Witch Troupe and the Undead

It sells all kinds of magical items, enchanted equipment, and accessories. Of course, it also sells all kinds of commonly used materials and stationery. Students can access these shops through the academy's entrance and enjoy a 20% discount.

Although it was winter, the garden seemed unaffected. Abundant magic flowed through the water, sparkling with colorful specks. Light spots formed by elemental spirits danced across the garden. In the center was an unremarkable fountain. Compared to the neat and beautiful garden and the white pebble-paved path, this gray fountain looked old and dilapidated.

“This was built by the sage who founded the academy, so no one dares to tear it down,” Rhine explained.

"Hmm... I'll die." Livia nodded her little head a few times, pointing her staff towards the fountain. Instantly, brilliant runes flashed across the joints where the ordinary stones connected.

“Once it’s filled with human blood, it will trigger a large-scale arcane ritual. I don’t quite understand it either~” Livia’s eyes sparkled. This was the first time she had encountered an arcane spell array that she herself didn’t quite understand. It seemed to be the key to activating a larger chain ritual.

Judging from her expression, Rhine knew that the chances of persuading this witch to stay had increased by at least 10%.

"So, why would that sage set up such a strange spell here?" Leslie reached out and dipped her hand into the clear water in the pool. Rows of coins of various colors lay at the bottom of the pool, which was obviously being used as a lucky draw pool.

“It’s very simple,” Alessina said, indicating that she knew the root of this design better than anyone else. After all, the beastmen were closer to the battlefield than the imperial people, so she knew very well why the sage had set the activation plan to blood.

"If the academy's fountain is irrigated with human blood, it means a massacre has occurred within the academy, with students and guards being slaughtered en masse. The blood seeps into the ground or flows into the water, eventually reaching the fountain. When the fountain is filled with blood, it means..."

“The academy has suffered a disaster beyond human control, with heavy casualties. It’s time to activate this secret ritual chain.” Rhine understood.

"Hey, you guys, what are you doing here..." Two young men wearing black robes, leather vests, and red armbands rushed over.

"Hmm!?" The little witch leaned on her staff and looked at the two of them, seemingly a little shy as she pulled her large hat down a bit. After all, it didn't seem quite right to be studying someone else's arcane lock on their turf. The little girl tugged at Roche and hid behind him. However, this action also revealed the golden arcane triangular badge on her chest.

"Ah! Your Highness, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I thought you were tourists from out of town~" The boy in the lead slammed on the brakes, bowed his head, apologized, and pulled his companion away in one fell swoop, leaving Livia no time to react.

Instead, Luo Qi saw a familiar expression on their faces, an expression that made him miss them dearly—the expression of someone who had skipped class and wandered around campus only to bump into the department head. When he was still Professor Luo, he had seen this kind of thing quite often. This youthful panic made Luo Qi shake his head and chuckle to himself.

"Let's continue. If we walk forward and enter the main gate, we'll reach the academy's main teaching building." The academy's main teaching building, dormitory buildings, the southernmost living quarters building, and the backyard enclosed by a wall behind the living quarters building divide the school into four parts.

The central area is the teaching area, shaped like the Chinese character "工" (gong). The northernmost horizontal line is the main teaching building, and the central vertical line consists of three towers arranged from north to south, along with the buildings connecting them. These are the libraries of various schools of thought, and some subjects, such as astrology, are studied in the central and tallest tower.

The two wings house faculty and staff offices, laboratories, and specialized classrooms. The southernmost horizontal building is the dormitory building. On either side of the tower area, there are two passageways leading underground, which also leads to a library—a forbidden library not open to students, containing only rare and highly complex books.

Passing through the dormitory building leads to the living area, which resembles a small town. At the southernmost end is the living building, which houses the canteen, convenience store, and activity areas for various student organizations. Of course, it also includes essential living facilities such as bathrooms.

