My physics masters couldn't possibly be grand mages.

"Ding!"

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, then slowly opened the doors...

Char heard Einstein take a soft breath.

Before me stretched a massive floor-to-ceiling window—a single, continuous pane of sunlight streaming in from the skylight overhead, casting a warm glow across the deep red carpet. The city of Balik appeared as a map beneath my feet.

The sea of ​​clouds surged in the distance, stretching all the way to the horizon.

"You are the highest-ranking and most distinguished magician on this journey, so this suite rightfully belongs to you."

Howard went in first, lifted the lid of the plate, and steam rose up.

Creamy mushroom soup, pan-fried cod, rosemary roast beef, rye bread, and a pot of hot coffee...

"This is your lunch."

He pointed to two neatly folded magic robes on the sofa, one white and one dark blue. A book and a stack of newspapers sat on the table beside them.

"These are your magic robes. You'll wear them when you get to the Tower of Truth. The book contains the Tower of Truth's rules. Remember to read them, because even at the sixth rank, there are some rules to follow within the Tower of Truth."

He paused, then added, "Actually, the main point is that within the Tower of Truth, higher-ranking students are not allowed to release mental pressure at will, as it could harm lower-ranking students. Also, they are not allowed to use offensive or harmful magic against colleagues or students unless in self-defense."

The Tower of Truth is protected by a barrier that autonomously determines and punishes offenders.

Einstein nodded, his gaze still fixed on the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

"Thank you for your help."

Howard bowed and left, the door closing silently.

The room was quiet for a while.

Xia's smile vanished instantly. He began to carefully survey the space on this floor, opening drawers, wardrobes, and even under sofa cushions, seemingly looking for something unusual.

He was unfamiliar with the methods of the magical world, but he believed that traces of the wind would remain; if the room had been tampered with, there should be traces left behind.

But Einstein was relatively relaxed; he sat on the sofa.

"I entered the airship as a sixth-tier mage; they wouldn't risk being discovered and listening to me. If they really wanted to test me, they'd have to send a mage of a 'higher tier' than me."

Char seemed to agree with Einstein's point, so he didn't continue and sat back down on the sofa.

Aren't you nervous?

Einstein's eyelids twitched slightly. "I'm seventy-six, son."

Char didn't speak.

Lunch took a long time. Einstein ate slowly, tasting a little of everything and drinking two cups of coffee. Char's appetite was so-so, but he finished his roast beef.

After they finished eating, the waiter came to clear the plates. Einstein asked someone to bring over a blackboard and began writing some equations on it that he couldn't understand.

Char nestled on the sofa, gazing at the clouds outside the window.

The clouds were thick and white, slowly receding. He watched for a while, then his eyelids began to feel heavy. He closed his eyes for a short rest.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he felt someone drape a blanket over him. He groggily opened his eyes.

The sky outside was no longer as bright as it had been.

Einstein remained seated on the sofa, but now he was engrossed in reading a newspaper.

"woke up?"

He took the top newspaper from the stack on the table and handed it to Xia.

"Take a look at this."

Char took the newspaper and unfolded it; the headline at the top caught his attention.

A mysterious sixth-tier being descends upon the Tower of Truth, shaking the fate of the sixth throne?

"Mysterious... Sixth-order?" Xia looked at Einstein. "Are they talking about us?"

"Keep reading."

Char followed the subtitle below.

[This newspaper has learned that a mysterious old man claiming to be Einstein has boarded the Orloren to teach at the Tower of Truth.]

According to sources, this person fully demonstrated all twenty-four Truth Runes, and his strength was approaching that of a sixth-tier individual.

Insiders speculate that he came for the last remaining "throne" of the Tower of Truth, which was originally considered to be Lord Meredith's for the taking...

"What is this sixth throne?"

"I don't know," Einstein shook his head, "but what's certain is that it's very important for sixth-order systems..."

"This..." Xia straightened up. "How does this mean we're trying to steal this?"

"The world is objective, child. It cannot be changed according to your will." He silently placed the newspaper he was holding on the table.

Xia slumped back onto the sofa, his face pale. "So, that means other sixth-tier beings will be watching us once we get to the Tower of Truth?"

Einstein was not surprised by this: "The moment we decided to enter the school in this way, we were destined to be unable to keep a low profile."

He unfolded the newspaper he had just put down, turned a page, and pointed to a certain section.

"Look here. Each issue of the newspaper will include articles on the main issues that high-level mages are currently debating."

Char picked up the newspaper and started reading.

"What is the nature of light? What is the nature of electricity? What is the nature of heat?" Einstein murmured softly, his eyes gleaming. "These were topics discussed two centuries ago in my time."

He smiled and took out a pipe and matches from his person.

"Splash—"

A match was struck, and the tobacco was lit. Einstein took a drag, and smoke billowed from the bowl, spreading across his face.

"This is the result of knowledge monopoly," he said, flicking out the match and throwing it into the ashtray.

"The most truthful lie in this world is one that's a mixture of truth and falsehood. While some of our things may be false, however..."

Einstein looked up, pointed to his head, smiled, and the wrinkles around his eyes gathered together.

"The things here are real."

"What if they're unreasonable and use magic on you directly?" Char asked worriedly.

"Then we need to present something powerful enough to intimidate them from the outset, making them consider the consequences of using magic against a Grand Magister..."

Einstein fumbled with the armrest of the sofa, lost in thought.

"What could possibly intimidate someone at the sixth rank?" Xia asked with a wry smile.

"Carrying a nuclear bomb?"

Xia was taken aback, but then he said, both amused and annoyed, "Do you think this is fireworks? Something you buy on the street?"

Just kidding.

Einstein smiled.

He paused, then stroked his pipe and asked, "Wouldn't your storage space be considered 'magic' in some sense?"

Xia was stunned, and a flash of inspiration struck him.

"That's right! This kind of power that can transcend time and space must be at a very high level!"

"After we disembark from the airship, if we run into trouble..." Einstein lifted his pipe, "I'll just throw this thing out, and then you can put it in your storage space."

But at that moment, the airship shuddered slightly.

Outside the porthole, the clouds parted—

What comes into view is a huge circular cavity. It is several hundred meters in diameter and has metal walls around its edges, making it clearly man-made.

Vines cascaded down from the top, hundreds of meters high, like a green waterfall. Green moss grew all around.

At the bottom of the circular cavity was a flat, deep green meadow, like a giant velvet carpet. A stream meandered through the center of the meadow, shimmering golden in the sunlight.

Inside this enormous hollow that could hold a mountain, the airship was like a moth that had strayed into a cathedral.

Passing through the void, a sudden sense of openness appeared.

A vast valley unfolds. Extensive forests, meadows, streams, and lakes.

The buildings are scattered in the valley. Although it is called the "Tower of Truth", it is a huge complex.

The Baroque and Gothic architectural spires gleamed magnificently in the sunlight, resembling a floating city amidst the swirling clouds...