From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 353 Masquerade
The school uniforms and masquerade accessories that Kemina promised were delivered to Ivy's door by the golem early the next morning.

All the students in Strixhaven who have not yet decided on their college wear uniforms made up of simple black, white and gray, which is completely different from the fancy uniforms made up of two opposing colors of the five major colleges.

As for the masquerade ornament, it is a small silver brooch. The magic attached to it is a simple disguise spell that can form a simple magic mask on the face according to the user's wishes.

Ivy didn't pay much attention to the things that Kemina brought. He simply put on his school uniform and set off for Maodian Pavilion.

Having obtained the Strijhai literature book, Ivy couldn't wait to read it in Maodian Pavilion.

The field he targeted was not the five-color mana magic that the five major academies excelled in, but the plane knowledge that he had almost no channels to access before.

Since his [Perfect Part-time Job] feature gave him almost unlimited possibilities, traveling between various planes and obtaining new career levels from them was something Ivy had to do.

The library of Strijhaven contained many books on plane knowledge, which greatly benefited Ivy.

Many of these scrolls mention that certain unique planes have unique magical characteristics, just like the mana of Akaivivo, which is always in conflict.

In some planes that tend toward positive energy, creatures with evil alignments will be suppressed. Correspondingly, the effects of spells with evil intentions in the magic description will also be greatly reduced.

The magic of some planes tends to be chaotic and uncontrollable, and spellcasters must pay more concentration than before to control the magic from happening unexpectedly, otherwise they will be affected by chaotic magic like the tiefling fighting the Githyanki pirates.

On other planes, the magical energy appears to be inert, the effectiveness of all types of damaging spells is greatly reduced, and the duration of non-damaging spells is affected.

There are even some time and space where there is no magic at all. This kind of time and space is called the dead magic time and space. Only warlocks whose magic power comes from their own bloodline or similar spellcasters can continue to cast spells. Spellcasters who must draw magic power from the environment will completely lose the ability to cast spells.

In most prime material planes with magic, there is more than one outer or inner plane attached to it, and then there is a transitional plane connecting the space-time to other multiverses. The Astral Plane, the Desolate Universe, and the Phlogiston Sea are all of this type.

And in these magical time and space, there are two specific existences that Ivy is very interested in.

The first is the plane beacon, and the second is the energy manifestation area.

Simply put, plane beacons are hubs formed by energy networks flowing between planes. As long as the connection with these hubs is completed, the caster can borrow the power of these hubs to a certain extent and gain some supernatural abilities.

The manifesting area is the area where the planes overlap, which gives a space the significant characteristics of other planes. Of course, this characteristic exists at the same time as the characteristics of the plane. And when the caster is in the manifesting area, the resistance to plane travel will be smaller.

This means that summoning spells will receive a huge buff.

For example, if Ivy used the Alien Alliance to summon angels in the Heaven Mountain Manifestation Area, these angels would not be treated as alien creatures, and would not be directly expelled from the main material plane by magic such as Banishment.

And in the Heaven Mountain manifestation area, the summoned angels will gain even more powerful strength because they are fighting on their own land.

Although specific energy areas are very powerful, they are almost impossible to find. Unless Ivy knows how to make a specific outer plane form an energy area on the main material plane.

As Akavivo is a very special time and space, Ivy believes that it must have very unique plane signposts and energy-manifesting areas.

Therefore, finding and studying them was one of the tasks Ivy set for himself in this short week.

The plane knowledge he gained in Strijhaven can surely be applied to other planes and help his future journey.

From the tiefling waiter at the Archend Tavern, Ivy has roughly learned how to go to the world of Toril. Now he just needs to find a suitable opportunity and he can immediately embark on an adventure in the continent of Faerun.

Of course, the prerequisite is that he must first figure out the matter of Strijhaven.

For example, attending the fashion masquerade ball tonight at Hengjian College.

Strixhaven has a total of six campuses. In addition to the central campus where Maodian Pavilion and Ivy Dormitory Tower are located, the other five colleges are arranged in a five-pointed star shape around the central campus.

There are giant torches on the road leading from the central campus to the five major campuses. Ivy has now learned that these torches are called Torches of Enlightenment, and the everlasting flames on them symbolize the path to knowledge and away from ignorance.

Ivy took off his black, white and gray school uniform, put on his star cloak again, and added a white mask on his face that was only for decoration.

Then we set out for Hengjian College.

The students gathered on this road were all juniors. They were all dressed in no similar manner. It could be described as a riot of demons.

There was a half-blood girl who had fixed a hundred scarlet eyes on her dress with magic; there was an avant-garde troll wearing only a pair of shorts and a tie around his neck; there was a murloc whose robes constantly displayed changing golden spirals and fractal patterns; there was even a tree spirit who had transformed himself into a walking bouquet of flowers.

Among all these students, the tree spirit was the only one who wore the same clothes as the others. Another tree spirit from Mihua College used the same method, but luckily, the flowers they bloomed were different colors.

Ivy's star cape was not unusual in the competition for fancy dresses, and many students from the Hengjian and Quantity Analysis departments added star elements to their dresses. Ivy even found a gorgeous female student who made her dress produce harmless supernova explosions.

Amid the glow of the various magical dresses and robes, the majestic buildings of Hengjian College took on a strange and awkward feel. The twisted shadows, combined with the flames from the torches of enlightenment on both sides of the avenue, gave this academy, which carried countless rich histories, a strange charm of wild growth.

Hengjian College is a huge archaeological site. Generations of Hengjian masters have transformed the landform here from a plain into a huge valley. Countless ancient buildings have been excavated and hidden on both sides of the valley. Today, these ancient building complexes have been used for research, classroom assignments, and residential areas.

