The building they came across was a very high nine-story paG.o.da, excluding the ground floor, which was considered the zero story. The structure had been built with golden-colored bricks that shone with bright flashes in the sunlight. A series of lanterns called sky lanterns had been posted on the walls. These were nothing more than paper balloons with an opening at the bottom where a small flame hung and made the lantern float. All this gave a touch of mysticism and tranquility while also transmitting a pleasant smell.The structure of the entire paG.o.da was octagonal, so not only the floors but also the roofs between one story and another had this shape. The roofs, in fact, ended with an arched tip upwards at the exact points of the octagon used as the base of the paG.o.da. However, there were slight differences between each floor.
The floors of the paG.o.da weren"t perfectly the same. Each subsequent story was slightly smaller than the previous one, giving a feeling of upward momentum. In this way, the paG.o.da acquired a lean and elegant line to which also contributed the vertical white rod fixed on the top floor and stood proudly towards the skies.
"This is the Main Building. We call it that. Here all bureaucratic formalities such as the registration of new students are completed. There is also the Library where the various technical manuals are kept and the Exchange Center where you can buy any object. More details will be given to you later. One important thing, though - you must not fight in the Main Building for any reason. Inside are the various teachers and officials commissioned by the empire to manage this place. So it"s best to avoid p.i.s.sing one of them off." The guard who had accompanied Hei and Lian spoke as he warned the two young martial artists.
From the clear tone he had a.s.sumed, and how he had settled in one piece, it was clear that he too feared the fury of those who were in that paG.o.da. Hei and Lian nodded to make it clear that they had understood. They certainly wouldn"t have created problems in a place like that.
The guard seemed happy with their response and the silent tone they had a.s.sumed. So he led them inside, entering the open doors of the ground floor of the paG.o.da. The interior was bright thanks to a system of long horizontal windows placed just below the height of the ceiling. The walls were enriched with huge frescoes that depicted linear geometries that intersected according to an orderly pattern. Apparently, the Sun Empire loved to use precise and methodical forms for its buildings.
Hei and Lian followed the guard across the ground floor and stopped in front of a polished black wooden desk. Behind the desk sat one of the officers a.s.signed to manage the data of enrolled students. The guard briefly explained the situation. Then he handed to the official the letter of introduction from the commander of the outpost on the Dream Island. After a few minutes of checking, the official turned to Hei and Lian.
"Hei, Lian. 14-year-old and first-stage spirit soldier both of you. It is an incredible achievement for someone from the islands. You meet the requirements of the Southern Royal War Academy without problems. We will soon a.s.sign you to your dormitories, wait a moment." The official began to deal with various paperwork. From the ma.s.sive pile of paper he had, it seemed that there were a lot of students at the academy, despite being one of the most exclusive. Normally, it should have had fewer accepted candidates than other academies, but the number was still ma.s.sive.
The guard who accompanied Hei and Lian left to return to his station. His a.s.signment ended there. The two young martial artists bowed their heads again to show their appreciation and turned back to the official who had finished checking the availability of the rooms.
"Listen carefully. Before I a.s.sign you the rooms, I will quickly tell you about the rules of the academy. First of all, you will have to follow the compulsory cla.s.ses during the day. The cla.s.ses" time will be a.s.signed later. You aren"t allowed to be absent for any reason unless you are really physically unable to partic.i.p.ate. The punishment will come from the teacher in charge of the missed cla.s.s. For the rest, you are free to decide how to use your time. You can enroll in one of the secondary cla.s.ses if you practice a secondary activity or choose to cultivate or rest.
Second, it is forbidden to kill or severely damage one of your companions. If you have problems, you can solve them through a challenge. You can emit just one challenge once per month, and if the challenged person refuses the fight three times in a row, they will be called upon to pay a colossal price depending on the type of hostility that unites the two of you. It is also possible for you to call one of your fellow students as a subst.i.tute to fight for you. Although it isn"t well regarded as a thing, it is still a strength to know how to use one"s resources, including one"s subordinates or acquaintances.
For the rest, there are no other rules. All the martial artist students of the academy are part of the younger generation. Therefore, no one, not even teachers, can interfere with student relations.h.i.+ps. The only cases where this is possible is when the rules I mentioned earlier aren"t followed."
The official finished his speech as if he was reading it before his eyes. He had repeated it so many times that he knew it by heart, and even his intonation had a kind of mechanical as if it were a recorded voice. When hearing his words, Hei frowned. It was quite permissive as an academy.
"The fact that the older generation cannot interfere, including teachers, is good, but it means that this gives the go-ahead to bullying those who are weaker by the stronger ones." Hei thought to himself before asking a question in turn.
"What if we are attacked by someone who aims to kill us or seriously injure us? Is it possible to respond seriously to this threat, or do I have to take time until the teachers arrive?"
