Book 3: Chapter 289: A Vision of Friendship

December arrived, and the snow that year fell heavy and early.

Fluffy snowflakes drifted down from the sky, blanketing the world in pristine white, wrapping it in an unusual quiet.

Inside the towering station, the hiss and clatter of steam engines pierced through the cold. Amidst the swirling heat and bustling noise, laborers loaded crate after crate of supplies onto the train, cinching them down with ropes to secure them.

Beneath the towering iron locomotive, a group was preparing to depart, while many others had come to see them off.

Sylutia, dressed in a white winter gown, stood on the platform steps, waving goodbye to everyone.

Golden-haired, pink-dressed Lovier stood among the crowd, dazzlingly bright. Beside her was Aurora, that young lady still wearing her usual aloof expression, giving Sylutia only a slight nod. Then came the other classmates and acquaintances: Peline and Imei from Tetis College, Reginson, Spencer, along with a host of workshop representatives from Mishil District, members of the Inspection Department, Amisa and Master Ge Zhen from the Ninth Train, and Hu Tao, Anari, Four Fingers, and others she knew from Asra District.

How time flies. Sylutia gazed at each familiar face, reminiscing over the years she'd spent here, and felt a faint tug of reluctance.

Still, such feelings wouldn't hold her back. She would continue moving forward.

The train's whistle blared. Sylutia hugged Lovier, that ever-energetic young lady who today had tears welling in her eyes, her rims red.

"Alright now, it's not like I'm vanishing forever. I'll come back to visit," Sylutia said, patting Lovier's shoulder and back to reassure her.

"Mm." Lovier wiped her eyes, then stepped back and stood tall.

After that, Sylutia boarded the train. As the wheels slowly turned, the figures before her gradually receded. The train picked up speed, and finally roared into the vast expanse of white fog and wind-driven snow.

The Gale Season had ended, and with it, the gentle blue skies and crisp, refreshing breezes.

Unbroken fog and gloom shrouded the heavens. Even on the rare occasions when it thinned, the sky remained veiled behind clouds, making sunlight a distant memory.

This was the "Sinking Fog season," the time when the Mist Shadow and Slumbering Winter Aspects were most active, and the harshest period for ordinary folk.

...

On the train, Sylutia sat by the window, lost in memory, her gaze lingering on the frost-covered glass until creeping frost patterns completely obscured the view outside.

Just then, a slender finger reached out and gently wiped away part of the frost, revealing a sliver of the outside world. Sylutia snapped back to the present and turned her gaze toward the figure sitting across from her.

A full, elegant bust rested lightly against the table. Pale pink silk adorned with golden embroidery, beautiful champagne-colored hair falling in soft strands before her, pressed against her chest by folded wrists. Carmilla's light crimson eyes, clear as crystal, sparkled with a gentle smile as she looked at the young woman.

"Still thinking about the ones you just parted with?" she asked softly.

"Yes," Sylutia nodded slightly.

"But I'm getting over it now."

"Speaking of which, Carmilla, you're following me to the Hidden Grove..."

The Blood Clan princess across from her wagged a finger, then shook her head.

"What else would I do? Stay with the Mage Alliance forever? You're the only one there I was ever close to. If I didn't follow you, I'd be all alone there." She stated this with an unassailable logic.

"That does seem true." Sylutia tilted her head in thought, then nodded slightly.

As Hedra, her identity was unremarkable. As a Blood Clan princess, she possessed stunningly beautiful features, but to protect her identity, it was hard for her to get close to anyone else. Besides, that princess probably looked down on ordinary people and found them unworthy of her company. So aside from herself, she truly had no particularly close friends.

If she left, Carmilla really would be alone there. So this time, she had chosen to follow her to the Hidden Grove.

Sylutia's emotions settled. Her gaze and perception extended past Hedra behind her, spreading throughout the entire carriage and train. The footsteps of the attendants, the murmur of passengers, the subtle mechanical creaks and rattles of the carriage—all flowed clearly into her mind. She analyzed them, and finally, sketched out a vivid, three-dimensional picture of her surroundings.

