Cornflower Witch

Chapter 358 Hiltiya's Goal

In the morning, Hilti was the first to wake up. She thought she was someone who liked to sleep in and didn't like to get up early, but after living with her two roommates, she found that Lovely was even more of a sleepyhead. Although Aurora also woke up after she started moving around, she quickly pulled up the corner of the blanket and continued to sleep under the covers.

Huh? Am I actually quite diligent? Hilti slowly sat up, carefully got out of bed without disturbing the two of them, and went to the foot of the bed to find her slippers and put them on.

Perhaps because she slept well last night, she wasn't sleepy at all. After washing up in the bathroom, Hilti changed into warmer black cotton stockings, followed by a relatively simple dress with gold lace trim. The dress was all black, and for warmth in autumn and winter, the originally off-shoulder area was now covered with a chest-length shawl to protect the chest, shoulders, and back. A small gold badge with a black griffin printed on it was pinned to the neckline.

In the ancient language, 'Griffin' means 'griffin'. Hilti didn't know how Alanford found one of his glorious ancestors and used it as his family name to highlight his long history.

Fortunately, there are no well-known families that use the 'griffin' as their family crest nowadays, so no one criticizes him for reusing the surname as a distant branch with a thin bloodline. In fact, many newly emerging families or wealthy people spend a lot of money to have scholars find a famous ancestor for them in order to make themselves known. Such things are not uncommon in Shangdu United.

After getting dressed, Hilti left the dormitory and went out onto the street. It was about eight o'clock in the morning. The morning sun was shining obliquely, and there weren't many pedestrians on the street. Most of them were students carrying school bags and heading to school.

She walked along the street for a while, found an open bakery, bought some hot bread and pastries, wrapped them in a paper bag, and took them back to her dormitory building.

When they returned, Aurora was already up, much later than Sylvia. She had already washed her face and started combing her hair.

"Isn't Lovir up yet?" Hiltiya asked, placing the bread on the table.

"Not yet, should Hedra go and call her?" Aurora was much more talkative today than yesterday, at least she was starting to speak in longer sentences.

"I'll go wake her." Xilutiya walked into the bedroom. Luo Weier was still leaning against the pillow, sleeping on her side. Her sleeping posture wasn't bad. Xilutiya didn't feel Luo Weier move much last night.

Walking over, Hilti gently shook the other's shoulder. It took Loviel a while to slowly sit up. She leaned against the headboard, her eyes still closed. Her white silk nightgown was pulled askew, making Hilti worry that she would catch a cold.

After tidying up Luo Wei'er's pajamas, Xilutiya heard soft snoring coming from under the covers. Then, remembering something, she touched a spot under the covers and felt the expected sensation.

Soon, a chubby, round-faced cat poked its head out from the corner of the blanket, meowed, and then jumped onto Luo Weier's shoulder, rubbing against her cheek.

"I know... Ranran, I'll feed you in a bit." With the cat's heavy body pressing down on her shoulders and neck, Luo Weier had no choice but to open her eyes, pick it up, and pet it.

After a while, she regained her senses and, as if fully recharged, lifted the cat in her arms high, then put it down and stroked it repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, I'm up." Now she's back to being the same energetic and lively person she was last night.

After a busy wash-up, Luo Weier and the other two sat in the dormitory living room to eat breakfast. Even the simple bread became very delicious with the heat and aroma.

After breakfast, the three of them set off to their school to register. It was about one kilometer from their dormitory, a 20-minute walk away.

School hasn't started yet, but the staff here gave the three of them a detailed introduction to the upcoming classes.

"This is No. 89 Secondary School, which will teach you a lot of basic knowledge and prerequisite subjects. For example, if you want to enter a mechanical alchemy-related college, you need to complete the 'intermediate course' in mathematics and become proficient in it in order to pass the relevant college's exam."

"If you want to join a school related to historical research or natural history, you must be well-versed in the past of the Fourth Continent and study the 21 major historical periods from the Seventh to the Ninth Age."

"The academy is the stronghold of the various schools of the Mage Alliance. It is not a nursery or a place to amuse fools. Everyone who joins the academy must become an elite in their field, capable of handling a region on their own. Whether you can meet their standards and pass the selection process depends on your own talent and hard work."

After listening to the staff's explanation, Hiltiya gradually understood the standards and differences. The students here were more like doctors in her previous life. They had to be proficient in their field to be recognized. The minimum graduation requirements for each academy were level three, and some academies even had additional high-difficulty trials to ensure the reputation of their faction.

