The corridors of the administrative sector of the Great Hall were littered with all manner of filing cabinets, bulletin boards, and cubicles. The layout of the space, coupled with the dim lighting, prompted Gio to make a connection.

“Mister Arnaud, Is the administrative sector related to the Owl’s Respite, in any way?” Gio asked of his tall escort.

“An astute observation. Yes. The Librarian of the Owl’s Respite is one of my respected colleagues. You may have heard someone use the term “the stacks” in your studies. That term refers to the collective network of information highways throughout the Crystal Ring. Certain sectors are maintained by guardians, such as myself and the Owl. I am in charge of paperwork and contracts.” Amos stated.

“So each of you has a specific type of record in your sector. I feel like from my experience, there’s a lot of overlap though. What does the Owl keep?” Gio asked.

“There’s quite a bit of overlap, yes. Some books are so common that you find them everywhere. I personally have had to take it upon myself to remove several copies of a particularly notorious tome from my shelves. If you ever come across a book titled “Bat, Badger, and Bulldog”, do yourself a favor and burn it. It’s a book full of nonsense rhymes that will replicate itself on your bookshelf. As for your question… the nature of the Crystal Ring makes it difficult to fully catalog all areas of the school… but you will notice that some of the larger sections are heavily trafficked by faculty and students alike. The Owl deals in course curricula, the Wisteria deals in academic literature, and Vivisection deals in financial records. There are also many vaults that contain jealously guarded knowledge about specialty subjects. But I digress, we have arrived.” Amos said.

Did he say Vivisection?

Gio’s train of thought was interrupted by the acrid stench of cosmetic powder and floral perfume. Through the open door, a foppish man wearing a scintillating orange robe rose to greet them.

“Greetings to thee, High Scribe of the-”

Amos Arnaud grunted, sneering at the man.

“Magister, please direct your attention to the student. I am merely here as an agent of the school.” Amos said.

The man adjusted himself, suppressing a grimace.

“Right then. Greetings. You must be… Giorgio,” the man said, checking his notes.

“I am Magister Archibald Wisterleist. I represent the illustrious Wisterleist heritage, and am tasked with the glorious privilege of recruiting retainers for our estate.” The man said, smiling at Gio.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mister Wist-” Gio started.

“Magister, If you would.” The man interrupted, his smile dropping slightly.

“My apologies… Magister… Wisterliest.” Gio replied, sighing internally.

“Don’t worry about it. We’re amply aware that there’s an adaptation period for our industrial ring recruits. Let us get straight to brass tacks. You need assistance to get through your studies, and we need capable help. We’re prepared to issue you a full assistance package right away. You’ll need not worry about obtaining spells for the rest of your time at the academy.” the magister said.

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Flourishing, he summoned a series of dazzling spellforms written in iridescent orange inks, fluttering midair in a tacky, showy manner.

“Of course, the Wisterliest family excels in fire magics, so we’d need you to become proficient in the servant version of our signature magic, [Wisterliest Fire Embodiment],” he said, transforming his hand into fire.

Oh. that’s where I’ve heard the name before. That asshole that Jean used to hang out with that called me a charity case.

The man introduced Gio to several other spells that he couldn’t help but drool at.

[Evoke the Elements] (Tier: EPIC)(Schools: Evocation, Variable) (Type: Elemental Evocation) Call upon the elements. By converting the nature of the mana being shaped into the spell, this utility spell can act as an all-purpose invocation for both offense and utility.

[Cure Wounds] (Tier: Upper Rare)(Schools: Restoration, Life) (Type: Healing) Restore yourself or others with a calculated pulse of life mana. Can close serious wounds. May be limited in capability to re-attach limbs.

[Hasten Efforts] (Tier: Lower EPIC) (Schools: Enchantment) (Type: Enhancement) Majorly speed up all movement for a short period. May cause strain when overutilized.

[Quickmind] (Tier: EPIC)(Schools: Divination, Enchantment, Arcane) (Type: Enhancement) Accelerate your thought speed, Gaining bonuses in mental acuity and logical processing. May cause strain when overutilized.

[Power of Flame] (Tier: Upper Rare)(Schools: Conjuration, Evocation, Fire) (Type: Offensive) Conjure a large amount of flame, becoming immune to your fire while gaining bonuses to fire damage dealt to enemies.

And this is presumably just the bottom-of-the-barrel stuff that they give to new recruits.

“So now that I’ve got your attention with this meager sampling of what we could offer you, we should talk about our terms. Firstly, we need to dye your hair.” Magister Wisterleist said.

“Excuse me?” Gio guffawed.

“You are Ataraxian, correct? Well… unfortunately the current political situation has been heating up in the courts, and the silver hair endemic of Ataraxia is currently seen as something of a faux pas in those circles. You’ll be attending a number of events with our house, so we don’t want any image problems. You understand, I’m sure.” The man said.

“Additionally, your class… you must change it at the next time you are offered a class advancement. Mirror magic is reserved for copying and stealing.” The magister deadpanned.

Gio was stunned.

“With all due respect, Magister… I don’t use any spells or skills that enable me to copy spells. I can teleport through mirrors, and reflect projectiles currently. My mentor has amply warned me about the copy clause… I currently have no plans to plagiarise the magics of the noble houses.” Gio retorted.

“Young man… I mean no disrespect. My documents indicate that you’re quite smart, so I’ll be blunt. Do you think you’re better than the thousands of mages who came before you? This school, and magical society as a whole, have been around for thousands of years. Mirror magic is a solved problem. Nobody of note uses it, because it’s just simply not good enough to use for any reason besides cheap copies of noble magic. It’s a tool for upstarts and malicious actors. On this, we won’t budge.” Magister Wisterleist declared.

“I understand. Thank you for your time.” Gio flatly replied.

“Look… if my hunch is correct, the Ring Guard is going to make you a similar offer today in dramatic fashion after the other noble houses have had their chance to woo you. Here’s how this usually works for most Industrial ring students: If you’re the best of the best and you don’t care about money, you join the Ring Guard. If you want to actually go places, pick a noble house that either aligns with the industry you want to work in or has a house magic that complements your class. Please do remember that you need us more than we need you. Have a good day, Giorgio.”

The man dusted himself off, leaving the room with his head held high.

Great… I simply cannot wait to sit through more of these.