Aurelion — Golden Palace Hotel
The following morning, Noah woke up earlier than usual.
He had spent part of the previous night examining the three items purchased at the auction.
The Ancient Spatial Compass contained a damaged directional mechanism. Its needle reacted to certain spatial energies, but its original destination data was incomplete.
The First Architects Technology Fragment was more interesting. Its engraved symbols matched the writing recovered from the Greywatch facility.
As for the Ancient Dragonheart Fragment, Noah had placed it inside a special storage compartment in his Primordial Spatial Ring.
He didn't want its residual energy interacting with other materials.
"Those three items should keep me busy later."
He closed the storage interface and opened the system.
[SUPREME DRAGON SYSTEM]
Name: Noah
Race: Primordial Origin Dragon
Level: 1
Evolution Points: 92,500
System Gold Coins: 1,702,000
Personal Dimension: 20,000 km²
Noah stretched.
"Today, the academy."
He changed into his black enchanted travel coat, adjusted his sleeves, and left the hotel.
The Royal Mage Academy
The Royal Mage Academy was located in the northeastern section of Aurelion.
It occupied an enormous campus surrounded by a protective magical barrier.
Several tall towers rose above the buildings. Each tower specialized in a different field of magical study.
The academy was divided into multiple institutions:
- Elemental Magic Department.
- Advanced Spellcraft Department.
- Magical Engineering Department.
- Potion and Alchemy Department.
- Magical Beast Research Department.
- Ancient Language and Archaeology Department.
- Space and Dimensional Research Department.
The academy also possessed a large library, research laboratories, training grounds, and an enormous underground testing facility.
Noah arrived at the main entrance.
Two stone statues of legendary human archmages stood on either side of the gate.
A sign displayed the academy's name.
ROYAL MAGE ACADEMY
Founded: 1,260 Years Ago.
Current Headmaster: Grand Archmage Lucian Everhart.
A guard approached Noah.
"Welcome. May I ask your purpose for visiting?"
"I'd like to explore the academy and learn about its magical research."
"Are you a student or an invited researcher?"
"Neither. I'm a visitor."
The guard nodded.
"Visitors can enter the public exhibition hall after purchasing a visitor pass. Certain research facilities require additional authorization."
Noah paid 5 Gold Coins.
[Visitor Pass Purchased]
Royal Mage Academy — Visitor Access ×1.
Validity: One Day.
The guard opened the gate.
"Enjoy your visit."
Noah entered.
The Elemental Exhibition Hall
The first building was dedicated to elemental magic.
Inside, several magical displays demonstrated different elemental techniques.
One room contained controlled fire formations, another demonstrated water manipulation, while the central chamber displayed complex combinations of wind, earth, lightning, ice, light, and darkness.
Noah walked between the displays.
A young instructor was explaining the fundamentals to a group of visitors.
"Elemental affinity determines how naturally a mage can manipulate a particular element. Most people possess one primary affinity. Some possess two, while extremely rare individuals possess three."
A visitor raised his hand.
"Has anyone ever possessed all ten common elements?"
The instructor smiled.
"According to historical records, several legendary figures possessed multiple affinities. However, a verified individual with all ten common elements has never been documented by the academy."
Noah quietly listened.
The instructor continued.
"Beyond the ten common elements, there are rare affinities such as space, time, gravity, life, death, and soul. These are exceptionally difficult to awaken and even harder to master."
Noah examined the elemental displays.
He possessed every common element, along with several extraordinary affinities.
But he wasn't interested in showing everything.
He walked towards a demonstration platform.
An academy assistant was allowing visitors to test their elemental compatibility.
A crystal stood on a pedestal.
"Would you like to test your affinity?" the assistant asked.
"Sure."
The assistant placed his hand on the crystal.
"Simply touch its surface. It will reveal your primary elemental compatibility."
Noah touched it.
The crystal illuminated.
First, golden light appeared.
Then blue, red, green, brown, white, black, and several other colors emerged.
The crystal began vibrating.
The assistant blinked.
"That's..."
The colors continued appearing.
A small warning symbol emerged on the display.
[ELEMENTAL COMPATIBILITY TEST]
Detected Affinities:
Fire — Compatible.
Water — Compatible.
Earth — Compatible.
Wind — Compatible.
Lightning — Compatible.
Ice — Compatible.
Light — Compatible.
Darkness — Compatible.
Nature — Compatible.
Metal — Compatible.
Result: Multiple Elemental Affinities Detected.
System Classification: Beyond Standard Testing Capacity.
The assistant stared at the crystal.
"Ten elements?"
Several nearby visitors turned towards them.
The instructor approached.
"Let me see that."
He examined the display.
"That's an extraordinary result."
Noah shrugged.
The instructor looked at him.
