In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

Tinari continued, "His health is deteriorating, and his spirits are declining. Judging from the current situation, I'm afraid... he won't be able to make it through the year."

After ordering, Ke Lai quieted down and listened attentively to her master and Wang Yan.

Wang Yan remained silent for a moment, then asked softly, "Does Lord Little Auspicious Grass have any instructions regarding this?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to say." Tinari sighed. "Actually, the Grass Goddess didn't make things difficult for these people. When she banished them, she made it clear that she wouldn't impose any additional punishments, but would simply confine them in the Forest of the Way to Become, so that they could reflect on their mistakes."

"Then why..." Wang Yan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Their spirit has been extinguished." Tinari shook his head, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes. "These former scholars, especially Hazar, were obsessed with their so-called 'grand ambitions' throughout their lives, even at the cost of touching taboos."

"Now that the struggle has failed, they have witnessed firsthand how the Little Lucky Grass King, whom they once despised, has brought order to the Instruction Academy and made the academic atmosphere increasingly open and prosperous, while they themselves have fallen from their high positions and are now engaged in the most basic labor in the forest..."

He paused, his voice softening further: "This disparity, coupled with the emptiness after the shattering of their ideals, gradually eroded their vitality. Sometimes, the collapse of spirit is more fatal than physical illness."

Wang Yan nodded thoughtfully: "I see... So, they were defeated by their own obsession and lost to the reflection brought about by time."

In fact, Wang Yan understood something even better than Tina Li: the timeline correction had caused the Great Compassion Tree King to no longer exist, and therefore, the theory that the Tree King who once supported Azar and others was the true god also no longer existed.

They became thoroughly anti-deity schemers.

This correction was fatal for players like Hazard.

They could have used the incompetence of the Little Lucky Grass King as an excuse to give themselves a pretext of correcting wrongs, but now they have become sinners in the end.

“You could say that,” Tinari agreed. “I’ve visited them a few times. Hazard sometimes stares blankly at the trees for hours on end. The others are similar; they’re quiet when working and rarely talk during breaks…like soulless shells.”

At this moment, the waiter brought out the dishes, and the aroma of Lambad fish rolls filled the air.

The waitress looked familiar; it was Qishan, a student from Liyue. She had also taken the exam today, but she didn't know how she did.

After putting down the dishes, Qishan said goodbye and left; she was also very busy today.

Ke Lai obediently divided the food, and the three of them paused their conversation for a moment. After eating a few bites, Wang Yan spoke again: "What is the Grass God's opinion on this?"

"I have no opinion," Tinari recalled. "The Grass God just listened to my report calmly, and then told me to continue to take care of these people according to the existing arrangements, without deliberately mistreating them or giving them special treatment."

Wang Yan silently pondered these words, and the image of the naive deity he had seen in his dream that night surfaced in his mind.

He had personally experienced Nasita's gentleness and tolerance in his dreams, but now, listening to Tinari describe her attitude towards her former political enemies, Wang Yan felt more deeply the wisdom and magnanimity of this deity that transcended personal grudges.

Perhaps, in Nasita's view, the crimes of Azhar and others have already been punished, and that endless emptiness will torment these people forever.

Or perhaps, in His view, these people, after weathering the storms, cultivating their minds in the forest, and seeing through the fog, can still be saved.

In any case, Nasida was indeed quite lenient with Hazard and the others.

"That's very much in line with the style of the Grass God," Wang Yan finally said, his tone filled with respect. "He doesn't hold grudges, but he doesn't demand forgiveness either. He gives people a chance to make amends, but whether they can seize it is up to them."

Tina nodded, her ears drooping slightly. "Yes... Sometimes I think, if Hazard and the others had understood this sooner, perhaps things wouldn't have come to this."

That's a point we can't delve any deeper into.

Tinari changed the subject and started talking about the fun things that happened during her forest patrols. The atmosphere gradually relaxed, and Cole also started talking about how she had rescued several tarantulas in the rainforest. Now, when these little birds see her going out on patrols, they will follow her and fly around. It's so much fun.

Wang Yan then suggested that next time they returned to Huacheng Guo, he should have Ke Lai show him around.

The three of them ate and chatted, enjoying themselves immensely.

