The Woman Writer and Tuition Fees

You touched "Whisper."

Just one glance at the exquisite snuff bottle had drawn Shade in completely.

Shade had seen even more exquisite objects in his own world, yet at that moment, he felt an overwhelming need to possess it. Fortunately, the woman's voice pulled his thoughts back onto a normal track, while Doctor Schneider merely smiled at Shade's lapse in composure:

"Even Poet Level Relics can affect ordinary people. That is why the Church and the Academy do everything possible to contain and control Relics. But you really recovered quickly. Once I open it, you will fall into a dream. The dream will last seven minutes and twenty-three seconds. In it, you will learn about the Academy's past and present, which should help you believe what I have told you."

"Such an exact duration?"

Shade asked. Then, under the doctor's guidance, he leaned slightly against the back of the sofa and assumed a posture suitable for a short nap.

"Nearly every Ring Arcanist who joins Saint Byron's correspondence program uses this Relic to verify the information they have received. It has been used countless times and has never gone wrong."

The doctor smiled.

That phrase, "never gone wrong," made Shade somewhat uneasy instead. But he did not voice the feeling in his heart and simply signaled for the doctor to begin.

"Very well, please prepare—"

The doctor rose, covering his mouth and nose with a wet towel to keep himself from falling asleep as well. At the same time, he took a step back.

"Begin."

The lid was lifted, and multicolored smoke shot out. Shade immediately lost consciousness.

Shade had a dream. In it, his soul left his body and rose high into the distant sky, looking down upon the prosperous Steam City within gray mist, watching steam factories spew thick smoke in the distance.

Then he flew north, crossing cities, mountains, grasslands, and forests. At last, he saw snow-covered peaks, and beyond the tallest of them, the Great Ice Cap of the Far North.

Perhaps it lasted only an instant. Perhaps it was several hours, or even days. The sky over the Far North darkened. In that night, beneath the multicolored aurora and beyond the shining Glacier Mountains, a massive Building Complex appeared.

It was a strange dream unlike any he had ever had. After waking, Shade only remembered walking through the enormous Academy, strolling through ancient castles, standing atop spires and gazing at the stars. He passed through tiered classrooms lined with seats, searched basements for herbal formulas, and consulted lists of contained Relics in the library.

Mysterious, ancient, profound, secretive—this was Saint Byrens Comprehensive College, and also a gathering place for those who pursued mysteries. It had stood beyond the Glacier of the Far North since the distant past.

When he opened his eyes, his vision was still somewhat blurry. The doctor gradually came into focus on the sofa opposite him. He was hurriedly putting the lid back on the snuff bottle and returning the Poet Level Relic to its box.

"So, now you know the Academy truly exists?"

Only after putting away the snuff bottle did the doctor smile and ask Shade. Shade sighed wistfully, surprisingly nostalgic for that strange dream.

"It truly exists. Everything you said was true, Doctor."

Even if it had only been a dream, that special dream was enough for Shade to make the right judgment.

"The only side effect of this Poet Level Relic is that it is mildly addictive."

Doctor Schneider's voice was gentle, carrying a strange power, as though he wished to use it to pull Shade completely back from the world of dreams.

"Forget that dream, Shade Hamilton. But someday, as a Ring Arcanist, you will ride a Steam Locomotive with us to the city in the Far North, cross the ice cap beneath the aurora on foot, huddle together through long nights amid blizzards, help one another climb the tallest glacier, and then enter that place—Saint Byrens Comprehensive College, the Academy of Ring Arcanists. My dream is to obtain a lifelong teaching position at Saint Byron's after Promotion to Tenth Ring. Shade, if you like it there, then join us."

That dream, both real and illusory, took Shade some time to recover from. When the doctor formally asked for his opinion again, Shade nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes. I wish to join the Academy and become a correspondence Ring Arcanist."

A heartfelt smile appeared on Doctor Schneider's face.

"Then congratulations, Shade. Please allow me to call you that. You are about to become the fifth Ring Arcanist in our group. Please wait a moment—Miss Dorothy Louisa came by Just Now. She will join me in presiding over your enrollment ceremony. I can introduce the two of you, and let her know that I am not always so unlucky. The enrollment ceremony requires at least two members of the group to be present, to prevent newly enrolled Ring Arcanists from being deceived."

Even though the doctor had already been very enthusiastic when he visited 6 Saint Derain Square that morning, his enthusiasm somehow increased even further now.

"Oh, Louisa is a fourth-year correspondence Fourth Ring Arcanist. She is a novelist by profession. I know you have only just 'awakened' from Blind Foolishness and probably have not read her works, but she is fairly well-known. Her short stories, Snail's Dream and Midsummer Night's Wish, won the kingdom's literary prize three years ago. She was even received by His Majesty the King along with the other thirty-five winners."

"You really did not need to mention the total number of winners that year."

The door was pushed open, and the blonde lady Shade had seen earlier stood outside. She was still dressed the same way, but she looked somewhat annoyed.

"Doctor, must you include every irrelevant detail whenever you introduce your friends to someone?"

The atmosphere in the doctor's four-person correspondence Ring Arcanist group seemed quite good. At least, everyone was friends, and Shade was pleased by that. But he also suspected that this blonde writer had been listening outside the door all along.

Of course, it is impossible for everyone to be completely on guard.

He thought silently, preparing to stand and Say Hello.

The doctor avoided answering the blonde young lady's accusation and smiled as he gestured for Miss Louisa to sit.

"Detective Hamilton has accepted my invitation. Our group finally has five Ring Arcanists."

"Doctor, you really did not use some strange Relic that overdrafts luck, did you?"

She asked suspiciously, but still walked in and extended her hand to Shade.

"Dorothy Louisa, novelist, and journalist on the side."

Miss Louisa seemed very capable and efficient, so Shade rose and lightly shook her hand as well.

"Shade Hamilton. I suppose I am a Detective."

"That is quite a good profession."

As they spoke, the two sat down again. The doctor coughed, signaling that he had something to say.

"Shade, please allow me to call you that. There is one final matter I need to discuss with you before your formal enrollment: Tuition Fees."

Shade froze. The cruel reality once again drove the joy from his heart. He blinked.

"Yes. Tuition fees."

He realized that, when the doctor had introduced the Church and the Academy, he had not mentioned the Academy's major drawback. After all, the Orthodox Church certainly would not charge money to accept new members.

"The school charges fees according to grade level. Please wait a moment."

Doctor Schneider took a document from the bookshelf behind his desk. The blonde young lady said nothing, merely watching the two of them with great interest.

"This is the fee schedule. Since we are correspondence students and do not communicate with the Academy directly, the Academy created these documents to prevent group leaders from charging arbitrary fees. I have heard that such things were very common several centuries ago."