Chapter 356 Trial on the Snowfield
The next morning, when Luo Yan arrived at the door of the "Adventurer's House", Phoenix, Ilala and Barrett were already waiting there.
The sadness of their friends’ departure seemed to have been replaced by determination and expectation for the future. Their eyes were less innocent and more full of awareness, as if they wanted to take on the persistence that their former best friend had put down, and continue on his path to fulfill his dream of entering Xuebang.
Although Luo Yan felt that they were probably just moved by themselves, the young man named Leo left because he really saw through everything.
"Good morning, Mr. Colin." Phoenix took the initiative to step forward, looking much better than yesterday.
Luo Yan said in a gentle tone.
"Good morning, it looks like you guys are recovering well."
Phoenix smiled shyly.
"It's OK... This is the last leg. If I don't cheer up, I won't be able to finish the rest of the journey. By the way, where's Miss Sarah? Is she not with you?"
Luo Yan nodded.
"She's packing, we'll go ahead and she'll meet us there."
Phoenix nodded in understanding and continued.
"By the way, have you eaten yet? If not, we can wait for you to finish breakfast before leaving. That place is quite remote and there is no place to eat."
Luo Yan declined his kindness.
"I've already had breakfast. If you're ready, let's go."
"Okay! I'll follow your instructions."
Phoenix walked in front with great enthusiasm to lead the way. The group said nothing more and walked towards Xuebang together.
Passing through the chaotic and noisy traveler camp, they headed east and climbed over a hill, and the scene before them suddenly became clear.
This is the legendary northern wilderness east of the Dragon Tooth Mountains. The vast expanse of snow has no end in sight and merges into a swamp in the distance.
At the edge of the snowfield is the border of the Kingdom of Rhodes and the temporary camp set up by the magicians of the academy.
Everything here is completely different from Eagle Rock Territory.
Dozens of uniform white tents were neatly arranged on the snow. The ground was cleaned by magic and there was not a trace of mud.
Several apprentices dressed in plain grey wizard robes were manipulating soft balls of light floating in the air to provide lighting for the camp in the early morning.
The feather pens in their hands swished across the enchanted paper, registering the information of the students who came to register.
The whole process was quiet, efficient, and full of order.
The style of Xuebang can be seen here as the tip of the iceberg, which is a kind of rigor that is based on magic and transcends the mundane world.
"Mr. Colin! Over here!" Phoenix found the registration point and waved excitedly, calling Luo Yan and his teammates over.
A group of people lined up in a long queue, following those pious and anxious faces, and slowly moved towards the tent that would decide their fate.
When it was Phoenix's turn, a magic apprentice who looked quite serious asked without even looking up, "Name, origin, intention."
Before Phoenix answered, he leaned close to Luo Yan's ear and whispered, "Mr. Colin, this is just an expression of interest, don't take it too seriously. The assessment for apprentices is a two-way choice. Even if we pass the written test and the interview, the final admission still depends on which master of the magic tower is willing to accept us."
Luo Yan nodded in understanding, signaling with his eyes that he should sign up quickly and not just think about himself and annoy the magic apprentice in charge of registration.
That face was clearly beginning to show signs of impatience.
Phoenix straightened his chest and quickly reported his aspirations: "Phoenix, from the Kingdom of Rhodes, intends to go to the Tower of the Great Sage!"
Ilala behind him said immediately: "Ilala, Rhodes Kingdom, the Tower of the Intentional Star School."
Barrett scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said stiffly: "Barrett, Rhodes Kingdom, intention... Enchanting School."
After signing up, the three of them quickly stepped aside.
Finally it was Luo Yan's turn. His calm demeanor almost immediately caught the attention of an assistant teacher who was in charge of supervision.
This guy doesn't look like a rookie...
However, the teaching assistant did not have a divine nature after all, and could not see the true weight of a person's soul. Therefore, he just looked at Luo Yan twice more, without showing any doubt on his face, and did not say anything more.
However, the apprentice who was resting nearby saw it and whispered a few words to each other.
"This guy is a noble..."
"Nobles? How can a noble not have a letter of recommendation? Even nobles from the principality have some..."
