The School Affairs Committee Office Building is not within the school grounds.
This building is part of the school's public area, hidden deep within the Silent Forest by the School Affairs Committee. Neither students nor professors can approach it except through a limited number of passages.
The long corridor under Zheng Qing's feet was the passage connecting Nine Provinces College with the School Affairs Committee.
This secluded corridor started from Xihua Garden, was built close to the school wall, and finally disappeared near Linzhong Lake.
The entire corridor was covered by thick vines, with only occasional small pavilions providing access for pedestrians.
These pavilions were built in different areas of First University, like nodes, connecting otherwise unrelated worlds. They served as places for pedestrians to rest and as gates for students to enter and exit the corridor.
The main body of the corridor was constructed from obsidian, and the corridor roof was decorated with many exquisite carvings, which looked dazzling.
However, Zheng Qing was in no mood to appreciate these exquisite artworks at the moment.
Xiao Xiao's warning still echoed deep within the corridor, making Zheng Qing feel as if 'some demons are always trying to harm him'.
He clutched a Talisman in each hand, scanning the stone pillars on both sides vigilantly.
The climbing hydrangeas clinging to the stone pillars stretched their branches and leaves unrestrainedly, their reddish-brown tendrils curled, emitting a faint red glow under the slightly intoxicated setting sun.
A breeze swept by.
The leaves of the climbing hydrangeas rustled against each other, making an irritating sound.
Vines like ropes, grass leaves like swords.
Zheng Qing felt that these ordinary sceneries seemed to contain enormous risks.
Fortunately, he did not encounter any dangerous creatures that didn't know their place until he exited the corridor.
"Pavilion Seven." Xiao Xiao flipped through his notebook, looked at the wooden plaque hanging above the pavilion, and nodded: "This is it. Once you leave the pavilion, it's the School Affairs Committee Office Building."
Zheng Qing breathed a sigh of relief, put away the Talisman paper, which had been crumpled in his hand, and stuffed it back into his gray cloth bag.
"I've always felt that the Wizards' ability to name things needs improvement." Looking at the warm sunlight outside the pavilion, Zheng Qing's mood also improved a lot, and he couldn't help but complain: "Let's not even mention names like First University and First Hall, which are frustrating. Just these pavilions, I think they could be modified with some more elegant words."
"Such as?"
"For example, the pavilion leading to the School Affairs Committee could be called 'School Affairs Pavilion', the one leading to Baicao Garden could be called 'Baicao Pavilion', and the one leading to Beta Town could be called 'Beta Pavilion'."
"What's the difference between these names and Pavilion One or Pavilion Seven?" Zhang Jixin looked at Zheng Qing with drooping eyelids.
"It makes it easier for us to recognize the pavilion's location," Zheng Qing said with certainty.
Zhang Jixin made a vomiting expression.
"Actually, these names weren't decided by the Wizards. Did you forget that Nicholas once mentioned during the opening ceremony that this University is a living University?" Xiao Xiao explained dutifully from the side: "The names on these pavilions were given by First University itself. Perhaps this University prefers these logically clear names."
Zheng Qing's hand, which was touching the obsidian pillar, felt as if it had been burned, and he quickly pulled it back into his pocket.
"Living!" He looked at the corridor covered by vines in horror, finding it hard to believe: "I always thought that was an exaggeration."
"There is no such word as exaggeration in the magic world."
Xiao Xiao finished speaking and was the first to walk out of the pavilion.
Not far away, Lin Guo, dressed in a white robe, was bouncing towards them.
Behind him, Lan Que stood smiling, holding his long sword.
It was evening.
The sun left only a blurry silhouette in the sky.
The slightly pale sky was filled with the mysterious aura of impending night.
A tense atmosphere permeated the air.
In front of the new students, a pitch-black three-story building lay quietly there.
Silent.
Lan Que did not speak.
Under Lin Guo's rapid explanation, the newly arrived students finally understood why the two were standing outside the building.
"We circled it many times and couldn't find the building's door," Lin Guo said, leading everyone around the small building again.
The entire building was wrapped in cold, hard black boulders, and the lowest window was more than three meters above the ground.
As Lin Guo mentioned, this building had no main entrance.
The few new students were helpless in front of this silent building.
"Did the penalty notice not mention how to enter and exit the building?" Zheng Qing unfolded the crimson notice, squinting against the blurry sunlight, trying to find a few hidden Spells in the corners of the Edges.
"No," Lan Que answered concisely with a single word.
"Your cufflinks are so beautiful, are they Alchemy products?" The younger Lin Guo seemed very relaxed at this moment, pointing at the decoration on Zheng Qing's cuff, his face full of curiosity.
Zheng Qing quickly pulled back his arm and put his hands into his pockets.
How many students had noticed his cufflinks? He could no longer remember clearly.
After the dorm night gathering yesterday, Dylan really found a pair of Eight Trigrams cufflinks among his collection and strongly demanded Zheng Qing wear them.
According to this werewolf with a vampire's upbringing, the hood, belt, and cufflinks were the three essential elements of wearing a Wizard's robe.
School uniforms were custom-made, and the hood and belt had corresponding specifications, leaving little room for alteration.
Only the cufflinks remained, becoming the battlefield where students of First University, who valued taste, vied for that slight difference.
This was indeed the case.
After putting on those Eight Trigrams cufflinks, Zheng Qing received more attention.
During Alchemy class on Friday morning, the always arrogant Matthew Cullen uncharacteristically greeted him! It made the surrounding classmates drop their jaws.
But this was not what Zheng Qing hoped for.
Thinking of this, he glared angrily at Xiao Xiao.
The watermelon-headed boy buried his head in his black-shelled notebook, ignoring the murderous gaze.
"It's just a small decoration, not a magical item." Zheng Qing mumbled, then turned to Lin Guo: "I kept forgetting to ask, which class are you in at Alpha?"
Lin Guo looked at him confused.
"I'm in Astronomy 08-1 Class at Nine Provinces College, what about you?" Zheng Qing added.
"Alpha doesn't have classes," Xiao Xiao's voice came from nearby.
"No classes?" Zheng Qing raised his eyebrows in surprise: "No fixed classes?"
"That's right, we don't have fixed classes." The little boy seemed to understand Zheng Qing's meaning and explained: "Alpha only has credit requirements for all students. As long as you pass sixty or more courses and earn the required credits for graduation during your four years of University, you can graduate normally."
"The most important thing is that Alpha has no repeat students." Zhang Jixin looked into the distance with some melancholy.
"Don't you have corresponding majors?" Zheng Qing couldn't help but continue to ask.
"We do, I'm an Alchemy major. But the college's education committee only stipulates some compulsory courses."
"Like you, I also have three compulsory courses in my first year: 'Talisman', 'Yi', and 'Wen'. It's just that we can choose any Lecturer, for every class. For example, this month I can choose Lecturer Zhang Huaigu's Charm and Talisman class, and next month I can switch to Professor John's Charm and Talisman class."
"Aside from compulsory courses, all other courses can be chosen freely. The college only requires you to submit a qualified thesis when you graduate."