Participation

Collins completely didn’t understand this line of reasoning, so he could only smile wryly and say:

“Just make it look normal.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Frans picked up the foundation beside him, while the arcane golems began tidying Collins’ hair, tracing the lines of his face, slowly filling in shadows and suitable tones on Collins’ cheeks like a simple sketch.

After a series of makeup techniques that even Collins didn’t understand, Frans put down the cosmetics in his hand.

Collins looked in the mirror. His face seemed to have changed into another person.

Originally, Collins wore a distant and cold smile. Now, at first glance, there was actually a faint touch of sunny modesty.

“The makeup I’ve done for you is waterproof, young master. You can sweat or wash your face without worry.”

Suddenly, the space trembled. This tremor was not an ordinary shake, but a contraction and expansion of the entire space—a kind of vibration that ordinary people would never feel.

Even Collins could only sense it after becoming a mid-level mage.

Slok knocked on Frans’ door from outside. After Collins finished adjusting his appearance, he pointed toward the outside.

“Little Lin, we’ve arrived. Get off the carriage.”

“Alright, Uncle.”

\==============

Victoria dialed her former mentor’s phone and told her about wanting to attend the class reunion.

The mentor was clearly delighted and promised to notify the student council early so they could make the proper arrangements for Victoria.

After hanging up, Victoria looked at Sphinx.

Sphinx smiled, took off his coat, changed into the formal suit he had brought from his dorm room, and slicked his hair back into a style that radiated masculine confidence.

As expected, with his excellent features, Sphinx only needed a simple touch-up, and a nineteen-year-old handsome young man appeared before Victoria.

Perhaps it was the blessing of his fae bloodline; even in men’s attire, Sphinx exuded an irresistible charm.

Especially with that tiny hint of arrogance on his face, there was a certain cuteness that made people want to tease him.

Taking such a man as her boyfriend to the reunion would certainly not be embarrassing—especially for Victoria, a woman who had been single for as many years as her age.

However, the bloodline that gave Sphinx so many advantages also came with a few small disadvantages that showed in his physique.

Victoria gestured at Sphinx’s height.

“Isn’t it… a little short?”

Sphinx was already an adult, yet his height barely exceeded 1.6 meters.

In this school where men generally averaged around 1.8 meters, Sphinx’s short stature was even inferior to some girls in his grade.

“No worries, I’ve got height-increasing shoes that can add 12 cm. Once I wear them, I’ll be 175 cm tall—perfectly matching you, Senpai.”

Victoria stayed silent, but Sphinx could easily read the spark of excitement in her expression.

\============

Collins sat beside Entis, the archmage who held an extremely important leadership position in the official magic laboratory.

Over the decades, countless mages who had gone on to achieve greatness had once studied under him.

In Collins’ region, almost every accomplished mage had learned from Entis.

In this local environment, no mage would dare disrespect Entis.

However, not long ago, another archmage who had served as a mentor in another region was transferred to Entis’ territory and took a share of his power.

Entis exercised great restraint, not taking any action against this newcomer.

The other archmage was also careful not to overly infringe upon Entis’ authority.

Still, when two archmages—both among the apex of humanity—encounter each other, pride demands a proper comparison.

After all, in literature there is no first place, but in martial strength, there is no second.

Collins glanced at the figure opposite him—a man wearing a white robe embroidered with golden threads, with eyes as sharp as lightning.

He looked quite young for an archmage, though in reality he was at least sixty years old, comparable to Collins’ grandfather.

“His name is Sheehan. He’s an archmage from Bailing City, which is a magical sanctuary in another world. A legendary mage resides there. I once visited that legend, and even now, the memory of his magical prowess chills me. They say this new archmage is the blood descendant of that legend.”

Collins nodded.

“That’s none of my business.”

Entis sighed helplessly.

“Yes, this is a matter for us, the elders. In fact, our resources here are more than enough for two archmages to share. Having one more archmage isn’t a big deal, especially since he has a legendary mage as his backing—we can’t afford to provoke him.”

“But some things can stay peaceful only for so long. Once we’re challenged, we must respond head-on. If we back down even once, there’s no retreat left for us.”