"I don't suggest you do that," Larsen muttered.
“What helpful advice can you give?”
"'Useless' does not mean 'bad'." He defended himself. This thing sounds stupid. I was stopping them from cheating, not the one who cheated. I shouldn't be the one to defend. "To say the least, you have no way of determining what this year's test questions will be."
"That's what your lovely Miss Helen said, Larson. She was very sure. The test questions come every thirty years."
"What? Do the mentors think that the apprentice will not survive thirty years?"
Chester took a deep breath. "Listen, this year's test means a lot to me. You don't want to see me pour eucalyptus oil down that idiot's pants, do you?"
Druid didn't understand: "Didn't you make a bet and go to the training ground to observe?"
"Yeah, if I lose, I go to the training ground and he goes to the infirmary. Fair and just."
A fair and just one. "It's really yours." Larson rubbed his nose. He seemed to have smelled the pungent smell of eucalyptus oil. As soon as Ezz sat down at the dining table yesterday, all the lunch people around him fled, no matter how he explained that he had spilled the plant essential oil. Larson and Chester also wanted to follow, but the result was that the druid apprentice was annoyed. They had to stay and finish the pumpkin porridge from the jar. "If I were you, it would be better to just admit defeat. Faltek is the apprentice of His Excellency Silver Cross, and he can also get eucalyptus oil."
Chester scowled. "You want me to lose my counting class to an apprentice who studies predicting historical changes? This is a great shame."
History makes people remember it for a long time. Larson thought. Sometimes an astrologer will receive a prediction that has appeared in the past, severely disrupting the process of obtaining new predictions. Relevant scholars believe that it is the echo of fate, which is often caused by the subjective consciousness of the observer. Croita instituted a history course in prophecy not just to remember the past. This type of people specializes in studying "reverberation" and trying to discover its appearance patterns in order to make restrictions. However, not many people understand these things. Chester is an alchemy apprentice in the Logistics Department, and Druid Eze has recently transferred to the most unpopular mystical botany in Croita. Neither of them are traditional astrologers.
"Look, Larson, he's been tortured crazy." Eze rolled his eyes, "Just be merciful and ask him to stop torturing us."
"We'll talk about the test questions later." Chester agreed, "Try it with your magic first. Come on, show off your mysterious method as a saint's apprentice." They looked at Larsen with interest.
As a result, when Larson woke up, he himself fell asleep. The druid dozed against the pillar and opened his eyes drowsily. "He was here all night yesterday." Ez yawned and waved his hands, "Did you see the question?"
"Of course not. Do you think other astrologers can't think of this method? If it were possible, the astrologers in the astronomy room would have made a lot of money long ago." They had to adopt a backup plan - search the database for old test papers. Hopefully, Otto, we can find it. Larson pressed his eyebrows, hoping to relieve the headache. "Hell, my magic is really hard to control."
"That's what you said from the beginning. Your mentor didn't have a solution?"
"This is my final research topic, Eze. When I solve it, you will have to call me Your Excellency." He stood up to relieve his dizziness. "So, don't count on me for your assessment."
"I don't need to. I'm going to the Foreign Office."
Larson was taken aback, "Foreign Ministry? Don't they never accept apprentices who want to change jobs?"
"It's because of the war." Druid replied while rummaging for the scroll, "Didn't you hear? The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lost many garrison troops in the subject country, and even Lord Kongjing also participated in the war... The commander had to relax his standards. , to replenish manpower." He looked confused. "I'm not sure I want to be a Garrison. You know, their training is too scary and exhausting, but... damn, Croita didn't consider the needs of the forest blood. I'm a druid. That's a big deal." Just kidding. I probably don’t belong here.”
"Not part of the tower?"
Eds glanced at him nervously. "I mean, uh, the Secretariat or the Logistics Department. I never thought about going to the astronomy room."
No one wants to be an astrologer except me. Larson patted his friend's shoulder, not sure whether to comfort or encourage him. Our future is very different. He is the apprentice of the prophet, but until now he has not been able to catch the claws of destiny. "Perhaps you will have to walk a much farther distance than me." He said softly, "But what does it matter? You don't have to drag your family with you."
"That's right, I won't marry an astrologer in a tower, like some prophet's apprentice." Eze made a face. "You will be turned into a model good husband by Helen, Larsen. When the time comes, the Lion will regard you as a thorn in his side, because everyone will compare you with him... Oops."
He pulled out a sealed paper bag from the bottom, but was burned by magic and let go. "Look what this is, a must-read secret book for finding the other half of your life." He read exaggeratedly, "The author is Larson Gallagher, the great love scientist."
"If I were to write a book, Ezz, your name would be my pen name." Larson picked up the paper bag and used magic to break the seal. "Did this fall out of the calculation module?"