The back garden in the living area is used for students' daily rest and is occasionally used to host large-scale events such as debates and major magic tests. The two wings house training grounds, practice rooms, and other facilities. Compared to renting an alchemy workshop outside, the school's practice rooms, although lacking in materials and with older tools, are free!

Therefore, it is often necessary to make an appointment in advance to secure a usage time. Behind the dormitory building is a wall and a barrier leading to the kitchen and warehouse area, which also connects to the south gate of the academy city.

The dormitories for the school staff and patrol guards are also there. The guards patrol along the wide surrounding walls to prevent anyone from sneaking in. Except for the ones in the front courtyard, the towers on the city walls are all guard towers. At night, they activate some kind of magical detection device to ensure that there are no blind spots or shadowy areas for sneaking.

"It is precisely because of these comprehensive facilities that many mages are willing to accept employment from the royal family." The so-called freedom and academic achievements are simply insignificant in comparison. Compared to the slight constraints they are subject to, this convenience is extremely tempting for most arcane mages. Besides, does one have freedom if they do not accept employment from the empire?

That's not necessarily true, because studying elsewhere means even more strict personal restrictions imposed by mentors—you might not even find a mentor willing to take you on as an apprentice, even if you're willing to pay that price. You also need to have talent and potential.

Everyone understood Rhine's eagerness to introduce the situation, and to be honest, Roach wasn't really against the suggestion, but they needed to get the witch's hut over first, and they also needed to settle Black Horse in.

"The academy is divided into four sub-academies, which are..."

"Eagle-badger-lion-snake?" Castle, magic, academy, four sub-academies—when you put all these elements together, what do you think Roach would think of first?

“Uh…no.” Rhine didn’t know where Master Roach had studied, but the Imperial Academy certainly didn’t divide things that way.

"The four academies are: the General Education Academy, whose members wear blue robes and turquoise necklaces; the Arcane Academy, whose members wear white robes and sapphire necklaces; the Alchemy Academy, whose members wear gray robes and topaz necklaces; and the Stargazing Academy, whose members wear black robes and sterling silver necklaces."

The general education college is where students learn normal knowledge and train civil servants and administrators. Most of the gilded nobles are from this college, but there are also many commoner students. After graduation, they can at least serve as officials at the level of "general manager" or "executive" in noble territories. Therefore, the competition is extremely fierce.

Needless to say, the schools of arcane arts and alchemy teach arcane magic and mystical knowledge. The former is the largest sub-school of the academy, and almost the entire academy serves this school. However, it has the fewest students, since there are not many people with arcane magic talent, and the cost of training one person is extremely high.

The alchemy academy is the opposite. There are many of them, but most of them are "magical craftsmen" from the "Creation Department" and "alchemists" from the "Potion Department". There are very few refiners from the "Refining Department" and rune masters from the "General Department". The former is too low-end and the latter is too high-end.

The Stargazing Academy mainly teaches divination, and many of its students are gilded, mostly female. This seems to be due to the common perception that witches are associated with mystery and divination. However, the number of people with the talent to learn stargazing and divination is actually very small. Most students just learn the basic concepts to avoid being scammed.

On the other hand, for these noble ladies, having a basic understanding of astrology, so they wouldn't be deceived by various rural swindlers, was already enough to make them a suitable tool for marriage.

“Although all four colleges have noble students, the alchemy college has the fewest noble students, and they are the most diligent. Next are the esoteric students. The general studies and astrology colleges are full of useless students. Don’t be too polite if you encounter them,” Rhine said, leading Roach and his group through the main teaching building toward the college offices in the east wing.

The interior of the main teaching building is extremely luxurious. Even by Earth's standards, it would be considered a luxurious yet elegant and classic design. The floor is covered with clean carpets, the stair railings are made of white marble, and the central hall is adorned with three exceptionally luxurious crystal chandeliers. The crystals of these chandeliers are suspended on mithril supports, making them some kind of magical lighting fixtures.

In contrast, the college's office building appears rather old and dilapidated, with wooden floors that creak underfoot.

