Chapter 49: The Destiny is as Brilliant as a Meteor
Mr. Silver leaned over Isda’s head and stared at Rast for quite a while.
However, in the end, Mr. Silver suppressed the impulse to use “The Moon of True Words” once more to check if this kid was fooling him.
It seemed too wasteful to use that ability just for his own curiosity; he didn’t know how many bags of fish snacks he would have to eat to make up for it.
On the other side, Rast confirmed his Obelisk profile.
He saw a small star suddenly leap out beside him.
This unremarkable star flickered slightly before merging into the dark Obelisk, becoming indistinguishable from the vast stars engraved on it.
At the same time.
Rast saw the ranking list on the dark surface of the Obelisk, where an inconspicuous line of text had appeared near the bottom.
[Rast]
[Academy Code: “Guardian”]
[Sequence Rank: Tower]
[Second-year student, Obelisk Rank 605, Undecided College]
His eyes flickered, and at the six-hundredth position, he saw the name of the conductor Rodri, who possessed the Night Blade ability “All Roads Lead to Rome.”
This guy was indeed only five ranks higher than the newly admitted students.
“Although you should have roughly guessed it, as a guide for new students, I’ll explain it again.”
“The ranking on the Stellar Obelisk has nothing to do with your actual level or combat power… The only metric for the Obelisk rank is your contribution to conquering the Night World.”
“Contributions to history echoes, pioneering in the Night World, collecting important intelligence, summarizing reliable patterns in the Night World, crafting Emblem Armor, and so on… will all be recorded as part of your contributions on the Stellar Obelisk.”
Mr. Silver glanced at Rast and spoke.
“Among the students, the top twelve ranks of the Obelisk are called the ‘Twelve Seats of the Round Table’ and have high decision-making power regarding conquest plans for the Night World and the future direction of the academy.”
“Under specific circumstances, the ‘Twelve Seats of the Round Table’ even have the right to impeach the principal and veto proposals from the board of trustees.”
“Additionally, based on your Obelisk rank, the resources of Starry University will also tilt to varying degrees in your favor. High-ranking individuals will enjoy certain privileges, while those with long-term low rankings will see their campus benefits reduced.”
Isda interjected, “For example, that guy Rodri, due to his long-term zero contributions… his breakfast quota has already been reduced to just one can of pickled cucumbers at rank 600.”
Rast fell silent for a few seconds: “So the breakfast quota for rank one is six hundred cans of pickled cucumbers?”
“Huh?”
Isda didn’t understand; she just shook her elegant twin ponytails: “But I believe with your dazzling spirit, Rast, you won’t embarrass yourself like Rodri and might soon enter the top hundred.”
“In fact, according to Young Tina’s description, given your contribution to the conquest of ‘Echoes of the Night: Deep Blue Harbor,’ it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to directly elevate you into the top hundred or even close to the Twelve Seats of the Round Table.”
Mr. Silver’s voice rang directly in Rast’s ears again without Isda noticing.
“However, Tina said she doesn’t want too many people to know about your background. If we were to directly raise a freshman’s rank to such a level, it would inevitably attract unnecessary attention… It might even expose that you’re from Deep Blue Harbor.”
“Therefore, she has temporarily suppressed this part of your contributions and will defer the allocation until later. You have no objections, right?”
“No objections.”
Rast smiled and crossed the massive Obelisk plaza, continuing along the red cobblestone path.
Not far ahead was a giant artificial lake, and beside the green shade of the man-made lake, ancient sandstone buildings basked in the sunlight, resembling a medieval castle.
However, not all buildings followed an ancient and heavy style; between the towering spires and flying buttresses was a library with a modern design. Intelligent terminals and projectors were visible throughout the interior, and sunlight illuminated the library’s diamond-shaped mirrored façade, refracting light like rippling water.
It seemed that there was some celebration going on, with colorful flags hanging everywhere. Young men and women embraced books and moved in and out of the sandstone buildings. Rast even saw welcome banners for different societies.
“I almost forgot, these few days mark the academy’s 900th anniversary.”
Mr. Silver silently walked to Rast’s side and gazed at the overall view of Starry University: “How does it feel?”
“To be honest, it’s a bit different from what I imagined.”
Rast gazed at the scenery before him, which overlapped almost exactly with the landscapes of the university from his previous life, showing no difference.
If it wasn’t for Isda and Mr. Silver providing so much background, he really wouldn’t associate the campus before him with the Night World, Night Travelers, disasters, and d*ath.
“I thought that as an institution solely dedicated to the Night World, it would be more militarized, similar to a military camp.”
He looked at the young men and women coming and going on campus, their expressions either lively or calm: “I didn’t expect that as Night Travelers who might vanish at any moment in the Night World, they could still exhibit such expressions.”
“In the beginning, Starry University was indeed as you say, not much different from a second military department.”
“To some extent, the atmosphere here was more oppressive than in a military department… At that time, the exploration of the Night World was still in its infancy, and the casualty rate of Night Travelers was much higher than now, even exceeding that of troops engaged in real battles.”
“At that time, calling it a d*ath squad funded by the Granville Kingdom wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”
“It was only later that that old man became principal.”
Mr. Silver licked his claws: “Knowing that as Travelers, life is uncertain and one could d*e in the night at any moment, one must run continuously while still alive.”
“Laugh loudly, love boldly, embrace all the beauty in the world… so that no regrets are left.”
“Just like the falling stars in the sky, even if their fate is brief and fleeting, they must leave the most brilliant trail in the night sky… so that one won’t regret it when they eventually fall to the ground and become buried in dust.”
“That is the old man’s philosophy, and he has adhered to it for a lifetime.”
“Improving elective courses, establishing the Institute of Spirit Communication, setting up extracurricular societies, reclaiming decision-making power from the Board of Trustees, establishing the Stellar Obelisk and the Twelve Seats of the Round Table…”
“He spent most of his life slowly transforming Starry University into what it is today.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Silver noticed the subtle change in Rast’s gaze towards him.
“Mr. Silver, you actually know so much about the early days of the Night World and when Starry University was founded.”
“As far as I know, the emergence of the Night World and the establishment of Starry University happened hundreds of years ago, which means…”
Mr. Silver became angry: “You b*stard! Is it not acceptable that I heard it from someone else? I accidentally heard it when that old man was chatting!”
“So, Mr. Silver, you are indeed not a weasel but a cat, right?”
(End of Chapter)
