Chapter 250 Winter
The pale blue light of the lantern illuminated the boy’s panicked face. The scene in front of him made Franky’s scalp tingle, but he soon noticed the clues from the boy’s eyes.

His vision was not normal.

Although he had already walked in front of the boy, his eyes were still fixed on the distance, as if something was approaching him.

Franky suddenly thought of something. He raised his hand to hold the boy’s arm, but his hand went straight through his body. The boy seemed not to notice him at all, his eyes fixed on something not far away.

Someone is coming.

Franky heard footsteps behind him. He shone the lantern behind him, but there was no one there.

On the other hand, this discovery made him feel a little more at ease – for some unknown reason, he saw illusions of the past, perhaps it was caused by the whispers from the magic network, or maybe it was because there was some ancient magic left here that he didn’t know about.

But then, a new question emerged in Franky’s mind.

If the one that appeared before his eyes at this moment was a phantom of the past, then who was the other person that came in now? In his memory, he had been waiting here until all the mentors had left, which took him most of the night, and it was almost dawn when he left the secret passage.

as well as……

Why did he come here?

Franky sorted out his thoughts. He was on patrol in the evening when he discovered a sneaky student who blatantly violated school rules. He thought he was very secretive and used levitation to escape from the school over the wall. He sneaked all the way here and completely ignored the curfew issued by the discipline department.

The reason why he issued a series of new school rules to regulate students’ behavior was because the college had been unsafe recently.

Franky walked past the boy and looked in his direction.

There was nothing there, and he still couldn’t remember who he had met here that night.

Soon, the boy responded. The approaching footsteps forced him to crouch down and run deeper into the maze.

It is inexplicable, it is exactly the same as the current college.

Franky sensed danger from the first day he returned to the academy, as if there was an invisible shadow hanging over the academy. However, when he investigated carefully, he could not find any clues. This was still the academy he was familiar with, and everyone seemed normal.

Maybe this is some kind of guidance.

Franky was in hesitation. He was no longer the impetuous boy. He looked in the direction where the boy’s back disappeared. The truth might be hidden there, or it might be a trap to lure him. For the Elemental Shaper and the former members of the Mole Club, there was no better bait than curiosity.

Reason told him that he should report these findings to the dean.

but……

Is the dean really trustworthy?
This was the question that Franky had on the first day he returned to the academy. If we exclude the “freak” Winter, the dean is the greatest elemental shaper he knows. He is knowledgeable and wise. No matter what happens in the academy, the dean can always remain calm. Now, more than 80% of the people in the Ministry of Magic are students of the current dean.

But this time when he returned to the academy, Franky’s student filter of the dean was shattered.

The dean is still the same dean, always well-behaved and calm, but those somewhat cloudy eyes always seem to be hiding some secrets.

Soon, Franky made a decision.

He turned and walked in the direction where the boy disappeared. That was where the echo was. He held the wand in his hand, ready to deal with any emergency at any time.

Theoretically, he was at the bottom of the island. Apart from the ancient black tree, he didn’t know if there were any other entrances to the maze. After walking for a distance, he raised his wand and planned to leave marks on the walls along the way.

However, when the blue light illuminated the dust-covered walls, the familiar feeling once again awakened the uneasiness deep in his heart.

Apparently, someone had done this before him.

The red claw marks on the wall were his usual way of marking. In order to avoid being discovered by pursuers, he also used a simple sleight of hand.

He could no longer find the boy, but the claw marks on the wall became his best signpost, and also made those dusty memories show signs of awakening. Franky could feel that he was getting closer and closer to the truth, but he was not excited about it.

Sweat oozed from his palms, and he gripped the wand with more force.

In the adult world, the truth often means danger or even death.

The end of the road is the core of the ancient black tree. The roots underfoot are becoming more and more dense. Before you know it, there is no sign of life around. The passage ahead is becoming narrower and narrower, and the roots around are wriggling like organs.

The red claw marks disappeared, but Franky was absolutely sure that he had been here before.

He may have made marks on the roots, but they have been submerged over time.

There came a light from the depths of darkness, much brighter than his magic lantern.

He immediately extinguished the lantern, raised his wand, and moved closer to the core of the maze step by step. At the end of this road, someone was waiting for him.

It was not the him of the past, but an old man wearing a wizard’s robe, with white hair and beard. The old man had his back to him, looking up intently at the sphere hanging above his head. It was the source of all the light, it was rotating slowly, and echoes were emitted from time to time.

Franky was naturally familiar with the figure in front of him, and he aimed his wand at the other party vigilantly.

“Come in, Mr. Frankie.”

The old voice was still calm, but it seemed to have seen through everything.

“Dean, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Franky emerged from the shadows, not putting away his wand, “I’m tracking down a naughty student who’s somewhere he shouldn’t be.”

“You caught him?”

The dean’s question seemed to have a deeper meaning.

“Not yet, but I promise that when we find him, he will face a penalty of 7 credits and 3 days of labor in the pumpkin patch.”

The dean nodded and did not object.

“Time is weird here, isn’t it?”

“You mean…?”

“You occasionally see things from the past here. These memories are like tree roots, always hiding where you can’t see them.”

The dean paused, “And you, it seems, are not surprised by this place, nor by me.”

“There are always unexpected things happening in the academy.”

Franky tried to remain calm as much as possible, but his heart was beating violently. He had no idea where this conversation was going to go. Perhaps in the next second, the dean would suddenly change his expression and attack him.

This is undoubtedly the worst situation.

The dean was once recognized as the most powerful elemental shaper in the academy. He was an honorary member of the Duel Club when he was a student, won the championship of duel competitions several times in a row, and represented the academy in school-level exchanges with students from other paths.