After a satisfying meal, the three agreed to meet again when they returned to Daocheng Forest. They then left the tavern and parted ways at the entrance.

Wang Yan naturally returned to the rented house, while Tinari and Cole also had accommodations at the Church.

...

Time flies like an arrow, passing by quietly.

Before we knew it, it was three days after the high school entrance exam.

The National Education Examinations do not use a results announcement system; instead, a special education officer will come to your door to notify you of the results.

Wang Yan specifically asked Khalid for leave and stayed home reading while waiting.

Around noon, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door, followed by knocking.

"Is Wang Yan here?"

Wang Yan immediately stood up and walked to the door: "Yes, yes."

A drill instructor stood at the door, followed by two secretaries, each carrying a thick stack of documents.

When the instructor saw Wang Yan come out, he gave her a gentle smile: "You have passed the exam. Please go to the Shravasti Academy as soon as possible to register. This is your proof."

He handed a small notebook to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan reached out and took it, saying thank you, "Thank you for your hard work."

"Haha, it's no trouble at all. You're also an intellectualist, so we're all family now." The instructor's smile softened.

Clearly, this instructor comes from the epistemological school.

Sometimes, the relationship between senior and junior students can be surprisingly useful.

Especially for someone like Wang Yan, who already had a reputation before entering the academy, the instructor was naturally willing to give him a good score.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the instructor took his leave, saying that there were still many people to inform.

Wang Yan watched him leave, then looked at the small notebook in her hand.

This is an admission notice from the Shravasti Academy, which includes Wang Yan's personal information, photo, and date of naturalization.

Aside from lacking some personal messages, it wasn't much different from most university admission notices from before I transmigrated.

"Go register for school, and then go find Farusan." Wang Yan put away the admission notice, closed the door behind him, and walked briskly towards the Academy of Educational Orders.

...

The Office of Student Records, Shravasti Academy.

"It's you?" Wang Yan looked at Al Heisenberg, who was sitting behind his desk, with a hint of surprise. "Are we in the epistemology faction so short-staffed?"

Elhesen was once an acting Great Sage. Even if he has stepped down now, he shouldn't be here to process student registrations for others, right?

Elhesen looked up and saw Wang Yan enter. He calmly said, "I am the clerk of the Order of the Church. It is my job to handle things like student registration."

"Of course, I could have chosen not to come, but... Lord Grass God made an exception for you, so only I could do it."

Al-Hysen's tone was calm, but a hint of surprise could still be heard.

He was also curious to know why a Liyue native who had only recently arrived at the Order of the Liyue had been granted the title of "Tosata" by the Little Lucky Grass King, bypassing the beginner and [Diriyesi] levels.

However, Elhesen himself was a scholar who knew what he was doing. In his opinion, Wang Yan's mastery of language and writing was indeed worthy of the title "Tusata". So, since the grass god didn't speak and Wang Yan didn't say anything, he wouldn't ask him.

"Hurry up, there will be even more people soon, give me the stuff," he said.

Wang Yan nodded, took two steps forward, and handed the admission notice to Elhesen.

Elhesen took it, stamped it with a seal, and then handed a student record book and a badge to Wang Yan.

"This is your degree certificate from the [Tasata], which also represents your student status in the academy. You need to show your student status to enter many places within the academy, so be sure to keep it safe. Also, this is the emblem of our school of thought, which scholars usually wear on their hats. Of course, you can also wear it on your chest or not..."

The emblem of the Epistemological School is predominantly black, with a bull and a scroll as its core motif, symbolizing the school's emphasis on language and its philosophical concept of language as the essence and core of the world.

Language, writing, and runes are often regarded as profound, mysterious knowledge that carries the origin of the world, and black can well reflect this sense of weight and profundity.

In many cultures, the ox symbolizes strength, endurance, and dedication. Here, it represents the hard work and perseverance of epistemological scholars in their study of complex subjects such as language and writing.

Books are a direct symbol of knowledge, clearly indicating that the core of the epistemological school's research is linguistics, semiotics, logic, and other disciplines related to the nature of writing and knowledge.

Of course, these were all things Wang Yan had read in books, and they also represented the mainstream views within the Academy at present.

As for whether there are any unofficial historical accounts regarding the origin of the emblem, Wang Yan had no idea.