The exam week at Swallow Garden Academy had arrived.
In a massive circular building, half embedded in the mountainside and half exposed to the open air, students were deeply engrossed in their written exams. Through the transparent glass windows, one could overlook most of the canyon and the academy grounds, but no one had the leisure to admire the view at the moment.
Inside the classroom, the sound of pens scratching against paper filled the air. The polished stone floor, smooth as a mirror, was so pristine that even a single dropped pin would make a crisp sound.
Time passed second by second. After an hour and a half, the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam. The students put down their pens and waited for the automated system to collect and seal their answer sheets.
"Finally done!" Mel let out a relieved sigh as she stepped out of the classroom. She stomped her feet lightly, then scanned the crowd before finally spotting the gray-haired girl.
She wanted to raise her hand and call out to Hestia but hesitated. Instead, she quickly walked over to her.
"How did it go, Hestia?"
"It was okay. How about you?"
"Ugh… I think getting an A-grade evaluation will be tough." Her grades had always been good, but not quite at the top.
"That's still pretty great."
Hestia smiled as the two walked side by side through the circular staircase inside the building. There were no elevators here—only an expansive spiral staircase winding up through the structure. The grandeur of the architecture was evident, with enough space for thirty people to walk side by side. When the halls were empty, even footsteps would echo.
From the outside, the building appeared tall and imposing, yet it was only seven stories high. Each floor was supported by massive pillars, giving the impression of a structure meant for giants. Walking through it, one felt a sense of sacredness and vastness, an atmosphere of solemn history. The domed ceiling was adorned with murals depicting historical events from the First Epoch to the Fourth Epoch, radiating an aura of depth and antiquity.
It was said that the Seven-Tiered Tower was constructed in the early years of the Verdant Veil era when the Federation had been established for barely two centuries. Some elves at that time had even lived through the pre-Federation days. Ideological unity across the Federation had not yet been fully achieved, and many ancient factions scattered across different planets still clung to their memories of past ages.
During that period, large-scale architectural projects were often undertaken under the guise of "engraving history" and "recreating divine miracles." The darkness and destruction of the Fifth Epoch had left many survivors with an acute awareness of mortality, leading to a desperate desire to leave something behind while they still lived—whether it be theories, books, works of art, or even colossal paintings and buildings.
When faced with monumental architecture, intricate carvings, or vast murals, people often felt a sense of awe and insignificance. These grand works filled their entire field of vision, leaving no room for anything else. In that brief moment of immersion, they might even experience a fleeting sense of peace, as if they could die without regret.
Thanks to this sentiment and cultural trend, that era gave birth to many renowned architectural marvels, yet the Seven-Tiered Tower was merely a grain of sand in the grand tide of history.
However, that spirit and mindset had long faded. Now, people could only glimpse the remnants of that era’s ideals through these ancient buildings.
…
"Since the exams are over, Hestia, do you want to go to the Frozen Verdant Festival with me?" Mel asked.
The Frozen Verdant Festival was a celebration held alongside the Northern Ten Academies Tournament. In its early years, the tournament had no accompanying festival, but after a few events, both students and teachers felt that merely gathering students from the northern academies for competition was too monotonous. Thus, the Frozen Verdant Festival was introduced, where each academy set up its own booths and activities at the venue. Some sold goods, others organized social events and games—turning it into one of the liveliest seasons for students across the northern academies.
"I can go… but a friend already invited me…" Hestia hesitated. Irene had mentioned this to her earlier, and they had planned to attend the Frozen Verdant Festival together.
Before coming to school, they had promised to meet often, but various circumstances had kept them busy, and they hadn't been able to spend much time together. Irene wanted to take this opportunity to properly catch up.
"Ah, who's this? Hestia has other close friends too?" Mel's voice carried a hint of jealousy. She had been following Hestia around for so long, yet someone else had gotten ahead of her.
"She's my childhood friend. She also came to study in Northern 1st District."
"Oh, a childhood friend! No wonder. I also keep in touch with a lot of my old classmates—many of them went to the same middle school as me." Mel was instantly reassured. As long as it wasn’t a boy, it was fine. The thought of Hestia being taken away by some guy was too terrifying.
