Chapter 358: Zero Points?!

Three full days and nights had passed since that snowy night, and Sir Kel Richter, the master of Eagle Rock Territory, had also spent three full nights in torment.

Prince Kelin still hadn't come to his castle.

He was like a beast trapped in a cage, pacing back and forth in his study, which was piled up with expensive taxes.

He would stop by the window for a while, irritably cursing the endless snow outside, and then run to the wall, piously crossing himself before the holy portrait of Saint Xisi, praying for the gods to bless that "Prince Kelin's" carriage, hoping it was just trapped in the wind and snow of the uninhabited wilderness and nothing bad had happened.

Of course, he wasn't really worried about Prince Kelin, but worried about missing this once-in-a-lifetime precious opportunity to build a relationship with a big shot from the Holy City.

"Perhaps that Prince just changed his mind and took a detour elsewhere," a sarcastic voice came from beside the fireplace. His wife was sitting on the sofa, leisurely drinking hot tea. "Kel, your good wine can be saved for next winter."

These words were like adding fuel to the fire, making Sir Richter even more furious, but before he could scold her, a servant ran in from outside, stumbling and looking panicked.

"My lord! My lord!"

Sir Richter's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked: "Is there news of the Prince?!"

"No... not that," the servant panted, hesitating as he said, "It's... it's about the follow-up to the undead attack in Pompeii Village a few days ago. People in the village are saying that among the team of adventurers who went to deal with the undead trouble a few days ago, one of the leaders seemed to be called 'Kelin'! A sentry patrolling outside heard about this and immediately came back—"

"Kelin?! Are you sure?!"

Sir Richter felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he stood frozen on the spot.

That noble Prince didn't know what kind of madness he was having, actually disguising himself as an adventurer on his journey.

And he, not only failed to fulfill the duties of a host but also let this noble Prince go deal with the undead in his territory!

"Saint Xisi above... please forgive me, I... really didn't expect things to turn out like this!"

In an instant, feelings of regret overwhelmed Sir Richter; he wished he could kneel before the statue of the god and repent for his negligence.

However—

It wasn't too late!

Sir Richter suddenly realized that the Prince should still be in his territory at this very moment; in other words, he still had a chance to fulfill the duties of a host!

He couldn't wait any longer!

He had to immediately, right now, go and make up for his monstrous mistake!

"Prepare the horses!" Sir Richter shouted frantically, his voice changing pitch due to excitement. "Quick! Bring out my best warhorse! Summon all the guards! Quick!!"

He rushed out of the study like a mad bull, under his wife's mean white eyes. The entire Eagle Rock Castle fell into a flurry of noise due to his order, so much so that some new recruits who didn't hear the order clearly thought the undead had attacked.

On the other side, the dawn's light had just crossed the plow of Pompeii Village, and this poor village had just recovered a little tranquility from the fear of the undead.

The morning sun melted the snow, and the villagers carried tools, busy repairing the fences that had been knocked down by the undead before.

The air was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster, as well as a faint sense of peace.

However, this hard-won tranquility was soon broken by the sound of horse hooves and the clashing of armor coming from near and far.

Sir Richter led his men and marched into the village with murderous intent, about two hundred people under the connected flags.

The smiles on the villagers' faces instantly froze, replaced by deep fear.

They stopped their work one after another, standing blankly by the road, fearing that this master would cause some more trouble.

This formation clearly didn't look like it was here to protect them.

Sir Richter ignored those cowering villagers. He rode his tall warhorse, went straight to the mill in the village, and found the miller who was directing everyone to repair the waterwheel from a high position.

"You!" He pointed at the miller with his whip and asked aggressively, "I ask you! Did a gentleman named 'Kelin' come here a few days ago?!"

The miller was so frightened by his formation that his legs went soft, and he hurriedly nodded, pouring out everything he knew.

"Yes... yes, my lord! I, I saw Mr. Kelin and his companions; it was they who killed that witch and saved my son..."

"I don't care who he killed!" Richter interrupted him rudely and asked eagerly, "Where is that Prince? Where is he now?!"

Prince?!

Only then did the miller react, and his face turned slightly pale.

Could it be—

That Mr. Kelin was the legendary Prince?!

That Prince's name wasn't Crankle, but Kelin!

Thinking of what he had said in front of the Prince before, this middle-aged man was scared out of his wits, stammering and pointing in a direction: "He... they left early a few days ago, it seems they were heading toward the traveler camp..."

"A few days ago?! Traveler camp?!"

Hearing this, Sir Richter felt his vision go black, his body swayed on the horse's back, and he almost fell off.

A feeling of the world spinning around him swept over him, followed by a great sense of shame!

"Saint Xisi above!" He let out a sorrowful wail, "I... I actually let the noble Prince stay in such a lowly place!"

He felt that his face and even the honor of his family had been trampled into the mud.

He no longer paid attention to the already frightened villagers, pulled the reins hard, turned the horse's head, and roared orders to his group of bewildered guards.

"Full speed ahead!"

"Go to the traveler camp!"

The mighty team continued on the road, this time the target was the traveler camp more than ten kilometers away.

However, this noble Sir Richter seemed to always be a beat slow in whatever he did.

The undead that had plagued the area were dead, and his army finally arrived at Pompeii Village, which had been harassed by the undead. And now, Prince Kelin had already gone far, and his flags had been pushed to the gate of the traveler camp.

Leading his men, this respected knight rushed into the traveler camp like a whirlwind, but plunged into a deathly silence.

This place had almost become an "empty city."

Because the Academy's exam had already begun, most of the seekers in the camp had already headed to the snowy plains outside the border.

Only some tattered tents abandoned by their owners remained in this camp, fluttering helplessly in the cold wind, kicking up broken snow and dust from the ground.

Unable to find Prince Kelin's gorgeous carriage, Sir Richter's belly full of unvented anger burned brighter and brighter. The whole person was like a volcano about to erupt, his eyes bulging like a frog.

And just then, he suddenly saw a group of idle people huddled in the corner of the camp.

To be precise, a group of women.

They were draped in sheepskin coats that were easy to take off, and their faces were covered with thick, inferior makeup, looking particularly eye-catching on the pure snow, like dust falling on the statue of Saint Xisi.

Sir Richter frowned, pointed at those sneaky women with the whip in his hand, and asked his subordinates in a tone of extreme disgust.

"What are those guys painted like ghosts doing?"

Several servants looked at each other. Of course, they knew what those women were doing, but on the verge of the lord's rage, no one dared to speak easily.

Until a young servant, unable to bear the lord's murderous gaze, said in a low voice with an uncertain tone: "My lord... maybe... maybe they are prostitutes..."

"Prostitutes?!"

This word was like a spark igniting a powder keg.

Richter was furious: "Saint Xisi above! These morally corrupt guys who should go to hell, how dare they appear in my territory!"

Thinking that these filthy things had polluted Prince Kelin's noble eyes and lost the face of the Richter family and even the Northern Duke Blackwood, he wished he could hang these guys who sold their souls to the devil on the gallows.

He swung the whip in his hand hard, drawing a loud whip crack in the air, and roared with holy and unquestionable majesty.

"Catch them for me! Throw them all into the dungeon!"

"I want to interrogate them myself!!!"

Sir Richter's roar echoed in the empty camp.

This knight master, who didn't say a word when facing the real undead, suddenly regained the majesty of a knight and remembered that Saint Xisi was watching from above.

His guards pounced on those women who were screaming and panicking like wolves and tigers, tied them up, and threw them onto the horses.

A moment later, this victorious team escorted the spoils of war and returned to the castle in a mighty manner, singing songs of victory.

The servants standing in the castle saw the triumphant Master Richter and breathed a sigh of relief.

Many people didn't know what the knight who left in a hurry went to do, thinking that he took the army to punish the undead harassing Pompeii Village.

It's just...

Which one is the "Green Tooth" Hekajelin?

Looking at the monsters on the horses, they were dumbfounded for a while and couldn't tell.

Sir Richter, who was always a beat slow, was always so vigorous and resolute.

He threw the reins to the butler, and before he could explain a word, he rushed to the next battlefield without stopping—facing his wife's screams and roars.

"Enough! Kel! I've tolerated you for a long time! You go with Kelin, I'm going to live with my father for a few days. Remember to write to me when you've had enough!"

"No! Wife! You, you listen to me!" Richter, who had stood tall before going out, panicked when he saw his wife really lose her temper, his knees went soft, as if he had been hit by an arrow.

He didn't dare let his wife go back to her maiden home!

It wasn't that he was afraid of his father-in-law, but if this got out, how would he see people at the lord's banquet in the future?!

Just like that, Sir Richter, busy putting out fires in his backyard, turned around and forgot all about those devils in sheep's clothing.

Saint Xisi above, thanks to the busy Sir Richter.

Today's Eagle Rock Territory is as peaceful as ever, and the holy light is shining on every inch of the empire's land as ever.

Congratulations.

Congratulations, the Academy's efficiency is surprisingly high.

In just one day, tens of thousands of written exam papers had been graded, and the students of the empire didn't have to continue to endure the obedience tests of the mages in the wind and snow.