For elemental shapers, time will not have too obvious an impact on their knowledge and wisdom.

Franky could only try his best to show that he was not interested in the secrets of the academy.

“Mr. Franky, you’re just in time.”

The dean suddenly extended an invitation to him, “I want to invite you to listen to some voices.”

Franky hesitated for a moment. He considered that this might be some kind of sting enforcement – this was a common tactic used by the Discipline Department. As a member of the Mole Club, he knew how to deal with those overly curious troublemakers.

This constantly rotating white sphere is the source of the maze echo.

Ever since he went to the Ministry of Magic and came into contact with other paths, especially the followers of evil gods, his curiosity was no longer as strong. Countless cases have proved that the whispers of evil gods are fatal to humans. Even if they themselves have no ill intentions, they will drive the listeners crazy.

Countless bloody cases forced him to put aside his childish curiosity and become a mature man. The family had high hopes for him.

But at this moment, Franky was right under the source, and the sounds were no longer distant and vague, and he gradually understood their meaning.

It seemed to be someone’s mumbling, and it sounded like a woman.

If you listen carefully, you can roughly hear that it is complaining:
“I really don’t understand these people’s hobbies.”

“Don’t you think this is strange? Others don’t have similar features, right?”

“Annoying!”

“Will people think you’re an alien when you walk on the street?”

“Forget it, since I’ve already promised him…”

……

“……This is?”

Franky was full of doubts. If he guessed correctly, this slowly rotating white sphere was closely related to the magic network. There were still some books about the magic network in the forbidden book area of ​​the academy, but they were all macro introductions without any specific descriptions. At best, they could only let readers understand the significance of the existence of the magic network and the purpose of the people in the first era using the magic network.

Exploration and knowledge.

This is almost the origin of occultism.

Ancient knowledge is preserved in the magic network, which will form a kind of guidance, allowing them to get closer and closer to the essence of this world.

But now it sounds more like a little girl’s complaint. Why?
“This is the echo of the Demonic Network.”

The dean confirmed Franky’s inner guess, and he looked at the white sphere above his head.

It was some incomprehensible words.

No matter who hears it, they will have the same thought, but it is precisely because it is confusing that it is more fascinating.

Recently, the frequency of the magic network’s echoes has been getting higher and higher, which is naturally gratifying, just like a ditch that has been dry for thousands of years has once again come back to life.

Franky then asked, “Is this the sound made by the residents of the Demon Network?”

“I am not sure.”

The dean shook his head and signaled with his eyes that Franky should continue listening.

Franky said nothing.

In his opinion, there are very few things in this world that even the dean doesn’t know.

After a brief silence, the white ball of light echoed again.

“Hey, there is!”

The complaining girl seemed to have suddenly come up with an idea. “As long as there are a group of people like me, I won’t be treated as an alien! Hmm, let me think… White is the color of snow. Wouldn’t it be better to live closer to snow?”

“Since we live in an environment of ice and snow, we need to have a physique that is not afraid of the cold. Hmm, I am good at ice magic. How about this?”

“So, I’m going to become an elemental shaper. Do I have to go to the academy in the future? Speaking of which, that place has been specially designed. I’m happy to decide!”

“Let me take another look to see if there is anything else that needs to be adjusted.”

……

Franky could easily imagine what a lively and lovely girl looked like when she looked in the mirror.

The girl’s tone was light and pleasant, but he felt suffocated.

Because Frankie almost immediately associated this soliloquy with the reality that was relevant to him.

Unusual traits, related to the color white, living very close to snow, and generally having a talent for ice magic…

“She said it was the Northern Tribe.”

Franky said with some difficulty. What really made him feel uneasy and chest tight was the tone and attitude of the girl when she described the Northern Tribe.

“It seems that this can be interpreted.”

The dean agreed with Franky’s guess, but this was not the answer Franky wanted to hear. He would rather the dean refute him and point out his problem.

Because this seems to bring up another terrible fact.

The Northern Tribe, this ancient and mysterious tribe that once caused the imperial scholars to debate whether they were human or subhuman, was actually created by a girl they didn’t know about because she didn’t want to be treated as an alien?

So until now no historian has been able to explain the origin of the Northern Tribe?

Compared to the descriptions of gods creating humans in many religious scriptures, this kind of soliloquy was much more casual. It was clearly a language that Franky could understand, but it made him feel as if he was facing a being that he could only look up to.

A thought that flashed through her mind created a tribe.

And then there’s the college she mentioned.

What does “focused design” mean?
What’s worse is that this series of clues all forced Franky to think of a name.

A foreign girl from the North, with unparalleled talent for elemental magic, and an affinity for ice magic as mentioned in these echoes.

“Then there is only one last step left.”

The girl in the white light ball sounded like she had completed the final preparations. She faced the mirror and adjusted her face to the state she was most satisfied with.

She was looking into a mirror.

These were clearly memories that did not belong to Franky, yet they appeared vividly before his eyes.

“What’s your name?”

He understood the last step the girl mentioned.

This is a question worth pondering carefully, and perhaps more important to her than the creation of the Northern Tribe.

Soon, the girl came to a conclusion.

“Since he is an ice elemental shaper, then he is winter!”

The echo seemed to be disturbed by something and became intermittent.

Franky’s pupils shrank.

Rather than a name, Winter is more like a title. The students of the academy have always had different opinions about Winter’s name. Until today, the unsolved mystery of this academy finally has a clear answer.

The girl in the white sphere was heading towards some unknown place.

“Please don’t make me wait too long…”

This was the last sound Frankie heard.

(End of this chapter)