<h4>Chapter 212: Cadet Number 659</h4>


    Eleanor stretched her arms and legs, rolling her shoulders, then dropped into a series of swift movements. She struck the air with a few sharp punches, followed by precise kicks, each blow cutting cleanly through the space. After several repetitions, she paused, satisfied. The uniform moved with her effortlessly... no stiffness, no resistance. It flexed like her own skin, giving her strength without taking any away.


    In her mind, Nora’s voice stirred. "I think every piece of this uniform is recyble, even environment-friendly. But, Master... that strange energy I sensed earlier, it’s still here. It’s woven into your clothes as well. I cannot rte it to any force I know."


    Eleanor exhaled softly. "Don’t worry. If the academy meant us harm, they wouldn’t bother dressing us for war. Most students here are from renowned families... they represent the best of this world. The academy wouldn’t dare risk losing them."


    As Eleanor tested her uniform a moment longer, the robot’s mechanical voice cut through the silence. "Please put on the robe. The robe identifies your role in the academy. Green robes are for students, indigo for professors, teal for healers, white for officials, ck for protectors, and gold for the principal."


    Eleanor lifted thest folded garment and unfurled it. The deep emerald robe cascaded down almost to her ankles, its fall smooth and uninterrupted, every fold alive with grace. Light shimmered faintly across its surface, as though sunlight had been woven into its threads, shifting between shades of green and gold as she moved.


    The fabric bore delicate vein-like patterns, like the imprint of a vast leaf pressed t, soft under her fingers but resonant with hidden strength. Its sleeves were wide, tapering neatly at the wrists to avoid hindrance in movement. The hems and cor were finished with vine-like embroidery, touched now and then with glints of golden thread. At the throat rested a simple sp in the shape of a budding leaf carved from amber, fastening the robe close, though she could just as easily let it trail behind her like a flowing banner.


    She turned slightly, testing its flow with a few steps and stretches. Then she asked, "I understand the others. But what about the protectors? I saw two ck-robed dragons near the teleportation gate."


    "The protectors safeguard the academy," the robot replied evenly. "They are all of the dragon race. That is the extent of my knowledge. For further details, read the guide or consult the help desk."


    Eleanor nodded. "I am ready now. May I leave this room?"


    "Not yet," the robot said. "I have further exnation. Look at your robe... left side of your chest."


    Eleanor had noticed the embroidery before but dismissed it as unimportant. Now, she lowered her gaze. The number stitched there gleamed in golden thread: 10156659.


    "That is your cadet number," the robot exined. "Here, all students are cadets, regardless of gender, race, or origin. This number will belong to you even after death. The academy will identify you by it from this day forward. Memorize it... you will need to write it often. Thest three digits of your number will be used to call you while you are in the academy. Only you will possess 659 this year."


    It paused, then continued, "Your robe also carries function. Inside are two concealed pockets. Each has a ten cubic foot space... simr to a pouch, but not bonded to its owner. The contents can be scanned at any time by academy systems. The distinction is this... unlike storage rings, these spaces allow airflow. You may store living creatures or objects requiring air to survive. Now, ce your guidebook and bottles inside the pocket to test."


    Eleanor obeyed. She slipped the guide into one pocket and ced the three bottles carefully into the other. To be certain, she drew the book back out... "Perfect".


    "Nora", she asked silently, "can you sense these spaces?"


    "I can," Nora replied. "I can feel the pockets and remember where exactly you ced each item. But there is no sense of ownership here. In your storage ring I can always see what lies within, right now, at this moment. With the robe, I only know from memory.


    "I see," Eleanor murmured in her mind. "The ring is bound to me. The robe is not."


    The robot’s voice chimed in again. "All academy clothes are woven with an embedded cleansing spell, a property of the material itself. You will never need to wash them. If they be dirty, allow some time... they will clean themselves. The effect extends to your body as well, removing sweat or surface grime. Thus, even after hard exertion, if you rest a while you will not need a bath immediately. The only time you must change your uniform is if it tears duringbat. Fighting, however, is prohibited in the academy outside the arena, and you may only fight while wearing your uniform. Two more sets will be delivered to your dormitoryter. That is all I was instructed to exin. Now, please deposit your items at the exchange desk. The door is open."


