TTW Chapter 179: Specialized in Hunting Dragons (Patreon)

Lin Yi and Lu Mingfei's situation was not particularly hidden. Since they had already left the screening hall, Nono didn't need to pretend anymore.

She directly invited Lu Mingfei and Lin Yi to join her.

This was almost instinctive for Nono; she felt that Lin Yi and she were of the same kind.

This was the blood bond from the dragon clan.

What followed was a matter of course. Lin Yi casually handed the file and a voice recorder to Nono and said with a slight smile, "Alright, beautiful lady, I agree. I've signed my name, and my voice print verification is in the voice recorder. I will report to Cassell Academy on time."

"Tsk, he seems just like Caesar," Nono murmured under her breath as she took the file.

"Big brother, are you also applying to Cassell Academy?" Lu Mingfei asked in surprise. Given Lin Yi's academic achievements and family wealth, shouldn't he have his pick of top schools like Tsinghua, Peking University, Harvard, or Oxford? Although Cassell Academy offered excellent conditions, it still fell short when compared to those elite institutions.

He couldn't understand why Lin Yi chose Cassell Academy.

"Yes, that's right," Nono casually nodded. "If you're lucky, you might even become classmates."

"What do you mean, classmate Lu Mingfei?"

Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment, glanced at Lin Yi, and then at the beautiful Nono, finally nodding, "Alright, I agree too."

After chatting with Nono, Lu Mingfei's mind was still in a daze.

Lin Yi and they parted ways.

After resting for three or four days, Lin Yi officially received his admission notice from Cassell Academy.

After spending several days traveling through various airports, Lin Yi and others finally boarded the train to the academy.

On the speeding train, the academy's senior professor Guderian sat opposite the incoming student Suger. Lu Mingfei and Lin Yi sat in the same row. The carriage could be considered elegant and luxurious, decorated with Victorian-style wallpaper, red solid wood around the windows, and handmade tables. Even the seats were top-quality leather sofas embroidered with gold threads.

"Would you like coffee or hot chocolate?" Professor Guderian asked, "Or perhaps a strong drink? We can offer that as well."

"Do you have anything white?"

Lin Yi shook his head; he really couldn't get used to foreign liquor.

Guderian nodded. In this compartment, there were reserves of famous liquors from various countries. He walked to the fridge and quickly brought back a few cups and a bottle of Moutai.

"Is it okay to drink freely in the academy?"

Lu Mingfei's mouth twitched, feeling that the academy was somewhat improper.

"Anyway, drink something to calm yourself down, lest you hear some loud screams later," said Suger, the perennial international student at Cassel Academy, shrugging his shoulders and looking like he was watching a drama unfold.

"Screams?"

Lu Mingfei was even more confused.

Lin Yi smiled slightly, appearing quite calm. In terms of oppressive force, the Black Dragon of Dragon Nest in his world was much more formidable than the dragons of this world.

"Quite an interesting freshman," Professor Guderian looked at Lin Yi. "Of all the students I've seen over the years, you're the second most calm."

"Who was the first?" Lu Mingfei curiously asked.

"Also of Chinese descent. You'll probably meet him once you enter the school."

The train started moving, speeding through the dark depths of the night. Lu Mingfei, Finger, and Professor Guderian sat facing each other. Lu Mingfei and Finger had changed into their Cassel Academy uniforms—a white shirt, dark green suit, and deep rose-red scarf embroidered with the academy's World Tree emblem. Although the academy's tailor had never met Lu Mingfei and didn't measure his size, the uniform fit him perfectly. Even Lu Mingfei thought he looked somewhat handsome.

"Then...give me a cup of coffee."

Lu Mingfei said, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Guderian did not reject this small request.

"Firstly, I apologize for being late; I was held up in Russia and still didn't find a qualified candidate. I only found out that the train conductor messed up your priority when I returned to Cassel Academy, so I decided to take this trip personally to welcome you. Secondly..."

"I know you're about to say something shocking. I also don't think they'd easily offer me a hefty scholarship to lure me to America so mysteriously..." said Lu Mingfei. "I've already come to terms with it these days."

"What I meant by 'secondly' is that the academy requires every student to take a qualification exam. According to school rules, you can't be admitted without notification of the exam, so your scholarship can't take effect for the time being... actually, I wanted to say this."

"Qualification exam?" said Lu Mingfei. "Truly shocking…"

He knows best what kind of person he is, and he knows that those tens of thousands of dollars in assessments are not so easy to get.

"Here's a confidentiality agreement for you to sign," Professor Guderian handed over a document.

Faced with the strange document mixed with Latin and English, Lu Mingfei's hand trembled a bit as he signed. If it weren't for Lin Yi signing the document very calmly, he might not even dare to sign it.

Because Lu Mingfei couldn't understand the information on this document at all, it was like a life-and-death statement.

"So our orientation officially begins," Professor Guderian said very seriously. "As a regular university registered with the U.S. Department of Education, Cassell College has always been committed to providing high-quality advanced education to students with special talents and abilities, offering them various possibilities and recommending jobs."

"Our academic system is four years. Except for geniuses like Finger, only 32% of new students graduate successfully each year. All students must live on campus. It is a traditional, closed-form of education. When you graduate, we will issue you an official academic certificate. Unfortunately, your degree from this school cannot help you find a corresponding major at other universities, so if you want to pursue a master's or a Ph.D., you can only choose to study at this school."

"So... isn't that walking down a one-way street?" Lu Mingfei said.

"That's because Cassell College's curriculum is a bit... specialized," Professor Guderian crossed his hands, his two index fingers quickly circling around.

"Specialized?" Lu Mingfei was puzzled.

"In fact, the entire college's research subject is only one," Professor Guderian stood up and removed the canvas from the oil painting behind him.

It was a beautiful large painting. Under an iron-blue sky, a black dragon was rising from a pile of corpses. Its wings were covered with the skeletons of the dead. Behind its huge membranous wings was a giant tree. The withered branches extended in all directions, forming a dense web, like the fractals that Lu Mingfei had seen on his computer.