Her eyes closed slightly as she savored the sensation this perception brought, then she opened them again.

No wonder they said Transcendents who step into the Fifth Tier become entirely different beings. The spiritual perception granted by "Luminous Moon," combined with the information memory and processing abilities of "Secret Word," together gave her something like an all-seeing radar.

Still, she'd never read about any veteran describing it quite this way. Perhaps it was because her constitution was special, different from ordinary people.

This journey to the Hidden Grove wasn't just her—there were thousands of mages accompanying her, most of them Second Tier and Third Tier members. Only about a dozen were Fifth Tier mages. In terms of status and position, she appeared to be the highest among them, and she was the leader of the mage contingent supporting the Hidden Grove Alliance.

There were several considerations behind not sending a Sixth Tier grandmaster mage to take this position. First, grandmaster-level mages usually had their own fields of research and undertakings. Going to the Hidden Grove would mean abandoning most of their research projects.

Second, if a grandmaster mage arrived at the Hidden Grove, protocol and tradition demanded they be given an equivalent status. In that case, the Hidden Grove Alliance would have few people of sufficient rank to keep them in check. If that grandmaster happened to be stubborn and uncooperative, it would cause endless headaches for subsequent arrangements.

Finally, both the Hidden Grove Alliance and the Mage Alliance placed exceptional trust in Sylutia and both agreed she should lead this support team. The result was that Sylutia became the highest-ranking person on this train and the chief person responsible for fulfilling the agreement.

Things had taken a winding and roundabout path, but in the end, the outcome miraculously aligned with what she had hoped for when she first left the Hidden Grove Alliance to come to the Mage Alliance.

To curb the outbreak of war, to learn the Mage Alliance's advanced experience, to understand and bring back cutting-edge mechanical technology frameworks—all of this she had accomplished, and the results were perfect.

The only thing to watch out for was how to explain her identity and name. Fortunately, per the negotiations between the Hidden Grove and the Mage Alliance, there was no rush to reveal the truth, and she would continue operating under the identity of Hedra.

After sorting out the current situation, Sylutia stood up, planning to check the carriages behind. As the overall commander of this expedition, she couldn't just stay hidden the whole time. She should at least show her face, inspect things, and get a sense of the situation.

Upon hearing her intentions, Carmilla nodded slightly and fell in step behind her. The word "also" was apt because the moment Sylutia rose, the Inspection Department members who had been stationed at the back of the carriage also stood and followed closely.

For this trip to the Hidden Grove, the Inspection Department had dispatched over a dozen members, with Cerise serving as captain to assist Sylutia.

And so, leading a team of sword-bearing members in deep blue uniforms, Sylutia made her way toward the rear carriages.

Along the way, mages fell silent the moment they saw Sylutia, their gazes filled with reverence and admiration toward this young woman. Though many of them were older than her, this young woman was beyond their reach in knowledge, skills, strength, and status.

Unlike warriors, the profession of a mage made differences in knowledge and skill readily apparent. There was no need for an arena duel—a mere exchange of words, a bit of guidance, could reveal the gap clearly. And the deeper one delved into a field, the more keenly one understood the existence of such a divide. It couldn't be explained away by a stroke of luck.

The edifice of truth was built upon solid theories as its foundation, each interconnected, forming a rigorous logical system. Within such a system, there was a natural reverence for those who could master and expand the system—and this young woman walking past them was exactly such a person.

"Lady Hedra!"

"Senior Hedra."

One excited young voice after another rang out, and many stood up to bow.

"Hello, thank you. There's no need for such formalities." Sylutia nodded slightly and raised her palm, gesturing for everyone to remain seated.

"This time, we're heading to a distant southern nation to assist with local development and the spread of education. It's a heavy task."

"But I believe everyone can overcome the setbacks along the way and ultimately fulfill our mission. What you carry on your shoulders is the friendship between the two Alliances, and the brand-new future of the Fourth Continent." Sylutia spoke simply.

"I will do my utmost to assist and lead everyone in realizing this beautiful vision." Her voice rang out clearly across the entire train, echoing for a long time.