Shard nodded, noting the doctor’s words about the identification of the Rhodes Card.
However, he didn’t really expect the card in his hand to be genuine. Although, judging from the former detective’s behavior before his death, the man was clearly an avid Rhodes Card enthusiast. Still, he was just an ordinary person who, at best, had a middle-class income. It was impossible for him to own something so precious.
As for the museum introduced by the detective before his death, it was probably a black market for counterfeit Rhodes Cards. So, Shard thought that if he had time, he should first go to the Prophets’ Association for verification. Only after being completely assured would he visit the museum.
After confirming the loan from the group to solve the tuition problem, the official enrollment process began.
Shard originally thought the academy would send someone over, but all the procedures were handled by the doctor:
“Remember, we are correspondence warlocks. The academy provides us with knowledge. We need to earn compulsory credits through study and exams, and practical credits through academy missions. This is the relationship between us and the academy, somewhat akin to a specialized employment system. You don’t need to worry too much about the academy, at least not until you, together with us, climb the northern glaciers and enter the academy.”
The doctor waved his hand, while the writer lady thought Shard would deeply understand this point in a few weeks.
The two formal warlocks had to notify the academy that a new correspondence warlock was enrolling. The way to contact St. Byrence Integrated College was through the Poet-level [Relic] known as [Poet Cohen’s Manuscript].
Poet Cohen was also a student of St. Byrence Integrated College, though that was a matter of the previous Epoch. Despite only admitting female practitioners during the Fifth Epoch, the academy did admit a few male students for certain non-supernatural studies.
His manuscript relic had pages exceeding a hundred, each capable of transmitting information and small items to the cover of the manuscript.
This was the primary method for correspondence between St. Byrence Integrated College and its correspondence warlocks, as well as for distributing textbooks and submitting assignments. In the case of Dr. Schneider’s group, the highest-ranking doctor within the group was responsible for keeping the manuscript pages.
It was a large parchment scroll, roughly the size of an opened book. It currently had no words written on it and looked quite old; one could even see threads moving on the pages.
“First, your basic information and tuition.”
The doctor had Shard write down simple information such as his address, age, occupation, and past experiences on a piece of letter paper using a blue fountain pen, then placed an envelope containing a stack of banknotes on the manuscript page.
With a flash of light, the envelope with the gold pounds and the letter were gone.
After several seconds, a receipt appeared on the manuscript page. The receipt, written in both the common Delarian language and Carsonric used in the Old Continent, noted the amount received and even bore the academy’s official seal.
“Very professional.”
The receipt was temporarily kept by the doctor, and Shard would get it back after repaying the money.
“Next is a trustworthiness test. The academy needs to test whether the enrolling correspondence warlock is a cultist or has hidden ulterior motives. The academy has its own secrets that cannot be easily revealed to outsiders.”
The doctor spoke casually.
“And how is this test conducted?”
Shard was somewhat worried, not about the past life of the original mind, which was not his concern, but about his identity as a transmigrator.
Before the doctor could respond to Shard’s question, Dorothy Louisa spoke out first, smiling:
“It’s nostalgic. This is a standard procedure—write an essay of no less than eight hundred words on your thoughts about goodness and evil, order and chaos.”
“Huh?”
Shard thought he had misheard.
“This step is also to ensure the enrollee is literate. The academy does not accept illiterate students. Shard, I know you aren’t very literate, so you can keep it simple.”
The doctor kindly said.
“But why an essay? I thought it would be a lie detector-like questionnaire.”
Just writing an essay made Shard breathe a sigh of relief; he was worried about a lie detector-like questionnaire. Any question about the “past” would put him in big trouble.
“Lie detectors can be cheated, but an essay reflects a person’s continuous thoughts, attitudes, and even their unknown nature. This is more reliable and has a contemporary touch.
Oh, detective, this is not the chaotic ancient times; it’s the era of civilization and steam. Of course, the entrance test must be more civilized.”
The writer lady leaned back on the sofa, enjoying the scene of others being forced to write essays.
Thus, Shard was forced to undergo an essay test of eight hundred words. He could understand and read, but speaking and writing relied on the knowledge from the voice in his head, making it quite strenuous. However, this also confirmed Dr. Schneider’s investigation about the original Shard.
Good and evil, order and chaos are relatively broad topics. Eight hundred words may seem a lot, but if taken seriously, one might not even get past the introduction.
Shard, adhering to the principle of writing less to make fewer mistakes, divided this entrance mini-test into four paragraphs. The first paragraph was some pleasantries, the second discussed good and evil, the third talked about order and chaos, and the fourth provided a summary.
This made the writing flow smoothly, and Shard was quite adept at this method.
While Shard wrote his essay, the doctor wasn’t idle.
The standard entrance process at St. Byrence also included letting the group’s warlock lead the candidate to solve a mysterious incident to evaluate if the candidate’s nature was suitable for becoming a warlock.
Retrieving the [Life Countdown Pocket Watch] from the morning could count, but a report explaining the candidate’s performance was needed.
So, while Shard wrote his essay, the doctor wrote the report, which might be somewhat more troublesome. But Miss Louisa was quite happy; she was the only one who didn’t need to write anything.
As the two men wrote, she sat there with a teacup, watching them with a contented expression.
Both the essay and the report were simultaneously sent through the manuscript. After half an hour, an entrance notice with Shard’s full name appeared, graded as “Excellent.” During this time, the three of them engaged in conversation, familiarizing Shard with some basic knowledge.
“Actually, the entrance evaluation only has ‘Excellent’ and ‘Unqualified,’ unlike the academic year evaluations and year-end summaries, which are graded as Excellent, Exceeds Expectations, Pass, Fail, and Terrible.”
The doctor whispered.
“This is a little trick by the academy to win your favor.”
The blonde writer added.
Shard found this amusing, but it also showed that the academy was indeed formal, not a small organization.
“Next, I will officiate your initiation as a warlock, to open the door to the supernatural. Once you obtain the core rune, you can determine which professional academy you join. As for textbooks and study materials, they will be sent in three days, as the academy also needs time to prepare these items.”
