Mercenary Wars

Chapter 230 The Meaning of Going to School

“The last spell I will demonstrate is the Earth Elemental Blessing spell, Stone Skin,” Gaucano repeated, responding to the astonishment of several judges, including Archmage Albert.

The judges, who had been somewhat distracted, perked up and began to discuss among themselves: "Stone Skin? He just demonstrated Blessing of the Wind, right?"

"He is blessed by both the wind and earth elements?"

"Could it be that they're using magic runes to impersonate it...?"

"Check the 'Magicprint Alert'."

Spellcasting with runes is prohibited during the spellcasting test, but silencing rune spells individually is almost impossible, so a magic circle called "Rune Warning" was set up in the hall.

If a candidate uses magic runes to cast a spell, a magic rune warning will be issued to prevent the candidate from cheating.

Archmage Albert coughed twice, and the judges' panel gradually quieted down.

"You demonstrate first," he said, his tone still calm, but clearly with a hint of scrutiny and expectation.

Gao Jiano said nothing and immediately activated Earth Skin.

Then he picked up an iron sword and twisted it into a ball with his bare hands, displaying astonishing strength and physical power.

A simple and straightforward demonstration.

The discussion among the judges immediately grew louder.

"His movements were hardly affected; it was indeed the Blessed Stone Skin Technique!"

"And it seems to be even stronger than the previous Blessed Stone Skin Technique!"

“That shouldn’t be the case…” some judges said, taking out classic texts to look through and consult.

A significant difference between Blessed Stoneskin and Magic Stoneskin lies in their impact on mobility; Magic Stoneskin makes one very clumsy, while Blessed Stoneskin is much better.

Gaucano's actions did not appear clumsy to the naked eye, which basically indicates that he was using the Blessed Stone Skin spell, rather than the Magic Stone Skin spell.

However, it's clear that some judges still don't quite believe it.

Archmage Albert was one of them.

The Archmage Albert immediately recited a spell and then pointed a finger at Gaucano.

With an invisible fluctuation, a line of information suddenly appeared in Gao Jiano's mind.

[Status Acquired: High-Level Element Detection]

Then Gaucano saw that Archmage Albert's face showed an increasingly obvious surprise.

The other judges also asked, "Well, Albert?"

Albert paused briefly before slowly speaking: "Although it is somewhat unbelievable, he does indeed possess the sacred names of both the wind and earth elements."

The judges' panel immediately erupted in uproar.

The twenty-odd judges immediately perked up, their earlier drowsiness vanishing completely.

"By Mosa, there really is someone who can possess the blessings of mutually exclusive elements simultaneously!"

"When Randolph told me this before, I didn't believe him! Ah, Randolph is so knowledgeable!"

One judge even said directly, "Albert, make him my apprentice. You know, elemental relationships are my specialty!"

Another judge immediately retorted: "I've also studied the theory of elemental relationships, and you already have a disciple, so give this one to me!"

Listening to the judges' heated discussion, Gao Jiano felt that the development of events had greatly exceeded his expectations.

He first realized that having the blessing of mutually exclusive elements was a rare thing from the Flameguard Abohir.

Abohir's initial reaction was not strong, leading him to believe that it was no big deal.

It now seems that the truth is likely that Eboshir, as a noble among elemental beings, possessed a lofty status and near-eternal life, and his knowledge was far beyond that of ordinary people.

This was already surprising to Abohir, but for mortals it was even more unimaginable.

The good news is that Gaogano is confident that his admission is a sure thing.

The bad news is that it's destined that I won't be able to keep a low profile at Ax Magic Academy.

In particular, several professors started vying to make him their disciple, which made him feel immense pressure and secretly had a headache.

"Quiet down, everyone." Albert frowned slightly, once again calming the judges' discussion.

Once the scene had calmed down, he first addressed the professors, saying, "The matter of disciples is still far off, and it's not something you or I can decide. After all, mentors choose disciples, and disciples choose mentors. If a student is unwilling, no one can force them."

Several professors hesitated, as if they wanted to say something but then stopped.

