After much deliberation, Muxuan couldn’t figure anything out, so she finally turned her gaze to Qiansitelin.
Qiansitelin also found this very difficult…
She didn’t have any solution either.
Seeing Qiansitelin’s troubled expression, Muxuan understood there was no way out and let out a soft sigh.
But soon, Muxuan’s expression turned serious.
She quickly nudged Qiansitelin with her elbow, then pointed in a direction.
Qiansitelin reacted swiftly and immediately looked in the direction Muxuan was pointing.
That was… Nisangdo!
After breaking free from Lutherch back then, Muxuan had worried for a while.
She really hadn’t expected to encounter him here.
But now they were in the Elven Forest…
If they wanted to capture Nisangdo, it probably wouldn’t be easy.
“Stop him!”
After hesitating for a moment, Muxuan quickly gave Qiansitelin the order.
Nisangdo had come here for the Elven Forest, so he must know a lot.
At the very least, they should try to see if they could get some information out of him.
Qiansitelin’s movements were also very swift.
Even when Muxuan pointed in that direction, she had already prepared to dash out.
In the distance, a frigid gaze locked onto its target like a solid force in front of Nisangdo.
The moment Muxuan gave the order, Qiansitelin appeared before him, her guard and pressure undisguised.
Unexpectedly, the anticipated fierce resistance or panicked flight did not occur.
Nisangdo’s footsteps came to a halt.
He looked at Qiansitelin, who had suddenly appeared before him, without a trace of surprise or panic on his face, not even a tensing of his muscles.
His eyes were extremely calm, moving slightly as they swept over Qiansitelin and then fell upon Muxuan’s face, who had followed right behind.
Then, under Qiansitelin’s vigilant gaze, Nisangdo slowly bent at the waist and performed a bow.
Then, a clear and calm voice rang out, breaking the tense silence.
“Lady Silver Moon Knight, is there something you need?”
Lady Silver Moon Knight?
Qiansitelin and Muxuan were both startled for a moment, but quickly regained their composure.
They hadn’t misidentified him; this was indeed Nisangdo.
And just as they had predicted, Nisangdo had not been affected by the Elven Forest, or rather, he had a way to avoid its influence…
Although they still didn’t know what exactly the Elven Forest’s influence might be.
At the very least, Nisangdo still recognized Qiansitelin, and there were no signs of danger.
Meanwhile, in front of the massive closed mithril gate of Saint Delosia Academy, Ailiya was bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
She watched helplessly as the two “Ladies” who had been standing beside her transformed into two swift shadows that appeared in the distance.
Were the two ladies not planning to enter Saint Delosia Academy after all?
The gates of her dream academy, Saint Delosia, were right within reach, the sunlight spilling over the white bricks and flowing runes, radiating an aura of reason.
How many times had she dreamed of entering this place!
Ailiya’s gaze darted rapidly between the closed academy gates and the three figures facing off in the distance.
Then, gritting her teeth, she reluctantly left the entrance of Saint Delosia Academy and ran toward Muxuan.
“Have the two of you perhaps received some mission from His Holiness the Pope and encountered some trouble now?”
Nisangdo himself was a Grand Mage, with strength equivalent to the Moho level, so he wasn’t afraid of Qiansitelin.
Similarly, having spent some time in the Church, he had a general understanding of its current situation.
Added to that were the various omens from the Three Saints, so he wasn’t surprised that Qiansitelin—or rather, someone from the Church—would come to the Elven Forest.
The only thing that surprised him was that the Eastern Tower Sage, Lutherch, had appeared at the Church and was even helping it.
But that didn’t really matter to him, since his goal wasn’t the Church.
Muxuan looked into Nisangdo’s calm eyes, thought to herself for a moment, and then spoke.
“Is there a way into Saint Delosia Magic Academy?”
Since she didn’t know how to get in anyway, she might as well take a gamble.
What if Nisangdo knew a way and was willing to help?
Ailiya, who had just run over, stood behind Muxuan.
Upon hearing this, Nisangdo did not immediately answer.
Instead, he looked at Muxuan again and nodded lightly.
“Of course. But allow me to ask, does this young lady also need to enter?”
As he spoke, Nisangdo pointed at Ailiya behind Muxuan.
Muxuan turned to look at Ailiya, deep in thought.
Her own purpose for entering Saint Delosia Academy was not pure, and it was mainly for the Holy Tree.
But Ailiya seemed… to very much want to enter Saint Delosia Academy.
Ailiya, seeing Nisangdo point at her, was a bit confused, not understanding what he meant, but she quickly caught on.
These two ladies probably knew this gentleman and were trying to find a way into the academy.
Then, Ailiya swept away her earlier hesitation and reluctance, once again revealing an expression of anticipation.
Seeing Ailiya like this, Muxuan sighed again, then nodded at Nisangdo.
“Yes, she also needs to enter Saint Delosia Academy.”
“I understand. Please follow me.”
