"Has the freshman assembly started?" the dean asked.
"Not yet."
"I heard this is the first time you're attending the freshman assembly. You're the president of the student union, therefore you should pay more attention to our freshmen's studies and daily goings-on. After all, the future of the New World is in your hands."
Cold sweat immediately began flowing down the president's cheeks. Although such freshman assemblies had never required the student union's president to attend, he immediately said yes.
"Show me this batch's admission test scores."
The Head of Admissions, standing next to him, took a very careful step forward and offered, with both hands, the list that had been prepared long ago. He said with a smile, "These freshmen are quite amazing. Not only did their admission score break records that had held stubbornly firm for many years, some of our freshmen's basic attributes…"
"I'll read it myself," the dean interrupted impatiently. He took the thick stack of test reports and flipped through them at rapid speed.
Everyone calmed down and stared intently at the report in the dean's hands. They were all dying to know who was it that prompted the dean to break from the norm and attend the freshman assembly.
However, all of them were left disappointed. In just a few minutes, the dean read all the test reports, but did not linger on any particular one for more than half a second.
The dean turned his gaze to the auditorium, where the freshmen were silent. The earlier scene shocked many people, eliciting feelings of awe, envy, and various others.
Xiao Lin shifted in his seat a little nervously. Unsure if he was misreading the situation, but as the dean was scanning the crowd at random, he had the nagging feeling that the old man's gaze landed on him. It felt like he was being stared at by a tiger, and it made him extremely uncomfortable.
According to the Smart Computer's rules of confidentiality, the dean would have the authority to know about his SS-Level Academic Genius talent. However, Xiao Lin was unsure whether the dean already knew about it.
After a few seconds, the dean withdrew his gaze, cleared his throat, and discovered that his voice was not loud enough. The student union's president quickly handed over a microphone, but the dean waved his hand in disgust. He gripped his light blue wooden staff and struck the ground hard. "Sono Clarisonum!"
"Mmm, much better," the dean tested his voice, with a thunderous roar that made everyone's eardrums buzz and vibrate.
"According to tradition, I'd like to introduce myself, but I do believe this shouldn't be any of your concern. I'm the dean of this academy, and that's all you need to know." The dean paced back and forth onstage, and spoke slowly like he was having a leisurely chat. Through the Sono Clarisonum spell, his clear voice echoed, resonating throughout the auditorium.
"I see a lot of confusion and incomprehension on the faces of many people here. I know that many of you were brought here seemingly out of the blue, be it in your sleep, while surfing the Internet, or when you were with your girlfriends… You must all be very upset, and I can understand that, but you can't blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame him! He's the Head of the Admissions Department! I'm also introducing a new rule in the future—admissions must be done during the daytime in the real world!" The old man waved his staff and pointed at a man in a suit standing onstage, who had no idea how else to respond but to smile awkwardly.
There was a chuckle from the freshmen, and everyone who had just been frightened by the dragon's might began to feel at ease.
Xiao Lin cocked a brow. The old man's last sentence was a bit scary. What did he mean by 'the real world'? It insinuated that where they were —along with Dawn Academy—was nowhere in the real world!
"Well, back to the main point, let me first answer the biggest question all of you are having. Who are we? What are we going to do? The answer is actually very simple." The dean stood still and his piercing eyes swept over everyone again. He then continued with absolute clarity, "We are colonists! Dawn Academy is a school to train colonists!"
The dean paused to allow others enough time to digest.
There was a several minutes' worth of silence. Everyone wore shocked and confused expressions. The academy's purpose was undoubtedly everyone's main concern. There had been countless speculations, but the dean's answer truly exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Some of you might ask, 'What are we colonizing?' The world today is no longer in the 15th or 16th century. Where is there land for us to colonize? What part of Earth is still free for us to stake claims?"
When the bewildered Xiao Lin heard those words, he suddenly shook his head and stared inexplicably at the old man onstage. He muttered to himself, "Earth? Earth! Damn it all; that's impossible!"
The dean waved his staff, and a blue screen of light rose from the orb at the top of the stick. A huge light screen formed onstage, like a movie projector, and a whole new world appeared to everyone in the light screen. Before their eyes were colorful forests, mountains, and islands floating in mid-air with countless strange species of animals flying through the air—like dragons and griffins, and gigantic tree people walking slowly in the rainforest. The scenery was so beautiful that it was intoxicating.
The hologram dissipated quickly and the dean's voice sounded again. "This world is Planet Norma, known also as the New World. This is our mission, the colonization goal of this academy!"
Shocking!
"Then what do we get in the New World?" someone plucked up the courage to ask aloud.
"Resources, wealth, rights, population, territories. Everything you can imagine and cannot imagine! We are the pioneers of the New World. The rules and laws of the New World are set by us and we will be the founders of this New World. The territory of the New World will be divided amongst us. Some of you may become supreme magi, or a general with tens of millions of soldiers. Even at the lowest rank, you'll be new nobles of the country. Everything in the New World belongs to us!"
The dean's words were like throwing flames onto a barrel of explosives, stunning the entire auditorium at once. Everyone cheered enthusiastically, and their faces were filled with unconcealed excitement.
Qin Chuan once said that they would gain unexpected wealth and power there. At the time, no one knew what he meant, but they finally understood why Qin Chuan made a remark about how those who left after the test would regret it terribly.
Conquering and colonizing other worlds to create their own new world was so tempting and exhilarating. No one would want to leave the academy now, even when they were ordered to.
Xiao Lin was similarly very excited. Even if he was not the kind of person to reveal his feelings easily, he could not control his hastened breathing. However, when he turned to look at the girl next to him, he felt peeved to discover that there was someone calmer than him. Gu Xiaoyue had always maintained her calm from the very beginning.
"SILENCE!"
The dean raised his voice suddenly and hushed the auditorium. He was quite satisfied with the freshmen's response, as it was exactly the effect he wanted. He struck the agate floor with his staff once more and said, "I don't have much time, so to conclude this, I'll announce a new rule. According to the previous rules, freshmen weren't allowed to enter the New World, but starting from this new intake, I'll revise the rule. Those who reach the top three in the freshman's final semester examination will be allowed to enter the New World in advance!"
The freshmen reacted rather flatly to that regulation, but Xiao Lin noticed that the others onstage— including the student union president—were extremely perturbed. They seemed to oppose the new regulation, but the dean's decision did not change because of that.
The freshman assembly ended hurriedly with that peculiar atmosphere. After that, the instructors left the auditorium with all the freshmen, who were still immersed in excitement and shock. It was only after they stepped out that everyone could witness the academy's panoramic view.
From the outside, the entire academy did not differ much from ordinary universities. With towering teaching buildings, huge fountain squares, neat lawns, and students chatting as they walked in twos and threes on small pathways, it could easily create the illusion of returning to a university campus.
However, from time to time, there were the low growls of dragons, while strange-looking flowers and shrubs were present in the gardens. The plants did not even seem to show any similarity to those on Earth. More curiously, there were several people flying above them, seated on flying carpets.
The students' eyes glowed with envy, all gulping.
The instructors also looked on with envy, but they tried to maintain their image in front of the freshmen, yelling, "Don't stop! What are you looking at! The use of flying props in the academy is a privilege only for seniors. It's still too early for you!"
Xiao Lin noticed that it was already evening and the afterglow of the setting sun poured over the quiet campus. It appeared very peaceful, but Xiao Lin remembered that it should have been midnight after receiving the notice and arriving there. Could an entire day have passed by without him knowing? He thought of another possibility, but he was unsure.
Although everyone wanted to know more about what was so different about the so-called colonist academy, the instructors did not give them a chance to ask. After passing through the fountain square and walking through the small woods next to the auditorium, their view opened up suddenly. Appearing before them were tall buildings which resembled five-star hotels.
"This is the dormitory, and the living configuration is equivalent to a five-star hotel in the real world. In this aspect, the academy won't treat you too badly. A few points to note though, the campus regulations are tight and administration is very strict. Don't violate school rules, or the consequences you will face will be very severe. The Central Computer System will divide the rooms, and the first thing you should do after returning to the room is to enter the academy's intranet to register yourselves. The system will answer all your doubts. Then, we'll gather at the public classroom at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, and your course selection will be conducted then. Don't be late. I won't wait for you!"
"Where's the public classroom?" someone asked.
"The very same hall where you took the admission test. Throughout your freshman year, that'll be the shared classrooms for Freshmen Class Seven." After a pause, Qin Chuan's eyes fell on Xiao Lin again. "If there are no further questions, everyone is allowed to return to the dorm, except for Xiao Lin."
Xiao Lin had a look of realization. He no longer had his initial feeling of awe toward Qin Chuan. After the freshman assembly, anyone who had the slightest ability to think could see that it was just like a real university. The instructors had no status. Otherwise, they would not have sat in the audience with the freshmen during the assembly.
After everyone else entered the dormitory, one after another, Qin Chuan and Xiao Lin were still staring at each other. After a long silence, Qin Chuan let out a dry cough. He wanted to show his authority as an instructor, but after recalling Xiao Lin's test results, his tone eventually became rather mild. "I heard from Gu Xiaoyue about the test. Frankly speaking, I have to admire your damn luck-- teaming up with a freshman who broke the world record to surprisingly produce a Grade S result. In fact, I thought you'd be among those who'd end up eliminated."