章節 2: Chapter 2: The Mysticism Club
As Astella entered the activity room, she sat in her usual corner seat, opened her notebook, and deliberately put on a moody, contemplative expression, as if she'd been working at a fish market for a decade. She discreetly scanned the room—teenagers sat in small groups, whispering among themselves.
Astella remained indifferent to the empty seats around her. She bit her pencil, recalling the profiles of the few club members she was familiar with.
Georgina Grammar School was one of the best public grammar schools in Ruen Beckland, with a two-year program. In Astella's view, it was akin to a university preparatory school.
Since most true nobles would either hire private tutors or send their children to private grammar schools or boarding schools, public grammar school students primarily came from middle-class families, with a few from ordinary working-class backgrounds. In an era without substantial financial aid, families living near the poverty line struggled to afford grammar school tuition.
"Good afternoon, Astella. How have you been?"
Finally, a young man approached and sat next to her. He had dark hair, brown eyes, thick brows, and a warm, sunny demeanor.
"Good afternoon, President," Astella replied calmly. "Have you ever heard that countless restless souls are trapped in the ever-flowing Tasok River? Every person who sinks to the bottom bears their sins, unable to find peace. Last night, I died in that river and only climbed out at dawn. The icy water reminded me of life's fragility. Death gave me much to reflect upon, like the deep river itself. It taught me to cherish the blessing of waking up each morning."
It was the absolute truth. Yet after being filtered through Astella's cryptic manner, no one would believe it.
"Just call me Andrew," the young man said, surprisingly unfazed. He didn't give her the look of someone encountering a lunatic, nor did he react with horror or silence at her eerie words. Instead, he naturally carried on the conversation, "Praise the Goddess, I'm glad to see you alive today."
"Me too," Astella nodded slightly.
That sounded… odd, she thought but didn't mind, as the previous Astella often said strange things with a distant expression.
"No one has signed up to present anything related to the occult today. Once the free discussion time is over, the meeting should be done," Andrew lowered his voice, and Astella sensed a trace of nervousness, "Would you mind staying behind after the meeting?"
Hmm? Astella raised an eyebrow inwardly. Was this… young love?
She knew this young man came from a well-off family. After attending a few underground occult gatherings, he had already taken the potion and become a Sequence 9 "Warrior." With his good looks and pleasant personality, he was quite popular with the girls at school, and he'd always been particularly kind to Astella.
The club wasn't large—around 30 members across both grades. It was essentially a group of high schoolers interested in the occult, gathering to learn the Hermes language, practice divination, attempt to decipher Roselle's notes, and occasionally discuss rumors of supernatural events or hidden histories. All of this was perfectly normal and within the rules.
However, there was a core group of members, led by President Andrew Kleiber, who had attended several underground occult gatherings in Beckland or had family connections to the Church. They had truly touched the edge of the extraordinary world. Outside of regular club meetings, this core group secretly exchanged occult knowledge, forming a tight-knit circle that excluded others.
Astella found herself on the edge of this circle. She was proficient in ancient Fusac, Hermes, and ancient Hermes, skilled in divination, and well-versed in Fourth Epoch history—a valuable asset.
For example, during the club's recruitment this year, a member named Gerald had deliberately left her alone at the recruitment booth for an entire afternoon.
"After all, as a girl, you're definitely better at 'attracting members' than me, hahaha!" The believer of the Lord of Storms had thrown this sexist remark at her before swaggering off.
Bored, and with little talent for conversation or socializing, Astella had propped up a sign that read: "Star Chart Divination, Ten Pence Each, Free for New Members."
She then spent nearly six hours drawing star charts for passersby and fellow students, from afternoon till sunset. High-intensity work, she'd played the role of a Sequence 7 "Astrologer" in advance. Her delicate features and aloof demeanor, even her forced gloom, seemed to possess a melancholic beauty, drawing many to stop by. Andrew, delighted with the list of new members, publicly praised Gerald, who had abandoned her all afternoon to enjoy himself.
For now, Astella had not revealed to anyone in the club that she was already an Extraordinary. The reason was simple: the "Apprentice" pathway was rare in Ruen, and she couldn't explain the source of her potion formula. Moreover, she didn't want to expose her mother's identity and risk potential disaster. However, as a Sequence 8 "Trickmasters," her spirituality strength was already superior in divination and ritual magic, far surpassing the "Sailors" and "Warriors."
But why did Andrew want me to stay after the meeting? It couldn't be a confession, could it?
It wasn't that Astella lacked confidence in her appeal. Despite her solitary nature, mood swings, and often erratic behavior, she was quite intelligent and knowledgeable for her age. With her striking looks and cool, distant air, though she wasn't universally liked, it wasn't surprising if someone were interested in her.
Still, Astella found the idea unlikely.
"Andy~!"
