Imperial College?

Who is the most proactive in their work?

Naturally, it is someone who possesses immense passion for their job and is willing to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to it.

At least, that was Albert’s conviction.

This was precisely why he had released Fú Nī Yà from her s*ave status and signed an employment contract with her.

He desired Fú Nī Yà to pledge her loyalty to him from the depths of her heart, thereby generating the motivation to learn magic.

Since that was currently unachievable, he settled for a secondary approach: binding her through financial incentives to ensure her labor.

After all, efficiency was a tangible concept in this world.

Six hours of complete dedication far surpassed ten hours of paid idleness, and certainly outweighed fourteen hours of forced labor.

If labor enthusiasm were directly correlated with working hours in this world, then slavery would logically be the most proactive system, as slaves could toil twenty-four hours a day under their masters’ whips.

Yet, as everyone knew, this was an impossibility, especially since Fú Nī Yà was currently engaged in mental labor.

Albert had no time to wait for Fú Nī Yà to grow.

Next year, the current emperor, Albert’s father, would pass away, and his elder brother Aion would ascend to the throne.

Then, in the third year, Aion would be assassinated due to his tyrannical conduct and a series of failures, plunging Lohiris Holy Kingdom into civil strife.

Fú Nī Yà had to mature within two years.

To play a significant role in a war of such immense scale, Fú Nī Yà would need to reach at least the Eighth-tier.

The Fú Nī Yà of his previous life had achieved this, driven by a heart full of vengeance, but what about this life?

Albert could not guarantee it; this Fú Nī Yà harbored no strong desire for revenge.

For her magical prowess to advance by leaps and bounds, her passion for magic needed to be cultivated.

In simple terms, he needed to heavily indoctrinate Fú Nī Yà with ‘chicken soup for the soul’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to motivational speeches or emotional encouragement), instilling in her a strong sense of honor towards Albert’s group.

For the reborn Albert, this was the simplest task of all.

****

After the matter concluded, the three departed the temple district and re-entered the carriage.

Having lost the ‘buff’ (TL Note: A gaming term referring to a temporary enhancement or bonus) granted by the temple district, Fú Nī Yà felt her body grow heavy once more.

Jo was still driving outside.

Fú Nī Yà observed the route for a while, noticing it wasn’t the path to the manor outside the city, and curiously turned to Albert.

“Where are we headed now?”

“The Imperial Comprehensive Academy.”

Albert replied, his eyes half-closed as he reclined on the cushioned seat.

“The Imperial Comprehensive Academy?”

Fú Nī Yà tilted her head in confusion, and then memories from her previous self surfaced in her mind.

The Imperial Comprehensive Academy was the premier educational institution in the Lohiris Holy Kingdom.

The academy primarily admitted nobles, along with a very select few exceptionally talented commoners.

Within its walls, it offered disciplines such as Arcane Arts, Martial Arts, Alchemy, Stargazing, Law, Literature, Mathematics, and Classics, drawing together the vast majority of the empire’s geniuses.

The most renowned branches within the academy were the Arcane Arts Division and the Martial Arts Division.

These two divisions primarily taught individuals how to refine and utilize two special energies: magic power and battle qi.

Those who possessed these energies were collectively known as ‘Professionals’, wielding power beyond ordinary comprehension.

However, within the academy, the Martial Arts Division only admitted a few hundred students annually, while the Arcane Arts Division accepted merely dozens.

The graduation requirement for both was reaching the Sixth-tier.

‘By Ilich!’ Fú Nī Yà couldn’t help but curse inwardly as she recalled this.

‘The strongest mage my previous self ever saw was only Fourth-tier; for this academy to require Sixth-tier upon graduation, isn’t that a bit excessive!?’

Taking a deep breath, Fú Nī Yà silently reminded herself that this was the most prestigious academy in the Lohiris Holy Kingdom, so it was only natural for its graduates to be powerful.

Ordinary academies allowed students to graduate simply by advancing from apprentice to First-tier.

After calming down, Fú Nī Yà couldn’t help but ask Albert.

“Albert, what tier are you currently?”

