Waver pulled a sheet of paper from his drawer and handed it to Wayland. He picked up a pair of double-bladed cigar cutters and began to prep a fresh cigar as he spoke. "Many magi possess a vast amount of magical knowledge passed down through their families long before they ever set foot in the Clock Tower. With a proper recommendation, they can jump straight into specialized departments. Those without such a foundation usually spend five years in General Fundamentals before applying to their department of choice."
"Unlike the teachers in General Fundamentals, the lecturers in the various departments don't focus on the basics," Waver continued. "They provide specialized guidance and advanced knowledge, helping students develop their own unique magical systems. Your graduation is eventually determined by your magical proficiency and the thesis you submit."
He let out a soft plume of smoke. "But you're an exception. You have no foundation to speak of, and you haven't spent a day in General Fundamentals. To ensure you can keep up, I've designed a curriculum specifically for you."
"I... I see. Thank you, Professor." Wayland looked down at the dense, overcrowded schedule in his hand. His scalp felt a bit prickly just looking at it.
"Modern Magecraft doesn't have many formal lectures--maybe five or six major classes a week. Each major class is composed of four forty-minute sessions. The rest of the time is for students to self-study, practice their magecraft, research topics, or look up references. For someone like you, jumping straight into the Modern Magecraft curriculum is going to be incredibly difficult."
"Fortunately, General Fundamentals has five large lecture halls that are open to any Clock Tower student. So, in addition to your Modern Magecraft courses, you'll be attending foundational lectures there as well."
Waver picked up a book from his desk, signaling the end of the meeting. "That's everything. If you don't have any questions, you may go."
Wayland's eyes instinctively drifted to the title of the book in Waver's hand.
A Collection of Magical Dissertations on Nuclear Power and the Five Greater Elements.
"..."
'Is this what the world of the elites looks like? This is terrifying.'
As he turned to leave, a thought suddenly struck him. Ever since arriving in this world, he had been speaking and reading English perfectly. His high school-level English had somehow become as natural to him as his mother tongue.
'Is this a perk of transmigration? Or did the original body's owner possess this skill?'
"Is there something else?" Waver asked, realizing Wayland hadn't left yet.
"No, nothing major. But Professor... do you still have my enrollment letter?"
"The letter? The Astronomy Department did pass it to me. However, according to the regulations, admission letters must be surrendered to the department. I can't give it back to you."
"I don't want it back. I just wanted to take another look at it."
Waver looked at him, curious. "Did you not look at your own letter before today?"
"I didn't look at it very closely."
Waver didn't push further. He stood up and retrieved the letter from the third shelf of his bookcase.
It was a vibrant, gold-trimmed red. The front was marked with the letters UCL and a black silhouette of a domed spire.
'It looked familiar. Wayland was certain he'd seen it somewhere before.'
He opened the letter, and to his shock, the contents within were written in Chinese.
[Student Wayland:]
[You have been admitted to the Department of Cosmological Studies at University College London for a nine-year term of study. Please present this letter for registration on September 1st, 2003.]
[Dated: June 8th, 2003.]
A wave of long-forgotten memories flooded into Wayland's mind. He closed the letter and stared at the cover, his mind momentarily blank.
He had received this exact letter before--just in a different year.
Back in 2019, on June 8th, he had found this very letter tucked into his backpack after finishing his college entrance exams. He'd never figured out who put it there and assumed it was just a prank from one of his friends. After all, what kind of foreign university sends a letter in Chinese? And a nine-year term felt absurdly long.
He had taken one look at it and tossed it into the pile of textbooks he was planning to sell.
"Oh, I forgot to mention," Waver said, "University College London is just a mundane cover used to maintain Mystery. If you channel prana into the letter, you can see its true form."
Wayland immediately pushed prana into the paper. In an instant, the cover transformed into a glimpse of the deep, infinite cosmos. Celestial bodies rotated slowly within the paper, shimmering with a brilliant, breathtaking radiance.
He opened it once more, and the text had completely changed. Now, a long passage of English appeared.
[Dear Mr. Wayland:]
[It is a great honor to have received your application materials. After a rigorous review of your background, we have determined that you are qualified to join the Mage's Association. The Lord of the Astronomy Department will serve as your guarantor. Upon receipt of this letter, please report to the Astronomy Department for your entrance examination. Provided no issues arise, you will be admitted. Should you have a preference for another department, the Astronomy Department will not stand in your way.]
[Sincerely,]
[The Animusphere Family.]
More questions crowded Wayland's mind. He understood now why there had been a special exam waiting for him, but why had Wenzel asked who gave him the letter?
The letter was signed by the Animusphere family and mentioned the Lord. How could a First-Class Lecturer of the Astronomy Department not know who sent it?
Wayland read the passage several more times. "Professor, can I see my original application materials?"
"I don't have them. Since you applied to the Astronomy Department, your records would be kept there. However, I can look into it for you."
Waver reached for the phone and dialed a number. "Hello? This is El-Melloi II. I'm inquiring about the application materials for Student Wayland... What? He's joined Modern Magecraft, so the records were destroyed? That doesn't follow Clock Tower protocols... You don't know the reason? It was on the Lord's direct orders? Fine. I understand."
Wayland entered the main academic building of the Clock Tower for the first time.
The dark grey tower stretched nearly a hundred meters into the sky, with a massive clock face set into each of its four sides beneath the spire. The dials were seven meters wide, with hour hands nearly three meters long. Every hour, a deep, resonant chime rang out, echoing through the entire General Fundamentals district.
Finding a blue directory map to the right of the entrance, Wayland located his classroom and began the climb up the spiral staircase toward the third floor.
He looked curiously at the decorations lining the corridors. Unlike the minimalist--or rather, completely bare--walls of the Modern Magecraft building, these hallways were lined with oil paintings. The names on the frames were all remarkably famous.
'If I could take even one of these and sell it, I'd finally achieve my lifelong dream.'
'I'd be filthy rich overnight.'
"I'm so sorry!"
Wayland felt someone bump squarely into his back.
He turned to see a person bowing their head in apology. Instinctively, he spoke. "It's fine, I was just distracted... You--"
He stopped mid-sentence, his voice failing him.
Looking back at him was a face that was unnaturally pale, dominated by a pair of massive, dark circles around the eyes.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]