The Principal's Invitation

"Is this all there is to it, Miss He Wei Ni Ya?" Molly looked at the two books He Wei Ni Ya was holding. "Is it really just a matter of me borrowing a book for you?"

"Yeah." He Wei Ni Ya shrugged, then smiled and said, "I've always loved curling up in my room to read, preferably in my pajamas, lying in bed with snacks on my right and stacks of books on my left. That makes me really happy... Ah, sorry, isn't my hobby a little weird?"

"How... how could that be!" Molly's eyes lit up. "Your description is so vivid! I understand how you feel, isn't it... um..."

She couldn't explain it herself.

"The feeling of knowledge being within reach," He Wei Ni Ya added. "Especially the more books I have, the more I feel that way. It's really... wonderful."

As she spoke, she sighed again.

"It's a pity. Even with your Book Card, I can only borrow two books. I can't stack them up at all, which will greatly reduce the experience."

"How could that be?!" Molly waved her fist. "You can leave this to me."

"Hmm?" He Wei Ni Ya asked, "Could you help me borrow more books? But the library's rules..."

"Indeed, one person can only borrow one book," Molly said with a smile. "But I can borrow Book Card from other people; I have plenty of friends."

"Really?!" He Wei Ni Ya's eyes lit up with joy, but her expression quickly turned to worry. "But isn't this a bit much? After all, you borrowed it for me. What if I get the book dirty..."

"That's my problem too!" Molly patted her chest. "Don't worry, Miss He Wei Ni Ya, if there really is a problem, just blame it on me. It'll just be a minor punishment."

"That won't do!" He Wei Ni Ya raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"Well..."

"Don't worry, if you really borrow it for me, I'll keep it safe." He Wei Ni Ya held up three fingers. "I swear! I definitely won't put my good friend in a difficult position."

Upon hearing the words "good friend," Molly smiled even more broadly.

The library management of the One Academy is stricter than that of Three Academies. Each student can only borrow one book, and if there is a problem with the book, the student who registered it will be responsible.

However, while it's strict, it's not that strict, because one person can borrow multiple books if they have multiple Book Card.

"Don't worry, Miss He Wei Ni Ya!" Molly said, "I will borrow at least ten Book Cards for you first thing tomorrow morning, which will definitely fulfill your wish! Just leave it to me."

After saying that, she left happily and in a hurry.

Just to properly help He Wei Ni Ya, this "little" one.

After Molly left, He Wei Ni Ya didn't go back to her dormitory immediately. Instead, she went to the college's rental center and rented a new owl.

Then, she carried the books in one hand and the owl in the other back to her dormitory.

As she walked out of the teaching building and into a relatively quiet corridor, Bai Wei's voice echoed in her mind.

"At first I thought you were trying to gather some information or learn some new Movement Spell by reading these books, but now it seems that's not the case," Bai Wei said. "Are you trying to find a way to help that child recover?"

The "child" that Bai Wei was referring to was naturally Auger.

"You can tell that?"

"After all, we share the same field of vision; I can see all the books you're looking for," Bai Wei said with a smile. "And this owl—it's too obvious, isn't it? You're trying to bypass the Hai Luo Family and establish contact with him. What do you think? Am I right?"

He Wei Ni Ya did not answer, but this was tantamount to her acknowledgment of Bai Wei's statement.

"You're in a hurry, He Wei Ni Ya," Bai Wei said. "You already have enough on your plate, do you really need to spare any more energy to help him?"

"If you don't want to," He Wei Ni Ya replied, "I can stop."

"That's your freedom, why should I interfere?" Bai Wei said with a smile. "I just feel that you're in a hurry, in a hurry to get everything done, as if... you're already certain that you'll die at this Grand Ceremony."

"... I remember you said that I wouldn't live much longer."

"Compared to normal people, yes," Bai Wei said. "After all, you've used my power too many times, and this process is irreversible, as you know. But I didn't say you would die at this Grand Ceremony. As long as you do as I say, you can live for at least... more than ten years. After all, you'll already have seven musical notes in your body by then, so it's possible to prolong your life."

