Already in the car heading toward the Tower of Mages, Reyn suddenly remembered that someone was missing. That day, four of them had fought shoulder to shoulder. Kenji had also been one of the main fighters; he had held the warehouse and the gates of the Abyss for a long time. Without him, Reyn wouldn't have managed alone, and at least half of the demons would have broken free, sowing death and destruction in the city.
Felion smirked:
"Lord Kenji sent a man this morning to say that he voluntarily refuses the reward."
"He refused?" Pollock couldn't comprehend it.
Reyn guessed the reason. Trevichi was a member of the Mechanics Guild and, moreover, had used its resources to obtain materials needed to create the runic circle. The Mechanics Guild had overlooked Trevichi's suspicious activities for several months and undoubtedly bore some responsibility for it. By participating in the extermination of the demons, Kenji had atoned for it to some extent. Besides, he was already a baron, and the golden shields and equipment didn't interest him. It was wiser to refuse the reward, thereby showing goodwill to the Silver Star Duchess and sparing the Mechanics Guild from possible persecution.
The car moved toward the Tower of Mages. Its massive structure grew larger and larger, and soon the vehicle passed through the gates, entering the territory of the Silver Star Academy. The three academies of Longsand were built around the Tower of Mages, located at varying distances from it, but only the Silver Star Academy was considered the tower's true child—its foundation was directly on academy grounds. To enter the Tower of Mages, one had to pass through the Silver Star Academy without fail.
Reyn was in the academy for the first time. Looking out the car window, he couldn't help but admit that the setting was magnificent: vast, well-kept lawns, shady groves, quiet, secluded paths. Buildings with a distinctive architectural style were picturesquely scattered across the grounds, creating the impression of a carefully planned park. Students occasionally appeared on the paths, seemingly paying no attention to the passing car. Among them were both ordinary people and mages who had already become superhumans. Each face bore a confident smile. It reminded Reyn of the famous universities from his previous life—the atmosphere was very similar.
In addition to the beauty of the surroundings, Reyn noticed something unusual: traces of magic were everywhere. Self-moving broomsticks sweeping fallen leaves under the trees, mechanical guards stationed every few dozen meters, rows of crystalline street lamps, machines mowing the lawns, and even the air temperature throughout the academy, different from outside—all sustained by the power of magic. Autumn had already arrived, but the flowers and trees here remained evergreen. Not to mention those strange buildings emitting an energetic glow that made one uneasy.
It felt to Reyn like he'd entered a fairy-tale world. Compared to the city, the academy's inner grounds looked years ahead—even the decor style was different. He'd seen a fair bit in life, but Pollock had long been staring at everything with his mouth agape. For someone visiting the academy for the first time, it was too much of a shock.
The car passed through the academy, venturing deeper into its territory, and finally stopped not far from the tower's base.
"Under the Tower of Mages is a forbidden zone," Felion explained. "No cars or other vehicles are allowed to approach. We'll have to go on foot."
Getting out of the car, Reyn and his companions looked up. The white giant tower pierced the clouds. It had a quadrangular shape, and standing at its base, a person felt insignificantly small. Looking up from below created an illusion that the tower was leaning and about to fall, making one's heart heavy. The magical energy emanating from the tower enveloped everything around like spiritual pressure, causing a tremor.
Pollock let out an exclamation of admiration. He'd seen the Tower of Mages from afar countless times before, but only now at its base did he truly feel how much taller it was than he'd imagined. Majestic and grandiose, it was a true architectural wonder. Frida stared, entranced as well. Reyn took it more calmly—the tower reminded him of skyscrapers from his previous life. By his estimate, the Tower of Mages was about three hundred meters tall. In his home country, that wouldn't even make the top ten. Yet erecting such a tall structure in Ellunes was impressive in itself.
He looked at the tower's base. Around it was a cleared expansive plaza paved with thick stone slabs, resembling a huge round square that could be seen straight through.
