CHAPTER 497: CHAPTER 248: BURIED BENEATH

Rowena heard the sound of gears turning, and the dust-laden door slowly opened towards her.

The only fortunate thing was that no one was around, so her series of shame-filled dialogues went unheard by others.

She admitted that if this had happened a decade ago when she was a fledgling low-tier mage, she might have been drawn in by these mysterious and magical dialogues, but now...

She could only say that she considered herself quite the old lady now.

The scene behind the door changed rapidly, and intermittent conversations emerged from within.

Rowena took a deep breath and walked straight into the ever-changing play of light and shadow. Immediately, she was stunned by the scale of the Mole Club. As the name suggests, she had initially thought the other side of the door would lead to a cramped space, dark and damp, resembling a sewer that matched the typical image of rodents.

However, the reality was quite the opposite; it was an estate, with space and decor rivaling her convent in the Imperial City, and instead of a pungent smell, it was filled with the fragrance of Earl Grey tea.

Most of the members of the Mole Club were also dressed in exquisite mage robes.

Rowena instantly understood that it must have been when Lindong returned to the academy as a teacher that this place was renovated, and even the establishment of the Mole Club was driven by her. Otherwise, with the students’ magic power, knowledge, and finances, it would be impossible to set up an estate here in the academy, a place filled with many Masters of Mysticism, without any mentor being able to find it.

Though the dialogue of the doors was embarrassing, it was a clever detection magic.

Compared to elemental shaping, it seemed more like a magician’s trick.

From their first meeting, Lindong had mastered many practical low-tier little magics, which to Rowena seemed incredible. Though in the eyes of many laypeople, Elemental Shapers and Magicians would be collectively referred to as "mages," the magic between the two differed fundamentally. Aside from Lindong, Rowena had never seen anyone who could "dual train" in the magic of two different paths.

She had tried several times to release Fireball Skill and Ice Arrow, and ultimately ended in vain.

This is the power of a Saint, or perhaps Lindong is very special.

Rowena leaned more towards the latter.

"Who are you...?"

There was a stir behind Rowena, and in her sight was a female student in a gold-embroidered mage robe holding a book, who hesitated upon seeing the smile mask on Rowena’s face—it was an unfamiliar face.

Recently, the situation of the Mole Club was not good; she did not expect to encounter a new face at such a time.

"You can call me Nana."

A smile appeared on Rowena’s face; now was the time to act youthful. This was second nature to her, and everything stemmed from her youthful mindset—an idea first proposed by Ethan, and Rowena was perfectly suited for it.

"I mean, welcome, Nana."

The girl gave a slight bow, her movements graceful, showing she had received noble etiquette training from an early age.

Unlike the indebted poorer students attending school, the academy had a long history and deep heritage, with over seventy percent of the students coming from noble families; isolated from the outside world, it remained unaffected by the Lofic Consortium, perfectly fitting the "Ivory Tower" standard.

A bunch of rich people!

Rowena sighed in her heart.

This was the campus life she imagined full of youthful aura, not one burdened with debt, toiling like cattle and horse for mentors, so busy that even advancement qualification exams and self-created magic were hijacked by insiders.

"Come on in."

This young noble lady seemed easy to get along with, with burgundy shoulder-length hair, the upper half of her face hidden behind a silver-white masquerade mask, exposing sapphire-colored eyes.

Rowena’s arrival paused the intense discussion in the manor hall for a moment; a black-haired youth in the same gold-embroidered mage robe, seeing this, waved his wand, creating a circle in the air, where mini Fireballs bloomed like fireworks, and the previously tense atmosphere suddenly became much more cheerful, expressing the membership’s sincere welcome to the newcomer.

Under normal circumstances, they would put down their current matters and throw a welcome party for the newly joined member, but now was not the time.

The Mole Club was facing an unprecedented crisis; the black-haired youth was the leader of this term’s Mole Club, who, after briefly introducing the areas of the manor to Rowena, once again engaged with the core members in a flurry of discussions, focusing on the topic of the Disciplinary Committee and academy mentors.

It couldn’t be considered a secret meeting, as they were in the most prominent spot of the hall, nor did they resist any club members wanting to listen in.

However, not all members of the Mole Club wanted to participate in this heated discussion.

Members joined the club for different purposes; some were rebellious, tired of the academy’s increasingly oppressive management style, while many wanted to explore the mysteries of magic without directly conflicting with academy mentors and members of the Disciplinary Committee—especially those ordinary students not particularly wealthy.

If caught in wrongdoing, at the least, it meant a tuition deduction and a talking-to, or in the worst case, receiving disciplinary actions.

Although the academy rarely expelled a student outright, once the Mole Club member’s identity was exposed, their campus life would become very difficult, being criticized was inevitable, and they’d become a primary target the Disciplinary Committee focused on. Recently they even introduced a two-week "moral reformation and transformation."