“Me? Just a Seventh-tier warrior. Why do you ask?”

‘Just… just?’

Fú Nī Yà glanced at Albert’s somewhat youthful face and continued her inquiry.

“Your age?”

“I’ll be eighteen in a month.” Having said this, Albert quickly added, “Also, you half-elves are long-lived species; don’t compare your age to mine. Even though you’re over sixty now, that’s only about fifteen in human years.”

“I didn’t even say anything, so why are you getting defensive?” Fú Nī Yà couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Could it be… you’re sensitive about your age?”

“…”

Albert was speechless.

To be honest, he was indeed a little sensitive about it.

After all, not long ago, he had been a man in his fifties, and suddenly he had been reborn as a seventeen-year-old boy.

It was only natural for him to feel unaccustomed to many things.

On the other side, after her laughter subsided, Fú Nī Yà quickly fell into a melancholic mood.

‘Look at Albert; he’s a Seventh-tier warrior at seventeen.

Then I think about the leader of the House of Athena, where I used to be—an old man who was only a Fourth-tier mage… The disparity between their circumstances is simply too vast.’

‘That leader wasn’t without talent; they simply didn’t know how to continue learning beyond that point.’

‘They weren’t like nobles, who had various resources from their families, allowing them to be nurtured all the way to the Sixth-tier.’

Noticing Fú Nī Yà’s troubled expression, Albert asked curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

Fú Nī Yà recounted everything she had just been thinking to Albert.

Upon hearing her, Albert smiled helplessly.

“All of this will change in the future.

If ordinary people possess talent, they too can reach the Ninth-tier, or even become Legends.”

The ranking system for Professionals in this world was exceedingly simple and crude: Apprentice, First-tier to Ninth-tier, and then, after breaking through the Ninth-tier, came the pinnacle of Professionals—Legendary Professionals.

The number of Legends was exceedingly rare; even within the Lohiris Holy Kingdom, a nation with nearly three hundred million people, there were only a few hundred Legends.

Each of them was a de facto controller of some aspect of the country.

“Will it truly change?” Fú Nī Yà asked, somewhat incredulously, after hearing Albert’s words.

Even in her previous life, it had taken centuries for the commoner class to replace the nobility.

In this world, where nobles virtually monopolized the Professional ranks, she simply couldn’t envision an opportunity for commoners to rise.

“Of course it can…”

Albert said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

The cost would be the deaths of over seven hundred million people in this world named Iyetta.

The ceaseless wars of the future would bring about the nobility’s fear of the battlefield and the expansion of armaments in various nations.

To counter the threat of war, all nations would open the knowledge of Professionals to the lower classes.

Armies would grow increasingly vast, and the number of Professionals within them would multiply.

Naturally, the damage wrought by war would also continuously expand.

In his previous life, after more than thirty years of strife, the relieved nobles were astonished to discover that what had once belonged to them had been entirely seized by commoners during the war, leaving them as mere remnants of history.

The events of the future were too bizarre; likely, no one would imagine that the nobles, currently at the height of their power, would be phased out by history in just thirty short years.

With a steady rumble of wheels, the carriage continued its forward journey.

Through the window, Fú Nī Yà noticed fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street.

In the distance, a massive archway appeared, behind which she could faintly discern some grand hall-like buildings.

“Is that the Imperial Comprehensive Academy?” Fú Nī Yà asked.

“Yes.”

Albert nodded, then disembarked as the carriage reached the academy’s entrance.

After identifying himself to the gatekeeper, Albert led Fú Nī Yà and Jo into the academy grounds.

Along both sides of the wide avenue, vast, meticulously manicured lawns greeted Fú Nī Yà’s eyes.

Further beyond the lawns stood towering buildings, symmetrical and orderly in design, solemn and majestic, embodying a rational beauty.

“Those are the various divisions of the academy.

Generally, each discipline has its own dedicated building.”

Hearing this, Fú Nī Yà couldn’t help but count the tall buildings she had just seen.

‘There were twenty-two in total, meaning this academy offered at least twenty-two disciplines.’

Fú Nī Yà was utterly dumbfounded by its sheer scale.

Following the avenue to the innermost part of the academy, they were met with a pond the size of a football field, featuring a colossal fountain at its center.

The avenue itself diverged here, splitting left and right.

Eight tall towers were neatly arranged around the pond, with smaller spires also rising nearby, all shimmering with magical radiance.

Across the pond, a magnificent Gothic-style grand hall stood opposite, surrounded by several floating islets.

Fú Nī Yà gazed at the sight, her mouth slightly agape in awe.

“Hehe… Is it beautiful?” An aged voice drifted into her ear.

“It is.”

Fú Nī Yà nodded in reply, then instantly realized something and turned to look behind her.

A white-haired, white-bearded elder, clad in a robe, had inexplicably appeared behind her.

“Who are you!?” Fú Nī Yà exclaimed in surprise.

“He is the Dean of the Arcane Arts Division, Master Valentin, a Legendary Conjuration Mage.”

“A Legend? That powerful!?”

Hearing Albert’s words, Fú Nī Yà stared in astonishment at the seemingly unremarkable old man before her.

“Just passable, I suppose.

The longer one lives, the more one learns…” Master Valentin chuckled, kindly patting Fú Nī Yà’s head, then turned to Albert. “So, Your Imperial Highness, Fourth Prince, what brings you here today with a young half-elf girl dressed in a maid’s outfit and wearing a collar?”

He had come specifically for this matter.

Otherwise, how could a dignified Legendary Mage have so much free time to greet visitors at the entrance all day long?

Only an Imperial Prince of the empire was worth his effort.

At most, Fú Nī Yà might be an additional reason, as her current attire was, well… somewhat indecent.

Nevertheless, a prince’s status was practically worthless to Master Valentin, a Legendary Mage.

Even the Emperor himself could only elicit a slight nod from him.

Moreover, Valentin was quite familiar with Albert, which explained why his tone towards Albert was akin to that of an elder speaking to a junior.

“Nothing major.

I’m just here to have Fú Nī Yà audit some of the division’s magic courses.”

Albert replied.

“Audit?” Master Valentin’s expression immediately turned serious. “Your Highness, are you aware that the division’s courses are not open to auditors other than nobles and exceptionally talented commoners?”

“Of course, I understand, but Fú Nī Yà is also a noble,” Albert said with a smile. “Her full name is Fú Nī Yà Istareluna Long Fieldkerom, a descendant of pure nobility.”

“Lóng? From the Xilan Kingdom? It’s a wonder this little girl made it all the way here.”

Master Valentin said, frowning, but his next words were a refusal.

“No, that won’t do.

Don’t think I’m easily fooled just because I’m old.

Besides nobles, who can afford an elf?

It would be strange for a half-elf not to have noble blood.

Absolutely not.”

Witnessing this, Albert couldn’t help but feel a touch of helplessness.

Although this old man was agreeable, his personality was unexpectedly stubborn…

Left with no other choice, he could only resort to his last strategy—

“Then, Master Valentin, I recall you mentioning that exceptionally talented commoners can also audit, correct?

How about we let Fú Nī Yà take a test?”

“Me?”

Fú Nī Yà’s eyes widened in apprehension.

Since last night, she had been puzzled.

She had never revealed her unique qualities, so why was Albert always so confident in her magical talent?

And now, a talent test?

‘I wonder if the system will be of any use right now…’

Master Valentin also widened his eyes, scrutinizing Albert for a moment.

“Your Imperial Highness, Fourth Prince, I feel I must remind you: if the Martial Arts Division selects one in ten thousand, then our Arcane Arts Division selects one in a hundred thousand.

Even if this young girl named Fú Nī Yà possesses elven magical talent, it will be extremely difficult for her to pass the test.”

“I know,” Albert replied with a slight smile.

“In that case, do you still wish to have this young girl tested?”

“Of course.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Master Valentin shook his head helplessly.

“I simply don’t understand you young people… Come with me.”

With that, he extended his left hand towards Fú Nī Yà, Albert, and Jo.