Chapter 361 Xuebang’s First Meal
After saying goodbye to the mysterious and generous "Mr. Colin", Marko Gage felt that his life had begun a new chapter.
Holding the letter given by his soulmate and the bag of heavy silver coins, his heart was filled with lofty ambitions called ideals.
He did not stay in the hotel, but set off immediately to find the next ride to the south.
Hard work pays off, and perhaps it was the good luck brought by that prince, he soon met a group of mercenaries who were preparing to set off.
They were a group of young people who were planning to try their luck in the distant continent of Janna. They had just completed a mission of escorting noble children to Xuebang, and then spent a few days in Yingyan Territory.
And then——
That’s all.
They ran out of money and spent it all on the nuns.
Marco was shocked. He had also been to church to pray, but he had never heard that praying with nuns cost money?! The mercenary boys smiled awkwardly and didn't feel like explaining to him. They just said something vague.
"You'll know next time you go there. It's not just any church."
Although Marco was curious, he shook his head like a rattle.
"Go back? I will never go back in my life!"
In short, the mercenaries revealed their next itinerary, and the next stop would be passing through Longshi City, which is the only way from the northern wilderness to the south, and also the only way to the holy city.
The conversation soon turned to Marco himself.
He did not reveal too much information to these rough people. He just packaged himself as a poet pursuing his ideals and said that he wanted to go to the holy city to see what the holy light that shines for all ages looks like and whether it is just that it cannot shine on this snowy field.
Those mercenaries who had been on the edge of swords for years did not initially have a good impression of this tender-skinned and naive boy. They thought he boasted too much, was not practical at all, and had not suffered like them.
However, when they heard Marco scolding the nobles with harsh words, they instantly became interested. Especially when Marco recited his "plain and straightforward" poem full of rebellious spirit in a rhythmic manner, these rough men burst into cheers.
OK!
They don’t understand what art is and don’t have much knowledge, but the word “class” really touches their hearts!
The richest land is always near the castle, so why aren't they in a huge cage? If Marco only talks to them about knowledge, art, soul and dreams, he will never be able to gain their resonance.
But the young man himself did not expect that there was a sentence in the poem revised by his "soulmate" that just hit the only soft spot in the hearts of these poor people, and made them open their hearts and finally face up to the shallow but passionate "knowledge" in the heart of this young boy.
At the instigation of a group of mercenaries, the shy Marco was nicknamed "the poet".
Soon, those generous mercenaries said that they would not charge him a penny for the journey and let him ride in the carriage with them, just as if he had an interesting person to entertain them on the road.
In this way, the "poet" Marco and a group of illiterate mercenaries embarked on a new journey together.
It was during this journey that he suddenly discovered that these rough people were actually quite interesting. They didn't have as many twists and turns as the nobles, but they had their own little thoughts under their roughness. They were not kind, and were even cunning to the extreme, but there were also things they would never do, and they would say a few words when they met people or things they didn't like.
If it were his father, he would definitely tell him coldly that it had nothing to do with him, and if he didn't want to be as miserable as them, he should hurry up and awaken his extraordinary powers.
A few days later, the team arrived at Dragonview City, the seat of the Duke of the North.
Marco had no interest in this military fortress full of iron, blood and murderous atmosphere, but in order to kill time he still wandered around the streets and alleys, just to find inspiration.
A mature poet should not have only one poem, especially since this poem was revised by Mr. Colin. He has to write his own thing.
However, just as he passed a street corner, a notice with black words on a white background posted on the wall suddenly caught his attention.
"Two serious criminals were publicly executed at the execution ground in Longshi City! The daring criminal who stole the prince's personal belongings was finally executed!"
Good man, stealing the prince’s things?
Who is so brave and not afraid of death?
Mako looked at it curiously.
And what was surprising was that he saw his own name on the list of people to be executed! Marko Gage!
The moment his eyes met his name, he felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen and his hands and feet were cold.
"I...I'm dead?!"
The picture was of a bloody execution ground. His mind was blank and buzzing. He only remembered that he ran away in two steps and turned into the alley next to him like a frightened mouse.