But Albert clearly didn't want to elaborate on this matter, and instead looked at Gao Jiano, asking thoughtfully, "When you obtained your second elemental holy name, did anything special happen?"

“No.” Gao Jiano shook his head.

"Under what circumstances did you obtain your second elemental holy name?" Professor Matthew asked.

"I acquired it while on a mission. I used to be a mercenary in Southsea Town." Gao Jiano rarely lied about such questions, but he never told the whole story either.

The judges all nodded knowingly.

“Southshore was indeed quite chaotic before the Dubto War ended,” Professor Matthew said.

Another professor remarked with a sigh, "Strange holy names and blessings are more likely to emerge in chaotic places, and geniuses and heroes are more likely to appear in chaotic times. Perhaps this is why!"

Albert finally asked, "What's your name?"

"Gaucano".

Albert nodded: "Go back and wait for the results."

"Thank you, judges." Gao Jiano bowed in thanks, then left with mixed feelings.

I got home that evening.

Gao Jiano lay on the bed, and after a long period of contemplation, he got up and took a book from the bookshelf—"The Survival Manual of Ax Magic Academy".

Now that enrollment is a done deal, why not think more about life at the college?

Gao Jiano opened "The Survival Handbook of Ax Magic Academy" and began to read while leaning against the headboard.

Before this, he had read the "Survival Handbook of Ax Magic Academy," but he hadn't finished it or read it carefully.

Now that I'm reading it again, I naturally want to read it carefully.

In summary, the entire contents of "The Survival Handbook of Ax Magic Academy" revolve around one question: Why go to a magic academy?
"Everyone aspires to attend a magic academy, but very few can truly explain the meaning of studying there," the author writes.

Gao Jiano agrees with this, because before obtaining the "Ax Magic Academy Survival Handbook," he himself lacked a clear understanding of the meaning of studying at a magic academy. The dazzling halo of a first-class magic academy obscured many actually important considerations.

Following a somewhat cynical preface, the author then provides his answer to the question.

The primary significance of studying at a magic academy is being a "human being".

Especially at top-tier magic academies like Ax Magic Academy, the dean is a renowned figure across the continent, even etched in history; the teachers are social elites; and most students come from wealthy families. A casual stroll through Ax Magic Academy might reveal three dukes' sons, five earl heirs, a classmate's lover might be a princess, and a teacher's brother might be a marshal.

The immense value of these connections goes without saying.

However, this is not the most important network of connections.

The most important personal connections are those between mentors and disciples.

"The biggest difference between mentors and parents is that the former can be chosen, at least in theory," the author says, highlighting the importance of mentors.

The reason why the mentor is so important lies mainly in a spell.

Six-ring spell, name-giving spell.

As the name suggests, this spell grants one's holy name to another.

Of course, spells have many limitations. For example, they can only be given to people of lower rank or younger age than oneself. Some holy names cannot be given, or they require an extremely high cost to cast.

Moreover, the spell itself is a sixth-circle spell, almost the most difficult spell of its time, and not just anyone can master it.

But in any case, a holy name is probably the most precious gift in the world.

The act of bestowing a sacred name signifies the closest personal relationship, perhaps comparable only to that between parents. Therefore, comparing choosing a mentor to a second reincarnation is not an exaggeration.

Inheriting a sacred name from a mentor usually includes inheriting the mentor's estate or even certain status. It's not uncommon throughout history for impoverished, struggling young people from the countryside to rise to the top of the social ladder through the sacred name and wealth bestowed upon them by their mentors.

This is something that even ordinary people would find tempting, let alone Gaucano. After all, who would complain about having too many holy names? Moreover, the holy names that mentors bestow upon their disciples are usually rare and powerful, representing their greatest legacy in this world.

However, becoming a disciple is not an easy task.

Only professors and chair professors are qualified to take on disciples, and the total number of professors and chair professors in the entire Ax Academy of Magic is no more than one hundred.

These fewer than one hundred people, in their entire lives, could at most take in two hundred disciples.

With several thousand students enrolled at Ax Magic Academy, the competition is fierce.

