T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World

"Those arrogant people should see what these strangers are like," Garcia thought to himself.

Chapter 46 No one can bully our Mint

The Star Speakers Royal Magic Academy is the premier magic academy in the Ana Empire.

Countless geniuses have emerged since its founding nine hundred years ago, each leaving an indelible mark on history.

However, the spindle-shaped stone tablets in front of the academy were so crowded, and the inscriptions were so meticulous, that even these proud sons of heaven, who looked out over the vast territory of the empire, were sifted through by the merciless comb.

The gray, spindle-shaped stone tablet, which appears to float like crystal, still has large blank areas unmarked by any legendary names.

The Royal Academy of Star Speakers does not prevent outsiders from visiting; the academy has designated special areas for visitors to satisfy people's curiosity about this ancient institution.

At this moment, Jiang Heyi was surrounded by travelers from other parts of the mainland, who, guided by their tour guide, walked past the stone tablet commemorating the founding of the academy, a monument dedicated solely to legends.

"Have you ever thought about leaving your name on it?"

Jiang Heyi was right.

Leaving a name behind was Mint's goal when she enrolled.

Standing before the stone tablet once again, she felt remarkably calm, devoid of the passion and impulsiveness of yesteryear.

Without showing any disdain or looking down on the potion masters of the Anna Empire, Mint showed great respect for the sages inscribed on the stone tablet.

The architecture of the Star Speakers Royal Magic Academy is a mixed style, like a combination of Baroque and Gothic.

Tourists can be seen everywhere in the buildings that are open to the public for free exploration.

According to Mint, every magic academy in the Ana Empire has pilgrims from all over the continent.

Anna's overwhelming strength and inclusive policies embrace people of different races, which is the greatest source of confidence for the latter.

Throughout the millennia-long history of the empire, every war it waged resulted in one of only four outcomes: a complete victory, a major victory, a minor victory, or a stalemate.

Humiliating defeats were so few that the sense of shame associated with defeat was unprecedented.

If it weren't for the fact that 500 years ago, the then-Emperor of the Anna Empire publicly declared a non-expansion policy to maintain the existing territory, the empire would be far more than just a quarter of the continent.

Zhong Zemo, a history teacher, has a deep understanding of the historical cycle, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but ask.

"Is the empire unwilling to expand its territory, or unable to bear the administrative costs that would result from such expansion?"

After a moment's thought, Mint replied, "Both are true. After all, not every race is willing to become a member of Anna, and it is very difficult to bridge the differences between different groups."

The Anna Empire has experienced countless rebellions over the course of a thousand years, some related to the tyranny of local lords, and others to irreconcilable conflicts between different intelligent species.

The main reason that has kept this huge and bloated empire standing is the military strength of the powerful continent.

Most of these people come from major royal academies.

Currently, the Empire's highest combat strength is at the eighth tier.

Since NPCs and players use a separate combat power evaluation system, strategy teams have already tested it. Based on player feedback, the following conjectures can be made.

Rank 1 ≈ 3-4 levels

Therefore, the highest combat power group in the Anna Empire is roughly equivalent to a player's level 32.

Considering the official level cap of 20 announced by the game developers, and the fact that NPCs' overall combat power surpasses that of players, many players believe that these figures will fluctuate after future version updates that raise the level cap.

In the current version, players who want to defeat these higher-level opponents can only rely on teamwork, strategy, preparation, and most importantly, skill.

Since he did not obtain the recipe for creating the monster encyclopedia, Jiang Heyi had no way of knowing what rank the creatures in the Clear Ones' Underground Temple were.

We still haven't had enough dogs.

"Mint, aren't you a student here? Can't you show us around the areas further inside?" the jailer asked expectantly.

Mint scoffed, "You're just here to admire the witch, aren't you?"

"Since we're all here at the academy, what's wrong with admiring the witch's heroic figure?" the jailer said matter-of-factly. "By the way, are you still a member of the academy, or have you already graduated?"

When they reached the fountain in the square, Mint suddenly stopped, her hand on the brim of her hat, as if she wanted to pull it down, but for some reason, she hesitated to make the next move.

The jailer thought Mint was under his control and was about to say something when a voice interrupted from the side.

"Oh, am I seeing things? Isn't this mint?"

Looking in the direction of the sound, a young man with shoulder-length light blonde hair led six or seven people behind him.

The young man pushed up his monocle on his right eye, then quickly took it off, and let out a dramatic exclamation.

"It really is Senior Mint, what a rare guest!"

"Is this a return to familiar grounds, a chance to relive the feeling of studying at the academy?"

Mint loosened her grip on the brim of her hat, and the timidity and displeasure on her face seamlessly switched to mockery.

"Isn't that Conrad? How about it, still last place?"

"If I remember correctly, you were number one in many exams back then, setting a record for the worst performance in the history of the Star Speaker Academy."

"Keep it up. Even if you can't leave your name on the legendary stone tablet, at least leave a lasting mark on the academy's records."

The two clearly had a grudge against each other before, and they spared no effort in exposing each other's shortcomings.

Conrad was thick-skinned and remained calm and composed in front of a group of newly enrolled freshmen.

He turned around, clapped his hands, and gestured for the pedestrians around him to look at him.

Mint trembled involuntarily and subconsciously took a step back, bumping into Orange Tea's arms.

She pulled her hat brim down, took the hand that Orange Tea was offering, and whispered, "How about we go look at other places?"

It was too late; Conrad's booming voice immediately brought up Mint's glorious deeds.

"Mint, your former senior, studied potions and minored in alchemy. She left the academy half a year ago."