The official raised his head for a moment and replied, "It would be better if you stall for time. But we understand that accidents can happen, so in such cases, you are allowed to kill the person attacking you. You"d better be aiming to pa.s.s out, though, instead of killing, especially if it"s someone important. As long as you are an academy student, you cannot be touched easily, but you cannot stay here forever. Remember this. Incidentally, violent acts such as **** attempts are strictly prohibited. However, should this happen, you must have concrete proof of this crime. Otherwise, it would only be your word against that of the alleged a.s.sailant."
Saying this, the officer quickly s.h.i.+fted his gaze from Hei to Lian. His meaning was clear. Lian was a beautiful girl with slender and well-proportioned shapes. Since martial artists tended to grow faster than ordinary people, Lian"s physique was more like that of a young woman than a 14-year-old girl. Her chest that was growing larger was a clear sign of that phenomenon.
Therefore there would undoubtedly be many people enchanted by the mysterious charm of that young blue-haired woman. Some of them inevitably could cause the situation to deteriorate in case their court was refused, which was very certain as it was Lian. As a result, the official was warning Hei about that danger as he had mistaken the two of them for a loving couple.
Hei looked at Lian and nodded to her as if to say not to worry. Lian also nodded but to make him understand that there was no need to worry. She alone was capable of looking after herself. However, she was glad that Hei was worried about her.
"Okay. I checked the availability. We have no prohibitions on s.e.xual practices among students. So there would be no problem giving you a room all to yourself. Unfortunately, you came at the end of the enrollment period for the new academic year. There are single places in dormitories to share with other people."
"Isn"t there any other room available? Anything is fine."
Because of the secrets they were hiding, Hei preferred not to deal with strangers on the night when he would be vulnerable while meditating. He had grown accustomed to sleeping with Lian and his little sisters and didn"t want to give up on that. No matter where they slept, where it was outdoors, he didn"t want to part with any of the three.
The official looked a little displeased at Hei"s reaction. He thought that Hei was asking for him not to be separated from his woman. Although he was mistaken in the relations.h.i.+p between Hei and Lian, the general idea wasn"t wrong.
"There are no free rooms. But if all goes well for you, I can give you one of the underground stores on the lowest floor. It has been in disuse for years so you will have to do by yourselves the cleaning and to provide the beds and such things. If it doesn"t suit you, you can always move out of here. This is not a holiday resort."
"No, it"s fine. It"s perfect." Hei hurriedly said. It was absolutely the ideal place for Hei and the others. A quiet place away from people"s eyes.
The official finished writing Hei and Lian"s names on the acceptance sheets and confirming their room. Then he gave them two tokens engraved with a white dragon with open jaws - the symbol of the Imperial Family of the Sun Empire.
"These are personal recognition tokens. Inside you will find your information. Don"t miss them, and always remember to take them with you. If you wait a moment, I see if there is someone available willing to guide you. For now, sit on those sofas and wait. They shouldn"t be long in answering." The official pointed to a corner of the ground floor set up for visitors. So he returned to focus on his work.
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Hei and Lian went to sit where they had been directed. From inside Hei"s clothes, Ye and Xing were casting fleeting, curious glances at the new place. However, Hei forbade them to go out for the moment. He wanted to keep them hidden until he had a more precise idea of the academy.
They waited a quarter of an hour when someone approached them. It was a young man, about 1.9 meters tall, slightly taller than Hei. He had a well-structured body, and from how the clothes were filled, one could see how well trained his physique was. However, they weren"t even too developed so as to distort his athletic figure, and the leg muscles were also well proportioned with the upper ones.
"Are you guys, Hei and Lian?" Asked the newcomer. He had a calm but firm voice for those who listened to him.
"Yes, it"s us. I guess you"re the guide we"ve been waiting for."
"Exactly. You can call me Leon, nice to meet you, Hei, Lian." The young man called Leon held out his right hand as a friendly gesture. Hei returned the handshake and Lian immediately after him.
After that brief exchange of pleasantries, Leon led Hei and Lian out of the paG.o.da and began his introduction, addressing Hei and Lian. "Okay, so. They explained the Main Building to you before you got in, I guess?"
"Yes, generally only," Hei replied.
"The Library and Exchange Center are currently closed for new arrivals. Enrollment should end next week, and the new academic year should begin shortly after that. For information, I will also be in the new first-year cla.s.s; therefore, we will be companions." Leon smiled brightly. It was bizarre to see a man with such a developed body emitting such a smile. Even Hei and Lian were impressed.
"Can I ask you when the registrations started? Earlier the official told us that there are no free rooms but only single places in shared dormitories. So I deduce that they have been going on for quite some time. Yet they sent a freshman like us as a guide instead of an older student. It only makes sense if you"ve been here at the academy for a long time."
At Hei"s witty question, Leon"s face darkened as his eyes lost their bright light. Hei"s question had inadvertently hit some sore b.u.t.ton to provoke such a reaction.