Chapter 375: The Academy

Chapter 375: The Academy

Soon, the airship began to decelerate, and ahead, a nearly hundred-meter-tall cylindrical tower came into view, clearly the designated docking point.

Around the docking area, several small black dots could be seen flying up and down, undoubtedly the Gryphon Knights maintaining order.

Compared to the number of Gryphon Knights in Minster, the Imperial City of Tamriel had many more, with squads of them frequently soaring through the sky.

Li Ren could see with his own eyes that the vast Imperial City had a total of four such docking points, each located in the four cardinal directions, all towering pillar-like structures.

At the same time, long bridges extended from the tower in various directions, accommodating airships of different sizes.

As Li Ren and Anna slowly exited the airship with the crowd, they soon spotted the short Matteo, who had been waiting for them at the exit.

Beside him stood an elderly man in a tailcoat, dressed as a butler.

"Lord Li Ren, Miss Anna, it's good to finally see you. Everything has been arranged," Matteo said with a bow.

"Thank you for your hard work, Matteo," Li Ren replied with a slight smile.

This was all thanks to the suggestion of the beautiful Lady Jennifer, who had sent Matteo ahead to prepare for their arrival.

Initially, Lady Jennifer had even considered buying a house for Li Ren to stay in temporarily.

However, Li Ren's title was still just a Viscount, and his fiefdom was in the Province of Minster. Even with sufficient funds, he could only purchase property in the Third Ring or beyond.

Li Ren thought about it and politely declined Lady Jennifer's offer to buy a house, but he did accept the suggestion to have Matteo come and scout ahead.

Before this trip, during a gathering with the Duke of Minster, the Duke had proactively offered for Li Ren to stay temporarily at the Bavaria Family's mansion in the Imperial City.

Considering the safety aspect, Li Ren accepted the Duke's olive branch.

The Bavaria Family's mansion was located in the Inner Ring, providing significantly better security than the Third Ring and beyond. Moreover, its proximity to the Swordsman Headquarters made it convenient for Li Ren's daily commute.

"It's my duty, and I never imagined I would have the opportunity to come to the Imperial City of Tamriel. Thank you, Lord Li Ren, for giving me this chance," Matteo said with a hint of excitement.

Although he was originally a young man from the town of Flashing Gold, he had already been in the Imperial City for almost ten days, and every day brought new and exciting experiences.

"Oh, Lord Li Ren, I forgot to introduce you. This is Butler Aldo, the steward of the Bavaria Family's mansion," Matteo said, tapping his head.

"Good day, Lord Li Ren, and good day to the beautiful Miss Anna," Aldo said with a smile, bowing respectfully.

"Hello, Butler Aldo," Li Ren replied.

"Lord Li Ren, Miss Anna, your accommodations have been arranged," Aldo said.

"Thank you," Li Ren acknowledged.

"By the way, Lord Li Ren, where is your pet's license? I can help you register it. The Imperial City has strict regulations regarding battle pets."

"Sure, thank you."

For this trip to the Imperial City, Li Ren had brought along his Blood-Feathered Horned Beast.

As for the Linty Warhound Cookie, who was close to his sister Mint, Li Ren had left her and the swift-footed horned horse, Blackie, back in Minster.

Soon, Li Ren and Anna boarded the luxurious carriage of the Bavaria Family, heading towards the Inner Ring.

Inside the carriage, Butler Aldo narrated some of the situations in the Imperial City.

"The Imperial City has more than four airship docking points, and that doesn't even include the exclusive docking points for the royalty, military, and the Swordsman Headquarters," Aldo explained.

"Oh? The Swordsman Headquarters has its own exclusive docking point?" Li Ren's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Yes, Lord Li Ren. By the way, whenever you need a carriage to go to the Swordsman Headquarters, just inform the servants, and they will arrange it for you," Aldo offered.

"Thank you, but I don't need it for now. I plan to walk there first," Li Ren said, having already decided on his course of action during the journey. He wanted to visit the Bius Armament Academy to find Mentor Mogarro.

The advanced Steel Heart meditation was crucial to Li Ren's spirit energy liquidation process, especially since divine power crystals were hard to come by. To expedite his liquidation progress, the advanced meditation was the most reliable method.

"Of course, Lord Li Ren. Feel free to explore the Imperial City. It's a wonderful place to visit," Aldo said respectfully.

The Bavaria Family had received clear instructions from the Duke of Minster to fulfill any requests made by the young Viscount Li Ren. If there were any difficulties, they were to overcome them and, if necessary, seek help from the Duke's son, Vieri, to resolve the issues.

