Chapter 358 The Shadow Under the Tower
Xuebang, the magnificent Tower of the Great Sage, the study room of Professor Hector Lane.
The goose-feather-like snow whizzed against the glass windows, but the room was so quiet that the only sound that could be heard was the "rustling" of ancient books turning pages automatically.
Hector, who had just returned from the winter assessment site at the border, was sitting in front of the fireplace, listening to the work reports of his teaching assistants with a slight tiredness.
Most of the contents are related to the research that he is personally responsible for, especially the experiments related to one of the top secrets of the Academy, "Void Realm".
Standing in front of the professor, the teaching assistant clutching the report reported nervously.
"…The energy of the Seventeenth Void Realm is still unstable. We lost three "Looking Glass" golems and found nothing."
h "The initial contact with the world of "Flying Boat" failed. The other party seems to have something that we cannot understand that can interfere with the transmission of magic power. The field. Our power dissipated automatically as soon as it touched the edge of the energy, and unfortunately... the other party didn't seem to notice us at all." Hector listened to the reports of the assistants expressionlessly, and all the reports were basically what he expected.
Until the last teaching assistant in charge of this year's winter apprentice recruitment came forward and reported another matter quickly.
"Professor, the correction of the written examination for this winter recruitment has been initially completed. This year, as in previous years, the number of people who passed the examination is one thousand, but... there is one thing you may be interested in."
The assistant teacher's face looked excited. As the words fell, he presented a report with both hands and continued excitedly.
"An unprecedented answer sheet appeared in the examination room. The three teaching assistants responsible for the final review unanimously gave full marks without knowing each other!"
Hector's slightly frowned brows relaxed, and then he frowned even tighter, seeming a little disapproving.
This year's test questions were set by him personally, and he knew how tricky they were.
Especially for those subjective questions about the ethics and origin of magic, there is no "perfect answer" in the standard sense.
"Full marks?" He asked in a calm tone, "Have you relaxed your standards, or is there a real genius among this year's candidates?"
"Please take a look!" The teaching assistant did not shrink from the professor's doubts, but became even more excited, handing over a re-transcribed copy of the answer sheet.
Hector raised his eyebrows slightly, waved his wand, and the test paper floated in front of him.
His eyes began to examine the first line. The initial expression was still a little critical and critical, but it was soon replaced by shock.
"…The soul is not simply a container that carries magic power, but a "string" that interferes with reality. Its essence is the fulcrum that levers the material world from the spiritual level. The depth of the soul may not determine its capacity, but its "vibration frequency", which determines what level of "source power" it can resonate with..."
"By the way, my understanding of "source power" is that it is the "source power of the world" that has nothing to do with religion and involves all forms of extraordinary power."
Hector's expression was first shocked, then disbelieving, and then turned into a kind of ecstasy of discovering a shocking treasure, so much so that his breathing became rapid.
Influenced by the teachings of Saint Sith, most of the students that Xuebang can find from the empire are the dregs of people who have had a lot of shit poured into their brains. They understand neither the teachings of Saint Sith nor the principles of mysticism, so that it is not an exaggeration to say that the annual winter assessment of Xuebang is like digging for gold in shit.
It’s just that he didn’t expect that he would actually find a piece of gold this time, revealing the essence of extraordinary power in just one sentence!
This is of course common sense in the Tower of the Great Sage.
But it is incredible that slag that has not been recycled can actually understand this level!
It’s not even just the part about supernatural power!
As for the topic of virtual realm, this defiant candidate also gave an ingenious opinion based on the limited content on the stone tablet!
As if he was possessed, Hector read out a short passage in a low voice, his fingers holding the test paper trembling slightly.
"As for the "virtual realm", my guess is that it may not be the stars in the sky, but a parallel time and space that overlaps with the world we live in but has a completely different "vibration frequency". As I mentioned before, the spirit is the string that plays the material world, and two strings with the same frequency can resonate. This is why we can see them..."
Genius!
The flaws in the theory do not prevent this guy from being a genius!
If it were not that Xuebang was the only one in the entire empire who was researching the virtual realm, he even couldn't help but wonder if this guy would be an old guy who was involved in the research on the virtual realm answering the questions!
Of course, this is also impossible.
Not to mention that the professors at Xuebang will not be so boring, these discussions are obviously inferences based on the topic itself and do not contain specific experimental content.
