Chapter 34: Orders Academy's Special Recruitment Quota

(I slightly revised the earlier plot; originally I wrote about using the Fire God's Eye as collateral, but after thinking I felt it wasn't suitable—doing so would be unreasonable and would create plot holes later, so I changed it to the Ice God's Eye.)

Vision.

This is a valuable thing.

You know how many people dream of this thing yet cannot obtain it.

Whenever someone sells a Vision, the price is astronomical.

However, Duo Li did not immediately agree to lend Luo De money; instead, she frowned and said, 'This one has been activated—I can't sell it.'

"I know."

Luo De nodded, smiling brightly at Duo Li: 'But having lost my Vision, I've also lost the power to wield elemental energy. I'm putting my entire future and prospects up as collateral with you—how about that? Do you find this acceptable?'

His words had just fallen.

Before Duo Li could reply,

Dixiya, standing nearby, grabbed Luo De's clothes and pulled him aside, then anxiously said with a puzzled face: 'What are you doing? If you need money, just tell me; if worse comes to worst, I can help you borrow—I know some friends. Your Vision—'

"It's fine; anyway, staying in A Ru Cun, I have no use for it."

Luo De chuckled, indifferent, and said: 'Besides, I'm only putting it up as collateral—I'm not just giving it away to Mister Sangge Mahabai; when I earn money, I can just redeem it.'

"Redeem!"

Dixiya's eyes widened: 'What will you redeem it with? Just that little Mora in your pocket?'

"Worst case, I'll go work for you."

"Hehe."

Luo De laughed: 'You wouldn't refuse a cook joining your Blaze Light Beast Hunt, would you?'

"."

Dixiya stared for a moment.

She had indeed invited Luo De to join the Blaze Light Beast Hunt more than once.

But what she wanted was for Luo De to join the Blaze Light Beast Hunt wholeheartedly, not this situation where he's piled up debt he can't repay and must work to pay it off.

"But without a Vision, you."

Dixiya trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something.

She looked at Luo De again.

Sure enough.

This guy was looking at her with a half‑smile.

I almost forgot.

Luo De actually has two Visions; even if he gave one away, he still has one left.

He's therefore not completely unable to use elemental energy.

"What's wrong?"

"Does the Blaze Light Beast Hunt not welcome a cook?"

Luo De naturally couldn't spell this out in front of Duo Li; he just smiled and continued the previous topic.

"Welcome, welcome."

Dixiya knew Luo De's mind was made up, so she stopped urging him and sighed: 'Of course you're welcome.'

"All right then."

"When the day comes that I can't repay my debt, I'll go work for you—just don't kick me out then."

Luo De chuckled, turned around, and went to find Duo Li again.

At this moment she was thoughtfully turning over and over the ice‑element Vision in her hands.

Seeing Luo De approach, she glanced up and asked, 'Have you worked it out?'

"Hmm."

"We've worked it out."

"Now it's up to you to decide."

Luo De returned the decision to Duo Li.

Just as Duo Li said.

His ice‑element Vision has already been activated.

Such a Vision has no market.

Unless Luo De dies, turning the Vision into an empty shell.

Only then would the wealthy buy it—whether to try activating resonance or to take it home as a decoration; having a Vision is always a superior thing.

In other words.

Theoretically, an activated Vision has no value at all.

However, Luo De's statement that he was giving his future and prospects to Duo Li made her, who had intended to refuse, hesitate.

A moment later.

Duo Li gripped the Vision in her hand and declared: 'Hmph, a person's future and prospects? Barely passable—I'll count you as qualified. Kind Mister Sangge Mahabai decides to accept your collateral; as for how much your future and prospects are worth in money, Mister Sangge Mahabai still needs to work it out. So, you'll stay here for a day, and come back tomorrow to pick up the contract.'

"All right."

Duo Li's agreement was what Luo De had hoped for.