"Maybe they are the descendants of a declining noble family. There are quite a few people like this. They always want to make a name for themselves in the academic world with a bit of magical talent and revitalize their family... Haha, I think they have come to the wrong place. If they want to make a career and get rich, they should go to the New World, which is the place to pursue academics!" An apprentice said teasingly, and only closed his mouth nervously when the assistant teacher next to him glanced over.
Seeing this, Luo Yan smiled in his heart.
It seems that Xuebang is also a place with strict hierarchy, which is not much different from the Holy City. It just has a different skin that ordinary people can't recognize.
After the registration was completed, the apprentice in charge of writing and registration handed out a wooden plaque with a number engraved on it to each person with an expressionless face.
"The exam will be held in the early morning of three days from now. Here are your numbers. Remember to keep them safe. We will not issue replacements if you lose them."
Phoenix nodded nervously, said thank you, then turned around and left the registration point with his teammates behind him.
After getting the "ticket" for the assessment, the four followed the crowd, followed the guidance of the light ball, passed through the camp, and came to an extremely open snowfield.
When they arrived, the scene before them made Phoenix and the other two gasp.
Thousands of young people from all over the continent of Os have gathered on this snowy field!
Everyone was feeling equally nervous and excited, waiting for the test that would decide their fate to begin!
“There are so many people…” Ilala’s face turned slightly pale, and her right hand, which was clenched tightly in front of her chest, felt cold.
She thought that those guys in the traveler camp were all there were, but she didn't expect that the real "Kings of Rolls" had already been waiting here.
Barrett also swallowed, then looked at Phoenix nervously.
"What's next? Should we wait here for three days... or go back first?"
As the leader of the two young men, Phoenix frowned and thought for a while, and finally gritted his teeth and made a difficult decision.
"Set up camp here!"
I'm afraid there will be even more people here in three days, so it's better to find a good spot now while there are fewer people.
It is said that the written test of Xuebang is not as simple as just answering questions. In the last test, many people lost without even seeing the questions.
As he spoke, he glanced furtively at Mr. Colin.
Luo Yan didn't care much about it. He could meditate to pass the time anyway. Three days passed in a flash for him.
"No rush, it's only three days anyway, just wait."
Just at this moment, a luxurious carriage stopped by the roadside. Sarah, who was driving the carriage, was wearing a black cloak and nodded slightly to him.
Luo Yan nodded to her, and then, amid the envious looks of the young men and women, he stepped into the carriage that was obviously very expensive.
"Incredible... There is not a single snow on the carriage." Barrett suddenly noticed something unusual and couldn't help but exclaimed.
"What do you think? The wood used in that carriage is more expensive than all the magic equipment on you combined," Phoenix whispered, "This Mr. Colin's identity is not simple, but since he doesn't intend to tell us, we'd better not ask... Come and help, and Ilala should come too, let's set up the tent first before it snows."
"Okay." Barrett nodded nervously and quickly followed Phoenix towards the woods.
He was not stupid and he had already seen that Mr. Colin's identity was not simple.
I just don't know which big family in the Kingdom of Rhodes this gentleman is from, or whether he is from an empire outside the Kingdom of Rhodes.
…
The three days of waiting were long and torturous. Without Leo, the three young men could not catch any hares from the snowfield and could only make do with dry bread.
Ilala hesitated more than once whether to go to Mr. Colin for help. However, when she thought of the cold and beautiful female guard, she finally gave up this unrealistic idea.
As time went by, more and more students gathered from all directions, turning the snowfield outside the border into a black ocean of tents and people.
Phoenix's decision was a wise one.
Although this wasteland is vast enough, not all places are suitable for camping. Those who arrive late can either shamelessly squeeze in with others or stand far away.
Some people came to Luo Yan's carriage, trying to seek shelter, but were discouraged by Sarah's cold eyes.
The air was filled with tense and oppressive silence. Tens of thousands of young people from all over the continent of Oss gathered here. No one was talking or laughing loudly. There was only the whistling of the wind and snow across the fields, and the silent heartbeats composed of people's excitement and anxiety.
Finally, on the morning of the third day, when everyone's perseverance and patience were almost exhausted, the change finally came from the sky.
First, a sharp cry that pierced the clouds and split the rocks pierced the silence of the snowfield.
Everyone looked up at the same time and saw dozens of black spots appearing from the clouds in the east and descending at an alarming speed.
