Xia De nodded, noting down the Doctor's words about rhode cards appraisal.
But in truth, he didn't really expect the card in his hand to be genuine. Although the previous Detective's behavior before his death indicated he was an absolute fanatic of rhode cards, he was, after all, just an ordinary person with a barely middle-class income, so it was impossible for him to possess such a precious item.
As for the museum the Detective mentioned before his death, it was likely a black market or distribution center for counterfeit rhode cards. So, Xia De thought that when he had time, he would first go to the Prophet Association for an appraisal to be completely at ease before going to the museum.
Once the loan from the team was confirmed and the tuition fee problem was solved, the enrollment process officially began.
Xia De had thought the College would send someone over, but all the procedures were handled by the Doctor:
"Remember, we are Letter-based Ring術士. The College provides us with Knowledge, and we need to fulfill required credits through study and exams, and gain practical credits through College tasks. This is the relationship between us and the College, somewhat similar to a special employment system. You don't need to worry too much about the College, at least not until you climb the glaciers of the Far North with us and enter the College."
The Doctor waved his hand, while the Writer lady believed that Xia De would deeply understand this point in a few weeks.
The two official Ring術士 needed to inform the College that a new Letter-based Ring術士 was enrolling. The way to contact Saint Byron's Comprehensive College was through the Poet Grade relic's measuring object, "Poet Cohen's Manuscript."
Poet Cohen was also a student of Saint Byron's Comprehensive College, but that was in the previous epoch. Although the fifth epoch only had female spellcasters, the College also recruited a small number of male students for certain research that didn't require extraordinary power.
The pages of his relic manuscript numbered over three digits, and each page could transmit information and small items to the manuscript's cover.
This was the primary method for Saint Byron's Comprehensive College to communicate with Letter-based Ring術士, as well as for distributing textbooks and submitting assignments. Among them, the manuscript pages for Doctor Schneider's team were kept by the Doctor, the most senior member of the team.
It was a roll of parchment, quite large, about the size of an open book. It was blank now and looked very old, with even loose threads visible on the pages.
"First, your basic information and tuition fee."
The Doctor had Xia De simply write down information such as his address, age, occupation, and past experiences on a piece of letter paper with a blue fountain pen, then placed an envelope containing a stack of banknotes on the manuscript page.
With a flash of light, the envelope containing the pounds and the paper with the information disappeared.
After dozens of seconds, a receipt appeared from the manuscript page. The receipt was written in both delarion and carson rick, the languages currently used in the Old Continent, stating the amount received, and even bore the College's official seal.
"Truly professional."
The receipt was temporarily kept by the Doctor; Xia De would get it back after repaying the money.
"Next is the trustworthiness test. The College needs to test whether the enrolling Letter-based Ring術士 is a Cultists or someone with ulterior motives hiding their past. The College also has its own secrets that cannot be easily known by outsiders."
The Doctor said this casually.
"How is this tested?"
Xia De was somewhat worried. He didn't need to worry about the original owner's past, which involved a poor memory, but he was concerned about his identity as a Time Traveler.
Hearing Xia De's question, before the Doctor could speak, Miss Dorothy Louisa quickly answered, with a smile on her face:
"How nostalgic! This is already a standard procedure—please write an essay of no less than eight hundred words on your thoughts about good and evil, order and chaos."
"Hmm?"
Xia De thought he had misheard.
"This step is also to confirm that the enrollee is literate. The College does not accept illiterate students. Xia De, I know you don't read much, so you can write simply."
The Doctor said kindly.
"But why write an essay? I thought it would be a lie-detector type of Q&A."
Just writing an essay made Xia De breathe a sigh of relief; what he feared was a lie-detector type of Q&A. Once asked about his "past," he would probably be in big trouble.
"Lie detection can always be cheated, but an essay reflects a person's continuous thoughts, their attitude, and their nature, which even they might not be aware of. This is more reliable and more characteristic of the era.
Oh, Detective, this is no longer a chaotic epoch; it's an era of civilization and steam, so the entrance test should naturally be more civilized."
The blonde Writer leaned back on the sofa, looking somewhat relaxed. She enjoyed watching others being forced to write essays.
So Xia De was forced to undergo an eight-hundred-word "entrance essay test." He could understand what he heard and read, but speaking and writing relied on the Knowledge provided by the voice in his mind, so it was still very strenuous. However, this also allowed Doctor Schneider, who was observing the scene, to confirm that his investigation into the original Xia De was correct.
Good and evil, order and chaos, were relatively broad topics. Eight hundred words seemed like a lot, but if one truly wrote seriously, they might not even finish the introduction.
Xia De, adhering to the principle of writing less to make fewer mistakes, divided this entrance mini-test into four paragraphs: the first for pleasantries, the second for good and evil, the third for order and chaos, and the fourth for a summary.
This made the flow of thought much smoother, and Xia De was very good at writing in this manner.
While Xia De was writing his entrance mini-test, the Doctor was not idle either.
Saint Byron's standard enrollment process also included having the team's Ring術士 lead the talented individual to resolve a mysterious incident to determine if the talented individual's character was suitable for becoming a Ring術士.
The incident of recovering the 【Life Countdown Pocket Watch】 that morning would suffice, but a report also needed to be submitted, detailing the talented individual's performance.
So, Xia De wrote a short essay, and the Doctor had to write a report, the latter perhaps being more troublesome. But Miss Louisa was quite pleased, as only she didn't need to write anything.
While the two gentlemen were bent over writing, she sat there with her teacup, watching them, with an indescribably leisurely expression.
The short essay and the report were sent off by the manuscript simultaneously. It took a full half-hour before an admission notice with Xia De's full name arrived. The admission evaluation was "Excellent." During this time, the three of them had been talking, imparting some basic Knowledge to Xia De.
"Actually, the admission evaluation only has 'Excellent' and 'Fail,' unlike the academic year evaluations and year-end summaries, which are divided into 'Excellent,' 'Exceeds Expectations,' 'Pass,' 'Fail,' and 'Terrible.'"
The Doctor also said quietly.
"This is a small trick by the College to gain your favor."
The blonde Writer added.
Xia De found this amusing but also realized that the College was indeed very formal, not some small organization.
"Then, the next step, I will officially help you become a Ring術士 and open the door to the extraordinary. Only after you obtain the core rune can your specialized College be determined. As for textbooks and study materials, they will be sent in three days, as the College also needs to prepare these things."