"Leave? Leave voluntarily?" someone asked.

"On the surface, it's voluntary, but I think anyone who openly contradicts their mentor and causes an explosion that destroys the potion lab due to operational errors wouldn't have the face to stay here."

Mint clenched her fist.

"Hey, you lot, are you her friends or her guests?" Conrad chuckled. "If she's using the Star Speaker Academy's name to swindle people, don't blame me for not warning you..."

"She was just lucky enough to sneak into the academy through a special spot. She's a witch of questionable character, and she's not the same as someone who has actually received systematic training at the academy."

No wonder Mint's reaction was subtle when the college she attended was mentioned.

“How have I acted improperly?” Mint gritted her teeth, staring intently at Conrad.

There were more people around. Originally, most of the onlookers were tourists from the sightseeing area, but now there were also more and more people wearing silver and red college uniforms.

"Wasn't I clear enough? You talked back to your mentor, questioned the accuracy of his potion recipe, and it was clearly a favor from him that you communicated with him privately. Yet you turned around and denounced him as despicable in class." Conrad snorted disdainfully. "The principle of respecting the sages, did no one teach you that, you orphan wild mint?"

"Wild mint," a taboo word.

Mint's eyes instantly reddened, clearly triggering some unpleasant memories.

She angrily tried to rush up and argue, but Jiang Heyi and Zhong Zemo held her down.

“See, I told you she’s a person of bad character, barbaric, vulgar, arrogant, and a disgrace to the Star Speaker Academy.”

Jiang Heyi whispered to Bohe, "I believe you."

After spending this time together, everyone knows what kind of person Mint is, and the boundaries between reality and illusion are clear to each other.

Is he of bad character?

That's true to some extent; being greedy and avaricious is practically a label for her.

Yet, when she learned that going to the boundary between the real and the virtual world would mean "dying," she took out her most precious scroll to save her life.

In Mint's mind, the boundary between the virtual and the real is a group of people with very problematic cognition and experience, who are bumpkins who appeared out of nowhere.

She wasn't a player; she was a living person who couldn't be resurrected after death. Therefore, the moment she took out the scroll, her emotions were absolutely genuine.

She has countless ways to exploit information gaps and reap the benefits of potions, but after each symbolic interaction, she still confesses.

It's more like a little game between friends. If they're caught, they just smile at each other; if they're not, they'll find a suitable opportunity to mention it casually.

Jiang Heyi stood up, his words already prepared.

Mint may be tongue-tied, but he's not stupid.

The jailer tilted his head, his face already showing impatience.

He was equally eager to make a move, and his attack speed was much faster than Jiang Heyi's.

"Are your family members wholesalers? Why are you being so aggressive?"

The prison guard initiated a confrontation, immediately canceling Conrad's household registration and rapidly increasing Conrad's strength. He insulted Conrad without resorting to vulgar language, yet every word he uttered was a way of expelling Conrad from his human form.

What is the art of language? This is the art of language!

Actually, both Jiang Heyi and the prison guard are quite good at laning.

Just how good is it...?

I've been surfing the internet for many years now, and both my cyber parents are still alive.

Mint, whose eyes were red from listening to the mixed doubles match, suddenly calmed down and felt a strange sense of satisfaction—from childhood to adulthood, no one had ever stood up for her after she was bullied.

The one-sided verbal battle made Conrad's eyes bloodshot; he, who had never been tortured by the art of language, was furious.

"Let's duel!"

The two stopped attacking and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Conrad had a strange feeling that his words had frightened the two of them.

"What good is being good with words? One-on-one duel is the only true test."

"You're not scared, are you?"

afraid?

Just kidding, Jiang Heyi was only surprised by the new gameplay and wondered if he would receive any special rewards.

Are weapons permitted?

"If you want to use it, of course you can."

"Bring your own is fine too?"

Conrad laughed. What good weapons and equipment could someone dressed like that have?

"If you don't mind the embarrassment, feel free to use it."

Upon hearing this, the prison guard who had volunteered gestured for Jiang Heyi to proceed.

Having been ridiculed and humiliated in front of so many people, Conrad, fearing that the opportunity to redeem himself would slip away, quickly told his students to inform their mentor.

He wanted to make a big scene, to embarrass these people and Mint, and to make them a laughing stock in Annadu.

Chapter 47: A duel with a weapon as a bonus? That's too kind of you!

The Ana Empire has a long history of dueling culture. Legend has it that the empire's founder, the Twin Emperor Ana, decided who would become the decision-maker through a duel.

With this legendary history as a precedent, dueling became especially popular in the various academies of Anna.

The academy has always encouraged duels that end in a draw.

This is the foundation that enabled Anna to become the overlord of the continent, a manifestation of abundant martial virtue, and also a way for the younger generation to compete, learn from each other, and grow together.

Conrad's challenge to a duel was immediately answered, and a seventh-rank elven mentor appeared.

He confirmed with Conrad: "Purely armed duel, no time limit, no extra items allowed, right?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, the elven mentor looked at Jiang Heyi.

“You are not from Anadu, you are a stranger. Now you can still refuse a duel.”

Knowing that the other party was giving him a way out, Jiang Heyi smiled and shook his head, feeling their goodwill.

"I just want to get justice for my friend."

“Fairness?” Conrad laughed. “You can verify every word I said with Mint’s classmates and group members. What kind of fairness do you want from someone who’s ashamed to stay in the academy?”

"You'll know."

The elven instructors didn't take the duels between third- and fourth-tier students seriously; they'd seen this kind of thing many times after spending so much time at the academy.