He Wei Ni Ya was silent for a moment, then said, "Mr. Visas, I still don't know what you want me to do. Do you also need me to play the Seven Sound Divine Song to obtain the wish of the Lord of Holy Sound?"

"Hehe, I don't think I've ever said that I wanted to obtain the Lord of Holy Sound's wish," Bai Wei said with a smile. "I just wanted you to play the Seven Sound Divine Song."

"... What's the difference?"

"Of course there is a difference. Hmm... Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever told you what I really want." Bai Wei said slowly. "Actually, I can tell you now. The Lord of Holy Sound took a part of my body and sealed it away using very powerful methods. The condition for breaking the seal is to play a certain Seven Sound Divine Song."

While Bai Wei was speaking, He Wei Ni Ya subconsciously held her breath.

This was because Bai Wei had finally revealed his true intentions to her, whereas she had originally thought that Bai Wei would keep it a secret until the very last moment.

After listening, He Wei Ni Ya fell into a brief state of thought.

Although she had known all along that Bai Wei had come for her body parts, until today she had always thought that Bai Wei needed to obtain the wish of the Lord of Holy Sound.

According to Bai Wei's description, this process does not seem to require the Lord of Holy Sound?

He Wei Ni Ya directly posed the question to Bai Wei, and then received Bai Wei's affirmation.

"That's true," Bai Wei said with a smile. "Breaking the seal doesn't require facing the Lord of Holy Sound directly; it only requires the opportunity of Grand Ceremony. To put it another way, it's like a thief sneaking into a host's room and picking the lock while the host is having a banquet. Although it's dangerous, it's at least safer than breaking and robbing someone directly."

"I see..." He Wei Ni Ya nodded slightly. "So, what happens after we get the item?"

"Then naturally we should leave here."

"... Leave here?" He Wei Ni Ya asked. "Do you mean leave the One Academy?"

"Of course not, are you pretending to be stupid? After stealing someone else's things... even though it's mine, isn't it a bit too far-fetched to think you can sneak it into your master's house?" Bai Wei shrugged He Wei Ni Ya's shoulder and said, "Of course, you should leave Holy Sound."

"Are we going to Lyra?"

"No... In your understanding, this world consists of nothing but Holy Sound and the Lyra?"

"Because I've only been to Lyra."

"I guessed so," Bai Wei said with a smile. "Isn't that perfect? We can go out and see the world. Don't you yearn for that kind of life?"

Should I yearn for it?

He Wei Ni Ya's statement might sound like she was just arguing for the sake of arguing, but the doubt in her tone was genuine.

"Shouldn't it be?" Bai Wei said. "You won't have to use someone else's face or identity anymore, and you won't have to live in constant fear... Ah, that's hard to say. After all, when that time really comes, Holy Sound probably won't let you go either. They'll most likely send people to hunt you down. But even if you're running around the world, it's better than hiding under their noses every day, right?"

After a moment's thought, He Wei Ni Ya asked, "Will we come back?"

"Oh? You actually want to come back?" Bai Wei raised an eyebrow at her again. "Do you still have any attachment to this place?"

"I don't know," He Wei Ni Ya said softly. "I just can't imagine the life you're describing."

"That's true," Bai Wei said. "Perhaps only when the warm wind, completely free of ice and snow, blows on your face will you truly understand what I'm talking about."

He Wei Ni Ya pursed her lips, as if she wanted to ask something more, but in the end she didn't ask anything and just nodded slightly.

Then she returned to her dormitory.

As soon as she entered the gate, she saw several girls crowding on the spiral staircase, playing musical notes with their staffs, but receiving no response from the stairs.

Is there something wrong with the staircase?

The idea had barely formed in her mind when a familiar female voice rang out behind her.

"Don't worry, the problem is with the Tuning Master on the fifth floor; your floor is unaffected."

