Chapter 2 Strange Bloodline

Joan's ideals are full, but his wallet is very skinny.

The port of Leiden is located in the middle of the east coast of Alfheim, quite far from the southern hinterland where the town of Derlin is located. It will take at least a month on foot, one to two weeks by sled, and crossing on the way In the uninhabited and uninhabited primeval jungle, especially in the snowy winter season, this trip is particularly difficult and dangerous.

However, all hardships and dangers can't stop young people from pursuing their dreams. Joan had determined her ambition to go to Port Leiden to take the entrance examination since last summer. For this reason, she spent more than half a year planning her itinerary, working part-time jobs early in the morning to save travel expenses, and finally collected enough travel expenses after the New Year.

One morning, Joann left a letter to her grandfather, packed her bags, carried all her belongings, and quietly walked out of the house with her loyal and human hound Jamie. Speeding on the Internet, thus starting your own study journey.

This was the first time in Qiao An's life that he traveled far away, and it was only because of the bravery of a young man who knew nothing about the heights of the sky and the depths of the earth. Had he been older and more aware of the various risks he might encounter in the wilderness, he might not have the courage to go out of the house.

Perhaps because of the favor of the goddess of fate, this thirteen-year-old country boy who was ignorant of his future had no dangers all the way. He ignorantly crossed the obstacles formed by wind and snow, jungles and wild animals, and arrived safely in Lai after ten days. port of tonton.

Joan didn't want to recall all the hardships during the journey, and he didn't pay attention to the bustling scene of the metropolis. The first thing he did when he entered the city was to inquire about the location of Leiden College. The image of a "bumpkin" as imagined by the locals walked into the admissions hall.

Joan didn't pay attention to the way those stylishly dressed city kids looked at him. He went straight to the "Arcane Professional Admissions Office" notice board, and summoned up the courage to ask the person in the gray robe who was sitting at the long table. examiner.

"How much does it cost to take the registration exam?" Qiao An asked anxiously.

"No need to pay." The examiner smiled kindly, "Register with me first, get a number plate, and come to take the test when it's your turn."

Hearing that there is no need to pay the fee, Qiao An let out a sigh of relief - what he was most worried about along the way was short of money.

The examiner saw his psychological changes, and there was a hint of pity in his eyes. He has seen many poor young people like Joan who have nothing but dreams. If the other party is lucky enough to pass the entrance test, he will understand that he is too happy - Leiden College has never been a paradise for "poor children".

Joe arranged for No. 13, and sat on a bench to wait after receiving the test number. There were examinees on the front, back, left, and right, most of whom were around his age. Some leisurely raised their legs and closed their eyes to rest their minds, some nervously wiped their sweat frequently, and more candidates were immersed in studying spell books.

Joan sat in the corner, opened his backpack, took out a piece of black bread that was as hard as a rock, and chewed silently. Every time he swallowed this rough food, Joan felt a stabbing pain in his throat, and he had to swallow it so hard that his forehead was swollen with blue veins. Fortunately, free hot water was provided in the admissions hall. Joan filled his sheepskin water bag and drank water after eating dry bread. He finally filled his stomach before the test.

Casting spells is a high-intensity mental work, and you will not get good grades if you are hungry. In order to save money as much as possible, Joan hardly ate a full meal during the trip. Although the food was so rough that even the pet dogs of the city people would disdain it, the long-lost feeling of fullness in his belly made him feel a trace of unspeakable happiness.

Thanks to the half piece of black bread, Joan was in excellent condition to face this exam that will determine his life's destiny. After listening to the examiner finish the test requirements, he concentrated his mind into a state of high concentration, skillfully made a series of spell-casting gestures, chanted the spell softly, and finally ended with a start character.

"Rúma!"

"Rúma" is an Old Quenya (Elvish) word that roughly means "to lift, to lift, to move...a heavy thing". Those arcane spells belonging to the "School of Change" or "School of Evocation", if it involves invoking magic power to remotely control something through the air, most of them use this word as the starting character.

Joan performed very well on the spot, and the spell-casting gestures and spell rhythm were almost perfect. The moment the Rúma characters exited, a ghostly pale radiance emerged from his right hand, and his fingertips pointed to the left end of the long table. The 5-pound weight used as an examination tool floated out of thin air, and with the movement of Joan's fingertips, this little The lead weight seemed to be held up by an invisible hand, and it floated to the other end of the long table in the air, and finally landed on the table smoothly.

"Okay." The examiner nodded slightly.

Qiao An canceled the concentration of casting spells, and let out a long breath, fine beads of sweat were faintly visible on his forehead.

"Mr. Examiner, have I passed?"

"Well, pass." The examiner replied routinely, "School officially starts on April 1st, remember to pay the tuition fee at school one day in advance."

"Tuition fee..." Joan couldn't help but raise his heart, "How much is it?"

"Three thousand gold Dujia." The examiner raised his head and looked at the stunned country boy with pity. "Three thousand a year, not including board and lodging and other miscellaneous expenses."

Joan's throat seemed to be stuffed with a sackcloth, and he couldn't speak a word. He expected that the tuition fee would not be cheap, but he didn't expect it to be so ridiculously expensive. How much is 3,000 gold Dujia? His barren brain really can't imagine it.

"Difficulties at home?" The examiner still spoke in a routine tone.

Joan blushed, and finally nodded honestly.

The examiner dropped the quill, rubbed his thumbs together, and said in a deep voice, "It's not uncommon for a situation like yours. The college also has a corresponding student aid plan. Do you want to know more about it?"

Joan nodded hurriedly, the spark of hope rekindled in his eyes.

The examiner took a deep look at Qiao An, and there seemed to be a magical halo in the depths of his eyes. After a few seconds, he opened the drawer and took out a long ruler covered with iridescent grids, a piece of gray paper, and a box of steel needles.

The examiner picked up a needle and handed it to Joan: "Prick your finger, squeeze out a drop of blood and smear it on the test paper."

Joan froze for a moment, then pricked his middle finger according to his instructions, and smeared blood on the gray-white note.

The examiner picked up the test paper and put it on the long ruler that looked like a chromatographic tape, and carefully compared the colors on the test paper.

Joan didn't know what that meant. However, he soon discovered that the blood on the test paper turned from red to blue, and finally became blue-purple.

what does that mean?

normal or abnormal?

Just when Joan was full of doubts, the examiner whistled and a smile appeared on his face.

"As I guessed, it's no wonder that among your three spiritual attributes, only your charm is particularly high, and you really have a special blood."

"Excuse me... how do you know my spiritual attributes?" Qiao An couldn't help asking curiously.

"Of course it is recognized by spells." The examiner pointed to his eyes, "In order to cope with today's invigilation task, I specially prepared a Level 2 'Advanced Internal Vision', okay, let's talk about the key points first, from Judging from the results of the comparison of the color bands, you are likely to have a 'strange bloodline', young man, how much do you know about this matter?"

Joan's lips trembled, and she shook her head slightly.

"You don't know about your bloodline?" The examiner gave him a suspicious look and murmured, "It's not surprising, after all, he is from the countryside."

"Mr. Examiner, what does 'strange bloodline' mean?" Joan resisted the urge to stroke the back of her neck and managed to remain calm.

"This cannot be explained clearly in two or three sentences. Simply put, your ancestors probably had contact with powerful strange monsters such as mind flayers, beholders, and aboleths, or concluded some kind of Mysterious contract, so that non-human blood is integrated into your family. This blood power may hide for several generations and will not be revealed. When chance coincides, it will be highlighted in a lucky descendant. And you are That lucky one." The examiner looked at Joan with a smile.

"Lucky?"

