The cold wind of the night chilled the heart. Under the bright moon, Sammy felt that his head was much clearer than during the day when the sun was high.

 However… He yawned again. He thought to himself that such a beautiful night should be left for sleeping, which was the greatest entertainment of life.

 The ghost behind him extended its right hand. Before he reached the door, it had already been opened.

 “Donnie, have you filled the form?” Sammy walked into the dormitory and asked casually, but he already knew the answer. Donnie would never have cold feet as long as he had made up his mind.

 “Yes.” A depressed, lost, and lethargic voice came from a corner. Sammy could tell that something was not right despite his drowsiness. So, he looked over in surprise, only to discover that the light of the dormitory was still off. The bright moon shined through the glass window on the desk and the bookshelf, covering them in silver brilliance. Donnie, on the other hand, sat on his bed, with half of his face basked in the moonlight and the other half hidden in the deep darkness. He couldn’t have looked more depressive.

 “What happened?” Sammy asked in surprise. Countless thoughts turned over in his head, only to be ruled out by him one after another.

 In a low voice, Donnie said, “Mr. Evans has introduced quantum theory into body structure and genetics by regarding life as a whole arcana system. He believes that there is a most fundamental genetic unit that passes the information on to the next generation through duplication…”

 His description was slow and stunned, as if it were his dream talk.

 “Well…” As a talent of the school of necromancy, Sammy keenly sensed exciting content from the brief and inaccurate narration. That was an innovative and groundbreaking hypothesis. Arcanists would be filled with the passion to study life. After his excitement, he also frowned and said, “Does it mean that we have to study quantum theory as well as the formulas and equations?”

 Was it still the school of necromancy that played with… no, studied the body and the soul?

 Donnie seemed to be crying. “What you said will undoubtedly become a reality.”

 “That explains why you…” Greatly enlightened, Sammy looked at Donnie sympathetically. “You must’ve learned it after you filled out the form, right?”

 Donnie heaved a sigh. “Yes.”

 If he wanted to make another choice, he would have to wait for the application next year, and his family conditions obviously did not allow him to do so.

 “As a matter of fact, you can think from an alternative perspective. Since even Mr. Evans has started paying attention to the realm, it means that the realm boasts extremely high exploration and research value. With Mr. Evans’ guidance, there are bound to be plenty of creative and groundbreaking achievements. If we join the realm at such a time, we will earn copious returns. It’s just like the Atom Institution. Thanks to the crazy development of the microscopic domain, of the few major arcanists, two have become archmages, and the rest of them are all senior-rank sorcerers above the seventh circle.” Sammy comforted Donnie.

 Donnie’s face was rather gloomy, and he opened his mouth many times only to come up with nothing. In the end, he could only smile bitterly.

 “Hehe.”

 ……

 The sunlight in June was as enthusiastic as fire, and the test field of the College Entrance Exam of Advanced Magic was even hotter, like boiling oil.

 Although apprentices who were admitted by the preliminary magic schools and successfully reached the fifth grade were considered elites decades ago, thanks to the development of arcana and magic, the ratio of such elites was getting higher and higher. If they went to study in magic colleges, the odds that they became official sorcerers were above fifty percent. They would turn from ordinary people into someone of the upper class with knowledge and power. Therefore, not only had the apprentices come to the test field in advance, but their parents, relatives, and friends had also gathered outside of the test field to cheer for them.

 Since only a limited number of test fields had been set up, the place was jam-packed with people.

 “For me, such an environment is like a grave.” Sammy looked around lethargically. This place was the Mills Noble School. It was one of the test fields for the College Entrance Exam.

 Donnie intended to smile, only to discover that his facial muscles were rigid. “No, for you, graves are great places. They’re cold, quiet, and undisturbed. This place can hardly compare to that.”

 “You seem a bit nervous?” Sammy raised his bloated eyes and looked at Donnie. He had been admitted by the Heidler College and therefore was not worried about the exam that was only part of the formalities. Of course, he could not give too bad a performance either, or his application wouldn’t pass the Committee of Arcana and Magic Education, which was a new committee established twenty years ago and led by both the Affair Committee and the Magic Research Board.

 Donnie licked his dry lips and said, “Now that I’ve made a choice, I’ll have to do my best. Since it is unavoidable, I have to face the shadow bravely…”

 He did not answer the question. Suddenly, the sunlight became dim, and the obstreperous crowd fell silent.

 “What’s that?” Donnie raised his head subconsciously, only to see a silver aircraft floating in midair. It was as huge as dozens of common aircraft, blocking the sun and emitting a cold and dreamy sheen. Long and graceful, it slowly descended without any shaking.