If he were to solve this problem, he might write a more rigorous discussion, but he would never expect such a tricky angle!
It is even more unexpected that the theory of strings and resonance can be used to connect Xuebang's "Void Realm Theory" and the "Source Power Theory" of the Great Sage's Tower!
Hector slapped the answer sheet heavily on his knees, his eyes burning with unprecedented light. He ordered the assistant coach in a tone that left no room for doubt.
"What is the name of this candidate? What is his intention to report? At any cost, we must capture this person at the Tower of the Great Sage!"
The teaching assistant quickly replied: "Professor, his name is Marco Gage."
"Marco Gage..." Hector repeated the name, as if to carve it into his heart, and continued excitedly, "Go to the border immediately! Host his interview-"
He immediately changed his words mid-sentence, with an eagerness that could no longer be concealed on his face, and stood up with a wave of his sleeves.
"No, I'd better go in person!"
He can't wait to discuss the theory about the virtual realm with the candidate face to face!
Hector could even imagine - when the famous Professor Hector stood in front of him and invited him to join his research team, the genius who longed for the academy would be so ecstatic!
…
With a perfect answer sheet, a candidate named Marco Gage caused a small wave at the highest level of the Tower of Sage.
Professor Hector Lane has decided to go to the border in person to meet this once-in-a-century genius.
However, the sages on the tower did not know that behind this answer sheet, which could be called a work of art, there was not a matching bright soul, but only freaks cultivated by them and the empire.
Just when Professor Hector Lane was shocked by a "perfect answer sheet", an apprentice named Milos, under the cover of his seniors, sneakily left the school's temporary camp on the border of the Kingdom of Rhodes and sneaked into the almost undefended Eagle Rock Territory.
As a preparatory student from the Northern Dukedom of the Kingdom of Rhodes, he was different from his fellow warriors. He had been full of yearning for mysterious magic since he was a child.
Not just interest.
He is also lucky enough to have the talent to enter the occult!
An accidental fall into the water allowed him to awaken the ability to fly in the air. At that time, he could not speak a single spell, so that his parents once thought it was a miracle sent by Saint Sith.
After understanding that it was not a miracle but a sign of awakening extraordinary power, his parents almost without hesitation sold the last few acres of farmland at home and became serfs from free people. Only then did they finally collect enough travel expenses to send him to Xuebang.
Milos' talent was quickly verified. He showed his talent during the written examination, and with his extraordinary "soul potential", he received an olive branch from the Tower of the Great Sage.
The story so far is very good, and Milos firmly believes that he will soon become a noble mage and receive his parents from the lord to his mage tower.
However, he still overestimated the weight of genius.
This is a school where all the magic geniuses from the entire Osland are gathered, and he is just a boy who accidentally fell into the water but survived.
There are many extraordinary people here who have more legendary experiences than him.
Not only that, but there are also nobles who can learn magic with a wave of their hands, and can cast spells without having to go through any nonsense... as long as they are willing to learn that stuff.
Compared to those real "darlings", his qualifications can only be considered mediocre.
After struggling for several years in the bottleneck of promotion, he not only exhausted all his savings, but also exhausted his energy. There was no hope of taking his parents away from the lord's land.
He knew very well that he only had so much talent. He had already used all the blessings he had accumulated in his previous life, and the bronze level was the limit of his soul level - he could not break through it no matter what in this life.
Unless——
Use methods outside the system.
Milos has heard of a place called "Void Realm", which is the highest level secret of the academy. It is said that there is something there that can allow people with mediocre qualifications to increase their soul level without any side effects!
Even though he knew that using these things would require a huge price, he had no other choice when he was desperate.
He needs money!
And it’s a lot of money!
Although the redemption of his parents, who are too old to plow the fields, does not actually require a mountain of gold, or even a single gold coin, is it that he has been busy for half his life just to let his parents live the life they could have lived before?
If that's the case, what does his wandering along the way count?
An extremely smart person like him must at least be the guest of the Duke of the North or even the family mage. Only in this way can he at least obtain the title of knight when he retires and pass the entrusted fief to his future eldest son!
Fortunately, there are many smart people in Xuebang who are as eager to progress as him, and he quickly found accomplices in this smoky utopia.
The Tower of the Great Sage has a very unpopular job, which is to be responsible for the annual winter apprentice recruitment assessment. Many tutors are extremely tired of this boring job, but it can actually be profitable.
