Academy Life (3-4)

After a quick lunch, the two hurried toward the library located at the very heart of the academy.

Even though Starlight had mentally prepared himself for the scale of the library, he was still stunned by its sheer size when he finally stood before it.

Before them stood a massive castle covering tens of thousands of square meters. By his estimation, its height easily exceeded a hundred meters.

It was only slightly shorter than the other towers in the academy, but in terms of volume, no other building could even begin to compare.

For such a colossal standalone structure to be merely a school library, its reputation as the “largest in the world” was indeed well-deserved.

“It’s still nowhere near the size of the World Tree... but this must be the largest man-made structure I’ve ever seen!”

Not only Starlight, but even Moen beside him couldn't help but whisper in admiration.

Naturally, a massive Central Library could not have only one entrance. Following the signs along the road, the two quickly found one of the ways inside.

Since the school year had not officially started yet, the library was quite empty. The corridors were so quiet that they could even hear the echoes of their own footsteps. At the entrance they used, only an elderly administrator sat in a chair, dozing off.

Although the old man appeared unremarkable, Starlight keenly sensed that he was deliberately restraining his aura. If he wasn't mistaken, the old man was close to, if not already at, the Saint Rank.

It wasn't until the two stood directly in front of him that the old man slowly woke up, speaking to them in a groggy voice.

“Why are people here so early this year? Have I slept past the date... Hmm... Did the school enroll an elf this year? Whatever, it doesn't matter. You two little ones, show me your identification.”

Hearing this, Starlight and Moen quickly took out the access passes Eventador had given them and handed them over respectfully.

Upon seeing the badges they offered, a flicker of surprise passed through the old man’s cloudy eyes as he asked in astonishment.

“Passes personally given by the principal... What, did that boy take on disciples?”

Just as Starlight was pondering how to answer, the old man shook his head and handed the passes back to them, waving them through.

“Never mind, I can't be bothered with such trifles. However, I must remind you: these passes allow you to enter and leave the central area freely, but you cannot take anything out of there. As for the rest... there doesn't seem to be anything else to mention. Off you go; I’m going back to sleep.”

With that, the old man lay back down and silently closed his eyes.

Seeing that he no longer intended to respond, Starlight and Moen glanced at each other helplessly before stepping lightly past the old man and into the library’s interior.

Stepping into this sanctuary for scholars, the two couldn't help but marvel once again.

The vastness of the library’s interior was breathtaking. Rows of tall bookshelves rose like endless, winding mountain ranges, stretching far beyond what the eye could see.

Every shelf was densely packed with all manner of magic grimoires. These strangely shaped books were meticulously categorized by type and attribute into different sections. What they saw before them was merely the most basic part of this treasure trove of knowledge.

In addition to the sea of books, the library also housed countless magic items and ingenious creations. They were carefully placed in display cases throughout the hall, emitting faint ripples of mana as if telling their own stories.

The walls surrounding the hall were made of a rare material that continuously emitted a soft, enduring glow. Even without lamps, the entire library interior was illuminated as bright as day, feeling both clear and warm.

Located at the core area of the library was a massive circular hemispherical room. It was surrounded by countless floating magic runes, emitting a subtle light. However, its interior seemed obscured by a layer of distorted mist, making the scene within hazy, mysterious, and sparking one's imagination.

At the very top of the library, a massive crystal dome sat like a brilliant pearl. Various elements from within the academy and pale golden sunlight poured down through it, intertwining with the barrier below to form a defense that was both beautiful and powerful, inspiring a sense of awe.

“You can study the collections outside later. Let’s head over there,” Noah said softly. “That is the central area I mentioned before. The things hidden inside are all priceless treasures!”

Seeing that no one else was around, Noah immediately led the two toward the mysterious hemisphere. Before long, they arrived at the barrier. Starlight watched the barrier curiously, reaching out his hand to touch it with his fingertips.

A cool, soft sensation spread from his palm, as if he were touching a giant piece of jelly—both soft and elastic, which felt quite surprising.

“This barrier looks... so strange. Shouldn't there be more powerful protective measures for such an important place?”

Observing the confusion on Starlight’s face, Moen also instinctively reached out her index finger to lightly tap the barrier. The sensation from her fingertip clearly far exceeded her expectations.

“Don’t underestimate this barrier,” Noah explained with a smile. “It’s far from being as fragile as you imagine. This is a super magic formation created and meticulously refined by generations of Grand Archmages over thousands of years! You might feel it’s soft and weak, but that is one of its characteristics. The more force you apply to it, the stronger the force it will reflect back.”

Hearing Noah’s explanation, Starlight subconsciously increased the pressure from his hand, but his palm only sank in a few centimeters before being pushed back by a massive elastic force.

“Haha, Little Star, don’t waste your effort!” Noah laughed. “Carlos and your father already tried this long ago. The access pass Evan gave you is exactly what’s used to pass through this barrier.”

Hearing this, Moen took the strangely textured access pass from her storage space and pressed it lightly against the barrier.

“Is that so? But there doesn't seem to be anything special about it... Ah!”

Before Moen could finish her sentence, the previously calm barrier suddenly surged like an ocean wave, tightly wrapping around the hand she used to hold the pass. Immediately afterward, she seemed to be sucked in by some force and was swallowed whole by the surging barrier.

“Moen!”

