"Calvin Black."
"This humble person is Calvin Black, Son of the Priest of the Border Holy See."
Facing the reporters' interview, Liszt Moon, the third to leave the examination hall, calmly adjusted his glasses and answered with elegance and courtesy.
Every word and action of his was steeped in noble etiquette.
Liszt Moon was an elegant and rigorous man.
His light-brown hair was always groomed impeccably, and his slightly thin lips revealed his humble character.
His pale-blue eyes were always calm and gentle. He always wore smooth black trousers without a single crease, paired with a neatly pressed blue tailcoat, every button fastened perfectly.
At the same time, he was also a low-key person.
Humility and being low-key were the most important virtues of a noble.
As the Goddess's most devout and honest believer, he knew full well how outstanding he was, yet he also understood that the tallest tree in the forest was the first to be felled by the wind.
He did not like to show off.
The reason he had only been the third to leave the examination hall was precisely because of his modesty.
Otherwise, he would have handed in his paper long ago.
Forever third place—that was his creed. It neither drew attention nor left him behind.
Yet he had not expected that outstanding people were like fireflies in the night: no matter where they were, they shone so distinctly and Dazzlingly, attracting swarms of admirers and reporters alike.
Despite being so outstanding, Liszt still chose to remain low-key.
He did not intend to leave behind his own name. Let him become a legend of the imperial capital.
At the same time, Liszt was also an intelligent person.
He knew that Ansu and Arthur had left the examination hall before him, so the reporters must have recorded their names. Therefore, he could not impersonate either of them.
Arthur only knew two examinees, but there was actually one more!
That was Calvin Black, who was currently on sick leave!
They were both fellow townsmen—though they were not close, Calvin would not mind if he borrowed his name for a bit, right?
Besides, Calvin was lying on his sickbed. If he suddenly saw his name appearing in the capital's newspapers, he would surely feel comforted and warmed from the bottom of his heart.
It was definitely not because Liszt was afraid of embarrassing himself if he failed the exam.
Liszt was such a considerate and gentle man, a gentleman with exceptionally high emotional intelligence.
He placed his left hand over his right chest, bent his right leg slightly, and gave a standard noble salute. "Then this humble person, Calvin, shall take his leave first."
As for the title Moonlight of the Goddess above his head, it did not matter. He had not left his name behind anyway. He had only just arrived in the imperial capital—who would know that Moonlight was Liszt Moon?
The imperial capital was so vast, and there were so many examinees.
Eleven in the morning.
Border City, Sun Family estate.
The blazing sunlight shone over this crimson land. Light passed through the study's glass windows and reflected off the gleaming armor.
The Sun Family was the oldest great family in the borderlands. The family was rich in martial prowess, producing generals and marshals every few years. Its head, Grand Duke of the Sun Annan Sunny, was also the borderlands' only Seventh-tier Knight.
A Seventh-tier Knight had already entered the realm of demigods.
Grand Duke Annan had always been known for his severity and lack of smiles, but today, obvious delight showed on his face. He sat upright in his study, reading the latest issue of the "Imperial Capital Morning Post."
The news industry was highly efficient. To seize the headlines, once reporters obtained the latest firsthand information, they immediately returned to their offices to write their articles, then used the Magic Net for mass printing across the country.
In less than two hours, Grand Duke Annan, far away in the borderlands, had already received the latest issue of the "Imperial Capital Morning Post."
The Sun Family had always had one regret: they lacked culture and had never produced a single priest. Thus, their political enemies often mockingly called them the "brute family."
But today, everything had changed.
He looked at the latest paper, where a glaring headline stood out:
#The first candidate to leave the examination hall! Arthur Sunny of the Sun Family accepts an interview!#
The first to leave the examination hall, and he had even handed in his paper early!
Even so, Grand Duke Annan would not have been this happy, because he knew what level his child was at—perhaps Arthur had handed in a blank paper and come out early.
But the reporter's following report finally put Grand Duke Annan's anxious heart at ease.
'Arthur Sunny personally stated that the final question of this examination was quite simple, so it was not worth remembering—only idiots could not solve it."
It was in the bag!
A gratified smile appeared on Grand Duke Annan's lips. He had heard even as an illiterate who had dropped out during prenatal education about how abstract and outrageous the final question of the Radiant Holy See's examination was.
Even his own son thought the final question was simple and had solved it easily. Wouldn't the other questions have been easy to solve?
