The year-end Silver Bell Festival had begun. The new students of Tetis College prepared early that day, each donning their neat college uniforms and gathering in the main hall. Not only freshn were present, but also older students from higher grades.
For the freshn, the upperclassn were no longer ordinary seniors but powerful beings to look up to. They moved back and forth in more ornate uniforms, and many exuded auras above the Fourth Tier. Although it wasn’t yet the crushing suppression of a three-tier gap, to many Second Tier freshn, it was enough to keep them from daring to act recklessly. They felt like children squeezed under the sa roof as a group of giant beasts, their hearts tense with anxiety.
Even though these upperclassn showed no ill intent, the gap in rank alone—through simple glances and fluctuations in power—imposed a ntal pressure and strain on the freshn. It felt like a small piece of iron shavings navigating a room full of magnets. With one wrong move, they could be yanked off course. In such a state, using their own abilities or spells beca much harder, and even a slight lapse in concentration could cause their operations to warp and fail.
“And this is just the upperclassn. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like at the actual event,” the freshn whispered among themselves, sitting together in the exclusive area assigned to them.
“There should be protective asures, right? I rember that among the crowd attending the ceremony, there are also a small number who aren’t high-tier Transcendents—just so influential figures with thin strength.”
“Generally speaking, even with a two-tier gap, one-on-one wouldn’t have such a huge impact. But today, there are too many upperclassn here. Aside from us, the lowest are Third Tier. And among the fourth- and fifth-year students, there are plenty of Fourth Tier mbers, all clustered together—it’s terrifying.”
“Many of the fourth-year students have been studying here for over a decade. We’ve only been here for half a year. By next year, when we reach the Third Tier, we won’t feel so much pressure anymore.” Though they were weak now, the students admitted to Tetis College were quite confident, believing they could advance to the Third Tier within a year without much trouble.
For the mage system, the Third Tier truly marked the beginning. With specialized core secret arts, the advantages of mages gradually erged, allowing them to match wizards evenly.
While everyone was murmuring, the side door of the hall opened, and several figures strode in quickly, dressed distinctly from the ordinary apprentices. They were the Chiefs of each grade. Among them, the strongest one moved like a walking ice candle; the invisible force field radiating from him made the entire hall full of students fall silent rapidly.
He walked at the front, leading the others to stand on the high platform in the hall. His bright eyes swept across the room, causing many students to tremble ntally. Even so upperclassn averted their gazes, not daring to look directly.
“Good day, everyone. I am Norez, Chief of the fifth-year students. Today, I will lead you to participate in the Silver Bell Festival.” His voice was brief and forceful. By his side stood the Chiefs of each grade, Sylutia among them.
“Now, the Chiefs of each grade will count their mbers and report those who are absent.” After that, the Chiefs beside him stepped off the platform and began counting and recording.
Sylutia took a brief glance at the freshn’s area. All mbers except her were present. Still, she walked down, made a round, and then returned to the platform.
“Third year: seven absent, each on other duties or responsibilities,” a Chief with a slicked-back pompadour reported first.
“Fourth year: twelve absent, nas have been recorded,” another female Chief with chestnut-colored big waves answered succinctly.
“Second year: one absent, delayed by a previous mission and couldn’t return in ti.”
“First year: all present,” Sylutia replied.
“Good. Hand the lists of absent students to .” He then collected the paper slips and swept his gaze over the crowd in the hall once more.
“Now, under the leadership of your respective Chiefs, follow .” With that, he stepped off the platform first and headed straight for the main exit. The fifth-year students filed in behind him one after another.
A minute later, all the students had gathered in the square outside the main hall. That Chief turned around, his eyes swirling with bright blue-white light, then waved his hand, enveloping the entire square of students in visible cloud mist.
[Cloud Mist Spell] “A spell that allows one to temporarily float suspended within clouds and mist.”
Seeing this, the upperclassn were already expecting it, but many freshn were still curious, watching as their feet gradually left the ground, hovering about a ter above the floor.
Then, grains of indigo and deep purple light sand suddenly swept in from the distant sky, crashing into the ground beneath them. Over the next few seconds, the light sand rapidly settled and dissolved, weaving into a giant magical carpet that covered the entire square.
[Construct Spell - Flying Magic Carpet] “A carpet woven from formless force, capable of carrying heavy objects through the sky.”
Compared to constructing rigid tal objects, constructing soft, resilient items was less difficult. A typical magic carpet carrying three to four people would be considered excellent. But this giant carpet, carrying over a thousand people, rose swiftly and, before the freshn could steady themselves, accelerated, charging into the layered high skies.
The massive airflow sent the freshn stumbling and toppling. At that mont, Sylutia glanced over and raised her sleeve. Silvery vines rapidly spread from beneath her feet, weaving into a huge vine-and-flower cage that enclosed the freshn, preventing anyone from being blown away while also weakening the influx of air currents.
