Chapter 70: Kids Only Make Choices (Revised)

Ying Duo, carrying the supplies he exchanged for his meager 3,500 "big money" and the hassle of having to form a party to leave the city for experience grinding, followed the navigation back to Mitra Academy.

The grand Academy gate still stood, but compared with freshman registration day it was a bit less noisy and a bit more settled with an academic atmosphere.

As Ying Duo stepped through the school gate, he didn't go far before an upright figure appeared not far ahead of him, as if it had been waiting there for a long time—none other than Teacher Su Jingchuan.

Su Jingchuan saw Ying Duo; his normally stern face immediately broke into a smile, though it looked a bit forced, his gaze lingered on Ying Duo for a moment as if he had just happened to pass by.

He saw Ying Duo completely ignore him, looking straight ahead as he was about to walk in, so he had to speak up, "Classmate Ying Duo, is the vacation over?"

Ying Duo halted, his hollow golden eyes turning toward this NPC who had sprung up midway and initiated the conversation, and he nodded.

Su Jingchuan walked to his side, chatted idly, and they walked side by side toward the interior of the Academy.

"These past few days, several more classmates have been 'invited' by the Heresy Tribunal to assist with investigations, but they were all worried about missing classes and basically chose to return to school the next day."

His gaze seemed to look ahead, yet his peripheral vision constantly monitored Ying Duo's reaction.

"Only you took a few extra days off, how's it? Have you recovered now?"

Su Jingchuan was indeed "sitting on" Ying Duo; he calculated carefully to ensure Ying Duo could just make it into Mitra Academy, even going so far as to clash head‑on with Wu Tianming over it, and of course he had his own ulterior motives.

But because of that, he was even more worried about the student's mental state after being taken by the Judgment Court.

The Heresy Tribunal's place, a normal person who goes in once will be mentally affected to some degree, let alone a student like Ying Duo whose mind already has issues.

However, after looking at the receipt the Heresy Tribunal gave, Ying Duo's condition was a bit better than he expected; he could respond to the outside world, though his perception of the world differed from that of ordinary people.

He tentatively guessed that this was probably related to the Aberrant Arts that Ying Duo had awakened.

Su Jingchuan's words sounded more like a typical senior's concern, but Yang Yixie became alert at once.

This NPC… could it be blaming the player for using this as an excuse to deliberately skip class?

Adhering to the principle of "play dumb in front of the teacher," Ying Duo simply nodded blankly in response.

"Thank you for your concern, teacher."

He neither explained why he had taken a few extra days off nor showed any hint of negative emotion about the matter.

Su Jingchuan examined Ying Duo closely; his eyes remained hollow, much the same as before, making it impossible to discern any signs of psychological shock or physical injury.

He had previously dealt with several other students who returned to school; aside from some complaints about the Judgment Court's overbearing actions, their mental states were all quite good.

They just felt a bit baffled, not knowing why they were forcibly taken by the Heresy Tribunal, yet only asked a slew of questions that made sense.

At least the Judgment Court hadn't done anything excessive to them, so it likely wouldn't leave any psychological trauma.

Su Jingchuan felt a slight relief; his main worry was that the Heresy Tribunal might resort to extreme measures, so it was good that Ying Duo returned unharmed.

The two naturally walked side by side along the tree‑lined path forward.

To ease the overly silent atmosphere, and also out of a senior's duty to impart basic knowledge to freshmen, Su Jingchuan deliberately changed the subject and introduced Mitra Academy's unique education system.

"Mitra Academy differs from other methodical institutions; we uphold 'Freedom and Responsibility'."

Su Jingchuan's voice sounded clear on the quiet campus trail.

"Besides the required courses of one's own class, all courses—whether theory, practical combat, Aberrant Arts, or auxiliary skills—are open to every student."

"You can, based on your interests, development direction, and abilities, freely choose the courses you wish to attend."

He then shifted his tone, emphasizing.

"The sole graduation criterion is to earn the required credits; besides regular coursework and assessments that grant credits, there are other avenues."

He gave a few examples:

"For instance, go into the wild to hunt Aberrant Species; based on the species' rank and number, you can obtain a corresponding amount of credits."

"Or, make special contributions to the Academy, such as participating in certain research projects, which can also yield a large number of credits."

"In my cohort there was a senior sister who independently completed a research project that contributed enormously to the entire Tianmian City; she was directly granted a massive amount of credits sufficient for graduation and, right after graduating, entered a research institute under the Church."

As Su Jingchuan spoke, his tone carried a hint of sentiment and nostalgia; it was something he had witnessed himself, yet for current students it existed only as legend.

Not to mention that back then he had seen that legendary senior sister with his own eyes.

No, or rather, that cohort could be called legendary.

The only thing is that she later entered the research institute, perhaps assigned to a classified project, and he never heard any news about her again.

Back then some of those people joined the Supervision Bureau, some went to the Heresy Tribunal, and others……

Forever remained in that year.

Su Jingchuan seemed to be lost in an unpleasant recollection; Yang Yixie watched the dialogue box pop up above his head and felt something stir.

Could this be telling the player that later they can submit their own weapon blueprints to the Academy in exchange for credits and reputation?

And hunting Aberrant Species can also earn credits? That's a win‑win, gaining experience while speeding up graduation.

He felt nothing toward that prodigy who graduated in a month; that person might be a high‑level NPC appearing later, anyway not something he needed to worry about now.

During their idle chat… or rather Su Jingchuan's one‑sided narration, the two had already arrived at the freshman dormitory area.

Su Jingchuan only then snapped out of his reverie, stopped at the entrance of Dormitory Building A, looked at Ying Duo, and finally asked the question he truly wanted to ask.

"Then, classmate Ying Duo, what are your plans for the upcoming Academy life? Do you intend to stay in the Academy to study deeply, or do you want to go into the wild to hunt Aberrant Species?"

Ying Duo heard this, tilted his head slightly, as if seriously contemplating the question Su Jingchuan raised.

However, in fact, Yang Yixie didn't need to consider that much at all.

He still used that calm, deadpan tone to pose a question that, to Su Jingchuan, seemed somewhat… greedy or perhaps naive:

"Can't I choose both?"

Kids make choices; adults take them all.

Su Jingchuan was momentarily choked by the overly blunt answer; he opened his mouth, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something persuasive to Ying Duo.

He thought of the drawbacks of spreading one's energy too thin, the hardships and risks behind pursuing two paths simultaneously, and also the hidden Undercurrent within the Academy.

Yet just as he was about to speak, a few laughing students happened to pass by nearby, glancing at them curiously.

Su Jingchuan swallowed the words that reached his lips, patted Ying Duo's shoulder, and spoke in his usual tone.

"You can take your time to consider the specifics; you still have plenty of time to plan your future. First, return to your dormitory and settle in, get some good rest, and don't let classes be delayed."

After speaking, he no longer lingered, turned and left.

Ying Duo watched Su Jingchuan's departing back, then looked up at the dormitory building before him.

At first he thought the Academy map was very boring and planned to speedrun it.

But now it seems that in the Academy, players' "playstyles" can be many.