Nisangdo nodded calmly and said, then turned and walked toward an inconspicuous path beside the grand walls of Saint Delosia Academy.
Muxuan and Qiansitelin exchanged a glance, each seeing the vigilance and doubt in the other’s eyes.
Nisangdo’s appearance was too abrupt, and his attitude was too calm and cooperative—that in itself was unusual.
But entering the academy now was key to accessing the Elf Holy Tree; they had no other choice.
Qiansitelin subtly adjusted her position, almost completely shielding Muxuan behind her side, while one hand tightly gripped the 「Lyrasel」 at her side, her gaze locked on Nisangdo’s back.
Ailiya, on the other hand, was completely immersed in the immense joy of finally being able to enter the academy, trotting closely behind, her gaze at Nisangdo filled with gratitude.
As expected, truly a great figure from the Airedoria Empire!
Nisangdo led the three around the main gate of the academy to a wooden pavilion on the side wing, its style more inclined toward an elven natural form.
Two elven guards in light armor stood at the entrance of the pavilion, clearly of a higher rank than the guards at the city gate.
Nisangdo stepped forward and exchanged a few low words with the guards, speaking quickly, the content indistinct.
The guard’s gazes lingered for a moment on Muxuan’s conspicuous silver hair, then cautiously swept over Qiansitelin.
Finally, they nodded and stepped aside.
Soon, an elf attendant dressed in plain elegant elven robes with a calm expression walked out from the pavilion.
First, he bowed to Nisangdo, then made a “please” gesture to Muxuan and the others.
Muxuan looked hesitantly at Nisangdo, who nodded at her and then followed the attendant first.
After hesitating for a moment, Muxuan also chose to follow.
The attendant led the four through a somewhat dimly lit corridor into a spacious room with extremely simple furnishings.
In the center of the room was only an ancient, heavy wooden table.
The surrounding walls seemed to be woven from some kind of dark vines, emitting a faint fresh scent of vegetation.
The attendant then nodded to Nisangdo, silently withdrew from the room, and gently closed the heavy wooden door.
Click.
Though very soft, the faint sound of the door closing was still exceptionally clear in the silence.
And Qiansitelin’s arm gripping 「Lyrasel」 also tensed in that instant.
The pavilion itself didn’t have much light; with the door closed, the room instantly fell into darkness, with only extremely faint green fluorescence seeping through the gaps in the wall vines, barely outlining the shapes of objects.
Just as Muxuan and Qiansitelin’s vigilance reached its peak, Nisangdo’s voice sounded in the darkness, very calm.
“Just as mage towers test the aptitude of apprentices, Saint Delosia Academy also requires an examination of aptitude and strength.”
“This also determines what identity I can allow the two of you, honored guests who share the same origin of the Airedoria Empire, to enter the academy with.”
He deliberately emphasized the nine words “share the same origin of the Airedoria Empire,” as if stressing an unspoken understanding, while also carrying a hint of probing.
Nisangdo was well aware that Muxuan and Qiansitelin did not come from the Airedoria Empire, after all, he himself was not from the Airedoria Empire.
The Church ultimately still had some connection with the Three Saints; he needed to ensure that the Church’s purpose did not conflict with his own.
“As for this elven young lady,” Nisangdo’s gaze turned toward Ailiya, “although she does not need to undergo the aptitude examination, she can only enter the academy as a student.”
Status was primary, strength secondary.
Ailiya was an ordinary elf native to this place, and her strength didn’t meet the standard.
Nisangdo could only manage to let her enter Saint Delosia Academy as a student.
Nisangdo’s calm words were like thunder in her ears; that small face full of longing and anticipation was instantly filled with unbelievable joy.
“St…student?”
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s, trembling violently, as if afraid to wake from this too-beautiful dream.
“I…I really… can I? A student of… Saint Delosia?”
An overwhelming sense of happiness like a surging tide instantly flooded Ailiya.
She instinctively covered her mouth to keep from crying out in excitement, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes quickly reddened, filled with tears of joy.
Muxuan took in Ailiya’s reaction, and the sense of helplessness and subtle guilt in her heart deepened.
But now was not the time to dwell on that.
She was more concerned about the method Nisangdo mentioned for “examining strength and aptitude,” as this directly related to whether they could successfully infiltrate the academy’s core area and approach the Holy Tree.
Suppressing her doubts, Muxuan’s gaze fell back on Nisangdo.
“Examine strength and aptitude? What exactly needs to be done?”
Nisangdo did not immediately answer.
He simply raised his hand slightly and waved lightly at the ancient, heavy wooden table in the center of the room.
A soft, clear fluorescence lit up in the dim room.
Two strange flowers quietly appeared on the surface of the table.
“Mage towers use crystal balls to monitor aptitude; Saint Delosia Magic Academy relies on these flowers for testing.”
As he spoke, Nisangdo pointed at the two strange flowers on the table.
“Choose one, grip the lower end of the stem with your hand, and then infuse your own power into it.”