The business card was made of thick cardstock, with no gilded edges or ornate patterns, only the simplest layout.
One line was printed on the front: Associate Professor Isabella Ashford, Imperial University Department of Classics.
Below it were the department office's mailing address and telephone number.
The card was placed on the low table and pushed toward Richard.
"You've made it onto the Classical Society's recommendation list."
"Getting onto the list means several things. Wealthy families in the Imperial Capital looking for private tutors will choose from it.
"The hourly rate for a lesson can equal a regular worker's daily wages. Your teacher should have told you that already."
"Also, those on the list are qualified to audit academic lectures held by the Classical Society and may apply to access part of Imperial University Library's collection."
"Imperial University Library's collection..." That was what interested Richard the most.
Imperial University Library was countless times larger than Greenwood's little three-story red-brick building. Would it also have a row of bookshelves with no classification labels?
Isabella seemed to understand the look on his face.
Rather than answer his unspoken question directly, she approached it from another angle.
"However, I need to remind you of something."
"After placing in the Cicero Cup, you probably think that was already quite a significant occasion."
Richard said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
"To tell the truth, in this field's evaluation system, the Cicero Cup is only an appetizer for the preliminary selection."
"Every autumn, the Classical Society holds one of these events, gathering several dozen secondary school students with a foundation in Latin to compete. What it filters out is raw ore.
"Whether that raw ore can be refined into something useful is a much longer road."
A professor holding a teacup walked to the other