The more he thought about it, the happier he became.
Their Sun Family had finally produced a top scholar in the humanities—this was practically ancestral graves emitting green light. They could finally hold their heads high.
He had to let the other nobles know that the Sun Family had culture too.
Grand Duke Annan stood up, straightened his collar, draped himself in a cloak, took the newspaper in his hand, and prepared to leave.
He was going to show off properly. He was going to show off in person, especially by paying a visit to the Moon Family and Morningstar Family.
'Sigh, I accidentally got lost. How did I end up here?'
'Sigh, this part of my newspaper is dirty. Help me take a look.' Grand Duke Annan had already thought up his lines.
His son had done well on the exam, and Grand Duke Annan was very happy.
Eleven thirty in the morning.
Border City, Moon Family estate.
As the second-oldest family and the family with the widest network of connections, its family tradition had always been known for elegance and nobility.
The estate was planted with violets. Even in winter, the Moon Family's wisteria remained lush and flourishing.
Those elegant, noble purple blossoms trailed down from the eaves, veiling the window lattice, filtering away the sun's heat and lending the light a refined filter.
The Moon Family's marquis—Norman Moon—was a calm and elegant gentleman.
No matter what happened, he remained unruffled.
But today, the corners of Marquis Norman's lips lifted slightly.
The reason was the second news column in the "Imperial Capital Morning Post" in his hands:
#The second candidate to leave the examination hall, Liszt Moon of the Moon Family, smiles with confidence!#
He had to remain elegant. He could not laugh out loud.
Though he was rather pleased inside, Marquis Norman was, after all, a refined gentleman of taste. His face still maintained an expression of calm.
'Handing in the paper early is merely the most basic procedure.'
'The child's performance was still unstable. He did not come out first.'
Marquis Norman had already thought up his later lines. He rolled up the newspaper and walked outside.
His son had done well on the exam, and Marquis Norman was very happy.
Eleven forty in the morning.
Border City, Morningstar Family estate.
As the least historically established family of nouveau riche, the Morningstar Family had only one advantage: it was very rich.
The other two families combined were not as rich as it.
They had so much money they could not spend it all, so the Morningstar Family's tradition had always been known for producing playboys.
In Count Carlo's study, sunlight streamed down, only to be forced back by an even stronger golden radiance:
Pure gold tea cups, pure gold chairs, pure gold desks. There were no weapons, armor, wisteria, or green plants—only the purest wealth served as decoration.
The Morningstar Family's count—Carlo Morningstar—had only money.
Even someone as rich as him felt delighted today.
He had just heard that three students from Border City had handed in their Saint Trial papers early, and he had been quite worried.
But as soon as he saw the morning paper, the worry in his heart dropped into his stomach.
Sunny, Moon, Black—there was no Morningstar.
Wonderful!
For the past month, this kid Ansu had studied like crazy every day, and Count Carlo had been very worried. What if his child really was a top student?
What if he really became the top scholar? What would happen to the family's gold mines?
Now, it seemed that all his worries had been for nothing.
Ansu had not let down his expectations!
Although the exact results were not yet out, Count Carlo already felt completely certain.
He had already decided which gold mine to assign to Ansu's management.
His son had done badly on the exam, and Count Carlo was very happy.
Noon.
Border City, Radiant Church, Black Family's rear-mountain cemetery of the Hall of Rest.
There was no armor, no violets, and no gold. Only row after row of gravestones stood amid the bleak, desolate mountains. Winter's bitter wind blew between the coffins, producing cold, whistling gusts.
Sunlight fell upon the gravestones, casting a dark and ghostly gleam.
The Black Family was one of the priestly families of the Radiant Holy See.
At this moment, before a grave, Priest Black held the "Imperial Capital Morning Post" in his hands. His hands trembled slightly, and cold sweat poured down his face.
The third news column:
#The third student to leave the examination hall, Calvin Black of the Border Holy See, shines brightly in the sunlight!#
Sunlight?
Brightly?
Priest Black stared blankly at that line, then turned to look at his son's secret grave. He stared at the empty, dark gravestone and swallowed.
Bleak and murderous.
Though it was the noon sun, when it fell upon Priest Black, it felt utterly horrifying.
Was this the price of believing in the Mother Goddess?
His son had won the resurrection match, and Priest Black was terrified.
Hehehe, please give me monthly tickets, please give me monthly tickets.
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