Chapter 191: Marriage and Prospects
As newcomers, they didn't dare keep their senior classmates waiting for too long. In less than fifteen minutes, the new students were back in front of the dormitory gates.
The group then headed toward the cafeteria.
"The academy has two cafeterias: one on the north side and the other on the west. We're going to the western one now—Second Dining Hall."
Second Dining Hall was enormous; it could be seen from quite a distance.
As they got closer, they noticed a bulletin board at the entrance displaying the day’s recommended dishes.
[Today's special is Crystal Mushroom from the Underworld, which has a minor effect of enhancing Spirit activity. Twenty Gold Coins per serving.]
[Today’s special is Electric Spiked Dragon Meat from District 1, which has a small effect of strengthening Physique. Twelve Gold Coins per serving.]
[Today's special is Ice Rainbow Fish from the Underworld, which has a minor effect of increasing ice elemental resistance. Thirty Contribution Points per serving, limited to Second Level Wizard Apprentices and above.]
…
A crowd of Apprentices gathered around, seemingly discussing something. You could faintly hear people complaining about the high prices.
"Food in the cafeteria costs money, and the prices vary. The recommended dishes on the bulletin board are among the most expensive. Even we can only afford to eat them occasionally," Du Weini explained to the new students.
"But though they are pricey, most of the recommended dishes are worth the cost. If you go late, you might not be able to get them. Some dishes even require a certain level before you're eligible to buy them."
The prices on the bulletin board left the new students dumbfounded.
Most of them came from noble families with comfortable backgrounds, yet even they had never eaten a dish that cost ten or twenty Gold Coins.
Those prices felt like daylight robbery!
Du Weini noticed the expressions of the new students and simply smiled, saying nothing.
Once they tasted the flavors and experienced the effects of those dishes, they would realize that those Gold Coins were well spent.
Upon entering Second Dining Hall, they found the place divided into multiple areas, each with a different style, and the food provided was incredibly diverse.
The new students found a place to sit, and before long, a few staff members came to take their orders.
To the students' surprise, these staff members weren't human, but rather a peculiar species of humanoid female creatures.
They had copper-colored hair, skin as smooth as jade, and faces so perfect they looked like they had stepped out of a painting.
Their deep eyes were large and round, and their slender ears folded backward, giving them a slightly elven appearance.
They stood about a meter tall, slightly taller than halflings.
"Water Spirits, these are the cafeteria staff," Du Weini explained. "They are good-natured, love cleanliness, and possess the ability to manipulate Water Elemental Power."
"How come I've never heard of such creatures before?" one of the new students asked, puzzled.
Du Weini chuckled, "That's normal. Water Spirits are beings from another world; they don't exist on this continent, so naturally, you haven't seen them."
"They were summoned here by the Academy and have signed a contract with us, earning rewards for their service."
The appearance of the Water Spirits seemed to flip a switch, and the new students immediately began peppering them with questions.
Du Weini patiently answered them one by one, while Xie Qin sat beside them, expressionless.
Before long, the Water Spirits arrived with trays of food.
One particularly beautiful Water Spirit placed a tray in front of Fei Laming, giving him a sweet smile as she left.
Fei Laming's heart raced slightly, and he couldn’t help but glance at her retreating figure.
He had once thought the girl next door was very beautiful and had even dreamed of marrying her when he grew up, but now he found himself thinking the Water Spirit was quite nice, too.
After the lively meal, Xie Qin and Du Weini took the new students to the logistics department to receive Academy maps, rule books, exchange lists, books, robes, and brooches, among other supplies.
"Brooches are your student IDs, which are required for entry into many places, so remember to take care of them; it costs money to replace them if they are lost."
With that last instruction, Du Weini and Xie Qin departed.
The new students, clutching their supplies, gathered in small groups and returned to their dorms.
The dorms consisted of single rooms, each equipped with a living area, bedroom, and bathroom. The furniture was quite new, and the living environment was excellent.
Having just experienced many novelties at Starlight Academy, the new students were clearly excited, gathering in the corridors to chat and share their experiences.
After all, they were just teenagers, still immature in their minds despite their physical development.
Fei Laming did not join them and instead returned directly to his dormitory.
Just as he set down his belongings, Duo Nuohan came to visit.