“Hmm~” Livia nodded at Roach, confirming his guess. This building was also part of that super-large arcane lock, which was why it maintained its rather dilapidated state.

"Sir Rhine, are you here to borrow manpower again?" The female sorceress, carrying books and wearing a green robe, asked with a smile. There were no uniform requirements for the faculty, so they could wear any color of clothing.

"No, I brought two masters here for a visit; perhaps they will be willing to join the academy."

"Master?" The female mage glanced at Luo Qi, not noticing anything unusual. However, most alchemists would do the same before pulling out their most precious treasures. But the little witch made her take a second look. Had he mastered his skills and left the mountain at such a young age? Then she suddenly felt that something was amiss. Should she take another look?

"Ah, Your Highness the Witch~!" The female mage hurriedly tried to bow, but it was inconvenient because she was holding a book. Her face turned red, and it took her a long time to slightly bend her knees in a bow before running away in a panic.

There are fewer than five sages and witches of the same caliber in the academy. Apart from the old dean who inherited the title of sage from his mentor, the rest are just figureheads. They might give a few classes when passing through the capital once a year, and that's the limit. As for those who actually join the academy and stay there long-term... don't even think about it.

[Image found online]

Image: "Witch 1", Location: "Images/1740965825-100413275-113060525.jpg"

Image: "Witch 2", Location: "Images/1740965836-100413275-113060525.jpg"

Image: "Black Cat Witch", Location: "Images/1740965850-100413275-113060525.jpg"

Chapter 224 The Witch of a Hundred Faces

The group walked through a corridor that smelled of old wood and arrived at the Dean's office on the top floor. From the windows of the corridor, they could see the entire courtyard. Because it was close to Midwinter, the Royal Academy was on holiday, and only a few students were on campus.

The dean's office is located at the northernmost end of the east wing, at the angle between the main building and the east wing city wall, a very strange location. Of course, after everyone pushed open the door, they all felt that it was more appropriate to place it in this way.

The rather spacious room was filled with numerous workbenches and square tables, haphazardly piled with books, notes, and scrolls. Against the wall, huge bookshelves were stacked with specimen bottles, making it look like some kind of dark magic laboratory.

In the center of the room, a large pot of green, viscous liquid was boiling in a crucible. Roach knew at a glance that it was an alchemical refining fluid, a neutralizing liquid used in refining to neutralize specific elemental media that he didn't need, forming soft elemental impurity crystals, thus obtaining a purer elemental essence.

"Wind element purifier, hmm, it's almost burnt~" Livia pointed out that this big pot of stuff was about to be ruined.

"Oh~ I forgot~" an old voice rang out, and the liquid in the pot rose rapidly, splitting into dozens of viscous columns that fell into the prepared large alchemical vials.

"Oh, a child I don't recognize~" An owl with a wingspan of about one meter landed on the shelf next to the cauldron, a pair of glasses clipped to its nose. "Hmm, this badge looks familiar. It shouldn't be yours, right? Was it left by your mentor?"

“Hmm~” Livia nodded. This golden badge really did belong to her mentor, but she was also very curious about how the giant owl had made that judgment.

"Hmm, it seems my memory is still pretty reliable~" The owl let out a very strange chuckle. "After all, if a cute child like you were to receive the title of witch, I would remember it very well."

"Let me reintroduce you~" The owl spread its wings, and its feathers transformed into a colorful gray cloak. A middle-aged man with short gray hair and an androgynous face appeared before everyone. He still wore the small glasses on the bridge of his nose. His or rather her eyes and eyebrows were gray, and her face was covered with a little bit of paint.

“Elena, the shapeshifter of Antasia, the witch of a hundred faces,” the other person revealed a gentle smile, “and coincidentally, she is also the dean of this academy.”

"Judging from your confused expressions, it seems you've never heard of me? Or are you unfamiliar with the term 'Transformer'?" Elena snapped her fingers, and several high-backed chairs moved over. "There's nothing strange about that, because if you were someone familiar with me, or a spellcaster who knew these basic facts, you definitely wouldn't be standing here like this."