"This must be deliberate," Reyn thought. "They removed all obstacles so no one could sneak into the tower unnoticed."
Felion led the three toward the tower. As soon as they stepped onto the plaza, Reyn felt several hidden energy flows scan his body. He didn't understand their purpose; they flashed and vanished.
Crossing the plaza, they entered the tower. Its lower level had large doors on several sides leading to an inner hall. The hall was nearly ten meters high, exuding spaciousness and grandeur. Massive stone columns divided it into sections, each with elevators. Mages entered them from time to time and ascended. Reyn noted with curiosity that these elevators were clearly not mechanical but powered by magic. They resembled round stone slabs just a few centimeters thick, covered in runes, floating in the air without touching any mechanisms. They had no railings and rose and descended in elevator-like shafts at tremendous speed but very smoothly.
"These are magical elevators..."
Reyn also noticed a huge magic circle in the hall's center, but no one approached it. All mages entering or leaving the tower deliberately avoided it. Passing mages gave Reyn and his companions surprised looks. Some recognized Felion and greeted him respectfully.
Felion knew the tower well. He led the three to one of the elevators. Before he could do anything, the runic circle underfoot glowed faintly, and the elevator immediately began its vertical ascent. The speed kept increasing; floors flashed by, and soon they reached their destination.
Felion stepped out and quietly explained:
"This is the twenty-fifth floor of the tower. From this floor to the thirtieth are Her Grace the Duchess's alchemical laboratories. The enchanted equipment you'll be choosing is on this floor."
A wide corridor stretched before them. It was very long, disappearing into the distance. Doors led to various rooms on both sides. Passing one, Reyn peeked inside and saw that each room was an alchemical laboratory. Many people resembling alchemists and their apprentices worked there, creating various magical items.
"They call it an alchemical laboratory, but it's really the Silver Star Duchess's alchemical factory."
Reyn got the gist. This was a production site for enchanted equipment. Tower mages could study alchemy here, and the Silver Star Duchess got valuable items to sell profitably.
Reyn discreetly observed the alchemists' states, their mental balance. They all seemed quite content; none looked abused. Listening with the Voice of All Things, he heard many alchemists explaining the subtleties of their craft while working and chatting with apprentices.
"This management system is a lot like university research labs. Wonder what their pay is like?"
Reyn had heard that conditions and benefits in the Tower of Mages were excellent, and countless people strove to get in without sparing effort. He didn't know if it was true, but from what he'd seen, it wasn't so bad.
They reached the corridor's end and entered a huge alchemical laboratory. It was at least three times larger than any they'd seen outside. Everywhere, over ten alchemists worked at their benches, gazes focused; none turned to the newcomers. Each was a full-fledged mage, apparently no older than their early twenties. Outside the tower, any would be considered a superhuman with a brilliant future. Reyn, glancing at them, marveled at their skill. These were likely the tower's elite mages.
"Chief," a voice said.
The speaker was a male mage who looked very young, in his early thirties. He wore a moon-white magical robe, had an attractive appearance, carried himself politely, and his eyes gleamed with intelligence. His gray hair, however, didn't match his apparent age; he was probably fifty or sixty.
"Kriffis, we're here."
Felion headed to the mage with a smile; they were clearly well acquainted. He turned and introduced him:
"This is Master Kriffis, pupil of Her Grace the Duchess. He manages the alchemical laboratories for the duchess. The enchanted equipment you'll choose was made either by him or his apprentices."
Reyn and his companions hurriedly greeted him. Both his status as master alchemist and being the duchess's pupil carried immense weight. In Longsand, he was one of the most influential figures.
Felion suddenly turned to Reyn:
"Reyn, you should ask Master Kriffis more about it sometime."
Kriffis also smiled at Reyn, eyeing him from head to toe. Reyn was puzzled. He'd never seen this man before; what connection could there be? He wasn't planning to study alchemy yet; what to ask about? Yet both Felion and Kriffis seemed to be playing riddles, not hurrying to explain.
