The crystal construct walked over to the five of them and stopped. “Teleportation of the Three Rings Academy's Blood Bone Tower array detected as complete. All members of Blood Bone Tower, please follow me.”
Convict glanced at the two of them. “Let's go.”
The crystal construct led them across the platform, walking toward a circular ring of platforms on the outer edge of the stone pillars.
Dozens of small teleportation arrays were evenly distributed across the platform. Each was only two to three meters in diameter, their pale gold array patterns slowly flowing across the stone surfaces.
It stopped in front of one of the teleportation arrays, and the crystal core in its chest lit up.
The array patterns of the teleportation array instantly activated. A pale gold light surged from the center of the array, condensing in the air into an oval portal of light.
“First stop: Three Rings Academy Reception Area transfer node.”
The five of them stepped into the portal of light.
The rest of the journey became a relay race of teleportation arrays.
One teleportation array after another, one transfer node after another.
Every teleportation array was built inside a different building. Some were built in the midsections of tall towers, where inverted pyramid structures floating outside could be seen through the translucent tower walls. Some were built in tunnels at the bottom of lakes, with the entire body of water overhead, where the roots of a giant, sky-blotting tree spread across the ceiling, radiating a silvery-white glow. Some were built on platforms above the clouds, where the surrounding air was so thin that arrays were required to sustain respiration.
When the light of the twenty-third teleportation array faded, Ethan found himself standing in a vast plaza.
The plaza ground was paved with a kind of off-white stone. Each slab was ten meters square, and pale gold energy lines were embedded in the gaps between them.
The plaza was surrounded by a cluster of buildings. Their architectural style was completely different from the tall towers, domes, and inverted pyramids he had seen earlier; they were more orderly, resembling individual, independent estates.
The crystal construct stopped and turned to face the five of them.
“You have arrived at the Three Rings Academy Reception Area. The reception desk is located directly ahead of the plaza. Please proceed straight along the main path. I wish you all a pleasant time at Jingyuan Academy.”
Having said this, the crystal core in its chest flickered. It then turned to return the way it came, quickly vanishing into the light of the teleportation array.
Standing at the edge of the plaza, Ethan looked up.
And then, he froze.
Floating in the sky above the plaza was a massive virtual projection.
The projection was translucent, its edges glowing with an extremely faint, silvery-white halo.
In the center of the projection was a complete map of the reception area. Every building, road, and functional district was clearly marked with different-colored motes of light.
A line of numbers floated in the bottom right corner of the map, representing the scale.
A 1:1 scale replica, complete with real-time positioning.
Ethan's gaze swept across the map.
The entire outline of the reception area was visible at a glance.
He mentally calculated the footprint of the main building and compared it to the Logistics Hall of Blood Bone Tower.
He then realized that the main building of this reception area alone was at least ten times larger than the entire Logistics Hall of Blood Bone Tower.
And this was merely a reception area for the Three Rings Academy.
A Seven Rings Wizard Academy.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions rising in his chest.
It was truly filthy rich and spectacular.
“Don't just stand there dazed,” Convict's voice came from ahead. He had already walked to the start of the main road in the center of the plaza and was looking back at Ethan. “This place looks big, but walking it is even more exhausting on the legs. Hurry up.”
Secret Eagle walked beside him, her pace steady as always.
Every so often along both sides of the main road stood a fist-sized orb of light. Inside the orbs, dense runes rotated, sending a faint ripple of energy outward with every spin.
The entrances of the buildings they passed all displayed their respective academy emblems.
At some entrances stood flags made of pure fire, burning silently in the air with the name of the academy rolling across the fabric.
At others, a massive ice crystal floated, the academy's insignia frozen inside.
Some had absolutely nothing at their entrances except a mass of constantly shifting black mist, within whose depths the name of the academy could be seen faintly flashing.
Every emblem represented a Three Rings Wizard Academy.
At the end of the main road, a colossal building stood directly ahead of the plaza.
The entire structure was built of a certain silver-gray stone. Its outer walls bore no redundant decorations, featuring only runic lines slowly flowing across the stone surface.
A row of towering archways lined the front of the building. Each archway was twenty meters high, with pale gold energy lines embedded along the edges of the frames.
Above the archways, a line of massive characters floated in midair.
“Three Rings Academy Reception.”
Convict stopped in front of the archway and glanced back at Ethan. “Don't run around once we go inside. As massive as this place is, it has just as many rules. If you cause trouble, I don't want to have to bail you out.”
Without turning her head, Secret Eagle added, “Mainly because we can't afford to lose face like that.”
“Indeed.”
Ethan remained obediently silent.
The deans of Blood Bone Tower really didn't seem very reliable.
Beyond the archway lay an excessively wide corridor.
The moment Ethan stepped over the threshold, his footsteps faltered for a brief instant.
The corridor floor was paved with massive slabs of dark silver stone. Extremely faint runic patterns flowed within them, drifting slowly through the interior of the slabs. With every step he took, a faint silver ripple lit up beneath his feet.
The ripples spread outward from his soles, expanding half a meter across the stone surface before silently dissipating.
The walls on both sides of the corridor were so high that one had to look up to see the top, their surfaces embedded with fist-sized crystal cores.
Every crystal core radiated a soft, pale gold light, bathing the entire corridor as if it were submerged in liquid sunshine.
Fine runes rotated slowly inside the crystal cores, their rhythm of rotation perfectly synchronized with Ethan's heartbeat.
The energy particles here were as dense as liquid. With every breath, he could feel microscopic energy particles surging down his trachea and into his lungs, bursting in his alveoli and transforming into a warm current that spread to his limbs.
Convict walked at the very front. “Don't act so surprised. This is only the reception area for the Three Rings Academy. The energy concentration in the core area of Jingyuan Academy is more than ten times higher than this. Once we reach our quarters, you'll have plenty of time to absorb it slowly.”
Secret Eagle walked by Convict's side. “Even after walking this corridor dozens of times, I still feel it's built far too wastefully. Just the crystal cores on these walls—prying any single one of them off would be enough to power a Three Rings Academy for an entire year.”
“This is a Seven Rings, after all.”
“I know it's a Seven Rings. Can't I just express my admiration?”
Convict did not reply.
At the end of the corridor was a massive double stone door.
The stone door was cast entirely from some translucent material, with countless fine runic patterns visible slowly flowing inside the panels.
Three bands of energy of different colors were embedded along the edges of the door frame. The bands of light rotated slowly, sending a faint ripple of energy into the air with every rotation.
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