But after all, it was a notice of execution, not a wanted warrant with a reward, so no one noticed that the coward was frightened by the bloody portrait.
Mako didn't know how long he ran until he was exhausted and held onto the wall. He stopped in shock and sat down in the snow to think.
He did not know the "Milos" who was executed together with him, and he didn't know why his name appeared on it.
As for the charge of "stealing the prince's belongings", it left him even more confused.
Somebody tell him, at least—
What on earth did he steal from some prince?! He returned to the hotel where the mercenaries were staying in a daze.
While eating, a group of mercenary buddies looked at his distraught appearance and looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what had happened.
But everyone has low moments.
Having eaten and lived together along the way, they more or less regarded him as one of their own rather than a client who paid money to do things for them.
So a waiter patted him on the shoulder and started talking.
"By the way, poet, we have been chatting all the way and we have all called you poet. We still don't know what your real name is?"
"Yeah, tell me about it?" A freckled-faced young man urged curiously, and couldn't wait to hear his story.
Marco shuddered all over, and the bloody portrait flashed in his mind again, and this time the person on the guillotine turned out to be himself.
Under the strange gazes of the crowd, his lips trembled and he squeezed out two words from between his teeth.
"...Hungry Wolf."
At this moment, he really looked like a wolf that had been hungry for three days and three nights and was left with only skin and bones, shivering in the biting cold wind of the north.
He needs time to digest the weight behind this heavy responsibility.
"Hungry wolf?"
"Hahaha!"
“What a nice name!”
The mercenaries laughed in good faith but didn't pursue the matter any further. They continued to drink beer and share the mushy roasted meat.
Most of these guys who came out to make a living used fake names, just like the nuns working in the camp. As for the reason, of course, they were afraid of being found by their former enemies, or they were planning for a pastoral life after retiring.
There are few clean people on this white snowfield. People are born to roll in the mud. The only difference is that some people can see the mud on their bodies clearly, while some people still insist that they are clean.
Perhaps this "poet" also has his own difficulties!
…
The Tower of the Great Sage, the Apprentice Canteen, is where Xuebang's pragmatism is implemented as always, and it is also as busy and fulfilling as always.
In the grand and spacious hall, hundreds of apprentices were sitting along plain long tables. There were more than a dozen similar long tables, all of which were occupied.
The only bright spot was a small magic tray that slowly rose in the middle of the table, delivering portions of steaming porridge and bread sprinkled with icing sugar and jam precisely to each person.
This thing is rare in the empire. It is said that it was not long ago that the professors of the academy comprehended the mystery from the void.
Of course, the empire may not be able to use it.
In any case, this was the first breakfast for many preparatory boys after they entered school, and it was said that there would be a more sumptuous banquet waiting for them in the evening.
Barrett, who had just become an apprentice, rubbed his hands, his face full of excitement, and began to eat voraciously. The bumpy journey from the border to here was all melted away by his rising appetite.
Actually, to be precise, he was not yet a formal apprentice. There were five levels of students in Xuebang, namely, preparatory students, apprentices, masters, honor students, and graduates.
Graduates are also called quasi-mages. They can join the Empire’s army as chanters in the Mage Corps, or they can stay in the academy as teaching assistants to continue studying the mysteries of magic.
By the way, teachers here are also clearly divided into classes. The first and most common one is teaching assistant, followed by mentor, professor, sage, and great sage.
There are twelve sages in total, and only one great sage, who is the head of the thirteen towers - the tower master of the great sage tower, and the co-leader of the sage council! At the level of sage, it is basically a matter of fate. Those who can take on this position are without exception top-notch extraordinary people, and they must have sufficient achievements in the field of magic.
However, although ordinary people have no hope of becoming a sage, they can still challenge relatively "higher-level" professors.
When one reaches the level of professor, he is either a dragon among men or a tiger among men. His status is basically no less than that of a duke in a secular kingdom. Even if they are slightly inferior and dislike each other, both sides are equal in status.
Barrett's dream is to become a professor. He dreams about it all the time! And now he is shouldering not only his own and his parents' dreams, but also Leo's dreams, and the dreams of Phoenix and Ilala who unfortunately lost the interview.