The next afternoon, that black stone tablet representing absolute authority once again glowed with firefly-like light under the gaze of everyone.

But this time, what appeared on the surface of the stone tablet was no longer exam questions, but a long string of dense candidate numbers representing "pass."

The list of those who passed the written exam was out!

The entire snowy plain was instantly ignited!

Tens of thousands of candidates looked at the stone tablet in unison, holding their breath, frantically searching for their own destiny among the dense numbers.

Whenever someone found their number on it, cheers of ecstasy would erupt in the crowd, and some would even cry with joy.

And more people, after repeated confirmation without success, let out sighs of disappointment, and the light in their eyes quickly dimmed.

Thousands of families are happy, thousands of families are sad.

Although passing the written exam didn't mean entering the Academy, at least it was a ticket to the broad road! "I... I passed!" Ilala pointed to a line of small characters on the stone tablet, her voice trembling with excitement. "Seventy points! I passed!"

"I'm on it too! Sixty-five!" Fenike high-fived her excitedly, and then cast his gaze toward Balie.

"Hehe, I'm on it too... sixty points!" Balie smiled honestly, and the two were sincerely happy for this blacksmith's child.

After the ecstasy, they immediately began to look for "Mr. Kelin's" number on the list, but after flipping through it several times from beginning to end, they found nothing.

"Could it be that Mr. Kelin's name was missed?" Ilala asked in a low voice, her face full of confusion.

Fenike and Balie looked at each other, and the joy on their faces was replaced by thick worry.

Mr. Kelin actually failed?

How is this possible!

They could accept that their own strength was insufficient and they failed the written exam, but they couldn't accept that the respected Mr. Kelin didn't pass.

Soon, they found Luo Yan, who was sitting in the carriage reading leisurely, and told him about this situation with worry.

"Pfft—pfft pfft pfft!"

Tafu, who was dozing off, couldn't help but laugh out loud. As for Luo Yan, he was slightly surprised and closed the book in his hand.

"Oh? Then I'm a bit curious."

After saying that, he got off the carriage, told Shala that he wanted noodles later and to add three eggs, and then left Tafu, whose face changed wildly, and went to the nearby camp.

Out of worry, Fenike and the others also hurriedly followed.

The camp was crowded with people, more than half of whom were here to ask for their scores.

There were also some people who couldn't accept the fact that they were incompetent and shouted to see their test papers, but without exception, they were all kicked away.

This wasn't a troublesome thing, but it didn't mean that these apprentices with official positions had the obligation to help them.

When Luo Yan found the mage apprentice in charge of processing the voided test papers, the freckled teenager was impatiently throwing the voided scrolls into a huge recycling bin.

He took the wooden plaque handed by Luo Yan, glanced at him with a look of near contempt, found the corresponding name in the roster, and announced coldly.

"Kelin, zero points."

Seeming to feel it wasn't ironic enough, he added another cold mockery.

"Not a single one of such simple questions was correct. It's really hard for you. I suggest you go home and farm pumpkins."

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, making Fenike and the three others shocked beyond measure, so much so that they didn't come back to their senses even after the apprentice walked far away.

Zero points?

How is that possible!?

Ilala was the first to react. She looked at Mr. Kelin's still calm side profile, trying to use the most reasonable explanation to comfort him.

"Mr. Kelin, don't be discouraged! Could it be... your answer happened to coincide with someone else's? The rules say that such a situation will be voided. With your talent, this... this is entirely possible!"

Facing Ilala's well-intentioned comfort, Luo Yan just smiled noncommittally.

"Perhaps."

His calm reaction surprised Fenike and the three others.

They had thought Mr. Kelin would be angry, frustrated, or argue strongly, but they didn't expect him to be so indifferent, as if this result was just a trivial matter to him, like the broken snow that occasionally fell on a pine tree.

Luo Yan really didn't care much about other people's evaluations, but he was still a bit curious about the result of "zero points" itself.

Leaving Fenike and his group, he walked alone on the edge of the noisy camp, analyzing quickly in his heart.

Difference in theory?

Unlikely.

Even if there were differences in the details of the magic theories of the Underworld and the Empire, the underlying logic was the same.

With his understanding of magic, even if the answers to those subjective questions differed from the Academy's standard answers, it wouldn't be to the point of not getting a single point.

Identical answers?

That was even more impossible.

If there was really someone else on this small snowy plain who wrote an answer exactly the same as his, then this guy was absolutely a genius of the century.

The respected Councilor Luo Yan would even personally write a letter to recommend this talent to the famous Professor Lilith, directly sending him to his alma mater—the Demon King Academy for further study.