This is her office, her workshop, and her ritual site. For a strange spellcaster to dare stand in another witch's ritual site without any precautions, he probably has never heard of her or is completely ignorant of these "common sense" facts.

"Antasia is the name of a city in the southern part of the Empire. Our heritage is quite different from the mainstream of the Empire, and a shapeshifter is a title for a sorcerer who has mastered shapeshifting magic."

Transfiguration magic originates from the life source, which is also one of the legitimate sources officially recognized by the Empire. Like other life source mages, they also use the life force of all things to change and strengthen themselves. However, the manifestation of this is that they use arcane rituals to transform themselves into powerful life forms, such as powerful monsters and beasts. They are much worse at enhancing the spells of others.

In other words, these shapeshifters' abilities are similar to those of druids that Roach has heard of in other fantasy stories. However, they are not environmentalists, but proper otherworldly biologists. To perform arcane shapeshifting, they must understand the target of their transformation.

Dissection, breeding, observation, and synthesis are their common methods. In addition to their own transformation, they are also good at transforming and splicing other life forms. In other words, this group of people are experts in creating chimeras.

However, training as a shapeshifter is extremely difficult, because one can easily lose their shape and not be able to transform back. Moreover, creating chimeras and hybrids can also cost them their lives. Things that are not ferocious enough are not very useful, while things that are too ferocious can often backfire.

"It seems you're quite interested in shapeshifting~" Elena served tea to everyone, much more peaceful and friendly than expected. However, apart from Roach and Livia, everyone else looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy—those legendary stories of turning people into frogs originated from these shapeshifters!

“Hmm~” Livia nodded vigorously. She was indeed very interested because the Transfiguration spell was very difficult. Even her mentor, Niel Riley, didn’t know it. Or rather, as a half-elf, she had inherited some of the values ​​and personality traits of elves and was somewhat averse to Transfiguration, a spell that directly distorts nature and life.

The magic and supernatural powers in this world mostly contain elements of idealism. If you reject this kind of magical theory, then it means that you will never be able to learn it.

"Well, if you're interested, you can come here to borrow relevant books and materials. However, it's best not to try practicing without the supervision of other shapeshifters. It would be such a waste for such a lovely child like you to turn yourself into something strange."

“Hmm!” Livia indicated that she understood. She was not some novice apprentice. Although she seemed a bit dull, she was indeed a spellcaster with the corresponding abilities of a witch and had a deep understanding of the dangers of magic.

"So, Sir Rhine, you brought them here to complete their onboarding procedures?" Elena took a sip of herbal tea. "No ordinary visitors would be brought here. If it's for education, I don't think anyone here is capable of teaching a witch."

"But wasn't this emblem left by Livia's mentor?"

“Kid~” Elena glanced at Roach, “The emblem of a witch or sage will only be passed down when the apprentice reaches the level he approves of. In other words, when she received her mentor’s emblem, it meant that she had already gained her mentor’s approval and was qualified and capable of wielding the emblem, but she had not yet undergone the corresponding joint assessment.”

"Although the titles of Sage and Witch obtained in this way might be somewhat... well, exaggerated, generally speaking, there is no difference for ordinary spellcasters." Since it's all the same whether the opponent is level 99 or level 100, it doesn't make much difference.

"Of course, to participate in the formal evaluation, you need at least three sages or witches to conduct the assessment ceremony for you, and you also need to have your own representative achievements. I haven't heard of any new major achievements in the various fields of arcane arts recently, so this child is probably not qualified to participate in the assessment."

The achievements will serve as the witch's title. For example, she herself is proficient in transfiguration and has inscribed the arcane ritual on her soul and body through the life ritual, achieving the highest level of alchemy and arcane arts, "human transmutation." This allows her to freely switch between multiple prepared life forms, thus earning her the title of "Hundred Forms."

"Why an owl?" Livia's focus was different from everyone else's.

"Oh, you actually ask that? I thought no one would ask such questions after the teacher passed away." Elena laughed heartily.

