A warm blue glow slowly creeps across the panel, spreading from Juliana’s hand. After a few seds, a plicated runic sequence be seen c every inch of the silver metal. Juliana lowers her hand and the runes pulse twice before the panel phases out of existence, revealing a well-lit white corridor.

  Emily stares speechlessly at the space the door used to occupy. They walk through the now-operance, and she feels them pass through a strange incorporeal membrahe may inside is much higher than outside. Emily guesses it’s at least double the density of the Mandrago family estate. She gnces back over her shoulder ahe door phase bato existence as they pass, the runes quickly fading to leave a pin silver panel again.

  “I’m guessing you also have no clue how those work?”

  “Yep! I’m only first circle and those doors are the work of at least a third circle mage. All I know is that they react to the mana signature of the person iing mana into it. They will only open for those who’ve beeered,” Juliana answers cheerfully as they walk deeper into the building.

  “What circle you go up to?”

  “It depends on your talent, and no one really knows the exact requirements to increase their circle. However, most people who awaken reach the sed circle with hard work aation, and those with good talent reach the third. Only the very talented gain enlighte and reach the fourth circle. As for the fifth circle, it’s only a myth, there has never been a known fifth circle mage in the history of Ulea!”

  Emily thinks back to the pressure she felt from Niandrago and assumes he must be a fourth circle mage.

  Damn, I have to work out how to kill the highest-grade mage within three years. At least my system gives me help on how to reach the circle.

  The empty corridor soon reaches an open room with a rge magic circle engraved across every surface visible.

  “This is one of the transportation circles for moving around The Dome. You have to stand inside,” Juliana expins while leading Emily to stand in the tre of the room, “and i a bit of mana into it while thinking of the name of the pce you want to go to. The names of the circles will be written on the map we’ll get you in a bit, so for now just don’t let go of my hand and we’ll move together.”

  Emily watches as the room lights up with mana and space fluctuates around them. She feels a slightly iion of being stretched and pressed as her vision fades. Suddenly, her vision clears, and the sensation disappears like a mirage. Emily looks around and sees a room almost identical to the st. However, this one has a closed door instead of an operyway.

  “Urgh, unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that feeling,” Juliana pins while looking over to Emily. “Are you okay? It’s normally pretty bad the first time.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she answers, before quickly adding: “It was a bit weird though.”

  It was far better than time travel.

  Juliana nods and walks over to exit the room.

  “Always try to leave the transportation rooms quickly. There are safety measures, but it's best not to risk being here when other people try to teleport in,” she expins while opening the door and stepping out into a wide hall with several robed people milling about.

  “This is the information hub. It’s where you sign up for courses and missions or cim any family-allocated resources and tribution rewards.”

  Emily takes in the vast hall around her with slight awe. Behind her is a wall of doors, with several mages walking in and out with purpose. The ceilings are high with several glowing white mana crystals providing , mana-dense light to the room. The other walls have several panels filled with glowing words, along with several desks recessed into them. Each desk has a clerk standing behind it, talking to people standing in queues waiting their turn.

  Juliana pulls Emily towards one of the desks with fewer people queueing while asking her a question.

  “Do you know which courses you want to sign up for first? You sign up for more ter, but it would be best tister for a few now.”

  “Ah yes, I have a list of those I’m required to take,” Emily says, releasing Juliana's hand and reag into her robes.

  Emily presents the list and Juliana reads it over with a slight frown.

  “Ew, good luck with that, some of those courses are going to be really b.”

  “Really? Whies?”

  “Etiquette and geopolitics. I had a tutor for them when I was little and always tried to hide when they came over.”

  “Why does that not surprise me,” Emily chuckles as they arrive at the front of the queue, tug the list bato her robes.

  “Hello, how I help you?” the clerk, a man wearing silver robes without a crest, asks with a businesslike smile.

  “She’s a new member and ister and sign up for some courses,” Juliana answers for her.

  The clerk g Emily’s crest before pulling out several silver metal ptes and magic crystals of varying sizes from uhe desk.

  “Name and family affiliation please.”

  “Emily Coldstone of house Mandrago.”

  He holds a fist-sized green crystal with plicated runigravings in his hand, iing mana into it for a few seds before nodding and pg it down. Then he slots another simir green crystal into ay socket oal pte and hands a small clear crystal with no engravings on it to Emily.

  “Please i some mana into this crystal to save your mana signature.”

  Emily pushes mana out of her circle into the crystal and watches it ge from clear to warm blue. She hands the crystal back to the clerk, and he pces it into another socket oe. The mana in the small crystal begins flowing out, along the engraved els and runes, before joining the green crystal, causing it to glow for a few seds befoing dim. The smaller crystal returns to being clear and the clerk removes the crystals from the pte before pg the clear crystal and pte bader the desk. He thehe first green crystal he used into a slot on one of the remaining ptes and holds out his hand.

  “Your crest please.”

  Emily nods and reaches into her robes, unclipping the silver crest inside and handing it over. The clerk raises an eyebrow with surprise and Juliana starts beside her.

  “Wait, you have a silver crest?” Juliana asks in clear disbelief.

