That was all Freya knew about the School of Arcanists. However, speaking of the graduation exam, she had another piece of news.

  "Did you know that the prize for first place in the graduation exam this time is a Rainbow Ring?"

  "A Rainbow Ring?"

  The top graduate of the exam had always received a decent magical item as a reward, year after year.Leoric naturally knew this rule, but there were still half a year left before the graduation exam. Had they already decided on the prize? This efficiency was a bit too high.

  Plus, what was a Rainbow Ring?

  "It's from that Rainbow Dragon last time," Freya said. "Remember?"

  Leoric certainly did.

  "That Rainbow Dragon came from somewhere unknown and actually tried to steal the city lord's airship. It was caught," Freya said. "Even Mr. Aglae Tanshure was injured."

  Leoric knew Aglae Tanshure, one of the Twelve Princes of Shadows, who had always served as the captain of the palace guards. He was injured too?

  That Rainbow Dragon wanted to steal the city lord of Spiritshade City's airship? It had good taste and unique preferences, worthy of praise. The city lord's airship was made of pure refined gold, probably the most expensive thing in Spiritshade City. But saying that, why did it come to Spiritshade City just to steal this airship? It always felt a bit strange.

  "That Rainbow Dragon was really impressive,"Leoric praised. "It actually managed to escape."

  "Yeah," Freya agreed. "It seemed to only plan to steal and leave. It initially took human form. After being discovered, it turned back into its true form and fled. If it had used its Rainbow Dragon form right away, it would have been harder to deal with."

  "By the way," she smiled with her lips pursed, "it had a companion who was super funny. I've never seen someone so afraid of death. According to my father, he actually wore three leather armors at once. But he still got injured at the beginning."

  Leoric also chuckled, remembering the two people he saw that day. Besides the blonde-haired young man who talked to him, the other older one was indeed wearing something bulky. He thought it was just particularly thick leather armor at first, but it was actually three armors.

  But honestly, although leather armor wasn't as hard as steel armor, wearing three of them at once should make a normal person's joints stiff, unable to even walk. That guy seemed to move freely, which was quite an accomplishment.

  "My father said that Rainbow Dragon wasn't ordinary," Freya said. "It might have deity bloodline because most magic couldn't hurt it. However, it shouldn't have come to Spiritshade City."

  "Mm-hmm."

  Leoric understood Freya's meaning. That Rainbow Dragon might indeed be a very powerful creature, but Spiritshade City was an even more powerful and dangerous place. Even if it was a special Rainbow Dragon and truly had deity bloodline, it wouldn't fare well here.

  "That Rainbow Dragon was also a powerful wizard or sorcerer, right? But its magic was almost completely suppressed by the city's ward. In the end, it got injured, and a lot of dragon blood, pink in color, was sprayed out. It was all collected—Leoric, you've guessed what the Rainbow Ring is now, haven't you?"

  "A magical ring made from dragon blood?"

  "Yeah," Freya said. "I heard that Mr. Hojjahana personally did it. He infused the collected dragon blood into a ring and created this ring."

  Dragon blood was a precious magical material that could be used for many purposes. The most common use was to make potent potions. It was rare for someone like Hojjahana to use dragon blood to make a magical ring. "What's the use of the Rainbow Ring?"

  Freya shook her head, "I don't know."

  Life at school was plain and uneventful, and soon it was the Month of Year's End. The Month of Year's End was the twelfth month of the year in this world, and after it, the Month of Severe Winter arrived, marking the new year.

  However, it was interesting that calendar-wise, the Month of Severe Winter was the first month of the new year but was often considered a continuation of the previous year. Until the Month of Severe Winter ended, there would be a "Midwinter Festival," which was truly regarded as the end of the past year and the beginning of the new year, similar to the "Spring Festival" on Earth.

  After the Midwinter Festival, three months later was the Grassgreen Festival, and the graduation exam would be held before that. In this world, there were five major festivals a year: Midwinter Festival, Grassgreen Festival, Midsummer Festival, Harvest Festival, and Moonlight Festival. The Grassgreen Festival was considered the true beginning of spring.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  This day was also used as the graduation ceremony for the wizard school. Exams had to be completed beforehand, of course.

  The last day of the Month of Year's End was originally a holiday by tradition, and students could return to school the next morning. But the school suddenly issued an emergency notice, informing all students that they could leave school as usual but must return before 6 p.m. that night and could not stay overnight outside.

  Moreover, the transparent shadow shield rose again over the school. Students were puzzled and talked among themselves but didn't know what had happened.Leoric asked Freya, but she didn't know either.

  Was there another enemy invasion? Or did that Rainbow Dragon, injured and retreating last time, come back for revenge, still feeling resentful?

  However, although the school looked like it was preparing for a big enemy, nothing happened for real.Leoric looked up at the sky and found that it wasn't just the school; the entire Spiritshade City was firmly covered by the shadow shield. Countless tiny and intricate strange runes appeared and disappeared on the translucent shield wall, flowing continuously.

  "Has Spiritshade City's ward been fully activated?" He thought to himself.

  What had happened exactly?