"It's a griffin!!" a young man screamed, and just as he finished speaking, more screams came from the side.
"It's not just a griffin...it's a dragon!?"
Luo Yan, who was reading a book, raised his eyelids slightly, looked at the sky outside the window, and then looked away.
These ignorant boys obviously had never seen a real dragon. That pointed-nosed, monkey-faced, bat-like thing was clearly a pterosaur.
The difference in bloodline between the two is as big as that between the Zetas and the Ankylosaurs. They are completely similar but different species.
As everyone watched in astonishment, a cavalry team consisting of dozens of majestic griffins and pterosaurs with astonishing wingspans swooped down like sharp swords!
They landed in designated areas around the snowfield, pounced on the ground with their sharp claws, and stirred up huge waves of snow!
On the back of each giant beast rode a wizard wearing colorful wizard robes, holding high in their hands the flags representing their respective wizard towers.
This magnificent debut caused the young people on the snowfield to burst into exclamations, exactly the same as the young people who cheered in the Royal Arena of the Holy City.
However, this was just the beginning! The ground began to shake slightly, at first like distant thunder, then it became clearer and heavier!
At the end of the snowfield, giant magical constructs more than ten meters tall were seen slowly approaching with earth-shaking steps.
These giants made of brass and rock made the earth tremble with every step they took. The azure magic crystals on their chests sparkled with dazzling magic light like stardust!
On their shoulders stood a team of mages from different schools. What was even more incredible was that they walked on the swamp as if it were flat ground, without sinking into the mud!
Just when everyone was stunned by the sight of the steel torrent, the bright dawn suddenly dimmed.
An unimaginably huge shadow was cast from above the lead-gray clouds, as if it was going to encompass the entire snowfield!
Thousands of people looked up at the same time, their faces filled with disbelief and horror.
It was an enormous silver-white platform, like a sailboat flying in the sky, riding the vast sea of clouds.
The bottom of the platform is engraved with an incomparably magnificent magic circle that flows slowly like stars. The strange patterns emit a daunting buzz of energy!
"Flying boat...it's actually a flying boat!" A young candidate clenched his fists excitedly, as if he had seen a miracle, and said its name in a trembling voice.
On the platform, thirteen figures stood proudly facing the wind.
Their attire varies, some are as plain as priests, some are as gorgeous as stars, but each of them exudes a powerful aura as deep as the sea.
They are the representatives sent by the thirteen magic towers at the core of the academy!
This scene deeply shocked all the students present and pushed their yearning and awe to the peak.
Although they are just professors who teach and answer questions, in the eyes of tens of thousands of mortals, they are no different from the gods walking on the earth.
The power of faith gathers silently...
Sarah frowned slightly, and her hand unconsciously pressed the hilt of the sword under her cloak. The pressure from the sky made her feel instinctively fearful.
Gold? Maybe platinum!
Although that pure power did not surpass the Demon King, it was undoubtedly above her!
Tafu stuck her head out of the carriage and looked up at the sky, her eyes suddenly widened and her mouth opened.
"copy……"
"Fuck?" Luo Yan flipped through the book in his hand and raised his eyebrows.
"I mean copied!! This, this... is clearly a copy of the Zeta Empire's Inspiration! Wait, how did these idealistic lunatics make this thing fly?! Did they master anti-gravity technology?! No way! How could they know about the Zeta Empire's spaceships? Could it be... this is impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could these hairless monkeys be worthy of this?!"
Tafu seemed to have fallen into a state of mental confusion and began to talk nonsense.
"What are you talking about? What does this have to do with anti-gravity? Isn't it just a large wind-attributed magic circle? But I admit that the design of this magic circle is indeed quite interesting..."
Luo Yan glanced at the stunned Tafu, looked up at the sky for a while, and after a moment he touched his chin with interest.
"I see."
This thing is most likely the "silver sailboat" mentioned in Hecajeeling's notes, but I didn't expect that they could actually replicate it in a smaller scale.
However, they did not seem to really understand what they saw in the virtual world, and just copied it to make a "large-sized figure".
Those magicians were actually standing on the hull.
Apart from being able to fly, it seems to have no other functions.
…
Just as Luo Yan was silently evaluating in his heart, the huge silver-white platform stopped sinking at the same time.