Whether it's a student, a colleague, or another witch or sage of the same level, no one would ask so directly why her transformation is an owl, for fear that it involves some unique secret. Respecting the unique secrets of other spellcasters is a basic etiquette in dealing with each other.

"It's very simple. The owl is my familiar and also my first target for Transfiguration. I know it best, so when performing the 'Life Contract Inscription,' I naturally chose the form I'm most familiar with in order to maximize the success rate. This is a secret technique that involves tampering with one's own body and soul."

"Would you like to eat a rat?" It was Livia who asked this question, and only she could ask such a question.

"Well, at first it would happen occasionally, but after a period of overcoming it, it no longer affects me." Elena was clearly taken aback for a moment, but still answered the question.

"Oh~" The little witch nodded in confusion. She observed that the other person's soul had undergone obvious distortion, as if it were an amorphous mass that kept presenting various appearances. So she wondered if the other person's transformation was affected by the structure of an animal's soul, such as wanting to eat mice and insects.

"So, are you two ready to join the academy? The academy offers two types of contracts. Which one do you prefer?" Elena began her official duties as the dean.

The academy has two types of contracts. One type is the contract with other witches and sages. Simply put, it's just a nominal contract. Apart from the minimum annual salary and the supply of a few rare materials required by the other party, they are paid separately according to the duration and content of each lecture and teaching session. If they need materials beyond what is required by the contract, they need to meet the corresponding requirements of the empire, such as increasing the number of lectures or adding some more advanced content.

Another option is a formal employment contract, which grants unconditional access to all the academy's materials and resources, along with a regular high annual salary. If there are any material needs that the academy lacks, the Empire will do its best to meet them.

Of course, this also includes other benefits, such as access to the palace and the East District, residence and carriage arrangements in the capital, and dedicated attendants and servants. However, Elena didn't elaborate on this part, because spellcasters of this level receive the same level of treatment wherever they go, so there's no need to go into detail.

However, the second type of contract requires meeting the Empire's teaching requirements as much as possible. For example, there are requirements for weekly class hours and content, and the Empire's opinion must also be taken into account when recruiting formal apprentices (equivalent to graduate students).

Of course, the Empire wouldn't make excessive demands on such talents. Basically, these masters could simply sit in the capital and act as a huge safety net, even if they did nothing. Especially since, according to Rhine, Livia was an elemental sequence witch, which was equivalent to a large nuclear missile silo.

The witches of the elemental sequence may lack depth in their magic, or they may not achieve anything particularly special. After all, elemental magic is the oldest form of magic, and the results are generally similar. But they are truly explosive in firepower!

"In addition, the second type of contract has a specific condition: if a large-scale war breaks out, there is an obligation to participate in the war."

"You don't mind?" Roach asked in return.

"Ah, of course, I'm a shapeshifter~ I think I wouldn't mind if there were witches with the secrets of death and souls." Because the battlefield is the most suitable place for these two types of arcane mages.

For shapeshifters and life mages, the battlefield is full of corpses and dissipated life force, and the wounded soldiers are a good place to practice healing spells. Therefore, these two types of mages are not opposed to joining the army, just like necromancers love the battlefield the most.

Normally, the number of cadavers provided by the academy is limited. After all, according to the church's beliefs, such behavior is very evil. The empire can only secretly take some from death row inmates and send them over for her and her few shapeshifter apprentices to use. But on the battlefield, there are materials everywhere, tall and short, fat and thin, men and women, young and old.

Especially the corpses of superhumans, apart from those on the battlefield, can only be obtained through contracts from unlucky adventurers, and even then, it cannot be made public, and the cost is not small.

"But once on the battlefield, the corpses of extraordinary knights and other arcane mages are readily available."

Livia nodded seriously. Normally, she could only get her hands on corpses on the beach to collect any useful scraps, but in the previous battles, she had easily obtained several large bottles of soul essence.

