New Student Registration

Although the Grand Natural Sciences Academy was located in Saint Grand Fort, Reilo and his group still traveled for nearly half a day before finally arriving.

This was already the outskirts of Saint Grand Fort.

The Academy's scholars had no faith and were unwilling to bathe in the grace of the God of Light.

Before the Academy gates, Reilo and Orn stepped down from the carriage. The middle-aged knight captain looked at Orn and bid him farewell. "Orn, once you complete your assessment in three years, you must come back! Before I left, the Earl gave me many instructions!"

"Young master..."

The female knight's eyes reddened, but she could not voice what was in her heart.

With their parting at hand, Reilo could not help feeling somewhat saddened. Orn, however, could barely wait. Looking at the carriages lined up before the Academy gates and the students from all corners of the Duchy stepping down from them, he said excitedly and hopefully, "Don't worry!"

Orn looked again at the Elves girl in the carriage, a smile appearing on his face as he offered his blessing. "Krelina, I hope you return to your homeland soon."

Reilo translated for the Elves girl. Over the past few days, his Elves language had improved rapidly.

The Elves girl only half understood Reilo's strange Elves speech, but she still grasped its meaning. She replied reluctantly, and Reilo barely understood some of her words—something about repaying them in the future.

"Goodbye!"

As Reilo and Orn watched, the four knights escorted the Elves girl's carriage away. Reilo waved as he watched it slowly disappear into the distance.

"Hahaha, we've finally arrived at the Grand Natural Sciences Academy!"

Orn felt no attachment at all to the knights or Krelina. Looking at the buildings within the Academy, he spread his arms and exclaimed excitedly, "I've had enough of my family! Every day, all they chase after is titles and gold! Now I can finally study here freely on my own. No one will disturb me anymore!"

Most scholars who came to further their studies at the Grand Natural Sciences Academy were nobles from across the Duchy with good upbringing and inherited knowledge.

Before the Academy gates, although the scholars who had come to register had never met one another, they all maintained the manners of gentlemen, humble and amicable. It gave Reilo a new understanding of nobles. This was a cultivation of moral character, something Mr. Bob from Lake Onyx Town could never compare to.

"Let's hurry up and register!"

Orn said impatiently, "I've already initially mastered the Energy Magnetic Field and used the Mathematical Foundation to derive basic academic knowledge. I only need to complete the assessment later. Since you have a contribution badge, the Academy should assign you an introductory mentor. They'll teach you some basic scholar knowledge, and then it'll depend on which academic field you plan to study."

Reilo followed behind Orn as sunlight fell over him, warm and comforting.

Besides the scholars wearing loose Magic Robes, many mercenaries in leather clothing and armor freely came and went. Yet most new students paused briefly before the Academy gates and looked toward the granite stele there.

"Respect teachers and honor the Way; pass the flame from generation to generation."

Reilo murmured the words carved upon the stele.

Orn also stopped for a moment. After calmly nodding in greeting to the other prospective students lingering nearby, he led Reilo onward.

"Look, that's the Grand Royal Science Institute!"

As Orn walked, he pointed toward the tip of a towering gray stone tower in the distance and said excitedly, "See that vortex at the top? That is the true expression of higher mathematics! The application of energy powerful enough to influence nature—the pinnacle of human knowledge!"

Reilo shifted his gaze from the many shops on either side of the Academy gates to where Orn pointed.

At the peak of that towering, majestic gray stone tower, a cloudy vortex continuously revolved around the spire, as though drawing in the energy of nature. It faintly gave off a terrifying pressure, nurturing destructive energy.

Reilo did not understand the mysteries behind it. Instead, he was stunned by the scenes along the Academy's bustling streets.

His sweaty palm tightly gripped the Purple Gold Flower Badge. Pointing at a brown-black, fiery-eyed giant beast as tall as a person in the distance, Reilo said in a low voice, "A Magical Beast!"

Orn looked where Reilo pointed and nodded. "It looks like an adult Bristleback, probably a level-one Magical Beast. Its eyes seem slightly mutated. It should be some senior scholar's Medium Companion."