"Fei Laming, which courses are you planning to register for tomorrow?"
Fei Laming had already made up his mind and replied without hesitation, "Everything! I'm registering for all the basic courses!"
Duo Nuohan's lips twitched slightly. "Are you really going to work that hard?"
Fei Laming shrugged. "What about you? What courses are you taking?"
Duo Nuohan sighed. "Since you put it like that, what choice do I have? I guess I'll register for everything too. I don't want to fall behind."
Fei Laming smiled and patted his shoulder. "Let’s do our best together!"
Having finally entered Starlight Academy, Fei Laming cherished this opportunity immensely.
Even if expulsion wasn’t a concern, he would still strive with everything he had.
After all, this was his only chance to transcend the mortal world!
Who wouldn’t want to live longer and witness the peak of the continent's splendor?
After a brief chat, Duo Nuohan left.
Fei Laming closed the door and eagerly picked up the book from the logistics department, carefully flipping through its pages.
"Star Ring Meditation"!
This was the only free book provided to new students.
To obtain more books, one would have to borrow them from the Library or exchange them for Gold Coins and Contribution Points.
Taking a deep breath, Fei Laming calmed his mind and focused on the reading in his hands.
He had asked Senior Sister Du Weini earlier and learned that among the senior students who had advanced to Second Level Wizard Apprentice, the fastest to grasp the basics of Star Ring Meditation was Senior Brother Xie Man, who did it in only twenty-five days. The slowest took no more than a month and a half.
He didn’t expect to break Xie Man's record, but at the very least, he aimed to grasp the basics of Star Ring Meditation within a month and a half.
Only then could he stand out among the new students.
Although he had only been there for less than a day, Fei Laming could already feel the intense competitive atmosphere at the Academy.
Everyone was striving to learn and cultivate, wasting not a single moment in their quest for strength.
This sense of urgency motivated him not to squander even a little bit of time.
"One day, I will also enter Dragon Bone Tower!"
Flash City, Imperial City.
Inside the Council Hall, Ke Yi furrowed his brow, lost in thought. Brad, Jordon, and Starry stood beside him, their eyes lowered in silence.
Recently, during the Aptitude Test, the Second Prince Weiss Yanest and Grand Duke Adela Yanest both failed, missing their chance to enter the Starlight Academy. After hearing this news, His Majesty had sighed and lamented endlessly before them.
Brad and the others were not surprised. Their sovereign was merely a Legendary Knight, not a formal wizard, and the likelihood of his descendants possessing wizard aptitude was no different from that of an average person.
After a moment, Jordon, the most impatient among them, could no longer endure the silence and exchanged a glance with Brad.
Brad rolled his eyes inwardly but cleared his throat, breaking the silence, “Your Majesty, it’s not entirely the fault of Prince Weiss and Prince Adela. Individuals with wizard aptitude are rare—one in a thousand. The two princes couldn’t have changed their innate talent.”
Ke Yi sighed, “I understand, and I’m not blaming them. However, the imperial family has been without a wizard apprentice for so long, and that could adversely affect our prestige in the long run.”
Brad and Starry exchanged concerned glances. This was indeed a pressing issue!
Jordon, less concerned than the others, shrugged and said, “You’re overthinking it, Your Majesty. Even if Prince Weiss and Prince Adela didn’t pass the Aptitude Test, there are still many princes in the royal family. Surely one of them will have wizard aptitude, right?”
Guided by the philosophy of having more children to ensure the family line, Ke Yi had fathered many offspring in recent years. Upon hearing Jordon’s words, he was momentarily taken aback but then wore a thoughtful expression. That’s right!
As long as he had enough children, one of them would surely possess wizard aptitude! He could still live for another hundred years, and if he continued to have children, he would eventually raise a wizard apprentice for the imperial family.
Given the empire's current resources, as long as the royal family produced a wizard apprentice, no matter how poor their aptitude, with the empire's full backing, they could potentially be nurtured into a Level Three Wizard Apprentice!
The more he pondered, the more feasible the idea seemed. With his mind racing, Ke Yi quickly formulated another solution.
“What do you think about arranging a marriage between the royal family and a Starlight Academy Wizard Apprentice?”
Brad and the others were momentarily taken aback before quickly grasping the intent behind Your Majesty's plan. The goal was to enhance the royal family's lineage through a union with a Wizard Apprentice.