He wanted to move forward with their unfulfilled ideals, toward that unreachable tower!
However, that’s all in the past now.
The first thing he had to do was to study the most basic magic theories as a preparatory student during the next three years of training, and successfully become a formal apprentice after the assessment three years later.
Then--
They will go to the wizard tower of their dreams based on the aspirations they determined when they passed the initial interview, just like the delicious and sweet bread on their table.
Then, the road ahead will be smooth sailing!
Barrett took a big bite of the bread in his hand, savoring the fragrant strawberry jam, relishing its sweetness alone.
The air was filled with the aroma of food, but no matter how strong the aroma was, it could not suppress the buzzing sound of discussions.
"Senior Coors, Ilana, have you heard?" A slightly childish male voice sounded. It was Finn, a preparatory student who had just enrolled. He looked around curiously, "What is everyone talking about? It feels like something big has happened here!"
He came from a remote countryside in the Kingdom of Rhodes, and his face still carried the simplicity of the fields and the purest yearning for this magical holy land.
As for senior Coors and Ilana, they were friends he met on the road. He was very likable because he was diligent and did all the dirty and tiring work. He was not pretentious at all, and he did not have the ambition to be a sage written on his face.
Who would hate a harmless little bee?
Ilana, who sat opposite him, was also a new preparatory student, but her expression was much more realistic. Perhaps because of her noble birth, she slowly stirred the oatmeal in the bowl with a spoon, turning a deaf ear to the noise around her and not making any comments.
As for Coors, he is probably Ms. Ilana's bootlicker, and his attentiveness is written all over his face.
It is true that he is an official apprentice of the Tower of the Great Sage, but now that he has entered the tower, what is the point of being a senior in charge of admissions?
Besides, he was not in charge of admissions, he just helped the teaching assistants who were in charge of admissions.
Those gimmicks might be useful to little girls from ordinary backgrounds, but they are a joke to people who have experienced and seen it.
However, in order to demonstrate his erudition and knowledge of the "internal affairs of the academy", he cleared his throat vigorously, and with the help of the "ladder" handed to him by his junior Finn, he launched an attack on the "flowers" hanging high above the city wall.
"A big deal? Finn, this is not just a big deal, this is a legend that will be recorded in the history of the school!"
He leaned forward, his eyes flashing with the unique light of admiration for the strong, which made the confused junior fellow student stunned for a moment.
"Legend?"
“That’s right!”
Coors' voice rose involuntarily, attracting several curious glances from the neighboring tables. He lowered his voice, but continued to speak vividly with excitement.
"Listen carefully, Finn. This story has to start from the beginning. While you rookies were taking the exam, a great man came to the border recruitment point. His name is Roxel Colin! He is a genuine prince of the Empire. It is said that he holds a letter of recommendation from a powerful person in the Empire. Even the King of Rhodes is just a younger brother in front of him. Do you understand?"
Finn nodded blankly, his face turning slightly pale and then slightly red.
In the academy, people can talk freely about the King of Rhodes, but he is a Rhodes after all, and he still can't adapt to this change.
Cools took a deep breath, as if gathering strength for the upcoming climax.
"There's nothing special about being born with a title, but the special part will come soon! This prince could have come in comfortably, but he chose not to! I heard from my buddy that he was the one who registered for the exam for the prince, and he saw with his own eyes the pity and sparks in the prince's eyes! He was unwilling to be mediocre, so he hid his title. He wanted to start from the lowest level of the entrance exam like the rest of us! In my opinion, this kind of courage alone is not something that ordinary people can have!"
Finn couldn't help but want to applaud, but after clapping his hands, he quietly stopped and put his hands together in a prayer position.
"God bless you... this is really... I heard that there was a test paper in the examination room that was given full marks by three examiners at the same time. Could it be that he wrote that paper?!"
"Yes! And this is the most dramatic thing - this perfect paper was actually replaced!" Kurs changed the subject, his eyes filled with anger, and his tone became more and more excited.
