Early the next morning, Ilana, with a mix of seventy percent excitent and thirty percent nervousness, arrived at the laboratory on the fortieth floor of the Tower of Great Sage.
To leave a good impression on Master Colin, she purposely arrived very early, and after so hesitation, she even put on light makeup in the washroom.
She believed that Prince Colin was not a shallow person and would not focus on her appearance, but the desire to look attractive is universal, and she was no exception.
Besides—
The assistant who found her also hinted at this.
The mage, who seed more concerned about Prince Colin than herself, earnestly hoped she would leave a good first impression in front of the prince.
Ilana took a deep breath, pushed open the heavy oak door, and was surprised to find that a dozen others were already there.
Like her, they were all wearing the plain robes of Preparatory Students and were curiously examining the place that would determine their fates for the next few years.
A well-built youth, who seed slightly more mature than his peers, was the first to notice her and greeted her with a friendly smile.
"Hello, you must be Ilana, right? I'm Jamie, from Quartz City. My father is a carpenter there, so if any tables or chairs break, you can count on . My hands are a lot more clever than a Demon Statue's."
Standing next to him, a girl with short braids nodded along, smiling warmly, "I'm Lam, welco! By the way, my family has been clockmakers for three generations, so if your pocket watch isn't accurate, you can leave it to !"
She was not tall, her smile was sweet, and her cheeks were rosy, like little apples hanging on the orchard trees of a neighbor's house.
In the Rhode Kingdom, most commoners didn't have surnas, and nas were often repeated, so many people would ntion their or their fathers' professions during introductions to leave a deeper first impression on strangers.
But in the Imperial heartland, this custom did not exist. Ilana nodded slightly, introducing herself to the classmates who greeted her.
"Hello, I'm Ilana Otavia, from the Pierce Province... Pleased to et you."
While getting to know each other, she discovered that everyone here was similar to Jamie and Lam.
Like her, they were not traditional magic prodigies but had solid practical foundations in their specific fields.
Moreover—
There was a vitality in them that others didn't possess.
She couldn't exactly describe the feeling, but she just felt they were different from many people she t after entering the Academic State.
She couldn't help but wonder how Prince Colin managed to discover them.
"Miss Otavia…" a slightly younger boy hesitantly began, perhaps hearing sothing from her complex surna, his voice carried a hint of awe, "Are you a noble from the Imperial?"
As soon as he spoke, the previously warm atmosphere fell silent. Everyone focused on her with a bit of distance and restraint in their eyes.
Ilana quickly understood their concern, and couldn't help but smile, humbly saying, "I'm no noble. My family is just a small business owner in the Imperial Province, according to the Rhode Kingdom's customs, you can just call Ilana."
She paused, then added jokingly.
"If I were really nobility, how could my parents let co to the Academic State to 'rough it out'?"
Besides—
There would be no need to be a Preparatory Student here.
Only those who pass the entrance exams need to co to the Tower of Great Sage for additional education, and a recomndation letter could save them at least three years of ti.
But having said that, if she had saved those three years, she probably wouldn't have t the ntor who opened a window to a new world for her.
Her honest self-deprecating remarks instantly eased the tense atmosphere.
Jamie laughed heartily, pretending to breathe a sigh of relief, "That's good! We thought we'd have to bow before speaking to you in the future!"
Ilana smiled faintly.
"That's not a funny joke."
"Haha!"
Everyone laughed knowingly, breaking the awkwardness and unfamiliarity.
In reality, aside from height, there wasn't much difference between the Imperial people and the Luo De people; they spoke the sa language, only so lived closer to the Holy City, and so farther.
"By the way, what scores did you guys get on your last assignnts?" Lam asked curiously, "I heard that Prince Colin selected us based on the last assignnt scores… I got an eighty-three."
"I was a bit higher, eighty-eight," Jamie scratched his head, "I thought my answer about why the sky is green was perfect. I have no idea where those twelve points got deducted."
Everyone chid in with their scores, and Ilana noticed that each person's score was above eighty.
"What about you, Ilana?" the boy who previously inquired about her noble status suddenly asked, looking at her with curiosity, "Your score must be quite high."
"I…" Ilana scratched her cheek awkwardly, speaking softly, "got ninety-nine points."
"Ninety-nine!?"
"Saint Sis above!"
Exclamations of astonishnt erupted, and almost everyone looked at her as if she were a marvel, with eyes full of genuine envy and admiration.
"Oh my, Ilana, what on earth did you write?" Jamie couldn't help but inquire, his face full of longing, "Could we take a look?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers