When the graduates left one after another, Vice Dean Jenny, Agatha and Michelle gathered together and looked at each other, with surprise written all over their faces.
"I didn't expect that this group of graduates would actually give us gifts. Could it be that Merlin had anticipated this?" Vice Dean Jenny was the first to break the silence, with a hint of disbelief in her tone.
Agatha nodded slightly and said thoughtfully, "This is not surprising. In their eyes, we hold the power to decide whether they can get a job. Giving gifts is nothing more than taking shortcuts to secure a good future for themselves. They are eager to enter the officialdom of the Arcane City and gain status. They think they can impress us with these, but they don't know that the real test has just begun."
Michelle gently stroked the gift in her hand and said with a smile, "They think the officialdom is too simple, thinking that they can succeed by relying on these unconventional methods. Merlin must have done this to test their character and see what choice these so-called elites will make in the face of the temptation of interests. This talent introduction is not only a consideration of magical talent, but also a screening of human nature."
"Is it really okay for us to accept them all?" Vice Dean Jenny always felt guilty about accepting gifts. This was the first time she accepted something from a graduate.
"There's nothing wrong with it. Isn't this all part of Merlin's plan? He will take care of these things." Agatha didn't want to return the unique books sent by these students. These books that recorded ancient magical knowledge were not easy to deal with.
However, they never expected that all this was not as they speculated. In fact, Merlin had no such noble intentions at all. He simply wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune.
He knew very well that these graduates were eager to seek official positions and would spare no expense to gain a foothold in the Arcane City. Anyway, this group of people had to pass, and these guys were indeed talented and could quickly take up any position.
When news of the graduates' gifts reached Merlin's ears, a barely noticeable sly smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
In his luxurious and mysterious office, he leaned lazily on the back of a carved chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrests, secretly calculating the value of each gift in his mind.
If someone gave him a gift, he would not mind arranging better positions for these graduates based on the value of the gift.
In a few days, the civil servant selection examination in the Arcane City will begin, and the whole city seems to be shrouded in a tense and exciting atmosphere.
The students of the Arcane Academy buried themselves in the sea of books all day long, reciting various magical theories and city management regulations over and over again, their eyes sparkling with longing and desire for the future.
Those noble children also changed their previous leisurely and casual attitudes, put away their cynical attitudes, and were ready to work hard in the examination hall, intending to use this exam to enter the officialdom and bring honor to their families.
However, beneath this seemingly positive appearance, undercurrents were surging. Some students and children of aristocrats with ulterior motives began to use crooked ideas. In order to stand out in the exams, they tried their best and made constant small moves.
In a dim dormitory of the Arcane Academy, several students were sitting around a table piled with books and parchment, looking flustered yet determined.
One of them was a thin student wearing glasses. He was carefully writing with a slender feather pen on a piece of parchment as thin as a cicada's wing. He was densely copying important magic formulas, historical events and key points of government affairs. His eyes were full of tension and concentration. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped onto the paper, leaving a small ink stain. He did not bother to wipe it off. He only wanted to prepare more "dry goods" before the exam. This was the cheat sheet he carefully made.
At the same time, students from the Alchemy Department were tinkering with some exquisite alchemical props.
In his hand he held a palm-sized metal box, the surface of which was engraved with mysterious runes and flickered from time to time.
He was seen muttering something as he poured a handful of powder emitting a strange glow into the box. Then he gently pressed a raised button on the lid.
In an instant, a faint blue light shot out from the box, accurately scanning the book on the table. Wherever the light passed, the words on the pages seemed to be given life, jumping up one after another, and turning into tiny balls of light, which merged in an orderly manner into the parchment filled with cheat sheets. It turned out that this alchemical tool could automatically extract key information, helping him to cheat more efficiently.
The situation in the luxurious mansions of the nobles was equally grim.
A young noble dressed in gorgeous brocade robes and a jeweled crown on his head was facing a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror, carefully arranging his appearance. He seemed calm and composed, but in fact there was a cunning look in his eyes.
His personal attendant quietly walked into the room, holding a fine silk package in his hand, and handed it over respectfully: "Master, what you want is ready."
The young nobleman raised his lips, reached out to take it, and gently unwrapped it, revealing a pair of well-made magic gloves. The surface of the gloves was embroidered with intricate gold thread patterns, and the fingertips were inlaid with several crystal clear magic gems, emitting a mysterious and attractive light.
This is not an ordinary glove, but an alchemical equipment for recording and extracting information. As long as you wear it, when you touch a book or other object with text information, you can instantly copy the content. After touching the test paper, it will filter the recorded knowledge to assist in answering questions, just like a personal cheating artifact.
The nobleman put on the gloves with satisfaction, clenched his fists lightly, and felt the magic power surging at his fingertips. It seemed as if he had seen himself winning the examination. He was secretly proud of himself: I am sure to win this civil service selection examination.
Alex was rushing through the streets of the Arcane City, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, and his usually steady steps were now disorderly.
He had just received a distressing piece of news - a candidate was planning to cheat in the upcoming civil service selection exam. This was undoubtedly like a blockbuster bomb that could blow this carefully prepared exam to pieces at any time.
He was so anxious that he didn't even bother to wipe the sweat off his face and ran straight to the City Hall, thinking about all the terrible consequences in his mind all the way.
After a while, Electrolux stood at the door of Merlin's office, panting. He raised his hand and knocked hard on the door, and pushed it open without even waiting for the owner to respond.
Inside the house, Merlin was sitting leisurely behind the desk, holding an ancient magic book in his hands. He seemed to be deeply attracted by the contents of the book. He asked without raising his head, "Why are you so flustered, Alex?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