"Switch?! How, how is this possible! This is a school! Is that guy crazy?!" Finn exclaimed, and this time it was the other apprentices next to him who exclaimed, "Saint Sith is above."
There is an old saying in Xuebang: Don’t offend anyone but a magician.
Of course, there are similar words in the Kingdom of Rhodes, except that the magician is replaced by the knight.
"Yes! I can't believe that the diligent, conscientious and helpful senior Milos is actually such a person! You can't judge a person by his appearance. I admired him before! But what happened? He was so bold that he took advantage of the loopholes in the program and replaced the perfect score paper of His Royal Highness the Prince without anyone noticing! How dirty is this person's heart? He is so evil!"
Kurth cursed under his breath and revealed everything he knew.
However, this is not considered inside information. The Tower of the Great Sage has already made the results public and printed them in the morning newspaper for public display. It’s just that these new students are not aware of it yet.
Ilana raised her pretty eyebrows and was actually surprised. However, she was not surprised at Milos's audacity, but she was surprised that a little apprentice could exploit loopholes in the program, which was rare in her native country.
Finn subconsciously clenched his fists, completely absorbed in the story, and the story came to the final turning point -
"But! In the end, we still won!"
Kurth's face was filled with a sunny smile. He put his hand on Finn's shoulder, but his eyes secretly looked at Ilana, as if to confirm whether that beautiful face was shining with the same admiration as this boy named Finn.
"…The story ends with two heads. The Duke of the North will not protect two thieves. This cunning fox did not run far away, but hid under our noses, the knight's fiefdom on the border! The most ridiculous thing is that he actually used the money he earned to go whoring! Haha! So this is what he makes money for?"
"The other mastermind behind the scenes, Marco Gage, also confessed his guilt not long after and repented on the execution ground, but it was too late! As for His Highness Colin, he had been planning to return to the Holy City, but Professor Hector personally chased him back and made an exception to hire him as the tutor of Xuebang! That's a tutor! Saint Sith, I'd be thankful that I could become a tutor before I was 50, but he is so young... But having said that, if it was this prince, I would approve of it!"
Coors finished speaking in one breath, his cheeks flushed with excitement.
Finn's eyes lit up when he heard this, and in his mind, he regarded His Highness Colin as a spiritual idol and academic role model! He thought of himself, a poor boy from the countryside, who came here with his belief in knowledge!
All the fairness that did not exist in the Kingdom of Rhodes is available here. As long as it is real gold, even if it is buried in the dust or dropped on the snow, there will be good people like Professor Hector who will rush in the snowy night to bring it back to the sacred pure land!
This story was not just a piece of gossip to him, but also a shot in the arm that dispelled his confusion and fear about the future.
"This is Xuebang!" Kurth said excitedly, "This is the true meaning of 'knowledge is power'! Not only that, Xuebang's fairness and self-correction have also been perfectly demonstrated. Scum like Milos, who is extremely evil, was eventually caught and dealt with! We will never let go of any cockroach we see!"
"Finn, don't get too excited."
Ilana didn't want to say anything, but seeing that the young man who helped her carry her luggage was about to get drunk, she still said a few words to him.
"Your senior is right. Gold shines everywhere, but you have to have your own scale in your heart. Don't let your piece of gold be exchanged for stone. Whether you admit it or not, the identity of 'Prince' has played an indispensable role."
"If it were you or me, even if we were framed, we would probably be like the fallen leaves on the snowy plain, buried in the endless whiteness. You don't have to be suspicious all the time, but you must stay sober and don't be led by the rope of madness and walk into the bottomless abyss."
Finn was stunned for a moment, as if someone shook his shoulder when he was dozing off. He seemed to understand something, although it was still vague.
Ignoring Kurth who was gasping for breath with his mouth wide open, Ilana slowly cut off a small piece of bread with her knife and fork.
She continued calmly before bringing it to her mouth.
"Of course, I admit that His Highness's ability is beyond doubt. But relatively speaking, I am more curious about what kind of changes such a young mentor will bring to the Great Sage Tower... I hope he can stay with us longer."
To be honest, she quite admired the professor's appearance.