"Let's just all go together then. I'll introduce you two."
That seemed like the best solution, yet for some reason, Hestia couldn't shake off an odd feeling.
It was all normal socializing—so why did she feel strangely guilty and uneasy?
Whatever, she decided not to dwell on it for now.
…
Three days later, Northern 1st District, Returning Dragon Caverns.
Amid towering mountains and lush green forests, enormous stone caverns stretched across the landscape, resembling the traces left by a colossal dragon slithering through the terrain. Some of these caverns were nearly a hundred meters wide—large enough for aircraft to pass through. Train tracks ran along one side of the cavern walls, where electric trains occasionally stopped to let students disembark.
"This is the Frozen Verdant Festival venue. The booths and tents set up below are arranged by the various academy clubs," Mel explained.
A third-year senior, wearing a name tag, led the way ahead and introduced the venue to Hestia and the other first-year students.
"Every year, the Frozen Verdant Festival rotates among three locations, and this is one of them. It is also the venue hosted by the Returning Dragon Temple Academy."
"The Returning Dragon Temple Academy was originally an ancient temple nestled within these mountain caves. The temple specialized in the study of the Primordial Sequence and once produced a renowned master known as the 'Granite Fist.' He was quite famous in the region. Later, to adapt to the changing times, the temple also established a school within its grounds to attract students and pass on its teachings. However, their annual enrollment is quite limited—only about 100 students. This place still primarily operates as a temple."
"With its vast area and ample space, it was chosen as one of the venues for the league tournament. The temple fully supports this decision, as the tournament brings attention and boosts local tourism." The senior guided the students out of the station towards the viewing platform.
"We're here. From this vantage point, you can get a partial view of the venue," she said, pointing toward the neatly arranged and aesthetically pleasing "pavilions" below.
Calling them tents and booths would be an understatement. These "pavilions" were square and well-structured, supported by high-strength metal frames capable of accommodating thousands of people. The durable fabric stretched tightly over them, displaying various shapes and designs. Students from different academies bustled in and out, making the scene lively.
"Our Swallow Garden Academy’s pavilion is located in the eastern cave. Since the activities and items inside will probably be quite familiar to you, I recommend visiting other academies' pavilions instead—it'll be more interesting that way." The senior, with her shoulder-length, wine-red hair, smiled warmly. She then informed the students of the designated meeting time before allowing them to explore freely.
"Wow, this looks amazing!" Some students immediately leaned over the railing to take in the view below.
"This is my first time at the Frozen Verdant Festival. Before, I only heard about it from upperclassmen."
"You didn't study in Northern 1st District before, right? That makes sense. Actually, many students from Northern 1st District, even if they're not from one of the Ten Academies, still come to the Frozen Verdant Festival. The organizers encourage this. There are around forty to fifty pavilions here, all set up by different schools, even though most of them don’t participate in the Ten Academies Tournament." A few students chatted about the event.
"Hestia, where's your friend? Should we meet up first?" Mel, dressed in a well-fitted dark red winter dress with a crossed gray woolen scarf over her shoulders, held her favorite gray moon cat in her arms. Since the start of the school term, the gray moon cat had grown significantly. Its fur was mostly gray, with white patches on its paws and belly.
"I’ll check where she is now." Hestia nodded and took out her personal terminal to contact her friend. Meanwhile, a large spider in the shadows at her feet curiously observed its surroundings. It rarely went out, but if Hestia visited interesting places, it always followed.
"Hiss, hiss." The big spider suddenly shrank back in fear upon seeing a jade-feathered crane soaring across the cave ceiling, hiding behind Hestia.
Nature Sequence 5 - Jade-Feathered Crane: A magical creature that inhabits forests and mountains, it feeds on venomous insects, snakes, and frogs. Its beak and feathers are as sharp as blades, and it has extremely high poison resistance. Its down feathers, when ground into powder, are excellent anti-toxin ingredients.
"You actually get scared too?" Hestia bent down, stroked the large spider, and picked it up.