The scholars of Hengjian call it the Pillar of Avoidance. Different Pillar Areas are connected by bridges across the abyss. Even the passage from the central campus to the main building of Hengjian College directly crosses the giant valley excavated by the scholars of Hengjian. Ivy passed through the huge archaeological excavation site of Hengjian College and entered the main campus of Hengjian. On both sides of this passage are monuments to famous figures in the history of Akavivo, including past professors and outstanding practitioners of Strijhaven, war heroes and ancient heads of state.

However, to Ivy, these were all unfamiliar names. Therefore, he did not stay here for too long, but went directly to the venue of the masquerade ball - Koma Academy.

From Kemina's words, Koma Academy was obviously a place for serious academic meetings, but now it has completely changed.

It was filled with music, colored lights, and buzzing laughter.

In addition, there were various students who were preparing to participate in the dance that Ivy saw on the road. Even the faculty and staff were dressed as outrageously as the students.

Ivy found his name on the last page of the sign-in book and took an ice cream cone that looked like it was burning on the table.

The huge display stand of Koma Academy became a stage. Under the illumination of colorful lights, an animal band composed of elephant men, owl men, eagle men and minotaurs was playing passionate music. Various styles of Strixhaven stars were hung above people's heads, reflecting the beams of light from the magic lamps into more gorgeous shadows.

Ivy thought he would see one or two acquaintances here, but in fact he had no idea how many third-year students there were in Strixhaven.

The number of spellcasters crowded into Komar Academy must be comparable to the entire population of the British wizarding world. The masks on their faces and the exaggerated ball costumes made it even more difficult to identify them.

Instead of continuing to try to find a familiar face in the crowded and noisy crowd, Ivy came to the long table with various snacks.

As a school that applies magic to every aspect of life, many of the foods here also have a strong magical flavor.

Unlike the wizard's magic candies that could only burn a hole in the tongue, Ivy saw snacks at Koma Academy that could make people spit flames and acid, drinks that could temporarily transform people into phantoms, and even snacks that had the ability to shrink or grow larger.

If these snacks were to circulate in a society where magic was relatively scarce, they would surely cause local adventurers to scramble for them.

Just as Ivy stuffed a portion of what looked like roasted worms into his mouth, the music and lights that filled the entire dance party suddenly dimmed.

A spotlight shone on the second-floor terrace, and the head of the Order, Ogotta Tullus, approached the railing. She was not wearing a mask, but still wore the gorgeous robe made of golden scrolls.

The magic amplified her voice, causing it to echo throughout the ball.

"Students, faculty, and distinguished guests of Strixhaven! Welcome to the Fashion Masquerade! I know many of you are looking forward to this night as much as I am, and I promise it will be a night to remember!"

She gestured toward the huge statue in the center of the academy and continued, "Hundreds of years ago, the wise Komar founded this masquerade as a tradition to unite students from all the academies. Tonight, we are honored to invite his spirit and wisdom to return again, for the eternal history of Strixhaven, and for all that has never been forgotten! Everyone, let us dance passionately among the stars!"

Ivy felt a surge of white mana, exactly the same as the mana fluctuations he had seen in the student center on the first day of school.

It seems that Koma's soul has been invited back from the past by Ogeta and is attached to the huge statue in the center of the school.

Before Ivy had time to think about the model and principle of this spell, a loud noise and cheers attracted his attention.

The stage converted from a podium erupted with brilliant fireworks, and all the dancers on the stage soared into the air and floated in the air.

When Ivy first entered the venue, he was thinking about how to dance in such a crowded dance hall. He couldn't just swing his dance partner as a fighting tool, right?

Now his doubts were perfectly solved, because this was a dance party taking place in a three-dimensional space. The air was filled with students and faculty members hugging each other, spinning violently and doing all kinds of actions that went against common sense.

More students joined the dance, and they walked up the magic stairs to the stage, immediately gaining the magical effect of ignoring gravity. The laughter and shouting almost turned the whole building over.

The party seemed lively, almost a success, if Ivy hadn't felt a cursed presence lingering in the hall.

Is there anyone who is trying to attack the students at the dance?
Ivy thought with interest that even in a magic school famous throughout the multiverse, it was normal for one or two murders to occur.

Voldemort was able to manipulate the basilisk to murder Myrtle at the age of 15, and put the blame on Hagrid. Ivy himself executed a large number of dark wizards who entered the Forbidden Forest in a very cruel way in his fifth grade.

In this magic university, most students are no younger than eighteen years old, and some long-lived races, such as tree spirits, will enroll even later. So it would be surprising if no one planned to use magic to kill a little.

People who have learned magic will always experiment with what they have learned in various places. Perhaps the student who released the curse in the ballroom was just thinking of playing a prank, but even with the best intentions, it is possible to cause a disaster, let alone a curse that covers a large area.

Ivy tried to determine the source of the cursed magic, but the noisy crowd at the party and the various magical effects on them undoubtedly hindered Ivy's perception, and the arcane vision solidified in his eyes was a spell that could not be activated.

In such a strong magical environment, Ivy might even blind himself.

The lively dance party is always very exhausting. The students dancing in the air land and rise up again in groups until the music and lights fade away again.

Ogota's ancient art finally showed its effect - the stone statue in the center of Komar Academy spoke. It gave a speech about the inheritance of knowledge and the connection between the five major schools of Strixhaven.

Ivy felt that the statue must have spent a whole year preparing for today's speech, just like the Sorting Hat that was always placed on the three-cornered stool at the start-of-term dinner.

However, as the applause rang out, the giant statue suddenly issued a warning: "But be careful! There is a cruel lesson you have not yet learned. When the mistakes of the past are forgotten, the horror of the past will return and haunt the present. Be careful, spellcasters, the shadow is coming to you too."

(End of this chapter)