"Most of my family studied at First University, but they usually got into Alpha Academy. This year, my cousin and I unexpectedly got into Jiuyou Academy, scaring those old fossils at home pale." Li Meng eagerly counted on her fingers. "My admission letter was delivered by my cousin. She's also a new student at Jiuyou Academy this year, so the school gave her both our letters and had her pass mine on to me."
Let her take care of you at school, Zheng Qing silently grumbled to himself.
"My cousin ranked third among this year's freshmen. I'll have her look after you guys later—leave everything to me!" The little girl patted her chest, brimming with heroic spirit.
Xiao Xiao looked up at Zheng Qing.
"I woke up in the morning and found my admission letter by my bedside. Honestly, that strange thing appearing out of nowhere scared me badly enough that I nearly replaced all the talismans at home." Thinking back to the morning he had received his letter, Zheng Qing could not help smiling.
"What about you, Watermelon Head?" Li Meng looked at Xiao Xiao without the slightest politeness.
"Me?" Xiao Xiao glanced at her, put away the brush in his hand, and said, "I was specially admitted. I didn't receive an admission letter."
Zheng Qing did not immediately ask Xiao Xiao what special admission meant.
He was too busy warily covering his hair, staring nervously at a little sprite floating before him.
The sprite wore a crisp uniform identical to that of a flight attendant. A pale green glow surrounded her, the fine antennae atop her head trembled slightly, and she kept chirping away with a pair of huge black eyes wide open.
"What are they going to do?!" he cried nervously.
"They're just offering drinks. Why are you so nervous?" Li Meng poked her little cheek with one finger and stuck out her tongue. "Shame on you. You're already a college student, and you're still scared of little sprites!"
Zheng Qing's face immediately flushed red. He noticed that beneath the sprite's thin arms, she was hauling a huge glass bottle filled with orange-colored liquid that bubbled merrily inside.
"I'm not scared. It's just that these little things attacked me before, so I think I should be careful." He lowered the hand covering his hair and emphasized, "Haven't you been attacked by them before?"
The bizarre experience at the book-refining workshop of Shangyuan Bookstore was difficult for him to forget. Whether it was the old booksmith's brutal blood-refining magic or those little sprites' strange habit of tugging his hair, both remained vivid in his memory.
"Magical Creatures, Alchemical Creature division, sprite class, winged order, little sprite family, Plant Sprite genus, green little sprite species." Xiao Xiao stared at the sprite floating in midair and rattled it off rapidly. "This is an extremely mild-tempered magical creature that almost never attacks humans on its own initiative. In the Wizard Alliance's Monster Illustration Book, it is classified as a completely harmless creature, with a danger level even lower than a slug's."
Zheng Qing blinked. He had basically understood only the last sentence: these little sprites were harmless creatures.
"Damn, a top student!" Li Meng stared at Xiao Xiao in shock, blurting out a curse utterly unfitting for her age and status. "You said just now that you were specially admitted. Is that what you meant? Are you this year's top freshman at Jiuyou Academy? What score did you get on the Global Unified Higher Education Examination for Wizards? How old are you this year?"
The little girl wriggled about in her seat, trying hard to draw Xiao Xiao's attention. Xiao Bai the pigeon flapped his wings and cooed along with her. Poseidon, who had been dozing in Zheng Qing's arms, was awakened by the racket and let out displeased squeaks. The little sprite floating in midair looked terrified, and the drink bottle she held swayed back and forth as though it might fall at any moment, making Zheng Qing's heart leap into his throat.
Xiao Xiao said nothing. He merely adjusted his large black-rimmed glasses and glanced at Zheng Qing.
Zheng Qing had yet to recover from the blow of the words "harmless creature." His mind was full of thoughts about how he might have offended these little fellows.
Seeing Xiao Xiao's look, he immediately cried, "I really didn't provoke them. They attacked me on their own!"
"Magical creatures do possess a certain innate instability, but every unstable outburst has its cause." Xiao Xiao took a transparent glass from the serving cart beside him and set it on the small tray table.
The little sprite dragged the enormous drink bottle over, chirping as she filled his glass with the orange-colored beverage.
"Wouldn't you like some?" He raised his glass toward Zheng Qing and Li Meng. "Sugar-free orange juice. It's very good for your health."
"I want Green Bee!" Li Meng raised her hand eagerly and called out.
"Minors can't drink alcoholic beverages." Xiao Xiao shook his head and handed her a glass of orange juice.
Li Meng muttered under her breath, pouted, and accepted it.
"Plain water will do for me." Zheng Qing sighed and looked at Xiao Xiao.
"You're twelve this year?" Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Dejected, Zheng Qing went to find a glass for himself.
After the drink-delivering sprite left, the conversation in the compartment gradually returned to the admission letters.
Whenever Zheng Qing thought of his own admission letter, he always felt the urge to complain. "Don't you think the way these admission letters are delivered is a little... well, a little impolite?"
"Impolite?" Xiao Xiao set down his drink and curiously opened his black-covered notebook.
"It doesn't respect people's privacy very much. The school could have simply mailed the thing to us through the mailbox." Zheng Qing complained, "Or called to let us know. At least they wouldn't scare people into having heart attacks."
"For wizards, only the soul is universally recognized as private." Xiao Xiao was unconcerned, his pen scratching rapidly across the notebook. "As for the way the school delivers admission letters, I know a little about it. Both this delivery method and the school's method of selecting students belong to certain ancient formations of First University. They are not controlled by the school's wizards. Naturally, they can be somewhat abrupt and presumptuous."
Zheng Qing recalled what Thomas had said and somewhat understood Xiao Xiao's meaning.
"But I still think this habit is bad." Zheng Qing continued to stand by his view.
"The power of habit is both necessary and deeply rooted in any place and any force. Or rather, habits create traditions, and traditions sustain society. First University is no exception. It is also a society built from all manner of habits and traditions." Xiao Xiao guided the topic to a more abstruse level.
"Mm, that makes sense." Zheng Qing felt that the conversation had become somewhat difficult. "Still, while there's nothing wrong with treating tradition as tradition, it's also necessary to make appropriate developments and improvements during its inheritance. So I still think there is room to improve the school's way of delivering admission letters."
"Traditions are not immutable." A trace of seriousness appeared on Xiao Xiao's face. "But no matter what, the current traditions are still being continued, and we can only accept them."
Lan Que tilted his head and silently stared at his little marten.
Shi Yuan quietly counted his prayer beads.
Li Meng blinked, looking blankly at the two people conversing.
A sense of solemnity suddenly rose in Zheng Qing's heart.
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