It is like a temple suspended in the air, overlooking the tens of thousands of candidates as tiny as ants on the snowy field below.
On the platform, three professors with the most unfathomable auras slowly walked to the edge of the platform.
Seeing the three faces through the monocular telescope, Phoenix's heart was pounding with excitement.
Looking at Mr. Colin who had just got off the carriage, he hurried over and spoke hastily in a deliberately lowered voice.
"It's the examiner! The one walking in the middle is Professor Hector Lane from the Great Sage's Tower! Saint Sith is above, and his expression is always so majestic! The one on his left is Professor Boris Kru from the Tower of the Holy Energy School, with a compassionate temperament like a priest, and the one on his right is Professor Leo Sterling from the Elemental School... Do you need a telescope? I can lend it to you."
"No need, I can see it."
Luo Yan's gaze lingered on the professor of the Holy Energy School for a brief moment, and he estimated that the man should be at the same level as the four demon generals under his command.
However, when it comes to showing off, his four demon generals combined are probably no match for this guy.
On the floating platform, three professors were chatting and laughing as if no one was around. Their voices were not loud, but they could be clearly heard by the teaching assistants behind them.
"This year's little guys look more energetic than last year, Hector. It looks like we can get some fresh blood again." Professor Leo Sterling of the School of Elementalists smiled faintly, with arcs of electricity moving like snakes between his brows.
"I hope there can be a few more pieces of gold among the stones. The quality of students has been getting worse and worse in the past two years." Hector Ryan's tone was calm, and his sharp eyes swept across the snowfield, as if he wanted to grab the "real gold" floating on the snowfield first.
Their relaxed and casual posture was in stark contrast to the tense and oppressive atmosphere of the thousands of people below, and people's admiring eyes made their halo even more shining.
Finally, Professor Hector Lane of the Great Sage's Tower stepped forward.
He did not raise his voice, but his intimidating voice was transmitted clearly to the ears of every candidate on the snowy field through magic.
"quiet!"
The whole audience fell silent for a moment.
He paused and continued.
"The winter apprentice assessment of Xuebang begins now!"
"The assessment consists of a written test and an interview. Today, we will conduct the written test first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Professor Hector swung the walnut-wood staff in his hand down gently! The staff clearly hit the silver-white platform, but it was the snowfield under everyone's feet that was shaken. White waves rolled along the ground, like a dragon turning over! "Boom!"
Amid a deafening roar, an enormous, pitch-black stone tablet rose from the ground and pierced straight into the sky! When the stone tablet stabilized, countless magical words the size of rice grains, emitting soft light, gathered from all directions like summoned fireflies.
They intertwined and danced, merged into symbols, and finally were imprinted on the front of the huge stone tablet, forming a series of densely packed test questions.
The candidates subconsciously moved forward, trying to get closer, but some of them accidentally stepped into the mud or fell into the icy pit with a cry of pain.
Some are natural.
Some are cunning candidates who secretly set traps in advance in order to eliminate potential competitors!
Ignoring the commotion in the room, Professor Hector's voice rang out again, announcing the rules of the written test: "The test questions have been released. Before dawn tomorrow, just write the answers on your scrolls. The full score is 100. If you get 60 points, you will be able to enter the interview..."
Having said that, he looked around the room with his hawk-like sharp eyes and spoke in a cold tone without any emotion.
"By the way, any duplicate answers will be invalidated. Xuebang is not just about exploring and sharing knowledge, but also about protecting your own results from being copied. These questions are all subjective, and I want to see your own thinking."
"If you can't adapt to the rules here, I advise you to leave as soon as possible and go home to farm."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar!
Tens of thousands of candidates looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and vigilance.
At this moment, the friends around me have completely become competitors!
Professor Hector Lane disappeared from their sight, and the silver-white metal platform rose back into the clouds.
As for the griffins and pterosaur knights, they went to every corner of the examination room and blocked off the vast snowfield.
They will not prohibit candidates from leaving.
But once you leave, don't even think about getting back in.
Phoenix swallowed and was extremely glad that he had grabbed a good spot in advance, and even more glad that he brought the telescope that Leo left for him.
Otherwise, let alone passing the exam, they might not even be able to see the exam questions as they are not yet proficient in the use of supernatural powers!
