"Within books lie beauties fair as jade, within books lie houses of gold?"
"Reading-going to school-can get you everything you need?"
"It really can!"
In a world of magic, studying and striving to improve truly could change your social class and your destiny.
Yet few people expressed it in such straightforward terms.
After Roland borrowed this classic advertisement Song Zhenzong had composed for the imperial examinations, everyone's eyes lit up in wholehearted agreement.
In an instant, he struck a chord with every apprentice student.
Even those seated on the stage praised it to the skies.
"What a wonderful way to sum it up!"
The fact that they could sit on that stage meant they, too, had benefited from studying magic.
Beauties fair as jade? Houses of gold?
High mages had everything they could want.
Savaran Daily: "Yesterday, His Excellency Roland delivered an important address and composed a poem to encourage the apprentices.
"We now publish the full text of 'Poem of Encouragement to Study' below..."
Arcana Review: "Is this a distortion of moral values, or a celebration of success at any cost? Renowned arcanist His Excellency Roland actually proclaimed in public that studying magic is about money and beautiful women..."
Nevis Daily: "Mr. Roland stated that a career and love can be attained by studying magic!"
Since the school term was beginning, related discussions soon spread throughout the Lainer World and beyond. Even people in Atrelin heard about it.
Roland, however, was an emotionless copying machine. After copying out "Poem of Encouragement to Study," he immediately tossed it aside and busied himself with something else.
He needed to select genuine students from the newly admitted apprentices, taking them as personal disciples and carefully cultivating them.
"Reading can get you everything? As if anything were that easy!
"The magical theory