That's a lot of magic. She picks the illusory hall first. Illusions. Kitsune work? No. They're obviously different in character if you look at the shape of it in Arcane Sight.

(Kitsunes' arcane sight usually would not reveal much about the nature of magic, just its presence and rough shape/location.)

She hovers, bobbing slightly in the air and reasoning through what her senses tell her and what, logically, reality must be.

Then she casts Sight of Stone, drawing a circle with her hands in the air. It should give her an extra sensory perception of anything that sufficiently resembles a solid heteromorphic mineral mixture in a sphere of, oh, sixty feet or so. Does this work? Does it line up with the apparent structure of the hall?

It is only after that that it occurs to her, as an afterthought, that whoever runs this place might be interested in a stranger poking at it.

Beneath the illusion there is ordinary stone, largely matching up with the apparent structure though not completely. Along with the facades, one whole outstretched balcony fades into transparency when her attention is drawn to the structural discrepancy there, and another tower gives odd results to her spell by detecting as though it were only 40% there. 

Her overflight and investigation does not escape the notice of the locals! One of them is currently rising up to meet her: A dark-skinned woman wearing robes embroidered all over with floral designs, standing on the back of a monstrous and malevolent-looking asymmetric crab-thing that is scuttling skywards as though ascending an invisible spiral staircase.

The critter is also very magic. And is that a very faint... Tethers? Some sort of binding. She can't tell in just a single round of examination.

Her Fly pings her that it's about to run out. This is the experimental hyper-efficient version that lasts 4 minutes 12 seconds and has even fewer safety features. She refreshes it without thinking about it, dipping in the air for a moment.

Time for the language game? She knows Notal, Atsosi, Khangi, Ancient Tirran, Nomad Cant, Merrish, and Seepseep, and says so in each.

Then she pulls out a little bundle of herbs- Heather, wildflowers, mint, some sundries- And mimes whapping someone with it and then speaking a new language.

Oh, is that a physical staircase that she's not perceiving, or a construct or vagary of how the critter moves? Too bad she can't just ask, yet...

Yes, on closer inspection the creature is bound to the woman, though unless this magic system is very different to the Tirran one it is bound much less thoroughly than one might hope. There's no staircase, but it seems to be naturally capable of treating the air like solid ground below it. 

She replies in her own extensive collection of planar languages, and grows increasingly intrigued as they find no overlap between them. After a moment's consideration she casts a spell that conjures another imp, and then tells the little red fiend that pops up in a puff of brimstone to fly over and receive the implied translation spell for her. 

Bap.

It now understands Notal, for a while.

"This is the most fascinating magic I've seen in a while. Are you physically present, or a simulacrum, or perhaps a construct-body? Are you offended that you were sent forward to spare the risk of an unknown spell to her?"

The imp starts to telepathically transmit that back to its summoner, then hesitates at being addressed directly, then straightens up as she clarifies her orders.

"I have been commanded to interpret only."

Via the imp, the summoner replies. 

"You are speaking to the Dean of Conjuration, with many more questions for you in return. Is that a standard Share Language? What strange corner of Creation are you from that you don't know any of the planar tongues? We should sort out the practical matters first, if you are not an intruder here to conduct an unsanctioned probing of the Acadamae's defences, and then we can perhaps trade questions."

This animal-woman's concern for an imp suggests she is both very ignorant and destined for the opposite end of Pharasma's system to Messida. Nonetheless, she has some experience couching her conjurations in terms that sound more palatable. 

"This imp is a mere summon, it won't last much longer than a minute and to answer your question there is likely no harm you could do to it beyond causing that spell to end sooner. Imps are horrid little Evil creatures from Hell, summoning one for any purpose whatsoever is a mercy both to the imp and to whoever it was tormenting. If you have another Share Language to spare, would you kindly cast it on my companion here so that we can converse at leisure?"

The crab extends one of its limbs, multi-jointed chitin ending in an unsettlingly humanoid hand. (As a gongorinan, Zarthorask could use its telepathy to translate directly, but that would be a less pleasant experience for this visitor and Messida would learn less about the alien languages.)