A bright-looking girl suddenly plopped down next to Andrew. With wavy, auburn hair, green eyes, and a proud air, her voice was sweet and melodious.
Astella turned her gaze elsewhere, not wanting to engage in what seemed like a petty adolescent drama.
As expected, Andrew turned to the girl. She raised her brows triumphantly and coyly tucked her hair behind her ear, presenting a notebook, her expression bashful. "Uh, some words in ancient Hermes are quite different from Hermes…"
Why does this feel like a concubine faking an illness to get the emperor's attention? Astella struggled to suppress a laugh. She nodded slightly, signaling to Andrew to go ahead.
The girl, Lena Nolan, was the daughter of a wealthy merchant involved in import-export trade, worth at least a hundred thousand pounds, likely more. As a genuine rich girl, she was the center of attention wherever she went, with no shortage of admirers. Yet for some reason, she always seemed to harbor animosity toward Astella—despite the fact that Andrew was kind to everyone. But Astella had no interest in petty squabbles among teenagers.
*Troublemaker…* she mused, shaking her head with a silent chuckle.
After a while, the meeting began, and Astella only half-listened. It wasn't until someone mentioned "Roselle's notes" that her attention snapped back to the discussion.
- Language mode: activate! -
She raised her hand slightly, "I've made some progress."
Though she had no idea what they were just discussing.
The room quieted slightly.
Someone chuckled, "Let's hear what our little genius has discovered."
Roselle's cipher had stumped the world's linguists and cryptographers for over a century!
Unbothered by the mocking tone, Astella walked to the blackboard, drawing a few Arabic numerals, along with the words "year," "month," and "day," beneath which she wrote their corresponding Ruen characters.
"These symbols often appear at the beginning of his notes and are repeated frequently. I've hypothesized that they represent numbers, or dates, and based on the Emperor's era, I made these assumptions, which have been partially verified. I'm still unsure about the rest of the numerical symbols and need more notes for reference."
Andrew asked, "So, if we decipher these number codes, we could determine the exact dates the notes were written?"
"Exactly." Astella nodded, "That would help us unlock more of the cipher."
She subtly hinted for everyone to help collect more of the notes. After all, if she wanted, she could translate the entire thing, though it would cause quite a stir in the academic world.
Andrew was the first to respond, handing over three pages he'd copied, neatly pinned together. Soon after, Astella received five more pages, and several members promised to bring more next time. Astella bowed slightly, expressing her gratitude.
Feeling the admiration and curiosity from those around her, a faint sense of satisfaction arose within her.
Sensing her shifting emotions, she smiled wryly to herself, *Seems like the original Astella craved recognition and friendship after all… Well, she was still just a teenager, and how could any child not care about others' opinions? Otherwise, when Gerald had made her stay at the booth, she could've simply left or used her "Trickmasters" abilities to get back at him…*
Though "Trickmasterss" weren't suited for direct combat, tricking Gerald in a way that made him fall flat in front of Lena, set his pants on fire, or erase his homework would've been easy enough.
She tucked her notebook away, deciding not to read it now. Instead, she patiently waited until the meeting ended, when most of the members left, leaving just five people, herself included.
Astella scanned the room. As expected, these were the core members of the club.
Andrew, the "Warrior," and also the president of the club.
Gerald, the "Sailor," whose looks were passable at best. He had thin lips, a sharp chin, and wasn't exactly pleasant to look at despite his tall and strong physique. His family seemed to have some connection to the Church of the Lord of Storms, and he appeared to harbor some dislike toward Andrew.
Lena, the rich and proud lady, both beautiful and wealthy. Every man present had his eyes on her.
Cohen, the "lackey," plain-looking, always fawning over others. He often ended up paying for meals whenever they went out. In short, a walking ATM.
Astella understood: this was the stereotypical combination of the male protagonist, the spiteful male supporting character, the female lead, Tool 1, and Tool 2. And she was Tool 2, the NPC responsible for giving necessary explanations when needed.
After her recent rise to fame from successfully deciphering part of the Roselle Script, no one questioned why Astella was still here. Despite some mild objections, Andrew's invitation was tacitly accepted by everyone.
"What is it, Cohen?" Lena asked.
"Ahem," Cohen cleared his throat, clearly trying to impress the girl he liked. With a proud tone, he said, "I've received some news. In White Tower Town, a newly discovered ancient Fourth Epoch noble's tomb has been found on the outskirts of Backlund!"
"You want to invite us to explore it together?" Gerald's eyes sparkled with anticipation, and Lena's expression also showed a hint of interest.
"Yes!"
Feeling the youthful energy and adventurous spirit filling the room, Astella froze in place, stunned.
Note 1: Andy is Andrew's nickname, typically used by family, lovers, or a few very close friends.
Note 2: "Don't forget who bought you this phone!" is a reference from the youth melodrama The Left Ear.
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