Grand Natural Sciences Academy

In early spring, when fresh branches and tender buds should have been emerging, the flowers and trees of the Grand Natural Sciences Academy seemed to be special varieties. Even after the entire winter, they remained lush and thriving.

Before long, led by Bailing, the two arrived before a five-story stone building constructed from white granite.

The walls on both sides of the building were covered in emerald vines. Through the gaps between the tangled leaves, delicate carvings on the granite could vaguely be seen. Most eye-catching of all were the enormous stone pillars. Meticulously carved, each pillar resembled a scholar holding a book, head bowed as they supported the roof with their shoulders.

"This is the teaching building. The first floor holds classrooms for first-year freshmen like you, while the second and third floors are for upper-year students. The higher floors are public activity halls, though upper-year students usually study and travel outside, so they rarely stay at the Academy."

There was a statue of an old man in front of the teaching building.

Weathered by time, the statue had become somewhat eroded. One could vaguely make out an elderly man holding a book, looking as though he had endured countless rains, snows, and storms.

Bailing said, "This is the great Pioneer Antonio, one of the three great Pioneers in human history. He revealed the objective laws of biological evolution: survival of the fittest through natural selection. It was also because of him that the Academy of Natural Sciences in the Grand Duchy became one of the two strongest academies today. The old man is his loyal admirer!"

"Three Pioneers? I know Pioneer White Niven, who published the Heliocentric Theory. Who is the other Pioneer?"

Reilo asked curiously.

Because the Pioneer who had been burned to death by The Church had such a widespread influence, his story had spread not only among the Church and scholars, but also among commoners. Yet because he had touched upon the Church's faith in light, few dared mention him in public. Even scholars from major academies were the same.

"Gauss Adolf from the Xilan Duchy's Academy of Natural Sciences! Through the mathematical foundation of Luo Ji, the great Pioneer Gauss Adolf uncovered the objective laws governing the natural environment. Tides are caused by the moon's movement, earthquakes by the movement of the earth's crust, and storms, frost, and so on are all flows of the world's natural energy. This laid the academic foundation for Natural Law, what commoners call elemental magic."

Reilo immediately thought of Orn's Fireball Technique.

There was no need to say more. The Xilan Natural Sciences Academy had to be another top institution capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Grand Natural Sciences Academy.

The teaching building was extremely quiet and completely empty.

Seeing the large words before the building, identical to those on the stone tablet at the Academy gates, Reilo could not help reading them aloud again. "Respect teachers and honor the Way; pass the flame from generation to generation."

"That is the school motto. It tells us that all the knowledge we study was obtained through the arduous exploration of our predecessors. We must respect the fruits of their efforts and sincerely respect our mentors and predecessors. Only then can knowledge be passed down through generations, leading toward a better world of reason, civilization, and brilliance."

Bailing seemed to be trying hard to appear more mature in front of Reilo.

"Oh!"

Reilo nodded seriously.

The foundation of scholars learning knowledge was inheritance!

Scholars also had faith. However, unlike The Church and the many temples that worshipped Gods, scholars believed in the academic subjects and ideas upheld by their scholarly predecessors. Some fields of study even required the unremitting efforts of several generations before they could be verified!

While believing in their predecessors, later scholars also believed that they could surpass them, inherit their knowledge, and carry it forward!

The way knowledge was inherited, and the way scholars grew, was truly wondrous.

"There's no one inside. Classes officially start in two days. Let's look around somewhere else."

After strolling around the teaching building for a while, Bailing led Reilo away.

Following Bailing, Reilo passed through a lakeside corridor.

Flocks of red-billed gulls drifted across the lake.

"The Academy is divided into the inner and outer courtyards. The inner courtyard is just ahead. Only scholars who complete their graduation assessment and obtain a Natural Degree Certificate may enter it. See that tallest building? That is the Grand Royal Institute, also called the Scholar Tower. Outsiders prefer to call it a magic tower. Impressive, isn't it?"

When Orn had first entered the Academy and seen this High Tower, he had kept shouting excitedly, while Reilo had not thought much of it then.

Now, separated only by a metal fence and gazing up at the tower from close by, Reilo suddenly felt like an ant standing beneath the feet of a giant reaching into the heavens—tiny, humble, and staring up at vastness.

The pressure bearing down on him came from the aura of truth born from scholars' exploration of Natural Law. Within that aura, it seemed as though a great hand was slowly wiping away heavy dust and lifting layer after layer of dark mist. It longed to understand itself, this world, and the boundless Cosmic Starry Sky.

"Hehe, once I pass the graduation assessment this year and get my Natural Degree Certificate, I'll be able to go inside and play!"

Bailing murmured happily to herself.

"So Degree Certificates are that important! No wonder, when I used to read biographies and novels, mages rarely stayed in their own fiefs. They were all striving for higher titles."

Reilo muttered.

Bailing rolled her eyes. "You, as a scholar, must never call yourself a mage in front of other scholars again. You'll be laughed at."

"Ah? Got it!"

Realizing his slip, Reilo paused before asking, "Then... what degree does Mentor Gubo have?"

"Him? He received the Transcendental Degree Certificate issued by the Royal Academician Committee when he married my mother over twenty years ago. He has always dreamed of entering the Royal Academician Committee himself."

After thinking for a moment, Bailing added, "If truth were a great tree and knowledge the fruit hanging from it, then Enlightenment Scholars would be people who stagger about, striving to learn while picking up fruit from the ground. Natural Scholars would be those seeking low-hanging fruit. As for Profound Meaning Scholars and Transcendental Scholars, they would be people constantly striving to pluck the fruits of knowledge from higher branches."