The Duke had not provided detailed information about Viscount Li Ren's background.

Aldo only knew that Rain was a Swordsman, but even if he was an Iron Swordmaster, the Duke seemed to be placing too much importance on him.

However, despite his lack of understanding, he would still diligently complete the task assigned by the Duke.

The next day, dawn broke.

In a luxurious bedroom within the Bavaria mansion.

Rain slightly loosened his embrace of the girl's fair and smooth arm and began to get up.

He planned to visit the Bius Armament Academy today, following the address recorded on the memory crystal.

"Rain?" Anna opened her sleepy eyes and asked.

"Anna, you can rest a little longer. Later, help me take care of Bloodfeather, and I'll make a trip to the Academy."

"Okay! Come back early."

Since Anna already knew about Rain's plan to visit the Academy, she naturally had no objections.

Following the address from the memory crystal, Rain soon arrived at his destination by carriage.

The location was in a quiet alley, and on the iron signboard of the shop, a large barrel of beer was depicted, with a cup placed beneath the barrel's tap. The sign read 'Craig Brewery.'

Although it was still early in the morning, the shop was already open for business.

Rain looked up and couldn't help but wonder, 'Is this an outpost of the Academy, or is it the effect of some spell?'

"Welcome, stranger. Is this your first time at Craig Brewery?" a female receptionist approached and asked with a smile.

"Yes, I'm looking for Lord Mojaro."

"Oh, Lord Mojaro? You are... Please follow me." The female receptionist's eyes lit up as she spoke.

Soon, Rain followed the receptionist to the basement, where a middle-aged, disheveled man in a gray wizard's robe emerged from the wine cellar, saying, "Joey, why are you disturbing my sleep so early?"

But when he saw Rain and sensed his aura, he immediately rubbed his eyes, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Hmm? Who are you, sir?"

Although he didn't know Rain's specific situation, just by sensing the hidden yet powerful aura emanating from Rain, even a fool would know that Rain was not a third-rank wizard apprentice but at least a full-fledged wizard.

"I'm here to see Mentor Mojaro."

"Mentor Mojaro? Sir, if you wish to enter the Academy, you'll need to present your emblem." The middle-aged man looked at Rain with confusion.

He was certain he had never met Rain before.

But since Rain addressed Mojaro as 'Mentor,' he seemed to be affiliated with the Academy.

"You can check. I'm Rain, and Mentor Mojaro should have informed the Academy about me."

"Please wait, I'll look it up right away." The man hurried back inside.

In less than a minute, he came out again and said respectfully, "Sir Rain, we've confirmed that Lord Mojaro reported to the Academy more than a month ago. I'll take you into the Academy now."

"Okay, thank you."

As Rain stepped into the cellar, a complex array of light patterns flashed across the ground, and Rain seemed to enter a bubble. After a ripple passed through, he disappeared from the cellar entrance.

As Rain's vision blurred, he found himself in an underground hall.

"Huh? Is this a teleportation array?"

"Yes, it's a short-distance teleportation array. The specific technique has been lost, but it was brought here by a powerful member of the Academy from ancient ruins long ago." The disheveled man spoke with pride.

At the same time.

In a spacious room at the Bius Armament Academy's headquarters.

From a distance, the sound of tinkling and clanging could be heard.

A group of young men and women in gray wizard robes, sleeves rolled up, were busy working on variously shaped metal blocks, some holding hammers and occasionally striking the metal.

"Audrey, your Metal Transformation Spell is getting more and more proficient. Unlike me, I always have to manually correct the deformed components."

"Ugh! I feel like I'm more of a blacksmith than a Metal Sorcerer. Goodness! There's so much to do, and the workload is overwhelming," complained a male wizard with chestnut-brown hair, his face like a bitter gourd.

"Pfft, Joseph, stop complaining. Haven't you complained every day this month?" asked a tall, slender, and graceful young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties.

"Instead of complaining, why not practice your Metal Transformation Spell?" The girl placed her fair, slender palms on a metal block.

As she chanted the spell, the basin-sized iron block began to slowly transform. After nearly half a minute, a hollow cylindrical iron component was formed.

However, fine beads of sweat appeared on the girl's forehead.

Obviously, the Metal Transformation Spell was still quite challenging for her.

"I have to agree with Joseph; recently, we Metal Sorcerers have had too much work, and I haven't even had time to attend the Wizard Salon," said another woman nearby, older and more mature, with a curvy figure.

"Oh, have you heard the news?

"

"Clay-type wizard, Paul Nixon, entered the late stage of a First Tier Wizard two days ago. His mana misting rate exceeds sixty percent. They say he's only twenty-seven years old. He's so amazing!" The mature female wizard shared a little gossip.

