Endless Silver Machine

The elevator quickly reached the top floor of the office building. Although this is not the first time coming here, knowing that this is where the top leader of Frost Moon Academy is, I always feel nervous.

"Principal Phyllis, I brought them here."

Instructor Letika knocked on the door politely, and a familiar "come in" sound came from inside.

"Come in, everyone."

Teacher Letika opened the door of the quaint room, smiled and said to the four students who were hesitating outside the door.

Aika was the first to put aside his worries and walked into the room. His first step encouraged the girls to follow.

When I walked into the room, I realized that not only Principal Phyllis was here, but Tylua-senpai was also here, as well as the assault department instructor who had driven to pick everyone up with instructor Letika.

"Hello, Principal Phyllis, Instructor Wilber, Senior Sister Tiruya."

Everyone used this to greet the three seniors in life and studies. Senior Tiruya seemed a little embarrassed to be greeted formally in this way, and she looked a little restless.

After a brief greeting, Aika and the others followed the guidance of instructor Letika and sat on the sofa for guests, face to face with the two instructors and senior Telua.

Senior Tirua seemed to already know the purpose of bringing everyone here this time, and her eyes were not as confused as Aika's.

"We are calling everyone together this time in the hope that a few people present can form a team to assist us in an exploration of the ruins that will be carried out in the near future."

As soon as Principal Phyllis finished speaking, Aika felt like she couldn't laugh or cry in her heart.

He had told Carlo before that this matter had nothing to do with him, but now he was chosen by Principal Phyllis to participate in the ruins exploration.

Aika has no resistance to exploring the ruins. Although she had heard warnings about danger, Aika could still accept it from the bottom of her heart.

"The second-year students don't know much about the ruins yet. It doesn't matter. I will explain the ruins that need to be explored this time. After listening to the explanation, you can decide whether to participate."

The screen lowered from the ceiling lit up, showing a three-dimensional island model.

"The ruins are the birthplace of magic equipment. You can just write this down as a concept."

Aika already knew this, but the other three girls didn't know it yet. Principal Phyllis was only explaining it to the three of them.

"The birthplace of magic equipment? How is such a thing determined?"

Sure enough, Ling had doubts. As one of the few magic equipment holders, such words would naturally attract her attention.

Although it was a bit rude to interrupt in the middle, Principal Phyllis understood and forgave her for her rudeness.

"Some scholars have conducted investigations. There are only a few examples that have confirmed this theory. We take the credibility of this theory as the premise for our actions. And the ruins we want to explore this time may be the famous demons in the cross-border war. The birthplace of pretending.”

"Is it so powerful..."

Aika couldn't help but murmured in a low voice. But Principal Phyllis still noticed his voice and turned to look at him with a deep gaze.

"Feel sorry……"

Aika quickly apologized, thinking that his casual interruption made the principal of Phyllis Academy dissatisfied, but he noticed that Phyllis Academy slightly raised the corners of his mouth towards him.

"Magic Equipment - 'Mechanical Alchemy', I think everyone is familiar with this name."

"I have indeed heard of this name."

"Well, it's probably the same magic weapon as Ling-san's Light Flame Sword."

Neither Instructor Letika nor Instructor Wilber are human, but they are still deeply impressed by the name of "Mechanical Alchemy".

Although Tylua-senpai is half-blood, she grew up in the Bis Empire since she was a child. She has heard this name since she was a child, and her eyes are shining with anticipation.

"Don't you four have any thoughts? This name must be familiar."

Principal Phyllis knew the true identities of Aika and Luoluo, but she still pretended to be serious and teased the students whose bodies had become completely stiff and it was extremely difficult to even open their mouths.

Everyone has imagined the inner snickering of Principal Phyllis under her serious expression.

"Ah, ah... I heard about it when I was a kid..."

Aika tried to utter a few dry words before smoothly accepting Principal Phyllis's guidance.

"This is the fairy tale that my brother has longed for since he was a child..."

"But this is just a legendary magic costume, right? We rarely hear about it these days!"

