Academy Life (5)

Only then did he realize he had completely lost track of time while inside that space.

Moen soon realized the same thing. She looked at the wall clock in disbelief; the hands were nearing midnight.

“I didn't expect you two to actually last this long... though it was much the same for us the first time we went in.”

While Starlight and Moen were still feeling dazed, Eventador’s slightly weary voice suddenly drifted over from the side.

Starlight looked toward the source of the sound and saw the principal had already approached them without either of them noticing. He couldn't help but marvel at how elusive and unpredictable a space mage could be.

“Uncle Evan, what exactly is going on with that space? It didn't feel like we were in there for very long! And why were we suddenly sent out?” Starlight asked in confusion.

Hearing Starlight’s questions, Eventador gave a slight smile and replied, “You’ve likely noticed that we integrated many focus-enhancing spells and designs into that space. Those unfamiliar with it can easily become immersed and forget the passage of time.”

“Then how long were we actually in there? It couldn't have been several days, could it!? ...Oh! My sister doesn't know about this yet. They won't think something happened to us, will they?!”

Seeing Moen’s frantic expression, Eventador waved his hand to reassure her and continued his explanation.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already sent word to those two little ones. The mechanism that sent you out was my own invention; I set the maximum time for each entry to half a day. You should know, there have been cases in the past where people were so focused they fainted inside!”

“I just came to see how you two were doing. Since you're fine, I’ll be going now. Remember to come to my study tomorrow morning.”

With those words, Eventador’s figure vanished from their sight once again, and the library returned to its usual silence.

Starlight and Moen didn't linger. They hurried out of the library and managed to return to their residence just before the midnight bells tolled.

Xia Duo and Po Kong, who had been waiting in the living room, finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the two return safely.

After a brief goodnight to their companions, Starlight dragged his heavy feet back to his room.

Having spent what felt like half a day reading, he finally felt a wave of lightheadedness. This mental exhaustion was even more intense and harder to deal with than physical fatigue.

However, the benefits were undoubtedly immense. He had selected several spells suitable for himself from the books he read today and committed them to memory; he just needed to find time to practice them one by one.

“Noah was right. I have no idea how much it would have cost to buy books for all these spells myself...”

“I wonder how much I’ll be able to learn during my time here? If Master found out, he’d probably praise me, wouldn't he?”

“Oh, I forgot to ask Moen how her progress went... Never mind, I'm so sleepy... I'll ask tomorrow!”

Amidst various stray thoughts, Starlight fell into a deep sleep before he could even say goodnight to Noah.

...

Early the next morning, Starlight and Moen headed to Eventador’s office just as they had the day before. It was easy to see that both were still a bit sluggish, clearly not having fully recovered from yesterday’s fatigue.

Eventador, dressed in casual clothes, let out an unceremonious laugh upon seeing the dark circles under their eyes.

“Hahaha! It looks like you haven't quite come to your senses yet? Did you notice anything special after spending half a day in the library yesterday?”

Hearing his playful question, the two finally sensed that something was off.

“I feel like the time we spent there was more than half a day... but it doesn't match the time outside...” Moen rubbed her chin and asked in confusion.

“Could it be... time magic? Did Grandmaster design something for that space as well?”

At their uncertain guesses, Eventador clapped his hands with a proud smile spreading across his face.

“Exactly. Little Star, you’ve hit the mark. You should know by now that the space has been continuously refined by many generations of Grand Archmages. Naturally, my teacher and I added some things of our own as well.”

“The time in that area was significantly slowed down by the teacher's handiwork. The half-day you spent inside yesterday was actually closer to three days in real terms.”

After hearing the explanation, Starlight’s mouth hung open involuntarily, his face full of shock.

He could understand Mowei being able to briefly alter the flow of time in his immediate vicinity, but the central area of the library was not a small room, and the effect of that magic was clearly permanent. How could such a thing be achieved?

This sent him into deep thought. It seemed his mysterious Grandmaster’s strength far exceeded his expectations.

Seeing Starlight dazed, Eventador reached out and lightly patted his shoulder before continuing.

“Don't bother guessing, Little Star. This isn't something one person could create, not even the teacher. I mentioned this because I hope you can grasp something else from it.”

At this, Starlight frowned and began to carefully ponder Eventador’s words.

One person couldn't do it... that space merged the power of successive principals... Merged? Could it be that merging different types of magic produces new effects?

However, based on his current understanding, different elements should exist independently. They could certainly influence each other, but could they truly be merged?

If one assumed that different magics could perfectly merge, the resulting effect would definitely not be as simple as one plus one equals two; it might even undergo a qualitative change.

Thinking of this, Starlight didn't hide his thoughts and spoke them plainly.

Instead, it was Eventador who showed a look of surprise after hearing his ideas on elemental fusion.

“Haha, Evan, were you trying to test him with that question? I suggest you just get to the point. Little Star’s comprehension isn't something you or I could compare to back then! Besides, he hasn't received a traditional magic education, so it’s normal for his thinking to be more flexible.”

Seeing the surprise on the principal’s face, Noah finally couldn't help but speak up.

Indeed, very few ordinary mages would ever consider such a thing, because for them, the fusion of different elements was simply not something worth thinking about.

After all, in this world, the vast majority of people possessed affinity for only one element. People like Carlos and Eventador, who possessed affinities for two elements, were already as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns.

Under these circumstances, let alone someone like Starlight with a Radiant Elemental Body—even in the entire history of humanity, such a thing had only appeared a handful of times.