"Ah!"

Reilo looked shocked and said incredulously, "What is a Medium Companion? Does every scholar have a Magical Beast as a companion?"

Reilo's fear of Magical Beasts came entirely from his father.

Orn explained, "A Medium Companion is a medium scholars use to study the Law of Truth more deeply and alter the form of their own Energy Magnetic Field. Generally, they choose highly intelligent pets, since that lets them train their Energy Magnetic Field faster in the future. Of course, some scholars seek out exceptionally gifted Magical Beasts or certain mutated creatures as Medium Companions. They may have greater combat power, but they are less intelligent, so training the Energy Magnetic Field later will be slower. Scholars choose according to their own preferences."

A medium creature with exceptional spiritual intelligence?

Reilo thought of the Tihuo Parrot from Lake Onyx Town.

Orn led Reilo onward. Everything in the Academy dazzled them, and the crowd around them grew denser and denser. Following the signs, the two searched for the new student registration area.

"Come to think of it, we humans are truly strange, as if we don't belong in this world. Not only are our biological clocks disrupted and we're always in heat, but even our Energy Magnetic Fields cannot adapt to this world's Natural Law. It's as though the whole world rejects humanity. That's why we need Medium Companions to help us integrate into the world. You'll understand later."

Orn muttered as they walked.

This was an enormous plaza paved with bluestone slabs. Flowerbeds surrounded the plaza, and farther away stood a pine forest. Some of the Academy's ancient, towering buildings could vaguely be seen within it.

New students continued arriving. More than a hundred people had already gathered at the registration area in the plaza. The young men and women wore bright clothing, and some had donned loose magician's robes. They sized one another up and socialized from time to time.

"I should buy a few sets of Bachelor Uniforms later too. I'm sick of wearing this formal outfit. Getting dressed and undressed takes forever every time."

Still complaining, Orn led Reilo onward.

"Come on, let's line up!"

The long line quickly gained more people behind them.

In front of Orn stood a tall, thin boy. Most scholars who came to the Grand Natural Academy for further study were between fifteen and twenty years old. This boy seemed younger than both Orn and Reilo, perhaps only fifteen or sixteen, with a very childish face.

"Hello, this is a potion I personally formulated. It can remove scars and dead skin. Are you interested?"

The boy promoted his potion with a smug expression.

Orn curiously accepted the glass test tube. After examining the potion, he shrugged. "Sorry, but I definitely won't need this potion. I've always thought I wasn't manly enough and wanted to get a few scars as decorations..."

Behind them.

A rather charming-looking girl stood in line behind Reilo. She had an oval face and was much older than Reilo, already in her early twenties.

The girl was about the same height as Reilo. Her long black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and she held a Black Cat lazily basking in the sun, licking its own paw.

Noticing Reilo looking at her, the girl asked in surprise, "What is it?"

The Black Cat opened its eyes as well and looked at Reilo. "What, are you trying to hit on your senior?"

Reilo's eyes widened. His cheeks reddened upon hearing the Black Cat speak, and he stammered, "No, no!"

So she was an upperclassman.

The Black Cat sprang up from the girl's arms and stared straight at Reilo. In a mysterious, low voice, it said, "Then are you saying your senior has no charm and is an unwanted old woman?"

"Ah!?"

Reilo could not keep up with this Black Cat's way of talking and had no idea what to say for a moment.

This senior, on the other hand, was amused. Rolling her eyes, she lifted the Black Cat by the scruff with one hand and flicked its head with the other, smiling with clever mischief.

The Black Cat cried out in pain, "Meow!"

"Hehe, Jiahei, is your hide itching again?"

The senior's smile was sweet. After disciplining the Black Cat, she held it in her arms again and said to Reilo with a grin, "I came to find someone and also wanted to see this year's new students. This cat is so naughty—it needs a good lesson, hehe."

"Hello, Senior!"

Reilo scratched his head awkwardly. Amid her laughter, he turned back to continue waiting in line, only to find Orn ahead of him turned around, raising his eyebrows with a mischievous grin.