The midday sun was a bit dazzling.
The warm sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows, casting a diffused white patch in the classroom. These patches of light trembled slightly as the breeze swept through the windows, like transparent, tempting jellies.
Lao Yao, holding a dark pipe, leaned against the window. Pale blue smoke twisted and curled in the sunlight, and his shiny, slicked-back hair was faintly visible amidst the swirling smoke.
He faced the podium diagonally, his eyelids drooping, his already small eyes almost narrowed into slits, making it seem as if he was dozing.
Of course, this was an illusion.
After each freshman finished their self-introduction, Lao Yao would tap his pipe, flip through the roster, and call out the name of the next person to come up.
He called names according to their college entrance examination scores.
This was easy to determine.
Guided by the first few freshmen, later newcomers would add their college entrance examination scores at the end of their self-introductions.
These scores were like business cards of different colors, received, put away, and tucked into different compartments of wallets by scrutinizing gazes.
Zheng Qing propped his head, staring blankly at the podium, his fingers twisting the opening of his gray cloth bag.
Would Jiang Yu throw him a duel application after class?
Should he run away as soon as the bell rang?
His brain was bubbling.
Fighting with a girl would make him a laughingstock.
If he won, there was nothing to brag about, and he might even be despised; if he lost, Zheng Qing believed many people wouldn't hesitate to give him a piece of tofu.
Perhaps wherever he went, people would secretly point at him and whisper:
Look, that boy is fighting with a girl!
Zheng Qing rubbed his face and sighed deeply.
Only a fool would engage in such a losing business, whether he won or lost.
He turned his gaze to the tall figure in the first row, pondering if there was a more elegant way to forfeit.
Jiang Yu sat upright in her seat, her long, black hair falling smoothly behind her. She turned her face, revealing a delicate nose, light red lips, and a small section of her jade-white neck.
She was quite pretty, so why was her temper so volatile?
Zheng Qing stared at that back in a daze.
Her college entrance examination score was 475, only five points lower than his. She was the third-ranked freshman; what else could she be dissatisfied with?
A burst of laughter erupted in the classroom, startling the distracted peeping tom.
He hastily looked up.
It turned out a freshman was too nervous and walked in a synchronized arm-and-leg swing when he went on stage, causing the whole class to burst into laughter.
Not far away, Xiao Xiao looked at Zheng Qing suspiciously.
Zheng Qing swallowed, blinked, and quietly asked, “Why hasn’t it been your turn yet?”
Xiao Xiao pointed to his ear, indicating he hadn't heard clearly.
He sat on the innermost side of the row, Zheng Qing on the outermost, with four or five empty seats between them.
“Cough, cough.” Lao Yao’s light cough came from the podium.
Zheng Qing quickly sat up straight.
Lao Yao’s face was hidden in the swirling pale blue smoke, his expression unclear. Only a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth was faintly visible, along with his slightly trembling pipe as he swayed his head.
Rustling sounds came from beside him.
Zheng Qing looked at the skinny boy named Duan Xiaojian on the podium, his mind racing.
More than a dozen freshmen had already given their self-introductions, but Lao Yao had not yet called Xiao Xiao’s name. According to Zheng Qing’s speculation about this walking encyclopedia, his Wizard college entrance examination score shouldn’t be that low.
Before Xiao Xiao denied it, Zheng Qing had always believed he was the legendary first-place Publicly Funded Student.
A small object nudged his arm, interrupting his thoughts.
Zheng Qing raised his eyebrows.
It was a paper turtle.
On its shell, the dark gray horizontal lines and footnotes of notebook paper were clearly visible.
The paper turtle stretched its neck, slowly flipped over, revealing its smooth belly. A large question mark was drawn on it with a brush.
Zheng Qing suppressed a smile and glanced at Xiao Xiao.
The watermelon-haired boy adjusted his glasses, sat upright, and looked at the podium with a solemn expression.
“What was your college entrance examination score?”
Zheng Qing unfolded the paper turtle, wrote his question on it, and then hesitated.
He couldn't fold a paper turtle.
But he could fold a frog.
A few seconds later, a paper frog wobbly crawled across the desk towards Xiao Xiao, its crawling motion identical to that of the paper turtle.
Soon, the paper turtle crawled back to Zheng Qing’s sight.
“0.”
Zheng Qing widened his eyes, licked the brush, and hesitated for a few minutes, letting the frog carry a string of question marks to Xiao Xiao.
“I’m a special enrollment student and didn’t participate in the Wizard college entrance examination. So I have no score.”
The paper turtle was crumpled in Zheng Qing’s hand, smoothed out, and folded into neat squares.
Then he reopened the paper, smoothed it out again, and refolded it.
He had many questions he wanted to ask Xiao Xiao, but he didn't know where to start.
Xin Fatty in the front row pushed aside the small desk, stood up, and walked towards the podium, swaying his large backside.
Zheng Qing collected his thoughts and joined the boys in enthusiastic applause.
By the window, Lao Yao nodded slightly, signaling Xin Fatty to begin.
“My name is Xin Banner Schmidt-Bayer, from Worms in the Rhine. You can just call me Xin. I don't keep pets, I love food, and I'm good at finding the most distinctive food in every new place.”
The Fatty scratched his short hair. A flurry of dandruff floated up in the sunlight, exceptionally noticeable.
Several girls in the front row waved their hands in disgust.
Zheng Qing covered his face, unable to bear looking.
The Fatty didn't notice at all; instead, he excitedly waved his fist and shouted, “My ideal is to become a Great Wizard! So I hope to obtain the Registered Wizard certificate in four years!”
“Everyone is my supervisor!”
“This is my promise!”
After speaking, he strode down the podium, walking back to his seat with extraordinary swagger.
Hesitant, somewhat sparse applause echoed in the classroom.
And very quickly, the applause stopped again.
Because Xin Fatty, who had just walked off the podium, scurried back behind the lecture desk.
He awkwardly added:
“My college entrance examination score is 410. Oh, right, I’m a Blue Giant. I hope to become good friends with everyone, thank you!”
Zheng Qing didn't pay attention to Xin Fatty's final performance.
He had just realized a new question and sent another crawling frog to Xiao Xiao:
“Are Wizards also divided into Ranks?”
This time, Xiao Xiao’s reply was a bit slow.
It wasn't until another freshman came down from the podium that the paper turtle, with soft, dragging steps, crawled into Zheng Qing’s hand.
After unfolding the turtle, a long passage of text appeared before Zheng Qing:
“Wizards, of course, have distinctions in Rank. Wherever consciousness exists, this distinction is inevitable.”
“Around the world, Wizards have various different professions or identities. For example, Cultivators, priests, ninjas, dark knights, etc. Each profession has its own unique Rank division.”
“However, for the Wizard Alliance, Wizards are generally divided into three Ranks: Wizard, Registered Wizard, and Great Wizard.”
The handwriting in this reply was a bit small and messy, and Zheng Qing had to try hard to make it out clearly.