Seeing the girl vanish before his eyes, Starlight hurriedly grabbed his own access pass and pressed it firmly against the barrier.

A massive suction force instantly pulled from the point of contact, violently dragging him and Noah into the cool barrier.

Starlight quickly recovered from his initial panic. He felt as though he had fallen into a massive swimming pool, yet he wasn't wet at all. That cool and wondrous sensation filled him with a mix of novelty and excitement.

Just as he subconsciously prepared to hold his breath, the feeling of passing through a watery veil suddenly stopped. He had reached the interior of the barrier. Moen, who had gone ahead, was standing beside him unharmed, curiously taking in her surroundings.

His first impression was that he had stepped into an entirely new world. The internal area of the room was completely different from what he had seen from the outside; it seemed as though an entire castle had been folded using a technique similar to a storage space.

When he looked back, he realized the outside scenery seemed very far away. Even with the naked eye, it was impossible to discern the true thickness of the barrier.

In this wondrous central area, there were no massive rows of bookshelves like there were outside. Instead, exquisite books hovered overhead like a sea of stars.

Even more amazing was that although the books seemed far away, a mere sweep of mana would cause information about the books to automatically surface in their minds. With just another thought, a book would miraculously appear before them.

“What a peculiar method. It feels like we've been placed inside a giant storage space. This is so convenient!” Moen marveled, looking at the heavy book that had suddenly appeared in front of her.

The book's material seemed to be made from the bark and roots of some plant. It even twitched slightly in her hands, as if it were alive.

In fact, it was a rare original manuscript from an ancient era, recording the uses of life power and the author’s insights in ancient script.

Indeed, the way this space operated reminded Starlight of the storage magic he had just learned, though there were undoubtedly many differences.

While pondering the principles of this space, Starlight leaned in curiously to look at the ancient book in Moen’s hands, but the crooked symbols on the pages gave him a headache.

To him, these lost ancient scripts were as indecipherable as a book from the heavens. However, Moen picked up the book without hesitation and sat down to read with great interest.

As one of the long-lived races, the elves possessed far more detailed records and inheritances of ancient culture than humans. She had some knowledge of these alien scripts.

To her, this was a precious volume that not even the long-standing Elven Clan possessed. Regardless of the content, this was a rare opportunity for her to delve into and learn from this ancient wisdom.

“Does that mean everything here requires me to learn ancient script to understand it...?” Starlight thought to himself as he saw Moen completely immersed in her book, quietly stepping aside to look at the other volumes floating around.

“True, some of the collection consists of ancient antiques, but there are also many modern works that have been rewritten or translated. However, compared to when Carlos came here in his youth, this space seems a bit different. Evan and the master probably added some new elements. I can't help you with this one!” Noah explained through their soul link, also indicating that without a body, he couldn't be of much assistance.

Starlight nodded slightly and began to pace slowly through the vast space.

Other magic had clearly been applied to the area; not only could he not feel any air movement, but even his footsteps and breathing were subtly silenced.

As a result, the space was exceptionally quiet, allowing one to focus entirely on their studies.

In truth, even Starlight wasn't sure what kind of books he should be looking for here.

Neither Noah nor Eventador had given him any hints, seemingly wanting him to discover everything for himself.

After some thought, Starlight finally decided to pick out one or two books from each elemental system to look over. After all, he had so many elemental affinities.

Fortunately, despite the immense size of the space, he didn't need to move much; he could retrieve any chosen book through his will alone. The magic books of different systems were neatly categorized, and his first task was to filter out those he could actually read.

Even so, finding suitable books among this vast sea of literature was no easy feat.

Before long, a stack of thick books sat before Starlight—those he had initially screened.

In this carefully crafted, comfortable environment, he immediately immersed himself in the sea of knowledge, putting all other matters out of his mind.

Starlight had actually been fond of reading since childhood. In that isolated valley, entertainment was scarce, and Carlos often stayed indoors. It was no exaggeration to say he had flipped through every book in the study several times.

But how could that small study compare to the massive library before him? Furthermore, during his days of adventure, he hadn't had the time or opportunity to sit down and read quietly. Now that he finally had such a good chance, he naturally wouldn't let it go.

The books collected by successive principals in the central area were not comparable to the ordinary magic books found outside. Many contained obscure and difficult content, which posed a significant challenge to Starlight’s reading.

Fortunately, he possessed an extraordinary comprehension of magic and a solid foundation. Content that would be difficult for most to understand was gradually digested and absorbed under his rapid analysis, like peeling back the layers of a silk cocoon.

At the same time, the mental link shared with Noah granted him incredible memory and reading speed. At this moment, Starlight was like a dry sponge, frantically soaking up knowledge into his mind.

In this magical space, the two of them, immersed in the sea of books, could hardly feel the passage of time.

Just as Starlight finished quickly skimming the fourth magic book and prepared to stand up for the fifth, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him, causing him to close his eyes instinctively.

When he opened them again, he found that he had somehow been sent out of the central area.

Beside him, Moen was sitting on a nearby sofa, looking somewhat bewildered, her hands still held in the position of holding a book.

“What? How did we get out?” Moen hadn't reacted yet, shaking her head subconsciously as she asked.

“I don't know... Wait, how long were we in there?”

Starlight looked up instinctively and was surprised to find that the sunlight that should have been shining through the crystal dome had long since vanished. Now, only the deep blue night sky was visible outside.