Chapter 36: Saint Elvekan

On a remote official road, a caravan of more than a hundred people moved slowly forward. In the center of the procession were several ornate carriages, surrounded by guards in fitted attire, each armed with a sword. Any passerby who encountered the caravan would hasten their steps, seeking to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Inside one of the carriages—

"Just one more day and we’ll reach Saint Elvekan, won’t we..." A trace of anticipation flickered in Lin Wei’s eyes as he glanced around at the others sharing the carriage, then quietly closed his eyes once more.

It had been half a month since Lin Wei left the Tulip Territory. His purpose on this journey was to reach the imperial capital of the Radiant Moon Empire—Saint Elvekan—to participate in the entrance test for the Academy of Sorcery.

Lin Wei had not chosen to travel alone, nor had he summoned the Tulip Guards to escort him. Instead, he opted for the most common method of travel in this world—joining a guarded caravan.

“Sister, look!” came a whisper, thin as a mosquito’s hum, nearly drowned out by the rumbling wheels—only those nearby could barely make it out.

A young maiden with milky-white hair was staring at Lin Wei, her voice lowered in excitement as she spoke to the other girl beside her.

“Vilia, you’re such a hopeless romantic! How did I, Weiss, end up with a little sister like you?” The slightly more mature girl shot Vilia a glance, but then snuck a look at Lin Wei herself, a blush rising on her cheeks.

Vilia’s eyes narrowed into crescents. “But he really is so charming. There’s an inexplicable allure about his presence.”

Weiss, hearing this, took another furtive glance at Lin Wei’s handsome features. “Actually… you may have a point.”

Lin Wei heard every word of the sisters’ whispered exchange.

From the first day he joined the caravan, Lin Wei had been riding with Weiss and Vilia. While the sisters’ attention was fixed on Lin Wei, his focus was also on them—but for entirely different reasons. What drew his attention was the faint residual aura of sorcerous power emanating from both of them. Upon closer examination, Lin Wei had discovered something on them that resembled the sorcerer’s token he carried himself.

"Saint Elvekan is almost within reach. Could it be that their destination is the same as mine?" Even with his eyes closed, Lin Wei missed nothing around him. "If that’s true, it will certainly save me the trouble of searching for the testing site."

Though Lin Wei possessed a sorcerer's token, he knew nothing of the precise location for the Academy's entrance examination.

"Back to meditation, then..." he murmured to himself.

After instructing the intelligent sphere at his core to shut down his senses, Lin Wei once again plunged his consciousness inward, focusing all his energy on meditating upon the rune fragment. Unlike his first successful attempt, this time his actions were swift—a rune fragment of irregular shape took form quickly in his mind, coalescing in just a few breaths. Instead of shattering and vanishing, the completed rune fragment glowed faintly with an eerie light.

"Only by sustaining the first rune fragment under the radiance for ten seconds can I attempt to meditate upon the next," Lin Wei recalled with clarity.

Ten minutes passed.

Lin Wei’s awareness resurfaced: "Core, display my physical data."

A chime sounded.

[Lin Wei Nolanmount; Strength: 15.9; Agility: 15.9; Constitution: 15.9; Mental Power: 0.7; Skills: Fencing; Hammer Technique]

"After my first successful meditation, the amount of mental power gained from each session has been decreasing—now, on average, it takes two days just to increase my mental power by 0.1..." A glint flashed in Lin Wei’s eyes. "Lacking a comparison model, I can’t be sure if this is fast or slow. Only after joining the Academy of Sorcery will I truly understand."

…

Time passed swiftly. A day and a half later—

Lin Wei stepped down from the carriage. The sunlight in the distance was dazzling; he narrowed his eyes as a massive city gate came into view.

"So this is... Saint Elvekan?" A note of wonder crept into his gaze.

The city walls of Saint Elvekan towered a full thirty meters high, built from pale blue stone blocks. Fully armored soldiers stood at the gates and atop the ramparts, clad in silver plate with black masks covering half their faces, presenting a formidable and intimidating sight.

Right behind Lin Wei, Vilia and Weiss also alighted from the carriage.

Vilia gazed at Lin Wei’s back with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. She bit her lip and, after a glance at her sister—who was also watching Lin Wei—seemed to come to a decision.

“Sir…” Vilia’s cheeks were flushed red, but she mustered her courage and stood before Lin Wei.

Lin Wei looked at her in mild surprise, a charming smile playing on his lips.

Vilia’s face, already scarlet, turned the shade of a ripe apple. Forcing herself to continue, she stammered, "It’s been a pleasure to travel with you on this journey..."

"Hello, Miss Vilia. My name is Lin Wei." Seeing her like this, Lin Wei responded in kind—for him, these two might just be a pair of free guides.

"Ah?" Vilia hadn’t expected Lin Wei to know her name. "Mister Lin Wei, how did you know my name?"

Lin Wei’s brown, shoulder-length hair drifted in the breeze, giving him the look of a prince from a fairy tale. "I overheard you and Miss Weiss talking."

He glanced over at Weiss, who stood nearby, frozen in place.

"How do you do, Mister Lin Wei?" Weiss quickly offered a small curtsy upon hearing her name, exchanging a nervous glance with her sister—they both saw the same embarrassment in each other’s eyes.

If Lin Wei had heard all their conversations, didn’t that mean he knew about their girlish infatuation as well?

"It’s a shame, Mister Lin Wei, but it seems we must part ways soon," Weiss said with a hint of reluctance in her eyes. During these ten-odd days of travel, she had developed a quiet fondness for the handsome young man.

Lin Wei’s smile held a subtle meaning. "Perhaps... it’s not yet time for farewells."

"Hmm?" Both Weiss and Vilia looked at him in confusion, unable to make sense of his words.

Rather than explain, Lin Wei drew from his belt an ancient-looking iron token—the very sorcerer’s token he had acquired from Count Lamo’s secret chamber.

"This is..." Weiss and Vilia exchanged another glance, shock plain in their eyes.

"Mister Lin Wei... are you also here to take the test?" Weiss asked carefully, as if afraid to say the wrong thing.

Lin Wei’s expression grew knowing. "As I suspected, my earlier guess was correct—their purpose in coming to Saint Elvekan is exactly the same as mine."