"First Year Freshman Astronomy Class 08-1, Jiuyou Academy:
Uniform: two standard issue plain red gowns, with a standing collar and right-front, made from chilled silk thread;
A set of seven pairs of work gloves made from alchemy products or tannin produced from magical beasts (evil dragon skin, deer skin, shark skin are all allowed);
A black cloak (standard make, silk belt can be worn with it)
Note: Student cards are uniformly produced and issued by the school.
Required Textbooks: "Standard Spells: College Freshman" by Yao XiaoMi
'Sky Texts·Freshman Year' by Emma Nettley
"Basic Runes·Freshman Year" by Zhang Huaigu and Sima Yangyun
"Standard Potion: First Year College" by Li QiHuang
"Basic Yi Learning: First Year of University" by Yi JiaZi
"Big History: World Modern History Volume" Wizard Education Publishing House, Modern History Compilation Committee of the Wizard League
"Philosophy of Magic" by Carl Strauss, published by First University Press
Note: Other elective textbooks can be borrowed from the Jiuyou Academy's Book Mountain Library.
Equipment: A Wizard's book (first class standard issue- must contain at least five spells)
Pill Ding (any which is lower than a three-fire level)
A set of jade utensils (standard make·number three)
Note one: talisman paper, talisman pen, etc can be prepared by students, or you can apply for corresponding learning resources from the professor of relevant subject.
Note two: Do not bring dangerous creatures with a strong offensive. Do not bring organisms that are widely recognized as dangerous by international authoritative institutions. Do not bring puppets made by black magic.
Note three: Please bring a standard timer."
"What is this 'standard timer'?"
"It refers to mechanical clocks, electronic clocks, atomic clocks, and other timers that can measure time accurately. The school disallows non-standard timers like hourglasses, sundials, or even roosters. They are not effective in intricate magical experiments. Furthermore, there was a time when students liked walking around with a chicken perched on their shoulders, resulting in chicken droppings everywhere. The school staff complained a lot. Therefore, a standard timer is now required."
"But why do we have to carry a timer with us?"
"Because the mission of a wizard is the precise cognition of the world and time is the most standard measure of everything. To be more precise, the school makes it mandatory for you to carry a standard timer."
"The standard for everything?" Zheng Qing found it a bit difficult to understand.
"Exactly, everything. From macro to micro, distance to weight, degree of myopia to professional level of wizards, time is the ultimate measurement. Three hundred years ago, at the fifth Wizard Standard Conference, time replaced all other artificial measurements, becoming the foundation for all standards."
"I understand what you're saying, but why?"
"This is why you need to study at the university."
"Is there a place in Pingyang where we can buy these things?" Zheng Qing, staring at the legible paper, reads slowly and then asks cryptically.
"No, not here, but you can go elsewhere, it's a bit far... In fact, this place is not really a wizards gathering place, at most, there are some small markets where you can't buy standard equipment. You see, real wizard communities are extremely rare, there are only three or four places in all of China." As a competent interviewer, Thomas patiently clarifies for Zheng Qing.
"Where is it? Are these places unseen by ordinary people?" Zheng Qing blinked his eyes.
"Yes." Thomas promptly answered.
"Hee-ha!" Zheng Qing made a strange noise, "So, what if ordinary people find out?
"Well," Thomas was taken aback, then sighed, "But they wouldn't be able to see these places anyway. Moreover, there are specialized agencies monitoring these things, they usually won't have any problems. And of course, if problems occur, it doesn't matter, after all, we are capable of casting spells. Oh, by the way, have you reached adulthood yet?"
"At what age does one reach adulthood?" Zheng Qing asked cautiously.
"Eighteen." Thomas answered softly, his eye twitching.
"Hehe, I thought you calculated age differently." The hair on top of Zheng Qing's head quickly dove into the rest of his hair as he murmured, "My birthday is in April, as per the lunar calendar. I still have a few days left before my birthday."
"Hm?" Thomas frowned, then bowed his head and said very seriously, "Well, I want to use a more efficient method to reach our destination, but you must be an adult, so..."
"I know, I know!" Zheng Qing suddenly became excited, "Is it 'phantom manifestation' or 'sequel manifestation'? Or something like teleportation?"
"Cough!" Thomas coughed awkwardly and said, "Although I don't know what you're talking about, I assume I get the gist of it, has your teacher taught you these things? However, we usually refer to such maneuvers as 'escape'. Get ready!"
As he spoke, without waiting for Zheng Qing's reply, Thomas reached out and grabbed him. Immediately, amid a soft whisper, Zheng Qing felt a comfortable trembling sensation all over his body, a dazzling light flashed directly into his eyes, everything went black and he lost consciousness.
When Zheng Qing regained consciousness, the comfortable sensation had not faded and his body was a little weak. But all that he saw was darkness, and he could only tell that he was in a strange place from the noisy surroundings.
"Is it always so dark here?" Not seeing Thomas, Zheng Qing was a bit nervous and hollered.
The surroundings fell silent instantly.
"If I were you, my first reaction in a strange place would definitely not be to shout." Thomas's relaxed voice appeared beside him, and the whisper of a spell followed, but no matter what, Zheng Qing could not see his silhouette.
With the spell, a sour pain gripped Zheng Qing's eyes, forcing a string of tears. Zheng Qing let out a comfortable, yet pained groan, covered his eyes with his hand and blinked vigorously twice.
Gently, the sunlight streamed through his fingers into Zheng Qing's eyes. Quickly dropping his hand, Zheng Qing saw Thomas putting away a brown notepad, while many people in various exotic costumes were gazing at him curiously.
"Very good, very good." Thomas's face grew a little pale, he looked tense, but upon seeing Zheng Qing open his eyes, he smiled and said, "I've always believed that only wizards are unqualified, not the spells, and it seems my belief is correct."
"But you didn't tell me to close my eyes." Zheng Qing, wiping his eyes, complained.
"I thought in doing so, you would have a deeper impression of casting spells safely. This would be very useful for you later on." Thomas solidly patted Zheng Qing's shoulder. He seemed less cautious after getting back to this world, appearing very cool and casual. The crisp suit he was wearing had also turned into a large grey cloak.
"This must be the market you were talking about." Zheng Qing touched his nose cautiously, adjusted his clothes and turned his gaze around. The straight hair on top of his head also sprang up again.