Vekos sent us to invite you to tonight's dinner party. We've prepared quite a lot of delicious food on the ship," they said with cheerful smiles.
"So you're Chief Hedra. You really are excellent, and you're very beautiful too." They even complimented Sylutia. It seemed her name had spread even among the upperclassmen.
"Wait a moment. I'll go inform the instructor." Sylutia nodded, letting Imei entertain the group for a bit.
Soon enough, the instructor leading the team and a few apprentices came out, inviting the group inside the cabin.
"So it's Professor Vekos's invitation. You'll be going over tonight." The instructor agreed, then asked about the situation of the other group.
The team leader for the third-years was Professor Vekos and Associate Professor Shalen. Both were Eighth-Tier master-level figures. Among them, Professor Vekos specialized in "Time-Slow Pointer," a rare professor at the academy who focused on time-based secret arts.
Associate Professor Shalen specialized in "Space Stillness," a first-tier inheritance secret technique that required mastering several prerequisite skills.
After the group left, the instructor watched them fly back to the opposite airship, then turned to tell Sylutia something.
"When you reach the Fourth Tier in the future, you can apply to several professors at the academy to learn their unique inherited spells. Among them, there are three who deal with time characteristics."
"Respectively, 'Time-Slow Pointer' Vekos, 'Acceleration Blade' Bennett, and 'Time-Slip Stance' Refas. The first two you can gradually learn starting from the Fourth Tier, but the last one will likely require you to reach the Fifth Tier before you can even get in touch with it." The instructor explained to Sylutia.
"I understand. Thank you, instructor."
"Alright, have a good time tonight. An invitation from Professor Vekos is quite rare. That man is usually busy with his research projects, and even teaching students is something he's reluctant to do." The instructor smiled as he recalled his own experience studying under him back in the day.
Gazing at the distant sky scenery, the instructor reminisced, a nostalgic expression on his face.
"Hedra, do you know what the greatest pursuit in life is for the members of our school?" His words made Sylutia lift her gaze with curiosity.
"It is to have one's own research project verified, to broaden the Path for one of the three—'Gold Steam,' 'Secret Word,' 'Alien Star'—and be recognized by the world."
"In this way, even if you cannot inscribe your name on the World Wall, you can still be rewarded through the 'Threefold Law' and step into the realm of the 'Long-Lived.'"
"Several hundred years ago, 'Gold Steam' was still the 'Alchemy' Aspect. At that time, its concept leaned more toward 'Transformation'—turning one substance into another—or rather, it also had a sense of 'Essence Extraction,' refining the purest parts from impure and mixed things."
"The manifestation of these concepts was that through alchemical means, we could condense, activate, and catalyze the weak medicinal properties in herbs into potions with powerful effects, or refine raw ores into strong metals."
"The 'Alchemy' Aspect was first born in the Seventh Epoch and gradually flourished in the Eighth Epoch. But this kind of transformation ultimately had its limits. Although it brought convenience and filled gaps in rare resources, its intensity was limited. Transcendents who focused on the 'Alchemy' Aspect often had to rely on various potions and alchemical creations to match others of the same rank."
"If there are 'Three Upper Aspects,' then 'Alchemy' was undoubtedly one of the 'Three Lower Aspects.' Its combat effectiveness often fell short of other Transcendents of the same tier. If not for the potions and equipment they made being such enormous aids that all forces needed them, it would have been very difficult for this tradition to be passed down and developed."
"But this situation changed several hundred years ago, with that Excellency from the 'Solar Furnace' school. He was the first to develop an efficient power furnace, which greatly reduced the losses during the 'Alchemy' transformation process and provided powerful energy for large war machines. This brought new, explosive strength to previously mediocre machinery and puppets."
"With the supplementation of this system, the 'Alchemy' Aspect was no longer limited to concepts like 'Transformation' and 'Extraction.' It gained the concepts of 'Operation' and 'Roar,' and the powerful force also advanced 'Transformation' a step further, becoming 'Forging.' This represented a higher quality, superior result, and carried a hint of creativity."
"This greatly expanded the scope of the 'Alchemy' Aspect, transforming it into the 'Gold Steam' Aspect. With this achievement and contribution, he received immense feedback from the 'Gold Steam' Aspect and directly stepped into the realm of the Eighth-Tier 'Named One.'"
"Sounds a bit exciting, doesn't it? Makes you hope you could accomplish a great feat like that." He finished with a smile.
"Many mages grew up hearing these stories and all hope to reach that step. No matter which school, what kind of moral character, every mage wants to achieve this goal."
"Self-fulfillment, world-stunning fame, a long life, immense power, being remembered in history—all of this can be obtained along this path. It's truly the ultimate ideal that captures one's gaze."
"This is the dream of every mage, and the direction the entire Alliance is moving forward."
"We don't have the Hours to protect us, nor the celestial gardens to receive our departed souls. We can only rely on ourselves to forge a paradise in this world."
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