Becoming a disciple does not necessarily mean that you will inherit everything from your mentor.

This is similar to how being born into nobility doesn't guarantee inheriting everything from your noble father. A father might bestow everything upon his most outstanding child, or he might divide the inheritance, giving each child a portion. Furthermore, many professors only accept "honorary disciples," meaning they don't actually inherit anything.

Therefore, only a very few people can become true "magical heirs" and inherit their mentor's entire mantle.

Perhaps to compensate for the regret of most ordinary students who cannot become "magical heirs", the Academy of Magic established three major schools.

Avis School.

The Orsini School.

The Laziville School.

Ordinary students who successfully graduate can have the name of the corresponding school added after their name, which is equivalent to obtaining a noble status in a certain sense.

The three schools also have more easily understood names: the Arcane School, the Spell School, and the Elemental School.

From the most abstract arcane arts to the relatively concrete spells, and then to the most concrete elements, the practicality of these three increases in that order. Below them are more than a dozen sub-schools and several informal schools, which together form the organizational framework of the Academy of Magic.

The first major event for new students is choosing a school of thought. After advancing to higher grades, they choose a branch of thought, and then they compete to become disciples.

Gaucano had planned for this long ago.

He had long hoped to join the Laziville School—or the Element School.

The reason is simple: the Elementalists can learn alchemy.

This brings us to the second major significance of studying at a magic academy—knowledge.

The Academy of Magic is actually a higher entity than the Mage Guild, and the exchange of knowledge within the academy is completely free from the guild's monopoly.

In other words, the magic academy has almost free and unlimited knowledge resources, including all kinds of high-level spells and alchemy recipes, which can be learned at will.

With his superb alchemy skills combined with his plant perception, he can achieve comprehensive and rapid growth.

This was a tremendous temptation for Gaugano.

As for the other two major schools of thought...

The knowledge of the arcane school is too difficult, and it seems to have limited applications. Graduates either stay at the school to teach or go to maintain portals and city defense magic circles.

The school of incantations studies sacred names, mysticism known as "natural history," incantations, divination, prophecy, curses, and so on—a hodgepodge that produces many scholars and court diviners, but seems to be of little practical use. Divination, in particular, is almost entirely unrelated to Gaucano.

The Elementalists are the most pragmatic, focusing on practical fields such as elemental magic, alchemy, and magical forging. They offer a wide range of employment opportunities and promising career prospects.

Therefore, after learning about the three major schools of thought for the first time, Gaucano had basically decided to choose the Elemental School.

Needless to say, his simultaneous blessing from both wind and earth elements has already piqued the interest of the elementalists, making it unlikely he'd be able to choose another school. Today's test results speak for themselves. The professors from the elementalists looked at him as if he were a priceless treasure. Under these circumstances, choosing another school would not only be unwise but could also offend people.

After introducing the guiding principles for studying, the "Ax Magic Academy Survival Handbook" then begins to explain some "survival skills" to students from a micro perspective.

For example, the reputation of teachers.

Ax Magic Academy has several hundred teachers, whose titles are divided into three categories, from highest to lowest: Chair Professor, Professor, and Lecturer.

The "Ax Magic Academy Survival Handbook" provides information on the reputations and rumors surrounding all chair professors, most professors, and some lecturers, and also includes a questionnaire to support this information.

For example, the evaluation of the Matthew Chair Professorship includes:

"A stubborn old man."

"Our thinking is stuck two hundred years in the past."

"I can't stand seeing female trainees wearing short skirts."

"A respectable elder."

"Never make things difficult for students."

……

The "Axes Magic Academy Survival Handbook" collected dozens of evaluations of Professor Matthew. After reading it once, Gao Gano immediately had a general impression of him.

He's somewhat conservative in his thinking, but seems to be a decent person.

Gaucano then looked at the evaluation of Albert:

"He never smiles."

"It has no special features, like a decent quality watch."

"Graduated from DeepBlue."

"I heard he's the next dean."

"Hair is an illusion."

"Divorced."

(End of this chapter)