Shieda, with his playful attitude, teased Risa some more until the she-elf was red from her ears to her toes.
Sen finally put a stop to it since the ferocious Risa was not accustomed to these situations.
The topic then turned back to the congress of magic.
As Sen said before, there are many hidden powers that are rumored to have experts who reached a level after the world level, but those powers are secular and rarely participate in worldly affairs.
The DuBois house belongs to the type that prioritizes money and has many businesses and contacts around the land.
Another type is the one that acts either in the shadows or in the open, using any means to get what they desire, like those who attempted to attack Sen at the auction. These sects set their eyes on Sen's fused energy and would do whatever it takes to get it. Grandma Ming may have repelled them this time, but Fatima assured him that they would act sooner.
The last type is a unique type of sect, an educational type. The congress of magic belongs to such type. As the name implies, it is a place designed solely for mages. Shieda said that any non-mage will not be allowed inside.
Not only is that, but 80% of the mages of all Thesa continent graduated or still in the congress of magic. The dean is the strongest person there and rumor has it that he is at the level beyond the world rank.
Elaila's teacher works at the congress of magic. As his personal student, Elaila, a talented mage with a shrewd mind was able to easily become a student there. She was supposed to leave two months from today, but Sen happened, and her teacher transported her there.
"Where is this place?" Nivera asked.
"The main congress of magic is located on another continent. But the one Elaila and her teacher are is a branch here in Thesa"
Leonas looked at Sen and said, "We should hurry, then, lest she moves to another place"
Sen had a contemplating look on his face before he looked at Risa and Leonas. At last, he sighed and spoke the truth. "You guys heard him, congress of magic is a place for mages, they don't let anyone who is not a mage enter, so only Nivera and I are going."
The two were surprised by his words, they wanted to object, but looking at each other, each understood the words in the other's eyes. They are simply too weak. That place is not Grandor, a weak kingdom with no worthy enemy for Sen. The outside world is dangerous where even Sen has to be careful, even more so if he brought them, extra baggage with him.
nivera, although not a mage, she is strong enough to handle herself if she was on her own.
Not to mention that that place really won't allow them entry.
After a while, Leonas sighed, "you're right. Plus, we really can't take the small ones with us, and I wouldn't be at ease leaving them alone."
Risa added something of her own and then they all exchanged advice of caution and care.
Shieda watched this exchanged for a while before finally speaking. "Actually, that is not the main reason why you cannot go. The congress of magic s located in a peculiar place."
Placing his hand on the exquisite wooden table of the Zacharias house, his eyes glowed for a second. It was not noticeable, but Sen who had his heightened senses noticed it.
The next second, the table surface changed, the carvings of a painting appeared on it. No, it was not a painting, it was a map.
"Fiouf, I barely remember the road" Shieda murmured. He looked at the dazzled crowd and pointed towards a direction.
"This is where Grandor is. Now, Lavin came at the very end of Grandor's borders right next to the shattered forest. Although the latter does extend to other cities. I mean it's freakishly huge. I remember once when…"
Seeing a vein pop of the four people's foreheads, Shieda swallowed his words and resumed the relevant information. "The congress of magic is located in the southern part of the continent. It's a barren land that stretches for thousands of miles and only the congress exists there."
"Why would anyone build such a powerful place there?"
"First, because it's secluded, and second, there is a labyrinth there. After it appeared some villages, and cities were built there. But over time, the congress was established and the people there became scattered, living in small villages on the outskirts of the congress."
More and more becomes clear to Sen about this world that resembles nothing like earth.
"Why is that a reason why we can't go along?" Leonas curiously asked.
The two did not ask why Nivera could go along when like them, she was also an internal energy user, a warrior. Nivera was strong, Sen even said that she could be as strong as him. Second, she only joined because of Sen and would naturally follow him. Even if she did not, that does not mean that she will stay with them. They have family that ties them to this place.
"Because to cross that place, you need to cross the shattered lake and the shattered desert, and some dangerous places. No offense, but you are too weak to survive them."
Leonas and Risa held their heads in shame.
Shieda, who saw their looks realized he misspoke and corrected himself, "I was not talking only about you two, I was talking about your friends Sen here as well."
