The majestic figure at the desk didn't look up, just gave a soft "mm" in response. The shadow kneeling halfway on the ground saw that the message had been delivered. It respectfully clenched its fist and placed it over its chest, then disappeared silently just like when it came, leaving only a piece of snow-white letter paper lying on the desk.
After finishing the work in hand, the majestic figure's gaze finally fell on the snow-white letter paper. Its thick eyebrows, as sharp as a blade, twitched slightly. It casually opened the letter and took a brief glance. Indeed, all the results had reached the passing line. Just as it was about to put the letter down, its gaze suddenly froze and landed on the detection value at the bottom right corner.
"0.8?" The majestic figure stared at this number for a while, then put away the letter paper, stood up, put on the coat from the coat rack by the door, and pushed the door open.
In the hall, the slightly plump middle-aged butler looked at his master in surprise and said, "Sir, it's so late. Are you going out?"
"Yeah," the majestic figure ordered, "Prepare the car."
...
...
"Three hundred years ago, a natural disaster struck the world. Our ancestors fought bravely, and relying on their boundless wisdom and strength, they managed to survive in the face of adversity. They built this Sylvia Great Wall to keep the disaster outside and protect all future generations! The Sylvia Great Wall is sacred and great. It must never be desecrated. Do you understand?" An old man with a white beard said solemnly on the podium.
Although his beard was already snow-white, he was actually only just sixty years old. However, here, this was already considered a long life.
Dudian listened attentively. Three days after he registered, the school officially started, and this was his first class of the day. Instead of immediately explaining legal knowledge, the old man briefly introduced some well-known things. It seemed that his purpose was just to get familiar with the children and reinforce the faith in their hearts. The story of the Sylvia Great Wall was something that almost every child, except for orphans, had heard from their parents countless times since they were young.
The other children listened listlessly, but because it was their first time seeing this old man with a white beard and they were a bit shy, they didn't dare to act rashly.
However, Dudian listened with great interest. These were exactly the things he most wanted to know at the moment. Seeing that the old man himself seemed to be getting bored and had no intention of explaining in depth, he couldn't help but raise his hand and ask, "Teacher, what is the natural disaster you mentioned?"
The old man with a white beard and the other children were taken aback. Firstly, they didn't expect Dudian to be so bold as to take the initiative to ask a question, and secondly, they didn't expect that someone would not know about such a well-known thing.
Seeing the seriousness and eagerness on Dudian's face, the old man couldn't bear to dampen the child's enthusiasm. Although he silently thought to himself, hadn't this child's parents told him about it? He still smiled and replied, "There are many natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes, and so on."
Dudian was taken aback and persisted, "Is that all?"
The old man was a bit speechless and said, "These disasters are already very terrifying. Haven't you heard your parents say that just a volcanic eruption alone can cause countless people to die? Look at the dark clouds in the sky. That's caused by a volcanic eruption."
Dudian frowned slightly and didn't say anything more, but he sighed inwardly. Because he knew that the disaster three hundred years ago was not simply a natural disaster. Although all the disasters the old man mentioned had indeed occurred, they were caused by nuclear bomb explosions. The reason he asked knowingly asked was to see what information the survivors had left behind. Obviously, the descendants didn't know the true cause and inside story of the disaster.
Perhaps, the inside story was too terrifying, so it was possible that the rulers above had blocked it.
"Teacher, my mother said it's very dangerous outside the Great Wall and that people will die if they go out. Is that true?" A chubby child saw Dudian asking a question and also summoned up the courage to raise his hand and ask.
The old man's expression became serious, and he said earnestly, "That's right. Demons and plagues inhabit outside the Great Wall. Once you go out, you'll never be able to come back. The reason we can sit here and study, and eat rice and vegetables, is all thanks to the Great Wall. So, you must respect the Great Wall and also the wall builders. This is as great a profession as doctors and us law-abiding people!"
Everyone knew that "law-abiding people" referred to those studying law. Children like Dudian who had just started studying law were all called trainee law-abiding people. If they graduated and could pass the assessment of the Tribunal, they could become a priest, which was a very sacred existence, as noble as the nobility. They could not only freely enter and exit the commercial district and the residential area but also enter the inner wall area!
"Demons and plagues..." All the children turned pale with fright. Even the youngest ones knew how terrifying these two things were.
However, Dudian was a bit curious. He naturally didn't believe in demons. After the global nuclear bomb attack, 99% of the living things had gone extinct. This was just made-up nonsense to scare the children. Of course, the targets of the scare might not just be children but also adults.
This made him wonder what the world outside the Great Wall was like. Were there still remnants of the nuclear bomb explosions everywhere? Or, since there was no one to develop it, had it become a primeval forest?
"Time's up. Class is over," the old man with a white beard said as he looked at the hourglass.
The other children immediately cheered.
Just then, two young men in black standard leather armor suddenly appeared at the door and walked into the classroom as if no one else was there. The old man with a white beard was just about to speak when he suddenly noticed the black eagle-head medals on their shoulders. His face immediately broke into a smile, and he stepped forward to greet them. "You two sirs, have you come to take those children away?"
Dudian perked up his ears, feeling a bit wary and puzzled.
One of the thinner young men nodded slightly, his expression cold and meticulous. "Now I'll call the roll. Those whose names I mention, stand up. Do you understand?" His cold and stern gaze swept across the entire room, showing no sign of softening just because the targets were children.
All the children were immediately intimidated and tensed up. The old man with a white beard quickly soothed them, "Don't be nervous. These two sirs are guards. Those whose names are called will have the hope of joining public service. This is a great joy."
Public service? Dudian had heard Jula mention it. Simply put, it was equivalent to a civil servant in the old days. It was a profession that many commoners dreamed of, as they would never have to worry about their livelihood for the rest of their lives.
However, Dudian noticed the medals on the shoulders of these two men. When he entered the residential area from the slum area, he hadn't seen such medals on the guards, and the standard leather armor was also different. Moreover, it didn't make sense for a mere guard to make a teaching staff member show such respect.
"Locke!" the young man in black armor shouted.
A thin child at the desk in front of Dudian trembled in fear and said weakly, "Here..."
"Stand up!" the young man in black armor ordered.
The thin child immediately jumped up in fright.
"Marta!"
"Yes!" A girl quickly stood up.
"Ramil!"
"Callie!"
One by one, the children were called and stood up. The young man shouted in a low voice, "Dudian!"
Dudian narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up.
Including him, there were a total of eight children who were called.
...