Chapter 21: An Entrance Test with Era-Specific Characteristics

Shade nodded, committing the doctor's words regarding the authentication of the Rode cards to memory.

In truth, he didn't hold much hope that the cards in his hands were genuine. Although the late detective's behavior suggested he was an absolute fanatic for Rode cards, he was ultimately just an ordinary person with a middle-class income; it was impossible for him to possess such precious items.

As for the museum the detective had mentioned before his death, Shade suspected it was likely a black market hub for counterfeit Rode cards. Therefore, he planned to visit the Seer Association for authentication when he had time, and only head to the museum once he was completely at ease.

Once he confirmed the loan from the group to resolve his tuition issues, the formal enrollment process began.

Shade had assumed the academy would send someone over, but the doctor handled the entire procedure

"Remember, we are correspondence Circle Warlocks. The academy provides us with knowledge, and we satisfy our required credits through study and examinations, and earn practical credits through academy missions. That is our relationship with the academy—it is somewhat similar to a special employment system. There is no need to pay too much attention to the academy, at least not until you climb the northern glaciers with us and enter the academy itself."

The doctor waved his hand, while the lady writer believed that Shade would experience this firsthand in a few weeks.

The two official Circle Warlocks had to notify the academy that a new correspondence Circle Warlock was enrolling. The method of contacting St. Byron's Comprehensive Academy was through the measuring object of a Poet-level [Relic]: [The Manuscript of Poet Cohen].

Poet Cohen had also been a student of St. Byron's Comprehensive Academy, though that was in a previous epoch. Although the Fifth Epoch consisted only of female casters, the academy still recruited a small number of male students to conduct certain research that did not require supernatural powers.

The number of pages in his relic manuscript exceeded three digits, and every single page could facilitate information transfer and the teleportation of small items to the manuscript's cover.

This was the primary method for St. Byron's Comprehensive Academy to communicate with correspondence Circle Warlocks, as well as for the distribution of textbooks and the submission of assignments. Among them, the manuscript pages for Doctor Schneider's group were kept by the highest-ranking doctor in the group.

It was a parchment scroll, but it was quite large, roughly the size of an unfolded book. Currently, it was blank and looked very old; one could even see loose threads swaying on the page.

"First, your basic information and your tuition."

The doctor instructed Shade to use a blue fountain pen to briefly write down information such as his address, age, occupation, and past experiences on a piece of stationery, then placed an envelope containing a stack of banknotes onto the manuscript page.

With a flash of light, the envelope containing the gold pounds and the paper with the written information vanished.

After several dozen seconds, a receipt emerged from the manuscript page. Written in both Delarion and Carsonric—the two languages commonly used in the Old Continent—the receipt displayed the amount received and even bore the academy's official seal.

"Truly professional."

The receipt was temporarily left with the doctor; Shade would retrieve it after paying him back.

"Next is the trust test. The academy needs to test whether an enrolling correspondence Circle Warlock is a cultist or someone hiding their past with ulterior motives. The academy has its own secrets that cannot be easily known by outsiders," the doctor said casually.

"How is this tested?"

Shade was somewhat anxious. He didn't need to worry about the original owner's lack of mental acuity, but he was worried about his identity as a transmigrator.

Before the doctor could answer, Miss Dorothy Louisa beat him to it, a smile playing on her lips

"How nostalgic. This is standard procedure—please write an essay of no less than eight hundred words on your thoughts regarding Good and Evil, and Order and Chaos."

"Huh?"

Shade thought he had misheard.

"This step is also to ensure the applicant is literate. The academy does not accept illiterate students. Shade, I know you aren't very well-read, so you can keep it simple," the doctor said kindly.

"But why an essay? I thought it would be a lie-detector style Q&A."

The fact that it was an essay allowed Shade to breathe a sigh of relief; what he feared most were lie-detector questions. If they asked about his "past," he would likely run into major trouble.

"Lie detectors can ultimately be cheated, but an essay reflects a person's continuous thoughts, their attitude, and their nature that they themselves might not even be aware of. This is more reliable and carries the characteristics of the era.

Oh, Detective, this is not a chaotic epoch. In the age of civilization and steam, the entrance test should, of course, be civilized," the lady writer added, leaning back on the sofa with a relaxed air, clearly enjoying the feeling of watching someone being forced to write an essay.

Thus, Shade was forced to undergo the eight-hundred-word "enrollment essay test." He could understand what he read and heard, but speaking and writing required relying on the knowledge provided by the voice in his head, making it quite strenuous. However, this also allowed Doctor Schneider, who was observing the scene, to confirm that his investigation into the original Shade was correct.

Good and evil, order and chaos—these were relatively broad topics. Eight hundred words seemed like a lot, but if one truly wrote seriously, they might not even finish the introduction.

Following the principle of "write less to make fewer mistakes," Shade divided the short test into four paragraphs: the first paragraph contained some pleasantries, the second discussed good and evil, the third discussed order and chaos, and the fourth provided a conclusion.

This made the logic much smoother, and Shade was quite skilled at writing in this manner.

While Shade was writing his enrollment test, the doctor was not idle either.

St. Byron's standard enrollment process also included having the group's Circle Warlock lead a gifted individual through a mystery-related incident to judge whether the gifted person's character was suitable to become a Circle Warlock.

The incident involving the recovery of the [Life Countdown Pocket Watch] this morning would suffice, but a report would need to be submitted explaining the gifted individual's performance.

So, while Shade wrote a short essay, the doctor had to write a report, which was likely more troublesome. However, Miss Louisa was quite happy, as she was the only one who didn't have to write anything.

While the two men were heads-down writing, she sat there holding a teacup and watching them, wearing an indescribable expression of leisure.

The essay and the report were sent away via the manuscript simultaneously. It took a full half-hour before an enrollment notice bearing Shade's full name was delivered. His enrollment rating was "Excellent." During this time, the three of them had been conversing, providing Shade with some basic knowledge.

"Actually, the enrollment rating only consists of 'Excellent' and 'Unqualified,' unlike the academic year evaluations and year-end summaries, which are divided into Excellent, Exceeds Expectations, Pass, Fail, and Terrible," the doctor whispered.

"It's a little trick by the academy to gain your favor," the blonde writer added.

Shade found this amusing, but it also made him realize that the academy was indeed very formal and not just some small organization.

"Now, for the next step, I will help you officially take up your position as a Circle Warlock and push open the door to the supernatural. Only after you obtain your core rune can you determine which professional academy you will join. As for textbooks and study materials, they will be delivered in three days; after all, the academy needs time to prepare them."