Chapter 19: The Female Writer and Tuition Fees

【You have come into contact with the "Whisper."】

With just a single glance at that exquisite snuff bottle, Shard was deeply captivated.

Shard had seen even more intricate objects in his own world, but at this moment, he felt an inexplicable compulsion to possess this one. Fortunately, the woman's voice pulled his thoughts back to a normal track, and Dr. Schneider merely responded to Shard's loss of composure with a smile

"Even a [Relic] of Poet grade can affect ordinary people, which is why the Church and the Academy strive to contain and control [Relics] as much as possible. However, you recover remarkably fast. Once I open it, you will fall into a dream. The dream will last 7 minutes and 23 seconds. In the dream, you will learn about the Academy's past and present, which will help you believe what I am saying."

"Such precise timing?"

Shard asked, then, following the doctor's guidance, leaned slightly against the back of the sofa in a posture suitable for a nap.

"Almost every Ring Wizard who joins the St. Byron's correspondence program must pass through this [Relic] to verify the information they receive. It has been used countless times and has never failed," the doctor smiled.

This "never" made Shard feel somewhat uneasy. However, he did not voice his intuition and instead signaled the doctor to begin.

"Very well, please prepare—"

The doctor stood up and covered his nose and mouth with a wet towel to prevent himself from falling asleep, while simultaneously taking a step back.

"Begin."

The cap was lifted, and colorful smoke surged out. Shard immediately lost consciousness.

Shard had a dream. In the dream, his soul left his body and ascended into the distant high heavens, looking down at the prosperous steam city amidst the gray mist, watching the steam factories belching thick smoke in the distance...

Then, he flew toward the north, crossing cities, mountains, grasslands, and forests. Finally, he saw snow-capped peaks, and behind the highest peak, he saw the Great Ice Cap of the Far North.

Perhaps it was only a moment, perhaps it was several hours or even days; the sky of the Far North grew dim. In that darkness, beneath the multicolored aurora, a massive complex of buildings appeared behind the glowing glacial mountain range.

It was a strange dream unlike any he had ever had. Upon waking, Shard only remembered walking through a massive Academy, strolling through ancient castles, and gazing at the starry sky from the top of a spire. He moved through tiered classrooms filled with seats, searched for herbal formulas in basements, and consulted lists of contained [Relics] in the library.

Mysterious, ancient, profound, and secretive—that was St. Byron's Comprehensive Academy, but it was also a gathering place for Mystics. Standing from the distant past to the present, it sat behind the glaciers of the Far North.

When he opened his eyes, his vision was still somewhat blurred. The doctor's figure became clear on the opposite sofa; he was hurriedly replacing the cap of the snuff bottle and putting the Poet-grade [Relic] back into its box.

"Well? Do you know now that the Academy truly exists?"

Only after putting away the snuff bottle did the doctor smile and ask Shard. Shard let out a somewhat melancholy sigh, actually feeling a sense of nostalgia for that strange dreamscape.

"It is indeed real. What you said is indeed true, Doctor."

Even if it was just a dream, this special dream was enough for Shard to make the correct judgment.

"The only side effect of this Poet-grade [Relic] is a very slight addictiveness."

Dr. Schneider's voice was very gentle, carrying a strange power, as if attempting to pull Shard completely back from the world of dreams

"Forget that dream, Shard Hamilton. But sooner or later, you will join us as a Ring Wizard. We will travel to the northern cities by steam locomotive, trek across the ice caps under the aurora, huddle together through long nights in blizzards, and work together to climb the highest glaciers. Then, we will enter there—St. Byron's Comprehensive Academy, the home of Ring Wizards... My dream is to reach the Tenth Ring within the Academy and obtain a lifetime professorship at St. Byron's. Shard, if you like it there, then join us."

That dream, both real and illusory, took Shard some time to recover from. When the doctor formally asked for his opinion again, this time, Shard nodded without any hesitation

"Yes, I wish to join the Academy and become a correspondence Ring Wizard."

A heartfelt smile appeared on Dr. Schneider's face

"Then congratulations, Shard—if I may call you that. You are about to become the fifth Ring Wizard in our group. Wait, Miss Dorothy Louisa just stopped by; she will preside over your enrollment ceremony with me. I can introduce you to her, and let her know that I'm not always so unlucky. The enrollment ceremony requires at least two members of the group to be present to prevent new Ring Wizards from being deceived."

Even though the doctor had been very enthusiastic since his visit to No. 6 St. Dean Square this morning, his enthusiasm actually intensified now

"Oh, Louisa is a fourth-year correspondence Ring Wizard, a novelist by profession. I know you have just 'awakened' from your blind ignorance and probably haven't seen her work, but she is quite well-known. Her two short stories, *The Snail's Dream* and *Midsummer Night's Wish*, won the Kingdom's literary grand prize three years ago, and because of that, she was even summoned by His Majesty the King along with 35 other winners."

"Actually, there was no need to mention the total number of winners back then."

The door was pushed open, and the blonde lady seen earlier stood outside. She was dressed the same way, but she looked somewhat annoyed

"Doctor, is it necessary to state every piece of unimportant information every time you introduce your friends to someone?"

It seemed the atmosphere within the doctor's four-person correspondence Ring Wizard group was quite good; at least everyone was friends, which made Shard happy. However, Shard also guessed that perhaps this blonde writer lady had been listening to the conversation outside the door all along.

*As expected, it's impossible for everyone to be completely without vigilance,* he thought silently, preparing to stand up and greet her.

The doctor avoided answering the blonde girl's question and smiled, gesturing for Miss Louisa to sit down

"Detective Hamilton has accepted my invitation. Our group finally has five Ring Wizards."

"Doctor, are you really not using some strange relic that overdraws luck?"

She sounded suspicious, but she still walked in and extended her hand to Shard

"Dorothy Louisa, novelist, and part-time journalist."

Miss Louisa appeared very capable, so Shard stood up and gave her hand a light shake

"Shard Hamilton, a detective, I suppose."

"That is quite a fine profession."

As they spoke, the two sat back down. The doctor cleared his throat, signaling that he had business to discuss

"Shard, if I may call you that, there is one last thing before your formal enrollment. I need to talk to you about the tuition."

Shard froze. The joy in his heart was once again dispelled by the tragic reality. He blinked

"Yes... tuition."

He realized that when the doctor introduced the Church and the Academy, he hadn't mentioned the Academy's significant drawback. After all, a legitimate Church would certainly not accept members for free.

"The school's fees are collected by grade. Just a moment..."

Dr. Schneider took a document from the bookshelf behind his desk, while the blonde girl said nothing, watching the two of them with interest.

"These are the fee standards. Because we are correspondence students and do not interact directly with the Academy, the Academy produced these documents to prevent group leaders from overcharging... I heard such things were very common hundreds of years ago."

(End of Chapter)