Carl glared at him, "You're the crazy one, Ji Dong, I'm with you. My mom always used to say, as long as you've tried, even if you fail, there's no loss. If there's anything you need help with, feel free to speak up."
Bisu retorted just as fiercely, "I feel the same way, from now on we're brothers."
Ji Dong looked at the two of them and without speaking, stretched out his right hand. Carl and Bisu placed their hands on top almost simultaneously. It seemed that Bisu was a bit quicker. Their mismatched hands stacked on top of each other. They met each other's eyes, and burst into laughter.
There was a little hiccup when they went to the registrar's office to collect their school uniforms and schedules. It was easy for Bisu and Carl, each picking up the corresponding uniform for their department. But it was a bit more complicated for Ji Dong as he needed two sets. As he handed over the special acceptance letter that Bingtian had made for him, the registrar's office teacher's gaze was as if they were looking at a monster.
"The opening ceremony is in the morning and classes start in the afternoon. Does the school have no humanity?! Not giving us a break." Bisu wailed as he looked at the schedule.
Ji Dong cast a glance at him, "How about you shout a bit louder?"
Bisu grumbled, "I was just grumbling. The afternoon class doesn't seem so bad, it's rare to have a joint class between the Bing Fire Department and the Ding Fire Department. The whole academic year doesn't have many of these. So what do we do now?"
Carl said, "Let's go to my dorm, there's no one there anyway."
Bisu grimaced, "Forget it. What's so great about your Bing Fire Department full of boys? We should go to my dorm instead, most students in our Ding Fire Department are girls, many of them are beautiful. I'm the only one in my dorm, it's not like your dorm where you have to squeeze four people in one room."
Carl retorted, "You pansy, forget about it. If we go to your Ding Fire Department, wouldn't I get all 'yin-y'?"
"Damn, Carl, dare to call me a pansy again; I'm gonna fight you."
"That's enough, stop fighting. Let's go to my place, it's the quietest. I'll treat you guys to drinks." Ji Dong's words immediately quieted Bisu and Carl down. The two looked at each other and simultaneously asked in a hushed voice, "You can have alcohol in your place?"
Ji Dong asked confused, "What's wrong?"
Carl said mysteriously, "The academy strictly prohibits alcohol. We were all searched when we entered the school grounds. Although we were not searched as stringently due to our young age, the seniors are checked quite strictly. If you have alcohol, from now on, you'll be my boss! I have been drinking since I was five, which my father allowed, and now being in school is the most painful thing for me."
Bisu grabbed Ji Dong's left arm, "What are we waiting for? Let's go."
When Ji Dong led them into his room at the top floor of the Bing Fire Department Teaching Building, Carl and Bisu were utterly conquered by the sight of the liquor cabinet filled with hundreds of bottles of all kinds of fine wine. Of course, there was also the stock of marinated meats initially prepared for Ji Dong by President Yang Bingtian. Although Ji Dong didn't think sipping cocktails while eating meats was a good combination, it was fine for lunch.
The scorching noon sun passed and the Li Fire Academy's first class of the new school year began after. Carl and Bisu were both sitting towards the back, giddy smiles plastered on their faces. If you looked closely, you could clearly see that both boys were still a bit dizzy. Ji Dong didn't sit with them, choosing a seat upfront. One reason was because he was rather small, the other was so he could better focus on the class. Thirty-two times the effort was not just a saying.
Bisu whispered, "Carl, is it true what Brother Ji said that the drinks we had won't give off any smell that the teachers could detect?"
Carl replied irritably, "Could you smell it yourself? Why would Brother Ji lie to you? But, I've really never tasted such good alcohol before. It was explosive, felt so amazing."
Bisu said, "Brother Ji said, the effects of the drinks we had should wear off after a while, so why do I still feel so woozy?"
Carl, who seemed to have sobered up somewhat, replied, "That's because your tolerance is lower, look at me, I'm fine now. I've decided, from now on, I'll stick with Brother Ji, follow him, eat meats, and drink good wines."
"Silence, right now, immediately. Whoever is whispering, get out and run laps under the sun." A loud voice echoed around the large classroom. The formerly chaotic room instantly quieted down. Without looking, just from his tone, Ji Dong knew who arrived from his tone.
Both Bing Fire Department and Ding Fire Department had thirty-one students each. Of course, Ji Dong was that extra one. The other levels also has the same numbers, so the total number of students in Li Fire Academy was around three hundred sixty students.
Although Ji Dong had two uniforms and two class schedules, he was only wearing the Bing Fire Department uniform that day. The Bing Fire Department uniform was red, Ding Fire Department's was blue, there was no difference apart than that. The back of the uniform had the words 'Li Fire Academy' emblazoned on it which looked a bit foolish. The uniform wasn't exactly fine. Based on Carl and Bisu's information, the tuition each academic year was as much as fifty gold coins. Even if you managed to pass the exams, not everyone could afford to study here. This was not taking into account living expenses.
The main currency on Five Elements Continent was the gold coin. Each country had different styles of minting gold coins, one gold coin was equivalent to ten silver coins which was equivalent to a hundred copper coins. There were also the universal Five Elements Coins, which were worth a hundred gold coins.
Teacher Xia Tian, in a red robe, ascended the podium. His outfit looked similar to President Yang Bingtian's. However, his bulging muscles were certainly not something the robe could hide. His manliness was intimidating and it was easy to silent the group of ten-year-old pupils with a glare.
Another teacher, tall and only half a head shorter than Xia Tian, ascended the podium with him. She wore a blue dress that perfectly outlined her attractive proportions. She looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight and her expression was slightly frosty.
Xia Tian's intimidating gaze swept over the sixty-one pupils. Suddenly, he slammed his palm onto the tabletop, causing a loud thunderous noise. The heavy oak podium also groaned from the impact. The sudden noise scared the pupils. The teacher in the blue dress couldn't help but frown slightly.