h4Chapter 242: Department of Mental Arts/h4

After the ss ended, Eleanor made her way to the Department of Mental Arts to enrol in the Fundamentals of Psionics course. The department upied a separate building, a dome-shaped structure with a semi-circr silhouette.

Inside, she found the ce barren, almost devoid of life. Only a single desk stood in the hall, marked with a small sign that read Reception.

She nced around, reaching out with her senses, but felt nothing. "Hello? Anybody here? I came to register!" she called, her voice echoing through the empty chamber.

Silence answered her.

A few minutester, when her hope had nearly worn thin and she resolved to return another time, a woman stepped through a side door. She was strikingly beautiful, walking towards the exit as though she had not even noticed Eleanor standing in the centre of the hall.

The indigo robe she wore marked her as a professor. Eleanor straightened at once and said respectfully, "Professor, I came to enrol in this department. But I couldn’t find anyone. Could you help me, please?"

The professor turned her head, seemingly startled by the interruption. Her eyes narrowed, as though she were studying Eleanor for the first time. She said nothing.

"Am I not supposed toe? The academy offered this course... then why such a cold reception?" Eleanor thought.

Steadying her mind, she spoke again, "Professor, I came to enrol in Fundamentals of Psionics. The academy has offered me this course, and I intend to take it."

This time the professor seemed to hear her clearly. "I know nothing of any cadet being permitted to join this department in their primary term," she said curtly. "The course you mention belongs to the Intermediate Term. In truth, our department is nearly closed. Wait here. I will speak with the head of department."

Without another word, she turned and walked back down the corridor she hade from. The door shut slowly behind her, leaving Eleanor alone in the silent hall.

She sighed, gazing at the closed door. "It seems the people of the Department of Mental Arts are... entric. I shall have to deal with them in future, but still... how is this ce even functioning?"

"This reception hall was sealed off on all sides, no windows, no sign of life. The shing neon pink walls beside acid green ones set her nerves on edge. It’s as if they designed this room to irritate or drive visitors away. Aside from the lonely desk, there was not a single piece of furniture. Is this how they treat their guests?"

Fortunately for Eleanor, her mind was among the toughest to unsettle. The oppressive colours, the emptiness, the silence... none of it shook her resolve.

While Eleanor was still lost in thought, the professor returned... this time with a radiant smile. "Girl! You carry the Mind Reaver bloodline... why didn’t you say that earlier? We have a policy: anyone who has awakened the Mind Reaver line may enter our department at any time. Come here."

She walked briskly to the reception desk and pulled a document from the drawer. Eleanor followed, noting with some amusement the professor’splete transformation... her coldness reced with cheer, her face practically glowing. It was a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

"Doesn’t this department have an official to handle enrolment procedures?" Eleanor asked curiously.

The professor replied lightly, "Yes, of course. But as this is only the primary term, we weren’t expecting any new cadets. The clerks are on vacation. Don’t worry... I’ll handle it. It’s super easy. By the way, I am Professor Seren Rhosyn Starglimmer, a fairy. You may call me Professor Seren. And you, girl... what’s your name?"

Finally, Eleanor could rx into a semnce of normal conversation with this whimsical fairy. "I am Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor."

"Oh! You’re a Raynor? That exins your power." Seren’s eyes twinkled. "Tell me, who is Fiona to you?"

"She is my grandmother. Do you know her?" Eleanor asked.

"Of course I do!" Seren beamed. "She was my student... the brightest I ever taught. A marvellous mind. I hope you can live up to her reputation." She slid the document across the desk. "Now, read this contract. It states that whatever you learn in this department will remain with you. You may use our spells, you may develop them... but you may not share or teach them to anyone outside, not even your family. Only professors of this department are allowed to discuss them with you."

Eleanor’s brow furrowed in puzzlement.

Seren exined with a knowing smile, "Ah, naturally... you don’t yet understand. Spellcasters everywhere are notorious hoarders of knowledge. They guard their secrets jealously, sharing only scraps. That is why the ancient elemental families remain so powerful... they hoard thousands of years of spells, passing them only within their bloodlines."

