Cornflower Witch

Chapter 24 Hidden Woods
"Today, I will tell you how monarchy is constructed on earth." The knowledge that Maester Hyde imparted today piqued the interest of all the students.

"First of all, we must understand that the maintenance of a country must be supported by population, strength and economy."

"These forces can be further divided into three categories: security, military, and high-level combat forces."

"Public security is easy to understand. The security patrol teams and guards in villages and towns, which you see every day, all belong to this category."

"Military forces often consist of the personal guards of various nobles, knightly orders, the state's direct legions, advisory spellcasting groups, and so on."

“Few people know about the upper echelons of the fighting force,” Scholar Hyde said, tapping the blackboard with a thin wooden stick.

"If the difference in rank between extraordinary beings is greater than three, it will bring about an extremely terrifying crushing effect."

"For example, when a third-tier knight in full steel armor charges, even if five hundred men are arranged in a dense square formation, they will be easily broken through, like a rolling stone rolling over grass, without any possibility of obstruction."

"When that third-tier knight swung his sword with all his might, the swirling blade gleamed with a cold light, capable of instantly killing ordinary people within twenty meters, even those clad in iron armor." Scholar Hyde described the knight's terrifying nature.

"Therefore, if a country does not have enough high-ranking superhumans to support it, it is easy to be defeated in a one-sided manner on the battlefield."

No wonder that once you reach the 'Knight' level, you'll be recruited by various countries and become the lowest-ranking lord, the girl thought to herself.

“Some of you have already reached the ‘first tier’ and should understand the gap I’m talking about.” As he said this, many people turned their attention to the blonde girl in the front row.

Iona (Tier 1 - Blazing Sun) is a rare extraordinary individual who cultivates the 'Blazing Sun' aspect. The resources required for this path are scarce, and ordinary people often dare not even dream of it.

"Teacher, besides the knights of the 'Castle' path, are there no other high-ranking classes of the same gender?" a commoner student asked curiously.

"Of course there are. Every 'sexual aspect' has a superior form, but the probability of you seeing it is very small."

"For example, those with the 'snail fish' attribute are often found in lakes, swamps, and seashores; those with the 'mist shadow' attribute are often assassins, thieves, illusionists, magicians, etc.; and those with the 'death embers' attribute are mostly gravediggers, bone-splitters, black wizards, etc., who are ostracized by people."

"How do we access these ranks? I mean, where do they learn them from? Do they all figure it out on their own?" someone continued to ask.

“There may be some hidden organizations or schools of thought that teach these secret techniques and abilities.”

"I know you're curious about how to find these organizations and schools of thought. In fact, they're not far from us." Maester Hyde raised a finger, feigning mystery.

"Hehe, the 'Candleburg School' to which I belong is actually a similar organization, except that we are often in the public eye."

"To put it simply, such organizations and schools of thought are quite strict in recruiting new members because certain resources are extremely rare, and they are only willing to cultivate talented individuals." Hyde shook his head slightly.

"In a sense, I am actually a failure. I have never been able to break through to the 'Third-Tier - Mystic' class, and later I switched to studying the 'Second-Tier - Castle' class of Scholar."

“If you are the most outstanding among you, you should have the hope of going to such a place and coming into contact with the true higher-dimensional power and knowledge of this world.” He slowly closed his eyes and stroked the white beard on his chest.

Then, the old man opened his eyes, his deep gaze slowly sweeping across the entire room. “Viscount Xue Feng and I can jointly recommend one student each year to go to the hidden forests within Regas. There, many schools of thought are stationed, and you will be able to come into contact with a world that is unimaginable to ordinary people, as well as a transcendent path leading to a fifth-order or higher spiritual nature.”

"However, it is also completely different from the outside world. You no longer have your current identities. If you die there, no one will care, because the law cannot restrain those powerful beings that are beyond reason."

"Fortunately, even such powerful schools of thought need fresh blood, need to pass on their knowledge and secret techniques, and even certain beliefs. If you meet their expectations and requirements, you will be accepted by these schools of thought and become a member, thus transcending the realm of ordinary people."

"Has he finally arrived?" Iona looked at Maester Hyde, her eyes filled with suppressed excitement.

The reason she was willing to come to this remote city was not only because Viscount Xue Feng was a distant relative of hers, but also because Jiao Shi City had a quota that could be recommended to go to the Mysterious Forest, where she could access high-level secret knowledge and have the opportunity to become a truly powerful superhuman.

If she advances to rank 4 or higher, even Grand Duke Regas will respect her and release her father from the dungeon. If she goes even further and becomes a rank 5 being, she can even influence the situation of the country.

Other cities also have similar recommendation slots, but these slots are often reserved for high-ranking nobles or special individuals, making them very difficult to obtain. If her father hadn't had that accident, she could have gone to the Mystic Woods this year, but now…

She had no choice but to live under someone else's roof in this poor, remote place. According to the pattern she knew, the next round of recommendations would be in 5-6 months.

Not only Iona, but the other students also looked at Maester Hyde with eager anticipation, completely disregarding the danger he mentioned.

Where is there no danger? Even at home, you could be snatched away by a passing wolf. In this era, the average lifespan of ordinary people is only a little over thirty years, and true old people are extremely rare.

Mysterious woodland… Mick clenched his fist, his nails digging into his flesh, and silently swore an oath.

"I must go there, Brother Geralt. This is the reason you sent me to Maester Hyde, isn't it? Yes, it must be."

When Yero heard his teacher mention the Mysterious Woods, he was initially excited, but his mood quickly soured. It wasn't the first time he had heard of the term, and his experiences over the past two years had made him realize that he was by no means a genius and would never have the opportunity to go there.

If it were me… Thorin straightened his body, looked directly at the old man on the stage, and felt a surge of emotion.

'Father, I know you've always regretted not truly stepping into the third tier, and I am determined to overcome that regret and walk the path you never trod.'

There should be the legacy of the Radiant Moon there… Thinking of this, a sense of anticipation rose in Siltia’s heart.

However, everyone is eager to attend, so the competition must be fierce.

With their own thoughts, the trainees, who had become somewhat lax during this period, were once again filled with enthusiasm.

Whether for their own future, their family's expectations, or to explore more possibilities and see a wider world, this is the best choice for them.

Nobody or someone famous?
The answer was already in my mind.

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(End of this chapter)