He Wei Ni Ya turned her head and found that the speaker was Anita, whom she had met once before.

"Professor Anita," He Wei Ni Ya bowed immediately. "Good evening."

Anita waved her hand. "Don't call me teacher, I'm just a dormitory supervisor, um..."

She looked He Wei Ni Ya up and down, then smiled and said.

"It seems you're adapting quite well."

"Yes," He Wei Ni Ya nodded, "I've pretty much settled into life here."

Ever since learning about Anita's musical notes, He Wei Ni Ya had wanted to learn more about the dormitory manager, but she never had the chance.

In the past week, apart from the day she first arrived, He Wei Ni Ya had not seen her again, and Molly knew very little about her, which made He Wei Ni Ya feel as if she were shrouded in a veil of mystery.

We must seize this opportunity.

While thinking to herself, He Wei Ni Ya asked, "You just said that there was a problem with the Tuning Master on the fifth floor?"

"Yes, that's right." Anita nodded. "It's been going on for more than just a day or two. About a month ago, the speed at which his notes resonated started to slow down."

"Getting slower and slower?" He Wei Ni Ya, somewhat surprised. "Why is that?"

"Because he's going to die."

He Wei Ni Ya's surprise turned into astonishment.

"While there may be other explanations, this is the most fundamental reason," Anita said. "Remember the kite analogy I told you about before?"

"I remember, I remember."

"So you can think of it this way: the Tuning Master's string is about to break. His kite is flying further and further away, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to pull it back," Anita said. "That's why his resonance is getting slower and slower each time."

He Wei Ni Ya opened her mouth, and after a long pause, she stammered, "So we're just going to watch?"

"Of course not." Anita shook her head. "We are already looking for a new Fifth Tuning Master."

"...ah?"

Anita looked at He Wei Ni Ya: "I know what you're trying to say, but unfortunately, no one can wake him up except the Tuning Master himself. And if even he has lost control of his soul, then it's even more impossible. All we can do is start looking for the next Tuning Master."

"... Can we really find someone?" He Wei Ni Ya said. "I don't mean any offense, but I just want to know, the previous Tuning Master just died, and a new Tuning Master can take his place so soon?"

"Of course, fifteen people have already come to me to sign up."

He Wei Ni Ya was even more shocked.

Anita smiled at He Wei Ni Ya, "Are you surprised?"

He Wei Ni Ya answered honestly, "Indeed."

"I understand, after all, Miss He Wei Ni Ya, you haven't been here for very long."

Does it have anything to do with time?

"There is a connection," Anita said. "The longer you stay here, the more likely you are to feel that most sacred and pure beauty. It's like a moth flying into a flame, even knowing there is danger, it will still rush towards it without hesitation... There are always some things that transcend life and death."

"...Is that so?" He Wei Ni Ya nodded as if she understood, then asked, "Then, Miss Anita, have you also seen a fire like that?"

"Of course," Anita said with a smile. "I saw that fire when I was still a nobody in the Seed Zone, and it was that fire that guided me here. And in return, I am willing to give everything for that fire."

That fire... does it refer to the principal?

Just as He Wei Ni Ya was about to ask further questions, a tremor suddenly came from the staircase. She instinctively turned her head and saw that the Fifth Floor staircase was slowly extending towards the spiral staircase.

The notes still resonated.

"He's so late, it seems he really doesn't have much time left," Anita said softly. Then she turned to look at He Wei Ni Ya and said with a smile, "Miss He Wei Ni Ya, are you free tomorrow? Someone would like to have afternoon tea with you."

He Wei Ni Ya's attention was still on the stairs, so she casually asked, "Who is it?"

"Principal Ulysses."

The elderly man, nearing the end of his life, watched the setting sun, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he had fallen asleep.

Until he heard footsteps behind him.

"Headmaster, Miss He Wei Ni Ya has agreed," Anita said softly.

"... Really? That's wonderful."

Ulysses slowly closed his eyes.

"The Seven Sound Score".

"I can't wait any longer!"