"Walk slowly." The old man waved his hand and watched Vincent's figure disappear leisurely in the winding stairwell. Then he slowly walked up the stairs and went downstairs. However, just before he was about to leave this floor, his steps suddenly paused and he turned his head to look in one direction. At the end of his sight was a corner of the stairwell, with nothing but a thin layer of dust covering the floor. But a few minutes ago, a slender and beautiful figure had stood there. The old man's gaze paused for only a very short time. The next second, he withdrew his gaze and continued to walk slowly along the original trajectory. Seems like he didn't notice anything. That old, wrinkled but energetic face, without any sign of listlessness, seemed to reveal for a moment... a slightly self-deprecating smile. "I hope there will be more people to help me then..." The low and hoarse murmurs vaguely floated in the silent space, and then quickly dissipated.
Not far away on the campus street, Qi Ji's brightly dressed figure appeared on the edge of the sidewalk. "He actually noticed it? Although I deliberately let him off, this kind of observation ability... is considered top-notch among the metallurgists. It seems that this old man also has some secrets..." Looking at a certain location in the teaching building not far away, she used her fingers to play with the strands of hair that fell in front of her shoulders, muttering softly. Qi Ji naturally recognized the old man in avant-garde clothes. He was the president of the Imperial National University, the metallurgist Roman, who had met Donna and Bernice once in the core library. "By the way, it seems that the purpose of that 'New World' sect is to hunt him down, right? If he is really caught by those guys one day, should I help him?" Qi Ji put his hands behind his head and walked on the sidewalk in a leisurely manner. Because it was class time, most students were in the teaching building and there were not many people on the street, so she did not hide herself, but walked around with her body straight and proud. "He said he was hunted down because he defected from the organization. The problem is, although the 'New World' sect is not a legitimate organization, it does not mean that the traitor Romon is innocent. "Let's not talk about the reasons and motives for his defection. Just the fact that he did anything heinous or unforgivable during his time with the organization is questionable... "Tsk, what a hassle. Never mind. Just adapt to the situation. As long as no innocent people are hurt, I don't care about that." The "New World" sect, according to the testimony of the man in black robes and the black-clad killer, was a branch sect of the "Reorganization Movement", which was once one of the nine major churches. It was later expelled from orthodoxy by the nine major churches and was classified as a cult. Both believe in Fusa, the "Goddess of Disaster and Destruction", and both believe that in the distant future, an irresistible and terrible "catastrophe" will inevitably befall this world, destroying most lives and bringing about a tragic doomsday. But the difference between the "Reorganization Movement" and the "New World" sect lies in their different attitudes towards "disasters". The "Reorganization Movement" believes that all natural and man-made disasters in this world, including the final "Great Cataclysm", originate from the "Goddess of Disaster" Fusa, but this does not mean that Fusa is an evil god who enjoys destroying the world and torturing all living beings. On the contrary, He is merciful and tolerant, because preaching "destruction" and "disaster" is His nature, just like humans must eat, drink, defecate and urinate, it is something that must be done. But in order to prevent all living beings on earth from suffering, he chose to suppress his own instincts and was in great torment and pain all the time. All the disasters that exist in this world are the residual power that escaped from the brief moment when Fusa instinctively lost control of herself. As for the final "catastrophic event", it was a manifestation of Fusa's complete self-indulgence after her endurance reached its limit. The "Renormalization Movement" knows that disaster is inevitable and that no living being has the right to prevent it from happening.