Seeing this, the upperclassn nearby, who had been about to step in, smiled and held back.
“This year’s new Chief isn’t bad.”
“That spell must have been prepared in advance. In other words, she constructed a brand-new spell model and cast it on the fly within seconds, without even having a core spell model yet,” another upperclassman said, pushing up his glasses, looking at the girl in the wind.
“That’s not just ‘not bad’—it’s astonishing.”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot, you’re all only Second Tier. Casting spells freely isn’t easy.”
“What’s her na again? She looks like the youngest among the freshn.”
“I think it’s ‘Hedra.’ No rush—we’ll have a chance to get to know her later.”
“Haha.”
Tetis College was part of the “Mithril Clock” school, but the “Mithril Clock” school was far more than just “Tetis College.” Its core region bordered the college but was also vast, housing nurous institutions. So were responsible for standard planning across the entire Mage Alliance, others for coordinating resource flows between regions, and still others for producing and maintaining war machinery.
After flying through the sky for a good while, the magic carpet finally slowed down. Through the distant clouds, the students gradually made out the towering, sky-piercing giant pagoda hidden within.
This pagoda was several kiloters high, its top far beyond sight. As they drew closer, it gave the illusion of a giant tower blotting out the sky. Compared to the pagoda, their group seed incredibly tiny, like grains of sand or dust beneath the clouds.
“This is the ‘Tower of All Things,’ one of the Mage Alliance’s three great towers,” the upperclassn explained up ahead.
“The Honored One we all look up to resides at the very top. His presence also protects the entire Mage Alliance.”
*That must be the Nad One guarding the Mithril Clock school,* the girl thought.
*Nad One ‘Abellid,’ titles ‘Bell Forger’ and ‘Ti Thief.’*
*Over six hundred years ago, he led the ‘Clock School’ to its peak. With the assistance of two other Nad Ones, he presided over the ‘Ti-Stealing Ritual,’ seized control of the fractured alien star sleeping within the ‘Four Seasons Clock,’ and thereby gained the power to interfere with ti, carving his na onto the World Wall.*
*Such actions naturally incurred the displeasure of the Four Seasons Hours. They brought down a terrible punishnt on the Fourth Continent. Scorching, dry gales swept across the land; for years, not a single drop of rain fell on the entire continent. Wildfires spread everywhere in the wastelands. The ‘calamity beasts’ representing the Hours’ wrath road the wilds, bringing withering and death.*
*To make ands and appease the Hours, ‘Abellid’ promised to reforge the Four Seasons Clock for them within a hundred years, repairing its flaws and omissions. Together with a host of mages and craftsn, he built sixteen exquisite items and offered them to the Hours, thus easing the conflict.*
*The fully repaired ‘Four Seasons Clock’ beca more powerful and precise than ever, which in turn enhanced the authority and strength of the Four Seasons Hours. The matter gradually subsided. ‘Abellid’ then swore an oath before the Hours, vowing never to touch any power of the Four Seasons Clock again, finally quelling the Hours’ lingering anger.*
*Although it had been centuries since then, traces of the aftermath still remained. The most notable was that Fairies were nearly nowhere to be found on the Fourth Continent. Many Elves had only recently migrated back. Additionally, beasts in the mountains and forests were more likely to absorb Aspects, mutating into ferocious brown monsters.*
*Within the Hidden Grove Alliance, opinions on ‘Abellid’ were mixed. So thought it was ultimately an inglorious theft, unworthy of respect. But others believed that by wresting a portion of authority from the Hours, he was truly a hero among humans.*
*Among the major Hours currently, none were pure humans. Although all three Aspects were born and expanded due to human activity, the history of humanity’s rise was still too short, far behind the deep foundations of the Fairies and Dragons.*
A few minutes later, the magic carpet ascended into the clouds, carrying everyone through the final mist to arrive inside the towering pagoda.
The carpet beneath their feet dissolved into flowing air, and everyone landed. The freshn, here for the first ti, couldn’t help but look up in awe.
This was rely one floor inside the tower, but it felt like a dwelling built for the giant creatures of the primordial era—imnsely tall and wide.
“So, how do we get up?” soone asked, looking around the interior. Only massive pillars stood here and there, nothing else. The floor was gray bluestone, with so accumulated dust particles.
“We’ll probably find out in a bit,” others murmured.
At that mont, Chief Norez stepped into the center of the empty space on this floor. Activating so hidden chanism, the floor beneath everyone slowly shifted, revealing a concealed giant magic array.
Then the array lit up, and a faint hum transmitted through their feet, as if so giant engine was about to start turning.
Such a spectacle made so freshn anxious and fearful. But seeing the calm deanor of the upperclassn around them, they forcibly suppressed their panic.
