“How’s this? Feels pretty good, right?”
Irina walked ahead, leading the way as she guided Ye Xu through the crowd and into the academy’s grand hall.
Then she turned around, spread her arms wide, and gestured proudly at everything behind her.
“Mmm.”
Ye Xu didn’t hold back his approval.
Because the place really was impressive.
It wasn’t overly extravagant or jaw-dropping in its luxury.
But the extensive use of some dark wood for the decor, accented by faint magical glows tracing through the grain, bathed the entire hall in a mysterious and captivating atmosphere that naturally stirred a longing for magical knowledge.
The hall bustled with people coming and going.
If Ye Xu had to describe the student uniforms, they were somewhat reminiscent of those in a work from his previous life called Harry Potter.
Of course, compared to that world’s hidden-in-plain-sight magic society, the uniforms here in a magic academy where magic and related knowledge were mainstream were far more intricate and form-fitting, adorned with even more ornate patterns.
The formal attire was even more refined.
The men’s outfits included capes, while the women’s featured gorgeous trailing skirts, all accessorized with delicate ornaments that emitted faint magical fluctuations.
Add to that the long blackwood tables draped in cloths embroidered with purple patterns, along with the distinctive cuisine.
Mysterious-looking fruits and vegetables, meats drenched in secret sauces, and colorful drinks and wines made from unknown ingredients that glowed faintly with magical light—all of it created a profound sense of ceremony.
“A grand hall of this scale…”
“Every banquet has to accommodate at least ten thousand people.”
“The cost must be considerable each time, right?”
Ye Xu’s fingertip brushed over the exquisite embroidery on the tablecloth. Remembering the hard days of his youth, he couldn’t help but sigh softly.
“Hehe~”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Seeing the appreciation on Ye Xu’s face, Irina puffed out her chest proudly again, hands on her hips.
“Thanks to the support of Her Highness the Night Princess these days,”
“the Magician Association is far wealthier than it has been in centuries.”
“As a subordinate organization, our Magic Academy naturally gets a share of those resources.”
“Just enjoy yourself freely. No need to hold back.”
Ye Xu: “O.o?”
What does that have to do with me?
Seeing Ye Xu’s utterly confused expression, Irina huffed in dissatisfaction, apparently determined to make him appreciate the greatness of the Night Princess.
She inwardly sighed over how Ye Xu shared such similar facial features with Her Highness yet failed to recognize what a precious blessing this was, and how he didn’t even try to understand her greatness.
Then she launched into an enthusiastic explanation.
In less than five minutes, Ye Xu had a rough grasp of the situation.
In the end, it all traced back to those idiots at the Imperial Research Institute.
When Ye Xu had given lectures there, he had shared a few universal formulas that optimized mana consumption.
Applying those formulas could, to varying degrees, reduce the total mana required to cast spells or inscribe magitech runes.
After the institute had basically mastered them, they donated the formulas to the Magician Association in her name.
Lower mana consumption meant lower costs for all sorts of activities. Lower costs turned the saved funds into pure profit.
Given that magical, magitech, and alchemical development had stagnated in recent years—with limited demand for raw resources and little chance of breakthroughs even with heavy investment—the Magician Association followed the Night Princess’s selfless example of contributing such valuable formulas.
They used the extra income to improve benefits across the entire association and support various human societal initiatives connected to it.
In other words, the Magician Association was now astonishingly wealthy.
When Ye Xu had casually tossed out those formulas back then, he hadn’t thought much of it.
Most of the magical knowledge he used was a system he had developed himself after grasping the fundamentals—essentially wild, unorthodox methods.
They weren’t perfect, but they were simple, direct, and efficient.
After later receiving formal education, he refined them into those formulas.
To him, they weren’t particularly useful anyway—he had never once experienced running out of mana.
Moreover, even when applied to magic or Magitech Knights, they only reduced mana expenditure by up to about 20% at most. In other words, they improved endurance or sustained performance, but they didn’t significantly boost direct combat power.
So he hadn’t cared much and shared them without any burden.
“Ahhh, Her Highness the Night Princess, she…”
It didn’t take long before Irina slipped into her strange chanting routine again.
To avoid his toes awkwardly curling in embarrassment once more, Ye Xu quietly slipped away while she was fully immersed in her own world.
He rubbed his temple, shaking off those fanatic remarks that could easily become nightmare fuel, and began observing his surroundings.
According to the admission notice, the welcome banquet assembly started at five in the afternoon, with the formal event beginning at six.
Nearly ten thousand people had already gathered in the massive hall, filling it with lively chatter and energy.
Several people tried approaching Ye Xu to strike up conversation along the way, but he politely turned them all down.
He helped himself to a plate of desserts and a drink that looked like blueberry juice but shimmered with an odd glow, then found a spot against the wall. Leaning there, he savored them slowly while waiting for the banquet to officially begin.
[Mother, military-grade Magitech Knight mana fluctuations detected.]
[Count: eight units.]
Just as Ye Xu was quietly admiring the unique flavors of this otherworldly cuisine, a stir gradually rippled through the previously noisy hall.
The crowd parted like a tide, everyone’s gaze fixed on eight imposing Magitech Knights escorting four figures straight from the entrance toward the raised platform at the far end.
Leading the group were three elders—two men and one woman—all elderly, with appearances and demeanors that perfectly matched the stereotypical image of seasoned mages deeply immersed in the study of magic.
The fourth person, protected in the center, stood out noticeably.
Though the figures in front blocked a clear view of their exact appearance.
Of course, Ye Xu didn’t particularly care.
Most likely some highly valued heir from a powerful noble family, making a flashy entrance through donations or the like.
Such people were usually crown princes from neighboring powerful nations whose positions were already secured.
In this region near the edge of human territory, it was fairly common.
Crown princes needed to build connections with noble offspring from various countries early on—ideally ones who might fight alongside them on the battlefield someday.
But nobles and royalty obviously wouldn’t send their pampered young masters into actual combat.
Arranging joint military exercises on purpose would feel too forced and yield poor results.
Thus, enrolling them in a Magic Academy became the best option.
Academies in these border regions regularly organized practical field exercises for students, framed as tests or assessments.
Since they were tests, safety measures were thorough.
This way, the expectations of those high-ranking officials were met, while also fostering friendships among the younger generation across nations.
All it took was having their child represent the nation by donating funds during the entrance ceremony—building facilities, purchasing teaching equipment, or providing resources.
Then, at important events like the welcome banquet, their child could make a grand, justified appearance while receiving reasonable extra attention during their time at the academy.
Quite a cost-effective deal.
[Um… Mother.]
Just as Ye Xu casually set down his empty dessert plate, folded his arms, and prepared to retreat further into the corner, the Night God’s voice sounded again—this time with an unusual hint of hesitation.
[Mother, it seems… you’ve been noticed.]
The Night God’s words made Ye Xu frown in confusion.
Before he could ponder what that meant, a sudden burning sensation from the storage gem around his neck instantly interrupted his thoughts.