"And would you prefer us to move somewhere we can speak in private?"

The dean waves down at the students spectating below with her ruby-topped staff. 

Bap.

"I can do that as long as the herbs last. Duration variable. A special trick, doesn't everyone who's not an idiot figure out a few of those? I'm just very curious about magic, you know. These illusions appear to operate on significantly different principles than the ones I'm familiar with. If that's going to turn into a fight I'd prefer to know what investigations wouldn't. Fighting is expensive and boring."

Sounds more like a witch or a druid than a proper wizard. From some isolated area without institutions of magical learning so she's had to develop all her spells herself, perhaps? She seems more interested in illusions than conjurations, which is disappointing, Falgeringer is always poaching the pupils who she had her eye on like that hunky Magaambyan exchange student. At least her next lecture isn't for an hour and being seen giving the newcomer a tour from the air should still help her status among the faculty. 

"Let's explore the campus together, then, a question for a question, an explanation of a spell for an explanation of one of your special tricks." Surely she doesn't come from somewhere so distant that they don't even understand the concept of deals. "That way you'll have me to warn you away from anything that could be dangerous to you, in provoking a fight or otherwise."

"A tour sounds interesting. Learning a witch trick is a matter of bull-headedly beating your head against something that feels like it ought to work until it finally does. Rarely learnable by others, though some can take inspiration from each other. They're good for utility but less interesting, since they resist analysis by being so individualized. I can explain but you'll likely be disappointed if you try to learn it. Wizardry spells - I think you're doing something different - are more teachable. Like Fly. I'm very proud of my Fly. How does one cast a spell under your tradition?"

Aha, she is a witch, as suspected. 

"By memorizing the topology spellform described in a spellbook, and then performing the words or gestures and providing any material components needed. They are teachable, and the Academae exists for that purpose."

The gongorinan's gravelly voice doesn't really express her tone, but she's settling into a didactic manner: Demonstrating a Prestidigitation and then using it to create a little prop to indicate the spellbook and each component. 

"What else are you capable of, broadly speaking?"

"I'm very good at making magic items. I practice a lot of wizardry and make a lot of magic items. The wizardry I know is mostly focused on pure physical phenomena, precisely specified. I would call the major divisions - divination, alchemy, evocation, transmutation, and abjuration. I'm especially good at making spells more efficient without compromising too much functionality. I get more magical energy from most kinds of sex, so I have a lot of sex, which lets me do a lot more magic. Sometimes I teach but it's usually boring."

Magic from sex? That's... Messida isn't sure how to react. 

"Accepting a teaching position here would be a good way to get access to whatever magic we have that most draws your attention," she hints. "Or you could use the accommodation we have for visiting specialists while setting some unreasonably high criteria for how entertaining a prospective apprentice would have to be to maintain your interest."

Should she... Yes, at this rate she'll lose her to the Hall of Crafting if she doesn't at least try. 

"It sounds like your wizards are missing our schools of conjuration, illusion, enchantment, and necromancy. Of the four, my own might suit you best: Learn the right summoning spell, and you'll never be without a warm body for company."

With the well-worn foci of a little bag and candle, she expends her highest-circle school spell and conjures up a succubus. The dean immediately gives the supernaturally alluring demon some orders in Infernal: To show off her most attractive forms of all varieties to the witch, and to act happy and willing about it. The language barrier has some benefits. 

(There are some cheers from the students below at the show.)

Oh, that is interesting. What is she thinking? That Sinnah is thinking with her libido? It's not entirely untrue, but the chief driver of her booty calls has always been rapid replenishment of energy. Still, watching is free and the rapid smooth shifting 'tween different attractive forms is interesting in a sexual-novelty way, that's always fairly compelling. It's a notable level of skill.

