Qiansitelin strode over to Muxuan, a hint of helplessness on her face.
She raised a hand to rub her temple, her golden hair swaying gently with the movement.
“Your Highness, class wasn’t too much of a problem, it’s just those little ones…”
Qiansitelin sighed, her tone laced with a mix of amusement and frustration.
“They’re especially… clingy.”
“Clingy?”
Muxuan was a bit surprised, her emerald eyes blinking.
She could hardly imagine Qiansitelin using that word.
“Yes.”
Qiansitelin nodded, her expression growing more resigned.
“Especially obsessed with my golden hair. It’s almost… excessive.”
She unconsciously twirled a strand of hair hanging over her chest, then continued:
“I mean, golden hair isn’t unheard of in the Elven Forest, right? But those little ones, several of them crowded around, staring straight at me. I recall during the break between classes, there were always one or two elf students pretending to ask about rune problems or casually getting closer, their eyes glued to my hair, little hands twitching, secretly trying to reach out and touch! I had to stay alert the whole time, subtly avoiding those ‘wandering hands’!”
Muxuan listened, first freezing for a moment, her eyes reflecting Qiansitelin’s helpless expression.
Then she caught on, the corners of her mouth curling up, letting out a light, knowing laugh.
“Pfft—”
Muxuan covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
“So that’s it. I thought you’d run into some tricky Rule problem.”
She had been expecting something strange, but it turned out to be this.
Wasn’t she in the same boat?
Even though the Silver Moon Elves still existed in the Elven Forest, her silver hair still attracted so much attention.
And golden hair, which was even rarer in the Elven Forest, must be even more eye-catching.
“I’m in a similar situation, you know.”
Muxuan smiled, then asked:
“Besides that, no other issues?”
Qiansitelin shook her head, indicating no.
Her thoughts were similar to Muxuan’s.
“As long as we follow the academy rules that Skorlin mentioned, there’s no need to worry about safety. As long as we obey the rules, the anomalies won’t occur.”
After chatting with Qiansitelin for a while longer, her tense nerves relaxed a bit.
Muxuan looked around at the quiet academy surroundings, a hint of contemplation flickering in her emerald eyes.
“At least during class, as long as we follow the basic ‘Rules’ and play the role of a Mentor, it’s safe for now.”
“However, we can’t just finish our classes and go back without doing anything, and we definitely can’t stay in the academy forever. That way we won’t find anything or verify anything.”
She paused, touched her Identity Badge, and continued:
“Skorlin didn’t assign us too many classes, probably to give us a time window for investigation.”
“Although our Mentor identity is temporary, it’s real. We can apply to leave the academy grounds anytime.”
Qiansitelin immediately understood Muxuan’s meaning, her gaze sharpening.
“Your Highness wants to go out and investigate now?”
“Yeah.”
Muxuan nodded, her eyes fixed on the side gate marked on the Map.
“Let’s first check the academy’s periphery and carefully feel the atmosphere of the entire Elven Forest. Maybe we’ll find clues about other Rule Horrors, or… traces of Dean Laigelasi’s existence.”
Both the Rules and Skorlin had said that Dean Laigelasi was dead, and the Great Elder’s meaning in giving the Rules was likely to find Laigelasi’s whereabouts.
At least one thing was certain: Dean Laigelasi was definitely not in Saint Delosia Academy.
Just as they were about to set off, Muxuan’s steps suddenly halted, as if remembering something important.
Then she turned to look at Qiansitelin, her brow slightly furrowed.
“By the way, Qiansitelin, did you… see Ailiya in the academy today?”
“Ailiya?”
Qiansitelin carefully recalled the students in her class and the hurried figures she passed on the way, then shook her head definitively.
“No, Your Highness. She wasn’t in my class, and I didn’t run into her on the way. Maybe she doesn’t have class during that time, or she’s active in another area?”
Muxuan’s expression turned serious.
Ailiya was the first Elf they had met after entering the Elven Forest and was key to their smooth entry into Biercuiluoda.
Regardless, she was still concerned about the other’s situation.
“Haven’t seen her…”
Muxuan unconsciously rubbed the edge of her Identity Badge with her fingers.
After thinking it over, she looked at Qiansitelin.
“Qiansitelin, let’s go look for her, okay? At least confirm Ailiya’s current situation.”
But Qiansitelin hesitated.
“According to Skorlin, quite a few Mentors in Saint Delosia Academy are from outside… That’s why Skorlin wasn’t surprised by me and Your Highness.”
“Then… if we’ve completed our own classes, would it be… risky to barge into other teaching areas to find someone?”
Her hesitation was clear on her face.
Muxuan looked at her and asked:
“What’s wrong?”
“Your Highness, Mentor Skorlin emphasized that it’s important to ‘appear in the designated place on time.’ We’ve completed our classes, so our identity is fine.”
“But if we recklessly enter areas where other Mentors are teaching, or break into the student dormitories… wouldn’t that count as ‘overstepping boundaries’? Could it trigger some constraint we don’t yet know about?”
Hearing Qiansitelin’s explanation, Muxuan’s brow also furrowed.
Mainly because Qiansitelin’s concerns were valid.
Skorlin repeatedly stressed “playing the role” and “following the academy rules.”
In this place twisted by Rules, any action not explicitly permitted could hide risks.
The Mentor identity gave them the convenience to move around the academy, but they weren’t sure where the boundaries of that convenience lay.
Moreover, it was very possible that Skorlin hadn’t fully disclosed all the Rules that needed to be followed in Saint Delosia Academy.
Either he had ulterior motives, or there were too many Rules to cover, so he could only pick the most important and brief parts.
Or, the most likely scenario—Skorlin himself didn’t know all the Rules.
But regardless, most of the arrangements after entering the academy were coordinated by Skorlin, and Ailiya’s whereabouts were probably best known to him.
After thinking for a moment, Muxuan took out her Identity Badge.
Instead of searching herself, it would be simpler to ask Skorlin directly.
Not only was it quick and easy, but it was also safe and efficient.
Muxuan pinched the cool metal Identity Badge between her fingers, concentrated, and tried to inject a trace of mental energy into it, attempting to establish contact.
“Mentor Skorlin?”
Muxuan’s voice transmitted clearly through the mental energy, carrying a questioning tone.
“This is Muxuan. May I ask if you know the situation of the new student Ailiya? Which class is she in, or under which Mentor’s name? We’d like to confirm her status.”
A brief silence.
The Identity Badge showed no response, neither Skorlin’s gentle voice nor any sign of a successful connection.
Muxuan frowned and asked again:
“Mentor Skorlin? Can you hear me? About Ailiya—”
Before Muxuan could finish, the Identity Badge seemed to abruptly connect to a wrong, distorted source.
“Zzzzz—”
An extremely sharp, piercing electrical static noise burst out without warning.
“Ah—!”
Taken by surprise, Muxuan’s eardrums ached from the sudden noise.
She cried out in pain and almost threw the Identity Badge away.
She quickly covered her ears, but the terrifying static seemed to penetrate her palm and pour directly into her mind.
“Zzzzz—krr… krkr… Lee… Te… Sss… Zz… Zz…”
Underneath the pure radio static, there seemed to be some extremely faint, twisted, and fragmented eerie syllables mixed in.