Song Junlang did not speak. He quietly looked at Xiao Lin as he waited for a reply.
After a long time, Xiao Lin looked up with a bitter look on his face. “I don’t know.”
Song Junlang was not surprised at the answer, nodding as he said, “That’s normal. Every new student works themselves to the bone thanks to the picture the academy paints, but the nearer they get to that picture, the more they realize that there are some differences between the reality and their dreams.”
“However, I’m already in the boat right now.” It was hard to tell if Xiao Lin’s tone was one of regret or dissatisfaction–even he himself did not know. He remembered the hot-blooded passion everyone felt when they heard about the colonists’ goals during the entrance ceremony. No, even now, most of the students were relying on that passion as their pillar of support, constantly attending classes every day and examinations every month.
To them, the New World was a land of pure bliss that existed only in legends.
However, what if that land of pure bliss was about to face a war? Just like what Xiao Lin had written in his final answer in the written tests, if the situation turned into a global war, would anyone still want to go to the New World? Even if they had resurrection towers, Lifewater was still limited. They might be from Earth, but they were still at the lowest level. Would they have enough lifespan to spend?
Song Junlang had already mentioned that, during the war against the orcs, Dawn Academy had countless casualties, and those were real deaths after using up their lifespans.
The atmosphere in the room turned heavy, and Xiao Lin’s thoughts were a mess. To him, who had just entered the academy for four months, it was too early to be exposed to these things, but he still appreciated Song Junlang. He knew that Song Junlang did it out of kindness; Xiao Lin’s own special circumstances had led to him needing to think about these things earlier.
“Ah, you don’t have to worry though. If war really breaks out, it won’t have much to do with you new students.” Song Junlang’s expression suddenly turned warm, reverting to his usual jovial self. “Don’t underestimate us; the skill and resources that our academies have accumulated over this century can’t be easily shaken.
“You still have tests tomorrow right? I remember you picked a lot of courses to study. You really do enjoy torturing yourself. Just head back and prepare for your tests first, and don’t sweat the other stuff for now.” Song Junlang did not let that heavy atmosphere continue. He was just preparing Xiao Lin mentally for now; it was better than facing the question at the point of no return.
Xiao Lin composed himself. No matter what, everything that happened had already happened, so he needed to think about how to face it. Song Junlang not helping him during these tests was just so that he could measure his own skill.
The physical portion of the tests had all ended so, to a lot of students, the next few days were rest days that were hard to come by, but Xiao Lin still needed to wait for the magical portion of the tests.
They were different from the physical tests; the basic magic tests were hard to test for individually, so they tested a few courses in one go. That also meant that, as long as one did not pass the test, they would need to retake all the courses in one go. The students who picked magical courses once again complained in the forums, but naturally no one dared make a scene with the student union.
What caused Xiao Lin some surprise was that the magic tests were no longer administered by the military, but they were not done by the academy either. There were a few people who wore magical robes and adorned mage hats. Every accessory on their body exuded the power of magic. They claimed to be from the Mage’s Union, asked by the military to assist in the matter.
What they wore were an exact fit with the image of mages in everyone’s heads, but everyone who picked the magical courses was chasing this aesthetic anyway. The appearance of those people caused quite a stir, and compared to those examiners from the military, the mages were comparatively a lot more amicable. Before the tests, they even conversed with some of the students. Of course, the topics were all idle chit-chat.
“Who is Gu Xiaoyue?” A woman in blue mage robes suddenly asked.
Everyone looked at each other before pointing toward the cold-looking girl who was practicing wand movements in a corner by herself. In a few seconds, Gu Xiaoyue’s face widened when she realized she was the center of attention. She usually did not have many friends, so she was not used to the gazes.
Xiao Lin was next to her; he was basically the only person in the first year who talked to Gu Xiaoyue. When he noticed her awkwardness, he walked closer to Gu Xiaoyue before looking at the approaching woman.
“You are Gu Xiaoyue?”
“Yes.”
“The student who had the highest Intelligence score at the start?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you possess a talent?”
“I do not.”
“That’s really odd. Someone told me you had potential last month, but I don’t really believe it. I hope you don’t disappoint me today.”
“Okay.”
Her responses were completely robotic, so the woman furrowed her eyebrows in mild disappointment. Did Gu Xiaoyue not know she was the examiner in charge of the test? Why was she not trying to cozy up to her?
Xiao Lin was sweating a little; he knew that Gu Xiaoyue was not good and interacting, so he took over, “Hello, Teacher. Gu Xiaoyue means that while she might not have a talent, she works far harder than anyone. Her so-called potential is just a myth; she is just a regular student.”
With Xiao Lin’s understanding of Gu Xiaoyue, that girl did not want her name to be widely known, so being noticed by more people was definitely not a good thing.
The woman was unhappy with Xiao Lin’s interruption, and she coldly said, “Who are you?”
“I’m her friend.”
“I’m asking you what your name is.”
“Xiao Lin.”
The woman paused for a few seconds before asking curiously, “You are Xiao Lin? You’re enrolled in magic courses? I seem to recall that you tested for swordsmanship classes? I still remember talking about you yesterday…”
Xiao Lin was a bit frustrated. “That’s right, I enrolled in swordsmanship, but I also enrolled in magic.”
The woman understood. “Dual cultivation?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah, the passion of youth. Good luck.” The woman laughed, patting Xiao Lin’s shoulder before falling silent and returning.
The surrounding students cast admiring gazes toward Xiao Lin and Gu Xiaoyue. To them, the ones in the Mage’s Union were all big figures, so being noticed was definitely a sign of a brighter future.
Only Xiao Lin smiled bitterly to himself; that woman’s final laugh was definitely not praise.