A Crown of Shadows and Starlight

Chapter 6

Meilin certainly didn’t know that these low-level items were merely keepsakes left behind from that wizard’s apprentice days. The truly valuable treasures had already been used up in battle. However, for Meilin, who wasn’t even an official apprentice yet, these scrolls were already incredible items—at the very least, they could save her life a few times in the jungle.

“And this ring… Heh, it really is a magic artifact.”

Meilin picked up the black ring. Generally, enchanted magic tools recorded their name, effects, usage instructions, and the creator’s information.

“Dust Shadow—capable of activating the Level 2 spell ‘Web’ three times, restores charges every twenty-four hours.”

Holding the ring, Meilin’s eyes narrowed into slits with delight. With this item, she could now challenge even more dangerous beasts—and it wasn’t even a one-time-use item! This meant her hunting income would significantly increase in the future.

Setting the ring aside, Meilin picked up a small box. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and it was adorned with a dozen gemstones, each the size of a pigeon’s egg, radiating immense value. Just by looking at it, she was filled with anticipation for whatever lay inside. So eager was she that, in her haste to open the box, she didn’t even notice when the corner of the lid nicked her finger.

“Wow! So beautiful!”

As the lid opened, the contents of the box were revealed—a miniature star, emitting a soft, mesmerizing glow.

No, of course, it wasn’t an actual star, but in Meilin’s eyes, it was even more beautiful. Though only the size of a chicken egg, to a young girl like her, it seemed to contain all the beauty in the world. As if under a spell, she instinctively reached out to pick it up, completely unaware of the trace of blood still lingering on her fingertip.

The moment her blood came into contact with the “star,” the crimson trace vanished instantly. Then, without a sound, the “star” exploded. Meilin saw a brilliant flash of light before everything went black, and she lost consciousness. But the light did not disappear. Instead, as she fainted, it silently seeped into her body.

No one knew that Meilin had collapsed in her own room. The academy had strict rules—no student could enter another’s room without permission, under penalty of death. Of course, if you had the strength to kill the room’s owner, that was another matter. If entry was necessary, official approval from the academy was required before proceeding under supervision. Some privileged individuals did have exceptions, but they certainly wouldn’t bother paying attention to a mere novice who hadn’t even become a formal magic apprentice.

⸻

At dawn, the morning sun cast its warm light through the window, shining upon the girl lying on the floor. As a soft groan escaped her lips, Meilin slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly at the window before gradually recalling what had happened.

“Hiss—”

She sprang up in a quick, fluid motion, only to wobble slightly as discomfort spread through her body. “Damn it! I actually slept on the floor all night?”

After stretching her limbs and confirming that she had no visible injuries, she suddenly tensed up. Where was that “star”?

Panic surged within her as she searched frantically around the room.

It wasn’t beside her. It wasn’t anywhere in the room. The door showed no signs of intrusion. There was no way it could have disappeared on its own…

“Ah?”

A horrifying thought struck her. Had that thing… actually entered her body?

Meilin’s foundational studies weren’t for nothing. Her knowledge of both human and animal anatomy was remarkably advanced—otherwise, she wouldn’t be tutoring other apprentices in basic subjects. After a thorough self-examination, she confirmed that her body showed no abnormalities. If that was the case, there were only two possibilities: either the star had inexplicably dissipated, or…

For the first time ever, Meilin chose to delay her visit to the herb garden. Instead, she sat cross-legged on her bed, closed her eyes, and began meditating, examining her mindscape.

Sure enough, something had changed.

Her mental space, which originally contained only seven brilliant golden willpower runes, now had a swirling, multicolored mist around them. No, it looked more like a nebula—one that shimmered with starlight.

“One, two, three… eight… These ten tiny stars—what are they?”

Something strange happened.

As Meilin squinted, trying to get a clearer look at those glowing points, they suddenly detached from the nebula and floated forward. A dazzling light filled her vision, and in an instant, her consciousness was ejected from her mindscape.

Fortunately, this time, she didn’t faint.

But as soon as she opened her eyes, she was utterly stunned—ten luminous dots were now floating right in front of her, softly radiating light even in the bright daylight.

“What… is going on?” Meilin was momentarily dumbfounded before quickly returning to her meditative state.

Inside her mindscape, the willpower runes were still intact, and the nebula-like mist remained unchanged. However, the ten tiny starlike dots had disappeared.

“If those lights can be moved outside, what about the nebula?” Meilin mused, immediately attempting an experiment.

But no matter what method she tried, the nebula remained motionless—it had completely settled into her mental space.

Turning her focus back to the floating light orbs, she reasoned, “If they can come out, they should be able to go back in too, right?”

There was a saying: If you don’t fear the strange, the strange will fear you.

Ever since joining the Watercloud Academy, Meilin had seen her fair share of oddities—walking boots, smoking cats, owls with raven heads… Compared to those, this nebula, while bizarre, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, she preferred to believe she had stumbled upon some kind of divine artifact. After all, the item had been carefully stored in an ornate box—it had to be valuable.

She quickly gained control over the ten floating lights, but despite repeated experiments, their function remained a mystery. They didn’t enhance her physical abilities, had no effect on her willpower runes, and couldn’t even be used as projectiles. Surely they weren’t just for decoration?

That would be ridiculous!

Still, Meilin wasn’t in a hurry. She was convinced that this nebula was an incredible treasure. However, her top priority now was advancing to an official apprentice. With those two high-grade Concentration Potions in her possession, she could cut months off her training. She decided to wait until her mind and body reached their peak condition before consuming them and attempting the breakthrough in one go.

Meanwhile, the incident at the Tideswater River had not gone unnoticed. If the academy’s higher-ups remained ignorant of disturbances occurring right at their doorstep, then their days of existence would be numbered. Over the next few days, the entire academy remained on high alert. All students on external missions were recalled, and academy officials were frequently dispatched. However, no large-scale battles were reported.

Six days later, the academy lifted its state of emergency, and everything returned to normal.

Meilin let out a long breath of relief. It seemed like the storm had finally passed.

Laying low and growing rich in silence—that was the real key to success!