Twenty Points

"The Academy probably thought the same way. After all, I've never heard of any correspondence Ring Arcanist who had just enrolled obtaining a Keeper of Secrets Level Relic right away."

Doctor Schneider agreed with Miss Louisa's view as well. When Destiny was involved, Ring Arcanists were naturally quite cautious.

Simply staring at the die, Shade felt a powerful urge to remove it from its setting. Fortunately, the die was still contained, and Shade could completely resist the temptation.

Still, he placed a finger on the die, wanting to feel its cold metallic texture.

Then, the whispering woman's voice suddenly sounded in his mind:

Though the Path of Fate branches beneath your feet, if there are useful tools, there is no harm in choosing the appropriate road. From 1 to 20, then from 20 to 1, you have seen your peculiar Destiny in the rolling die. Now is precisely the time to cast it.

"Are you sure you want me to roll the die now?"

Shade asked in surprise, and the whisper at his ear replied:

Outlander, ever since you set foot upon this Path of Fate, the choice has always been In Hand. But sometimes, reasonable attempts can allow you to understand your Destiny more fully. Through my sight, I have seen something interesting for you. Do you have the courage to challenge your Good Luck?

Shade considered it. He knew very well that his "Another Me" was unusual. Though he did not know whether this was an Outlander's trait or whether there was something wrong with her, every action the whispering voice had taken so far had been trustworthy. Although he was full of concern and suspicion toward this mysterious world overrun by the bizarre, Shade was willing to offer some trust from time to time.

Before Doctor Schneider and the others could object, he picked up the die and let it fall onto the Tea Table.

The sound of the metal die striking the wooden Tea Table startled everyone present. But the die quickly settled, with the number "20" facing upward. Shade did not feel particularly surprised; he merely heard the woman's pleasant laughter beside his ear.

Though you never believe it, I am you.

The four of them stared at the number on the die without speaking. After a long while, Doctor Schneider finally gave a serious reminder:

"This time, it was 20. This is your Relic, and we have no right to interfere. But I must remind you, Shade, people will not always be so fortunate. This impulse brought you the Gift of Fate, but next time is Not Certain."

"Every gift belonging to Destiny has long since had its price marked. This 20 will probably consume your luck for a long time. I have always believed in the Law of Conservation of Luck."

Miss Writer added, but Priest Augustus, As a clergyman, pointed out that Luck Conservation was an unfounded superstition.

Shade accepted their warnings, but he did not intend to explain his motives. The uniqueness of the woman's voice in his mind was his own Secret, an Outlander's trait. It was enough for him alone to know that. At least for now, he would not tell anyone else about it.

The "good thing" brought about by rolling a 20 could not yet be observed, but based on the die's characteristics, Shade would learn of it sooner or later. All he needed to do was wait.

Once everything regarding Shade's official admission to the Academy had been handled, Doctor Schneider opened the bottle of champagne to celebrate their group finally reaching five members.

Shade did not particularly enjoy drinking, but since it was a celebration, he did not refuse. While the doctor poured drinks for everyone, Shade curiously asked whether taking these books Home and accidentally losing them would count as leaking the Academy's Secret. The doctor told him not to worry:

"First-year textbooks and materials do not possess any particularly precious value. That is not to say this knowledge is not valuable; it is simply available through other channels as well. So even if you lose them, you only need to spend more Gold Pounds to buy another set from the Academy. Once you reach the second year, some books will be encrypted."

This reassured Shade considerably. The doctor, writer, and Priest all encouraged Shade to study hard as those who had been through it, and unanimously believed that his main task now was to inscribe his first Spirit Rune.

"The Ling Rune Theoretical Foundation (Part 1) course will recommend an inscription for your first rune based on a Ring Arcanist's talents. What did the Academy recommend for you? Light?"

"Yes."

Shade replied as he flipped through the book In Hand.

"Generally speaking, the Academy recommends inscribing a rune representing an element as the first Spirit Rune, because it is simpler. You already possess Silver Moon and have a rather good affinity with Light Stars. You even created the Light Spell on your own. But stars are too complicated for a first-year student, so naturally it is Light."

Doctor Schneider said with a smile, then stood and pulled a book from the pile before handing it to Shade:

"The Mad Light Chaser, a mad novel Written by an unknown author in the Fifth Epoch, gained Enlightenment because of Civilization. This is a translated copy. Reading it to attempt to inscribe Light is the most suitable method. Of course, very few people can directly obtain Light. So long as you obtain any Spirit Rune derived from it, you will have passed."

Before today's gathering, Doctor Schneider had already shared through letters with the rest of the group the information Shade had obtained regarding the Sage Level Relic God's Box and the Blood of Mercury organization. They had all agreed to pay Shade 1 pound each for this information.

Shade did not take the four pounds, including Luvia Annette's share since she was not in Tobesk City. Instead, he used the money to repay part of this month's 10-pound debt. He would have to wait a while longer for the remaining 6 pounds, after all, he still needed Gold Pounds to support himself and Little Mia.

It was said that orange cats had excellent appetites, so Shade needed to be prepared.

Doctor Schneider was extremely efficient. Before their meeting that morning ended, he informed Shade of another piece of good news:

"I found information through the real estate agency. The house at 6 Saint Derain Square, the entire three-story building and the land, were all the property of the original Detective Sparrow Hamilton. Did he leave behind a written will?"

"He did. I locked it in the cabinet."

Shade was dazed by the good news, scarcely able to believe that he had inherited an entire house. All the gloom he had experienced since arriving in the Steam Epoch seemed to dissipate because of this news. He had not even known how desperately he longed to have a Home of his own.

Priest Augustus remained composed, while Miss Louisa looked at Shade in astonishment:

"Mr. Hamilton, you will never lack Gold Pounds for the rest of your life."

"But."

Shade did not celebrate too soon. Instead, he Looked Towards Doctor Schneider, who indeed continued with that conjunction. His expression was conflicted, as though he did not know what tone to use:

"But do not be happy too soon. There is something wrong with that house. 6 Saint Derain Square was bought by Sparrow Hamilton for 300 pounds when he came to Tobesk City two years ago."

"How could it be so cheap? Even if it were a haunted house, it still would not be."

Miss Louisa asked with a frown. Three hundred pounds was a great deal of money, but this was Tobesk City, capital of the Dellaireon Kingdom, one of the Material World's two great human kingdoms: the Northern Pearl, the City of Fog, and the Old Continent's gathering point of Civilization. Those were all its titles.

And 6 Saint Derain Square was a Building Complex from whose windows one could directly see Yodel Palace. The soil there was worth more than gold.

Doctor Schneider had a clinic, the Priest lived in the church, and only the female writer was currently living alone in a rented apartment in the Tobesk University District, making her highly sensitive to housing prices. Even excluding the land, for an entire house in Saint Derain Square, let alone 300 pounds, there would be nowhere to buy one even for 20,000 pounds.