"Yes, you are very lucky, young man, there is a mysterious magical power in your blood, although we still have no way of knowing what kind of strange creature this power comes from, but it will undoubtedly bring you a great benefit— —providing you with a shortcut to magic."

"shortcut?"

"The way of a warlock." The examiner asked Joan, "Have you heard of 'warlock'?"

Joan nodded slightly. Warlocks are mainstream arcane spellcasters alongside mages. The difference is that mages rely on hard study and research to enhance their spellcasting abilities, while warlocks rely on continuous exploration and strengthening of their own bloodlines to improve their spellcasting abilities. A mage's ability to learn depends on intelligence, while a warlock depends on charisma—that is, the external manifestation of blood potential.

"Young man, I want to give you a piece of advice. If you insist on taking the path of a mage, then compared to ordinary people, your intelligence level is only above the middle level, and you may only be a mediocre low-level mage after all your life's efforts; On the contrary, if you are wise enough to choose a warlock as your lifelong career, and fully develop the strange magic power contained in your blood, you will have a better chance of becoming an outstanding high-level warlock." The examiner stared at Joan with piercing eyes, "What do you want? Which way to go, have you thought about it?"

"Sorry, I need some time to think about it."

"You have plenty of time to think about it, as long as you make a decision before school starts."

"That... the tuition fee..."

"Oh! I almost forgot." The examiner patted his forehead and pushed the form on the table to Joan. "If your family is in a difficult situation, you can apply for the 'directed commissioned training' jointly provided by the Colonial Company and Leiden College. Loans', which can help your family greatly reduce the tuition burden."

"What loan?" Joan didn't understand the long string of awkward terms.

"Targeted entrusted training student loans, simply put, is a low-interest loan from a large company to help you bear part of the tuition fees. You can pay off the arrears with interest before graduation, or you don't have to pay back the money. Instead, sign a long-term employment contract with the company - it's like the company pays you to train professional skills, and you will go to the company to work after you graduate in return."

"Is there such a good thing?" Joan was dubious.

"Talents are hard to come by after all." The examiner smiled.

"Signing this contract, how much money can I get?"

"It depends on whether you choose the Mage major or the Warlock major. If you choose the Mage, you can get 1,500 gold Dujia student loans every year. If you choose the Warlock major, it will be very different," the examiner blew exaggeratedly Whistle, "You don't have to pay a single copper coin yourself, and the student loan is fully covered."

"Does this mean that warlocks are more popular than mages?" Joan asked thoughtfully.

"No, it's just because your talent as a warlock is far better than that of a mage. The company is willing to spend 3,000 gold coins a year to support a young warlock with a bright future, rather than a... ahem, with all due respect, a relatively mediocre mage apprentice."

After listening to the examiner's words, Joan was deeply touched. On the surface, it seems more sensible to choose "Warlock" as one's lifelong career, which not only suits one's talent better, but also saves a lot of tuition fees. However, Qiao An is still unable to make a decision. One reason is that he does not understand the way of "warlock" practice at all, and he does not know where to start to discover and strengthen the magic power in his blood. In addition, Qiao An has another unspeakable People's heart knots, they feel inexplicable fear of the strange power lurking in their own blood...

Joan couldn't help touching the back of her neck, and a raised hard object touched her palm, still turning slightly. He couldn't help shivering, and had an inexplicable premonition: If he chooses the profession of warlock, he can indeed excel as the examiner predicted. However, as the hidden power in his blood is constantly being discovered, he is on the way to gain more powerful magic. At the same time, I'm afraid it will become more and more weird, until it completely becomes a monster—just like the source of this bloodline.

Thinking of this, Joan's heart, which was still hot just now, cooled down. He picked up the student loan application form on the table, bowed deeply to the examiner, turned and left the examination room.

PS. Quenya comes from "The Lord of the Rings", which is the elf language created by Mr. Tolkien. Some diacritics in this language cannot be displayed correctly in my writing documents, and I have to rewrite them into approximate English letters, please forgive me.

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