"Extremely. Most advanced mages spend their entire lives mastering one element. Even two or three affinities are considered exceptional."
He paused.
"Have you received formal magical training?"
"Not really."
The instructor looked even more surprised.
"Then you have considerable natural talent."
Noah smiled.
"I suppose."
He didn't mention the rest of his abilities.
The instructor introduced himself as Professor Adrian Voss.
"Would you be interested in joining one of our research programs? The academy welcomes talented individuals."
"Thank you, but I'm only visiting."
"That's unfortunate. Still, you're welcome to explore the public facilities."
Noah nodded and continued.
The Spellcraft Department
The next building contained hundreds of magical diagrams and spell formations.
There were training chambers, spell libraries, and research rooms.
Noah examined several modern elemental spells.
Some were quite impressive.
A lightning-based compression technique could increase the destructive power of a spell while reducing its mana consumption.
A defensive earth formation could create multiple layers of protection.
There was even a complex wind technique designed for long-distance movement.
Noah compared them with his own abilities.
His elemental control was still relatively basic in certain areas, but his natural energy reserves were extraordinary.
The academy's spells could improve his practical understanding.
He entered the public spell library.
A librarian greeted him.
"Welcome. Are you searching for a particular subject?"
"Advanced elemental magic and spell construction."
"Those materials are available in the eastern section. Some advanced manuscripts require a research permit."
Noah browsed the shelves.
He purchased several books.
[Books Purchased]
- Advanced Elemental Spell Construction ×1 — 18 Gold Coins.
- Principles of Mana Compression ×1 — 12 Gold Coins.
- Defensive Magic Formations ×1 — 15 Gold Coins.
- Practical Spatial Magic ×1 — 25 Gold Coins.
- Introduction to Magical Engineering ×1 — 10 Gold Coins.
Total: 80 Gold Coins.
He stored them in his spatial ring.
The Magical Engineering Department
Noah's next destination was the engineering building.
Unlike the spellcraft department, this place was filled with mechanical devices, magical engines, and experimental equipment.
Several researchers were working on enchanted machines.
A large machine in the central hall continuously produced a small amount of mana.
Noah examined it.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
Object: Standard Mana Generator.
Classification: Advanced Magical Engineering.
Output: 120 Mana Units per Hour.
Efficiency: 63%.
Condition: Operational.
Noah compared it with the ancient mana generator inside the First Architects facility.
The difference was enormous.
The ancient generator possessed significantly better efficiency and energy conversion.
Even in its damaged state, it could outperform several modern devices.
"Modern engineering has developed quite a bit," Noah thought, "but the First Architects were on another level."
A researcher noticed him examining the machine.
"Interested in magical engineering?"
"Yes. How much energy can this generator produce?"
The researcher looked pleased.
"This model is one of our newer designs. It can produce approximately 120 mana units per hour under stable conditions."
"What's its maximum efficiency?"
"With the current materials, around seventy percent. We are still experimenting with improved conversion crystals."
Noah nodded.
He didn't reveal that he had an ancient generator with much more advanced technology.
Instead, he continued examining the machines.
One of the devices caught his attention.
A small spherical construct floated above a platform.
It was a magical communication relay.
The academy used similar devices to transmit messages between distant towers.
Noah considered its design.
With the First Architects' spatial technology, he might eventually develop a far more advanced communication network inside his Personal Dimension.
The Space and Dimensional Research Tower
This was the building Noah had been waiting to visit.
The tower was heavily protected.
Several magical barriers surrounded its exterior, and two high-ranking mages guarded the entrance.
A sign displayed the department's name.
SPACE AND DIMENSIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Access: Restricted.
Visitors: Authorization Required.
Noah approached the reception desk.
A young researcher looked up.
"Good afternoon. How may I help you?"
"I'd like to learn about your spatial research."
"Do you have a research permit?"
"No."
"I'm afraid the research laboratories are restricted to academy personnel and authorized scholars."
Noah nodded.
"Is there a public exhibition?"
"Yes. The dimensional exhibition room is open to visitors."
She pointed towards a nearby corridor.
"Take the second passage on your left."
Noah thanked her.
The exhibition room contained several spatial artifacts.
One display demonstrated a small storage ring.
Another showed a short-distance teleportation formation.
There was also a model of a dimensional gate.
Noah examined each one.
The storage rings were primitive compared to his own Primordial Spatial Ring.
The teleportation formation had a limited range and required enormous amounts of mana.
The dimensional gate was still experimental.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
Object: Experimental Dimensional Gate.
Classification: Advanced Magical Engineering.
Condition: Prototype.
Maximum Stable Range: 2.5 Kilometers.
Energy Requirement: Extremely High.
System Archive Comparison:
Noah smiled.
"At least they're trying."
