Chapter 110 - 109: Cyrus Magic Academy

Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Cyrus Magic Academy

CLIP-CLOP.

The carriage trundled toward the outskirts of the city.

"Miss, you are being too polite to this Master Google."

Inside the carriage, the steward who had been by Jelica’s side spoke in an emotionless voice. "Setting aside what his future achievements might be, even if he truly becomes a Master of Restoration, he won’t be of much help to you."

The profession of a "Repair Craftsman" had a limited ceiling, unlike professions such as "Alchemists" and "Rune Masters."

By analogy, even the best mechanic in the world would have limited value to a wealthy tycoon.

"Steward Robo," Jelica replied calmly, her tone even more placid than the steward’s. "Not all acts of goodwill need to be mixed with self-interest.

"He repaired the ’Lake Heart’ my mother left me. To me, that is enough." Jelica gazed out the window at the rapidly passing scenery, slightly lost in thought.

"I have overstepped." The steward admitted his fault without any change in expression. Seeing that his young miss’s heart and spirit seemed to have already drifted out to the scenery beyond the window, he sighed softly in his heart.

In truth, her father, City Lord Haines, had long suggested sending Jelica to study at the Cyrus Magic Academy, but she had always refused.

It was only this time that Jelica had unexpectedly taken the initiative to ask City Lord Haines to attend the Cyrus Magic Academy.

As Jelica’s personal steward, he knew the reasons behind this better than anyone else.

It was precisely because the recent "accident" had thoroughly broken the young miss’s heart. That was why Jelica wanted to temporarily escape that whirlpool and come to Saint Sean City, far away from Bremen City.

"The young miss didn’t have many ambitions at first. You were the ones who forced her here...

"With her talent as a mage, leaving Bremen City to enter the Cyrus Mage Academy isn’t a retreat from the center of power, but rather stepping onto the truly correct path.

"A temporary departure is only for the sake of a more powerful return.

"Because, ultimately, this world still belongs to mages.

"You will definitely regret your actions today.

"After all, there has never been a rule stating that a woman cannot be a City Lord..." the fiercely loyal steward muttered inwardly.

Gaode ultimately chose to stay at the Haines Inn.

Since he had accepted the silver card Miss Jelica gave him, it meant he had already accepted her favor.

He thought, "To accept a favor but not enjoy its benefits—wouldn’t that make me a fool?"

Not far after exiting the Airship Base, Gaode spotted a familiar, welcoming, and affordably priced "public carriage."

After asking the staff for directions, he boarded a carriage that would pass by the Haines Inn.

Thanks to the silver card, Gaode managed to check into a deluxe room—which originally cost eight silver coins a night—for only four silver coins.

At the same time, leveraging his status as a silver card holder, he was able to borrow a simple map of Saint Sean City from the staff, completely free of charge.

However, he only glanced at it briefly to get a general understanding of Saint Sean City’s layout.

Gaode had no intention of spending much time figuring out the geographical distribution, local customs, or similar details of the city.

Because his goal for this trip was exceptionally clear:

The Cyrus Magic Academy.

Every year, at the beginning of the Frost Gold Moon, the Cyrus Magic Academy held its open enrollment.

On this day, countless mages would rush to the Cyrus Magic Academy to undergo its assessments, hoping to join its ranks.

Once admitted to the Cyrus Magic Academy, a person’s status would skyrocket in a single bound.

The Cyrus Magic Academy’s assessment only had an age restriction: it would not admit any mage over thirty years old.

Aside from that, there were hardly any limitations.

In other words, as long as one was under thirty, they could take the exam every single year if they wished.

Everyone harbored a sense of wishful thinking: "I didn’t pass the assessment last year, but who knows, maybe I’ll meet the requirements this year!"

Furthermore, there was no shortage of precedent where mages participated in the exam multiple times and eventually succeeded in entering the Cyrus Magic Academy.

Therefore, for the young mages of Saint Sean City and the surrounding areas, the Cyrus Magic Academy’s enrollment day was tantamount to a grand annual festival, bustling with excitement.

This was also a win-win situation.

Allowing multiple attempts ensured that the academy wouldn’t miss out on late-period bloomers—talents who accumulated knowledge steadily before breaking through.

For the individuals, a single failure didn’t amount to a "death sentence"; they still had a chance to turn things around.

Consequently, when the Frost Gold Moon arrived each year, an influx of mages would travel from out of town to attend.

"This is just like my past life..." Gaode complained subconsciously upon learning this fact.

On Earth, September of every year was also the time for new students to enroll.

Today was the first day of the Dark Night Moon, leaving exactly one month until the Cyrus Magic Academy’s enrollment day.

Of course, Gaode certainly had no intention of waiting until then.

Rules were always established for those willing to follow them.

Just like Jelica and the other two scions of the Haines Clan, who didn’t need to abide by these rules, nor did they need to follow this timeline.

Although Gaode lacked such a background, he had an "Exemption Recommendation Letter."

The Cyrus Magic Academy was situated atop the Cyrus Peak, just outside Saint Sean City.

The academy derived its name from this very peak.

In addition, it was also known as the Royal Magic Academy. It was ordered to be built by Jelos I, the founding emperor of the Sean Duchy, with construction commencing on the exact same day as the Royal Capital, Saint Sean City.

At the same time, it was the only magic academy in the Sean Duchy.

Since the founding of the Sean Duchy, it had supplied the duchy with the vast majority of its High-Ring Mages.

Whether in terms of strength or status, the Cyrus Magic Academy was the premier mage force in the Sean Duchy.

Nearly all the age-appropriate mages within the Sean Duchy considered it an immense honor to join the Cyrus Magic Academy.

However, the Cyrus Magic Academy’s assessment requirements were exceedingly strict. On average, only about a dozen lucky individuals passed the exams to join the academy each year.

Of course, these were only the students who entered by passing the assessment.

In reality, the Cyrus Magic Academy welcomed thirty to forty new students annually.

The remainder entered the academy through "unconventional channels"; they were the young scions of the various noble families among the nobility.

This had already become an unspoken rule tacitly accepted by everyone.

The Cyrus Magic Academy spanned over three thousand acres, comprising multiple zones, including teaching and residential areas.

The most striking and central structure among them was the Cyrus Mage Tower, situated at the very summit of Cyrus Peak.

A Mage Tower was the ultimate symbol of a mage’s power, wisdom, status, and even wealth.

Only mages of the Fifth Ring and above possessed the qualifications and capabilities to construct a Mage Tower.

It was not only a residence for a mage but also served as a "laboratory," "library," "Treasure Vault," "defensive fortress," "dungeon," "teleportation waypoint," and much more.

The Cyrus Mage Tower had been built under the direction of the Cyrus Magic Academy’s first-generation dean.

After being perfected by generation after generation of the academy’s mages, the Cyrus Mage Tower had impressively become the most crucial foundation and the most formidable power of the Cyrus Magic Academy.

Today, in the conference room of the Cyrus Mage Tower, a small meeting was taking place.

The current dean of the Cyrus Magic Academy, Shire Ian, sat at the head of the conference table, his brow slightly furrowed.

He was nearly four hundred years old, yet he still maintained the appearance of a middle-aged man, looking as though he were only in his thirties or forties.

Shire Ian had held the position of dean at the Cyrus Magic Academy for over a hundred years.

Over a century of time had allowed him to establish immense prestige within the academy.

The reason this usually unhurried dean, who always seemed to have everything under control, adopted such a posture today was because two mages—both high-ranking members of the academy’s leadership—were currently arguing fiercely in the conference room.