Because Fusa chose to suppress her own nature and endure pain and suffering for the sake of the living beings in this world, this is itself the greatest kindness of the gods to the world. As a mortal enjoying the blessings of the gods, we must never do anything that is too blasphemous. Therefore, believers of the "renormalization movement" often do not spend their energy on how to avoid suffering and natural disasters. They are more concerned about how to minimize the loss value after a disaster and how to recover the losses that have already occurred in the shortest time possible. But the "New World" sects have a completely different view. They claim to represent Fusa's "true will" and advocate that the goddess should not suppress her instinct to destroy and crush, but give it free rein. Let the surging catastrophe destroy all civilizations on earth, thereby eliminating and exterminating the weak, humble and ignorant lives. The remaining surviving individuals will be the selected "natural evolvers" who will be stronger and more advanced than existing humans. These "more advanced" individuals will create a new civilization in a new world and on the ruins, thus achieving the restart and progress of civilization. Of course, the so-called "natural evolutionists" in the "New World" sect specifically refer to those "qualified" core members. For example, the "Secret Saint" Fasti is a "qualified" core member. "Apart from the reality, this doctrine is definitely a heresy... No wonder it was expelled from the orthodoxy." As her thoughts raced, she had already walked to the vicinity of Beiyuan Square and noticed that the center of the square had changed a lot compared to before. "It's quite lively here, let's go and take a look." Chapter 314 Competition On the originally open and spacious square, a group of men and women with student union armbands on their arms were busy, surrounded by a small number of students who had no classes watching. “This is preparation for the event.” Qi Ji entered an "invisible" state, walked near the crowd, put his hands behind his back, and watched the students coming and going not far away with the attitude of an old cadre on patrol. Most of the students wearing the student union armbands were moving and placing objects of varying sizes, cleaning and building a tidy area in the center of the open square. First, there is a circle of water barrier fences that are up to waist height, separating a square area of about 100 square meters. Inside were a bunch of strange objects, including angular dolls, metal models shaped like dragonflies, sparkling crystal ornaments... and some things were so complex in composition that they were hard to describe. These gadgets of various shapes were carefully placed on wooden exhibition stands of uniform style by the sweaty hard-working students, and were neatly distributed within the water fence. At present, the layout of the venue has been almost completed, the booths are basically full, and the students in the water barrier fence are currently laying crimson carpets to mark the walkways. Looking at those strange things, Qi Ji was a little curious, so he extended his senses and quickly scanned the things inside the water horse fence. "Hmm... they seem to be some very creative and delicate, but useless handicrafts... They look like a display of the finished products of some kind of handicraft activity?" Qi Ji, who had participated in large-scale school activities on Earth, immediately came up with the corresponding guess. No matter how turbulent the situation is in Twilight City and the Glorious Plantagenet Empire, there are some activities that will not change. That is, the Imperial National University is about to usher in the so-called "Spiritual Academy Academic Competition". According to Qi Ji's understanding of this institution, this activity is of great significance to the Imperial National University. It seems to be a tradition that has been passed down since the founding of the school and now has a history of a hundred years.
It is held once a year, each time lasting three to five days, and the day of the event happens to coincide with the National Day that glorifies the founding of the Plantagenet Empire, so it is of great significance. Therefore, in addition to the nominal "academic competition" these days, the school will also prepare many activities organized by student clubs and faculty and staff organizations, which will be quite lively. To make an analogy, it is roughly equivalent to the various club days, school sports meets, and school festivals in modern universities on Earth. Even if students did not directly participate in the activities, they could still enjoy the very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, so everyone liked it very much. "Make some works... Their enthusiasm and technical ability are very high. I can only say that this is a first-class university that ranks first in the country. The quality of its students in all aspects is much better than that of the crappy second-tier university I attended on Earth." After expressing his approval with some emotion, Qi Ji looked away in another direction. There was a large new bulletin board there, and there were far more students gathered around it than around the exhibition area. Although she couldn't see the contents directly with her eyes due to the dense crowd and Qi Ji's pitiful height, Qi Ji was not an ordinary person like Donna, and her senses were far more than just vision. So, she easily found out what was on the bulletin board. It was a large group of names written in classical calligraphy, with straight lines connecting the names, as if they corresponded to each other. ? At the top of the billboard, a large title was written in bold black art: "List of opponents for the Spiritual Academy Practical Skills Fun Competition" “…Hey, hey, hey, didn’t you say you signed up? Why don’t I see your name?” "I applied, but I wasn't accepted..." "Don't be ridiculous. If you dare to sign up for this activity, you can be accepted. If you are scared, just say so..." "How can you blame me for this? I didn't know there would be so many big shots watching on the stage..." "I told you to have a good time." "...Don't mention it. By the way, this year seems to be different from the past. Even the masters from the Royal Fleet and the Sunset Church are coming. Did something happen?" "That's right. I heard from my senior that last year only professors from the Academy of Sciences and a few local nobles came. It wasn't as grand as this time." "Wow, from your tone, great nobles and great academy professors are nothing, right? Why don't we see your family coming to Twilight City to be high officials?" "Ah, yes, yes, ah, yes, yes, do you know why I obey you?" "Damn it, you started it again..." "..." Listening to the lively discussions among the surrounding students, Qi Ji quickly understood the current situation. "So it's a fight between extraordinary people. It's also a fun contest. They also have to choose names." Although the projects of the "academic competition" themselves basically involve the extraordinary field, most of them are very "formal", such as theoretical level tests, exhibitions of entries, and student academic speeches. Although it is well researched and of great value to one's personal abilities and academic attainment, it ultimately lacks some appeal for viewing. After all, for most young students who are generally in their teens and twenties, who are lively, active, and enthusiastic...