"What?" the rest were bewildered. After all, Sen was the strongest of them.
"I mean, you are really strong, you have those two forgotten magic that I still cannot understand how you learned them with no side effects. If you stretch your powers to the limit, you may even be able to face off against a weak world-level expert."
So far, it was an analysis praising his powers, which they all agree with. Sen especially. He had seen the video of the entity talking to the adventurer before he crossed over. The entity said that he may have been the strongest over there; but here, in this new world, he is weak. Unless he cultivates himself to be stronger and Sen felt that he could do that.
In fact, this was also a reason he so much wants to go to the congress of magic, to learn. And another reason is that he really wants to experience life in a magic academy. He suddenly grinned when thinking about that.
The rest saw Sen grinning when Shieda has basically just called him weak.
"Cough. That I know," he regained his composure and coughed to dispel the embarrassment.
"Sigh, I said that you are strong, but when facing certain beasts, strength will not matter. When you fight certain people who use a certain fighting style, your strength will not matter. Especially in the Shattered Desert where sand beasts in great numbers dwell. or the shattered lake filled with aquatic schools of monsters"
"I understand"
"In fact, this opportunity will be perfect for you, although it's just a branch facility, they are the best here when it comes to teaching Mana manipulation."
Sen suddenly realized a problem. That place, it allows only mages. Meaning that they will have a way of testing them. He does not have Mana, but fused energy. What will happen if he was discovered?
Shieda, who understood his thoughts was also reminded of that problem. But he had more experience and knew some solutions to this issue. Only, they weren't a choice at this moment. He sighed after exhausting his ideas.
"If only we had a fairy" he mumbled under his breath. And Sen with his heightened sense heard it.
"A fairy?" Sen asked.
"Yeah, fairies are masters of Mana. They are basically born from it. They can solve this problem easily since even though you have fused energy now, it is still made up of Mana, and a fairy can make Mana appear from the fused energy."
Sen felt as if luck was on his side. He quickly retrieved the goblin cage he bought from the auction and showed it to Shieda. "I think there is a fairy inside."
"A hextech Mana trap?" Shieda was visibly surprised. He reached out for the cage and took it in his hands.
"It really is a hextech Mana trap. And a living thing is really inside. For it to be that small, it can really be a fairy."
"You have the key right?" Nivera said with expectation. She really wants to see a fairy since even in the demon continent they do not exist.
Sen was also a bit impatient and hopeful. He got the key in his hands and he nervously plucked it in the keyhole that appeared as soon as the key approached the egg.
Rotating for a few seconds, a 'click' was finally heard. The silver metal surrounding the egg-like structure was pulled apart piece by piece.
The crowd held their breath in anticipation, including Shieda who already had encounters with fairies.
'Swoosh'
Mist was released and the metals parts all fell down, leaving the beige egg alone on the table. The next second, the egg was split into four quarters and opened like a blossoming flower.
Inside, what they saw was exactly how they expected it to be. A tiny person the size of a palm was lying there. Cross-legged and hand between them, looking right and left in curiosity.
The tiny person looked to be male from the first look. He had pointy horizontal ears and smooth dark blue hair with a few glowing purple strands. His skin bordered on the edge of pale-white and blue.
But when he stood up all of a sudden, they were surprised not because he was completely naked, but to see he has no genitals.
"A pixy elf!" Shieda delightfully cried out.
The rest were surprised, it's not a fairy? He didn't have wings, so maybe they were wrong.
Sen suddenly felt dejected, his chance of entering the congress of magic suddenly disappeared.
"Ha! Why are you depressed? This is good news for you. If this little guy agrees to help you then the effect will be even more efficient than a fairy's work."
"So…what's a pixy elf?" the one who asked was Nivera. She, as a knowledgeable person in this group, did not know about this race. But she wasn't embarrassed and was eager to find out.
Shieda was still looking at the little guy with sparkling eyes. He excitedly answered. "They're from the fairy family. Only much rarer and much stronger. They're supposed to have gone extinct from Thesa hundreds of years ago."