"What? Hasn't he only been in the Academy for half a year? And he's already in the late stage?" Joseph exclaimed in surprise.

"What's so strange about that? Don't forget, he's the heir of the Nixon Duke's family from the Imperial Capital. He's been carefully nurtured since childhood, so it's normal for him to have such talent and progress." The mature female wizard rolled her eyes at Joseph and spoke.

"Oh, Alicia, what do you think? Who's stronger, Nixon or the new student of Master Mojaro?" Joseph suddenly thought of a question and asked the mature female wizard.

"You mean the one Master Mojaro has been talking about recently, Rain? It's said that his talent is astonishing, and he's already an official wizard at a young age." The mature female wizard paused for a moment but quickly remembered something.

"It's hard to say, but I think Nixon is still stronger. The background of a bloodline family is beyond the imagination of ordinary people." The female wizard named Alicia shook her head and said.

"I think so too. Even if Rain's talent is slightly better or even slightly better than Nixon's, it's useless. He has guidance from high-level wizards within his family and access to various rare resources." Joseph nodded in envy.

"That's not necessarily true. After all, none of us have seen Rain, so how can you be so hasty in your judgment?" Audrey had a different opinion, furrowing her brows as she spoke.

She was also quite curious about Rain, whom Master Mojaro had mentioned several times.

Moreover, according to Master Mojaro's words, Rain's talent was extremely high.

Perhaps, when Rain arrives, he can bring new vitality to the Metal-type wizards.

"Audrey, that's not..." Joseph was about to say something when a familiar voice suddenly interrupted.

"If you have time to chat, put your heart into making more puppet components to exchange for Academy Contribution Points."

As the voice fell, a short, red-bearded old man appeared abruptly behind the group.

"Ah! Master Mojaro!" Joseph was startled and spoke with a hint of panic.

"Good day, Master Mojaro!" Audrey stuck out her tongue playfully.

The wizards and wizard apprentices in the room all greeted Master Mojaro.

"Good day, Master!"

"Good day, Master Mojaro!"

As they left, Master Mojaro shook his head and sighed, "These guys! Joseph has a good character, but his talent is really average. It's been ten years, and his mana misting rate hasn't even reached twenty percent."

"Alicia is slightly better. Her misting rate has exceeded thirty percent, but she's already thirty-nine years old, so this progress isn't fast. Moreover, her mind is always on finding a partner, and she's not focused on studying wizardry."

"Among the three, only Audrey has the best mana talent and the most perseverance. Unfortunately, her affinity with the metal element is average."

"Sigh! Trevor will be back from Fury Gorge soon, but these three don't seem to be able to take over."

The others were still wizard apprentices, so Master Mojaro didn't consider them.

Currently, among the students he taught at the Academy's residence, only three had become official wizards.

"Speaking of Rain, should I write him a letter?"

"But... he's a swordsman, and he's often not in control of his own actions. It's better to wait a little longer." Master Mojaro thought.

"Master Mojaro, there's a Lord Rain outside who wishes to see you. He says he's your student, but the Academy hasn't recorded his unique mana identification, so he needs your confirmation."

"What? Rain is here?" Master Mojaro put down his wine glass and immediately stood up.

Rain didn't have to wait long in the hall. Soon, a familiar red-bearded old man, about five feet tall, walked over with a joyful expression.

"Good day, Master Mojaro. It's been a while," Rain said with a slight bow and a smile.

"Hahaha, Rain, you've finally come!" Master Mojaro laughed happily and led Rain by the hand as they walked inside.

"If you didn't come, I was about to write you a letter!"

"Wait, wait!"

"Rain, have you already entered the Second Tier Liquidation Wizard?" Master Mojaro, as a peak First Tier wizard, was extremely sensitive to perception. He was too happy to notice at first, but after taking a few steps, he realized something was amiss.

The surging and refined mana fluctuations on his student Rain had already reached...

"The student's strength surpasses the teacher's right after enrollment. How can I teach him now?" Master Mojaro was at a loss. When he gave Rain the Advanced Steel Heart Meditation, Rain had just entered the First Tier Wizard level. But now, he had already become a Second Tier Liquidation Wizard, surpassing Master Mojaro?

"This..."

In Master Mojaro's office.

Rain and Master Mojaro sat across from each other. Master Mojaro exclaimed, "So, Rain, you've completed the first layer of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation, and now you need the second layer, right?"

"Yes, Master. I came to the Imperial Capital and chose to visit the Academy first because I wanted to learn the second layer of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation as soon as possible. In a few days, I'll be reporting to the Swordsman Headquarters in the Imperial Capital."