He moved towards another display.
A researcher was explaining the principles of spatial magic to several students.
"Spatial magic is one of the rarest branches of magic. Even talented mages struggle to perceive spatial structures. Most can only use simple storage spells or short-distance displacement."
A student asked, "What about long-distance teleportation?"
"That requires extraordinary control, a stable destination coordinate, and an enormous energy supply. Only a handful of people in the kingdom can perform it reliably."
Noah listened.
His Advanced Spatial Movement was considerably more versatile.
He could cross distances without depending on a prepared formation.
However, he still needed practice to improve his precision and efficiency.
A Meeting With the Headmaster
As Noah was leaving the exhibition room, a middle-aged man approached him.
He wore dark blue robes decorated with silver magical symbols.
His hair was white, and his eyes carried a sharp, intelligent expression.
"Excuse me. Are you the visitor who demonstrated ten elemental affinities earlier?"
Noah turned.
"Yes."
The man smiled.
"My name is Lucian Everhart. I'm the headmaster of this academy."
Noah looked at him.
"Nice to meet you."
Lucian studied his horns for a moment.
"Your appearance suggests a dragon lineage. May I ask whether you're truly a dragon?"
"I am."
Lucian nodded slowly.
"Remarkable. Dragons are extraordinarily rare in this age. Our academy possesses historical records, but we have not had the opportunity to study a living dragon in centuries."
Noah remained relaxed.
"I'm not particularly interested in being studied."
Lucian laughed.
"Fair enough. I won't ask you to participate in anything against your wishes."
He paused.
"Still, I would like to ask something about your elemental affinities. Are you able to control all ten elements?"
"To a certain extent."
"Would you be willing to demonstrate a small spell?"
Noah considered it.
A small demonstration wouldn't hurt.
"Sure."
Lucian led him into a private training chamber.
The room was protected by several defensive formations.
"Nothing destructive, please. The chamber is designed for controlled demonstrations."
Noah nodded.
He raised his right hand.
A small sphere of fire appeared above his palm.
Then water formed around it without extinguishing the flame.
A ring of wind began rotating around both.
Earth, lightning, ice, light, darkness, nature, and metal joined the formation.
Ten distinct elemental energies rotated around one another.
The formation remained perfectly stable.
Lucian's eyes widened.
He examined the sphere carefully.
The elemental energies weren't fighting each other.
They were cooperating.
"Extraordinary..."
Noah closed his hand.
The sphere disappeared.
Lucian remained silent for several seconds.
"I've studied elemental magic for over seventy years. I've never seen ten elements controlled simultaneously with such stability."
Noah shrugged.
"I still have a lot to learn."
Lucian smiled.
"That may be true, but your foundation is exceptional."
He then offered Noah a small crystal card.
ROYAL MAGE ACADEMY
Special Guest Researcher.
Access: Public Library and Selected Research Exhibitions.
Validity: One Year.
"This is an invitation to visit our public facilities whenever you wish. It also allows you to request access to certain research records."
Noah accepted the card.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I hope we'll meet again."
[System Notification]
New Institution Registered: Royal Mage Academy.
New Knowledge Acquired:
- Modern Elemental Magic.
- Advanced Spellcraft Principles.
- Magical Engineering Fundamentals.
- Spatial Research Theory.
New Location Record: Royal Mage Academy.
[Achievement Unlocked]
All-Element Demonstration.
Reward:
- Evolution Points ×2,000.
- System Gold Coins ×25,000.
[Updated Resources]
Evolution Points: 94,500.
System Gold Coins: 1,727,000.
Noah stored the academy card and left the training chamber.
Evening — Aurelion
The sun was beginning to set when Noah exited the academy.
He had learned quite a bit.
Modern magic was more developed than he had initially expected. Human mages had created impressive techniques and magical machines despite their comparatively limited natural lifespans.
However, the ancient dragon techniques and First Architects technology he had discovered were still on a different level.
Noah walked through the streets, thinking about his next destination.
He had already visited the Merchant District, the Adventurers Association, the Royal Auction House, and the Mage Academy.
There was still the Noble District and the Royal District.
He also wanted to visit the Grand Library.
And perhaps he could find more information about the Ancient Dragon Sanctuary.
Noah looked towards the enormous palace in the distance.
"Tomorrow, let's explore the Noble District."
He continued walking towards the hotel.
Inside his spatial ring, the Ancient Dragonheart Fragment pulsed faintly.
For a brief moment, a tiny golden symbol appeared on its surface.
Then it disappeared.
Noah didn't notice.
Far beyond Aurelion, somewhere beneath the ancient Northern Mountains, an old formation responded to a faint disturbance.
A single golden line illuminated an enormous stone surface.
Then everything returned to silence.
End of Chapter 17