Chapter 106.1 Merfolk Shore
Wen Shi’s eyes became calm again as he looked away.
He didn’t want to talk to the Wandering Corpse. Instead, he stepped back a bit, pretending not to know him.
Wen Shi hoped that the teachers at the academy would understand one thing: a war general’s actions shouldn’t be connected to his master.
The female teacher stood at the iron gate, checking an acceptance letter with the name on the ID card. Then, she allowed one person to enter. Wen Shi noticed that everyone’s ID card photo was unclear, as if they were conveniently replaceable for admission purposes.
“The school has assigned dorms for special admissions students. Remember to go check the bulletin board yourself,” the female teacher reminded.
Jian Qingrong also got an admission notice. The Merfolk Shore used to have lots of trade, but now it was really exclusive. Only in winter did they let visitors from different places come for concerts. The rest of the time, except for people sneaking in, only students from other places and returning residents could get in.
Jian Qingrong clearly wasn’t in either of these groups.
But he calmly took a crumpled piece of thin paper out of his pocket. When he opened it up, it was an admission notice.
Jian Qingrong’s admission notice was even golden. When the female teacher received it, she nodded at him.
Today, shocking things followed one after another.
Wen Shi: “What’s your situation?”
Jian Qingrong: “I paid a sponsorship fee.”
Shortly after receiving the train ticket, he got another letter, stating that by sponsoring Mingzhu Academy, he could secure admission alongside Doctor Aaron.
The letter had a specific postmark, indicating it was sent by the mail carrier in person.
Mail carriers were highly respected figures from different dimensional spaces. They said they could deliver packages anywhere, as long as one could afford the price. Occasionally, even time traveling wasn’t a problem.
Letters personally sent by a mail carrier had significant authority.
With the mail carrier’s help in the middle, Jian Qingrong donated a building.
Wen Shi: “……”
Has our Big Factory started making a profit?
He had a somewhat resigned expression. “If I’m not mistaken, this mail carrier’s last name is ‘You’, right?”
Surprisingly, Jian Qingrong really nodded.
With the sky growing dim, only a few students roamed the school grounds. The nearest place to the iron gate was a small supermarket, the only shopping spot on campus apart from the cafeteria. The path to the right led straight ahead to the dormitory buildings.
The bulletin board was also nearby, with streetlights around it.
All the specially admitted students lived in Building 04 in the north area, with standard six-person rooms. Due to the connection between train tickets and team-up items, Wen Shi and the other two lived together in one room, while the Wandering Corpse also stayed on the same floor.
Walking ahead, the group easily found Building 04, which was close to the school clinic.
The building housed both boys and girls, with boys on the left side and girls on the right. Although the rules stated that students shouldn’t wander around randomly, it was hard to ensure complete privacy.
Upon entering the dormitory building, Ji Yuanzhi said with a meaningful tone, “The distinction between male and female in the merfolk species is quite vague. There are even reports of hermaphroditism.”
The air inside the dormitory building was overly humid. The lobby on the ground floor was unlit. Sounds from the staff room echoed out, “Lights out at ten every day. Lately, some students have reported seeing merfolk moving around at night. If you see anything, make sure to inform me right away.”
After giving these two sentences of instruction, she impatiently added, “Come get the student manuals and keys. Curfew is at eleven. Don’t wander around randomly after nightfall.”
The instruction “don’t wander around randomly” implied it was a rule to be followed.
Calmly, Wen Shi went over and collected booklets for the group. There was a small window facing outside in the staff room, and some of the lamplight managed to seep through. He saw a face that lacked much flesh.
It was hard to determine someone’s age when they were thin and unrecognizable, but the dorm supervisor’s voice sounded young. The previous female teacher was the same. They could be aptly described in one sentence: a voice kissed by an angel.
The dormitory building had a total of seven floors, with no elevator. Turning from the hallway into it, the unique smell of the bathroom wafted over.
Combining the earlier reminder from the dorm supervisor, it was clear there were no bathrooms inside the student dormitories.
Wen Shi and his group stayed in 502, while the Wandering Corpse’s room was a bit further inside, 510.
The dorm room door was made of corrugated iron, uneven in texture, secured with the most common ordinary padlock.
Just after Wen Shi unlocked the door, two young people in their twenties walked over. One of them waved at them, “The environment here is similar to my college dorm.” He then introduced himself, “Just call me Xiao Li. Currently a junior.”
Beside Xiao Li was a man with a gloomy and soft appearance, his voice carrying a sinister tone. “A’Zhuang, an unemployed wanderer.”
Though they had only met once, Wen Shi was already cautious of these two. When they introduced themselves, they didn’t mention which guild they were from.
Ji Yuanzhi was well-known in the virtual world, and Wen Shi’s reputation had been growing lately. Xiao Li mainly focused his attention on the other two.
Song Yan directly revealed his name. Anyway, he didn’t have any real-world identity that could be investigated. Jian Qingrong, from start to finish, didn’t spare them a second glance.
Wen Shi pushed the door open and silently prevented Xiao Li from getting any closer.
Everyone went to inspect their room, without saying another word.
The beds were all neatly made and ready to sleep in. The assigned spots for each person were specified on the dorm allocation sheet. Wen Shi was by the window, with Jian Qingrong on the bunk below him. Whenever Wen Shi got up at night, even if it was just to turn over, Jian Qingrong would be the first to feel it.
Being this close, Wen Shi seriously suspected that he paid extra in the game.
Sponsor Jian indeed had that kind of capital.
Thinking about this, Wen Shi was genuinely touched. His struggling Big Factory was definitely getting a new lease on life!
Xiao Li came in and wiped the table with his hand. “Not much dust.”
Either the school had recently cleaned the dorm, or the previous batch of students who lived here had just left.
Ji Yuanzhi entered last. The light was dim, and he casually switched on the light, revealing the layout. The roommates shared a wardrobe, and there was a balcony attached to the outside, with a separate sink.
He opened the wardrobe, finding school uniforms and everyday clothes, all brand new and unused.
With the light on, Wen Shi sat on the chair and began flipping through the student manuals.
Rule number one: All new students must undergo a comprehensive medical examination on the second day after registration.
Just as he was thinking this might trigger a new quest, the system’s prompt sounded right on cue:
【Side Quest: Medical Examination.
Quest details: As a successfully registered student, you are about to undergo a thorough medical examination, which may reveal various issues. If you lack confidence, you have the option to purchase a cake with the “Edge of the Abyss” brand from a supermarket or cafeteria. Eat one before your examination tomorrow, as it will affect your original blood test results.】
Rule number two for students: Only campus card payment is accepted for all campus goods.
Coincidentally, they had neither money nor cards.
Everyone was reading the student manuals when Ji Yuanzhi said, “The supermarket should be open until ten in the evening. The cafeteria probably closes a bit earlier.”
Implicitly suggesting: go steal, go loot, go freeload.
Xiao Li and A’Zhuang shared the bunk beds by the door. Suddenly, they said they were going out for a stroll, subtly hinting that they were also planning to steal from the cafeteria.
Song Yan’s tone held uncertainty. “Isn’t it safer to act at night?”
There was a considerable risk in sneaking out of the dormitory building at night, but the chances of success were higher. The supermarket was still open now, so just barging in for theft would be too reckless.
Wen Shi simply said, “There’s more than one path.”
Cold fingertips pressed against his neck. He lifted his head to see Jian Qingrong using his fingertip to lift the pendant he had tucked inside his coat.
“This room doesn’t need too many occupants,” Jian Qingrong said.
Wen Shi smiled but didn’t respond.
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