Adam stood atop the teleportation platform and glanced at the intricately carved runes below.

Although he was aware of the concept of teleportation circles, large ones at that, through the memories he had absorbed in the past, witnessing one personally was a novel experience for him.

As the group stood above the platform, one station platform personnel ensured everything was in order before activating the circle.

The runes glowed with a brilliant light and drowned the room. The next moment, when the light receded, the group had already disappeared.

...

A bright light flashed inside a room of another Portal Station located in the north part of Inner City, and the group suddenly appeared.

Edward immediately covered his mouth, feeling like he was about to throw up. His sister, Elaine, saw this and gently patted his back. "There, there. You'll get used to it eventually."

Feeling the salty taste in his mouth, Adam couldn't help but take a sip of wine from the gourd hanging from his waist. "Ugh, it's the same feeling I had while entering and exiting the secret plane."

Lisa nodded, her face slightly pale. She glanced at Elaine and asked, "Are the teleportation circles only limited to the Inner City?"

Elaine chuckled, "That's right. It's too expensive to build teleportation circles. Moreover, you also need the help of a Rank 4 Magus."

"What's the range?" Adam asked.

"Hmm, I think it's about 200 meters," replied Elaine, "although I can't be sure about that."

Adam nodded his head, deep in thought. There's a Rank 4 teleportation spell from the School of Summoning whose range is about a hundred meters.

It's not impossible for Runesmiths to carve runic formations to bring about twice the output. How interesting!

The group exited the Portal Station and arrived at a beautiful plaza.

At the center of this plaza was an awe-inspiring crystal fountain. Children could be seen playing around it merrily, splashing water at one another. Elders sat by this fountain, reading books while enjoying the sun.

This was the Commercial District. It was a place where countless cafes, restaurants, and stores catered to the affluent residents of the Inner City.

Seeing such a level of opulence, Adam couldn't help but involuntarily gulp.

Just a single meal here would cost a fortune. Damn it, would they give me a discount at this place? What a conundrum!

Lucky for him, he didn't have to pay for a single thing at the cafe that Elaine took everyone to. The young lady insisted that she treat everyone to a meal since they met after so long.

Adam could only 'reluctantly' agree.

After spending almost the entire day at the cafe, Adam, Edward, and Lisa got to know many things about Acryon and the Empire in general.

In the evening, Elaine decided to take them to her family home in Inner City. She wanted to get them accommodated and take plenty of rest after having traveled for so many months.

But before that, Elaine took them sightseeing along the way. This was the first time that the three youths had come to the Empire after all.

Thus, she took them to her favorite spot.

...

As night fell, the Inner City was illuminated by the soft and magical glows of floating lanterns. The buildings and gardens came alive as they glowed like fireflies in spring.

The City of Acryon looked countless times more beautiful at night than it did during daytime.

Adam found himself in a seating area on the rooftop of one of the tall buildings.

This rooftop was a large garden in and of itself. It was brimming with lush vegetation. Trees reached upward toward the sky, its canopy providing a natural shade and shelter.

Adam took out six cups and poured wine into them. He handed one cup to everyone and took the last one for himself. "I brewed it myself," he said.

Amelia was the first one to take a sip of the wine and her eyes lit up. She glanced at the youth in surprise, "Did you really make this?"

Adam replied with a smug smile, "Heh, of course."

"This is really good, Adam!" Elaine sincerely praised. She then glanced at her friends and said, "You guys may not know, but Adam here is a great Herbalist. So brewing wine is nothing for him."

"Is that true?!" Amelia was stunned.

Even Lilian, who barely showed any expressions throughout the day, was wide-eyed.

After all, the Herbalists that they knew were all old Magi. Extremely few, close to none, were talented enough to grasp the art of Herbalism at a very young age.

If Adam had a tail, it would have been intensely wagging right now. However, he displayed a modest smile and changed topics.

He looked at Elaine and asked, "By the way, how is studying at the Tower of Daybreak? Is it the same as what we did in Clover Academy?"

"Hmm" Elaine savored the flavor of the wine as she sipped from the ceramic cup.

She thought for a while and then replied, "Well, yes and no."

Adam, Edward, and Lisa patiently waited for her to explain.

Elaine continued, "You can think of the Clover Academy as a school, and the Tower of Daybreak as a university. Both are dedicated to teaching young Magi about the arcane arts."

She paused for a moment before adding, "The main difference I would say is the level of specialization and the depth of study."

Amelia also chimed in, "The Tower of Daybreak teaches us advanced arcane studies. Moreover, each student must choose a School of Magic to major in."

Lisa asked with a serious expression, "Can a Magus choose more than one School of Magic to major in?"

"They can, but usually they don't," Elaine replied. "Choosing to specialize in just one School of Magic takes decades."

"Of course, If a Magus advances to the next rank, they will have their entire lives to deeply study the other Schools of Magic," Adam suddenly said. "But more often than not, Magi usually choose one school and dedicate their lives to mastering it."

"Indeed!" Amelia's eyes lit up. "That's exactly what my father once said to me."

Adam glanced at her and simply smiled. He then asked, "What are the other famous organizations like the Tower of Daybreak?"

Elaine replied with a proud smile, "There are four major institutes of arcane learning in the Acadian Empire, and the Tower of Daybreak is one of them."

Edward and Lisa couldn't help but feel excited knowing that the institution they were about to study in had such immense prestige in the Empire.

"What are the other three?" Adam asked curiously.

"Greenfield Ridge, Coral Cove, and finally...

"Saratoga Castle!"