    "Thank you," Eleanor said, inclining her head before stepping through the door as it parted. Behind her, it sealed itself with a soft hiss.


    The officey just as she had left it. She nced toward the other rooms... Kiara’s and Ophelia’s doors remained closed. Across the chamber, the six others who had travelled with them still sat at their desks, heads bent over their contracts. Only the werecat was absent. A fresh group had already arrived and now stood before the receptionist... five vampires, three nagas, and two whose aura felt unfamiliar. Eleanor studied them briefly. Their features carried a distinctly Japanese cast, and the smell around them shimmered with a faint fox-like sharpness. "Kitsunes," she concluded.


    She dismissed them from thought and went straight to the exchange desk.


    "Hello," said the woman behind it with a smile so warm and natural it seemed impossible to doubt her words. "It appears you are ready to enter the academy. Please hand over your storage ring. You may reim it upon leaving. The only item you are permitted to bring inside is the guidebook issued earlier. You will be scanned, so I advise against hiding anything."


    Eleanor returned her smile and set the three bottles beside her ring. "I need these three prepared into a bloodline potion."


    The woman lifted a hand scanner and ran it slowly across the items. The device glowed briefly before she tapped at the tablet in front of her. "You have a five-stem Moonpetal flower... though one petal is missing. A fang of an elder ascended werewolf. And volcanic ash from a dead mountain. Yes, these are indeed validponents for a bloodline potion. However, youck three essential catalysts... starlight dew, dragonbone powder, and obsidian dust. You may purchase them from the Faculty of Arcane Herbalism and Potioncraft. With your ten percent student discount, the cost will be seven million, two hundred thousand dors. Other minor reagents will be provided free by the alchemist."


    She paused, scanning the tablet again before continuing. "You will require two petals for your potion. The remaining two may be sold to the faculty for two million, which will be deducted from your bill. Should you possess other ingredients to sell, those too can offset the cost. Be advised, you must alsomission an alchemist to prepare the potion. No alchemist guarantees a hundred percent sess. You have ingredients enough for a single dose, and if it fails, you must ept the loss. The registered alchemists’ fees range between five to twenty million dors. As a cadet, you will receive a fifty percent discount if youmission a professor. Their fees are usually ten to twenty million... you would only need to provide half."


    Eleanor inclined her head politely. "My grandmother instructed me tomission Professor Charles Scott Sherrington for my potion. She has already contacted him and arranged the ingredients under his guidance."


    The woman’s smile never faltered, but her eyes flicked briefly to the tablet. "Professor Sherrington is not currently listed among the avable faculty formission. If you insist, I can submit a special request. That will require an additional ten million dors."


    "Understood," Eleanor said evenly. "Please write my name... Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor. The professor is expecting a request from me."


    "Very well." The woman tapped briskly at her screen. "In that case, your total will be fifteen million two hundred thousand dors. Do you have sufficient funds avable?"


    "Yes," Eleanor replied. "My wallet is in my storage ring."


    The woman handed the ring back to her. Eleanor withdrew her ck card, and set it down. The transaction took only moments; then the woman returned the card along with a slip marked PAID in elegant gold lettering. Without pause, she resumed entering data into her tablet, her hands moving like clockwork.


    Just then, the side doors slid open with a whisper, and both Kiara and Ophelia emerged. Their new uniforms caught the light, the deep green cloth enhancing their natural grace. For a moment, Eleanor thought they looked less like students and more like forest-born queens stepping into their domain.


    "Are you done already, Eleanor?" Kiara asked, striding to her side.


    "Yes," Eleanor said, smiling faintly. "Just finishing the procedures here."


    Behind the desk, the woman looked up again. "Cadet 659, yourmission has been recorded. If the professor declines, you will be notified to select another alchemist. You have already surrendered your storage ring. To proceed, you need to go to the help desk. Remember... the guidebook is the only item you may carry inside."


    "I understand. Thank you for your assistance." Eleanor inclined her head once more, then turned to herpanions. "We’ll enter the academy together."


    Kiara stepped forward and ced her ring neatly on the counter, Ophelia following suit. Once their items were processed, the three of them moved as one toward the help desk, their green robes flowing behind them like banners, their first true steps as cadets of the academy.