“Professor, have you ever seen a mixed-blood dragon?”
The Six-Ring Arcanist, who was about the same age as Xia De, raised his hand and asked, adding, “I mean, a mixed-blood dragon with a bloodline purity below the standard S&P 17%?”
“Of course, I have. For this Mystic Lock, ever since I was young, I’ve almost traveled to every corner of the material world. The towering snow-capped mountains of the New World, the wave-swept city of the Eye of the Storm, the underground ruins of the New World—I’ve certainly seen dragons.”
The professor whistled, and a strong wind immediately blew above everyone’s heads. Looking up, they saw a massive winged creature flying overhead. It wasn’t the large lizard Xia De imagined, but rather a giant pigeon with scales.
“Dragon-pigeon hybrid?”
This was a small joke the Outsider made in her heart, and she indeed chuckled softly.
Professor Garcia had Xia De and the others carefully feel the power of the Mystic Lock. After fully deploying the Mystic Lock, he then had the Ring術士s attempt a coordinated attack against him.
Xia De, being only able to sit, didn't have to participate in this activity. He was responsible for recording the upcoming battle. Of course, even if the students weren't in the Mystic Lock, they couldn't defeat this High-Ring Sorcerer, and inside the Mystic Lock, they wouldn't gain any advantage at all.
So Professor Garcia deliberately controlled his power, allowing everyone to genuinely feel the pressure, but without being completely helpless.
This was truly a valuable elective course that only professors allowed participation in. In Xia De's opinion, just the four hours of experience tonight made it completely worth paying 1000 pounds.
Not only did he witness a Mystic Lock, but he also saw the combat style of academic Ring術士s. The mutual cooperation of Ling Runes, the rapid chanting of incantations, and the pre-preparation of spellcasting materials—these were all Knowledge that couldn't be learned from books.
One scene that left the deepest impression on Xia De was Professor Garcia summoning a group of creatures called “Iron-Horned Rhinos.” The horns of these creatures are very important alchemical materials, and their populations are distributed in the northern plains of the Old Continent and some parts of the New World.
And when a group of rhinos charged madly towards Xia De's classmates, they first tried to resist for a bit, then frantically ran away, completely subverting Xia De's impression of Saint Byron's students.
“Choosing the right time to escape is also an important ability for a Ring術士,” the professor beside Xia De said with a smile, very satisfied with his course.
An interesting course makes time pass quickly, and tonight's class was the last lecture for “Closed Space.”
At 8:50 PM, Professor Garcia closed the Mystic Lock, returning everyone to the classroom at Saint Byron's. He allowed the students to collectively ask one question related to the course. After discussing with his companions, Xia De asked:
“If we unfortunately encounter a High-Ring Sorcerer who controls a Mystic Lock, and we fail to escape before the Mystic Lock is deployed, how can we best ensure our survival?”
“The best way is to forcefully break through the Mystic Lock. The power of space or powers opposite to the Mystic Lock's nature can achieve this.”
Professor Garcia clearly had already anticipated what they would ask.
“But we can’t do that, Professor,” the young lady said, raising her hand.
“Then hope that your companions can buy time. Although a Mystic Lock is powerful, its consumption is also astonishing,” the professor with slightly pointed ears said with a smile.
“Professor, but we might not have companions,” the slightly older male sorcerer said, raising his hand, but Professor Garcia shook his head:
“That's impossible. If a High-Ring Sorcerer who controls a Mystic Lock only wants to deal with one of you, there's no need to activate the Mystic Lock at all. Do you really think this is a power that can be used at any time?”
He pointed to the empty metal box on the podium: “The spellcasting materials I just used were worth four-digit pounds. If a High-Ring Sorcerer wanted to deal with you, why would he spend so much money?”
Xia De, below the stage, blinked. It seemed he didn't need spellcasting materials to use a Mystic Lock.
With that, Xia De's first elective course at Saint Byron's, 【Closed Space】, officially ended. After the class, Xia De didn't leave immediately. Instead, he mentioned to the professor his intention to travel through time and space again and hoped to purchase a time key from the academy.
The key symbolizing the year 3005 was completely shattered. Having said goodbye to Miss Felianna and the Moon Witch, he was ready to begin a new journey.
Professor Garcia was pleased that Xia De took the initiative to mention this: “Very good. It’s been a month since your first investigator activity, and now is a very good time. Xia De, don't worry this time.”
“Hmm.” Xia De didn't speak.
“This time, I will personally select the key for you, a time key from the fifth epoch, guaranteeing that there will be absolutely no problems this time. It will be given to you through Bill Schneider at your group meeting this weekend.”
Although he promised this, based on his first known investigator experience with the academy and the second unknown one, Xia De could almost guarantee that the key Professor Garcia chose would somehow be related to an Old God.