"Ah?"

It was a very unusual analogy. In Reilo's mind, the process of exploring the Law of Truth became an image of a group of people striving to pick fruit from a great tree.

Needless to say, this analogy certainly had not come from Senior Sister Bailing...

It had most likely come from her father, Mentor Gubo.

"Then... what about the Royal Academician degree?"

Bailing, who was leading the way ahead, gave an "Mm," pondered for a moment, then said, "They should be the people who pick fruit that others cannot see. Anyway, they are incredibly impressive. Every Academy has portraits of them in the corridors of its Academic Affairs Office. Doesn't the old man always dream of having his portrait hung there after he dies?"

If Royal Academicians were so formidable, Reilo could no longer imagine what Pioneers were like.

After walking around the long iron fence, Reilo followed Bailing to a bustling street lined with shops.

"This is Scholar Street. Outsiders also like to call it Magic Shop Street or First Avenue. Mercenaries often come here to purchase Magic Props and magical potions, and they also sell natural specimens and precious materials acquired during their adventures outside."

This was the bustling street that had left Reilo dazzled when he had first entered the Academy gates. It covered a vast area, taking up nearly half of the Academy's outer courtyard and bringing considerable revenue to the Academy.

Bailing seemed to have another purpose in mind.

The two walked straight through the bustling street and arrived before a shop called "Eminath's Glance."

Legend had it that Eminath was the Goddess of Beauty born after the ancient war. Unlike the untraceable ancient Gods of human kingdoms, she was a God born after the ancient war of the Wizard Rebellion. She had become a God from a human—or perhaps was an existence between human and God. Similar to the status of human Pioneers, although Eminath lacked Divine Power, some young girls believed in her because of her teachings.

The shop owner was a graceful middle-aged woman who still retained her charm. Her neck was fair, and the pearl earrings dangling from her ears were exceptionally eye-catching. When she saw Bailing, she recognized her at once and smiled brightly. "Miss Bailing, have you come to see your Ice Elves Fox again?"

"Mm-hm!"

Bailing nodded excitedly.

The owner quickly brought out a cage from the depths of the shop. Inside was a small snow-white fox, flawless and immaculate from head to tail. Its lively eyes gazed pitifully at Bailing and Reilo outside the cage.

The breath exhaled by the fox seemed unbelievably cold, and a layer of frost had formed over the cage.

"A Magical Beast!"

Reilo recognized it at once. This young fox was a Magical Beast that possessed an affinity for frost.

"Of course!"

The shop owner looked at Reilo, then at Bailing, guessing at their relationship as she smiled. "This Ice Elves Fox is one of the rare highly intelligent and spiritual creatures among Magical Beasts. If you choose it as your medium partner, it not only possesses the intelligence of an ordinary spirit creature and is not hindered by the amplification speed of an Energy Magnetic Field, but also has the traits of a Magical Beast and can serve as a combat partner. It is an exceptionally fine choice for an Enlightenment Scholar selecting a medium partner!"

After a pause, seeing Reilo staring blankly at the little fox, the middle-aged woman teased the cage. "Don't let its pitiful appearance fool you. This little fellow is clever. If you are the slightest bit careless, it will dart off in a flash and vanish without a trace."

"I won't run away."

The little fox actually spoke. Its voice was that of an innocent human girl. Lying in the cage and looking pitifully at Reilo, it said, "Hug me. I'm so cold..."

"Uh?"

Reilo was stunned, but naturally would not be fooled so easily.

Bailing reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the ice fox. "I've already paid you one hundred and sixty gold coins. I'm still forty gold coins short, but I can't give them to you today. This is my new junior brother, and I need to prepare a meeting gift for him."

"So he's your new junior brother. You certainly should prepare a meeting gift!"

The middle-aged woman put away the cage and said with a smile, "Don't worry. It truly wasn't easy for you, little girl, to save up more than a year's worth of pocket money bit by bit. I'll take good care of this Ice Elves Fox for you. With it as your medium partner, you will definitely pass your graduation assessment smoothly!"

"Mm-hm!"

Bailing nodded excitedly, her face full of anticipation.

From their conversation, Reilo also learned some information. It turned out that Senior Sister Bailing had been saving money here for over a year to buy this Ice Elves Fox as her medium partner, and she was still a little short.

Two hundred gold coins?

To Reilo, such an enormous sum was simply unimaginable!

But from another perspective, scholars who could come to the Academy for advanced study were generally nobles from various regions. In that case, such extravagant spending was nothing unusual.

And the so-called pocket money Bailing had asked Gubo for today was actually meant to prepare a meeting gift for him?

Standing before the shop, Bailing's eyes darted around as though she had thought of some brilliant idea. She revealed a mischievous smile. "Right! The Scare Bottle!"

The female owner immediately understood and revealed the same mischievous smile.

"Only a naughty senior sister like you could think of giving something like that to a junior brother!"

With that, the middle-aged woman took out a palm-sized dark green bottle and handed it to Bailing. Bailing took out her coin purse and gave the woman a large handful of silver coins.

"Thank you!"

Bailing left the shop with Reilo, smiling broadly.

"Hehe, junior brother, you definitely don't know what this Scare Bottle does. It's really fun. I'll show you later!"

The sky gradually darkened. Days in early spring were very short.

Bailing naturally took Reilo's hand and said excitedly, "Senior Brother Wushuang should be arriving soon. Come on, go meet Mother and Senior Brother Wushuang with me!"