Jinworth Academy held a grand welcoming ceremony for the arrival of new students.
Upon disembarking, the students were immediately escorted to a massive auditorium where hundreds of teachers had already been waiting.
The air was filled with clusters of firelight, the long tables were covered in shimmering goblets, and the velvety black ceiling sparkled with starlight.
Rod had never seen such a magical, opulent auditorium before.
The welcome ceremony was grand, but the orientation was brief.
A dean named Vera raised her goblet, and after the students and teachers drank the strange brew from their goblets, it concluded.
Yet, the teachers' enthusiasm showed that the academy did not underestimate them.
They actively helped the students handle various enrollment affairs, enabling them to integrate and settle into the academy quickly.
It must be said, the efficiency was indeed very high.
Before long, Rod had received a basket full of supplies and returned to the dormitory assigned to him.
Unexpectedly, the dormitory turned out to be a single room.
In a room of about forty square meters, there were a desk, bookshelves, a wardrobe, a bed, and all sorts of living amenities.
There was even a separate washroom and balcony.
Such a dormitory cannot merely be described as luxurious for a student—it was practically a dream come true.
Rod tested the facilities and discovered there was running water, even both cold and hot.
The drainage system was also very advanced, complete with floor drains and water traps, proving they fully understood the corresponding engineering knowledge.
This was certainly not an ignorant nation; even in such harsh conditions, they had developed knowledge and civilization.
After closing the dormitory door and looking at the exquisite, tidy room in front of him, Rod suddenly felt a sense of home.
Indeed, during terrifying nights, in a strange environment, having one's own enclosed space, away from threats and turmoil, offering comfort and security—
Isn't that what home is?
Rod truly wanted to throw all the clutter in his hands and all the jumbled thoughts in his mind on the floor, care about nothing, and just sleep well.
But this was impossible.
He still knew too little about this world, and knew very little about their various peculiarities.
Danger had not departed, the investigation continued.
The inquiries from the Internal Affairs Court were about to come, and he knew no more about the truth than before.
He had to quickly unravel the secrets in the Dream Realm, to find the connections between them.
Survive,
Rod thought.
I must survive.
—
But that was not an easy task.
The environment here was not as relaxed as in the original world, he was a stranger here, and trouble followed him.
The migrating team of over two hundred people from Redstone Village all perished in the wilderness, and as a suspect, his current treatment was entirely because of his excellent persuasion skills.
This also proved one thing: under such circumstances, finding strong allies was a very good choice.
"It seems I should try to attach myself to a few more fine ladies… My special arts were not practiced in vain," he mused.
"Alas, too bad the New King is a man; I don't know the Banana Divine Skill."
Rod sighed deeply, feeling somewhat compromised.
But to survive, things like moral integrity were unimportant.
If it meant warming the bed for that snooty little miss Kashan every day, he could accept it.
Besides finding strong allies, the second method was to strengthen himself.
Based on information obtained so far, the people here were isolated and besieged by darkness; they desperately needed combat ability.
If he could demonstrate significant potential, then the Internal Affairs Court would likely not bother him easily.
If he could be worth five armored masters, then perhaps having the Princess or someone wear Black Silk for him might be feasible.
But the problem was, he actually hadn't passed the final test of the Fire Trial, nor had he ignited his soul.
There must have been some mistake that led to their misjudgment.
The biggest suspect was naturally that strange Dream Realm.
And he had many questions that would need to be answered back in the Dream Realm.
"But how do I get back there?"
Rod worried.
"Shall I seek out Sister for a full-body massage?"
Although that sounded reasonable, it seemed not too feasible upon further thought.
If he returned to Youse's Medical Center, it would mostly be Aunt Youse herself taking the lead.
That was a bit much for him; his frail body couldn't handle it.
Explicitly requesting Sister to do it was unrealistic.
The only solution was to switch to another Church medical center.
However, an unknown and unfamiliar center wouldn't let him freeload; they would certainly charge a fee.
According to Aunt Youse, their Church medical center appeared to be a very high-end facility.
And the costs for treatments at a high-end center would definitely be steep.
Rod reached into his side pocket and pulled out the weekly wages he had just received.
It totaled seven silver coins; the largest was only the size of a thumb, while the smallest wasn't even half the size of a fingernail.
The workmanship of the silver coins was exquisite, featuring anti-wear patterns along the edges. The obverse depicted the legendary founder of the Royal City, the human hero of Trolian, while the reverse showed a flaming fire surrounded by a large shield and a sword.
This was the currency in circulation throughout the Trolian Kingdom—silver coins.
In total, the seven silver coins amounted to twenty-two silver coins.
Rod then pulled out a silver note from his other side pocket.
It was equally delicate and thin, featuring a cut-out pattern, and was somewhat soft to the touch, confirming it was made of pure silver.
The front of the silver note displayed a sun motif, while the back showed a flame-shaped crown.
It had a face value of twenty silver coins.
From the form of the currency, it was clear that there were trade and markets within the kingdom, with a population likely exceeding ten million.
Otherwise, there would be no need for a currency, and a rationing system would suffice.
But the use of precious metals in their currency, rather than purely credit-based money, indicated that their monetary concepts weren't advanced and it wasn't a truly free market.
Some items must be controlled, not purchasable with money alone.
This was consistent with the current situation.
When a regime faced significant external threats, it would inevitably exert strong control to allocate resources for maximum utilization.
In fact, the existence of a currency and a free market in this kingdom was rather incredible.
Rod weighed the money in his hand, a total of forty-two silver coins.
According to Wayne, a bucket of Blue Mushroom Soup cost one silver coin, a mug of Blue Light Grass Fruit Bubble two silver coins, and it took five silver coins a day to eat to fullness.
This forty-two silver coins, no matter how frugal, would only last about ten days.
Considering this spending rate, wouldn't a high-end center cost at least a thousand silver coins to start?
Then wouldn't he have to save up for five months to afford one trip to the Dream Realm?
"No way, five months is too long; my grave grass would probably be ten meters tall by then."
What to do?
Rod pondered this issue while he carefully stored the items that had been issued to him—primarily books, clothing, scales, set squares, and some other tools.
He then took a comforting hot bath, thoroughly washing away all the dust and blood stains on his body.
Tossing away his somewhat tattered clothes, he changed into a fresh Jinworth Academy uniform.
When Rod stood before the floor-length mirror once more, he appeared completely renewed.
A clean face, damp hair, and light-colored eyes with a strange charm, paired with that brand-new, well-fitted light blue robe—a bright, somewhat scholarly young man appeared before him.
Sigh.
Rod let out a long breath, and the young man in the mirror also exhaled deeply.
Too many things had happened that day; he had endured only by relying on superheroic resilience and a strong will to survive.
Black Fog, fire, monsters, Transcendents, bizarre Dream Realm, the strange customs of the Royal City, and this incredible academy brimming with enthusiastic classmates.
Looking back on everything, it felt like a dream.
The life from the day before seemed very far removed from him now.
A life full of unknowns was unfolding before him.
"If this is a dream, then may I have sweet dreams."
"If not, may I find the value of existence in this lucid world."
Rod gave a small smile and lay down on the bed.
Physically exhausted, as soon as his head touched the soft pillow, all his thoughts ceased.