Finally, Josiah accepts the invitation. The 4 of them walked pass several other club houses, mostly art and music related. As they walked, the woods seem to go deeper, the trees closer to each other, soon the light of the sun was covered by the trees. They followed a paved road which led to an archway, on top of which was the sign 'Magic Division Main Campus'. By the side was a sign saying 'Only bonafide magi allowed to enter'. The group went straight through. As Dorin did, he felt as if he passed a kind of membrane, but the professor held his hand as well as Josiah's and they were able to make it inside the grounds.
They walked for a couple of minutes more until a grand castle come to their view. The castle stood in the midst of a vast clearing, surrounded by a wall of trees. Its grey walls looked ancient with moss and lichen growing from its cracks and covering it with foliage. There was a veil of mystery that seemed to be holding the whole castle together. From the thick cracked walls, to its high towers with its gleaming roof that showed a couple of missing tiles. There was an actual moat surrounding it, spanning about 4 meters across, but due to age and lack of use, it was only about a couple of feet deep, and full of tadpoles.
The small group passed the drawbridge. Though it looked quite old, it didn't so much as give a creak as they passed through. They saw several buildings once they entered the courtyard. They turned left and entered the 1st structure there. It was a dining hall, so large and spacey that you could fit a thousand guests inside. There were fireplaces on each of the 4 corners large enough to cook 2 bulls at a time. Hundreds of tables were placed in the middle, and in between the fireplaces were long banquette tables, although at that time, only 1 row had food on it.
"It's self service here." Professor Dupont tells a gawking Dorin. He handed him a plate and some silverware, then proceeded to get some food from the table. "Just make sure you can finish what you get."
[Dorin can finish anything.] wrote Seb. He has already started filling his plate and left the slate hanging on his neck. [Tell him to leave some food for others.] The professor laughs.
"Are those chocolates?" asked Dorin pointing at the middle of the banquette table where several plates of desserts were served, including a towering tray of chocolates. "Mother sometimes brings me some chocolates when she comes home from work... but it's never enough to fill me up!" he starts piling the chocolates on his plate.
"Hey, make sure to eat proper food." said Josiah from behind him.
"Oh, I will!" replied Dorin, his mouth full of chocolates.
[No worries.] was written on the slate around Seb's neck. He headed to the nearest table where the Professor was already seated.
"Is that all you're eating?" Dorin asked the Josiah after seeing his plate with only a few morsels on it.
"I'm a vegetarian." answered the other, "I don't eat meat."
It took a while for Dorin to follow them, but he finally decided to sit down and eat.
"Wow, Sebastian wasn't joking when he said you eat a lot..." said Professor Dupont.
"I'm a growing lad!" replied Dorin between mouths full. "And as my mother always says, 'There's no more sincere love than the love of food!'"
[I think that's from some politician.]
"Well anyways, I need my food! Besides, most of these stuff I only see in cookbooks, and we hardly have enough ingredients to make them back home!"
"You must have had it tough, where you're from?" asked Professor Dupont with a smirk.
"Well, there aren't many produce in Monarch Forest, and the nearest store is miles away," said Dorin with a frown, "plus mother was never good at cooking, it was a good thing my friend taught me how to cook for myself and even gave me a cookbook." he added proudly.
"Is that so? Perhaps I could try your cooking some time." says the professor.
[He's currently under kitchen duty.] says seb. [You can try his cooking tonight at the dorm canteen.]
"Hmm, sounds good, I'll be taking your offer then!" he grins at the two.
"Hate to interrupt, but we should go back to the club house soon." Josiah cuts in.
"That's right!" says Professor Dupont, "The other judges might already be there..." he gobbles up the rest of the food in his plate, a good competition for Dorin who was doing the same.
"Is Professor Newton really coming today, Josiah?" he asks.
"Yes, Professor Dupont, she consented at the last minute." the other replied.
"Professor Newton?" asked Dorin as Josiah and the professor led the way out of the dinning hall.
[Professor Newton is the head of the Technology Department.] explained Seb. [She is the lead inventor in the University, even in the whole Empire.]
"Wow, she's that great huh?" Dorin says with raised brows.
[Yes. And she's a non-magic user. A frail 'plebeian' hardly in her mid twenties. She's what you might call a genius.]
"You two, hurry up." Josiah called back to them. "I don't want our judges to arrive without me to welcome them."
When they got back to the Photography Club, almost all of the photos were already printed. They gave Anastasia her lunch and helped out with the remaining students. They were in the main lecture hall, pinning the last photos when the other judges arrived.
There were 4 judges in all, Professor Dupont of the Magic Division, Professor Newton from the Science and Technology Division and two representatives from their sponsors – Mrs. Hiiro who owns the biggest photography supply store in town, and Mr. Rolei who owns a camera store where the 1st prize TLR Camera will be coming from.
"Welcome to the Photography Club, " Anastasia said to the judges, "You have come just in time, we have just finished putting up all the photos."
"Good, I'm in quite a hurry," said Professor Newton, "We just had a breakthrough with a new engine that can run on a drop of urine." the others look at her, but she seems to be oblivious of their stares.
"Right, so let's begin with the judging..." continued Josiah. He handed out sheets of paper to the judges. "Please look at the score sheets," he told them, "The numbers on the sheet correspond to the number beside the photographs' title. Please grade them as you see fit. We have 5 groups of pictures. The criteria are as follows..." he looks at his copy, "30% for composition, 20% for technique, 20% for focus, 20% for lighting, and 10% for relevance to theme."
"Got it!" Mr Rolei from the Camera store says with a smile, he seems to be excited about the photos. "Can we start now?"
"Yes, please!" Anastasia and Josiah say in unison.