Chapter 52 Entrance Examination ① Entrance Examination One, ...
The night in the secret realm was colder than in Gotham. The boiling steam dissipated with each breath, and tears that were almost frozen fell from the leaves, blooming into crystal ice flowers on the ground. Inside the portable tent, an incongruous warmth generously washed away the fatigue of the day.
"That is the tree of sorrow, a tree formed from tears and despair. Their lives consist only of weeping, but the fallen flowers can bring hope and heal some simple ailments and injuries. However, most people do not know this because serious illnesses cannot be cured, and the flowers taste bad; eating them would only bring despair."
Enid seemed to notice Damian's gaze and, with a hint of a smile, revealed the plant's secret: its healing effects were too mild, and its taste was terrible, so generally no one knew about it. Moreover, it was difficult to grow, and it was not a paradise for the poor; in fact, it was merely an ornamental plant for the powerful.
"So it's probably a guarantee for some students, but I don't think they would know about it, because this book has never been taught or discussed in schools."
It is a travelogue that is rarely published. The author is a not-so-great bard, and the rhythm of his poems doesn't seem to match. But fortunately, his illustrations are excellent. Enid bought the book, but only because she saw that he seemed to be dying in the street, so she bought it at an inappropriate price.
But actually, there are many precious things inside... After slowly explaining how she knew this, Enid looked at Damian with some sadness: "I asked some people, and they didn't agree with me publishing this book. Even the author himself said that he didn't write it, and the copy I have is out of print. Because it contains not only the Tree of Sorrow, but also many secrets."
She guessed the bard's fate, but she didn't know it then. Now she does. Back then, her mother only said he would become a noble bard, singing poems that everyone could hear, but Enid doesn't know that now.
"Oko only saved the world, but not the souls of those guys. They are hopeless scoundrels."
Damian wasn't surprised by this outcome, because Enid's requirements for cultivating the tree seemed complicated, didn't they? Actually, no, it was just a little petty. If someone took care of it, it could survive in the wild. If it were really delicate, there wouldn't be so many here.
It's just that they don't want the common people to know, so Damian could already foresee their fate. These are things written in European history, only repeating themselves in another world.
"Fortunately, the sound is blocked here, so they can only see us talking."
"I know."
Of course he knew that, otherwise he wouldn't have said that. Enid smiled, her eyes crinkling, then looked at the tree outside the window and sighed softly, "Soon I'll be able to see them in the Sacred Grove. Trees that have lost their original purpose will eventually find peace in the embrace of the Sacred Grove. I don't actually like this world very much, it was just that it was really nice here back then, but now I feel like it's not so great anymore. But... Damian, do you think I can interfere?"
Enid's voice trembled noticeably, and Damian stopped turning the pages of his book, his voice calm yet seemingly possessing immense power.
“If you want to be empress, I suggest you go to your father, but I think Fox would be happy if you could help out at the company.”
Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne's best helper, is responsible for most of Wayne's most troublesome tasks. If Enid really had such an ambition, he would be the happiest person. Enid was surprised when she heard Damian's words; she didn't think that way at all!
"No, I'm not. I didn't become empress. I just wanted to make a change, but I think I might be being too arrogant. Besides, this shouldn't be my world. Maybe I shouldn't be meddling in these things..."
She lowered her head, looking somewhat dejected. Damian remained silent for a moment. He wasn't good at comforting people, but he was certainly good at roasting them. After a while, he managed to utter a few words.
"You should become number one in your university first, don't embarrass Wayne."
"Pfft, I know, I've already set up sensing points nearby. I didn't expect this useless magic to be so useful here. According to the classification, any abnormal fluctuations will wake us up, so go and rest, Damian. You don't need to keep watch. My magic is super powerful."
Enid knew that Damian would definitely choose to keep watch, as he was the only source of strength in the wild. However, Enid thought this was inappropriate. But her magic was disabled and her combat skills were relatively poor. Fortunately, although her magic was basic, it was comprehensive and could even detect the surrounding situation and issue an emergency alarm, so it was more suitable than human magic.
Damian nodded without suspicion, but in reality he wasn't sleeping very soundly. It wasn't that he didn't trust Enid's abilities, but rather that he naturally had strong doubts about this environment. He wasn't at ease with this place, and more importantly, even Naya in the shadows couldn't come along.
Damian, who had spoken with Naya, knew that Naya could come and go freely in all the shadowy places. She was a kitten born of shadows, but she was blocked outside. This alone was enough for Damian to suspect them.
Well, poor, naive Enid just thought that the strictness of the exam prevented cheating, since Naya was indeed not the same age as her. But Damian clearly noticed that some other people had brought pets with them, and the longer Damian stayed, the more uneasy he felt about the place.
It wasn't a very good night. Although Enid slept soundly, she was still a little worried because she was in an unfamiliar wilderness.
"I declare self-heating food to be the best invention!" Enid happily handed Damian the self-heating package that Afu had prepared. Inside was food customized to the two of them. Enid had initially declared that she could do it, but neither of them trusted her, so the self-heating food was freshly made.
"It's alright..." Damian finished washing up and sat down to eat breakfast. "Do you really have to go to university here?"
“I don’t know, but my mother told me that I must finish college, and if I have the opportunity to come here, I must finish it.”
"I see."
Having learned that Enid's mother was an excellent fortune teller, Damian slightly reconsidered his idea. In fact, he felt it was far too unsafe here; it would be better for Enid to stay, even if she were studying at a university in the metropolis. Enid smiled at Damian, then mouthed "thank you." She understood the unspoken meaning: he would protect her if she made the right choice. Enid had considered dropping out, but she couldn't refuse her mother's words because she knew her mother had discovered something unspeakable.
There must be some secret at school belonging to Enid, but she can't say it now. She'll tell them when she gets home, though she has a feeling they can probably guess it!
After finishing their meal and packing up the tent, Enid raised her hand high, looking excited and full of energy. "This time we must make it to the middle of the trail so we can go home tomorrow!"
"We will definitely be number one."
Hearing Damian's words, Enid nodded in agreement. Never before had she missed home more than at this moment, missed Bruce, missed Dick, and missed Timmy and Barbara. She would show them the map when she got home and analyze where the secret was hidden.
After the first round of entrance exams, you'll get a map of the school. It's just a rough sketch, but it should be enough.
Therefore, by evening, their score had exceeded that of the second-place team by more than ten times.
Enid was more worried about Damian than about the points.
"Let's rest tomorrow. We'll change to something simpler. You're working too hard like this." Although Enid's healing magic healed her quickly, the injury was real, and the swarming opponents were also real. She didn't want to win first place, and she didn't want to see Damian get hurt.
"TT, it's nothing." Damian was actually used to it, but he had to admit that these bizarre "evil" attacks had all sorts of disgusting ways of attacking. Compared to being injured, he just wanted to take a shower now. He still felt uncomfortable even though he had washed away the swamp today. "I told you, we're going to get first place. I'll be fine."
"Okay, why don't you take a shower first? The bathroom is all set up."
As soon as she finished speaking, Enid sensed that Damian had disappeared from the room. She guessed he had gone to the bathroom and couldn't help but laugh. She laughed loudly and even heard Damian's angry voice.
"Shut up!"
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Author's Note: Hmm~
I originally wanted to write a fairytale-style adventure, but it seems I've gone off-topic.
Well, the exam will end in the next chapter, and as for the other world, there won't be any empress storylines, nor will I be involved.
I'll just mention it briefly: the sequel to the isekai storyline will just involve some dungeon adventures and the like; it's just a change of scenery.
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