“Shade, simply passing the exam isn't enough. I recall that your practical credits are also insufficient.”
Miss Louisa reminded him again. Thinking about it carefully, she actually believed it was very possible that Shade wanted to promote to the second year
“If I remember correctly, the first year requires 40 practical credits. Your time travel gave you 10 points, and the Lakeview Manor incident gave you 20, but you're still short by 10.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Shade wasn't worried about this at all. Although he couldn't tell the academy the truth about the death of the Silver-Eyed One and the Evil God incident, he couldn't hand over the [God's Gift Box] to the academy, the bounty for the [Forged Philosopher's Stone] was the Doctor's credit, and his second trip to the year 3002 of the Fifth Epoch General Calendar couldn't be easily revealed, the thing he lacked least was so-called "accidental incidents."
He could simply go find Iluna after she returned from the Holy See; spending two days with Iluna would certainly lead to something worth writing a report about, and Iluna surely wouldn't mind letting him take the credit. Even if that didn't work, simply donating the [Endless Mercury Flask] to the academy would earn him practical credits.
“As long as you've thought it through,” Miss Louisa said softly. Her eyes shifted toward Mia, who had slipped the [Ring of Vitality] onto its own tail again
“Hmm? Why does that ring look so familiar?”
The blonde girl only then realized what she was seeing. She hadn't been surprised when she heard Shade wanted to promote to the second year, but now she was stunned
“The [Ring of Vitality]? Did you rob the Church? No, that's not important—do you want to turn into a woman? How can that be allowed!”
She even stood up abruptly, staring at Shade with wide eyes
“What are you planning to do?”
“No, no, please relax. I have absolutely no desire to become a woman. This ring is still related to Miss Galina.”
Shade mentioned that name once again.
“Oh, that damned woman! How could she give this to you!”
This was the first time today that Miss Louisa showed her unladylike side. It seemed Shade was right; she definitely had a conflict with Galina Cavendish.
They spent the afternoon studying in the living room, chatting about other things during their breaks. As for today's lesson, since Shade had already advanced to the Second Ring, it meant there were still vacancies for his Second Ring Enlightenment Spirit Runes.
So far, *The Mad Light-Chaser* hadn't produced any results, so Miss Louisa was very expectant of the fairy tale *The Kiss of the Tree*. Just like last week, under Miss Louisa's explanation, Shade read through those few ancient pages once more. While Miss Louisa sat down to rest, Shade was required to transcribe the story.
Obtaining enlightenment from a story was not something achieved overnight; only by patiently experiencing and contemplating the story could one obtain the power of the eras, civilizations, and the narrative itself.
“Different versions of a story can derive different powers. Therefore, different methods of interpretation can yield different Spirit Runes, spells, and oddities from the same story.”
Miss Louisa explained very patiently to Shade, even bringing out other prepared versions of *The Kiss of the Tree* for him to read and analyze. By comparing different versions, one could trace the thought processes of predecessors in their understanding of the story, which was very helpful for grasping the wisdom of that enlightenment.
The different versions of *The Kiss of the Tree* reminded Shade that he had acquired quite a few excellent books from the ruins of the Old Cult. Before sealing the ruins, the Cult had used specialized parchment and ink to transcribe valuable information; Luvia, Shade, and Iluna had each taken some.
Shade shared those books with Miss Louisa and then brought out the *Complete Collection of Ancient Draerion Fairy Tales* that he had bought at the charity auction from the study.
The blonde writer was very surprised by these books. After obtaining Shade's consent, she picked a few to borrow, intending to read them slowly at home. Coincidentally, that expensive *Complete Collection of Ancient Draerion Fairy Tales* also contained the story of *The Kiss of the Tree*.
However, unlike the initial version provided by Miss Louisa, the ending of the story in this old book was different. Princess Tavelle's fate was not to become a dried corpse sealed within the trunk of the ancient tree, but rather to step through the tree's gateway, accept the power of the ancient tree, and become the guardian of that strange tree, using that special power to punish her parents.
“This version of the story most likely appeared in the Fifth Epoch. In that era, many stories allowed female protagonists to gain power at the end, rather than being mere appendages to a prince as in earlier stories.
This is, of course, because the witches of that time held power. This tells us that studying the differences between different versions and stories can help us understand the civilizational characteristics of different eras, thereby better understanding the enlightenment elements regarded as the light of civilization.”
As Miss Louisa spoke, Shade nodded. His view was simpler
“Actually, fairy tales with this kind of ending are more suitable for children... oh, don't look at me like that. I'm not saying the original ending is bad, just that it might leave children with... nothing, I didn't say anything.”
Under Miss Louisa's condemning gaze, he picked up the napping little Mia. The orange cat let out a dissatisfied "wu wu~" from its throat.
“Shade, you almost lost your qualification to go to the opera with me next week,” the blonde girl said with a smile.
“The opera next week?”
Shade hesitated slightly. He viewed this as a sort of invitation, but their relationship didn't seem to have reached that level yet.
“Yes, look, I've already gotten the tickets.”
Miss Louisa fished out two embossed tickets from her handbag and placed them on the table
“Next Saturday evening, the first day after the curfew ends, starting at 7:30 and ending at 9:30. That performance happens to feature a story related to *The Kiss of the Tree*, and I also have some business to attend to at the Queen Maria Opera House.”
As a high art, the opera was a major part of the entertainment and leisure for the upper class of this era. Tobesk, hailed as the Pearl of the North, had many opera houses of various sizes, some of which were rumored to provide illegal performances.
There were three particularly famous opera houses: the King of Draerion Opera House, the Tobesk Grand Opera House, and the Queen Maria Opera House that Miss Louisa had just mentioned.
“You have an exam next Saturday, so it's necessary to relax on the night after the exam, but our lessons cannot be delayed because of it. Why not go see this opera together? It can be considered part of next week's study material... Shade, are you unwilling to go?”
Miss Louisa waved the tickets, asking with a hint of hesitation.
(End of Chapter)