"The announcer from the DuBois house said that this cage has been with them for a hundred years now. Yet they couldn't figure out how to open it" Leonas interjected.
"Can they really live that long?"
"Others can't, but pixy elves can. As I said before they are also fairies, so they are born from Mana. They only pass away when their Mana core reaches its limit. And it only happens after five hundred or so years."
The group was discussing pixy elf and Shieda giving them a lecture about everything concerning them while the little guy stood in his place, eyes darting from one person to another.
His amber eyes darted from one person to another. He couldn't understand the situation he was in. he had a life once, he's sure. A life with his friends and family, but he cannot recall those moments.
He can feel it, however. These people looked familiar. Long ears, huge bodies, wrapped in the thing they called clothes. Humans, elves…is that it?
Why can't he remember? The little pixy held his forehead, trying hard to grasp that piece of his memories only the fail in the end.
Who is he? Who are these people? Why are they so familiar to him? Where is he now? Is this the place that the voice in his heart keeps telling him to find? The place called home?
A memory suddenly flashed in his mind. No, it's not a memory, it's something passed down to him from the pixies he understood to be his ancestors; his bloodline memories.
...Dust; that is his name. He is a pixy elf...He must hide his mist. Never let the dragon see it. But he did; he remembers now, he showed his mist to a dragon, a very, very long time ago.
The dragon is bad, beware of the dragon! The voice in his mind said at that time. But Dust ignored him, he still showed his mist to the dragon.
Yes, the dragon wanted to take him. Dust remembers now, he was so scared at that time. But his friend came to save him. His friends beat the dragon and rescued him.
Friend... friend is good. The voice said.
Dust began to recall bit by bit.
The forsaken! Another memory appeared in Dust's mind. A picture of horror and dread. He held his head with both hands and crouched down in fear. The people surrounding him were concerned, they shouted something and reached for him. But memories kept flooding his mind nonstop, this time, with more clarity than ever.
.
.
It was a very long time ago,
"Get away from me" Licht growled at Dust, who kept following him.
"But…" Dust was on the verge of crying, "I have…nowhere to go." then he really did cry.
Licht was annoyed, "why are you crying, you're a man aren't you?" he flicked his fingers and sent the tiny person flying.
Dust, however, did not relent, with his teary big eyes, he flew back to Licht and clutched himself to the man's arms while crying even more loudly, "no, Dust is not a man, Dust is a pixy, a pitiful pixy. 'Sob', 'sob'. You killed my only friend, so you have to be my friend. I don't care"
Licht shook his arms to get rid of the annoying pest clutching his clothes, but he clearly underestimated the shamelessness of this thing as he clung onto him as if his life depended on it.
Finally, he sighed and tried to reason with the little thing. He placed him on his palm and coaxed him to stop crying before he spoke.
"Look, that dragon was bad, he saw your mist and wanted it for himself. I really wasn't planning on rescuing you. I was there for my own business. But now, you are free to go back home or wherever you want"
Dust wiped his eyes and joyfully looked at Licht. "Really?"
Lich heaved a sigh of relief and genuinely smiled, "yes really"
"Then I want to go with you"
Realizing he dropped a brick on his foot, Licht froze before sternness appeared on his face. "No, I have many enemies, if you go, you might-"
Licht hasn't finished his words before Dust sobbed again, this time more loudly. Licht felt his eardrums were going to burst from the high pitch crying but he was still adamant on not letting the pixy accompany him.
Only, Licht underestimated the clinginess of this tiny person. He passed by two village son his way to his destination and the pixy flew steadily behind him while crying all the way. He had thought that ignoring him would be enough to make him leave on his own. But the pixy was always behind him, sobbing.
…In the end, Licht couldn't take it anymore and accepted the pixy as a companion. But he strictly said that he will not protect him should he come to danger and that he must defend himself…
…The pixy elf happily accepted and since then, the two became companions that crossed the land together, fighting against powerful people and hoarding treasures. On the way, they also made another friend. Her name was Ying Yue, a priestess of a temple they rescued and she said that fate brought them together, so she followed them…
…Time passed rapidly and bards started telling the tale of the beast, the beauty, and the fairy and spread it all over the land…