"I don't mind teaching for appropriate pay. Preferably diamonds, never enough diamonds. I'm not sure it works with summons. We don't really have those - would you say she's equivalent in metaphysical nature to an incorporeal spirit? -though it does work with monsters, usually... I wouldn't describe most spells as having a topology, though some of mine are pseudo-quines - could you show me that minor illusion again-?"

She wants to be paid in diamonds? Her and every other dean, good luck getting that past the bursar. 

"Metaphysically? Succubi are outsiders, from the outer planes, they can turn ethereal but that wouldn't be considered their natural state. Conjuration spells can also summon fey, undead, elementals..." 'Spirit' is a rather broad category here. "As for incorporeal ones, dealing with those is largely the preserve of the school of necromancy."

"Prestidigitation? It is a universal spell, not an illusion, though the little fleeting creations should perhaps be considered the most elementary of conjurations."

She repeats that spell and tosses a little ball made with it to Sinnah so she can examine it. 

Meanwhile, the succubus finishes her dance, slips out of her last garment, bows deeply, and blows a kiss with a wink as she disappears back to the Abyss in a puff of foul smoke. 

"You're good at that, bravo," at the succubus- But she's gone before she finishes saying it.

"...Would have to try it-" She examines the little ball, glancing at Messida too. "Oh! It's fully reversible! That... Prestidigitation is beautiful to look at."

Her Fly spell pings her that it's about to expire, again. She bobs in the air as she recasts it, again. If one can see magic and is paying attention it looks approximately first circle.

She'll be enraptured staring at the leftovers of the spellform for a little bit.

"...Your turn for a question if we're still doing that?"

She was going to ask "Where do you come from that you've never even seen a Prestidigitation?" but she now has a higher-priority question. 

"Is that Fly spell first-circle?"

"If by 'first circle' you mean 'optimized for minimal power draw to the point of nonsense' - perhaps. No safeties, very difficult to learn and cast I'd reckon. They call it Sinnah's Fly back home you know. Since it's just better than everyone else's Fly."

Smugness radiates somehow from her mostly neutral face.

Such smugness seems fully justified!

"If it's diamonds you're after, teaching that spell should suffice for earning them. I do have a vial of diamond dust here right now, if you have a copy of your Fly in a convenient-to-study format like a scroll or a wand for me."

What are the knock-on implications? More students flocking to the hall of transmutation - and in turn more apprentices being accepted, to make up for the death rate of students killed by that lack of safeties and to mop up the mess their crashes leave. She ought to buy a share in that new tenement for first-years that's due to be erected.

(The Acadamae is known as a leading school of magic across all of Golarion. This reputation is earned because of, not despite, its indifference for student safety. The faculty may not know the concept of XP and level-appropriate encounters but they have picked up by now that danger and stress help the surviving students to gain circles, and the value of higher-circle wizard alumni more than makes up for all their dead classmates.)

"No offense meant to decline the first offer, but I've been here for all of five minutes. I don't know what there is to know. The construct-bodies thing seems very neat though. Maybe I should sell one of my emergency diamonds and attend classes."

"Understandable." Curses. "So long as you don't start throwing spells down or prodding at restricted areas, I shall tell the rest of the faculty that you are a prospective member of our Acadamae and should be left to fly. Perhaps we'll meet again in one of my lectures, or one of yours."

She can recognize Sinnah seems too canny for her to gain much more from continuing the conversation, and perhaps too prickly for that to be worth the risk of offending her. Messida's qlippoth mount will start to descend as it ascended.

Sinnah floats along for one more question. "Don't worry, I'll remember the warm introduction. Is there a registrar, an office of maesters, admissions office, anything like that?"

Wherever she's from has universities but not even Prestidigitation? Weird.

"Of course,  you'll want Ornelos Hall, the rectangular building on the south wall with the pond behind it..."

Zhooooop to Ornelos Hall she goes, a bit slower and low over the ground to scan what the swarm of students are doing right now, magically speaking.

(A few observant students might notice that she's not wearing anything under the voluminous pouch and pocket covered robes. Certainly not shoes, at least.)