 “Such a huge aircraft? Also, it completely ignores the restraints of floating and flight skills. Its engine system must be a minimized fission device!” Sammy’s eyes bulged as he observed the aircraft with great interest, making a “professional” judgment.

 For the children who grew up after the beginning of the arcana calendar, which was 830 of the divine calendar as well as the year of Viken’s demise, it was their common wish to have their own aircraft. The alchemical cars that ran on the ground were simply too crude and hideous!

 Therefore, the journal “Aircraft” had always been a bestseller.

 Donnie shared his passion for aircraft. With his anxiety soothed, he looked at the sky and said in amazement, “It must be a minimal fission device. At the very least, there’s no news about the success of controllable fusion devices yet… Mr. President, Mr. Evans, Mr. Fernando, Ms. Hathaway, Mr. Raventi, and Mr. Morris haven’t broken the obstacle yet…”

 “Those who can afford the minimized fission devices can’t be general nobles. Even the common grand nobles can’t think about it either…” Sammy squinted under the sunlight. “Huh. Why is there no sigil? Is it blocked on purpose?”

 Donnie looked carefully. “Indeed, there isn’t any, but a big shot must be inside nonetheless.”

 The aircraft moved forward slowly and lowered its altitude, until it was parked on the unmanned square behind the teaching building, leaving everyone’s sight.

 “Which sir has come to inspect the exam? Or has a big shot of extraordinary background come to take the exam?” Sammy moved his eyes back and became as pale as before. The ghost behind him, on the other hand, seemed to have melted into his body. It could barely be seen now.

 Donnie was about to say that he did not know when the crowd was separated and a team of knights in silver armor, carrying weird black backpacks and cylindrical metal guns, walked by neatly. They were expressionless and intimidating. The people were so scared that none of them made any sound.

 “It’s the Sword of Truth’s Knights!” Donnie noticed that the knights all had red and purple emblems on their chests. It was a crown made of cloud-like lines, next to a scepter that represented the ultimate power and a cold longsword. That was the badge of the Hoffenberg family.

 Even more surprised, Sammy said, “It’s the Guardian Squad! They’re carrying the super-mini fission devices!”

 The crowd was even quieter after they heard his words. The Guardian Squad was an elite team of the Sword of Truth’s Knights. They were dedicated to protection missions. Although not all the members were radiant knights, they were all equipped with super-mini fission backpacks and Gauss Rifles. The former could provide abundant electricity and triggering medium for the latter, thereby significantly lowering the demand to use a senior-rank item like the Gauss Rifle. So, in the Guardian Squad, even a level-four grand knight could use the Gauss Rifle many times.

“It seems that a certain big shot with a terrifying background has indeed come to participate in the College Entrance Exam…” Donnie said with complicated feelings.

 The students here had all applied for the Heidler College. After the regular subjects were finished in the first three days, the additional tests on necromancy would be held here.

 Clang!

 A bell rang, urging the apprentices to enter the classrooms.

 Donnie took a deep breath and looked at Sammy before he slowly walked into another teaching building.

 ……

 Inside a library where the sun was shining brightly…

 A young man in a magic robe turned on the strange alchemical device the size of a desk with a smile. On the screen that looked like a water beam, the words “You’re welcome to use artificial intelligence” appeared. Then, another interface was displayed, with many icons that were marked with different words.

The young man picked up a pair of metal plates that were connected to the artificial intelligence device and stuck them to his forehead before he clicked on the icon that read “Virtual Adventure”.

 Then, the young man felt that the bookshelf, the desk, and the sunlight around him faded off and was replaced by a green and refreshing grassland, on which there were plenty of bizarre-looking magic creatures.

 “Developing games by combining illusion with artificial intelligence is the most thrilling achievement in the past five years!” The young man complimented again, “It’s a pity that the network hasn’t been established, and the artificial intelligence device is too expensive. There are too few players in the game. Otherwise, it would be exponentially more interesting.”

 The moment he finished his remark, he suddenly felt enormous pressure. He saw that a giant dragon whose whole body was in red flew by and glimpsed at him with its gold eyes as if he were an ant. Both his mind and his legs were trembling.

 “Is… Is this the might of dragons?” The young man felt that his heart was beating particularly fast. He was very excited. That was how the might of dragons felt!

 Right when his body was still frozen, a bull-like monster full of thorns passed by and looked at him greedily. Then, its body shook and launched dozens of sharp black thorns.

 “Crap. I’m ambushed by the Anarchi Bull. My level is going to be lowered again…” the young man cried before he was hit in the heart by the thorns.

 Unimaginable pain came over, making him think subconsciously, “The pain of the illusion is so real. It hurts!”

 He suddenly felt that his body was cold and paralyzed. His heart seemed to have stopped beating. His head was in a mess, and he could see nothing but darkness.