"……Um……"

The four people had completely different reactions. The only thing they had in common was that they did not admit that "mechanical alchemy" actually existed.

"Since the 'Light Flame Sword', which is as famous as 'Mechanical Alchemy', now exists here, is it possible that 'Mechanical Alchemy' also exists? Classmate Ling, what do you think of this issue?"

"Eh?"

Principal Phyllis' gaze was very serious. It would be impossible for Ling to say nothing.

She looked at the three people sitting next to her with pleading eyes, but their eyes were also completely desperate.

Everyone knows that Principal Phyllis does not seriously want everyone to reveal their family background here, but just wants to see the reaction for fun.

But the questions that were thrown at me suddenly, and the answers that came to my mind all felt like they were covering up something.

While Ling was racking his brains to think of a logical excuse to fool him, Teacher Letika finally couldn't help but raise her hand.

"Principal Phyllis, you must have seen with your own eyes what real 'mechanical alchemy' looks like, right?"

"Oh? I did see it at that time."

Instructor Letika and Principal Phyllis are both from the God Clan. They appear to be about the same age. They both look about twenty years old. This is because the bodies of women from the God Clan will stop growing when they reach this age.

But according to Teacher Letika herself, she is indeed only about twenty years old, much younger than Principal Phyllis who experienced the cross-border war.

This characteristic of the body stopping growth also appears in vampires.

"Can you tell us?"

"Raetika, aren't you studying world history? I didn't expect to be interested in this kind of thing."

Principal Phyllis, who seemed to have a deep relationship with Teacher Letika, was also a little surprised by the look in her eyes that was shining with anticipation.

"It feels very cool, snap, snap, snap!"

Teacher Letika excitedly made pistols with her hands, waving her hands like a child.

"Did you watch any strange TV series yesterday..."

Instructor Wilber seemed to understand the reason for Instructor Letika’s sudden strange behavior. According to rumors among students, the two of them seemed to live in the same room.

"It's not like I'm under a strange influence. I've seen Aika-san's magic weapon with double guns before and I thought it looked cool."

Teacher Letika pouted with some dissatisfaction at Teacher Wilber who guessed casually, but did not notice that Aika's face turned red when she casually mentioned it.

"Brother, he is really handsome..."

There was no sense of recognition in Luoluo's flat voice.

"You actually even tried to seduce your mentor. I originally thought you just liked girls of Wei Xi's age."

"Sister Ling! How, how could it be me..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Eh? Aika-san, no, that's not what I meant just now!"

"Speaking of which, Letika, you also have your own advantages."

"Wilber, don't put your hands on me here!"

Senior Tylua, who was sitting next to the two instructors, could only blush and look out the window next to her.

The original serious atmosphere in the principal's office disappeared in an instant, and Principal Phyllis, who pretended to be serious, also enjoyed it and laughed without any concealment.

After a brief romp, the conversation returned to the ruins. It's just that the things everyone present cares about have nothing to do with the ruins...

"Based on the current confirmation, it can be seen that if this is indeed the origin of 'mechanical alchemy', then entering the ruins can arouse the resonance of magic power. But our most fundamental purpose is not to explore what is in the ruins, but Temporarily ensure the safety around the ruins and prepare for follow-up work."

"Is it because the holder of 'Mechanical Alchemy' is not in our Shimozuki Academy?"

Instructor Wilber noticed the issue that Principal Phyllis had deliberately not mentioned just now.

"I think I heard someone say that 'mechanical alchemy' appeared in the Bis Empire."

Teacher Letika put her chin on her head and immediately continued what Teacher Wilber said.

Aika's heart suddenly rose to his throat. He originally thought that news about the Bis Empire would not reach neutral areas, but he was wrong. Now that Teacher Letika already knows the news, more people actually already know it.

Luoluo, who was sitting next to him, held Aika's hand tightly. Although she didn't show it on her face, she was very nervous inside.