"None of the other bag seals have magic on them," the druid pointed out. "This could be it."
The door lock rang. "Okay, it doesn't matter either." Larsen reacted quickly, turning off the light and closing the door in one go. "Take the door behind the second cabinet. I have the key."
The druid blinked. "You never told us there was a door there. When...?"
"That leads to the lounge of the conference hall." He revealed the secret without hesitation. "Maybe the Saint sometimes wants to take a shortcut. Okay, let's go there quickly." He turned around and shook Chester awake.
Thanks to my foresight. Larson was worried that they would be discovered too late. It sounds disgraceful for the saint's apprentice and accomplices to come to the database in the middle of the night to steal test questions. Helen would laugh at me.
The lounge of the conference hall was empty, but it was different from what he had imagined. To be precise, it has completely changed. The last time Larson had the opportunity to sit in on the rally, he caught a glimpse of a row of bare chairs in the lounge. He thought that was the reason why no Lord Kong Jing was willing to stay inside, and no one paid any attention to him, let alone went in.
"Someone lives in the lounge?" the Druid asked softly, "There is a bed here, as well as cabinets and hangers...wait, what is that?"
Chester licked his lips. "I guess it's a bracer."
A pair of steel gauntlets hang on a hanger, in an extremely asymmetrical position. But they are so shiny that it’s hard to say that their owners don’t take good care of them. Larsen looked around, only to find that this was the only thing that showed that someone lived here... maybe it was just decoration. The Secretariat has renovated the lounge, why not?
But it is rare to see similar decorations in towers. Stars are the patterns that astrologers find pleasing. The two apprentices looked at each other and looked at the only mysterious creature here. Larson didn't have the ability to find out who lived here, but he had the ability to pretend as if nothing had happened. "We'll return the same way later." He announced, "Just don't touch the things here."
"Or should we leave here first?" Druid pointed to the door, "What if someone comes back...?"
We're dead. The people living here are probably members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Lord "Lion" has his own residence in Brumnot, and "Gatekeeper" is often absent. Maybe he is back... But what if it is the Blue Envoy or the White Envoy who comes? Or simply the Commander-in-Chief? Otto save me. The danger of waiting here is no less than staying in the database.
"Good idea." He turned the handle but did not open the door. Larsen was silent for a moment, then turned and stared at the other two unfortunates until they jumped up in panic.
"Find the key!" Eds and Chester said in unison.
…
Last night's experience was crazy, but Chester's exam would not be affected. It came as scheduled, and the three people escaped from the database in the early hours of the morning. Larsen stared at the door, wondering when the fateful gap would open.
Eds comes back before the bell rings. "Falkot didn't take the test!" he said quickly. "The bastard missed school for a week."
Larson decided this was good news: "Now we don't have to worry."
"Is he afraid?"
"Who knows? Anyway, Chester won without a fight."
"He wouldn't have lost," the druid muttered. "That bag of stuff is enough for him to handle all the math tests in the future."
"You are wrong about that." Larson told him, "I just took a look and found that all the failed test papers were collected in that bag, which is completely meaningless. If I have to say it, I can only find it later. Those pieces of paper.”
"I didn't notice what those were."
Larsen was considerate. At that time, he was in a panic and couldn't pay attention to anything else. To be honest, he was scared out of his mind after seeing what Chester brought out of the room. "It seems to be a test question." He replied, "It's similar to the one in the database. I didn't dare to open the seal." They searched the room but couldn't find the key. Fortunately, no one came back during the period. The paper bag that Chester had taken had been left alone in the cupboard, both covered with dust. If Larson remembers correctly, it was pretty much the only piece of paper in the break room.
At this time, the door opened. The room felt as if a water bag had suddenly received a shot of water, with people popping out of the holes. "It's unbelievable." The alchemy apprentice from the Logistics Department suppressed his cheers, "I bet on every question correctly."
Larson winked at Eds. "Congratulations. We had good news for you. But now it's not that good."
Chester looked at him confused.
"Did you sneak out of the lounge...?" Druid asked quietly.
"What? I didn't cheat!"
Larsen almost laughed angrily at him. "Yes, we all know." He nodded seriously.
"Really, guys. I'm serious...well, there are no answers, just questions. What the hell is that enough time for? I'll just have to figure it out myself."
No answer? "Did you find a new test paper?"
"No name." Chester shrugged. "Maybe. It's impossible for someone's test paper to be the same as the new one after finishing it, don't you think? Of course, if I were to hand in a blank paper, I wouldn't write my name."
Larsen nodded.
But that was before he met his apprentice Roma. Dear Miss Roma, she is the only tower apprentice whose name is written all over the paper.