Although Xuebang has a recommendation letter system, not all recommendation letters will be recognized in the end.
Especially when the person holding the recommendation letter only has worldly money but not worldly power...
They will select the easiest and least bullyable among these people, and make small, innocuous adjustments to the fate of the two.
For example, Marco Gage, who is rich but not too smart, is a child who needs adjustment.
As one of the richest merchant families in the Kingdom of Rhodes, Marco Gage's father Dorian has wealth that rivals the country, but unfortunately does not have power that rivals the country.
In this case, no matter how much money they have in their pockets, it is just for the king and the dukes, and it does not really belong to them.
Dorian is very clear about his position. His entire family is a white glove for the nobles to make money. They should be thrown away when they are dirty.
Although money can buy him a luxurious manor, a beautiful woman, and even the fake smile of an aristocrat, it cannot buy real respect and security.
He knew very well that in this theocratic kingdom with distinct classes, the fate of the Gage family had already been written in the Book of the Holy Word.
Their only way out is to bypass this rigid feudal system and obtain a piece of "hard currency" recognized by the entire empire - the identity of a Xuebang magician.
That is one of the tickets to the "Road to Prominence", and it is not full of dangers like the Knight's Road, nor is it just a sweet-looking pie like the Adventurer's Road.
If the elusive "treasure of the void" is Milos's lifelong desire, then putting his eldest son Marco, who is ignorant and only knows how to recite poems and composes all day long, into the team of magicians is his biggest wish in this life!
Otherwise, no matter how much money you make, you are still making it for others.
However, he still underestimated Xuebang's arrogance.
There are too many people trying to "take the back door" here. He, a businessman without a title, cannot rank in front of the mage at all.
The letter of recommendation from the Imperial Baron that he spent a lot of money to get, but after handing it in, it disappeared without any news. It wasn't until winter recruitment was approaching that he learned that his son still needed to take the apprenticeship assessment honestly, and that his relationship was not as strong as he imagined.
The latest ⊥ little ⊥ talk ⊥ is first published in ⊥⊥⊥!
After all avenues failed, Dorian Gage finally decided to take the risk and use money, which he was most familiar with, as a tool to open a path.
In his view, everything in the world has a price. Since power can be traded, of course a mere paper is no problem.
As long as the price is right.
Ever since, a down-and-out apprentice who betrayed his principles for the sake of his future, and a rich man who trampled the rules for the sake of his family... two souls that had no intersection at all, the red threads of fate were intertwined.
As dusk fell, in the "Adventurer's House" tavern in the Eagle Rock Leader Traveler Camp, Dorian's butler Yankov straightened his clothes and opened the creaking wooden door.
Since the admission list on the stone tablet was announced, the "Adventurer's House" tavern in the Eagle Rock Territory Traveler Camp has become a place where two extreme emotions meet.
Some people are here to celebrate, while more people are here to drink away their sorrows.
Butler Yankov passed through these joys and sorrows that had nothing to do with him, and found the person he had been waiting for for a long time in a hidden corner of the tavern.
Looking at the old butler walking towards him, Milos leisurely tasted a glass of expensive ale with a smile on his face that showed he had everything under control.
Yankov sat down opposite him.
At the same time, an inconspicuous sack slipped from under his cloak and fell silently at Milos' feet under the cover of the shadow of the table.
"Sir, your things have been lost." Yankov said in a very soft voice, as if he was giving a secret signal, "...please take inventory."
Milos didn't even look at the money bag at his feet, but waved his hand contemptuously.
The simple storage ring on his finger flashed, and the money bag on the ground disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed in this tavern.
That storage ring was lent to him by his senior for work.
"No need, I believe you." Milos took a sip of ale and said lazily, "Anyway, your young master is still in Xuebang. You know what I mean... This store didn't just open today, and I can't make this money alone."
"Yes, I understand, and please believe in the character of the Gage family. My master can do such a big business because of the ancestral motto of honesty."
Yankov nodded slightly, of course he understood these rules.
At this moment, his eyes involuntarily fell on Milos's storage ring. After a moment of pause, he still couldn't help it and asked politely: "By the way, please don't mind, do you still have this storage ring of yours? Our master has always wanted to buy one. ”
Milos seemed to have heard a big joke, sneered, and flatly refused: "Then you can ask him to give up this idea, it is not what your master deserves."
