Lianyi brought Reilo to the second floor.
When she turned on the crystal lamp, Reilo looked at the familiar furnishings in the small room. Everything from his old place had been brought over—even the makeshift workbench built from that battered wooden table.
His eyes filled with astonished delight.
"Your mentor brought all this over. He said every scholar needs a familiar environment for their experiments. Your mentor may not say much, but when it comes to academic matters, he's very serious. Don't take his usual cold expression to heart. He's just a stubborn old man who's devoted his whole life to scholarship."
Reilo pressed his lips together and murmured a blissful, "Mm."
Seeing this, Lianyi smiled.
"Your senior sister lives in the room next door. Your mentor and I live on the third floor. He likes to go up to the roof at midnight to practice astrology. Get some good rest here. I've already warned your senior sister not to disturb you today."
"Hee hee hee."
Bailing waved beside them and laughed. "Good night, junior brother."
"Good night, senior sister!"
A moment later.
After Lianyi left, Reilo quietly closed the door and turned to take in the room.
Besides the things from the little place he'd rented before, there was also some new furniture. An oil painting hung on the wall, showing sunflowers stretching across the hills, with several children laughing brightly beneath the sun.
He lay down, sinking into the soft mattress. A delicate, indescribable fragrance rose from its new fabric. As Reilo looked around the room, an overwhelming happiness unlike anything he'd ever felt washed over him.
"Mentor... Right, the Star Core Necklace!"
Reilo eagerly began studying the Star Core that had fused with him.
"According to the old man's remaining message, the Star Core records information on resources with trade value found across the explored continents of this world, as well as Self-Control, which he created using all the wisdom he'd accumulated in his lifetime."
The resource information recorded in the Star Core was easy to understand. It was the Star Core's appraisal ability.
If the information was true, did that mean all the regions familiar to humans—the principalities, Elves, Dwarves, Werewolves, Bloodkin, Gnomes, Barbarians, and so on—together accounted for only a tiny fraction of the Star Curtain World?
"Self-Control."
As Reilo murmured the words, the characters Self-Control abruptly appeared before his eyes.
Self-Control was an auxiliary ability the old man had developed in this world to better adapt to it. According to him, this world seemed very different from the Orora World where he had lived.
Reilo couldn't imagine what other worlds were like. Even his knowledge of the Star Curtain World was limited to the regions around the human principalities.
Reilo continued reading the brief introduction to the first stage of Self-Control.
First stage: muscular self-control.
Due to the limits of the energy supplied by food, the human body usually only used twenty percent of its capabilities. Only in rare, life-threatening situations would it unlock its potential and use one hundred percent.
By refining a toxin that dissolved flesh and blood, one could put cells in danger, then administer an antidote. The repeated cycle of poisoning and detoxification stimulated the secretion of adrenaline, improved the body's tolerance to adrenaline, and gradually unlocked one hundred percent of the body's basic cellular potential.
Huh?
"According to the explanation of the first stage of Self-Control, the bodily functions humans can normally use account for only twenty to thirty percent of their cells' capacity?"
Reilo couldn't understand. Why keep so much of the body's potential hidden?
After a while, Reilo shook his head.
"If the theory is true, this method of growth goes against the body's natural functions and must come at some other cost. Otherwise, it's far too absurd. It actually requires repeated poisoning and detoxification to stimulate the body's adaptability! Judging by the body's reactions, I'd probably die of kidney failure if I kept this up. I absolutely can't experiment recklessly. I need to study it carefully first..."
Time passed. As Reilo's thoughts wandered, he gradually drifted off to sleep.
The next day.
Compared to the lively atmosphere the academy had once enjoyed, with scholars roaming the streets, shrewd merchants, and all kinds of mercenaries, the Grand Natural Academy was now noticeably quieter and more desolate.
It was as if the academy had undergone a dramatic transformation overnight.
Following behind Gubo, Reilo felt somewhat unaccustomed to the changes and glanced around as he walked.
The fully armed Light Knight Order was openly patrolling the Grand Natural Academy, constantly questioning passersby, searching houses one by one without tiring, and interrogating people in every shop. Everyone they questioned acted with extreme caution.
"Stop!"
A Light Knight in silver armor, holding a greatsword, rode up and blocked a mercenary in an Animal Skin Coat. His metal sword pointed straight at the man, a silent warning that the slightest move could get him branded a heretic and subjected to the harshest punishment.
