Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

"Ah yes, my master is Sigrún Eldurdóttir."

Imitating the woman, Erik approached and responded in a soft voice, but his words almost made the receptionist jump in surprise. Although she looked at him as if he were a celebrity or something of the sort for a moment, there was still a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"I apologize to the disciple for the lack of respect. I hope you can forgive me, but could you please show me your identification?" The receptionist bowed respectfully before speaking to Erik in a professional tone. Erik responded with a smile.

"That’s no problem at all; don’t worry."

After replying, Erik was about to materialize the rune his master had left him when she accepted him as a disciple, but he quickly remembered the student card, which led him to think that she might be referring to that. So, with a thought, the card appeared in his hand, and he showed it to the woman in front of him.

A big smile blossomed on the receptionist's face as soon as she saw Erik’s beautiful crystal card. After all, crystal cards were exclusive to the direct disciples of the honorable masters of the faction and were incredibly difficult to counterfeit, with hundreds of different verification systems.

Firstly, to make a functional crystal card, it required an artificer of at least arcane level—people of high status, reputation, and income who wouldn’t stoop to producing counterfeits, much less to deceive the order. That wouldn’t just be humiliating; it could even be considered a suicidal act.

Not to mention that merely possessing a fake crystal card was considered a capital crime, and in the arcane order, no one was foolish enough to anger the court, let alone pose as a direct disciple. The real benefits they received from the order and the university weren’t too enticing compared to those of a good student.

"I apologize for my earlier discourtesy towards the direct disciple. I hope you can forgive my mistakes and allow me to serve you in whatever you need," the receptionist said in a tone full of respect and apology as she bowed deeply.

"You don’t need to do that. Instead, could you please tell me a bit about how the university works? I don’t know anything." Erik commented with a smile and a respectful tone, which surprised the receptionist a bit.

"Of course, please follow me."

The receptionist bowed once more with respect before guiding Erik down a hallway, while the other receptionists watched the scene with envy written all over their faces. After all, having the chance to attend to a direct disciple was quite rare and, if handled well, could be incredibly profitable.

Not long after, the receptionist opened a door, and they entered an elegant room with a large chandelier on the ceiling and a panoramic window that allowed a view of the bustling street outside. In the center of the room were a beautiful coffee table and several very beautiful leather armchairs.

With evident familiarity, the receptionist touched a button on the wall, and the window dimmed slightly to a pale white shade. She then courteously indicated to Erik to sit, while she placed a beautiful porcelain teapot on the table in an elegant manner, almost as if it were a practiced ritual.

"It’s a pleasure to serve you, direct disciple. What would you like to know about the university?" After serving the tea, the receptionist sat down in front of Erik and asked in a respectful tone, to which Erik casually responded as he picked up the cup in front of him.

"Just Erik is fine, and honestly, whatever you can explain, I only know that the university is called the Arcane University, but not much more."

Erik's words caused the receptionist's smile to widen, and she then responded in an evidently cheerful and pleased tone, though without losing her elegance and respect.

"Then I’ll start from the beginning, Direct Disciple Erik. As you must know, the Arcane University is the most important educational center in the galaxy, where people from all over the galaxy and all kinds of backgrounds gather. The university only admits students every 10 years through a difficult exam, and only the best can enter. The last admission was 2 years ago, although, of course, the direct disciples of the honorable Masters of the faction are an exception to this."

"I see... I understand. How do the classes work?"

Erik asked after tasting his tea, noticing that it was quite inferior to the one Seraphina usually served him, but since it was still decent, he continued drinking it slowly, not giving too much importance to the flavor.

"The classes are all optional; anyone can take any class and graduate whenever they deem it appropriate. However, classes cost points—the more advanced the knowledge covered, the more points they cost. These points can be earned by completing various tasks or missions for the university.

They can also be obtained by achieving excellent performance in the classes, as the professors in charge have the authority to distribute a certain amount among their students. It’s also important to note that classes have a maximum quorum, so it's essential to register early. There are no exceptions to this, so you need to sign up early.

You should also remember that reselling your class entry is strictly prohibited. If you do so, you could face expulsion. Additionally, registration for a class must be done in person here at the tower, and depending on how advanced the class is, the higher the floor you need to go to. Lastly, all students must be registered for at least one class at all times, unless they are on a mission off-planet, or they will lose their student status and be expelled."

The receptionist spoke in a slow and eloquent tone, to which Erik nodded in satisfaction before asking with interest.

