Lontar, the capital of the Kingdom of Holm, at the Hexagram Platform.
At half past seven in the morning, Lucian, with a formal black bow tie fastened at the collar of his white dress shirt, blew into the chilly air, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black double-breasted frock coat, as he slowly descended from the magical steam train.
After receiving the invitation last night, he had only just enough time to confirm with the school administration that the insignias of the Will of the Primordial Spring and the Holm Royal Academy of Magic were correct before rushing to catch the first train to Lontar.
Stepping off the magical platform, Lucian hailed a carriage, entered its warm interior, and instructed the driver to take him to the Rose Estate by Swan Lake.
Only after the horses were set in motion and the wheels began to turn did Lucian finally settle his thoughts, carefully considering his invitation to attend the "Annual Conference of Elemental and Alchemy Magic..."
"If they truly valued my Periodic Table of Elements paper, the invitation and the treatment should have been more grandiose. After all, it will be a significant milestone in the development of elemental magic."
"But if they don't value it, why send me an invitation in the first place?"
As confusion churned within him, time slipped by, and it was half past eight when the carriage drew to a halt before the Rose Estate. To the left lay Swan Lake, its surface covered by a thin layer of ice, blanketed by falling snowflakes, a vast and desolate sight.
Two young men with blond hair stood guard at the estate's entrance, exuding an aura of heavy, authoritative knighthood.
However, Lucian understood that they were not true knights, but merely individuals possessing sub-knight level strength thanks to magical potions, which made them willing members of the Will of the Primordial Spring. In the field of magical potion-making, the domains of elemental, alchemy, and necromancy held absolute dominance.
"Good morning, Arcanist. Might I see your invitation and Arcanist badge?" one of the knights asked politely.
Lucian nodded slightly and handed over the invitation and his Arcanist badge.
Using a mirror-like magical artifact, the knight verified the name imprinted within Lucian's badge against the invitation, then returned both with a warm smile. "Welcome, Mr. Lucian Evans. The arcanists have mostly arrived; they are gathered in the hall of the main residence."
The other knight turned and opened the grand gate, gesturing invitingly for Lucian to enter.
Since nothing unusual occurred, Lucian's doubts subsided considerably. He walked along the packed-earth path at a steady pace to the half-open main doors of the residence and gently pushed them open.
A low, humming buzz washed over him. There was no music, no clamor, no boisterous noise. Arcanists, in twos and threes, were scattered throughout the exceptionally spacious hall, discussing recent arcane research, magical trends, and problems encountered in their own work, the atmosphere brimming with intellectual curiosity.
There were roughly two hundred and ten arcanists present, mostly mid-tier, with a smaller number being low-tier arcanists recognized for deep research on specific elemental topics.
Tables and high-backed chairs were arranged in concentric circles throughout the hall. At their center stood a half-height metal platform, upon which were arranged a Magic Circle for amplifying sound and displaying images, along with a lectern that reached about waist height.
Lucian's entrance drew only a brief glance from a few arcanists. Upon realizing they didn't recognize him, they returned to their conversations. Only a pair of icy eyes carefully tracked his movements.
In a corner, Lazarus, who was responsible for handling miscellaneous tasks for the "Annual Conference of Elemental and Alchemy Magic...", had just breathed a sigh of relief that the conference was about to start when he was startled to see the familiar figure of Lucian swaggering into the hall.
Suppressing the urge to call out loudly, Lazarus clutched the left side of his unfastened frock coat with his right hand and made his way through the throng of arcanists toward Lucian with an apologetic demeanor.
"Lucian, how come you're here?" Lazarus whispered, his expression full of astonishment.
This was the "Annual Conference of Elemental and Alchemy Magic...!" And Lucian hadn't joined the Will of the Primordial Spring!
Lucian's field of view was filled with strangers, leaving him slightly uneasy. Seeing his familiar friend, Lazarus, completely eased his mind. He shook the invitation in his hand. "I don't know why either. I received this invitation out of the blue. Lazarus, do you know what this is about?"
"Invitation?" Lazarus took it with a mixture of doubt and surprise. He read it carefully, inspected the magical insignias of both organizations, then looked at Lucian as if studying a monster. "What have you done recently to get an invitation like this? Is it because of that letter you wrote to me, asking me to re-measure the atomic weights of certain elements? After using several new methods to measure them, I found out they really were wrong!"
Lucian was about to offer his own guess when a resonant male voice from near the entrance addressed a female low-tier magician on reception duty. "Evans, Lucian. Has Lucian Evans arrived?"
"Mr. Larry, I have just confirmed it. Mr. Evans arrived a few minutes ago," the sweet female voice replied with a touch of relief. Fortunately, she had been checking the arriving arcanists every five minutes, allowing her to answer Mr. Larry's question promptly. Then, facing the hall, her voice amplified: "Mr. Evans, Mr. Lucian Evans, please come over here. Mr. Larry is looking for you."
Her voice silenced all discussion. The arcanists looked around, curious to discover just who this Lucian Evans was and what his relationship was to Mr. Larry.
"Rebecca, Mr. Evans is right here!" Lazarus called out loudly, feeling a bit proud that his friend was being sought by the speaker, and then pulled Lucian toward the entrance.
The arcanists parted, their gazes filled with a trace of curiosity settling on Lucian. An arcanist so young who received an invitation? He didn't seem like one of those withered types who used magical rituals or potions to extend their lives.
At the entrance stood three men and one woman. The woman had bright, clear green eyes and wore a simple red evening gown. She was beautiful and elegant, though a hint of weariness was visible between her brows, partially concealed by her light brown bangs, suggesting she had been quite fatigued recently in preparing for the "Annual Conference of Elemental and Alchemy Magic..."
The person speaking with her was a round-faced man in his thirties, portly, with a rough, yellow beard and deep blue eyes.
"Mr. Larry, Mr. Evans is here," Lazarus said with a polite bow to the round-faced man. He had seen this renowned genius of the Will of the Primordial Spring from a distance once before.
Lucian was about to offer a smile and speak, but Larry, facing him, was suddenly stunned, then blurted out: "Who are you?"
His voice was resonant, and even without deliberately raising it, it carried throughout the hall.
"Huh?" Lucian looked at him, confused. Lazarus and Rebecca froze simultaneously, and the arcanists in the hall turned to look, puzzled by what was happening here.