CHAPTER 148: EMPRESS

Asher closed his eyes as he felt a sort of spatial energy wash over him, enveloping his entire being. With his newly acquired Spatial affinity, he allowed himself to bask in the sensation, letting it seep into every fiber of his existence.

Space itself seemed to twist and ripple around him, reality bending and warping as if the world were being reshaped. Soon, the distortion ceased, and he felt the familiar solidity of ground beneath his feet.

Maintaining a calm and composed expression, he opened his eyes, a faint yet noticeable smile gracing his lips. However, the moment he did, a chorus of groans and strained noises slammed into his ears from every direction.

All around him, other students were collapsing to their knees, their bodies unable to handle the sudden spatial shift. Some began vomiting violently, expelling whatever food they had eaten earlier; others could only spit weakly, their stomachs too empty to produce anything more than saliva.

The sounds were unpleasant, yet unsurprising.

Even William had fallen to his knees, one hand clutching at his chest while the other braced him against the floor. His breathing was labored, each inhale and exhale ragged, as if the very fabric of reality had been torn apart inside him.

Standing apart from the chaos, the woman who had teleported them here showed neither concern nor amusement. She did not speak nor offer any comfort, instead remaining completely composed as she observed the students’ varying reactions.

Her gaze eventually shifted to Asher, the lone figure standing tall without even the faintest change in expression. A single eyebrow arched in mild surprise before her face returned to its usual mask of indifference.

For her, this was nothing out of the ordinary.

Such reactions were expected, even inevitable, for those experiencing teleportation for the first time. Most of these students had never traveled via spatial transfer in their lives, and the disorienting effects could be overwhelming.

Still, she knew they would adapt in time; repeated exposure would train their bodies to withstand the strain.

Asher, however, was different. With his space affinity and his countless uses of Virelass’ Position Marker, he had experienced spatial travel an uncountable number of times. This was nothing to him, merely another step, another shift, another ripple in reality that barely stirred his equilibrium.

The woman, Jane, the instructor, did not rush anyone. She simply waited in silence, patient as a stone, for the chaos to settle. She had been through this process herself, long ago, and understood there was no need to hurry.

Within a few minutes, the groans began to soften. Students pushed themselves upright, some wiping their faces with handkerchiefs, dabbing away tears, sweat, saliva, or the remnants of their stomach’s contents. Their movements were sluggish, but they were recovering.

Once Jane was satisfied that everyone could move, she spoke with simple authority:

"Let’s move."

With that, she turned and began walking toward the only visible exit, a plain door set into the wall of what appeared to be a square, four-cornered room. The students took a few moments to steady their breathing before following in her wake.

They stepped through the door, and a new scene unfolded before Asher’s eyes. A hallway stretched before them, long and narrow, with smooth walls and an ordered design. The atmosphere suggested they were inside a larger building.

Jane guided them down the hallway, leading them into another room. Inside, over twenty men and women stood in neat formation, their collective presence calm yet authoritative.

"These instructors will search your belongings to ensure that nothing harmful has been brought in," Jane announced plainly, her voice carrying no room for negotiation.

A ripple of discontent passed through the group. Several students frowned or muttered under their breath, clearly displeased by the idea of having their possessions inspected.

Jane, however, remained unaffected. The instructors were equally unmoved; they had neither the time nor the inclination to indulge such trivial complaints.

Asher offered no objection. In fact, he had already anticipated this precaution. A separate dimension such as this one required strict safeguards, if even one student had managed to bring in an artifact capable of mass destruction, it could spell disaster for everyone within.

In his opinion, this inspection should have been done before the teleportation had even occurred.

Those without space rings placed their physical luggage on a long table. Those who possessed space rings handed them over for inspection.

When it was his turn, Asher passed his own space ring to one of the instructors. The man instantly sent a wave of Astra energy into it, scanning through the stored contents.

Asher, of course, had nothing suspicious. His space ring contained only clothing, he owned little else. As for his platinum coins, those were secured within his System’s inventory, beyond the reach of any ordinary or unordinary search.

What did surprise him, however, were the contents of some of the nobles’ rings. A few contained bottles of aphrodisiac potions, as though their owners intended to turn the Academy into some twisted private brothel.

Even more surprising was the instructors’ complete lack of reaction. They showed no disgust, no amusement, nothing. Their expressions remained as unreadable as stone. It was as if they had already seen the full extent of human depravity and had long since ceased to be shocked by it.

They confiscated nothing. Every strange and questionable item was promptly returned to its owner. Asher did not comment; he kept his silence, merely observing.

The inspection process concluded within minutes. One instructor gave Jane a small nod, and she turned back to the students.

"Follow me," she instructed.

They left the inspection room as a group, their footsteps echoing softly against the floor. Moving down another hallway, they eventually exited the building and stepped into the open air.

The world outside was... startling.

It looked no different from the world they had left behind. The same warm sunlight poured from above. The same fresh air filled their lungs. Even the Astra energy in the atmosphere felt pure and natural, entirely devoid of artificiality.

If this truly was a separate dimension from Cyrmora, Asher could not detect any falsehood in it. Every one of his senses told him the same thing, this place was as real as the world he had always known.

He did not understand how such a thing was possible, but he did not waste time trying to unravel it. Overthinking would not magically grant him the ability to create a separate dimension of his own.

Jane’s voice cut through his thoughts.

"What you are seeing now is the outer area of the Academy. For today, you are free to walk around here. If you have coins, you may use them to purchase anything you want or need."

Asher’s eyes scanned the surroundings as they walked. Numerous stores stood open, their shopkeepers calling out to potential customers. The air was alive with chatter and laughter, as though the tragedies that had befallen Crymora did not exist here.

Children darted between the streets, their laughter ringing out like bells. Horses trotted along, pulling carts laden with goods.

’No wonder the so-called principal can fund the Star Academy from her own pocket,’ Asher thought with faint amusement. ’She’s an Empress within this place.’

Many students around him walked wide-eyed, staring at every detail as though they had never seen a house or a horse before. Of course they had, but this was the Star Academy. To them, even the air itself seemed different, cleaner, richer, more potent.

Their path eventually brought them to another building. It stood tall, its outer structure bearing a resemblance to an inn. Without a word, Jane led them inside, her strides steady, her face expressionless.