Chapter Twenty-Three: Potential

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“Being handsome isn’t a crime.” After giving it some thought, Lin Nian decided to speak a word in defense of this Italian he had never met.

Beside him, Lin Xian nodded as well. She had heard Lin Nian mention this Caesar before. Her first impression had been: an Italian stallion of a man, handsome enough to look like a stud wearing diamond-plated armor, with a golden mane—no, golden hair.

“No. As for Caesar Gattuso, every professor who teaches him has filed complaints. The professors unanimously reported that they had caught him replying to love letters during class. Taken together, the number of times amounts to several hundred!” Professor Manstein said gravely.

“I hear he’s currently campaigning to become the next Student Union president, and the support for him is overwhelming. Once this semester ends and the current president graduates and steps down, he’ll most likely hand the position over to Caesar,” Mandy said. “There’s even a betting pool on the Night’s Watch forum about whether Caesar can succeed him. The odds are one hundred to one—frighteningly low. Anyone placing a bet is practically gambling their life on getting rich overnight.”

“Unfortunately, the disciplinary committee doesn’t concern itself with gambling,” Manstein said expressionlessly.

“I bet that he will. I put down my meal money for this semester. Any profit is better than none.” Fingerel shifted comfortably in his seat.

“He is the heir to the Gattuso family, after all. I saw him standing on the balcony of Norton Hall one day, looking down over the school. He was so overwhelmingly imposing, he practically shone like the sun,” Mandy said.

“Quite an impression,” Lin Nian said. “Since this Caesar Gattuso you describe is so exceptional, is he an S-rank?”

“S-rank? Who told you that? The full term is ‘bloodline rank.’ It is assigned according to the purity of the dragon blood within a mixed-blood. The evaluation takes many factors into account. Caesar is an A-rank, just like you. There are currently no S-rank students enrolled at the Academy… No, wait. Perhaps there is one.”

Professor Manstein stopped halfway through his sentence.

His sudden change of wording drew Mandy’s attention. “There’s an S-rank among the enrolled students? Who? I’ve studied here for three years and never heard of one.”

“I haven’t heard anything either. Can I break the story?” Fingerel raised his hand.

“You’re the head honcho of the News Department and even you haven’t heard of it? That S-rank must be hiding very deeply,” Mandy said in surprise.

“It isn’t that there is one. It’s that there could be one.” Manstein shook his head. “Mandy, do you remember what your bloodline ranking was before the 3E examination?”

“C-rank,” Mandy replied without hesitation. “I already thought it was too low back then, and it turned out I was right.”

“What rank is Senior Mandy?” Lin Nian asked.

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“Norma’s final assessment put me at B-rank. Nothing outstanding, nothing terrible. At least it’s enough to get by.” Mandy spoke casually, but Lin Nian could see the corners of her mouth lifting in the rearview mirror. Apparently, B-rank was considered fairly respectable at the Academy.

“Wait.” Mandy suddenly froze, as though she had realized something. She turned toward Manstein. “Professor, were you serious just now?”

“Yes.” Manstein nodded.

“That’s huge news.” Fingerel stared at Lin Nian, his eyes gleaming as though he had spotted a priceless treasure.

“What do you mean? What did Professor Manstein say?” Lin Nian asked, still confused.

“He said that this year’s intake might have an S-rank student.” Mandy kept glancing at the rearview mirror as she spoke.

“Who?”

“They mean that after your 3E examination, you might rise from A-rank to S-rank.” Lin Xian understood.

“But I don’t even know what kind of questions will be on the exam.” Lin Nian sighed.

“Don’t worry. The 3E examination tests aptitude, not how much you’ve crammed. You can think of it as a bloodline test. The purer the bloodline, the greater the chance of passing. Professor Manstein says you might have a shot, so you definitely have a chance.” Fingerel patted Lin Nian on the back, but immediately seemed to remember something. He pulled out his phone, huddled to one side, and began tapping away.