"Huh? You've been assigned to the Swordmaster Headquarters? At such a young age, you've already become an Electrum-ranked Swordsman?" Mojaro looked at Rain with a hint of admiration.

As an experienced wizard, he was well-versed in the Empire's Swordsmen system. He knew that promotions within their ranks were earned through hard-fought battles and rigorous training.

Similar to military merits, promotions required numerous battles and the completion of various challenging tasks. This meant that promotions were not easily achieved, and the difficulty of tasks would increase significantly.

This was also the reason why the requirements were so high, and other factors, such as background, had minimal influence.

"Well, mentor, I'm not an Electrum-ranked Swordsman." Rain hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"What? Is this a temporary assignment?" Mojaro's eyebrows raised as he thought of something and smiled.

"I'm a Gold-ranked Swordsman," Rain felt it unnecessary to hide this fact from his mentor, as once he reported to the Swordmaster Headquarters, many would know of his new rank.

Hiding it would only reduce trust and be counterproductive.

"What!" Mojaro's eyes widened, and his hand trembled, causing the Bordeaux wine he had just picked up to spill onto his wizard's robe.

However, he paid no attention to the spilled wine and immediately asked, "Gold-ranked Swordsman? How is that possible?"

"You..."

The next second, Mojaro seemed to realize something, calmed himself down, and said, "You Swordsmen have confidentiality rules, so there's no need to hide it from me. I believe what you say."

"Well, Rain, if you've come to exchange for the second layer of Steel Heart, there's a small problem. Your Academy Contribution Points are insufficient."

"Oh? Contribution Points? Do I need to contribute to the Academy to earn them?"

"Yes, unfortunately, Contribution Points cannot be transferred. Otherwise, I would have given you some." Mojaro nodded, expressing his regret.

"It's not the Academy's fault. In the history of the Bius Armament Academy, there's probably never been a student like you who needs the second layer of meditation right after joining." Mojaro couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Mentor, how can I quickly earn Contribution Points?" Rain was understanding of the Academy's system.

"Usually, completing Academy tasks earns Contribution Points. Since our Academy doesn't specialize in combat, there are not only combat tasks but also many manufacturing tasks. However, these skills can't be mastered overnight and require a certain level of runecraft knowledge."

"Oh? Manufacturing? Runecraft?" Rain's eyes lit up.

If it were metalworking, Rain hadn't discovered a way to solidify his metal transformation spell faster than his innate wizardry.

As for runecraft, although he couldn't claim to be an expert, he had a basic understanding.

"Is it related to metal puppets?" Rain asked for confirmation.

"Yes, recently our metal division received a large military order to produce 100 Wrath Hammer Battle Puppets."

"Actually, with your Swordsman status, completing the Academy's combat, garrison, or patrol tasks should be relatively easy." Mojaro's perspective differed from Rain's expectations.

In Mojaro's opinion, it would be a waste for Rain, a student with rich combat experience and formidable strength, to earn Contribution Points by manufacturing puppet parts.

"However, you're about to report to the Swordmaster Headquarters, and time is tight. Completing combat tasks now might not be feasible. You can come back after your assignment to earn Contribution Points."

"For these two days, I'll have someone show you around and familiarize yourself with the environment."

In Mojaro's eyes, Rain's progress was already astonishing, and he didn't need to rush to complete tasks to earn Contribution Points. Instead, he could take some time to relax and explore.

"Mentor, I'd like to inquire about the Contribution Points required for the second layer of Steel Heart?" Rain asked.

"It's not a large amount. The second layer of Steel Heart, as a meditation technique, requires fewer Contribution Points compared to spells of the same rank. If my memory serves, it should be around 500 points."

"So, if I help with the production of the Wrath Hammer Battle Puppet parts you mentioned, what would be the reward in Contribution Points?"

"Yes, do you have an interest in it?" Mojaro looked at Rain with curiosity.

"Yes!" Rain nodded.

"Different parts have different Contribution Points, and I'll be responsible for the final assembly and testing. Others will handle the part production, runecraft engraving, and so on. Rain, if you're interested, I can have someone show you the specifics."

"Great! Mentor, I'll go and take a look now." Rain nodded, ready to stand up.

"Hey, Rain, why the hurry?" Mojaro shook his head, feeling a bit helpless.

"Alright, I still need to calibrate these Wrath Hammer Battle Puppets. I'll have Audrey show you around the production process."

"Audrey~"

"Mentor, did you call for me?" A lively-eyed girl entered the room.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end