Chapter 15: 1987 Four Brothers (Part 2)
Most students at Ernst Academy would stay at the academy for decades, so the youths assigned to the same dormitory would often become close brothers after graduation. At this moment, Yale, Reynolds, George, and Linley, though more mature than their peers, still had childlike hearts.
After just a short while of chatting, the four brothers had grown much closer.
"Let's get familiar with the academy today. Dinner's on me tonight, haha." Yale patted his chest and said generously.
"This guy has a magic crystal card. If we don't fleece him, who else?" Reynolds joked.
George and Linley, also acting like kids, grinned slyly.
"Squeak, squeak~~" At that moment, the little shadow mouse 'Bebe' suddenly poked his head out from Linley's clothes. The little shadow mouse, just waking up, couldn't stand being ignored and popped out.
"Hey, what's that?" Reynolds was startled.
"Bebe, awake?" Linley smiled and patted Bebe's head. Bebe squinted his eyes in enjoyment, then his small, jet-black eyes glanced at Reynolds, Yale, and George. He sniffed a couple of times, looking quite disdainful.
"A magical beast, this is a shadow mouse. I've seen it in books." Yale suddenly exclaimed.
"Linley, you have a magical beast?" Reynolds and George were also surprised.
They were still kids—how could they make a magical beast submit?
"Bebe is still a magical beast cub. I just gave him some food, and he took a liking to me. So he formed a contract with me." Linley explained with a smile.
"Good heavens, this is a magical beast. Linley, you're really something. I've dreamed of having a magical beast since I was a kid." Yale stared at 'Bebe' with shining eyes. "Even though I have a soul contract scroll, I don't have the strength to make a magical beast submit."
Yale said dejectedly.
"Can't make a magical beast submit? Not even a cub?" Linley asked with a smile.
Yale shook his head and said, "I haven't even reached a first-level magician yet. With my strength, I could probably only tame cubs of first- or second-level magical beasts. But what would I do with such weak beasts? And cubs of seventh- or eighth-level magical beasts are extremely hard to come by. Besides, even as cubs, seventh- or eighth-level magical beasts are far stronger than I am."
Linley agreed inwardly.
The little shadow mouse 'Bebe' was now close to the strength of a fifth-level magical beast, much stronger than Linley himself. But it had been nearly half a year since Linley had Bebe, and the little guy's size hadn't changed at all. This puzzled both Linley and Delin Cowart.
"Linley, your shadow mouse is called 'Bebe'? Can I hold him?" Reynolds couldn't take his eyes off the little shadow mouse.
"Bebe."
Linley immediately communicated with 'Bebe' through their soul bond.
"No, no way." Bebe's soul could convey simple meanings to Linley, and at the same time, Bebe bared his teeth at Reynolds: "Squeak, squeak~~" he kept squeaking, clearly angry.
Reynolds helplessly pursed his lips.
"Reynolds, I'll tell you a trick. Bebe especially loves eating grilled meat. From now on, bring some roast duck or roast chicken to feed him often. I'm sure Bebe won't be so hostile to you then." Linley said with a smile. Reynolds' eyes lit up immediately.
"That works."
Reynolds suddenly frowned and looked at Yale. "Yale, if I run out of gold coins later, you'll have to lend me some. When Grandpa Lumu comes, I'll pay you back."
"No problem." Yale said generously.
"We haven't really toured Ernst Academy yet, have we? How about we go around and check out the various places to get familiar?" George suggested with a gentle smile.
Among the four brothers, George was the most amiable and steady, Reynolds was the most childish, Yale was the biggest playboy, and Linley—at least in the eyes of the other three—was the most mysterious.
A dual-element super-grade mage with a magical beast.
Indeed, mysterious enough.
The ancient Ernst Academy was filled with historic buildings thousands of years old, some of which bore inscriptions.
"So-and-so great figure once studied here."
Over the millennia, Ernst Academy had produced several Saint-level powerhouses, and even more ninth-level experts.
The four youths, the youngest eight and the oldest ten, looked at the biographies of famous figures with reverence. When they saw the life stories of Saint-level powerhouses, their blood boiled with excitement. Each of them dreamed of becoming a Saint-level powerhouse one day.
Only one voice often echoed in Linley's ears: "Just some upstarts. Killing a single Purple-Striped Black Bear is worth boasting about? A Saint-level who can only kill a ninth-level magical beast but can't defeat a Saint-level beast is barely at the entry level of the Saint realm."
Many of Ernst Academy's famous figures were dismissed as unremarkable by Delin Cowart.
...
The four brothers of Dormitory 1987, along with the little shadow mouse 'Bebe', thoroughly explored the academy, getting a general sense of the entire place. That evening, the four of them ate and drank heartily at a luxurious restaurant not far from the dormitory area, though they only drank juice.
The next day, February 9th, was the official start of the semester.
There were no classes that day; classes officially began on February 10th. On the 9th, they only went to the academy to listen to the leaders' opening speeches. The hundred children, the youngest six and the oldest twelve, sat in a classroom that could hold several hundred people. They had no idea who the leaders speaking on stage were, and many dozed off below. When the opening ceremony ended, they all happily dispersed.
After dinner, in the courtyard of Dormitory 1987, four chairs were set out, and the brothers discussed their courses.
"Pretty relaxed, huh? Only one class a day. Oh, Linley's dual-element, so he has two." Yale sighed. "But Ernst Academy is really lenient. You can go to class if you want, or skip it if you don't."
George smiled calmly and said, "Yale, don't let your guard down. The academy doesn't have many requirements, but they test our strength every year. Only by advancing a level can you move up a grade. If you don't train hard, are you planning to stay at Ernst Academy for a hundred years? Besides, the academy has a rule: anyone who doesn't reach the sixth-level magician within sixty years will be expelled."
Linley looked at the academy regulations in his hand and nodded to himself.
The academy's management was relaxed. You could loaf around for sixty years, but if you hadn't reached the sixth-level magician by then, you'd be kicked out.
"Expelled?" Yale's eyes widened. "If I get expelled, my dad would probably kill me." Being expelled from Ernst Academy was a terrible stain on one's reputation. No one wanted to endure that, especially since being admitted already proved one's talent.
"Classes start tomorrow. I wonder how good the teachers here are. If they can't even match my Grandpa Lumu, then I came for nothing." Reynolds muttered.
"Reynolds, is your Grandpa Lumu a magician?" Linley asked curiously.
"Of course. On the way from the O'Brien Empire to Ernst Academy, Grandpa Lumu taught me magic." Reynolds said proudly.
While Linley chatted and joked with the other three brothers, he also felt a sense of anticipation.
"The earth-element magic classes aren't that important. When it comes to teaching earth magic, how could Ernst Academy's teachers compare to Grandpa Delin? The most important thing is the wind-element magic. I wonder what that will be like?"
The sky had gradually darkened, but the courtyard of Dormitory 1987 at Ernst Academy was still filled with the laughter of four children.