Thanedd Island is an unclaimed small island off the coast of Temeria. Ever since the Brotherhood of Sorcerers made it their core stronghold, the island has undergone nearly a century of major infrastructural reconstruction.
Here, towers stand in great numbers, most of them built during the early days of the Brotherhood or left behind by the elves of ancient times.
According to Tissaia, many of the teleportation portals left behind from the elven era in the towers are abandoned, and no one knows where they lead.
Situated in the north, the island only sees greenery during the spring and summer. It was currently summer, and from afar, Thanedd Island looked like two massive stone pillars rising from the waves, connected by a towering bridge. Massive elven towers built along spiral paths and stairways faded into the green forests and gardens.
On the second floor of Tissaia's private residence, there was an isolated balcony where a cool breeze blew on this summer night.
Sitting on the balcony, one could enjoy a panoramic view of the sea surrounding Thanedd Island and its neighboring islets.
Asa was already sitting in a rattan lounge chair on the balcony, waiting alongside his teacher, Tissaia, for the arrival of the elven Sorceress, Francesca Findabair.
No matter how much she desired to meet Asa, in terms of status in this world, Francesca Findabair was already a legendary Sorceress at the absolute peak. Her influence among the elves could easily muster an elven army, and her social network spanned across all the kingdoms.
In contrast, Asa was merely a newly initiated official Wizard. His only backing was his teacher, Tissaia, and he only knew four other Sorceresses. The difference in their status and position was night and day.
Therefore, it was Asa who waited here first.
Back then, at eighteen, sitting there like a nobody.
Tissaia was also sitting in a rattan chair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, her smooth black hair tied into a high ponytail. She wore the Dean's robes of Aretuza Academy, which accentuated her well-proportioned figure and intellectual aura. Even in this setting, she continued to flip through the magic book in her hands.
"You're about to meet the most beautiful woman in this world in a moment. How do you feel?"
While they waited for Francesca Findabair to arrive, Tissaia asked with interest without looking up from her book.
Asa rubbed his chin and answered honestly,
"Honestly, I don't feel much of anything."
Nervous excitement?
What difference was there between meeting a woman praised by others as the most beautiful and going on a blind date to meet a woman hyped up to high heaven by a matchmaker?
No matter how beautiful she was said to be, one wouldn't believe it until they saw her with their own eyes.
Other people's opinions weren't particularly important to Asa.
Tissaia nodded in satisfaction. She had to admit that her student had a very good mindset.
In the eyes of ordinary mages, Francesca Findabair's prestige was no different from that of the kings of the Northern Kingdoms. Coupled with her powerful weapon of beauty, mages often made fools of themselves out of nervousness.
As the white waves crashed against the reefs, Tissaia suddenly said,
"She's here."
Asa stood up. Inside the room behind them, a teleportation light flared, and two elves stepped out.
Francesca Findabair, and her elven guard, Cairis.
It was hard to describe the feeling of seeing Francesca Findabair for the first time. Asa finally understood why she was called the most beautiful person in this world.
Under the evening sky, the world was slightly dim, yet the elf seemed to glow, making the entire open-air balcony seem to light up in an instant.
Unlike the double-braided updos in her portraits, the elven Sorceress wore a pure white gown, her dark golden hair cascading down smoothly, with a silver metal circlet gracing her brow.
Her features were exquisite, and her calm expression seemed to carry a hint of melancholy that made it impossible not to be captivated. Coupled with her slender, tall figure and elegant, noble posture, she was like an elven princess stepping right out of a painting.
No, she actually was an elven princess—it was just that the elven kingdom had long since perished.
A princess of a fallen kingdom.
[Congratulations on discovering an important story female character: Francesca von Bell. Establish an intimate bond with her to obtain rewards.]
The system's notification was no longer important. Without needing any hint from his mentor, Tissaia, Asa stepped forward and greeted the legendary elven mage:
"It is truly my honor to meet you, Lady Findabair."
He greeted her in Elven, a gesture that brought a faint smile to Francesca Findabair's face, as if a soft glow had suddenly illuminated her features.
The elven Sorceress subtly swept her gaze over Asa face and returned the greeting.
Tissaia took the opportunity to speak:
"Please, take a seat, Miss Francesca Findabair."
The swordsman behind the elven Sorceress silently walked nearby, taking up her post as a guard.
Looking back, several thoughts flashed through Cairis's mind:
It seemed her compatriots' praise wasn't baseless after all; that human indeed possessed some good looks. However, Miss Francesca Findabair was not a superficial creature who only cared about appearance.
Thanks to the fact that Francesca Findabair, a noble of an ancient race, showed absolutely no arrogance of a legendary Sorceress or an elven princess, she appeared exceptionally approachable, and the atmosphere became very harmonious.
After sitting down, the elven lady waved her hand, and a small box flew out from somewhere, landing right in front of Asa seat.
"A meeting gift."
The elven Sorceress smiled serenely as the box opened on its own, revealing a small, exquisite medallion made of an unknown material before the three of them.
Being the closest, Asa could actually feel a highly uncomfortable sense of irritation and a slight dread in his heart emanating from this small medallion.
"The dragon medallion."
Beside him, Tissaia explained the origin of the medallion.
"Only in ancient times, when dragons existed in abundance, could such excellent magic items be made. It's very hard to see dragons in this day and age."
"Lang, its function is to deter all monsters with bloodlines lower than dragons. Other signs are engraved inside, which have additional effects."
"Miss Findabair, did you bring such a valuable meeting gift just for a simple meeting?"
As Asa teacher, Tissaia asked about the Sorceress's intentions while explaining the effects of the magic item to him.
This was one of Tissaia's doubts. Even if it were love at first sight, an elven princess shouldn't just give herself away like this, right?
Giving such a legendary item to her student upon their very first meeting made Tissaia wary. Perhaps the elven princess's goal wasn't her student's body, and she was hiding something else.
"Its other function is that by channeling magic power into it, you can trigger a one-time magic spell, 'Fire Meteor Shower'."
Francesca Findabair explained softly, her sky-blue eyes looking at Asa, filled with anticipation.