By the west of Marua City, there laid upon mountains of great numbers. Valleys that were naturally formed between these mountains made up a two-lane road network used in transportation. These white carriages’ paths looked endless, ultimately leading into the forest after several twists and turns. It was a cloudy afternoon. Many carriages were traveling on the road; some entered the forest while some exited. Owners of different carriages being politely greeted by whom they were acquainted with was a common scene and courtesy along the way.
An average-looking teenager with short brown hair was sitting in a white carriage, gazing at the carriages passing by. Many carriages had those luxurious insignias, yet Angele barely knew any of those. Clean, silky white shirt and a small gray linen coat; long blue pants and a pair of tight black boots were being worn by him. He looked just like any other noble child from the countryside and seemed as though he attempted to be fashionable yet knew nothing in that regard.
A bald coachman wearing gray worker clothes made from linen was sitting by the teenager. These two were Angele and Anderson, respectively, who were heading to the registration office in the school. Anderson started explaining the situation in the harbor school as the carriage moved forward at a swift pace.
“Young Master Angele, the madam asked me to tell you this. Please only take the necessary courses in school since the price of some courses might be too high for you at present…” Anderson didn’t finish his sentence, but Angele knew what he meant.
“I understand. To get admitted into the harbor school, the only thing needed is money?” Angele asked.
“Never heard of anyone getting rejected after paying enough. I think so,” Anderson licked his lips and answered.
Showing a tacit understanding of the situation, Angele nodded. The harbor school was most likely similar to those private schools on Earth where you need to pay a certain amount to get admitted. However, unlike on Earth, the quality of education in this world varied. For Angele, his sentiment was of needing not to waste time in the castle any longer, at least. He could actually learn something, and with the chip’s assistance were many things that he could now do.
“Also, the registration fee isn’t very high. Even children of merchants are studying in it, too. Some people couldn’t afford the fee, thus they chose to pay the students to teach them instead. It’s a cheaper alternative and moreover, such things are common in the school. You can consider doing the same if you don’t have enough money to spare,” Anderson kindly said.
“Thank you, I’ll think about it,” Angele smiled, no longer talking after. He was aware of the fact that just paying those students with money wouldn’t be enough. He probably needed to be extremely polite to them while begging them for knowledge. This was something Angele wouldn’t do. This would save him some money; however, he had the chip. He could do the things normal people couldn’t.
The carriage entered the deep forest in a short span. Ahead of them was a 10-meter wide, large iron door waiting at the end of the road. Beside the entrance were towering walls going straight toward the mountains endlessly. Outside the door was a vast empty ground where several small carriages were parked. Several typical and ostentatious carriages easily distinguishable with just the insignias on them were there. From time to time, people wearing luxurious clothes went out through the door and got into the carriages. Teenagers ranging from 12 to 16 years old and of differing statures got out of the carriages, most likely here to register as well. It seemed the school didn’t have age restrictions.
After parking the carriage, Angele followed after Anderson as they entered through the door. Just like any other students, Angele had the same spark of curiosity in him, proven by his actions as his eyes kept darting around. The first scene he witnessed was a grassy land and many white buildings that were about 5-6 floors tall. A stone path directed them toward one of the white buildings ahead.
Besides the path, there were copper statues that each had words engraved on it. Angele looked at one of the statues and saw words engraved. It read, ‘Count Albert Parrington donated 20000 gold coins to the school on Year 1307. Angele became speechless because he thought those statues were created for successful entities that had greatly contributed to the school’s reputation. He checked several others wherein he saw that they had donated at least 10000 gold coins to the school. By then he had already stopped looking and instead followed Anderson to the first floor of the white building.
A middle-aged man with a goatee was sitting in the middle of a hall that was decorated with glamorous furnishings as though there was a party. He was jotting down the names of students who came to register with a quill pen. Angele moved behind the 20 to 30 people who were lined up in front of him. Meanwhile, Anderson took the recommendation letter to Sir Siva, which caused people around Angele to have contemptuous looks and distance from him.
It didn’t take long for Anderson to bring a blonde curly-haired man to Angele. The man took Angele straight to a room at the side of the hall.
Angele paid the fee in but a short moment and obtained the certification that would prove his identity. It was colored white and was made out of leather. Written on it were his student number, grade, room number, and his personal information. A red seal that represented the clearance of his payment had been stamped at the bottom of the paper. Anderson left right after he assisted Angele in the registration.
Angele headed to a building to the left according to the explanation on the paper. This building was the dorm. Many rooms were still open, but the hallway was crowded with students walking to and fro, looking for their own rooms. It was a lively scene that reminded Angele of the post knights in the castle. Most of the students here were vastly different, of course, as they wore luxurious clothes. People here also talked in a slow and gentle manner, which made Angele think they were a bit phony.
Also, Angele wasn’t actually a noble here because he was from Rudin Empire, a dying country. His father had left his hometown and came to Andes because he decided to give up on his status there. Angele was a mere student now, yet Andes didn’t set restrictions on the color of the clothes. He could still wear colorful clothes, even white clothes. On the contrary, he would’ve been in deep trouble if he had done so back in Rudin.
Each room could only fit one student because the school knew that noble children wouldn’t like to share a room with others. The bedroom only had one bed, a desk, and a chair. Everything was made out of brown wood, and no paint was applied. Angele could smell the fragrance of wood in the air. He decided to settle down his possessions and change his clothes.
“New schedule is out!” A boy yelled outside the room.
“It was just posted outside the 5th building. The price is 5 gold coins!” he continued.
“We need to pay at least 100 gold coins; otherwise, we won’t get our money’s worth!” Another person said.
“The price is set by Master Banner. If you have any question, go talk to him. I’m merely a messenger,” the boy said. By then, the students in the building were stirred, becoming noisy.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
Someone knocked on the door of Angele’s room. He opened it right away. A black-haired boy wearing a red-yellow noble suit was standing outside.
“You’re new here? You heard the price?” This black-haired boy who also had freckles all over his face asked. Angele nodded his head.
“Good, it’s the price set by Master Banner. If you want to teach the poor students for money, that’s the number of coins you can ask for. You must follow the rules, understood?” he continued, and Angele nodded again.
“Sure,” Angele said. After all, he wasn’t planning on earning money by doing this anyway.
“Good,” the boy looked satisfied.
“Not bad for a newcomer. Remember to pay the fee stated on the back of the schedule,” the boy said before leaving. Angele closed the door and thought of something. He took the paper and turned it over. The schedule was very long, each price was written beside each course. It was slightly blurry, probably not handwritten. Angele wouldn’t have known of the schedule if it weren’t for the boy who had informed him.
The price and course were as follows:
Music – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 20 gold coins.
Drawing – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 20 gold coins.
Dancing – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 20 gold coins.
Equestrianism – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 20 gold coins.
Free Combat Training – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 30 gold coins.
History of The Alliance – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 10 gold coins.
War Strategies – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 50 gold coins.
Sword Skills – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 20 gold coins.
Katana Skills – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 20 gold coins.
Dual-wielding Heavy Weapon Skills – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 30 gold coins.
Archery – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 50 gold coins.
Language – 2 classes, 1 hour in total. 20 gold coins.
The total number of classes necessary was about 10. The time schedule of the classes would be decided before the start of the courses. Payments were mandatory to be paid on the same day.
Angele scrunched his eyebrows. It would take him about 100 gold coins to finish one course. This was already costly to him. Though he brought only two high gold cards, it was still a lot. One high gold card could be exchanged with 1000 gold coins, which would be handed out by the school. Angele could convert it to gold coins whenever he wanted at the service department of the school.