As for the secondary school they are about to attend, it will be similar to the first two years of high school and university in their previous lives. They will teach relatively complex and challenging skills-based subjects, but most people can master these subjects if they are willing to spend the time. After learning about this, the three of them purchased a thick book called "Academy Evaluation" on the recommendation of the staff. It was published five years ago, the year the Mage Alliance conducted its assessment and evaluation of various academies, resulting in rankings and introductions to their unique features.

Currently, the Mage Alliance has 35 academies, belonging to different factions and each with its own unique characteristics. Hiltiya also noticed the 'Bionic School,' which Professor Knox previously belonged to. Their school is based at 'Elimor Academy,' and their emblem is a 'Chimera,' a monster with a lion, goat, and snake head. They are currently ranked 21st, slightly lower, but their strength is considerable.

In addition, the top three schools of thought are the 'Mithril Clock', 'Hourglass of Origin', and 'Blazing Forge'. Their affiliated colleges are the 'Tethys College', 'Glas College', and 'Terezar College', respectively. These are also powerful mage schools with named masters, and currently form the core triangle of the Mage Alliance.

"Which academy do you want to go to in the future?" Hilti asked the two people behind her as she turned around.

“I will go to Rolik Academy, the academy of the ‘Puppet School’.” Aurora had already set her sights on it.

"I don't know yet, but I guess they'll find an academy that specializes in 'Emerald Sun'," Luo Weier thought for a moment.

"'The Blazing Forge' is a very powerful school of thought, but its main research areas are megastructures, power cores, and so on, which are different from my interests."

"Let fate decide." Luo Wei'er stopped thinking about it and turned to observe the ever-growing school.

School No. 89 is located on the edge of a bustling street. The main building consists of two seven-story buildings with an open space in the middle for students to play. The teachers here are formal monks who will teach students the 61 mainstream courses, as well as four special courses.

“Our School No. 89’s featured courses are ‘Obier Linear Regression Function’, ‘Childe Distillation Refining Method’, ‘Sobis Magic Line Manipulation’, and ‘Franny Steaming and Baking Technique’.”

"Students of this school can choose one special course to study for free, while students from other schools will need to pay additional tuition fees."

"If you learn about other schools' unique courses in the future, you will also need to pay for them to take them."

"Currently, the standard for new students is that they take three main courses for free each semester, and the Mage Alliance will provide subsidies for new students for two years."

"In other words, for the first two years, your accommodation and the three courses each semester will be paid for by the Mage Alliance."

"If you pass the mid-term assessment in two years, the subsidy will be extended for another year. After the three-year period, the Mage Alliance will no longer provide subsidies. You will need to find your own accommodation, earn money for your schooling, and continue to prepare for the assessment of the higher academy."

"In addition, if you are over 30 years old and still haven't passed any academy's assessment, you will be expelled from the 'Asura District'. In fact, this rarely happens because students usually have to raise their own tuition fees after the age of 20. If they can't pass the assessment, they will leave around the age of 26, before they turn 30, and go to other regions of the Mage Alliance to work."

The Mage Alliance has very strict requirements, while the Woodland Alliance is much more lenient. Many factions only require you to meet the requirements and do not have strict age requirements.

After familiarizing herself with the rules here, Lovir asked Sylvia curiously.

Which college do you plan to attend next?

“I want to go to the academy under the ‘Mithril Clock,’ which is a school that specializes in ‘Secret Words, Golden Steam, Alien’.” It is also the mage school that triggered the changes decades ago. Their rise has transformed the Mage Alliance, making it like a clock with precise interlocking and efficient operation.

Many high-ranking members of the Woodland Alliance believe that it is necessary to understand the reasons for the changes in the Mage Alliance and the deeper goals of the 'Mithril Clock' school before they can take appropriate action.

As for learning the powerful extraordinary secret arts of this faction, that is secondary, because the Woodland Alliance also has many treasured secret arts, and there are more factions and more of them. However, these secret arts cannot turn the tide in the face of the Mage Alliance's powerful system and its many times greater number of extraordinary beings.

The Woodland Alliance believes that if the Mage Alliance's model continues to develop, the gap between the Woodland Alliance and its adversaries will only widen. In order to bridge this gap and delay the outbreak of conflict as much as possible, they sent Hilti to learn, hoping that she would become the leader of the Woodland Alliance in the future and lead the reforms of the Woodland Alliance.

(End of this chapter)