Above the mage

Chapter 125 The First Lesson of Life

"Congratulations on your official enrollment in Seres Academy"—this was what the Potions Department student said to God after handing over the last three maid clams.

On his way from the Potions Department to the Committee, Gao De once again experienced being stared at by the other students.

These gazes contained surprise, envy, scrutiny, and doubt—a mixture of emotions.

Although in his previous life, Gao De was used to the way his classmates would look at him every time the results of a major exam were announced.

But he found that, in a different world, experiencing this kind of "baptism" of gaze once again wasn't so bad.

As his thoughts drifted, Gao De arrived at the committee's small building.

It was working hours, and the committee's doors were wide open and unguarded.

After taking a deep breath, Gao De stepped into the door of the Academy Committee once again.

This time, he was heading to the office hall located on the first floor of the committee.

As you can see, there are several wooden counters in the spacious and bright hall, two of which are currently open.

Several veteran students were patiently queuing at the counter.

The student at the front of the line handed his name tag and a slip of paper to the counter.

After the staff at the counter took the ID card and slip of paper, they began to check them carefully.

He first put the note into a metal contraption that resembled a "money counter," then pressed the top lever, and the note came out from another opening.

"Dean, you passed the General Knowledge of Herbal Medicines course, earning 2 credits. This has been recorded."

The staff member swiped the identity badge into the alchemy machine and then returned it to the student.

"Next."

"Tyron, has broken through to the mid-stage of the 1st Ring Mage realm, rewarding 7 credits. This record is now active."

"Pillar, you have passed the third stage of Potions, earning 3 credits. This has been recorded."

After confirming that he had earned 3 credits, Piley, the senior student ahead of Gaode in line, clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

"There are only eight days left in this academic year, and you've only just collected all 10 credits for this year," the staff member at the counter, an elderly man with a full head of white hair, looked up and reminded Pillay, "You'd better hurry up next academic year."

"I understand!" Pillay scratched his head in slight distress, then asked, "How many credits do I have left?"

"53 credits in total, 40 credits used, 13 credits remaining."

"Okay, thank you." Pillay sighed, put away his identity badge, and left with a troubled look on his face.

When it was his turn, Gao De quickly handed over his identity badge.

"You're Gaode?" The old man behind the counter accepted Gaode's identification badge, then looked up and scrutinized Gaode for several moments.

Gao De nodded, not surprised.

He knew that whether it was his admission based on a letter of recommendation or his recent breaking of Headmaster Gavin Hogg's record, it meant he wasn't entirely unknown in the academy.

"Wait a moment." The old man picked up Gao De's identity badge and went into the small room behind the counter.

About two minutes later, the old man reappeared.

Similarly, he swiped his Gaode ID badge on the alchemy machine at the counter, then whispered:

"Gao De, a second-class mage apprentice, has achieved the mage level for the first time, earning 3 credits; completing the enrollment task will earn 2 basic credits; he completed the task in 19 days, breaking the previous record of 25 days, and will be awarded an additional 5 credits according to the academy's standards."

"A total of 10 credits."

"Any questions?"

"no."

"Alright!" The old man handed Gao De's identity badge back to Gao De.

"Congratulations, you have met the credit requirements for your first academic year."

"However, I still suggest that you take more courses during your first year when you don't have too much credit pressure."

"Understanding what you are more interested in and good at will be very helpful for your future academic career," the old man advised.

"Okay, I will, thank you," Gaode replied politely.

"Go upstairs and turn right. It's the second academic affairs office. Go there to get your course schedule and be assigned a tutor," the old man said again.

Gao De nodded, left the service hall, and went to the academic affairs office on the second floor.

After a series of knocks, Gaode entered.

"Hello, I am a new student from Gaode, here to pick up my class schedule and list of tutors."

A middle-aged man sat in the office, looking very aloof, and casually tossed two rolls of film over.

"One is the timetable and course information, and the other is the admission approval. You have Dean Gavin's recommendation letter, and according to the regulations, we will assign you a senior tutor as your mentor."

"All the senior tutors in the college are the heads of their respective departments."

"Your mentor is He west, the head of the Rune Department and the chief rune mentor of this academy."

"Remember to go and report to Professor Hosie as soon as possible."

"Alright, that's all. You may leave now."

Gao De accepted the two scrolls, unperturbed by the middle-aged male mage's indifference.

After bowing politely, he left the committee and returned to his "dormitory" at No. 30, Section 1.

As soon as he got back to his room, Gao De immediately opened the scroll that introduced the class schedule and course details and began to examine it carefully.

The courses at Cyrus College are divided into two main categories: required courses and elective courses.

The two main categories of courses are further divided into main courses and sub-courses.

The Seres Academy only offers a handful of compulsory courses, totaling only three.

"Basic Mage Course", "Application and Combat of Spells", and "Basic Cultural Courses".