Seeing the blue-black spider suddenly reveal itself from invisibility, Mel’s face turned pale. She jumped back in fright, nearly dropping the gray moon cat from her hands. Only after watching Hestia calmly soothe the spider did she exhale in relief, realizing it wasn’t wild but something Hestia had tamed.
"Phew… Hestia, how do you even have such a terrifying companion? I had no idea!" She patted her chest but still hesitated to approach.
"I kind of adopted it by accident. Originally, I wasn’t its owner, but while working at a shop, I got to know it, and it just started following me around. Over time, we got used to each other." Setting the large spider on a stone pillar of the railing, Hestia gently stroked its furry back and habitually tapped its head.
Seeing how obedient the spider was, Mel gradually calmed down and cautiously moved closer, crouching down to examine it carefully.
"Is it a Decay Sequence 4 tarantula? It’s so well-behaved!"
"I have powerful companions too, but my grandmother won’t let me bring them out. She says I’m still too young and too weak. If I lose control of them, it could be dangerous." Mel sighed regretfully and rubbed her face against the gray moon cat in her arms.
"But I still love my cat the most. It might not be strong now, but it’ll grow up alongside me." Saying this, she lifted the gray moon cat high into the air.
"Meow~"
Under the high ceiling lights, the small gray moon cat, from the camera’s perspective, appeared grand, its silhouette blocking out the overhead light as if bathed in a sacred glow. A soft click echoed—the moment captured forever.
"Got it, Mel." Hestia waved her personal terminal.
"You took a picture just now? Ah—" Mel was surprised but delighted, eagerly asking Hestia to show her the photo.
With that, the two girls—one carrying a cat, the other with a camouflaged spider at her feet—began exploring the festival grounds.
First, they descended from the viewing platform to the cave floor, passing by various vibrantly decorated pavilions.
"This is the Red Lotus Porcelain Academy's pavilion. Their school is famous for its ceramics~" Mel, having grown up in Northern 1st District, was familiar with these academies.
"Let’s take a look inside while we wait for Irene," Hestia suggested, and the two stepped into the grand pavilion.
The first thing that caught their eyes were the hanging red fish wind chimes. These ceramic wind chimes, shaped like red koi, were strung together like lanterns, suspended at varying heights. When they occasionally collided, they produced crisp, pleasant chimes.
Below was a large, clear water pool with elegantly arranged ceramic pieces placed at different levels. A pathway of lotus leaves wound through the water. The ceramics displayed a variety of glazes—some pure and glossy, others adorned with intricate floral patterns, and still others featuring painted scenes: ancient palace life, industrial revolution smokestacks, vast constellations, animated characters, impressionist-style brushwork, translucent high-tech aesthetics, and ethereal white jade mists—all breathtakingly beautiful.
Some ceramics were submerged, with water gushing from their openings, forming fountains or cascading from sculptures. Some were tilted in statues’ hands, pouring out continuous streams of water.
At the center of the pool, atop a red-and-white porcelain lotus platform, a shrine maiden performed a graceful dance. Her pristine white robe, embroidered with crimson birds and jade-green branches, swayed lightly with her movements, drawing all eyes in the pavilion.
As her snow-white sleeves slowly fell, they revealed her soft pink eye makeup. Another sleeve lifted, unveiling her delicate hand holding a small fire lotus porcelain bottle. The bottle’s base was a clear, pristine white, while its mouth was semi-translucent, resembling red jade.
With a gentle grip, she twirled the porcelain bottle, and as her body spun, six spiraling streams of water rose from the pool.
As the elegant dance continued, the shrine maiden held her pose, raising the bottle high. The six streams of water continuously poured into the tiny vessel, absorbed completely.
A few seconds later, she spun again. The swirling water encircled her, droplets falling like sparkling jewels under the lights, creating a mesmerizing, timeless scene.
Finally, her performance concluded. She stood gracefully atop the lotus platform, holding the porcelain bottle in one hand while extending the other, her crimson-bird-and-jade-branch shrine maiden attire as immaculate as before, untouched by a single drop of water.