Chapter 26: Academy? A Field for Reform Experiments!

When Sal first learned that Rain’s mentor was actually a transmigrator just like her, she couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied — why was there such a huge gap between their fates?

But now, after witnessing a series of this “Star Xuan Master’s” creations, she finally came to terms with it.

Eastern education systems, artificial intelligence… and even campus cards.

He truly deserves to be called a master.

If Sal had crossed over a few decades later, he might have already turned the entire continent into a technological era.

Though things already felt quite technological now—

No, not just technological, but far beyond anything Sal could even comprehend.

Still, there were obvious limitations, and most of these reforms seemed confined within the Cantoria Academy itself.

That meant he probably hadn’t found the right moment to push this technological revolution forward, or perhaps…

His ambition was only limited to this — to build, within his reach, something resembling the home he might never return to again.

Home…

When she thought of that word, Sal couldn’t help but reflect.

Did she miss home?

No, she realized she never really had a place she could call home.

Since she could remember, Sal had never seen her parents.

She only heard bits and pieces about them from conversations she eavesdropped on while living with her relatives.

Her parents were apparently archaeologists, and she should’ve grown up in the city.

But due to a rainstorm-related accident, the entire archaeological team they were part of was swept away by a mudslide and lost contact.

Sal had investigated the incident in detail when she was younger, but she never managed to find a single trace — not even one body — from her parents’ team.

It wasn’t surprising, really.

That natural disaster happened ten years ago, when rescue infrastructure and search equipment weren’t nearly as advanced as they are now.

So by the time Sal was one or two years old, she had already lost her parents.

Apart from the relatives who took her in temporarily, there was truly no place that could even barely be called a home.

Not to mention that after falling out with those relatives, she dropped out of high school and started working.

So… Sal didn’t really have a concept of “home.”

She couldn’t resonate with Star Xuan’s behavior.

(What’s the point, anyway? Even if you recreate a modern world here, it’s not the real thing.)

Still, despite not understanding, Sal deeply admired this… well, “almighty white-bearded Star Xuan.”

At least he truly worked hard — using a limited human lifespan to achieve things that even a dragon like her couldn’t accomplish in a lifetime.

Let’s not even talk about the big stuff.

Just look at this dormitory environment!

Look at this quality of education!

And that gatekeeper —

Ein.

Einstein.

Now tell her that isn’t impressive!

If this were the real world, he’d be sitting at the same table as Newton and Hawking!

And just as Sal followed Natiavida to the end of the corridor, expecting to climb some stairs next, she instead saw—

“Perfect timing, the lights are out now, no one’s using the elevator.”

Natiavida casually placed her right hand on a raised piece of white metal on the wall.

After about five or six seconds, the metal door before them split open, revealing a small enclosed space inside.

(You’ve got to be kidding me! You even made an elevator?!)

Sal was completely dumbfounded, standing there frozen as Natiavida pulled her inside.

Watching the red Arabic numbers on the half-transparent screen jump higher and higher, Sal felt mentally exhausted.

She had been shocked enough for one day.

At this point, even if someone showed her a budget-version intercontinental missile from another world, she wouldn’t be surprised anymore.

Natiavida, noticing Sal’s dazed, curious expression, thoughtfully began to explain.

“This thing’s similar to Little Ai — both are products of the Alchemy Department.

Basically, it transmits and converts magic energy through spell circuits to generate physical force that pulls the outer cables.”

“You just need to inject enough magic into the enchanted metal by the door to activate it.”

“For those of us living on the fifth floor, the magic consumption is about equal to casting a small Fireball spell.

Pretty practical overall.”

“That’s one of the few good things the Alchemy Department has done,” Vivian added sharply.

From their tone, both seemed rather critical of the Alchemy Department, even though it was part of their own school.

And since Natiavida’s views likely represented the stance of Cantoria’s entire magic division, it was clear — the magic side and alchemy side didn’t get along.

But Sal no longer had the energy to think about that.

Everything she’d seen today was already enough to keep her brain burning all night.

After the elevator reached the fifth floor, they turned left, went straight to the end, and arrived at Natiavida and Vivian’s dormitory.

This time, when Natiavida opened the door and invited her in first, Sal was mentally prepared — after seeing that luxurious corridor outside, she expected something extravagant.

So when she saw their dorm, which looked like a modern hotel suite, Sal only smiled faintly.

She was used to it by now.

It’s like putting Maotai liquor into a plastic water bottle.

The first time surprises you, the second time — not so much.

A dorm with a lounge, bathroom, kitchen, and private bedrooms?

Nothing to be shocked about.

Nothing to envy either!

“Don’t just stand there, Sal. Sit on the sofa for a bit. There are snacks on the table — help yourself.”

Back in the dorm, Natiavida clearly relaxed a lot.

She took off her shoes, left them on the rack, and walked barefoot across the wooden floor.

Vivian did the same, and Sal followed suit, sitting barefoot on the sofa.

“I’ll go tidy up the spare bed for Sal — be right back.”

Catching her breath, Vivian volunteered to handle the room.

Meanwhile, Sal sat stiffly on the couch, clearly uncomfortable.

She had never lived in such a clean, luxurious place — not in her previous life, nor this one.

And now she was supposed to stay here?

Who could’ve imagined that the world outside the academy and the world inside would be so different?

Just yesterday she was fighting over a blanket with Rain in a medieval-style inn, and now she was in a modern presidential suite!

Of course Natiavida noticed her unease.

So she cleared her throat and spoke up.

“Sal, you’re probably wondering why there’s such a big difference between the inside and outside of the academy, right?”

Sal nodded.

“The reason is simple — a few years ago, Cantoria Academy stopped being just an ordinary magic academy.”

Natiavida’s expression grew serious.

“It’s now more like a massive experimental field for reform.

Everything you see here — they’re all alchemical technologies that might someday be spread across the world.”