Dudian stepped forward and came to the long table.
"You have one minute," the old man in the white robe said indifferently.
Dudian took the paper and pen that were handed to him and quickly scanned the questions. There were only three questions in total.
Question 1:
"When a noble violates the law, how will you deal with it?"
Seeing this question, Dudian didn't hesitate and quickly wrote a single word: "Kill!"
Question 2:
"When a Bright Knight falls from grace, how will you deal with it?"
"Kill!" Dudian continued to write.
Question 3:
"When you encounter an evil alchemist, how will you respond?"
Dudian hesitated for a moment but still quickly wrote: "Kill!"
"I'm done," Dudian said as he handed out the paper.
The three people behind the long table were a bit surprised. The middle-aged woman holding a pocket watch looked at the pointer on the pocket watch and couldn't help but say, "Only ten seconds have passed. You can answer slowly."
"No need," Dudian shook his head.
The three of them looked at each other. The old man in the middle took Dudian's answer sheet and looked down at it. Immediately, he saw that the answer under each question was just one word: Kill!
The handwriting was like a knife, and just like the literal meaning, it was full of murderous intent.
The old man, whose eyes had always been half-closed, opened them a lot more. He looked up at the handsome boy in front of the table. After a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "You're qualified. Come to the Tribunal on Puss Avenue for an interview tomorrow. My name is Mede. Welcome."
The two people beside him were surprised when they heard his words. They tilted their heads and took a look at the answer sheet in his hand. When they saw the simple three words on it, they couldn't help but be taken aback. No wonder it only took ten seconds to finish writing. This answer was definitely the most concise one they had seen in all their years of service.
"Good lad!" The middle-aged man on the right looked at Dudian and commented, "Your character is good, but you're a bit too aggressive. It would be better if you could restrain yourself in the future."
However, the old man named Mede in the middle said, "At such a young age, one should have such sharpness. This is also the reason why we set an age limit for recruiting clerics." After saying that, he waved his hand to the maidservant beside him.
The maidservant understood and led Dudian out of the line.
Dudian was relieved to know that he had passed the test. Although there were many euphemistic ways to answer these questions, this was what was truly in his heart. And when he saw the questions, he knew the purpose of this preliminary examination. So he answered based on the legal principles of the old era. If he couldn't pass, he would just have to accept it.
"Great!" Jenny, who was waiting beside him, said joyfully.
Dudian blinked and said, "I told you, I would definitely pass."
"Both of you, come and register your identities," the maidservant interrupted the two of them.
Dudian and Jenny looked at each other and smiled. They followed the maidservant to the Tribunal staff beside them and registered their respective identity and household registration information.
"Noble, commoner," the maidservant glanced at the household registration information of the two of them, quickly recorded it, and then handed two cards to Dudian and Jenny, saying, "These are your certificates of qualification. Please keep them properly."
Dudian and Jenny put away the cards respectively.
"You can leave from this side," the maidservant said considerately.
Dudian and the others looked in the direction she pointed. There was also a dense crowd there, but there were two Tribunal knights standing guard there.
The maidservant brought the two of them over and said something to the Tribunal knights.
The two young Tribunal knights immediately dispersed the crowd and made a narrow passage for Dudian and Jenny.
Dudian held Jenny's hand and squeezed out through the passage. They came outside the square and left along another street with fewer people.
"Your carriage is blocked on that street. I'll hire another carriage to send you back," Dudian said to her.
Jenny nodded and sighed, saying, "I didn't expect there to be so many people applying. No wonder my father told me to seize the opportunity. Fortunately, I met you. Otherwise, I'd still be sitting in the carriage waiting."
Dudian smiled and said, "Who makes the position of a cleric in the Tribunal so popular? It's even more honorable than a Bright Knight in the Bright Holy See. Now that you've passed the preliminary examination, if you also pass tomorrow's law exam, you'll become a real apprentice cleric. Then you'll be one step closer to your dream!"
"Yes!" When it came to this, Jenny's mood immediately brightened. Suddenly, she thought of something and said to Dudian, "Why did you answer so quickly? You finished writing before the time was up. What was your answer?"
Dudian let out an "Hmm" and countered, "How did you answer?"
"It asked me what to do if a noble breaks the law. I said, of course, just like a commoner, they should all be subject to the sanctions of the law. Everyone is equal before the law," Jenny said seriously.
Looking at her beautiful profile, Dudian sighed and said, "That's really well said. That's right, everyone is equal!"
"Did you answer the same way?" Jenny turned her head and asked.
"Um, more or less. But my answer wasn't as good as yours. It was rather simple," Dudian prevaricated.
Jenny covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "You mean concise. You have such a good way with words. You must have summed it up in just one or two sentences. On the contrary, I was too wordy."
"This is called comprehensiveness," Dudian teased.
Jenny couldn't stop laughing and said, "You really know how to talk. Anyway, it's strange that other people actually answered such simple questions wrongly."
"It's very difficult to make an honest person lie, and it's even more impossible to make a false person tell the truth," Dudian said.
Jenny suddenly understood and giggled, saying, "Your perspective is indeed different from that of ordinary people."
"So is yours," Dudian said sincerely.
A flush appeared on Jenny's face, but she didn't lower her head to hide it. Instead, she gently bit her lower lip with her white teeth and looked at Dudian, saying, "Is that so? Do you really think so?"
Dudian's heart was pounding wildly under her gaze. He subconsciously said, "Of, of course."
Jenny gave him a deep look, retracted her gaze, and didn't say anything more. She walked side by side with Dudian on the street, and the atmosphere became somewhat subtly warmer for a moment.
Dudian coughed and said, "There's a carriage ahead. Let's go and take it, shall we?"
"Okay," Jenny nodded gently.
After hiring the carriage, Dudian sat in it with her. He felt that the temperature in the small carriage quickly rose, making his face burn hot. To relieve the awkwardness, he racked his brains and said, "I'm still not very familiar with the law. Can you teach me?"
"Sure," Jenny agreed happily.
Immediately, Dudian asked her about some questions he wasn't very familiar with, and Jenny patiently answered and explained them one by one.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the carriage stopped.
Dudian immediately came to his senses and knew that they had arrived at her home. He felt a bit reluctant in his heart.
Jenny looked at him and said in a low voice, "I... I'm going back now. See you tomorrow."
"Okay, see you tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you," Dudian said as he watched her get out of the carriage.
It was only after her figure entered the ancient castle that Dudian retracted his gaze and asked the carriage to take him to the Hunter Headquarters.