Professional Classifications at Steam Epoch Institutions of Higher Learning

After arranging a time to meet later, Doctor Schneider handed Shade a document bag containing information about the college. Then he hurried out of the room, seeming to have something urgent to do.

After the doctor left, Shade did not open the document bag. Instead, he leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. Just as he had said, he could not make up his mind immediately. In his heart, he reviewed everything that had happened today and recalled every detail from his memories:

"In the worst-case scenario, this is all a scam. The doctor is actually one of the Cultists and wants to drag me off for a sacrifice. But that doesn't seem very likely."

Thinking this, he patted his head.

"What do you think?"

You can trust him.

"But can I trust you? For instance, can you tell me who you really are?"

I am you.

"You definitely aren't the Another Me inside a Ring Arcanist. I'm certain of that."

Shade looked gloomily at the ceiling pattern made up of colored blocks and geometric shapes, then looked toward the rather fine Crystal Chandelier. He wondered how much Mr. Bill Schneider earned, then realized it must be an enormous sum in gold pounds.

"No matter what, I still have too little information. Or rather, I have no channels for information at all, so I can only listen to what others say."

Shade himself believed the doctor could be trusted. None of the information he had received from this morning until now contradicted itself or failed to make logical sense.

Moreover, the doctor had a point. Encountering an organization willing to guide ordinary people into the supernatural and mysterious was no simple matter. Shade had already gained a preliminary understanding of this era. The supernatural and the uncanny remained hidden, while the fire of human civilization allowed the Steam Industry to flourish. Mystery and the supernatural were merely a small part of civilization's shadow.

From that perspective, Shade ought to be grateful to the doctor. He had revealed all that valuable knowledge without asking for a single coin.

Shade knew he was tempted by Saint Byrens Comprehensive College, and he would not deny it. The Three Great Arcane Academies and the five Orthodox Churches were the only legitimate paths for training Ring Arcanists. Those were the only options he would consider.

The colleges and churches each had their own advantages and disadvantages. The college had approached him first, and Shade also had doubts about his identity as a transmigrator. Compared with the more loosely managed Ring Arcanists, the Church was more likely to see through his identity, especially since the doctor had made it clear that gods truly existed.

He did not yet know the extent of the gods' power, but he could not rule out the possibility that they were "omniscient."

"I can accept Saint Byrens Comprehensive College, but I should first see what information that so-called relic can provide."

He made up his mind, knowing this choice might not necessarily be the best one. But Shade would not regret it. This was his own decision.

"Then let's take a look at this."

With that thought, he was about to open the document bag. But the room door suddenly opened. Since it had been opened without a knock, Shade assumed the doctor had returned early. Yet the person at the door was a young woman, and she was equally surprised to see Shade sitting there.

"Sorry, I thought Doctor Schneider—"

She looked to be around twenty years old, and she was the most beautiful girl Shade had seen since arriving in this world. She had long golden hair and green eyes, a genuine blonde-haired, green-eyed beauty. She seemed quiet and refined, like a student or teacher. She wore an ordinary dark-blue dress, with only a butterfly-shaped hair ornament as decoration.

"Sorry."

The blonde lady apologized at once after recovering from her surprise. She meant to close the door again, but suddenly paused. Her emerald eyes studied Shade with some confusion, making him feel a little embarrassed instead.

"This glow... are you a Gifted who is awakening?"

Only then did Shade understand how the doctor had spotted him at a glance outside the newspaper office yesterday. Ring Arcanists apparently saw the world differently from ordinary people.

"You really are a Gifted?"

Though surprised, the blonde lady remained calm enough. She examined Shade with those beautiful eyes, the corners of her lips curving upward.

"Bill actually found a Gifted? Since when has he been so lucky? Did he borrow luck in advance using some strange relic?"

"I—"

Shade wanted to say something, but she shook her head at him.

"Sorry. In our group, only the fifth-year Doctor has the qualifications to recruit students, so before you formally enroll, I cannot reveal any information to you. It is part of our contract with the college. We must follow the rules."

She stepped back and grasped the Door Handle, a faintly kind smile appearing on her face.

"But Saint Byrens Comprehensive College really does have excellent conditions. It is also fortunate that you happened to meet the doctor within seventy-two hours, so consider it carefully. Oh, and if you do join Saint Byrens, remember not to choose Chemistry College."

With that, she gave a slight nod in farewell and closed the door from outside.

"One of the four people in Doctor Bill Schneider's correspondence Ring Arcanist group. Did she really happen to run into me, or was that an act?"

Sometimes Shade felt that he was overly suspicious, but after coming to a completely unfamiliar world, he believed such caution would help him survive.

"Still, a school that teaches mysticism actually has a chemistry major?"

He untwisted the string around the document bag and found more detailed information about the college. The topmost sheet was the promotional page the doctor had taken out this morning. The real admissions documents were behind it.

As Shade flipped through the thick stack of materials, he finally understood. Saint Byrens Comprehensive College had ten specialized colleges under its authority, each with different methods of study and specialized knowledge—

Chemistry College specialized in herbs and potion-making;

Mechanical College excelled at mental abilities and trained alchemical skills;

Astronomy College was where diviners and stargazers were trained;

Ancient Literature College taught Spirit Rune interpretation and analysis, as well as the inheritance of Ancient Language;

Mathematics College taught rituals, spells, and arcane arts;

Folklore College studied history before the Sixth Epoch, collected Ancient Literature and modern literature, and specialized in Enlightenment Elements;

History College trained investigators and time-space retrospectives, specializing in Blasphemy Elements;

Library Management College trained Keepers of Secrets and custodians. Containing relics was the college's primary responsibility, and it was also Saint Byrens Comprehensive College's strongest specialization. It specialized in the Whisper Element;

Theology College taught theology, researched the history of old gods, specialized in Miracle Element, and usually handled cooperation with the Orthodox Church;

Political Economy College was not open to correspondence Ring Arcanists, so there was no information on it.

The reason Saint Byrens referred to its specialized colleges by ordinary academic names rather than simply calling them the "Containment Academy" or "Arcane Academy" was so that correspondence Ring Arcanists could reasonably discuss their studies in the ordinary world, reducing the possibility of exposing the college to ordinary people.

It was also through these materials that Shade realized the Ring Arcanist system explained by the doctor had omitted some important information.

For example, once a Ring Arcanist completely awakened, their soul's traits would produce a Spirit Rune belonging to that soul, also known as a "Core Rune."

The Core Rune was engraved in the hollow center of the Wheel of Fate rather than on the Destiny Ring. This was related to a Ring Arcanist's advancement. The content of the Core Rune was also the basis upon which the college recommended a specialized college.

For example, regarding Doctor Schneider, Shade guessed that his Core Rune was most likely related to "mind," which meant the doctor should belong to Mechanical College.

"So, before becoming a Ring Arcanist, I can't decide what I'll study. But it's actually possible to travel through time?"

He shook his head, once again sensing the culture and institutions of this Steam Epoch through these admissions documents.

He read through them carefully, committing the important information to memory. Then he returned the documents he had read to the bag, stood up, and prepared to place it on the office desk in the room.

This Reception Room was only used for important guests. A great many papers were scattered across the desk, which the doctor had probably not had time to put away. Nor was he afraid Shade might peek at them, because most concerned the clinic's operations, while a small portion was not even written in the Northern Kingdom Common Language.

Unfortunately, Shade somehow understood those strange words. He truly possessed the special ability to comprehend writing.