"I think so, even though you are a bit old, there are some examples of similar cases. You also seem to be quite strong, so I don't see anything against it. The new school year starts tomorrow, so you have to enrol today. We can visit later."
Ye informed Sylas about the process he would have to go through to enrol. It seemed that the only requirement was to have a Mana Core and some money.
'I guess this is not the highest quality academy. Otherwise they wouldn't accept just anyone. But it should still be enough to prepare for the coming misfortune and even learn about the Night Shadow Tower.'
2 hours after leaving the boar's corpse, they could finally see the towering walls of a city. It was much larger than Sylas had imagined, with walls up to ten metres high. It was made of a dark, stone-like material, and the circumference of the city was so large that Sylas couldn't even see the curvature of the circular wall.
"Tell me, Ye, how many people live in this city?" Sylas asked, looking at the massive city walls and the line of people forming outside the gates.
"I would say about 2 million. I don't know the exact number though, as new people come and go all the time. It's called Dark Stone City, by the way."
This came as a surprise to Sylas, as he felt he should be in some kind of backwater place in the world. Otherwise, the animals in the surrounding forest wouldn't be so weak. He also hadn't seen a single magus flying over their heads and threatening to kill them, which would have been the case if this was a cultivation novel. 'What a creative name,' Sylas thought as he cast a dubious glance at the city wall.
"Looks like I underestimated its size. But doesn't that mean there are thousands of students in the academy?" Sylas asked with a puzzled expression. With a million citizens, they shouldn't have to take on a poor guy like Ye.
"Apparently not, since only about one in a hundred people has a mana core. At least for humans. Isn't that common knowledge?"
Sylas was again surprised by the new information and stored it in the back of his mind. No wonder his parents hadn't awoken a Mana Core. The odds were against them. This meant that of the two million people in this city, only about 20,000 were Magi or had the potential to become one.
"Well, I used to live in the forest with my grandfather before he died, so I don't really know much about the world."
Sylas tried to find an explanation, not sure if he would be treated negatively if he revealed his true origins. However, Fatty Ye seemed to believe him completely as he slapped his forehead.
"How stupid of me! I should have known that this was the reason why you only enrolled in the academy now."
'He really is gullible,' Sylas thought. No wonder he almost died at the hands of a wild boar.
Finally, they made their way to the end of the queue and waited for about 30 minutes before being allowed to enter the city. This procedure was only in place to ensure that merchants, who would otherwise have to pay taxes on entering the city, weren't able to smuggle anything in.
Once inside, they were greeted by a relatively 'normal' looking town. Most of the houses were two or three stories high and made of stone. There were no really colourful or extravagant houses, just what you would expect from a city in a fantasy world.
What did stand out, however, was the fact that there were not only humans, but also other species such as dwarves, lizardmen and a race of human-rat-like creatures with wings.
"Um, what are all these other species doing here? I don't want to be racist, but so far I've only seen humans." Sylas asked Fatty Ye with a hint of surprise in his voice. This was normal, considering that he had never imagined that the creatures from fantasy stories existed in real life. Although he knew that his common sense would probably be completely overhauled in the coming weeks and even years.
"Oh, they just live here. Supposedly they come from somewhere outside this world, but I don't have enough knowledge to know. I'm still just an orphan." Ye's answer didn't really help, but Sylas had his own theories.
They probably came from other low worlds like him, and eventually either started families or settled permanently on this new world. Originally, it had probably been a human-only world, but the constant arrival of other species had diversified it.
"So what now? Do we go straight to the Academy?" Sylas asked, although he really wanted to go there right away.
"Yes, I don't see any reason why not. Maybe I can even get a little bonus for recommending you to our school." Drool dripped slowly from Fatty Ye's mouth, but it looked kind of adorable.
Sylas had to give him a light slap to wake him up. Finally, they walked towards the centre of the city. Due to the size of the city, it took them another 30 minutes to reach the huge gates of the school.
This was the largest and most luxurious building Sylas had seen since arriving in this world. It covered a huge area, decorated with trees and beautiful wild flowers. The building itself was at least thirty metres high, made of dark stone with a few golden ornaments, as one would expect from the city's name.
As they tried to enter, they were met by two guards, each holding a long spear, which they crossed to block their way.
"Why are you trying to enter the school grounds?" The guard on the right asked. He was almost 2 metres tall and very intimidating.
Fatty Ye wasn't afraid, though, as he explained that Sylas also wanted to enrol in the academy.
"But the enrolment period has already ended. Looks like you have to turn around and leave."
"But my friend is very talented. The Academy really wants him as a student. You might even lose your job if you don't let us in. I'm also a student of this academy, how dare you deny me entry?" Ye wasn't the least bit scared and continued to try his best to convince them, but nothing worked.
"The only way they would let your friend in at this point is if he had a spirit level affinity or a very rare affinity like Life or Death. Do you really think just any hillbilly is that talented?" The guard tried to mock her, but it had the opposite effect.
Hearing what the guard said, Sylas became very confident and suddenly began to cast a spell.
"H-Hey, what do you think you are doing? Stop right now or we will have to kill you."
Sylas, realising how his actions could be misunderstood, turned the spell in another direction before throwing it to the ground. The guards tried to stop him from destroying the school's property, but it was too late.
A hole 50 centimetres deep and 10 centimetres wide had opened up in the solid stone floor. A clean cut was revealed where there weren't even splinters of stone.
"Will an affinity for destruction be enough to get into this prestigious school?" Sylas asked, not trying to hide the sarcasm in his tone as he put special emphasis on the word 'prestigious'.
"W-We'll have to speak to our superiors." The guard on the left said before running into the school grounds, leaving behind his friend who couldn't leave. Someone had to guard the entrance at all times. He avoided eye contact with Sylas and Ye, though, just staring at the gaping hole Sylas had left in the ground.
After about 15 minutes, the guard returned with a slightly older woman, probably in her 60s, who still looked very good despite her age. She had few wrinkles and her hair was a golden yellow. The guard who followed her seemed to be full of reverence, not daring to look at the women directly.
She must be someone important in the academy. Sylas thought before casting his spell again. Seeing was believing, and she probably wouldn't believe him without a little showcase.
After opening another hole in the ground, right next to the previous one, Sylas finally introduced himself. "My name is Sylas Aetherstein. I wish to enrol in this academy."
"Nice to meet you Sylas." The woman said with a friendly look on her face. "My name is Margaret Darkstone and I'm the headmistress of this school whose floor you've just put holes in. Would you be so kind as to follow me to my office?"
The woman didn't even look at him again before she walked away. This was obviously not a question, but an order.