Chapter 502 - 249: Lindong_2
Franky was naturally no stranger to the figure before him, and he cautiously aimed his wand at the person.
"Please come in, Mr. Franky."
The elderly voice remained calm, yet seemed to have already perceived everything.
"Director, I didn’t expect to see you here."
Franky emerged from the shadows, still holding his wand, "I’m chasing a naughty student who appears where he shouldn’t."
"Did you catch him?"
The director’s question seemed to have deeper implications.
"Not yet, but I assure you that once I find him, he’ll face the penalty of 7 credits and 3 days of labor in the pumpkin garden."
The director nodded, not opposing.
"Time here is quite wondrous, isn’t it?"
"You mean...?"
"You’ll occasionally witness events here from the past. These memories are like tree roots, always hiding where you can’t see."
The director paused, "And you, don’t seem surprised by this place or by me."
"The academy always has unexpected occurrences."
Franky tried his best to remain calm, but his heart pounded fiercely. He couldn’t predict the direction this conversation would take; perhaps in the next moment, the director might suddenly attack him.
This would undoubtedly be the worst scenario.
The director was once recognized as the academy’s most powerful Elemental Shaper, an honorary member of the Duel Club during his student days, several times champion of duel competitions, and even represented the academy in cross-scholastic exchanges with students of other paths.
And for an Elemental Shaper, time wouldn’t significantly impact their knowledge and wisdom.
Franky could only try to appear uninterested in the academy’s secrets.
"Mr. Franky, you’ve come at just the right time."
The director abruptly extended an invitation to him, "I wish to invite you to listen to some voices."
Franky hesitated for a moment, considering that it might be some sort of sting operation—a common tactic used by the Disciplinary Committee. As a member of the Mole Club, he knew how to handle those mischievous troublemakers with an excess of curiosity.
This perpetually rotating white orb was the source of the maze echo.
Since joining the Ministry of Magic and encountering other paths, especially Evil God’s Followers, his curiosity was no longer as intense. Numerous cases proved that the Evil God’s whispers were fatal to humans, even if They themselves harbored no malice, listening would drive the listener mad.
The countless bloody cases forced him to let go of those childish curiosities and become a mature man.
His family had high hopes for him.
But at this moment, Franky was directly beneath this source, and those voices were no longer distant and elusive. He gradually understood their meaning.
It seemed like the murmuring of someone, resembling a female.
If listened to carefully, one could roughly discern it was lamenting:
"I really don’t understand these people’s hobbies."
"Don’t you find it strange? Do others have similar traits?"
"Annoying!"
"In the future, will walking down the street make one an outcast?"
"Forget it, since I’ve already agreed to him..."
...
"...What is this?"
Franky was full of doubt; if he guessed correctly, this slowly rotating white orb was closely related to the magical network. Nowadays, there were still some books about the magical network in the academy’s restricted section, but they were mostly macro introductions, without any specific descriptions, at most letting readers understand the significance of the magical network’s existence and the people’s purpose in using it during the First Epoch.
Exploration and quest for knowledge.
This was almost the source of mysticism.
Ancient knowledge remained within the magical network, forming some sort of guidance that brought them closer to the essence of the world.
But now listening to it, why did it more resemble a young girl’s complaint?
"This is the echo of the magical network."
The director confirmed Franky’s internal suspicion, as he scrutinized the white orb above.
These were some inexplicable words.
No matter who heard them, they would generate similar thoughts, but it was precisely because they were bewildering that they were even more fascinating.
Recently, the frequency of the magical network echo had been increasing, which was naturally a delightful thing, like a canal dry for thousands of years coming back to life.
Franky then asked, "Is this the voice of the magical network’s inhabitants?"
"I’m not sure."
The director shook his head, signaling Franky with his eyes to continue listening.
Franky remained silent.
In his perception, there were few things even the director was unaware of in this world.
After a brief silence, the white ball once again emitted echoes.
"Ah, I have it!"
The complaining girl seemed to suddenly have an idea, "As long as there’s a group of people like me, I won’t be an outcast! Hmm, let me think... white, the color of snow, living in a place closer to snow would be better, right?"
"Given life in a frosty environment, one must have a constitution that’s not afraid of coldness, hmm, adept at ice Elemental Magic, how about that?"
"So, it seems like becoming an Elemental Shaper. Will I go to the academy later? Speaking of which, it’s been specially designed; let’s happily decide on that!"
"Let me see what else needs adjusting."
...
Franky could easily imagine a lively and cute girl looking in the mirror.
The girl’s voice was lively and melodious, yet he felt a sense of suffocation.
Because Franky almost immediately associated this self-talk with reality.
Uncommon traits related to white, living close to snow, and generally possessing talents for ice Elemental Magic...
"She’s talking about the Northern Clan."
Franky said with some difficulty, truly unsettling him was the girl’s tone and attitude as she described the Northern Clan.
"It seems it can be interpreted this way."
The director agreed with Franky’s guess, but it was not the answer Franky wanted to hear. He wished the director would refute him and point out his mistake.
Because this seems to bring about another terrifying fact.
The Northern Clan, ancient and mysterious, once debated by Imperial scholars for their human or sub-human identity, was actually created by some unknown girl to avoid being an outcast?
So no historian until now has been able to explain the origin of the Northern Clan?
Compared to many religious Holy Scriptures depicting Divine Spirits creating humans, such self-talk is far more casual. Though it was all language Franky could understand, it made him feel as if he was facing an existence he could only look up to.
One thought crossing her mind created a clan.
And the academy she mentioned.
What does "specially designed" mean?
Even worse is that this series of clues inevitably made Franky’s mind conjure a name.
A foreign maiden from the northern terrain, with unparalleled elemental magic talents, and ice Elemental Magic affinity mentioned in these echoes.
"Then, only the final step remains."
The girl within the white orb sounded like she completed her final preparations, she was facing a mirror, adjusting herself to the state she was most satisfied with.
She scrutinized a mirror.
These were clearly not memories belonging to Franky, yet they vividly came to life before his eyes.
"Your name?"
He comprehended the final step mentioned by the girl.
This was a question worth pondering deeply; perhaps it was more critical to her than creating the Northern Clan.
It wasn’t long before the girl reached a conclusion.
"Since I’m an ice Elemental Shaper, then it’s Lindong!"
The echo seemed to be disturbed, becoming intermittent.
Franky’s pupils contracted.
Rather than a name, Lindong sounded more like a title, the students at the academy had always been diverse in their discussions of Lindong’s name. Until today, this unsolved mystery of the academy finally had a clear answer.
The girl within the white orb was heading to some place unknown to them.
"Don’t make me wait too long..."
This was the last thing Franky heard.