"What are you doing here? Why have you come to the academy? Where are you going, and whom are you looking for?"
His armor was far better than that of the knights' guards maintained by the nobility, and the blessing of the Power of Light could be faintly felt upon it.
The towering knight, more than two meters tall on horseback, looked down at the man through the narrow opening in his metal helmet.
Perhaps the mercenary in the Animal Skin Coat was far stronger than the Light Knight inspecting him, but he didn't dare make a move. He presented a proof of identity and calmly replied, "I'm going to the Dwarves' Home smithy to collect the weapon I commissioned a month ago."
Only after a lengthy and strict inspection did the Light Knight allow the mercenary to pass.
Thanks to their scholar robes, Gubo and Reilo had a relatively peaceful journey.
"Apply for proof of identity later. The academy is in an extraordinary situation right now. Don't provoke these Church knights."
After warning him, Gubo glanced through the window at the academy's desolate streets and said helplessly, "If this continues, the academy won't be able to carry out its regular activities at all!"
At the Academic Affairs Office, thick stacks of documents covered the desk. Gubo was in a foul mood.
"You have three choices. Join Class One, a special class whose students were sent directly by the royal family and receive the academy's best resources. Join Class Four, the class with the best average scores among this year's freshmen, and the one with the fiercest competition among the top hundred on the Elite Rank. Or join Class Eleven, which currently has the first- and second-place students on this year's Elite Rank."
It had been less than two months since the school year began, and the classes had already been divided into distinct groups?
As for the Elite Rank, it ranked the academy's students by the contribution points they earned through their academic work. To scholars, knowledge was power, so the list also offered an indication of the students' overall abilities.
There were three ways to compete for a place on the academy's Elite Rank.
The most common was collecting specimens. Students could obtain natural specimens of research value and contribute them to the academy. The academy awarded points according to their value, adding them to the student's Elite Rank score.
A natural specimen of research value had to be at least a First Order Magical Beast, or a mutated or rare species among Zero-level organisms. Notably, anyone who contributed a completely new specimen never before collected by the Grand Royal Academy of Natural Sciences was guaranteed an astonishing number of points!
The second way was academic papers.
They could be scholarly papers, theoretical papers, or papers documenting discoveries. The academy had specialized mentors who assessed each one and awarded contribution points accordingly.
However, because the academic papers written by lower-year students often seemed much the same to senior scholars, ordinary papers were invariably rated as trash and received only one or two points, or even none at all. A few innovative papers, though, could also earn an astonishing number of points!
The last method was the annual grade assessment.
The exam was different every year, so the points awarded for students' results varied greatly.
And what were the benefits of the Elite Rank?
Every quarter, students could use their Elite Rank points to claim rewards from the academy according to their needs: gold coins, Energy Crystals, Magic Props, alchemy materials, natural specimens, academic papers, field-study opportunities, even visits to the Royal Academy of Sciences or a mentor of their choice.
However, the more outrageous the request, the more Elite Rank points it usually cost—often an impossible amount.
When he had studied under his senior fellow apprentice Shatuo, Shatuo had repeatedly reminded Reilo that if he ever obtained a precious natural specimen or had an academic inspiration, he should thoroughly study it first, then contribute it to the academy for Elite Rank points. He shouldn't sell it to merchants for short-term gain.
The first- and second-place students on this year's first-year Elite Rank were both in the same class?
Reilo had wanted to say he would join Class Four and look for his friend Orn, but the words changed in his mouth. "Mentor, I want to join Class Eleven!"
Gubo looked at Reilo and said calmly, "Class Four would suit you better."
"No!"
Reilo gritted his teeth, his eyes full of longing.
"I have to aim for first place on the Elite Rank, like my senior, Wushuang. I'll make every self-proclaimed genius in my year pale in comparison, leave every arrogant student in despair, and become the ultimate challenge for all scholars!"
Reilo looked at Gubo with shining eyes. He added one last thought to himself: That way, I'll earn your personal acknowledgment!
"Hmph..."
Gubo snorted. It was unclear whether he was mocking Reilo's arrogance and overconfidence, or whether Reilo's sharp resolve had moved him and piqued his interest.
He picked up his quill and said without hesitation, "Take this letter of introduction and report to Class Eleven."
"Yes!"
Reilo took the letter of introduction, left the Academic Affairs Office, and headed toward the classroom building.