Why Korma chose to build the school at the edge of a dangerous cliff, Zheng Qing does not know.
Perhaps the witch feels that this academy is like its location, always in danger and cannot afford any carelessness; or perhaps the witch believes that Edge Academy, built at Buji Island’s edge, can clearly release her goodwill of not competing for more resources to those wizards in the core area; or maybe it’s just because the good places on the island are already occupied, leaving Edge Academy, as a later cor, with no more choices.
Whatever the real possibility is.
Zheng Qing just feels this choice is great.
He really likes the new campus of Edge Academy. Standing on the cliff, looking into the distance, seeing the boundless ocean and the equally limitless sky, inexplicably gives him a sense of relief as if the pressures in his heart alongside the rushing waves and the distant bird calls all vanish into thin air.
"You shouldn’t be standing there."
Thomas, having completed the handover procedures, followed the silhouette to the edge of the cliff and said to the young wizard facing the distance with closed eyes, "You’re a teacher now—even if it’s just the lowest rank of teaching assistant—your every move affects your students. So don’t casually stand at the edge of the cliff, it will make your students think there’s no danger here."
"They need to know it’s dangerous here."
Zheng Qing murmured, slowly opened his eyes, turned around, and looked at the temporary camp nestled in the slope. Tall wooden fences were scattered around, adorned with gifts brought by the edge people—from crystal skulls to shriveled human hands, to obsidian-carved odd portraits, multicolored woven ropes, peach charms carved from thunderstruck wood, stone bows and arrows, blackened water plants, strings of shells, and dim pearls, etc., each item orderly hung between the fences, with a small wooden plaque below every gift, leaving no na but ancient and sincere blessings.
With his gaze passing over the fence, his vision suddenly beca cramped.
The tents, which seed sparse when viewed from below, imdiately looked crowded from another angle. The tent tops were irregular, shimring with dull colors under the grey-white sky, like dried fish skin.
Dozens of dim shadows stretched from the distant Silent Forest, like jet-black ropes, tied to that wrinkled ’fish skin,’ the tent pegs seed like burning torches, shining pale flas devoid of any warmth in the daylight.
"The school guardian array is still under adjustnt, so it can only provide a certain degree of protection to Edge Academy through indirect ans. Those shadows have borrowed a few ancient trees in Silent Forest as magic power nodes, communicating with other academies. The volunteers from your class ca here through the pathways constructed by those shadows."
Thomas explained the unfinished academy simply while leading Zheng Qing down the slope towards the largest tent: "... There’s less than a quarter-hour left before class starts. Will you wait inside the classroom or outside?"
Zheng Qing hesitated, standing outside the tent.
Inside, a lively and noisy discussion could be heard. Most voices were unfamiliar, but so were familiar, vaguely being classmates from Astronomy Class 08-1.
"... When Beta Town Post published the pre-establishnt news of Edge Academy, I took a special look at the front page of the newspaper, thinking that day was April 1st, and I got the date wrong..."
"Nicholas! Insecurity, a typical trait of Northern District Wizards, you should change this mindset..."
"Fatty, it’s not insecurity, what I an is, who would believe First University would specifically establish an academy for Northern District Wizards? Before entering the university, more than half of these young wizards did not receive formal secondary education! That’s why I thought ’this isn’t real, maybe the Post editor got hit by a strong confusion spell from a prankster, or today is April 1st’... Comparatively, the possibility of April 1st was greater. But guess what? I was wrong! First University indeed established a new academy for Northern District people!"
"When the Great Sage announced the news, everyone was dumbfounded... That atmosphere easily made people recall the day Katherine erged from Gini Cottage, raised the Law book, and cast the first magic."
"Oh, I rember that day too... I wanted to hold back my tears, but I was just too excited."
"A fairy tale turned into reality."
"No, it’s the miracle brought by magic..."
Zheng Qing felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned back to see Thomas looking at him with encouragent: "Go in, it’s about ti."
Whoosh!
The tent flap was lifted.
The bustling atmosphere rushed in but ca to an abrupt halt as the boy’s stiff figure squeezed inside. Zheng Qing quickly scanned the entire classroom, surprisingly finding it much bigger than he imagined: tall floor-to-ceiling windows, plain curtains dense with magic runes, shiny experint tables neatly lined up on the sides, dozens of candles clustered in a silver-white candelabrum, steadily floating in mid-air, a few green sprites fluttering their wings, rrily gliding through.
In the middle of the classroom, were pairs of tables.
On the left side of the tables sat edge students in light green robes, and on the right side, Jiuyou volunteers in bright red robes, like blooming flowers, the color patches rhythmically harmonized.
He could easily spot many familiar faces from those ’flowers.’
But the most interesting was the pair sitting in the front row center—the red-robed one was Liu Fei Fei, a second-year chief student from Jiuyou Academy, and the green-robed one was Nicholas, a classmate who was attending freshman year for the fourth ti—at that mont, the old veteran student with a ponytail and waxy complexion was sitting up straight, looking seriously at him.
Zheng Qing couldn’t help but smile.
"Good afternoon, everyone!"
He waved his hand, the action unexpectedly smooth and natural, the prepared opening remarks springing effortlessly from his mind: "I’m your Fu Lu Class teaching assistant, many of you should already know my na, but according to procedure, I still need to introduce myself.
My surna is Zheng, na Qing, I’m nineteen years old, studying in the second-year Astronomy Class 08-1 at Jiuyou Academy of First University, those present are either my students or classmates, more personal backgrounds can be browsed on the Monday edition of Beta Town Post extra or Tuesday’s campus newspaper front page, where the journalists investigated more clearly than I understand myself personally..."
The originally slightly stiff atmosphere finally dissipated entirely at this little joke, and everyone unconsciously laughed, Zheng Qing noticed Jiang Yu sitting in the front row corner stealthily giving him a thumbs up, and he felt his thoughts becoming increasingly smooth.
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