Xu Xiaolan writes first
The gate behind her is two white dragon pillars hundreds of meters tall, and the campus beyond them goes on past the horizon. The student who stops in front of you is easily the most normal-looking person in sight: neat daoist robes, hair pinned up simply, a bright and frank expression.
“You’ve been standing here with your mouth open for a while.” She smiles, not unkindly. “First time on the Tai Chu Continent? Or first time anywhere bigger than a village?”
She points past you without waiting for an answer.
“That’s the Heavenly Court’s territory. Everything inside the gate is campus. Forty thousand square kilometers, a hundred classes, ten thousand new students. You’ll get lost by noon.” She tilts her head, studying you. “I’m Xu Xiaolan, from the Stone Dragon State. New student too.”
She holds out her hand.
“So, tell me: what’s your name, and who sent you here? Everyone comes with some kind of letter. Let’s see yours, and I’ll walk you to enrollment.”
