As Su Wen and Elda ventured deeper inside,
he could see that the atmosphere here was indeed quite pleasant.
The enormous academy was surrounded by orderly forests, where towering ancient trees stood silently like guardians.
A vast plaza connected the clusters of buildings.
Students could occasionally be seen hurrying along the stone paths, their faces alight with discussions of knowledge.
Fountain gardens dotted the grounds, their clear jets of water refracting rainbow-colored light beneath the sun and lending a touch of life and vitality to this ancient land.
Its style was more understated than the main campus in the City of Breezes,
and more solemn as well.
Of course, even more eye-catching were the many students wearing hard-hat-like magic hats as they busily repaired every corner of the academy's old buildings. Their figures appeared especially focused and determined beneath the hazy light.
Even Elda could only shake her head helplessly at this slightly modern punk-like scene.
She explained to Su Wen:
"As you can see,
Saint Mourning Academy suffered severe damage in the recent Border War, so many of our students have been sent out to help with reconstruction.
That means there are not only fewer people in the academy now,
but the funding is also desperately tight. All we can do is give them extra credit points and let the students handle some repairs themselves."
A rare hint of sympathy and admiration flashed through Su Wen's eyes.
"I always thought Gatekeepers Academy was the richest academy within Lorenz Riel."
Hearing his answer,
Elda could not help rolling her eyes. Then, the young female dean asked in return:
"Do you know anyone at Saint Mourning? You can't just come here whenever you feel like it."
"No, Miss Triss Hughie Fal had already written my invitation."
His smile was brimming with