He discreetly activated his Soul Eye and glanced at the master alchemist sidelong. To his surprise, he wasn't a legendary superhuman but a ninth-level mage. A ninth-level mage, one step from legendary, wielded immense power. But most importantly, Reyn saw a World Tree with nine branches laden with leaves in his soul!
It was painfully familiar, and the question slipped from Reyn's lips:
"Master Kriffis, are you a battle mage too?"
"Good eye; you saw through me," Kriffis said approvingly. "Young man, you're bold to choose the path of a battle mage. You've accomplished such a great feat. If you want to join the Tower of Mages, I can help you."
Hearing this, Pollock and Frida were filled with envy. Clearly, the master alchemist was considering taking Reyn as a pupil. Master Kriffis was the duchess's pupil. Joining the Tower of Mages under him, becoming his apprentice—that meant entering the duchess's inner circle. Many could only dream of such luck.
Reyn was also stunned and felt deep gratitude. Judging by his soul's color, the master alchemist regarded him with genuine kindness. Even before the soul transformation ritual, he'd heard from Viola that battle mages in all of Longsand could be counted on one hand. In these months, he'd never met any others. Unexpectedly, in the Tower of Mages, he'd encountered a colleague—and a master alchemist, pupil of the Silver Star Duchess, at that.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Master. In the future, I'll definitely seek your advice."
Reyn neither agreed nor refused. He didn't want to join the Tower of Mages yet; he even hesitated to enter the Silver Star Academy—at least until the Shadow Blade threat passed.
Kriffis was slightly surprised but didn't press. He changed the subject:
"Come with me; the enchanted equipment is prepared for you. Teacher ordered the best samples from the lab. Each of you can choose only one item. Their value varies; it depends on your own eye."
Next to this huge alchemical laboratory was a smaller room. Reyn and his companions followed Kriffis inside and were nearly blinded by the magical glow. Before them stood rows of shelves displaying various enchanted items: weapons and staves, armor and robes, rings and amulets—dozens of enchanted things, sorted by category, awaiting selection.
Pollock's and Frida's breaths caught for a moment.
"Every item here is a masterpiece," Kriffis said softly. "Though they don't reach artifact level, their value far exceeds ordinary enchanted gear. Choose for yourselves."
Reyn listened in continued amazement. This time, the Silver Star Duchess had shown unprecedented generosity! Until now, he'd had a rather negative impression of her from Viola's stories: selling positions and titles, exploiting descendants, monopolizing nearly all profitable sectors in Longsand—greed surpassing even dragons' legendary miserliness. And now—three baronial titles and this enchanted equipment to choose from.
Enchanted equipment was usually divided into two main classes. Ordinary items cost from a few hundred to a few thousand golden shields. The very best were artifacts costing tens of thousands of gold or more. Items worth over a thousand gold but short of artifacts were called masterpieces. The term was vague, based solely on price. For example, Reyn's battle hammer "Icebreaker" was in the masterpiece category: it fell short of artifact level but was far better than ordinary enchanted weapons. Masterpieces from the Tower of Mages were in huge demand on the market. The Silver Star Duchess had gifted three such items at once, worth no less than three thousand gold total, maybe more. It instantly changed her image in Reyn's eyes.
"So the duchess isn't such a miser after all," Reyn thought. "When she needs to, she knows how to be generous."
Pollock and Frida had already started browsing. One headed straight for the shelf with spirit guns; the other was drawn to jewelry, closely examining several elegant rings and amulets.
Reyn scanned the weapons. Most were longswords, short staves, and magical daggers, plus two or three spirit guns and bows. No battle hammers. Since other weapons didn't interest him yet, he turned to the rest. But Reyn was no expert in enchanted gear; he was a total novice. Circling the shelves, he couldn't pick anything. Noticing Kriffis talking with Felion aside, he approached and politely asked:
"Master, could you recommend something from this gear for me?"