Walled City Academy, Black Swan Castle.
This is a large castle located halfway up a mountain. It's the largest building in the eastern Walled City Academy, aside from the lakeside Walled City. The castle is nestled in the mountains, surrounded by forest. Its gray stone bricks are painted white or light pink, complemented by lake-blue tiles, creating a beautiful overall look. (Pictures available here)
This castle, like the White Tower in the north, was built before Emenas College. It is said that there was a young prince at that time with a frail character who was only in love with a certain girl. After he became king, he built these buildings one after another to avoid the chaos of the outside world and live here with his lover.
Later, when the Chaos Calamity broke out and after years of chaos, the kingdom ceased to exist. This land then became the location of Emenas College, and the castle became the college's teaching and experimental site.
"Student, could you please stand up and answer a question?"
In a classroom in the castle, a teacher in a well-dressed black gown was asking questions on the stage. Then a girl with short black hair stood up. She was wearing a dress that matched light and dark green. She should be a second-year student in the natural sequence.
"I... I'm sorry, teacher, I can't answer that." The girl looked a little embarrassed, her voice gradually became smaller, and her head slowly lowered.
"That won't do. Come to my office after class." The teacher's words seemed to express some dissatisfaction, and the students below began to whisper to each other.
"You are indeed a poor man from the mud. You can't even do such a simple question."
"Exactly, how can someone like that be in the same class with us? I saw her almost fall asleep just now."
"Poor grades, inattentiveness, lazy and treacherous."
"Hey, stop talking. After all, we have to take care of those guys in the west."
Some girls chuckled quietly in the audience. Most of them came from aristocratic families in the Green Empire and usually hung out in the same circles, so they naturally looked down on the few students from the Seven Kingdoms of Xuehua. If it had been Xifeng, it would have been fine. After all, the legend of Wind and Moon spread across the continent, and they would have reluctantly acknowledged her as someone on par with themselves. But this girl from the Black Rock Principality, in their eyes, looked like someone from an impoverished mountainous area. Add to that her poor grades, and they had an even deeper layer of disdain.
"Sit down, then let's continue talking about the structure of the Natural Sequence Core and the advanced inscription techniques..." The teacher asked the student to sit down, and then continued to talk about some knowledge, occasionally demonstrating it.
After sitting down, the black-haired girl picked up a pen and slowly wrote down the knowledge points and content of the teacher's lecture. Although she was full of anxiety, she did not pay attention to the whispers of the students next to her.
As the class progressed, everyone's attention gradually shifted away from this area, and no one paid attention to her anymore.
The black-haired, emerald-eyed girl seemed to be slowly accustomed to the isolation she faced. Fortunately, her fellow aristocratic classmates only occasionally discussed her and didn't specifically target her, as this would damage their "image." After all, many of them also held the hope of meeting their ideal partner at school and were very concerned about their image. Aristocrats, on the other hand, were more or less expected to maintain a certain level of elegance and respectability.
The ding-bell sounded in the corridor, and the handsome teacher also announced the end of get out of class. A group of students gathered around him and began to ask various questions, especially some noble girls, who had a special liking for this teacher because he was a viscount of the Green Empire, but was currently teaching in Emenas.
After a long while, when the teacher finished answering the questions, the group of male and female students who had gathered around him slowly left.
There were only a few students left in the classroom at this time, and some of them were planning to stay to study. The teacher took a quick look and then asked the girl with short black hair to follow him to the office.
Some of the students in red and green uniforms in the corridor would greet the teacher when they saw him. They looked at the student following the teacher with a little curiosity, but didn't say anything, and then left naturally.
Although these students didn't say anything, the girl still felt uncomfortable with the scrutiny and lowered her head even more.
"Okay, come in."
With a creak, the thick mahogany door swung open, revealing the teacher's office. Bookshelves and cabinets lined the walls, and in the middle were several large, spaced-apart desks. On the desks lay pens and paper, along with other miscellaneous items. Against the wall sat a red brick fireplace, a small flame quietly burning. A tin teapot hung within the fireplace, and the aroma of tea wafted through the room.
In addition to the teacher who had just brought the girl in, there was another teacher in a shirt in the office. He raised his head to take a look, pushed his glasses, and continued to write with his head down.
"Come, sit here for a while." The teacher pulled over a wooden chair with a backrest and asked the girl to sit down.
"Your name is Jenna, right?" the teacher asked while tidying up his desk.
"Yes, sir."
"Is it from the Black Rock Principality?"
"Well, yes."
“The scenery over there is beautiful, and the fish from the local lakes is especially delicious when grilled.”
"Yes, teacher, have you been there?" Jenna relaxed a little.
".....I have been there, a long time ago." The teacher seemed to recall something but did not say much.
"You haven't been in good shape lately. You often fall asleep in class and your grades aren't ideal. You'll slowly fall behind."
"....Sorry, teacher." The girl felt a little embarrassed and uneasy, and said in a low voice.
"Emenas's courses and learning content will become increasingly difficult as time goes on. The school's resources mostly come from donations and sponsorships from various organizations and countries. The goal is to cultivate more outstanding extraordinary people for this world."
"It's not just extraordinary strength that you need to learn. You also need to develop your character and the ability to handle various aspects of your life."
"And if you continue in this state, it will definitely not work."
"Can't you overcome this little difficulty?" the teacher asked.
"I'm sorry, teacher." Jenna's voice became even lower, and her hands were placed uneasily at her sides.
The teacher remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the mahogany tabletop, neither fast nor slow. This silence only made the girl even more nervous.
After a while, he finally said, "Well, as punishment, you have to copy my courseware three times, neatly and completely."
After he finished speaking, he took out a stack of bound papers from the drawer, which looked a bit thick.
"That's all. Give it to me by Wednesday in two weeks. Got it?"
"Okay, teacher." The student took the stack of lesson preparation notes with dense small characters and drawings, hugged it to his chest, and nodded somewhat shamefully.
"That's it for today. I don't want to see you sleeping in class next time."
"Yes, teacher." Jenna nodded, bowed slightly, and then left the office.
After that, the office returned to silence again, with only the faint fragrance of tea lingering in the air. At this time, a voice came from the corner. It was the teacher who had been writing with his head down.
"You're so nice to her, you even let her copy the courseware."
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