“Well, but I still choose the first contract. It just means I’ll be staying here for a long time.” Roach decided to choose the first option, and Livia felt the same way. They really couldn’t stay away from the Living Forest for too long. Without the witch’s restraint, things would really go wrong if they stayed there for too long.

“Alright then,” Elena said, not surprised. After all, most spellcasters preferred the first type of contract, and even those who chose the second type did so mostly because they had no other choice.

Of course, this refers to high-level spellcasters. Mid- to low-level spellcasters usually fall into the second category because they wouldn't get any money or benefits under the first type of contract. Moreover, even the second type of contract doesn't offer Livia such favorable terms.

"As for you... well, alchemist, I need some time to arrange your treatment because alchemists are different from us mages." A mage can be identified just by looking at their badge, but not an alchemist. As mentioned before, these people are masters of forgery. If you look at the badges... I guarantee you can find hundreds of guys with the highest-level rank badges.

"However, I can arrange dormitories for you first. The academy's dormitories are at least more comfortable than the hotels outside." Although the decorations may not be as luxurious, they are more in line with the needs of spellcasters.

"As for the attendants you brought, unfortunately, they will either have to live outside or stay in the staff dormitory at the back." This is also a rule of the academy; otherwise, the place would be overcrowded and expenses would skyrocket.

“I don’t care~” Alessina said, indicating that she didn’t care. Leslie did have some objections, but as a “talent reserve”, few people cared about her opinion.

“Mermaid… how rare~” Elena’s eyes scrutinized Leslie, making her feel a little numb. That gaze was like an invisible scalpel.

"It's a pity. Ten years ago, I would definitely have studied it carefully, but now..." Elena shrugged. She wasn't so radical anymore, and her recent research focus was on some new types of monsters that had recently appeared, so she didn't have the time to do so.

Signing the contract didn't take long; it was just two pieces of parchment bearing the mark of the God of Contracts. Roach carefully examined the terms and conditions, which were indeed very lenient, just as previously stated. Then, like Livia, he wrote his name down.

"Neither of them has a surname..." Elena was a little surprised. Neither of these two people had a surname, which meant they weren't born into noble families, which was quite rare.

After saying that, she shook the bell on the table and summoned a maid to take Roach and the others to the dormitory area.

“Nier Riley’s apprentice… I can’t tell which secret realm she’s from at all. She seems to have knowledge of all of them. Where did she find such a treasure?” Elena muttered to herself. “Oh well, I’m not that lucky anyway. I’m used to it.”

Furthermore, Livia is indeed not suited to learning Transfiguration. Her mind is too simple. She can learn simple Transfiguration and malicious Transfiguration, but she cannot learn her own "Full Transfiguration". She is very likely to lose her original form after transforming.

The more complex and changeable one's mind is, the easier it is to transform one's soul and life form, and the less likely one is to be assimilated by bestiality. For a child like Livia, who is simple-minded and focused, learning this kind of transfiguration is like jumping into a fire pit.

"So, another one's gone." Elena thought for a moment, unsure whether to laugh or not. She'd actually outlived one of the half-elf witches; shapeshifters truly lived up to their reputation as the most resilient arcane mages.

After all, they can change their life form to fight against the decay of their body and soul. But even so, as the number of transformations increases, the distortion of the soul and body will inevitably accumulate. In other words, after a while, they will inevitably go to the land of death—but that time will be at least a hundred years later.

Other arcane mages usually say they are "dying soon" within one or two years, while those in the Soul Arcane Realm can live a little longer, around 10 years. However, for those in the Life Arcane Realm, regardless of whether they are shapeshifters or not, their "dying soon" usually means at least fifty years from now.

“I’ve actually outlived the witch of youth and immortality… I knew this title should have been given to me. What a weird title, Hundred Phases~ It sounds like some kind of shapeshifter…” Elena muttered to herself as she transformed back into her owl form, perched on a lamp stand near the ceiling, and continued reading a research notebook as thick as a brick.

Chapter 225 Number Escape: Brain Explosion Technique