Therefore, Xia De would still be troubled then about how exactly to write that investigator report.
“One more thing, Professor, please, is there any way to enhance Time Perception?”
As his classmates gradually left the classroom, Xia De confirmed that no one would hear the following conversation before asking the question he had kept for two days. He had actually wanted to ask it during class yesterday.
“Enhance Time Perception? Do you want to experience the power of time more clearly?”
Professor Garcia tidied up his lecture notes and the remaining spellcasting materials: “I remember your Miracle 【Perceive Time】 can enhance Time Perception. If you want something stronger than that at your level, Miracles and sorcery definitely won't work. I recommend rituals or relics.”
Xia De asked this question because he wanted to enhance the effect of the Miracle 【Perceive Time】 to investigate the current true time point with the amplification of Divine Radiance.
“So, what rituals and relics might be useful?” Xia De humbly asked for guidance.
“There are many methods. You don't need to ask me about this, because someone has done similar research, and I think that paper is still in Saint Byron's Library. Xia De, you can request to review the document directly from the academy through Bill Schneider. Just say it's needed for my course, and that way, you won't have to pay. I'll communicate with the Library about it.”
The professor said with a smile.
Xia De thanked him softly but didn't ask the professor if it was currently the sixth epoch. Since even the Great Witch didn't know, he was almost certain that Professor Garcia would also think he had lost his mind. Therefore, he still had to find the answer himself.
“What exactly does ‘strictly speaking, not the sixth epoch’ mean?”
The answer to the question might allow Xia De to directly see the deepest secrets of time.
Because the final question took up some time, it was already 9:30 PM when Xia De stood up from the chair in the guest room of Sophia's Great House. At this time, Leia should still be in the city attending the Great Witch's banquet, and the fishing rod was naturally taken by the princess.
Outside, the wind and rain were still raging. Xia De wanted to wait until Leia returned and confirm her safety before going to bed, so he sat down at his desk again, intending to complete part of his course report.
Before he started writing the report, he also asked the servants for a cup of hot tea. But before the tea could be delivered, the maid Leia had left for him rushed in, telling Xia De that someone had tried to break into Sophia's Great House. After being discovered by the Great House's guards, both sides were currently engaged in a gunfight inside and outside the eastern fence of the Great House.
“What? Gunfight? How many people are they?”
Under the light of the classical lotus-leaf-shaped gas lamp, Xia De put down his steel pen in surprise.
Sophia's Great House, as a royal estate, during Leia's stay, not only had the princess's guards and Coldwater Port police responsible for security, but even the Coldwater Port Navy had dispatched a two-hundred-man unit to be stationed nearby to guard against unexpected situations.
And now, someone was actually able to engage in a gunfight with the security forces of Sophia's Great House, so the number of opponents must be quite high.
“Sir, there are about 30 of them, but their firepower is very strong. It's raining heavily now, and we're not sure how many people are actually outside the Great House, so personnel cannot be concentrated in one direction. Colonel Harms asked me to inform everyone in the Great House not to leave the building.”
Colonel Harms was the leader of the princess's guard, a 40-year-old active Royal Army colonel, highly trusted by Leia.
“Who are the enemies?” Xia De asked, getting up and walking to the window to look outside. In the deep, rainy night, faint gunshots could be heard, and occasional flashes of light lit up in the distance.
“I'm sorry, sir, we don't know yet. But please, you must not leave here.”
After speaking, the maid hurried away. With the Great House under attack, she also had to help Leia hide some sensitive documents to prevent anyone from truly breaking in.
Xia De felt bewildered by the situation, but then he thought of Leia's status as a princess and the assassination attempt on Princess Diana on the street last month, and he couldn't help but suspect this was another political assassination or other political incident.
But Leia wasn't at the Great House right now, so Xia De didn't have to worry about her safety. It was just that the occasional gunshots outside made him unable to focus on writing his course report.
He simply stood by the window, looking out, trying to see something in the dark Great House courtyard.
The bright interior and dark exterior made the glass like a mirror, reflecting Xia De's face. He looked at his face in the glass and became even more annoyed by the complex situation in Coldwater Port:
“Leia’s life is actually this—oh!”
A distant bullet actually hit the glass in front of Xia De, but because the bullet was almost at its flight limit, it couldn't penetrate the glass at all. Even so, it startled Xia De.
He didn't die from being shot directly on the street, so it would be too unfair if he died from a stray bullet on a rainy night.
He immediately left the window, thought for a moment, and then simply left the room, intending to wait in the study. Besides Leia's current bedroom and the room specially prepared for King Larus III the Fire-Leaper, the safest place in Sophia's Great House was actually that study.