Its sub-courses include "The Essence and Principles of Spells", "Energy Conversion", "Combat Simulation", "Geography of Nolan Continent and War Geography", etc.

There are too many elective courses to list; the main courses include:

Runeology, Potions, Alchemy, Linguistics, and Scroll Studies.

There are simply too many sub-courses to keep up with.

For example, under the course "Alchemy", there are sub-courses such as "Mineral Identification", "History of Alchemists", "Ore Extraction", "Smelting Technology", "General Knowledge of Runes", "Design and Manufacturing of Alchemical Items", and "Energy Storage and Conversion Technology".

The course "Linguistics" includes sub-courses such as "Basic Ancient Mishir", "Development of Mishir", and "General Knowledge of Elemental Spirit Languages".

The moment Gaode opened the course introduction scroll, it was dumbfounded.

But I wasn't amazed by the dazzling array of courses offered by Cyrus Academy; rather, I was:

Fundamentals of Dharma Mastership (Required Course)

Instructor: Bo Weiyi

Course Description: This course introduces the theoretical foundations, development, and philosophical considerations of magic, provides insights into world and dimensional systems, introduces knowledge of leyline creatures, and helps students improve their concentration and training efficiency.

This course is divided into three stages, one stage per academic year. Each stage is assessed once. If you fail the previous stage, you are not allowed to register for the next stage.

The first stage course is worth 1 credit, the second stage course is worth 2 credits, and the third stage course is worth 3 credits.

The first phase consists of 30 lessons, and the second phase consists of [number of lessons].

Course schedule: The first phase of the course will be held on the mornings of the 3rd day of each of the three months: Frosty Gold Month, Foggy Frosty Month, and Frozen Month; the second phase of the course...

Teaching location: Gavin Building

Course fees: 10 gold coins for the first stage, 15 gold coins for the second stage, and 20 gold coins for the third stage.

Credit requirements: None

Nolan Continental Geography and War Geography (a branch course of basic cultural studies)

Instructor: Mo Sen

Course Description: This course introduces basic geographical knowledge about the natural environment, climate types, geography, political structure, ethnic distribution, and national composition of the Norland continent. It also covers the fundamental principles of war geography and strategic thinking methods, as well as the interpretation and drawing of war maps.

The course consists of 30 lessons. Completing all the lessons and passing the assessment will earn you 2 credits.

Class time: Scheduled on the afternoon of the 2nd day of each of the three months of Frosty Gold Month, Foggy Frosty Month, and Frozen Month.

Location of the class:

Course fee: 20 gold coins

Credit requirement: 10 credits or more

Surprisingly, all courses at Cyrus Academy, whether required or elective, require a tuition fee.

And the course fees are all very expensive.

For example, the compulsory course "Basic Mage" requires 45 gold coins to complete!

Many of these courses have additional credit requirements.

If the required credits are not met, the course cannot be selected for study.

The cost of these courses is astronomical for ordinary people.

Those "second-generation lawyers" are fine; their families are wealthy, so they don't have to worry about course fees at all.

But those ordinary people who get in through the admissions exams will probably have a headache over these fees.

No wonder Gaode Maps always seems to think that the students in the academy are very busy every day.

It seems that besides being busy with coursework and spiritual practice, a large number of students are probably also busy "making money".

Gaode's first reaction was confusion.

He understands that in this world, "knowledge is expensive and requires payment."

What puzzled him was that Seres Academy, as an academy for training mages, set such high tuition fees for its courses.

Isn't this very unfair to those students who entered the academy through the entrance examination, who, despite being from ordinary backgrounds, are actually more talented?

These students will inevitably face situations where they are unable to take courses due to financial constraints, and they will also have to spend a significant portion of their time earning money.

According to the educational philosophy of the previous life, students should only focus on studying.

As long as you have the talent for learning, you don't need to worry too much about tuition fees.

Unlike Cerris Academy, which sets up "paid courses" and adds obstacles to students' learning.

After all, for a country, the importance of talent far outweighs the tuition fees.

But soon, Gaode noticed a sentence written on the title page.

This sentence made him understand the academy's intention.

"The money we have is a tool to maintain our freedom, while the money we pursue is a tool to enslave ourselves."

The signature is that of Ronan Horry, the first dean of Cyrus College.

Money is a tremendous force and the foundation of freedom.

If you can't be financially free, all other freedoms are just castles in the air.

The first lesson that Cyrus Academy taught all its new students was not a lesson on profound magical knowledge, nor a lesson on magical skills, nor even a lesson on brainwashing patriotic ideology.

It's about money.

The academy wants all students to understand:

What should our attitude be towards money?

You can despise it, you can treat it like dirt, but the prerequisite is that you have to have it.

The best attitude towards money is to first conquer it, and then trample it underfoot and disdain it.

Instead of being crushed by money while simultaneously despising it.

The former is the posture of the strong, while the latter is merely the groan of the weak.

(End of this chapter)