After a brief silence, Brad hesitated. “Your Majesty, many nobles in the empire have had the same idea and have already approached Wizard Apprentices from the Academy. However, very few have agreed to marry.”
Ke Yi frowned at this news but soon relaxed again. The Wizard Apprentices of Starlight Academy were currently in their growth phase, naturally lacking the time or energy to devote to marriage. Moreover, Su Nan served as a cautionary example—anyone with ambition would likely reject a noble marriage.
But that was the past.
With the establishment of Starlight Academy, competition among the students intensified. Many students from common or lower noble backgrounds found it challenging to afford the enormous expenses of the Academy. To obtain resources, they had to invest considerable time and effort into completing missions.
However, if they married into a noble family with ample financial backing, they could save precious time to focus on their cultivation and studies, thereby advancing more swiftly through the early stages of development. This was a win-win situation for both students and nobles.
It was foreseeable that an increasing number of Wizard Apprentices would marry into noble families in the future, and in this regard, the royal family undoubtedly held a significant advantage. The resources the royal family could provide far exceeded those of the lesser nobles.
That said, Ke Yi understood that such arrangements could not be rushed and required careful planning. First, none of the current royal family members were of marriageable age; the eldest, Abbott, was still under eighteen. Second, selecting the right marriage partner was of utmost importance.
Ke Yi's most favored candidates were naturally the exceptional students like Sheman Cole, A'Tier, and Ethan, who had the highest potential of advancing to Level Three Wizard Apprentice. Yet he was acutely aware that these individuals would not require the empire's support and were unlikely to agree to such marriages. Perhaps in the future, should they see no hope for further breakthroughs, they might consider having offspring.
Excluding those individuals, Ke Yi also looked down on the other mid-tier candidates, such as Wizard Apprentices.
He preferred to select promising talents from the new generation, forming marriage alliances with them while they were still weak to support their rapid growth. Such partnerships would undoubtedly lead to a more stable relationship between both parties.
However, identifying potential newcomers was not a task that could be completed quickly; it required a long period of observation before a decision could be made.
After a moment's contemplation, Ke Yi resolved to move past the topic and shift to another matter.
"How is the mobilization of resources progressing?"
At the mention of serious business, Brad and the other two instinctively straightened their backs.
"All resources have been gathered in the border cities, sufficient to support a large-scale war!"
Ke Yi nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Are there any unusual activities in the surrounding countries?"
Brad replied, "Aside from stationing troops in towns bordering the Empire, there are no other unusual actions."
Ke Yi nodded in understanding.
It was not surprising for the surrounding nations to act this way. They were on guard against the Prosperous Star Empire potentially launching a war to unify the Southeast Region.
Currently, the Prosperous Star Empire was not at all inferior in land area to the original Azure Gold Empire. In terms of overall strength, it was even more powerful, especially since they had the only Wizard on the continent.
It could be said that the Prosperous Star Empire possessed more potential and strength to unify the Southeast Region than the Azure Gold Empire ever did.
Even if the Prosperous Star Empire claimed to have no intentions of unifying the Southeast Region, no country would believe that.
In truth, Ke Yi did indeed have plans for such unification. Moreover, the Southeast Region was merely the first step; his true goal encompassed the entire Starlight Continent.
On this point, Su Nan had discussed extensively with him, and the two brothers had reached a consensus.
With Su Nan’s support, Ke Yi felt even more confident.
When he thought of the empire's future prospects, although his temperament had become much more stable than before, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
At that moment, an internal affairs officer suddenly appeared at the entrance of the hall and bowed respectfully.
Ke Yi glanced at him and said calmly, "What is it?"
"Your Majesty, the Thorn Flower Principality has sent a messenger to request an audience."
As soon as these words were spoken, all four individuals in the hall were startled.
Jordon frowned. "Sending out a messenger at this time? Could they have discovered our plan?"
Starry, who had remained silent until then, interjected, "Probably not. While the Thorn Flower Principality has bolstered its troops in the border cities, that was before the Empire mobilized its resources. They shouldn't be aware of the Empire's intentions yet."
Ke Yi considered this for a moment, then waved his hand, saying, "Tell him to go to the Reception Hall. I'll meet him there."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Comments