Just as he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard two other candidates who had also failed walking past him, dejected.

One of them complained indignantly.

"It's really unreasonable! That was something I wrote with my heart, why did they just destroy it like that!"

"Exactly! These apprentices are too bullying!"

"I really don't know what they have to be proud of! I thought they were all amazing mages!"

The complaining voice walked away on the snow, but Luo Yan, who happened to hear it, stopped his steps, a playful light flashing in his eyes.

Destroyed?

In his view, this was an opportunity instead.

In the afternoon, Luo Yan returned to his carriage.

The noisy snowy plains already seemed a bit desolate at this moment, and most of the candidates who failed had packed their bags and embarked on the return journey.

The air was filled with the silence after dreams were shattered.

And those candidates who passed the written exam, after the initial excitement, also began to feel anxious about the upcoming oral exam.

Shala was holding Tafu, focused on "urging eggs," while the latter had a flushed dragon face, her mouth trembling slightly, not knowing if she was angry or exerting force.

Seeing Luo Yan return, Shala said shamefully.

"Prince... Tafu has tried her best, but only laid one. Please wait patiently for a while..."

Tafu: "%@￥%!!"

"Alright, Shala, let's ignore the egg thing for now, I have a task for you."

Ignoring the little ghost who was cursing in an alien language, Luo Yan cast his gaze toward Shala and continued concisely.

"The Academy intends to destroy the test papers. You go to the 'burning point' to find my paper and bring it back to me. Remember to do it cleanly, don't leave any traces, and don't let anyone discover you."

"Yes, Prince."

Shala's eyes sharpened, her figure flickered, and she blended into the shadow of the carriage, disappearing from this snowy plain.

Tafu, who was sitting on the ground, rubbed her tail that had been pinched red, and glared at her master with bared teeth.

"I, didn't I just laugh? Is it worth holding a grudge like this?"

This belly-black guy!

Luo Yan looked at her strangely.

"Laugh? Grudge? What are you talking about?"

Tafu: "%￥#@!"

Dusk fell, the setting sun like blood, dyeing the white snow with a layer of poignant crimson.

In a corner of the Academy's temporary administrative camp, inside a huge tent under tight guard, several apprentices were expressionlessly piling boxes of voided test papers by the furnace, waiting for the final destruction order.

"Seriously, they are all trash anyway, is it necessary to classify them before burning them?" An apprentice couldn't help but complain. He felt he was wasting precious meditation time, and for a group of rookies who weren't worth it at all.

Although the apprentice beside him also thought this was superfluous, he still criticized the ignorant junior with a pretentious air.

"What do you know, this is called a sense of ritual!"

"Fine, this damn sense of ritual..."

What are you showing off?

The young apprentice muttered, turned, and went to move another box of files.

Just at this moment, a shadow that was almost impossible to detect, like the twilight itself, quietly slipped into the blind spot of the tent's vision.

The shadow, light as a cat, paused briefly in front of a wooden box labeled "Number 1000~1050," and then the scroll at the very top of the box disappeared into nothingness.

The entire process took only the blink of an eye, without alarming anyone, and without even bringing up a wisp of light wind.

About a quarter of an hour later, Shala had returned to the carriage, knelt on one knee, and respectfully presented the scroll that concerned her master's "face."

"Prince, according to your instructions, I brought the scroll back before they destroyed it... I didn't alarm anyone."

When she left, she saw with her own eyes two apprentices carrying the box and pouring the scrolls into a burning fire pit.

Luo Yan took the scroll casually and unfolded it slowly.

And when he saw the first line written on the scroll, his ordinary expression suddenly became subtle.

That was indeed his "number," without a doubt, exactly the same as the number on the wooden plaque in his storage ring.

However, the content inside the scroll was not what he wrote, and it didn't even answer the question—it was entirely a doggerel poem that didn't rhyme.

"Ah, the cage of knowledge, cannot lock my soul that yearns for freedom—"

"My heart is a hungry wolf in the wilderness, howling under the starry sky, stupid mortals, how do you know the blood, tears, and nobility of art?"

The assistant instructor or apprentice in charge of grading didn't tear up this disruptive test paper on the spot, which could be considered a good temper.

What kind of stuff is this.

"This, this was swapped?!" Hearing You You appeared in shock, staring at the strange scroll in disbelief.

It saw Luo Yan answering the questions with its own eyes!

What was written on his scroll was not these things at all!

"Obviously, this is not my paper." Looking at Shala, who had an expression of surprise on her face, Luo Yan's mouth curled into a playful smile.

Interesting.

I don't know which brother was confused this time, actually making a move on "Prince Roxai Kelin."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 359 =====