Especially after listening to Coors for so long, she became more interested in this mysterious prince and thought maybe she could sign up for his class to see how it goes.
As smart as he is, he must have profound insights into more than just magic. Who knows, she might be able to learn something even more powerful than magic!
"Who cares about the changes! That's not something we apprentices can worry about! And it's certainly not something you preparatory students should worry about!"
Coors coughed, neither too loud nor too softly emphasizing the hierarchy of status, like a child whose toy had been taken away, trying to use the authority of an elder to forcibly seize the initiative of the conversation back into his hands.
"Anyway, I've heard that the prince will officially move into the Great Sage's Tower today! He will be familiar with the teaching work for a while, and you rookies may have the opportunity to take his class!"
These words were like a huge rock dropped into a calm lake.
The apprentices around who seemed to be concentrating on eating but were actually eavesdropping with their ears perked up all stopped what they were doing at the same time.
The buzz of the entire cafeteria paused for a moment, and then burst out with an even more enthusiastic wave of sound! Awe, curiosity, anticipation, and even a hint of jealousy, all kinds of complex emotions intertwined on the faces of the apprentices!
This mentor Colin, whom they have yet to meet, has already been labeled a "legend" in their hearts!
And in a corner of the cafeteria, a figure suddenly shook.
Barrett, who was dining alone, opened his eyes wide, his hands frozen in mid-air, and the spoon fell into the porridge with a clang, splashing a few drops of white juice.
Mr. Colin!
The companion who was calm and reliable during the adventure, but unfortunately "failed" in the end!
It was actually...Prince Colin? !
Saint Sis, by the way… After all this time, he failed the exam not because of his lack of ability, but because his test paper was switched?! But——
Why didn't anyone tell me?! At the same time, in the office on the top of the tower, His Highness Colin, who was sitting on the soft sofa, finally got the explanation he wanted from the respected Professor Hector.
Those are two newspapers.
One is the "Sage's Newspaper" issued within the school, and the other is the "New Magic Horizon Newspaper" issued in several major cities in the northern wilderness.
The notice was so righteously written that one could not help but applaud, but it was also full of loopholes that made one unable to help but laugh.
If a mere three million gold coins were enough to buy off a wizard's dignity, then this dignity was a little too worthless.
Do you think this prince has never seen money? His index finger gently stroked the newspaper, with a decent smile on his face.
He felt like a diner holding a bell in his hand.
If he shook it slightly, Professor Hector, who was sitting opposite him, would clamp his legs together and serve a delicious meal to Teacher Colin with a bitter face.
For example, now——
He flipped through the newspaper in his hand and spoke neither lightly nor seriously.
"Oh, his name is Milos, a magic apprentice... Tsk tsk, this kid is really abominable, don't you think? Professor Hector."
Professor Hector secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a tense face.
"Of course... We never thought that such a scum would appear in the Great Sage's Tower. However, we have found his assistant and fired him, which can be regarded as filling this loophole."
He had already cursed these people a thousand times in his heart. These people were really poor and crazy. They dared to take any money! However, he also knew that it was useless to hate them. He was just an old scholar who was trying to make peace. The key was to get the nod of the prince in front of him.
In fact, it’s time for the prince to nod!
Even though he sympathized with those "apprentices with real talent", he felt that the prince had slightly overstepped the line.
After all, you are just a prince, not the emperor himself. Are you here to cause trouble or to have academic exchanges? ! Xuebang has already given you a lot of face! What else do you want?
Do you want me to chop two more pieces of meat for you? "Oh."
Luo Yan nodded. He didn't intend to do anything, and he didn't want to embarrass those children who were much weaker than him. However, this did not stop him from gently shaking the "bell" in his hand for serving food.
“Crash——”
Seeing that His Royal Highness had turned another page of the newspaper in his hand, Professor Hector finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this was a sign that the matter was over.
However, before he could relax, the prince from the Holy City suddenly changed the subject and said a few more words -
"Where's the money?"
"Even if it was only 3 million gold coins, why didn't I see where each sum of money came from, through whose hands, and where it went?"
"You can't spend all the money on the 'girls', can you?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
