Chapter 163

Chapter 163: The Traveling Maiden

The black-haired, black-eyed maiden was none other than Lolan Hill. Due to the widespread publicity of her original name in Clancia, her title as a Sage had become too conspicuous, forcing her to use another name when entering Emanas.

She felt like she was playing a role-playing game, the maiden thought, then touched the crystal pendant hanging around her chest. This was something Tide had given her.

[Phantom Pendant] (Rare Coral Grade): It could subtly alter one’s appearance, creating an illusion so that even though it was the same face, people would think they were two different individuals unless they were above Sequence 8 or had been familiar with her before.

Combined with the [Chaos Ring] (Perfect Crystal Grade) that masked her presence, these two items made her look more “ordinary.” Although she remained a beautiful maiden, she still fit within the normal range of human perception, preventing any excessive surprise.

During her previous journey to the South, her appearance often drew crowds wherever she went, and only by wearing a hood could she avoid the attention. However, this wouldn’t work in a school setting, where such attire would draw even more attention. Hence, she asked Tide to make this pendant for her.

“Mm-hm, this is indeed good, little Lolan,” Tide had said at the time.

“Being slightly ordinary and living like a commoner makes it easier to perceive the truth of life. That way, one won’t have skewed perceptions. Even if you don’t tell me, I would suggest the same. When it comes to altering appearances, no witch is better at it than me.”

Lolan Hill could see that Tide had relied heavily on this ability to play tricks on others. She immediately pulled out a large number of accessories—pendants, earrings, skirts, shoes, blindfolds, glasses, etc.—for Lolan to choose from.

Having her ears pierced for earrings wasn’t something Lolan was accustomed to, so she picked a pendant instead. Tide modified it slightly to suit Lolan better, then placed a pair of glasses in her hands.

“Wearing glasses looks very cool. Believe me, little Lolan. Imagine this: everyone around you looks down on you, but you give a mysterious smile, the glasses reflect light, you draw your sword, and sweep through them, leaving your enemies wailing and falling. Then, you push up your glasses frame, and it becomes especially cool,” Tide encouraged, mimicking a sword swing.

Well, this senior knew how to have fun, Lolan thought, then reluctantly accepted the black-framed glasses.

“After arriving at the school, remember to act ordinary in the first year and not stand out too much,” Tide suggested with a smile just before she left.

“Why?” Although she intended to remain low-key, Lolan couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“Because only then can you impress everyone later on. Don’t you find it amusing to imagine their jaws dropping?” Tide began to reveal her true nature as a witch.

“Alright, I understand,” the silver-haired maiden nodded helplessly.

—

Clancia, Red Gravel City.

The bustling streets were filled with carriages and people, including many merchants and port workers. Due to the poor air quality, few tourists visited, except for the occasional ship that would dock to replenish supplies before quickly leaving.

In this smoky industrial city, a white airship stood out prominently halfway up the mountain.

Approaching the outer fence gate, Lolan Hill knocked on the nearby iron lock.

“Hello, is anyone here?” Her clear voice stood out amidst the noisy city.

“Please wait, I’ll be right there,” came a response from a small house nearby.

A moment later, a disheveled young man opened the door and approached.

“Are you planning to take the airship to the East?”

He glanced at the maiden in front of him, noting her long, smooth black hair draped over her shoulders, a white ruffled collar with a black silk bow in the middle, and a pale purple transparent gem in the center of the bow. Below the ruffled collar was a black shawl, and underneath the shawl was a black dress with a few white bows and pure white lace edges.

She seemed like a well-off young lady, but her gentle demeanor and long black hair gave her an air reminiscent of someone from the East.

A young lady from the East, this was quite rare, the staff member thought, then proceeded with the routine inquiry.

“Traveling by airship requires an official travel permit from Clancia. We do not allow passengers with unknown backgrounds.”

“I have one, please wait.” Lolan Hill opened a small bamboo box beside her, reached inside, and actually retrieved the travel permit from her ring’s storage space, then handed it to the staff member.

“Okay, her name is Lolan, 16 years old, from the border village of Tixilan in Clancia.”

A border village? It didn’t seem like it, but Tixilan had recently gained quite a bit of fame. Many cities had opened fantastical restaurants with mushroom-style buildings, attracting many wealthy patrons. This suggested that Tixilan must be quite prosperous, otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to raise such a refined maiden.

“Okay, no problem. Where are you headed?” The young man looked up and returned the permit to her.

“To Emanas,” Lolan replied.

“Emanas? Are you a new student?”

“Yes.”

“Then register, and you can get a fifty percent discount on the fare.”

“Oh, is there such an offer?” Lolan asked curiously.

“Yes, many of our chamber members come from Emanas, and even the prototype of this airship involved students from the academy. Therefore, there’s a rule that all Emanas students receive a fifty percent discount on fares.”

“Alright, thank you.” Lolan nodded and wrote her name and boarding time in neat, elegant script on the form beside her.

After registering and paying the fee, Lolan Hill straightened her coat and carried the small bamboo box toward the airship.

The staff member closed the door and led her forward, saying,

“You arrived just in time. Our airship is scheduled to depart as soon as it gets dark. Any later, and you might miss it.”

“Why leave at night? Wouldn’t daytime provide better visibility?”

“Daytime does offer better visibility, but once in the sky, as long as the direction is correct, there are no obstacles. So, visibility isn’t that important. Instead, during the day, there are more birds and demonic beasts, making it dangerous. Thus, traveling at night is safer.”

“I see.” Lolan followed the young man up the stairs to the airship, ready to enter.

“Hold on! Please wait!” A frantic voice called out from behind.

Turning around, they saw a short, black-haired maiden standing anxiously outside the fence gate, panting heavily with a pile of luggage beside her.

“I’m a new student at Emanas. Can you let me in? Please!”

Thank you to xFrostyFeetx and Wenjing for your generous support.