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"This teaching method actually sounds pretty interesting." Listening quietly to Selene's explanation, Luke formed a rough impression of Celestial Academy.
Compared to other universities' methodical, year-by-year advancement, Celestial Academy clearly championed letting strength do the talking, earning everything through strength. Perhaps it was precisely because of that educational philosophy that Celestial Academy had been able to become the Eastern Region's premier institution, one of the Ancient Kingdom's Four Great Academies.
"It is interesting, all the more so since you're this year's exam champion." An indescribable look crossed Selene's face. "As a rule, every exam-champion freshman receives ten percent more credits than an ordinary candidate, and inside the academy, those credits are very much a hot commodity."
Though Luke's identity as an Original Card crafter was rather special, neither Lilith nor Selene would over-interfere in his daily life, because doing so would only hinder Luke's growth. Of course, should any of the rats lurking in the dark dare to make a move against Luke, Selene would also make them understand that she was not someone to be trifled with.
"A hot commodity? Sounds more like being singled out as an easy target to me." Luke rolled his eyes. There was no way he'd miss Selene's meaning. Celestial Academy ran on a credit-ranking system, after all, so naturally everyone wanted more credits.
This senior sister is a bit wicked.
"When Master and I enrolled, both of us swept our entire cohort, and across all four years we swept the whole of Celestial Academy's cohort, and even the students a year or more above us," Selene said, a faint note of nostalgia creeping into her tone as she touched on her old academy days. "We hold rather high expectations for you."
"Then I really can't go disgracing the lineage." Catching what felt distinctly like a gust of humblebragging blowing his way, Luke's mouth couldn't help twitching at Selene's words.
Celestial Academy admitted only around a thousand candidates each year. The number was small, pitifully small even, but every candidate the academy did accept was, as a rule, ranked among that year's geniuses, near-prodigies, and prodigies.
In an environment like that, for both Lilith and Selene to have swept the entirety of Celestial Academy was proof enough that their strength was anything but ordinary.
"Of course it is. So work hard, little junior brother." Selene waved a small pink fist, then ended the call.
"Somehow both Master and this senior sister seem a touch unreliable. Is this what they mean by being cut from the same cloth?" Luke grumbled quietly at the sight, then lifted his head to look outside. "Night already?"
The sky overhead was awash with stars. Luke kept feeling as though he'd barely done anything, and yet time had slipped quietly past.
In truth, though, reconstructing Red-Eyes Black Dragon and crafting the Swords of Revealing Light today had already eaten up no small amount of his time, to say nothing of testing the Multiple Fusion Authority's effects afterward. Even Mana and Blanc had, by now, reverted to card form and returned into his body.
"In that case, it's time to give the Spirit-Value Aegis effect a try. I did promise Celestine back in Crescent Moon Land, but these past days I simply haven't had the time." Lifting a hand, Luke activated the Spirit-Value Aegis blessing, and immediately felt an aura brimming with the force of life seep, silent and unannounced, into the void, with himself as the coordinate.
Within the once-spare house, countless plants surged up out of the void, and Celestine, treading upon the vegetation as it welled forth, walked slowly out of the void to stand before Luke, like an elf stepping out of nature itself.
With Celestine's arrival, the entire room brimmed with the vitality of the natural world.
"Luke. We meet again." Her gentle voice was like that of a mother of the earth, and a moving smile graced Celestine's exquisite face, her eyes drifting now and then across her surroundings, clearly brimming with curiosity about everything before her. "I didn't expect it to actually succeed."
"I only went in with a give-it-a-try attitude myself." Hearing Celestine's words, Luke shrugged. "Are you comfortable?"
Although he'd summoned Celestine from Crescent Moon Land to the Magic Card Civilization's main plane through the Spirit-Value Aegis blessing, and felt nothing amiss in himself, he couldn't be certain whether Celestine, as the one being summoned, was in a normal state.
"I'm all right." Celestine closed her eyes, and only after a moment did she open them again, a deep serenity filling them. "My strength isn't much restricted, but the rules of the Magic Card Civilization's plane are more complete than those of Crescent Moon Land, so I'll still need some time to adapt."
Adapting meant that Celestine would be able to bring the full extent of her strength to bear on the main plane. Given that her true body was a World Tree, and that Crescent Moon Land had possessed complete World Rules before its shattering, it made sense enough.
Then again, this suggests that Crescent Moon Land's civilization, before it collapsed, might well have rivaled the Magic Card Civilization, Luke mused quietly to himself. I just don't know what could have caused a civilization that powerful to vanish, leaving behind only the Ancient Spirit Tree and Celestine in the end.
"Luke?" Seeming to sense the doubt in Luke's heart, Celestine called to him softly. Thanks to the Spirit-Value Aegis blessing, the World Tree's tree-spirit held no small amount of goodwill toward Luke.
"It's nothing. I just suddenly found myself wondering what caused Crescent Moon Land to collapse," Luke said.
"My apologies. I don't have any memory of that." At Luke's words, Celestine shook her head.
"Is that so?" Luke didn't press the matter further, only let a flicker of something curious cross his eyes as he looked at Celestine. "If an outsider had seen that scene just now, they might well think you were a card spirit I'd summoned."
Thinking back on it, the manner of Celestine's appearance really was quite similar to that of some high-tier card spirits.
"A card spirit? You could understand it that way." Celestine tilted her head. "After all, my Spirit Core is linked to yours, and it's because of you that I was able to leave Crescent Moon Land at all."
"The essence of it is still different," Luke said, shaking his head. "The Spirit-Value Aegis effect runs both ways. You can summon me to Crescent Moon Land just the same."
"But only to Crescent Moon Land." Celestine shook her head as well. "Comparatively speaking, that's rather too singular a thing."
"You know, I actually think Crescent Moon Land's environment is quite nice. Well suited for a peaceful retirement." Luke clapped his hands, bringing the topic to a close. "Anyway, let's set that aside for now. As long as we've confirmed you can move freely about the main plane through the Spirit-Value Aegis effect, that's enough."
"Mm." At Luke's words, Celestine gave a gentle nod, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at him gained a further measure of tenderness.
"It's getting late now. Let me take you out for a walk, and we can grab a bite to eat while we're at it." Luke's tone shifted as he asked, "Although, do you eat?"
Celestine's true body was the Ancient Spirit Tree, a World Tree, so Luke couldn't be sure whether Ashenvale's food would suit her, or whether a marvelous existence like a World Tree and its tree-spirit even needed to eat at all.