Colma sat quietly behind the bar, with a bottle of Kraken Rum in her left hand and a bottle of amber light in her right hand. Two exquisite jade wine glasses in front of her shone softly in the dim light.
Tuk Tuk.
There was a polite knock on the door.
"Please come in."
The witch waved her hand, and the ajar door quietly opened. The quiet night instantly merged with the quietness in the room. In the night, stood a tall, thin wizard.
"Good evening, Miss Kinney."
The guest took off his pointed wizard hat, revealing a messy gray hair and a pair of sharp blue-gray eyes. He looked around calmly to make sure there was no one else around, and then crossed the threshold: "——Excuse me."
"Good evening, Professor Monteria."
The witch also said hello politely - the two of them had a tacit agreement not to use the identities of Fringe Academy, which meant that the conversation was private - she grabbed the Siren Rum in one hand and the Amber Light in the other.
There was just the right amount of hesitation on his face: "What would you like to drink?"
Professor Monteria was silent for a few seconds.
Siren Rum represents the North District, or the Fringe Academy; the Amber Light represents the Wanderers, or the position of the ‘other wizards’ who do not belong to the Fringe, the Alliance, or the school.
"A glass of water will do, thank you." He gave his choice.
This surprised the witch a little.
She originally thought that the professor came to her to 'chat' on behalf of some unwilling forces today, but looking at the situation, it seemed that Professor Monteria came here on his own initiative?
A glass of clear water and a glass of Kraken Rum stand opposite each other. Dark blue and transparent shadows are intertwined in the light. The wine and clear water in the glass are extremely calm, but the shadows are rippling, just like the silent owners sitting on both sides of the bar.
and the guest’s mood at the moment.
After a long time, Professor Monteria broke the silence.
"I heard that the jury has talked to you?" He stared at the water glass in front of him, his voice a little hoarse.
The full name of the 'jury panel' he refers to is the 'Final Test Committee Jury Panel for the Titan Soldier Project Team of First University'. It is composed of two vice presidents, four deans, and three heads of relevant departments of First University.
Review project completion status, test candidates and other relevant details.
The owner of the Sakura Tavern was slightly startled, then immediately showed his face.
"I thought you would talk about what happened in the afternoon first." She smiled and picked up the glass again. Apparently she was caught off guard by the professor's direct question. She paused and then nodded slightly: "—
—Indeed, I’ve seen it.”
She didn't say the result.
But Professor Monteria seemed to have received some confirmation, and his face suddenly darkened a bit.
Ever since word spread among the project team that First University would only build two special-configuration Titans, and one of them had been confirmed to be controlled by a group of qualified candidates, the 'ownership' of the remaining one had been fiercely contested.
The two vice presidents of Edge College are two of the most powerful contenders.
Now it seems that the results have come out.
Professor Monteria picked up the water in front of him, shook it, and sighed deeply: "——A horse has a journey of a thousand miles, and it can't go there without a rider; people have aspirations to reach the sky, but they can't do it without luck. There are many.
Sometimes, the difference between failure and success is just a little bit of luck.”
Korma couldn't answer this, so she could only lower her head and pretend to care about her Siren Rum.
Professor Monteria looked at her seriously and said in a sincere tone: "You may not know, but I am taking the lead in completing a very difficult experiment. It is almost completely successful, but there is a small mistake right now..."
"Can Primarch One help you correct that mistake?"
After all, Kolma took the initiative to interrupt the professor. She raised her head, looked at the old wizard in front of her, and shook her head slowly but firmly: "——But, I'm very sorry, the Gini Cabin, the North District Wizard, and the Edge
The academy... I have too many things to care about now, and I may not have more energy to get involved in a new high-level magic experimental project."
She rejected both possibilities in one breath.
He not only stated that he would not join Professor Monteria's experiment, but also tactfully expressed that he would not give up his identity as the pilot of Primarch No. 1.
Her attitude is very firm.
The professor frowned.
"You are still young and you are from the North District..."
At this point, he seemed to realize that his choice of words was inappropriate, and immediately added: "Of course, I don't mean any disrespect to the wizards of the North District. I just want to say that the height of your background in the North District limits your vision, even if
You are now a great wizard, but you may still not see clearly the dangers of the establishment of Fringe Academy... For a group of wizards who focus on magic exploration and world development, the competition between them will create a bigger cake, allowing everyone to
Competitors all get their fair share. But Edge College is different. Its emergence is not based on exploration or development, but on the basis of the existing cake, to forcefully squeeze in a person who could not be on the table."
"No one knows what 'dangerous' means better than the people of the North End."
The witch picked up the Kraken Rum in front of her and took a sip. Her painted blue lips looked particularly coquettish in the light of the fireflies: "——Ordinary wizards in other places may think that death is the most terrifying thing in the world.
But for people in the North District, death is a common concept. Go to the Silent Forest to dig herbs for the masters, catch poisonous insects, work as an apprentice in the alchemy workshop, and work as a mouse in the laboratory... people in the North District have seen it.
There are too many weird ways to die. They were born in danger, lived in danger, and died in danger. Perhaps I can feel more intuitively than you how steep the cliff in front of me is."
At this point, she paused and suddenly smiled: "——So, can you understand now why I insisted on setting up the edge academy's tent on the edge of the cliff?"
Professor Monteria nodded thoughtfully: "No wonder you insisted on juxtaposing pioneering and sacrifice when discussing the purpose of Fringe College... Do you want to tell others that you will not covet the cake on the table?"
He shook his head and expressed pessimism about the witch's vision: "——In game theory, the most classic case is dragon hunting: two hunting teams must cooperate to capture the fire dragon. But after that, they must decide how to divide the proceeds. Who takes the dragon
Blood, who gets the dragon bones, who gets the dragon scales or dragon meat, and who inherits the fire dragon's wealth. The greater the share one party gets, the less the other party gets. If you can establish a dominant position in the North District, you have influence.
The power of several other districts in Beta Town then has the possibility to influence Alpha and First University. You are already sitting on the table and have no choice to give up the opportunity to have the cake on the table."