What happens if we stay in first place on that list?" asked a student.
"You earn academy coins!" replied the teacher without much reaction, but the students were all excited. Some started jumping, others shouting, and a few began to dance.
Lucca remained somewhat nonplussed, lacking a clear understanding; he could only speculate about the purpose of these academy coins, drawing from the novels he had read. Although he suspected they might be used for exchanging various items within the academy, uncertainty lingered in his mind.
Seeing Lucca's puzzled expression, Alice and Ana started laughing. They knew he didn't grasp the purpose of the coins.
Observing Alice and Ana's laughter, Lucca looked at them and said, "Instead of laughing, why don't you tell me what these 'coins' are for?" Lucca used his hands to make air quotes, with a smile on his face.
"If you're even slightly smart, you should already have an idea of what they're for! What's your guess?" asked Ana.
"I suspect that with these coins, we can exchange them for things within the academy, is that it?" replied Lucca.
Almost! Actually, it's not within the academy itself; you have to go to the capital and find the academy's store. You must have seen it when you went to the capital, right? Alice asked.
"Ahhh," Lucca pondered and couldn't recall until ori spoke.
(You forgot, right?) ori asked, already knowing what Lucca's response would be.
'In my defense, I don't have a good memory.'
"(Sure, sure! I accessed your memories, and there's the front part of the store!) After ori said that, a hologram retrieved from Lucca's memories appeared in front of his face."
With that, Lucca began to speak: "Just to be sure, it's a wooden façade with two windows on the sides and a wooden sign?" describing what he was seeing in front of him.
"That's right. Your memory is improving. Congratulations!" Ana congratulated with a sarcastic tone.
"I always warned you that my memory is much more visual than with names!" Lucca said with a smile on his face, almost unable to contain his laughter.
(Ahem) ori coughed.
Upon hearing ori's cough, Lucca was surprised, widened his eyes, and raised his eyebrows slightly, but gradually a light smile appeared on Lucca's face.
Calm down, everyone!" the teacher shouted, trying to regain the students' attention. When that didn't work, she revealed, "Don't forget that this will count towards your grades!"
With this revelation, some students panicked because achieving good grades is crucial in the academy if you genuinely want success in life and secure a good position in the army or other realms' forces in the future.
"How do we get a good grade?" asked a blond student who had previously been in a panic but managed to calm down and ask his question.
The teacher decided to provide a more detailed summary. "Well, as I mentioned before, there will be points, and there will be a competition. The higher you go in the ranking, the more academy coins you'll earn, and, as you probably know, they can be exchanged for equipment and other items." She took a deep breath and continued.
"In addition, the academy wants you to achieve a certain number of points to get a good grade. As you also know, the academy divides the classifications into letters - A, B, C, D, F, with A being the highest grade. These grades will be based on your performances in the fields, your combat efficiency. The better your performance, the more points you'll earn, directly influencing your final grades.
Remember that, besides the competition and grades, your survival is the top priority. No point or grade is worth more than your life. Always be careful and prepared to face challenges and follow what I told you before." With that said, the teacher began to look around and noticed that only her group was inside the academy.
But before she could speak, a girl asked, "And how many points do we need to get a C, teacher?"
Unfortunately, I can't tell you!" said the teacher.
The students began to ask why, and some even complained, wondering why the teacher was hiding information. Seeing this, she had no choice but to reveal a little more, "I didn't decide that; it was the academy. If you want to complain, go to the principal's office!"
Upon hearing the response, the students stopped saying anything more, as it was simply futile to speak further.
"Now start walking; apparently, we're late because we're the only ones here!" She didn't like being late and the only one there, so she wanted to hurry up her students.
They walked along the road and went to the teleportation portal. As soon as they arrived, they saw a line of at least four academy groups ahead of them. Seeing this, they waited, and a student took advantage of the situation, asking, "Teacher, which realm are we going to?"
"We're going to the Aylinthia Kingdom!" replied the teacher.
"So, it means we're heading to the Crimson Duchy," Alice revealed, sighing as she finished the sentence.
"Have you been there?" asked Nolan, as always, without any facial expression.
"I've never been there, but I know some people, and I've heard about it!" replied Alice.
"When she says she knows some people, she means she's received a marriage proposal from the family that controls the duchy!" revealed Ana, but it didn't go well, as she received a slap on the head from Alice, with considerable force.
Everyone was shocked by the revelation, including some who managed to hear it.
"You had to talk too much, right?" Alice spoke with annoyance.
"Ouch! That hurt! It slipped out!" replied Ana, holding her head.
"Just keep your mouth shut! It's not that difficult!"
The rest of the group laughed at the situation, and Ivy asked, "Do you accept?"
"Alice didn't even answer!" Ana revealed.
"What do you mean? Can you choose? Whom do you want to marry? Isn't it your family that decides?" Lucca asked confusedly because in medieval times, women didn't have the option to choose whom they would marry; it was solely the family's decision, and that was the end of it.