"The academy has tried to counter this... creating widely essible spells for basic training, preserving knowledge in libraries, even making high-grade spells avable for sale under legal frameworks. And yet... elementals still die with priceless knowledge locked away, taking it to their graves. That is why so many of their departments are stagnant, with barely any truly effective high-grade spells."

Her voice softened, almost conspiratorial. "But we are different. In this department, we share everything we possess with our cadets. Every scrap of wisdom, every spell, every secret. The only restriction is this... you must not spread our knowledge to outsiders. Not because we are greedy... but because once others learn how our powers work, they will devise countermeasures against us. Do you understand now?"

Eleanor nodded. "Yes, I understand." She took the document from the professor and read it within seconds. It was exactly as the professor had described, only expressed in more legal and exacting terms.

The professor said, "Signing the contract is simple. You need only drop a single drop of blood on the paper and it will be sealed. This contract is authorised by Lord Yggdrasil himself, so if you ever try to void it, the Lord’s power will punish your soul. Believe me... death is a far better fate than betraying this bond."

Eleanor did not hesitate. She pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall upon the parchment. At once, a suffocating pressure enveloped her, crushing her chest for the briefest moment. Then it vanished, reced by a cleansing rush, a refreshing energy that coursed through her body like cool spring water.

The professor smiled, retrieving the document. She tucked it neatly into the drawer and brought out aptop. After tapping rapidly for a few moments, she closed the device and ced it back in the drawer. Looking up, she said, "That is all. You are now officially a student of this department. Check your academy status and confirm."

Eleanor touched the device on her wrist, and a screen bloomed into view.

[Course Selection: Primary Term]

Mandatory Course:

1. Basics of Cultivation

2. Introduction to Supernatural Ethics & Law

Major Course:

1. Department of Combat (School of Mixed Martial Arts)

Optional Course:

1. Fundamentals of Psionics

Please select any one within four days:

1. Introduction to Alchemy

2. Basics of Forge

3. Cultivation History and Paths Healing Arts

4. Introduction to Formation and Arrays

5. Wilderness Survival

6. Magical Botany & Herbology

7. Music of the Spheres

8. Familiar Handling & Care

Instruction: Contact relevant departments for further inquiries. Your academic profile will now be essible on this screen.

Note: Library options are now avable. Do you wish to enter the library? Y/N

[Tap the blue button to open or close the screen.]

Without thinking, Eleanor gave the mentalmand to enter the library. She wasn’t sure how it worked, but to her delight, themand seeded... the screen shifted.

[Virtual Library: For Cadet 10156659]

Select any book you wish to read.

The Architecture of Thought

The Unobserved Mind: A Beginner’s Field Guide

Logic’s Razor: Trimming the Unnecessary

Layers of the Game: Seeing the Board Others Miss

The Gambit of the Mirror King

Probability and Perception: Calcting the Unknowable

The Mask and The Mechanism: A Primer on Persona

Emotional Alchemy: Transforming Feeling into Fuel

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The Silent Language: Reading Microexpressions

Influence and Its Countermeasures

Lateral Thinking

Puzzles for the Aspiring Adept

A Brief History of Thought: From Oracles to Algorithms

A Field Guide to Cognitive Distortions

Rituals for Focus: Preparing the Mind for Work

The Ascendant Mind

[Tap the blue button to close the screen.]

Just as Eleanor was wondering how she might read these books from the interface, Nora’s voice chimed in her mind. "Master, you are meant to read them from here. But I’ve already located the server that hosts these books... and many more. I can download them to yourptopter."

"Thank you, Nora," Eleanor replied inwardly, closing the screen.

Professor Seren was watching her intently. When Eleanor’s focus returned, the fairy said, "I am the only professor avable to guide you this term, aside from the head of the department. You now have ess to fifteen introductory texts in your library. Read them all and report to me here in three days. Your device will act as a key to open all doors of this department, except for the personal rooms. Enter through that door..." she pointed towards the corridor from which she had earlier emerged. "My room is at the very end. My name is written clearly on the door, so you won’t mistake it. I have other matters to attend to. We will meet again soon."

With that, she swept out of the reception hall. Left with nothing further to do, Eleanor followed her into the daylight and made her way toward the Combat Department.

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