This was not a nice thing to say, but Yankov could not refute it.
He stopped mentioning the ring. He glanced around nervously, lowered his voice and confirmed for the last time: "Okay, I'm just asking casually. Besides, my young master's affairs... he won't be a gangster, right?" It was all reduced to ashes at the "burning point". The limerick written by your young master has no proof. As for the passed scrolls, not many people actually looked at them seriously. Do you expect those professors to see those childish things in person? "
At this point, he paused for a moment and quietly placed a piece of paper on the table.
"By the way, just in case, I made a copy of the contents of the paper. Remember to let your young man memorize it so that he can handle it even if he is asked by the professor."
After saying these words, Milos leaned back on the chair and tasted the ale without any worries, with a calculating light in his eyes.
The scroll that was switched was carefully selected by him. In the eyes of his professional answerers, it was obviously lackluster and had nothing to recommend it.
Especially the views on source power and virtual realm are so childish that it makes people laugh. Although he himself has never been to the virtual realm, and has never truly understood the source of the Great Sage's Tower, he also knows that it is definitely not something that an ordinary person can talk about.
But if you read enough words on that scroll, the handwriting is neat, and the attitude is serious enough, it is still very easy to get a passing grade.
In the final analysis, the written test for winter recruitment is just a preliminary screening, and only those who have not become apprentices will take it too seriously.
Milos was convinced that the person he replaced was a powerless nerd who dreamed of getting into the academy and might have even sold off his property to do so. If not, that guy wouldn't have written so many words in the snowy weather.
No one will stand up for this kind of guy.
As for why he is so sure, it's because he himself was once such a person.
Since I like exams so much, I’ll take them again next year.
After listening to this, Yankov finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He thanked Milos profusely, as if he was a great benefactor to the Gage family, and then hurriedly left the tavern.
Milos rubbed the storage ring on his knuckles, feeling dizzy in his heart, feeling that he had reached the pinnacle of his life.
What about the extremely wealthy Gage family?
Aren’t you as humble as a dog in front of the respected mage!
Since his self-confidence was as hard as steel, he decided to go to the traveler camp to find those mortal girls to relieve himself before returning to the school.
However, when he excitedly arrived at the corner of the camp, he was shocked to find that the women who were originally soliciting business had disappeared en masse overnight, leaving only a few empty tents that smelled of cheap perfume.
It’s really strange.
He returned to the tavern and asked the bartender, but the bartender only said vaguely that he seemed to have been captured by Sir Richter's guards the day before.
"This is his territory in name... Although he doesn't come here often, you know, this kind of thing is not recognized by Saint Sith after all."
Milos looked at the bartender incomprehensibly.
"Holy Saint Sith... He actually remembers that he is a knight of Saint Sith. How come I heard that he doesn't even care about the undead."
The necromancer seems to have some connection with the school. He remembers hearing a senior mentioned that they must not cause trouble for him. To be a good person for a bounty of dozens of silver coins is not something they can challenge if they only have bronze.
The bartender seemed to be blushing and coughed.
"That's not the case. Mr. Richter is still very hardworking. I heard that he led people to exterminate the undead in Pompeii Village a few days ago."
Just that guy? !
Milos was stunned, but he was too lazy to delve deeper. He felt extremely disappointed and could only finish a glass of wine alone and return disappointed.
However, at this moment, he did not know that his small mistake had brought huge trouble to him and even the master mages behind him.
The three teaching assistants responsible for correcting the papers did not realize at all that the perfect score papers they gave were "commodities" that had been exchanged by their colleagues.
They were just out of their own academic vision and knowledge reserves, and they upheld fairness in the trivial matter of "revising the paper", and they were moved by their love for talents for the eloquent 6,000-word "thesis".
In the past 100 years, it is unique that three teaching assistants unanimously gave full marks to the same scroll.
After all, these are subjective questions with no marked answers at all.
It is almost impossible for a mortal to shock three magicians with silver or even gold level strength at the same time.
However, there are so many coincidences in this world, and this extremely unlikely event happened just like that.
Not only that, this scroll also alarmed the real powerhouse of the Tower of the Great Sage—Professor Hector, who possesses platinum-level strength!
It’s just that neither Professor Hector nor the other professors who are also eyeing this legendary apprentice, so far no one has realized what the scroll they put on the scales is...
(End of this chapter)