A group of young talents with great learning and promising future taking an exam and debating on the field is far less attractive than a fight between two extraordinary people. Therefore, the Student Union organized an event similar to a martial arts competition, in which contestants competed against each other in an elimination system, and prizes were distributed to the top three. Of course, this kind of competition is very imprecise. There are too many variables, uncontrollable factors, and signs that are difficult to distinguish. It has almost no academic significance, and the results of winning or losing cannot represent the extraordinary abilities of the contestants. But students love to watch it, so we do it almost every year. This year's event is divided into three major competition areas, namely the Mage Group, the Warrior Group, and the Mixed Group. The realms of the two opposing teams must be equal. Moreover, if the contestants are equipped with spiritual items, they must be checked by professionals and cannot carry anything too unusual to prevent disrupting the competitive balance. Because fighting activities involve unavoidable dangers, the school will send high-level extraordinary people to supervise and take action in case of unexpected situations. "Sure enough, physical contact sports are the most popular activities no matter where they are. On Earth... huh?!" Qi Ji was casually browsing the list of contestants on the bulletin board, and when his eyes passed by a name... they suddenly stopped. "Candice Octavius... Oh my god, this guy wants to go on stage too? Is he looking for excitement because he knows he won't live long?!" After seeing Candice's name, Qi Ji was shocked. She couldn't think of any reason for the princess to participate in this competition! Not to mention that with this guy's weird physique, it is not suitable for him to participate in these occasions where there are mixed people and spiritual fluctuations are flying in the air. Most basically, what is there for her to participate in this competition organized by the students themselves that has almost no value? prize? What a joke! The prizes for this competition were all funded by the students of the Student Union through crowdfunding. Not to mention the royal princess, even the offspring of some minor nobles would not be interested in them. The prestige and honor that comes with a ranking? It's hard to justify this. Although the winner of this competition every year does enjoy high popularity among students, no matter how great the fame is, it can never compare to the title of "Royal Princess"? In short, given this person's identity and status, there is absolutely no need for him to take such a fake event seriously. Chapter 315 Conversation and Promotion Inside the luxurious and elegant flower hall. The floor-to-ceiling windows, which are over four meters high, almost cover one wall. Bright and pure sunlight shines through the clear transparent glass and sprinkles into the spacious and stylish space, revealing a timeless artistic conception. Near the center of the flower hall, there are several sets of coffee tables and rattan chairs. Exquisite and sophisticated patterns and designs are carved and painted on the frames and table legs. They sparkle with golden light under the sunlight and appear extremely elegant. "…I am deeply sorry for coming here without permission. Regarding your father's matter, I am deeply sorry." A voice came from the coffee table, the voice was low and serious, "Please accept my condolences, Lunxi." The owner of the voice was a young girl sitting on a rattan chair next to the coffee table. She was tall, with bright blonde hair tied into a simple low ponytail, revealing her slender white neck. Her eyes were as blue as lake water, and at this moment, she was gazing deeply at someone in front of her with a solemn look... Lunxi, who was sitting opposite the blonde girl, was wearing a black dress. She sat on a rattan chair with no expression on her face. She leaned back on the chair with her hands clasped in front of her abdomen, and her emotions could not be seen. After hearing the other party's comforting greetings, she nodded her chin imperceptibly. After a few seconds of silence, the corners of her mouth suddenly curved into an arc with a bit of sadness:
"When did you become so polite?" Although her voice was a little hoarse, it was still steady and her pronunciation was clear, with no sign of crying. The blonde girl opposite was slightly stunned and silent for a moment, then she forced a smile and responded softly: "I'm glad you're okay. I was just a little worried about you." At present, if Augustus Lionsmith who has died "accidentally" is counted, there are a total of four nobles who occupy a very important position in Stio.