Mr. Death in the Steam World

Moen took a deep breath and focused his consciousness into his body.

The black cover slowly emerged behind him.

He silently prayed that the vice dean in front of him would not recognize the connection between this notebook and the Daughter of the Black Moon.

"Book-shaped constellations are not uncommon in the history of the academy, but those with this structure are quite rare."

Seeing Professor Celides straighten up, Moen quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since your destiny is a book, and the 52 magical loops are real, then, Mr. Moen Marcus..."

His tone suddenly became more solemn.

"Now, you have been officially included in the key training list of the School of Arts of St. Alice Magic Academy, and I will personally guide your core course, 'Practical Training in Reading Magic Books,' starting this semester."

Moen nodded mechanically, his expression somewhat restrained.

In reality, he was wondering whether the professor would discover the special features of the Death Note.

The professor probably sensed that he was nervous, so he reached out and stroked his goatee, softening his tone slightly.

"Don't be nervous, Mr. Marcus. Although tonight's meeting does involve some serious topics, my most direct purpose for coming here is actually to deliver textbooks to you."

He paused briefly, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Furthermore, the dean specifically ordered me to come and take a closer look at what kind of student is willing to spend several hours writing over six thousand words in the entrance exam."

Moen was immediately embarrassed, not expecting that the matter had reached the dean's ears.

The professor raised his right hand and waved it gently.

A ripple appeared in mid-air, and one after another, thick, hardcover books appeared out of thin air, landing on the floor at Moen's feet with a dull thud.

Moen looked down and his expression froze.

*An Introduction to Ancalima Ritual Studies*, *A History of Magic: From the Mythical Era to the Steam Age*, *Classification and Basic Applications of Constellation Forms*, *Extraordinary Biology (Volume 1)*, *Classification and Management Regulations of Containment Objects*, *Theory and Practice of Magical Attributes*, *An Introduction to Ancient Inscriptions*...

Each book was as thick as a brick, and they were stacked neatly on the ground, reaching a height of more than half a person.

"As you can see," the professor's voice rang out above him, "these are all your required courses."

Moen silently counted them; including the thickest book, "A History of Magic," there were probably more than twenty books in total.

"Given your special admission circumstances, as you are among the first batch of students admitted through the college's newly established summer special admissions program, I hope you can pass the test in the final exams early next year."

Early next year—meaning he has less than six months to digest these teaching materials.

Moen sighed inwardly. He had originally thought that he could get rid of the exam by transmigrating to another world, but not only did he not get rid of it, he also had to self-study more than twenty university textbooks in half a year.

The worst part is that they are all humanities subjects.

In his past life, he was a typical science student, and his biggest headache was memorizing.

Now, all these courses—history of magic, ritual studies, introductory texts to inscriptions—are just rote memorization.

"Judging from your expression, you already have a clear understanding of your workload."

"However, don't be discouraged, sir. Believe me, your talent is truly rare."

He paused briefly, then added:

"You should know that, generally speaking, the 'Magic Book Reading Training' course in the Faculty of Arts is taught by regular lecturers."

"Including you, there have only been three students in recent years who have been personally taught by the vice dean."

Moen looked up, his expression becoming more serious. He knew the professor was telling him how much the college valued him.

"Besides these required subjects," the professor pointed to the books at his feet,

"As a key talent being cultivated, you are also entitled to take one elective course for free."

He waved his hand again, and this time, a long scroll appeared in mid-air.

The scroll unfurled like a waterfall, with densely packed course names and descriptions hanging from his head to his feet, gleaming with a pale golden light in the candlelight.

"Advanced Fire Spell Combat Training," "Advanced Containment Contract Theory," "Introduction to Spatial Spells"...

Moen's eyes swept over the course titles one by one; each course looked very appealing.

Just as he was undecided, a course caught his attention.

"The Principles and Applications of Transformation Techniques".

It wasn't for any other reason than that he always remembered his promise to help the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat break free from assimilation.

And isn't the so-called "assimilation" essentially just a transformation technique that turns humans into beings from the fairy realm?

If we can learn the principles of transformation from this course, we might be able to find a way to break it.

He pointed to the line of text with his finger.

"I choose this one."

"Then, the elective courses are settled."

"Without further ado, let's begin the 'Practical Training in Reading Magic Books' now."

"Now?" Moen glanced at the night outside the window, then at the clock on the wall that pointed to eleven o'clock.

He thought tonight would just be about delivering books and meeting up, but he didn't expect to be given a lesson on the spot.

Anna seemed to have anticipated this situation. She opened her notebook and shifted to a more comfortable sitting position.

Professor Agnes shrugged, a gesture that seemed surprisingly out of place coming from such a serious old man.

"Don't worry, I'll just guide you through the basics."

"You'll figure out the rest on your own during the rest of the training; I don't need to keep an eye on you."

He paused, his tone becoming slightly more serious.

"In other words, we'll only do one thing tonight: help you with your first formal reading of a magic book."

"This will determine your starting point in this course and will greatly benefit your future development in magic."

Having said that, Moen knew he had no choice but to accept it, and he resignedly looked at the stack of textbooks on the ground.

"Choose one from the magic books on the ground, choose one that interests you."

Moen crouched down, his fingers slowly moving over the titles, then suddenly stopped on a book.

"Ancient Mythology Explained? As an introductory magic book, it's a rare choice."

"Is there a problem?" Moen asked.

"No problem." The professor shook his head, his expression thoughtful.

"However, the content of this book is extremely complex, covering fields such as mythology, ancient history, epigraphy, and even a part of astrology."

"Choosing it as an introductory textbook is quite challenging for beginners."

He held out his hand. "Give me the book."

Moen handed over the book as instructed. Professor Agnes took the book, turned to the table of contents, and lightly ran his fingertip across the page.

"However, this may not be a bad thing. This book has a wide range of content, which makes it easier to find chapters that match the reader's magical attributes. You can choose a chapter; you don't have to start from the beginning."

Moen took the opened book, his gaze falling on the table of contents, and he had already made up his mind.

Chapter 8, Hesfield the Fire God.

"This chapter." He turned the book to face the professor.

"Then, close your eyes, immerse your consciousness in the pages of the book, and I will guide your magic to flow along the correct path. You only need to do one thing—"

The professor's voice sounded behind him, deep and steady, like some ancient ritual chant.

"Imagine yourself in the world of the book."

The magic flowed slowly from the professor's palm into Moen's body, following a special trajectory.

Then, the book "A Comprehensive Explanation of Ancient Myths" in his hand began to glow.

At first, only a faint golden light appeared on the edges of the pages. Then, the light overflowed from the paper like liquid, climbed up his fingers and arm, and finally enveloped his entire body.

With his eyes closed, Moen could feel everything around him changing rapidly.

The sound of turning pages gradually faded away, the occasional rumble of a carriage outside the window disappeared, and even the professor's hand on his shoulder became blurry and distant.

A sudden chill ran through his body.

He suddenly opened his eyes.