Inside Apprentice City, many apprentices gathered outside a spacious classroom, waiting for the door to open.
When the appointed time arrived, the classroom door vanished like dispersing smoke, and the apprentices outside rushed in.
"So many people!"
Furan watched the crowded stream of people, somewhat dumbfounded.
"It's fine. This classroom specifically uses Spatial Expansion Technology. The inside is much larger than it looks from the outside, so there won't be a lack of seats."
"But there are just too many people. Do they all have this many points? I remember the normal capacity for this class is 300 people."
Lai Yi answered Furan's confusion, saying:
"You can buy points from others. You just need to go to the Point Exchange Hall, get a course selection certificate, and then sell it to someone else."
"You can even do that? I just selected it directly..."
Furan and Lai Yi waited outside for a while until they finally saw the flow of people slow down.
"Let's go, we can head in now."
The two queued up and entered the classroom. Seeing that the front rows were already full, they had to find seats in the back.
It had to be said, Spatial Expansion Technology was truly powerful! Now there was hardly anyone left outside, yet half the seats inside were still empty.
"Huh?"
As Furan walked up the stairs, she saw someone she recognized but who shouldn't have been there.
Furan hesitated for a moment but still walked up and patted the person on the shoulder.
"Elan!"
Elan turned his head awkwardly; he hadn't expected this situation at all.
Previously, his mind had been entirely focused on the task Celine had given him, and he hadn't considered that someone he knew might see him.
The reason he had to attend this class was that he normally couldn't find Harbos anywhere. He could only come to this class and rush up to him the moment it ended.
"Why are you here? Don't you already belong to a School?"
Furan was very surprised. She hadn't expected Elan to be here at all. She felt Elan's face looked a bit too old; he didn't look like an academy apprentice no matter how she viewed him.
To select this course, you first had to be within the academy and not yet graduated. Students who already belonged to a School couldn't take this class.
When apprentices entered the academy, they were usually teenage boys and girls. Those who were slightly taller or older were basically sent here long ago; it was rare for someone older to come to the academy as an apprentice.
And she felt that Elan didn't look like an apprentice in any way, plus he already had his own School, so there was no possibility of him appearing here.
"Do you two know each other?"
Lai Yi asked curiously.
"We do... I am here on orders from our School... to come here and pay respects to that individual."
Elan cut in, racking his brains until he finally came up with a relatively reasonable excuse.
"Is that how it works?"
"Of course. Since you haven't joined a School, you naturally wouldn't know. Relations between our Schools are actually very harmonious; it's just that you apprentices don't know about it."
Furan scratched her head. She didn't know if that was the case and didn't press further, sitting down one seat away from Elan.
Currently, many apprentices in the classroom were whispering to each other, discussing the upcoming class.
At a certain moment, all the apprentices suddenly fell silent. It wasn't because they realized class was starting or that a big shot had arrived and they needed to be quiet.
Rather, it was because they could no longer speak. Furan was surprised to find she couldn't hear the voice of an apprentice three meters away who still had his mouth open.
"This is a Directional Sound Device. You can only hear people nearby and the Teacher's voice, reducing interference from other apprentices."
Lai Yi explained to her why this was happening.
Elan, on the other hand, was marveling that as expected of a Fourth-Tier Mage, the prestige was immense.
He had been staying in Apprentice City for six or seven years, and this classroom had only been activated three or four times. It was evident how difficult it was for this room to be put to use.
After this classroom was built, it was basically left here, as few people could afford to use it.
Because using this classroom once would consume a large amount of materials. Activating one additional device would cost dozens more gold coins.
First was that Spatial Expansion Technology. Every apprentice who entered incurred an extra spatial stabilization fee. This was the least expensive; it was estimated that by the time this class ended, it would cost less than thirty gold coins.
But the Directional Sound Device was a major money burner. He estimated that it would only be turned on for the duration of this single class, and one class would cost thirty-five gold coins.
In addition, there was a Spatial Transfer Device. If you wanted someone to come up, you could activate it, and that person would be teleported directly to you. It was a huge time-saver, but it cost three gold coins for a single use.
Elan recalled that a few years ago, the Elemental School held a public apprentice recruitment and specifically chose this place to show off their wealth. In the end, they only recruited for one morning before being forced to change venues; they simply didn't have the money to burn.
He estimated that Harbos wouldn't change classrooms. Not only would it be a loss of face—it's fine if those at the First or Second-Tier can't afford it, but can a Fourth-Tier not afford it?
Furthermore, a few dozen gold coins didn't amount to much for those at high tiers. Sometimes the gold coins they consumed just to cast a single Spell exceeded a hundred.
At most, Harbos might slightly regret throwing a portion of his money into these meaningless features.
While the crowd of apprentices was still marvelling at the magical Directional Sound Device, a steady voice reached everyone's ears.
"Welcome, apprentices, to my class. My name is Hobbes Roins, the Chief of the Furnace Casting School."
"As you might expect, I will recruit apprentices who perform well in this course to join my School."
The apprentices looked toward the man at the bottom of the stairs with expressions of pleasant surprise.
His appearance was much younger than Elan had imagined. He had a mature face, but without any signs of aging.
He wore a set of violet mage robes. Unlike the apprentices' robes, his were adorned with many decorative patterns, which were particularly intricate at the seams.
He wore three massive red gemstone rings, all on his left hand. On the sleeve of his left arm, there was a pattern of a red sword.
The apprentices all let out gasps of awe, but under the effect of the Directional Sound Device, these sounds did not reach Harbos's ears.
He looked at the crowd of excited apprentices and couldn't help but feel some anticipation.
"I hope some good prospects appear. The School is truly short on people."
For the apprentices, joining a School was too difficult. Even for Furan, finding information about other Schools was hard, let alone for these apprentices.
The requirements of those Schools that held public recruitments were higher than the next; apprentices who were even slightly lacking couldn't get in.
These apprentices had always wanted to find a School, but unfortunately, they didn't even know the names of other Schools.
And since this course explicitly stated it would recruit apprentices, how could they not be excited?
Some apprentices were already fantasizing about the glory of becoming a Formal Mage after joining the School.
But Elan remained expressionless. He knew that for a School where even the Chief had to come out to recruit, there must be significant problems regarding their low-tier Spells.
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