Book 3: Chapter 106: Griffin Feather Key |
At night, the two of them hid under the covers playing a board game, chatting about recent amusing stories.
"Aurora comes over often, even though she's studying at Rorik College, many of her family members are here, so she frequently has to attend parties she can't refuse."
"The performance you gave at the Silver Bell Festival—she was the one who told me about it." Lovier, wearing a loose, light red pajama top, lay on her pillow with her legs sticking out from under the covers, kicking up and occasionally dropping back down.
"Ah, Hedra got me again." Seeing her own pieces being taken from the board, Lovier deflated and lay down.
Seeing her like this, the young girl smiled and said, "How about you take back one move and play again?"
"Forget it, losing isn't a big deal." She quickly perked up again and gathered the pieces.
"Hedra, you're improving so fast. You're already at the Third Tier." Her mind was no longer on the game as she looked at the girl in front of her, who was also wearing pajamas.
"My instructor said I should accumulate a bit more. Advancing next year would be the safest bet." She sat up, hugging her knees.
"Speaking of opera, I actually prefer singing. I'll probably become a Songstress in the future." She talked about her plans.
"That's a wonderful goal." Sylutia offered her heartfelt blessing.
"What about you, Hedra?" Lovier asked curiously. She felt that Hedra's goals and pursuits in life were far from as simple as her own.
"Well... I suppose I want to see the world properly. And if I have the strength to spare, make it a little more beautiful." Sylutia gently touched her chin as she recalled. She wasn't the type to go to extremes, so she had no obsession she absolutely had to fulfill.
"As expected, Hedra is just like a bird—she loves to fly higher and farther to see the world." Lovier said metaphorically.
"And what about you?" Sylutia poked Lovier's cheek, feeling that the kid had put on some weight recently and had grown a bit more.
"I'm like the big white goose in the yard. As long as I have my beautiful little pond, I'm happy."
"Is that so..." Sylutia seemed to sense something and nodded slightly.
"I'll remember to come see you."
"Huh?" Lovier was a bit surprised by this, but then she suddenly felt very happy.
"Mhm, Hedra is really sweet."
Over the next two days, Sylutia watched the opera that Lovier performed in at Vichia College. In the play, she portrayed a historically famous princess who, amidst the brutal struggle of her brothers vying for the throne, was the last one standing, becoming a lonely queen seated on the throne. She later married a general who saved the kingdom, ensuring the continuation of the nation, and her tumultuous life story was turned into poems and tales that spread far and wide.
After it ended, Lovier took her around the college's surroundings to play for a few more days, and only then did the two part ways with a hint of reluctance.
...
Back at Tetis College in the afternoon, Sylutia heard a knock on the door.
The young girl walked over and opened it, seeing her familiar senior, Damian.
"I was supposed to give this to you a few days ago, but you weren't home." He took out a small box and placed it on the table.
"This is the spatial item the Windfall Merchant Guild found for you." With that, he opened the box, revealing a special key stored inside.
[Griffin Feather Key] (Fourth Tier · Rare): A special spatial key made from the feathers of a celestial griffin. Can store items and briefly create a colored zone in the Shadow World to block corrosion. (Storage Space +1, Cleansing Sanctuary +1)
The main body of the key was copper-colored, with chaotic, square-cut teeth at the back end, while the front end featured a symmetrical platinum-gold feather. A ring was set in the middle of the feather, allowing a rope to be threaded through to hang it, or a finger to be passed through to hold it.
Sylutia tried sliding her index finger through the ring and gripping the key. A faint, clean aura emanated from her hand.
Then Damian began to explain how to use the key. "Imagine you're opening an invisible door. Insert the key into it, then pour in your power to activate the effects."
Sylutia followed his instructions and gave it a try. A small door materialized, its outline traced by white lines and radiating a faint halo. Then Sylutia was able to reach in to retrieve or store items.
"Its storage capacity is about one cubic meter—not huge, but convenient enough. Many items that are awkward to carry in hand, like your spellbook, weapons, armor, experimental instruments, potions, and so on, can all be stuffed inside." Damian explained.
"Compared to a regular one-cubic-meter chest, its storage space is formless, meaning that if you put a cup in there, it only takes up the space actually occupied by the cup's material."
"I see." Sylutia curiously examined the key and tried storing the vase from the table inside. The door outlined in pale white lines appeared, and the vase vanished instantly.
Then she took the vase out again, repeating the process a few times to get used to using the key.
Seeing that Sylutia had grasped how to use the key, Damian nodded slightly and prepared to leave.
"Since the key has been delivered, I should head back. Oh, I almost forgot—congratulations, Hedra, on successfully advancing." With that, he smiled.
"I've actually known about it for a few days. I was surprised, but also not surprised." He had heard and seen quite a few of this girl's deeds, so her advancing so quickly didn't strike him as odd.
"Thank you." Sylutia expressed her gratitude.
Now that she had a spatial storage item, Sylutia thought for a moment and began putting away all the odds and ends she had accumulated, including the 'Silver Purification Blade' she had recently crafted, the 'Star-Chasing Book' she had obtained, the notes and griffin badge given to her by Instructor Nox, a few pass badges from college professors, the recently brewed 'White Moon Potion', a small pouch of gems, some loose gold coins, her diary, study notes, the 'Memory Water' and 'Iridescent Violet Candy' she had won in the opening competition...
These were the main assets and gains she had acquired over the past year since coming to the Mage Alliance.
Over the next few days, Sylutia rested at home, occasionally taking out the student handbook that had been issued after her advancement and flipping through it to learn about the new things she could access.
Too bad the break was almost over; otherwise, she could have applied to go to the Shadow World to see what the garrison on the Mage Alliance's side looked like.
Lying in bed, Sylutia turned over again. Her dark blue dress stretched, revealing the soft curve of her waist. After a while, she sat up, thinking there was still something she needed to do.
When she went to Rorik College for the Silver Bell Festival last year, that professor had said she should come learn the 'Voice Hearing Technique' once she reached the Third Tier.
Might as well head over there and visit Aurora while she was at it. Otherwise, if she only went to see Lovier and not Aurora, the latter might think she was playing favorites.