  No one could answer this question. Perhaps the professors could, but they had all disappeared. The atmosphere was tense, but nothing had happened.

  Seeing no movement for a while, the students left school in groups and went home.Leoric was about to go home too, but Freya stopped him.

  "Leoric," she said, "will you come to my house today? My father wants to meet you."

  "Hmm?"

  Since he was already dating her daughter, it was only natural to meet the father-in-law.Leoric wasn't surprised. However... why didn't they give any notice beforehand?

  "Okay,"Leoric said. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to visit the father-in-law he had never met, "Wait for me at school. I'll go tell my sister."

  He hadn't mentioned Freya to Leovena, and he didn't want to this time. When he got home, he told Leovenathat a classmate invited him over, and since the school required them to return that night, he wouldn't be coming back today. Leovena didn't mind much.

  The Monica family was indeed a very old family—and seemed to be in poor financial condition, perhaps because the successive heads of the family didn't care much about repairing the residence? Anyway, whenLeoric saw the dark, mottled walls covered with messy vines and the rusty iron gate, he thought he was seeing an abandoned old house.

  An elderly servant led him and Freya into the living room and served coffee.

  Leoric was a bit surprised. This was Freya's own home, but she seemed even more uneasy than he, a guest for the first time.Leoric quietly asked her, and Freya said she had been afraid of her father since she was a child. For more than ten years, she hadn't dared to look him in the eye when talking to him face-to-face.

  Well, it sounded like she had a strict upbringing.

  Her twin sister, Fulia, wasn't home today. She was still in the temple learning how to serve the goddess. The temple's system was different from the wizard school's, with much looser rules but also less structure.Leoric and Freya could reasonably expect the last day of each month to be a holiday, as it had been stipulated since the school's establishment, unchanged for millennia; Fulia couldn't, as no one could guarantee that the goddess wouldn't issue any new revelations today.

  The goddess Sharr was not a rigorous and stern goddess. She was accustomed to doing as she pleased. The sound of footsteps echoed, and an old man walked in from the inner room. He wore a black wizard robe with an embroidered picture of a long-beaked kingfisher on his chest, whichLeoric knew was the Monica family crest. Freya had said her father was nearly fifty, but he didn't look that old. There were no wrinkles on his face, probably due to good maintenance. However, as soon asLeoric saw him, he immediately understood why Freya was afraid of her father. He was indeed the kind of person who looked very serious, stern, and meticulous.

  Leoric and Freya stood up together. "Father," Freya said nervously, "this isLeoric,Leoric Lannister."

  The old man nodded slightly without even glancing atLeoric and sat down directly, addressing Freya, "You can leave now."

  Freya, feeling like she had been granted a pardon, quickly fled the room, closing the door behind her.

  "Please sit," the old man gestured forLeoric to take a seat. "I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll be direct. Mr. Lannister, I hold you in high regard."

  Leoric bowed slightly.

  "Thank you," he said. "That's why I'm here, Mr. Monica, to listen to your guidance. And please, call meLeoric."

  The old man gaveLeoric a deep look.

  "After last year's final exams, many were surprised by your progress,Leoric," the old man said. "Perhaps you're unaware of the attention you've garnered... especially after a certain incident."

  Leoric remained silent, waiting patiently for the rest. It seemed that his unusual constitution that resisted magic had caught the attention of high-ranking officials in Spiritshade City. Freya had mentioned that her father worked in the government and was somewhat of a leader.

  "Since the founding of this floating city, the Wizard Academy has stood," the old man continued. "In its more than two thousand years of teaching history, countless talented wizards have emerged—and you are the most special one among them."

  "Fourth place isn't exactly outstanding,"Leoric replied cautiously. "And as for rapid progress—I'm aware of a precedent where someone went from thirty-first to first within a year."

  "True," the old man acknowledged, "but their talents far surpassed yours—by a factor of ten, one might say."

  Leoric's eyelids flickered. "You're right," he responded. "Obviously, though I lack exceptional talent, I've had good luck."

  The old man chuckled.

  "Absolutely," he said. "The Monica family intends to benefit from your good fortune,Leoric."

  "I like Freya very much,"Leoric said. "So, if it makes her happy, I'm willing to put in the effort."

  The old man nodded slightly.

  "However, I have a small doubt,"Leoric looked at the old man's expression and chose his words carefully. "I'm flattered by your high opinion, but..."

  "But you wonder why I chose you over others?"

  "Yes,"Leoric said.

  "Because I'm a prophecy wizard," the old man opted for the simplest answer. "Freya should have told you that the Monica family has produced top-notch prophecy wizards for generations."

  Leoric fell silent, then bowed slightly. "I'll do my best."

  The old man smiled. "Actually, I invited you here out of curiosity to see what kind of person Freya's crush is," he whispered mysteriously. "You know, before you, Freya never liked any boy. She only spent time with her sister. Sometimes I worried they were lesbians."

  Leoric was taken aback by the old man's seemingly stern yet playful remark. Before he could respond, the old man burst into laughter, patting him on the shoulder.

  "Stay for lunch," the old man invited. "Try the fresh roasted dragon wings."