  “Yeah, the family said they were allog me more resources due to my talent and gave me that. Though I’m not allowed to dispy it since I’m not actually a family member.”

  “Ah, I guess being self-awakened earns you a few perks.”

  As they talk, the clerk pces the crest into a slot oal pte and green mana flows along its engravings. When the mana reaches the crest, small engravings are carved onto the back of it, f a pattern of runes along with the number ‘50’ appearing clearly in small letters at the tre.

  “Your crest is used for trag your tribution points, of which you will get fifty for free every month due to your family’s tribution,” the clerk expins while handing back the crest.

  “You gain tribution points through pleting missions on those boards over there.” He gestures towards one of the word-filled panels on the wall with a rge group of people gathered around it. “Or through selling items, or doing well in csses. Private trades also be performed by iing mana into your crest and thinking of the number of points you’d like to transfer while tapping someone else’s crest. You use tribution points to buy any number of things. You buy the current list for one tribution point or a token for the market for ten tribution points.”

  “You should get the token, it’s totally worth it. Sometimes people put items up for cheap when they get back from missions so you’ll miss the good deals without it,” Juliana advises her from the side.

  “Okay, I’ll buy a token then please.”

  The clerk walks to a wall of drawers behind him and slides one open, pulling out a -shaped green crystal. He walks back over and takes out another silver pte from uhe desk, this oh an embedded green crystal already present.

  “Please traen points into this,” he says while presenting the pte.

  Emily does as instructed, iing a small amount of mana into the crest and tapping it against the silver pte while thinking, ten.

  The number on the back of her crest reduces to ‘40’ and the clerk nods with a smile while handing over the crystal .

  “Just i mana into that and close your eyes whenever you want to see the current tribution market, just remember it won’t update while you’re outside The Dome. Limited items will be clearly marked when they’re posted, and if you send a pulse of mana into the token while thinking ‘cim’, as long as you have enough tribution points, the item will be put to the side for you to collect at one of these desks at your venience.”

  “Thank you.” Emily nods to the clerk while pg the token into a pocket inside her robes and clipping the crest bato pce.

  “No problem, just doing my job,” the clerk responds with a natural smile. “I assume you would like to be assigned a room now?”

  “Ah, yes please.”

  The clerk picks up the first green crystal again and closes his eyes for a few seds as it glows with mana.

  “Rooms B34, B53 and B71 are all currently free, whie would you like?” he asks while pg the crystal doig up the reen crystal.

  He used that crystal to check I was signed up to join, to engrave my crest and now to check avaible rooms, it’s got to be an information receiver of some kind lier magiside this building. I assume the one he just picked up is a transmitter since he used it tister my mana signature. How iing! I wonder why they ’t use one crystal for both jobs wheoken does a form of both.

  “Oh, take room B53! I’m in B51 so we’d be neighbours!” Juliana excims, sparking an internal debate for Emily.

  Why does she want to stay close? Is she really just very friendly, or have the Mandrago family sent someoo keep tabs on me? Hmm, I don’t think they’d feel the hey seemed very fident in their mental magic... Ah well, I’ll see where this goes for now. It’s not like I’ll show her anything I want to hide from the Mandragos.

  “Sure, I’ll have room B53 then please.”

  The clerk closes his eyes and is mana into the transmitter for a few seds, thehem and nods at Emily.

  “All done, room B53 will now only open for you. Now, which courses would you like to sign up for?”

  Emily pulls out the list again and reads off most of the courses listed.

  “ I sign up for basic etiquette, geopolitics, maths, English, and magic theory please?”

  She misses out basic magibat, deg it’s best to wait till she’s learnt the basic theory for that.

  “Sure.” The clerk repeats the transmission process again, this time taking a little bit lohan before.

  “All done, you check the css timetable on the board over there.” He gestures over towards one of the panels with only a few people standing nearby. “Or you once again buy an updating course list token for ten tribution points. You also use this list to sign up for courses iure in a simir way to the market token.”

  “Sure, I’ll buy that token as well then please,” Emily answers, enjoying the weird feeling of not having to think about whether she afford it.

  The clerk pces the payment sb ba the desk as he turns back to the wall of drawers. Emily pays ten more points, and the clerk returns a few moments ter with anreen token.

  “There you go, is there anything else you would like?” he asks while handing over the token.

  “Ah, a map of The Dome as well please,” Juliana asks, surprising Emily.

  “Trying to get rid of me already, are you?” Emily says with a hint of disappoi.

  “No!” Juliana blurts, “I’m happy to take you anywhere.”

  Emily giggles at her outburst and says with a smile: “Good, I’ll hold you to that.”

  The clerk ighem and walks back over to the drawers, this time returning with a rolled-up part.

  “That’s one tribution point then please,” he says, presenting the payment sb for the final time.

  Emily taps it with her crest, then takes the map and tucks it into her pocket.

  “Thanks for your help!”

  “It leasure, Miss Coldstohe clerk bows lightly with his hand on his heart.

  Emily turns to leave, with Juliana once again grabbing her hand, an a she is quickly getting used to.

  “Where to ?” she asks as Juliana leads her back towards the wall of doors they came from.

  “Let’s go drop your stuff off in your room and I’ll give you a tour!”