Chapter Forty-Five: The Professors of Saint Byron’s

Using the [Silver Moon Slash] requires no spellcasting components; one only needs to trace arcs of light in the air with their limbs. The silver arcs can be slashed forward to execute an attack.

Before midnight, in his room with the curtains drawn, Lugh repeatedly attempted this, making trails of light appear and then slashing them forward. He was extremely thrilled. Although he had previously tried Telekinesis, Blood Echo, and Luminescence, only the [Silver Moon Slash] matched his inner imagination of "power" and "the occult."

Unfortunately, Lugh was merely a beginner. His understanding of the [Silver Moon] elemental rune was shallow, and his own spiritual energy was sparse. Consequently, those arcs of light could not even leave a noticeable mark on the wall.

Yet, if the goal was merely to harm a fragile human body, it would likely suffice at close quarters.

Although this incantation possessed only mediocre power for the time being, the arc of light left lingering in the air was exceptionally beautiful, even more elegant and noble than the forms recorded in books. This attracted the curiosity of Mia, the ginger cat.

Of course, the four incantations mentioned above came from the curriculum and were provided free of charge by the academy. If Lugh wished to acquire more incantations from the academy, he could consult the library and pay to obtain the knowledge of those spells.

The various professors also possessed their own collections of secret incantations and spells; achieving high scores in their classes was another way to obtain free incantations and spells.

Regarding the academy's incantations and spells, Dr. Schneider believed the library's prices were unreasonable, representing the academy's "exploitation" of correspondence students.

Instead of purchasing them from the academy, Schneider suggested Lugh acquire them from members of his study group and local Ring-1-Wielders. The academy should only be used as a channel for obtaining rare incantations and spells.

Regardless, the outlander had well and truly stepped through the door of mystery and transcendence in this bizarre steam-powered era.

Summing up his current situation, the outlander realized that what he lacked most was neither time nor experience, but gold pounds. This realization strengthened his resolve to run this detective agency, as it was the best way to make money currently within his reach.

"Earn gold pounds through commissions, then acquire knowledge from St. Byrance. Obtain the four elemental runes, advance step by step, and even if I can never return, I must witness this enigmatic and magnificent world."

Having his own house freed Lugh from the depression he had felt over the past few days.

As for copying books from his past world or profiting in the steam era using the knowledge of the past, those plans would have to wait until he had firmly established himself here and gained greater power.

He had spent the entire day teasing the cat and reading. Having mastered his first incantation, Lugh felt extremely happy, even without earning a single penny today.

Night fell in due course. Seeing the grandfather clock indicate eleven o'clock, Lugh first locked Mia, the nocturnal ginger cat, inside the bedroom, then rearranged the coffee table and sofa to clear some space.

He moved the four chairs from around the dining table into the living room, strictly calibrating their directions with a compass, and finally placed a full basin of water right in the center of the four chairs.

He changed into the only formal suit in his wardrobe, closed the curtains, and adjusted the living room gas lamp to a warm, faintly illuminating yellow glow.

Only then did he sit on the northernmost chair, holding a box of matches in one hand and the elective course list scroll in the other. Staring fixedly as the clock's hand finally approached the twelve o'clock mark, he swiftly struck a match against the chair's armrest.

Because he applied too much force, the match snapped in half. Startled for a moment, Lugh immediately drew another one from the matchbox resting on his knee.

Matches in this era were hardly safety matches, and the side of the matchbox lacked any rough striking surface. Drawing a match and igniting it against the floor, the sole of a shoe, or a wall was the usual practice.

The second match finally ignited successfully. Looking up at the clock, Lugh immediately burned the scroll upon hearing the first chime of midnight. The parchment scroll caught fire almost instantly; seeing the flames appear, he immediately tossed the scroll into the basin of water before him.

Although he had prepared himself in advance, Lugh was still somewhat startled when the submerged scroll dissolved into pinpoints of blue light scattering within the water basin:

"What is this?"

As the thought crossed his mind, the woman's voice in his mind spoke with surprise:

[Not an incantation or a spell, but an ancient occult power. This is a ritual of sorts.]

"A ritual?"

Before he could wait for further explanation, the entire basin of water began to radiate light. A breeze stirred inside the closed-room, and amidst the wind, three beams of light shot out from the water basin toward the east, west, and south respectively.

Thus, three translucent blue human figures gradually shifted from blurry to clear, appearing on the chairs Lugh had prepared. Lugh even noticed glowing characters swimming within their transparent bodies, but merely interpreting a single one made his head ache violently. Remembering the lesson of the [Box of Darkness], he refrained from maintaining such intense curiosity.

The arrival of the three figures instantly plunged the room into a biting chill.

Seated directly opposite Lugh in the south was an elderly man wearing round-rimmed glasses. He was dressed in a formal black suit, even taller than Lugh himself, with a pocket watch chain extending from his breast pocket and fastened to a button on his chest:

"Vice Principal of St. Byrance Comprehensive Academy, Director of the Student Affairs Office, and Professor of the Library Management Academy, Haims Sanchez."

Professor Sanchez introduced himself in impeccably standard Delarion, nodding slightly toward Lugh.

This name matched the signature left on the message; the person who had arranged to meet Lugh through this method was none other than him.

Sitting on the eastern chair was a middle-aged man in his forties with a lean figure yet a resolute expression. He wore a matching black suit and white shirt, with the emblem of St. Byrance Comprehensive Academy—a book bound in chains—engraved on his cuff buttons.

His ears appeared somewhat pointed, differing from those of ordinary people:

"Vice Principal of History, Professor Hosenberg Garcia."

His Delarion was clearly not as standard as Professor Sanchez's. In the current world, Southern Carsonicker and Northern Delarion were the prevailing languages; perhaps Professor Garcia was originally a southerner.

Finally, the person seated on the western chair was a pretty woman in her thirties with curly hair. She wore a monocle over her right eye, donned the standard blue uniform of a female clerk, and held a clipboard and pen in her hand.

She nodded amicably at Lugh, speaking less solemnly than the two professors:

"I am Lux Jones from the Academy Secretariat. According to regulations, when academy professors communicate with correspondence Ring-Wielders outside of teaching contexts, a secretary from the Secretariat must record the conversation and archive it. This protects both you and the secrets of St. Byrance."

"I understand. Professor Sanchez, Professor Garcia, Miss Jones, good evening... Would you care for some hot tea? The black tea I have here is quite good."

After a brief moment of surprise, Lugh politely addressed the three translucent figures. In his mind, he wondered if this kind of ritual operated on a principle similar to a projector. Meanwhile, the chilling atmosphere suggested that the ritual's original purpose might not have been holding remote meetings.