Before he left, after putting the Vision into a box, Duo Li asked again: 'Your name is Luo De, right?'

"Yes, from A Ru Cun, Luo De."

Luo De openly used his A Ru Cun identity.

"All right, come at this time tomorrow."

Having said that, Duoli waved to see the guest off.

"Alright, I originally planned to return to the village today, but now I have to go to the Golden Sands Journey and stay overnight."

Leaving Duoli's manor, Luo De looked in high spirits, still chuckling and joking there.

Dixiya glanced at him: "You sold your Vision, you seem pretty happy."

"Correcting a mistake."

"It's a mortgage."

"It's not a sale."

Luo De solemnly corrected the point Dixiya raised.

Looking at his demeanor.

He was also ready to give Dixiya a lengthy explanation of the difference between selling and mortgaging.

"Stop."

Dixiya promptly stopped him, walking and asking, "By the way, could you tell me why you thought of mortgaging your Vision?"

Speaking, she gave him a scrutinizing look: "If I recall correctly, this should be your first meeting with Elder Sangge Mahabaye, yet you're so comfortable entrusting her with something so important? Aren't you afraid she'll renege, seize your Vision for herself, even-"

Dixiya made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Scared."

"Of course I'm scared."

Luo De gave his answer.

That answer left Dixiya even more puzzled.

"You're scared, so why would you still go through with this transaction?"

"Logically speaking."

"If you're afraid the other party will back out, shouldn't you not dare to make the deal?"

"Could Luo De have some unavoidable reason to make this deal?"

Thinking this, Dixiya stopped, grabbed Luo De, and was about to walk the opposite way: "If you really need money that badly, you don't have to go to someone like Elder Sangge Mahabaye to borrow it—tell me how much money you lack, I'll help you make up the sum; while there's still time, hurry back to Elder Sangge Mahabaye and get your Vision back."

However, no matter how hard she tried, Luo De's feet seemed rooted to the ground, and she couldn't pull him at all.

"Alright, alright, don't get worked up."

Luo De, laughing and crying, soothed the somewhat agitated Dixiya: "I didn't mortgage this Vision just for money."

"Not for money?"

Dixiya didn't believe him, speaking bluntly: "Then what is it for? To get rid of your Vision?"

"Not really either."

Luo De scratched his head, helplessly explaining: "I'm doing this to prepare to enter the Academy."

"What?"

"To prepare to enter the Academy?"

Now Dixiya understood even less.

To enter the Academy, you just need to take the examination; why go through all this trouble for money?

"It's a special recruitment student."

Luo De continued explaining: "I just looked at the Academy's recruitment regulations in the city; there's a clause stating that anyone who does not rely on the Academy and the Void Terminal, whether rainforest people or desert people, if they can develop a completely new research project, can be admitted exceptionally to the Academy."

"What do you mean?"

Dixiya faintly recalled something.

It seems there really is such a saying.

"But."

Without the Academy's support, trying to develop a completely new research project on one's own is incredibly difficult.

Not to mention desert people; even rainforest people rarely manage to obtain the qualifications for exceptional admission.

"The exam is hard to pass, so it's wise to prepare another means."

"Hehe."

"Now, looking at it."

"Not having the qualification to use the Void Terminal is actually a good thing."

Luo De licked his lips, gazing toward A Ru Cun, and muttered: "Without the Void Terminal, it means everything I'm doing now is unrelated to the Academy; as long as the plan Tinari devised for me bears fruit, then when placed before the Academy, I qualify for special recruitment."

"That's right."

"The reasoning is really that simple."

A desert person who does not rely at all on the Void Terminal, even if the research path they have developed overlaps somewhat with the Academy's existing system,

but in the Academy's eyes,

this deserves a special recruitment slot.

Although Luo De's plan was devised with Tinari's help, if Tinari doesn't speak, Dixiya doesn't speak, and Luo De himself doesn't speak, who would know?

(End of chapter)