As light spread across the entire array, the entire floor hall suddenly activated. It shot upward like a catapult, pushing everyone toward the top of the tower.
The distant ceiling rushed toward them at terrifying speed, seeming about to collide. Many cried out in fear, but the floor beneath them didn’t stop. It carried them straight through the ceiling, continuing to rise.
Only then did the freshn realize what had happened, clutching their racing hearts as they gasped for breath. Seeing this, many upperclassn laughed—clearly, they had been just as frightened back in the day.
*It’s like riding an elevator, but the speed is almost catching up to a rocket,* Sylutia thought, looking downward. The earth below had beco blurry and indistinct, separated by layers of clouds. As they entered the high altitude, the air grew thinner, and everything beca clear, as if objects in her line of sight had sharpened considerably.
*So this is the sky far from the Twilight Sea? No wonder the Hours all dwell in the celestial gardens above and rarely co down.*
About a minute later, the floor they were standing on ca to a stop. At that mont, a lively, clamorous noise reached their ears.
Near the top of the tower, five branch structures circled the main tower. Each branch had tiered seats surrounding the main tower, and many of those branches were already filled with people.
After arriving, everyone followed Chief Norez toward one of the passages, ascending along the steps to one of the branch towers, where they found seats in the area assigned to their grade.
Sylutia took a quick look around and estimated that if all the branch towers were full, they could hold nearly two hundred thousand people. It showed just how grand this building was.
But today, it wasn’t completely full. Instead, it was divided into several orderly zones, including guests from other schools, nobles from Mage Alliance mber states, celebrities from various regions, and other visiting delegations not belonging to the Mage Alliance.
As her gaze swept over one corner, Sylutia paused slightly. She spotted mbers of the Hidden Grove Alliance, and leading them was the bard she knew well, Ailofeis.
“This elf bard hails from the Second Continent. He has traveled to many places and has a wide network of acquaintances. He understands the cultural customs of people everywhere and always gets along well with them. Currently affiliated with the Hidden Grove Alliance, he is very suitable as a diplomatic envoy.”
Not only the Hidden Grove Alliance, but Sylutia also saw the flag of the “Harp Flower Alliance”—a power on the eastern part of the Fourth Continent, said to be prosperous in trade and wealthy in life. Occasionally, visitors from other continents could be seen.
As for the “Sea Cliff Blood Clan” north of the Ice Sea, they had also sent representatives, but very few in number, occupying only a small section, hanging the flag of the “Blood Rose.”
Soon after sitting down, the students chatted excitedly, discussing the guests and activities of the year. Sylutia was called by the Chief of her grade standing beside her and went to an open area nearby.
Here, the Chiefs of all grades had gathered. Spencer was also there, but among the group of senior students, he was very inconspicuous.
“We’re all here. Let arrange a few things,” Norez said, clapping to quiet everyone down. All eyes turned to this sturdy Chief.
“The Silver Bell Festival is a grand ceremony held every year by our school. All parties co to participate and observe. As mbers of the school, we naturally cannot disgrace ourselves.” He briefly explained the reason for the arrangent.
“The other students only need to imrse themselves in the ceremony. But we have to pay attention to many things to ensure the entire process goes smoothly.” Then he began to outline the various matters to watch out for.
“... In the latter half of the Silver Bell Festival, there will be a period of free activity. This is often a ti for exchanges between various forces. As the top-ranked school college of the Mage Alliance, many people will be curious about us. You will also encounter many forces outside the Mage Alliance.”
“This is often a stage where incidents and accidents occur frequently. Differences in concepts, habits, and cultures have caused quite a few conflicts in the past. Fortunately, experience has now been sumd up.”
“I will distribute a booklet recording matters that require attention. You had better morize all of it thoroughly. I believe this is not a difficult task for excellent mages.”
“During the subsequent exchange activities, try to gather the students of your respective grades close to you, so it’s easier to look after them and handle problems promptly. If sothing happens, solve it on your own if it’s simple. If you find it tricky, notify imdiately, and I will co to handle it.”
“These are communication spheres. Take one each.” With that, he opened his hand, and several pre-prepared spheres floated up, flying in front of each Chief.
“That’s all I have to say. Although you’ll work hard during the Silver Bell Festival, as Chiefs, the college will also provide generous rewards. After the festival ends, I will hand them to you one by one. You won’t be disappointed.”
After the briefing, Sylutia and the others returned to their seats.
At that mont, countless colorful stars dragged long tails, rising from the sea of clouds, adorning the sky. Finally, they burst above the tower, and the scattered streaks of shooting star light decorated the entire venue with extraordinary beauty.
Accompanied by the successive bursts of starlight, enthusiastic cheers rang out from the tower in the sky.
The annual Silver Bell Festival celebration had officially begun!
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