“Good that you understand. Do you have any other questions? I can answer questions about your studies or any difficulties you encounter.”
Daniste said again. Xia De immediately thought of Felianna's gift. He wasn’t sure if the Witch from the previous epoch would remember him after leaving the Thousand Tree Forest, but he was still willing to try and find traces.
However, even Daniste didn't seem to have heard of Xia De, so whether the two Witches who left the forest completely forgot him, or if time had eroded all traces, the possibility of that “gift” still existing was probably very slim.
“I want to know the process for formal students to enroll in the College.”
Xia De asked cautiously.
Felianna said that if the gift existed, he would receive it when he heard her name in his own era, which was why Xia De thought of the enrollment ceremony.
“Are you curious about this?”
Daniste smiled:
“Besides the process you’ve already experienced as a correspondence student, formal students also have complex written exams, interviews, family investigations, and background checks. These rules are slightly adjusted every few years. If you want to know, I can find a book for you to read.”
“Besides that, are there any enrollment regulations that have existed since the Founding of the College?”
Xia De asked again. Daniste thought carefully:
“Probably not. Modern enrollment regulations were initially drafted at the beginning of the sixth epoch and have evolved step by step. After all, male Ring術士 appeared then, and some old rules had to be extensively changed.”
“I see.”
Xia De felt a little disappointed. Daniste was curious about his attitude at the moment but didn't ask further.
“It’s the sixth epoch now, right?”
Xia De suddenly asked again.
“Of course.”
The Thirteen Ring Sorcerer answered the question with certainty:
“Professor Garcia and I discussed your issue. He said, judging from the papers you wanted to read, you seem to be questioning the correctness of time?”
“It’s a conjecture.”
Xia De remained very cautious.
“Be careful not to lose control. Ring術士 need to use time and space to fix their position in this world. The confusion of time and space can make people like you, who already deal with time and space, more prone to mental derangement.”
Xia De nodded to show he understood, but in reality, he was feeling regret. Perhaps Felianna and the Moon Witch Olanorde had truly completely forgotten him.
Canceling the ritual and returning to Doctor Schneider’s clinic, Xia De picked up Mia again and told his friends about what had just happened, informing them that Daniste had given him a very troublesome College commission.
In fact, the commission had already been passed on, explicitly assigned to Xia De by Daniste. However, the content of the commission had nothing to do with the Library; instead, it required Xia De to submit a hand-drawn detailed map of Tobesk and its surrounding areas to update the Library's old maps.
Luvia seemed not to quite believe that this was truly the administrator's commission, but everyone else believed it.
The five of them chatted at the doctor's clinic until five in the afternoon before leaving. Nothing major happened within the Ring術士 community in Tobesk this week, so there was nothing worth mentioning. However, Priest Augustus mentioned the Yodel Palace incident and the country's prince breaking in with a gun, which made everyone quite emotional.
Saturday evening was Xia De's usual study time with Dorothy. So, the two of them and Mia first had dinner together, then walked back to Saint Delan Square Six together.
The study of 【Kiss of the Tree】 was interrupted by the Ling Rune Xia De unexpectedly obtained. The next step, learning 【Sleep】, would have to wait until Leia returned to Tobesk, and she would explain it to Xia De in person, using her own body.
Xia De actually thought that Leia could start teaching directly this Saturday using Dorothy's body, but Xia De cautiously did not voice this suggestion.
Since there was no clear goal for the time being, this study session was temporarily set as an interpretation of “crazy light chaser.” And before the formal study began in the study, the Golden-haired girl told Xia De good news:
“I’ve found a Miracle that might be related to 【Kiss of the Tree】.”
She smiled very happily:
“This was really not easy. The Miracles in Zaras Academy and Saint Byron's Comprehensive College Library were all different from your rare Ling Rune. But Leia’s friend in Carson Rick found a very interesting Miracle from the Natural Church.”
She handed Xia De the long-prepared letter from afar. The foreign text described the Miracle—Brave Heart.
The name of the Miracle seemed to have no relation to Kiss of the Tree, but it was created three hundred and eighty years ago by Mr. Hillard Kubrick, a High-Ring Sorcerer of the Natural Church, after reading the story of 【Kiss of the Tree】, inspired by the story.
Different people have different understandings of different stories, and what that Ring術士, who lived almost four hundred years ago, saw was “courage.” Princess Tavel, betrayed by her lover and parents, lived alone in the forest with the tree. In Mr. Kubrick's view, this showed courage.
And although this method of interpretation had nothing to do with the true history represented by 【Kiss of the Tree】, it strangely aligned with Xia De's experience. The two Witches, for a single goal, faced loneliness and darkness in the Thousand Tree Forest, stubbornly surviving by the campfire until they finally dispelled the darkness with Xia De. This also showed courage.
Xia De was very fond of this passive Miracle, which could enhance a Ring術士's mental resistance and cardiopulmonary function. Seeing that the learning material was not complicated, he tried to learn it with Dorothy's help.
However, after lying on the ritual array on the floor with his upper body bare and completing the entire ritual, Xia De's Destiny Ring showed no reaction.
Mia was lying on the windowsill, and Dorothy was in charge of presiding over the ritual. They both saw Xia De lying in the five-pointed star on the ground, 愣 ing for a long time, and then he had to admit failure.
“It seems it still needs a Miracle that truly fits this story… Your figure is actually so good?”
Dorothy was a little frustrated, carefully glancing at Xia De, who was getting dressed.
Xia De didn't feel disappointed:
“The experience of obtaining this Ling Rune itself is a gain, so it doesn’t matter if there’s no associated Miracle.”
It had only been about half a month since he advanced to the Second Ring, and the road ahead was still long. There was no need to demand a gain from every attempt. However, thinking about it, in half a month, he had already acquired two Ling Runes. Aurora helped find 【Vibration】, and the reading of “crazy light chaser,” after experiencing “Felianna's Witch Light” and Priest Augustus’s holy light, would almost immediately yield results.
If these two Ling Runes could correspond to the silver blasphemy and brass inspiration respectively, then Xia De would not be far from the Three-Ring Arcanist.
However, before this slightly peaceful Saturday ended, there was a small interlude. As Xia De was looking for keys in the hallway and Dorothy was looking for a carriage at the street corner to go home, she suddenly slapped her head:
“Oh, I actually forgot something very important! My Mia, it’s already Saturday! Good thing I remembered.”
“What did you forget?”
The Golden-haired girl asked curiously. Xia De hesitated for a moment, then looked at Dorothy very seriously, which made the Writer's face flush slightly.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“Yes, what is it?”
She looked up at Xia De with some expectation, her emerald eyes blinking a few times, her eyelashes very pretty.
“Can I wash some of your clothes for you?”
Xia De asked hesitantly.
“Hmm?”
The Golden-haired girl grabbed her handbag and took a step back, accidentally hitting the door and letting out a cry of pain.
If it weren't for the fact that she had already learned about the ruby earring from Leia, Xia De would very likely have been considered a pervert from then on.
This would be very detrimental to his reputation.