“A bloodline test?” Lin Nian paused. His first reaction was to look at Lin Xian beside him. “Professor Manstein, I have an impertinent request…”

“You want Lin Xian to take the 3E examination with you?” Manstein said with an expression that suggested he had anticipated this. “That isn’t impossible. We had already taken it into consideration. Lin Xian will take the 3E examination alongside you; it is part of the procedure for entering the Academy. Since she entered as a specially appointed staff member, it won’t matter even if she fails.”

“You had already thought of that?” Lin Nian was stunned, then said sincerely, “Thank you, Professor Manstein.”

“The person you should thank is me.” Lin Xian inclined her head slightly toward Manstein in the passenger seat.

“You shouldn’t thank me. The arrangements for both your admission and your sister’s were reviewed and adjusted by Principal Angers. Lin Xian taking the 3E examination with you was also the principal’s decision,” Manstein said. “If you get the opportunity, you can have afternoon tea with him and thank him in person. But you’ll have to earn that opportunity yourselves. Quite a few students at the school are still waiting in line for the chance to have afternoon tea with the principal.”

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“Certainly.” Lin Nian silently engraved the name Angers in his heart.

“We’re almost there.” Mandy pressed the horn, and the Chevrolet’s call echoed through the air. At some point, they had passed through a coniferous forest and reached the foot of a mountain. A winding road climbed its slopes, with Cassell College situated halfway up.

“What do we do first once we reach the school?” Lin Nian suddenly remembered something important. If he entered the first year immediately, he would count as a transfer student. But he had missed half a semester of classes, and the subjects—Dragon Genealogy, Magical Machinery, Alchemical Engineering—were hardly things he could confidently catch up on with his classmates.

“First, we’ll assign you a dormitory. Then I’ll take you to see the so-called ‘evidence’ of the existence of dragons and give you a physical assessment,” Manstein said. “As for your classes, there’s no need to hurry. The principal’s intention is for you to audit classes for half a semester. It doesn’t matter if you can’t understand them; the main purpose is to let you experience the atmosphere of a university. After all, you’ve only just turned seventeen this year. The atmosphere at a Chinese high school is completely different from ours, and adjusting will take some time. Once the second semester begins, you and next year’s first-year students will be reassigned to classes and start afresh.”

“Sit in on classes for six months?” Lin Nian breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Xian looked slightly embarrassed as well. Back at the café in China, she had confidently claimed that there was no need to worry about whether Lin Nian could keep up with his studies.

Normally, the first semester of university was spent consolidating old knowledge, while new material was introduced only lightly. Even if Lin Nian failed to understand something, she—someone who had already attended university—could teach him. That was why Lin Xian had been so confident in him. Who could have guessed that Cassell College’s curriculum would be so wildly unconventional?

“But what does the physical assessment involve? The usual hundred-meter sprint and pull-ups?” Relieved, Lin Nian asked.

“It’s far more comprehensive than that. Our Academy has specialized health-assessment instructors who will give you a complete physical examination and fitness test. It includes, among other things, lung capacity, the hundred-meter sprint, the high jump, neural reflexes, and grip strength. You’ll also need to meet Instructor Masashi Toyama, our psychological counselor. According to our investigations, eight or nine out of ten students who have completed the admissions counseling afterward show signs of mental tension and heightened sensitivity,” Manstein said.

Manstein noticed that Lin Nian’s expression had become somewhat unnatural and offered reassurance. “Don’t worry. The abnormalities you’ve displayed are not unusual at this Academy. On the contrary, students who have undergone ‘spirit vision’ and awakened their bloodlines all possess physical abilities superior to yours. Do your best to show what you can during the assessment.”

“Really?” For some reason, Lin Nian remained skeptical.

“Really.” Manstein smiled and nodded.

As they spoke, the Chevrolet gradually slowed. They stopped on the mountain road beside an iron gate adorned with elaborate carvings. Beyond it stood clusters of European-style buildings.

“We’ve arrived.”

The school gate opened, and the Chevrolet slowly drove inside. From behind the wheel, Mandy glanced at Lin Nian and Lin Xian in the rearview mirror and smiled.

“Though it’s a little late—welcome to Cassell College!”

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