The新生 registration desk sat before the administration building, offering a clear view of incoming freshmen from the office windows above. A young professor stood by his floor-to-ceiling window, waiting silently.

This was Professor Lu—the one who had fiercely advocated for Ouyang Tao’s admission, personally guaranteed his enrollment, and even volunteered to be his mentor for the next six years.

Though he’d given his solemn word to the Board of Trustees, the young professor’s heart still tightened with tension. The weight of this responsibility was immense. He burned with urgency to see what kind of person this common-born student truly was.

*There he is…* Finally, the professor spotted the youth heading toward the Mechanical Department’s registration booth.

This year’s Mechanical Department had accepted only five students. Four spots were essentially pre-determined—a standard practice for Augustus College’s three specialized departments, each with its own compelling reasons.

Every year, professors from these departments scoured the nation for talents matching their exacting criteria. Candidates underwent rigorous, multi-stage evaluations before final approval.

The Mechanical Department’s admissions were especially strict. While commoners technically had the right to apply, the entry barriers were sky-high. Typically, only scions from a handful of elite noble families were chosen—because Mechanical Mages were war mages.

Yet the young professor sensed this boy seemed utterly unaware of the world he’d entered. His mannerisms and expression suggested zero combat experience. He even looked… a little goofy.

The professor sighed lightly, shaking his head. "Tsk tsk… This won’t be easy."

Still, something about the boy felt hauntingly familiar—like a ghost from his past. Someone profoundly important.

Unconsciously, the professor picked up a photo frame from his desk. It showed him beside a middle-aged man over a decade ago. The man’s face bore a striking resemblance to Ouyang Tao’s. Both wore deep purple professorial robes—the uniform of Augustus College. This was the young professor’s first and last photo with his mentor, taken when he became the college’s youngest professor.

That mentor had been a genius Mechanical Mage who entered Augustus College as a commoner fifty years prior. His brilliance had left the entire era in his dust. His research reached a pinnacle few could fathom: Lost Technology rumored to rival even the Divine and Demonic.

Yet this genius professor had abruptly left Augustus College over a decade ago. Years later, he perished at sea with his entire family in a sudden shipwreck.

The young professor never believed it was coincidence or accident. Someone had orchestrated it.

The death of such a pivotal scholar and military asset was dismissed too easily by authorities—labeled a mere accident, swept under the rug. This only deepened his suspicion.

*Master,* he vowed silently, gripping the frame, *whoever did this—and why—I will uncover the truth.*