London, Charing Cross Road.
Lorelei Barthomeloi, the Lord of the Barthomeloi family, stood before a cylindrical, futuristic mirrored building.
The massive glass doors slid open automatically.
Several large letters came into view: *Urban Magisphere*.
"A stench of decay," Lorelei muttered, her face twisted with disgust. She resisted the urge to leave and stepped inside.
Ignoring the surprised glances directed her way, she walked confidently toward the elevator, using her magic to press a button that didn't exist: B45.
"Welcome, esteemed Lord and Vice-Director of the Clock Tower, Barthomeloi."
"Stay away from me, Ognian Hocha," she snapped.
The man who approached was dressed in a shabby suit, covered in dust, his face smeared with grime as if he hadn't groomed himself in ages.
At her words, he stopped in his tracks, looking embarrassed.
"My apologies for my appearance, my lady. Due to the urgency, I didn't have time to clean up."
Ognian bent at a ninety-degree angle, his face the picture of sincerity.
"You and your Department of Cursed Remains are not under my jurisdiction at the Department of Law, so there's no need for such formalities," Lorelei said, wrinkling her nose at the pervasive stench. "What was so urgent that you couldn't explain over the phone and had to drag me here?"
"Precisely because this isn't a matter for the Department of Law, we must ask for your help, my lady," Ognian said, inhaling deeply as he instinctively stepped forward but then remembered her earlier command and stayed put. "It's regarding the Albionic Necropolis."
"What now? Another significant figure has escaped? You should be reporting this to the Sealing Designation Enforcers below, not bothering the First Principle Executors," Lorelei retorted.
"You misunderstand, my lady," Ognian said, forcing a bitter smile.
"Then what is it? Has someone caused a huge problem by selling cursed bodies, requiring the Department of Law to mediate?"
Ognian flinched, cutting her off before she could continue. "It's the entrance to the Necropolis. There's a problem."
"Another crack has appeared? Where?"
"At the bottom of the Thames," Ognian said, his voice tense.
Lorelei's expression turned serious. "How big is the crack?"
"Ten meters long and two meters wide. We've temporarily sealed the breach, but it's highly unstable. We're concerned that if the river water floods in, it could cause catastrophic damage to the Clock Tower. We're hoping that you, as the only Grand Magus in the Clock Tower, could help us permanently seal it."
"Ugh," Lorelei scoffed, a sound that was somewhere between mockery and annoyance. "With the Director of the Clock Tower absent, as Vice-Director, it is my duty to assist. But what's in it for me?"
Ognian stiffened, forcing a pained smile. "You still want compensation?"
"A Grand Magus works for free?" Lorelei chuckled coldly. "You must think too highly of your Department of Cursed Remains. While I might not care much for your paltry offerings, as the head of the Barthomeloi family, I must act in the interest of my house."
Ognian sighed, nodding in resignation. Only Lorelei could make such demands sound so reasonable. After all, the Barthomeloi family was one of the three great noble families that ruled over the Clock Tower.
"What kind of cursed material do you seek?" Ognian asked, knowing that the only things of interest to her in his department were the cursed remains.
"A dragon."
"..."
Ognian's expression turned to one of near despair, his face contorting as if he were about to cry. "I can't possibly authorize the release of a dragon's remains!"
"Don't play the victim," Lorelei said, her expression unchanging as she watched his performance. "Don't think I'm unaware of your secret dealings with other Lords. I'm offering you a fair exchange. I'll forgo the dragon, but I want a piece of dragonkind—a dragon scale or a dragon tooth will do. Just one."
Ognian hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "Deal."
Lorelei turned gracefully, waving her gloved right hand. "Prepare the material, and notify me in a few days."
As she exited the building, Lorelei noticed that Kariya Shigure had been waiting outside for some time. "Have you heard any news?"
"Yes, my lady. Lawrence Shirley of the Department of Spiritual Invocation has completed the investigation I requested. After repeated questioning using secret techniques, he finally uncovered a lead. It seems the person who hired the rogue mage was likely the Lord of the Celestial Body Department."
Lorelei paused in her stride. "The Celestial Body Department? How curious."
---
"How curious," Li Xiang muttered as he followed the trail of his detection spell out of the Modern Magecraft Department's Sla Street district. He glanced in the direction it pointed.
It led straight to the Clock Tower.
Based on the ghosts' behavior, they had been extremely secretive within the Clock Tower, avoiding making any noise during their battle with him the previous night. The moment they were detected, they fled without hesitation.
Yet their lair was pointing towards the Clock Tower itself, the main teaching building where the majority of students and lecturers in the General Fundamentals Department gathered.
It was almost suicidal to hide there, wasn't it?
Puzzled, Li Xiang continued towards the Clock Tower but eventually stopped on London Bridge.
"The trail leads… underwater?"
Li Xiang stared at the murky waters of the Thames, baffled. Seriously? Ghosts that swim? And deep dive?
As someone who wasn't a strong swimmer, Li Xiang felt a wave of pressure.
He quickly recalled a spell.
The first-level water-repelling spell creates a two-meter-diameter bubble around the caster, containing ten minutes' worth of oxygen.
"Ten minutes is a bit short," Li Xiang mused. The Thames wasn't particularly deep, so ten minutes might suffice for a quick trip, but in a battle with ghosts underwater, that time wouldn't be enough.
"Buying a diving suit? That might not work either—dive suits won't protect against magic."
After pondering for a while, he concluded that his only option was to use magical materials to set up a barrier that could enhance the water-repelling spell, making it more effective.
But he faced another problem.
Money.
Yes, magical materials cost money. Unless you applied for a research grant from the Clock Tower, and they approved it, granting you funds. Alternatively, you could invent a new type of magic and register it as a patent with the Clock Tower, earning patent fees.
But these weren't options he could pursue in the short term.
After thinking for a bit longer and coming up empty-handed, he sighed. "I'll go ask Krische if there's a way."
Li Xiang dispelled the detection spell, memorized the surroundings, and turned to leave.
"Krische."
It must have been due to the weekend, as Krische had brought out a wicker chair and was lounging in the garden in front of the dormitory.
Hearing Li Xiang's voice, he didn't even open his eyes. "What do you want, kid?"
"I was wondering how I can make some money. You see, we learn magecraft, but we can't exactly use it to serve ordinary people, and I'm not skilled enough to be a mage for hire, which would only get me scolded. So, if students want to do some research and need money, what should we do?"
"Go borrow from the school."
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow in surprise. There was such an option? "Is there a process for that?"
"Not much to it. You need to find a guarantor first. If you don't repay the loan, they'll go after the guarantor. And just so you know, don't even think about asking Lord El-Melloi II to be your guarantor. He won't do it."
Li Xiang immediately felt troubled. He didn't know many lecturers at the Clock Tower.