"I have also heard about the news coming from the Bisi Empire. However, there is no photo or name of the person. It is now confirmed to be inaccurate gossip." Principal Phyllis did not look at Aika. , the words did not pause, and were firm enough, "There are many students in Shuoyue Academy who have their own secrets, and we will not delve into the hidden things behind them. Maybe the students who hold 'Mechanical Alchemy' are also in Shuoyue Academy, but they have never been This power has never been used. This is not something we need to care about. If we don’t want to use this power, even if we force it, it will not help. Frost Moon Academy advocates freedom and equality, so I don’t need to say more.”

Being able to express the facts they knew in another obscure way without wavering, everyone once again realized the depth of Principal Phyllis's worldly experience.

As long as this statement is used, even if one day Aika's "mechanical alchemy" ability is exposed, it can still be reasonably explained.

"Everyone, look at the screen carefully."

After ending the topic of magic costumes, Principal Phyllis brought everyone's attention back to the three-dimensional model of the ruins displayed on the screen.

"As you can see, the ruins of our target are a floating island with a height of about five thousand meters. Only aviation guided ships can reach that height. Our 'Mistas' has already asked the instructors of the equipment department and support department to The students have all prepared together and are ready to go at any time.”

"No wonder Dean and Bethany have been so busy recently. It turns out they are preparing the aviation magic ship."

Instructor Wilber suddenly realized that the two people she was talking about were probably the instructors of the equipment department and the support department, and Aika had never dealt with them.

"Please note that the environment around the ruins is very harsh, and thunderclouds accumulate within a certain range. The information we inferred before this was only based on theory, and we need to go there in person to know the specific situation."

Principal Phyllis pointed out the main premise in her explanation, that is, there may be errors in this information, and the environment she visited may be far beyond imagination.

"Um, Principal Phyllis..." Aika raised his hand hesitantly before the formal explanation began, "Can I ask a question?"

"Oh? Aika-san, what's the problem?"

Principal Phyllis narrowed her eyes at Aika as if she saw something interesting.

She thought Aika would remain silent during this explanation, but she didn't expect him to take the initiative to ask questions.

"May I ask what evidence you have found to prove that the ruins are the origin of 'mechanical alchemy'?"

Aika thought that there was no record of "mechanical alchemy" now because the "Chise" family was more completely hidden than the "Heinz" family.

Principal Felice's brows twitched slightly, and then she closed her eyes.

"The large library of Shimozuki Academy contains many documents that are 'original' that do not exist elsewhere. Of course, not everyone can access them."

Aika also knew that important documents and magic books were placed on the fourth floor of the large library, and Principal Phyllis seemed to have no intention of hiding this information.

Only librarians with special authorization from Frost Moon Academy like Lilith-senpai can enter, but they are also completely restricted in terms of access, and they will only be sorted out regularly.

Aika once entered the library on the fourth floor under the leadership of Senior Sister Lilith. Even the documents that could be browsed were completely incomprehensible.

"'Mystis' will set off tomorrow, and will be in charge of Instructor Letika and Instructor Wilber. You must follow the instructions of the instructors."

"Are you leaving tomorrow?"

Luoluo was a little surprised by this tight schedule, and accidentally asked the question about Principal Felice.

"Your purpose this time is to investigate the environment around the ruins. If everything goes well, you can return within three days."

If that ruin is really the origin of "Mechanical Alchemy" and Principal Phyllis still lets Aika go there, then her purpose is definitely not just as simple as investigating the surrounding environment.

Although the four people who knew the truth were all aware of this fact, there was no way to bring it up when everyone was here, so they could only acquiesce to Principal Phyllis's arrangement.

After the time was set, Principal Phyllis continued to explain.

"The surrounding environment of the ruins includes both outside the barrier and inside the barrier. It is speculated that the thunderstorm layer will not encounter monsters, and after passing through the thunderstorm layer, you will enter the barrier. The ruins themselves are a source of magic power, attracting a large number of monsters to gather, so It is very dangerous inside the barrier. We need to investigate the types and ecological environment of the monsters before we can carry out a large-scale investigation. However, according to information from other sources, it seems that the monsters will not enter the ruins. If they are chased by the monsters and have no way out, the ruins will If it happens to be opened, it will be safe to enter the ruins."