Of course, if you think about it from another perspective, for someone who can use supernatural powers to improve his eyesight, this 60-point score can basically be obtained with certainty.
Unlike Phoenix and the others, Luo Yan, who was observing secretly, couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth into a smile.
“Interesting.”
On the one hand, the magicians of Xuebang harvest the faith of these students, and on the other hand, they push these idealistic young men into the cruel jungle by raising poisonous insects.
This exam is not only a test of their knowledge and talents, but also a test of their character and willpower.
Of course he saw at a glance that this set of rules was not only to select apprentices suitable for learning magic, but also to select the most worthy "smart people" from among those gifted apprentices.
They must be absolutely cruel to those around them, absolutely loyal to the school's system, use any means necessary to achieve their goals, and after burning themselves, disappear like charcoal ashes in an unattended corner - at least they will not hurt their own people when they die.
Or to sum it up in one sentence, Hecajeelin is the gold they want to sift out, and guys like Leo are the dregs they want to sift out.
Idealists? Saint Sith, there are probably no more materialistic people in the entire empire than these mages. They believe in nothing and have no taboos. They follow the most cruel law of the jungle! Of course, the above only applies to ordinary citizens of the empire. Nobles who enter the academy through letters of recommendation are not included. If he had taken out the letter of recommendation from Count Hilfen from the beginning, he probably wouldn't have to wait here for three days. He would have been sitting in the mage tower he wanted to go to three days ago.
But, wouldn't this be a lot less fun?
It's not like he's here to experience campus life.
The harsh trial has begun, and Luo Yan noticed that conflicts have begun to grow among the crowd and spread to the young people next to him.
With the disappearance of Professor Hector, the fragile order on the snowy plain collapsed in an instant! "Get out of here! This position is mine!"
"Why do you? I saw it first!"
The most primitive conflict broke out first in the area closest to the stone tablet.
A tall candidate roughly pushed a thin young man to the ground and took the seat he had found with great difficulty.
The thin young man struggled to argue, but was frightened by the other party's fierce look and shut his mouth. He could only get up unwillingly and look for an opportunity farther away.
Similar scenes are constantly happening in every corner of the snowfield.
However, there was no blind person who came to cause trouble for Luo Yan. After all, these people were not stupid. They just came to take the exam, not to risk their lives... That carriage looked not simple at first glance.
The crowd quickly divided.
Some candidates who were well prepared or had a good family background took out their portable telescopes. Some geniuses who had awakened to extraordinary powers early on tried to mobilize their magic power to focus on their eyes to make their vision clearer. However, more ordinary geniuses whose awakening was still unstable could only push and run in the crowded crowd like headless flies, trying in vain to get closer to the unreachable stone tablet.
The three young men looked at each other, their eyes then fell on the telescope in Phoenix's hand, letting time flow in silence.
They probably used the same set of teaching materials along the way, and they frequently exchanged their understanding of magic, so it was a bit difficult for them to write something completely different.
Barrett whispered.
"Sixty points is enough. We can discuss and deliberately make mistakes in different places."
"But what about those same questions?" Ilala looked worried. "To be honest, I'm not afraid of our different answers, I'm just afraid of our similar mistakes..."
Phoenix gripped the telescope tightly and gritted his teeth.
"Never mind, just copy down the questions first. I don't believe they read them so carefully! We will each answer the questions based on our own abilities later. As long as we don't borrow from each other, it should be fine... And I think you should stop worrying about the differences and get 60 points first."
He looked at the questions and found that they were not easy.
The two nodded in tacit agreement and began to work together to copy the title on the stone tablet. However, both pairs of eyes flickered at the same time.
At this moment, on the other side, an outstanding graduate from the Demon King Academy had put away the feather pen and letter paper floating in the air, and finished writing the question and the answer together.
Although the knowledge system of the Empire is different from that of Hell, this question is not difficult for the well-read Demon King.
Especially after studying the notes of another "outstanding graduate" Hekagelin.
"I wonder how many points the examiners at Xuebang will give me." Looking at the answer sheet of more than 6,000 words, Luo Yan nodded with satisfaction.
Count Hilfen's letter of recommendation was so unfair to these students who took the exam seriously.
As a prince who values fairness, he decided not to take it out until the results of the written test and interview came out.
(End of this chapter)
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