"Where can I find the list of classes and prices?"

"You can view it at any time on your student card. You just need to put mana into it and say, 'Reveal my academic path.' It also works if you just think it, though it’s better to say it out loud the first time."

Erik quickly followed the instructions, and before him appeared a vivid, colorful hologram displaying all the classes and their respective prices. Along with a brief explanation of each class, the name, and title of the professor in charge, and the floor where he needed to go to register.

After browsing the list a bit, Erik put his card away and continued speaking.

"I see, this is very interesting."

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Direct Disciple Erik?"

"Yes, what exactly is a direct disciple? I’ve heard it mentioned a couple of times."

"Certainly, Direct Disciple Erik. Those who hold the title of Master within the faction are known as the pillars of the faction, and their disciples are considered direct disciples of the faction’s orthodoxy, hence the title."

"I see. One last thing—how do I get to the 15th floor?"

"If it’s to register for a class, allow me to accompany you, Direct Disciple Erik."

"Thank you, then."

The beautiful receptionist guided Erik with a smile to a stunning glass elevator, which quickly took them up to the 15th floor, where they found a reception area filled with students. They were assisted by several workers dressed in uniforms similar to the receptionist’s.

After inspecting the area a bit, Erik noticed there was a kind of turnstile on a wall and many students sitting in a large waiting room full of holographic screens. This quickly gave him an idea of how the place worked. So Erik tried to take a number, but the receptionist stopped him.

"You don’t need to wait, Direct Disciple Erik. Please follow me to the VIP area."

"Really? Awesome, let’s go."

The receptionist led Erik to a very elegant waiting area filled with comfortable sofas, chairs, meeting tables, and all kinds of food. There were also numerous people wearing uniforms similar to those worn by the workers in Eleonora and Sigrún’s mansions. In the back, there were a few reception areas, though these had a more refined and luxurious style than the previous ones.

(This looks a lot like airport VIP lounges...)

In the beautiful room, Erik saw a few students chatting with each other while waiting, but the receptionist led him to a slightly secluded area that seemed very special. It was deserted, and there was a woman behind a very elegant desk, a couple of levels above the previous ones, who smiled as soon as she saw them.

"Good afternoon, Direct Disciple. If you’d like, you can sit down and tell me what you need."

The woman at the desk stood up from her chair, greeted only Erik, and bowed courteously before respectfully pointing to a chair. At the same time, the receptionist who had guided him bowed slightly to the woman and then left the area.

"Good afternoon. I would like to enroll in the class on the theory of magical unification by the Grand Aconte."

Erik sat down in the chair and told the woman about the class he wanted to join. She immediately pulled out a crystal tablet, about 20 inches (ca. 51 cm) in size, which also had several runes engraved on it. After murmuring a few words, the tablet activated, and a beautiful and very detailed hologram appeared on it, displaying a pictogram in the shape of a student card next to all the class information.

"Please place your student card here, Direct Disciple."

The woman pointed to the pictogram with a big smile, so Erik followed the instructions. He took his crystal card from his storage ring and brought it close to the pictogram, somewhat curious. As soon as his card aligned with the pictogram, it began to levitate, remaining in place.

As Erik watched with some curiosity as the card stayed suspended in the air, a hologram appeared above it, showing the class information, along with the cost and options to accept or decline.

The class seemed to be about theories left long ago by a great wizard with the title of legend, revolving around the unification of humanity's magical systems into one. This immediately caught Erik’s attention, and he wanted to enroll right away.

After touching the accept option, the holograms disappeared, and the woman spoke in a courteous tone.

"You may now retrieve your card, Direct Disciple."

"Thank you very much." Curious, Erik took the card that was floating in the air, which, after he touched it, fell effortlessly into his hand, while the hologram vanished.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" After Erik put away his card, the woman asked with a polite smile and a professional tone, to which the young man with starry hair nodded.

"Just a couple more questions."

"No problem at all; go ahead," the receptionist replied courteously, so Erik quickly asked, full of curiosity.

"Alright, then. Why are there different VIP waiting rooms?"

"They are for the use of the disciples of those who belong to the faction—one for those who are disciples of mana users of the Sage and Arcane realms, and this one is exclusively for the use of direct disciples like yourself."

"You knew I was a direct disciple because I came here?" Erik asked, realizing why he received several strange looks when he approached this place, as well as the reason for the excessively respectful tone of the woman in front of him.

"Exactly, and also because the crystal card is only for direct disciples."

"I see... What other types of cards are there?"