"It turns on by chance... It shouldn't be such a coincidence..."

Teacher Wilber was dumbfounded by Principal Phyllis's "baseless" speculation.

But after hearing what Principal Phyllis said, Aika knew why she had chosen to join the investigation team among the students. She wanted the Fiery Eyes to open the ruins and ensure the safety of the investigation team when necessary.

Although I felt like I was being used, I felt much more relaxed now that I knew Principal Phyllis's purpose.

Just ensure a safe escape route, which you should be able to do. The only thing to note is that when activating the ruins, you have to avoid being noticed by others, and you still can't expose your magic equipment, and then use Principal Phyllis's "coincidence" as an excuse.

"So do you have any other questions? If there are no questions, let's stop here today."

Go back and get ready for tomorrow. Principal Phyllis’s words concealed this meaning.

…………

Instructor Letika and Instructor Wilber were separated from the students in the lobby on the first floor of the office building.

"Telua-senpai is participating voluntarily?"

He still didn't know the reason why Tirua-senpai participated in the ruins exploration, and it was not convenient to ask such a question in the principal's office just now.

The purpose of this ruins exploration was closely related to him. The girls around him were probably just dragged down by him, but they didn't seem dissatisfied.

"Principal Phyllis may be thinking about needing a third-year student to guide you... I think he has also looked for Xiaoye. I don't know why he is not here."

Akatsuya-senpai and Tiruya-senpai are both in the student union and the Assault Section. The only difference is that the latter was once the leader of the "Discipline Team". The "Discipline Team" has actual experience in contact with World of Warcraft, and Principal Phyllis should also take this aspect into consideration.

"Everyone should go back and have a good rest today. It should be very hard starting tomorrow."

Tirua-senpai said meaningful words in a light tone, and everyone laughed bitterly in unison.

This is not the first time that I have been suddenly pulled into something inexplicable. Maybe I don’t have any resistance now just because I am used to it.

If possible, Aika really doesn't want to be adaptable in that sense.

"Ling, is the work of the 'Discipline Team' still going well?"

When they were about to part, Senior Tiruya turned to Ling and asked.

During this period of time, neither Ling nor Senior Tiruya had met.

"Well, I have completely adapted to it."

Ling's answer was very straightforward and she didn't hide any emotions.

Hearing such an answer, Tylua-senpai nodded happily.

"I'm sorry, I haven't been to the 'Discipline Team' since I handed over the position of team leader to you. I've been worried about whether it would be too irresponsible to suddenly hand over all the work to you."

"Tylua-senpai, of course, you don't have to worry about the affairs of the 'Discipline Team' anymore. Just leave this to the team leader. Just like what you did before, I'm just following your example..."

Ling, who became more and more embarrassed as she spoke, buried her head deeply, and her voice became softer and quieter. In the end, even Aika beside her couldn't hear it at all.

"It seems there's really no problem."

Suddenly, Senior Tiruya stretched out her hand, gently placed it on Ling's head and stroked it back and forth, that's all.

This is also an acknowledgment of Ling, enough to be a sign of pride.

"Thanks……"

Ling's voice still didn't hesitate, but everyone knew that she would say this and she had tried her best.

If her long blond hair hadn't covered her cheeks, her expression would have been pouting and flushed, and Aika found it funny to think of her showing such an expression.

Then Ling quietly raised her hand and pinched Aika's arm hard.

"Telua-senpai, see you tomorrow."

Ling, who raised her head, had already adjusted her mentality, as if nothing had happened, or perhaps she had conveyed all those embarrassing emotions to Aika in another form.

"Um."

Senior Tiruya said goodbye to everyone with a smile, and her back disappeared in the light of the morning sun.

I thought it would be another ordinary day, but this illusion was shattered at the beginning along with the following days.

…………