Free Web NovelChapter 11: Chapter 11: Alliance
The night passed uneventfully.
As the first ray of dawn pierced through the floor-to-ceiling window, Mo Ning opened his eyes.
He glanced out the window and froze.
The tall Birch Forest—was gone.
In its place were endless snow-capped mountains, range after range, stretching until they merged with the grayish-white horizon.
Snowflakes filled the sky, drifting down silently, as dense as shredded cottony clouds. A few brushed against the windowpane, leaving fleeting traces of water.
Mo Ning watched a single snowflake twirl past his window, saw it lifted by an invisible current, tumbling and turning before finally disappearing below the bottom of the frame.
There wasn’t the slightest sense of illusion.
The hexagonal shape of the snowflakes, their slow descent, the wet marks they left as they melted upon landing—his eyes, his spiritual Perception, and even his instinct for anomalies, sharpened by the [Eye of Truth], all failed to sound any alarms.
If the Birch Forest hadn’t been outside his window just last night, he would have assumed this Black Tower had been built deep within a snowy plain all along.
"Wizards really know how to have fun."
Mo Ning murmured to himself.
To "transport" such a magnificent landscape directly outside the window, changing it once a day so one could enjoy a different view every morning.
In his previous life, this was something an ordinary person couldn’t even dream of.
But in the Witchcraft World, it had become a reality.
"GRUMBLE~"
The sound of his stomach rumbling suddenly echoed.
As if some shackle had been broken, an intense hunger immediately consumed his thoughts.
Mo Ning rubbed his stomach and couldn’t help but complain, "When does the cafeteria even open?"
From last night until now, he had only eaten a few pieces of dry rations from his suitcase. He was genuinely hungry.
Long before setting foot in the academy, during their days waiting at Lakefront Castle, the newcomers had gathered a lot of "common knowledge" about survival at the Black Tower Academy through various channels.
The cafeteria would only officially open on the second day after moving into the academy.
If you didn’t bring any food, you could expect to go hungry on your first day.
Just then, as if it had heard his voice, a familiar cool sensation emanated from the Guiding Ring.
A stream of information forcefully flooded into Mo Ning’s mind:
[Today is the newcomer adaptation period. There are no classes scheduled.]
[Newcomer Cafeteria No. 12 is now open. Today’s breakfast: Roasted Snore Beast Ribs, Chickpea Stew, and Rye Bread. Serving for one hour only.]
[From this day forward, the cafeteria will open three times a day. The opening times are from 6:00 to 7:00 AM, 12:00 to 1:00 PM, and 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Please plan your visits accordingly.]
Serving meat for breakfast seemed rather lavish.
But Mo Ning’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Why does it feel like the academy is a culinary wasteland?’
The "Snore Beast" was a common livestock animal in this world, similar in appearance to a wild boar but slightly smaller, its body covered in a thin, horny shell.
They always made a dull "snoring" sound while eating and sleeping soundly, which is how they got their name.
Compared to the pork from his previous life, the meat of the Snore Beast was coarse and had a strong, gamey taste, usually requiring heavy seasoning to cook.
After personally witnessing all sorts of wondrous Witchcraft Items, Mo Ning had been full of anticipation for the academy’s food.
But this somewhat "crude" menu gave him a premonition that the Wizards, engrossed in their study of Witchcraft, didn’t seem to care much for carnal pleasures like food.
For a fleeting moment, he thought of "Dawa’s Grocery List."
Although he had only caught a glimpse of it yesterday, he had still seen many ingredients. He felt an impulse to get a batch of them and make a steaming hot pot.
’I earned a ton of Black Tower Points today. It wouldn’t be too much to treat myself to a good meal, right?’
But the thought flashed for only an instant before Mo Ning extinguished it himself.
First, Black Tower Points were needed for everything in the academy. All knowledge, materials, and even better living conditions had a clear price tag.
Black Tower Points wasn’t a lot. Using precious Black Tower Points to "improve his meals" was a bit too extravagant.
Second, when all the other newcomers were gathered in the cafeteria, if he alone stayed in his room and handled his own meals, it would be tantamount to painting a target on his back for others to investigate.
’I’d better just go with the flow.’
Mo Ning straightened his dusty gray newcomer’s robe, pushed open the wooden door, and walked out.
The moment the door opened, a cacophony of voices mixed with waves of emotion washed over him like a heatwave.
As far as he could see, the small circular plaza connecting the dormitories was already crowded with hundreds of newcomers.
They weren’t standing around randomly but had formed small groups, some shouting loudly, others whispering intently, creating numerous dynamic little circles.
"My Spiritual Strength is 0.86! Looking for two partners with a strength of at least 0.8! Let’s work together to get a high evaluation in the upcoming assessments!"
"I have a Visual Bloodline Talent and extremely sharp Perception! Recruiting team members with a Spiritual Strength of 0.7 or higher!"
Amidst the rising and falling shouts, the core demand was surprisingly consistent—to screen for teammates and quickly form groups.
Back in Lakefront Castle, a crucial piece of information had been widely circulated: the academy was by no means a tranquil ivory tower. There were all sorts of assessments, both during the newcomer stage and the Apprentice stage.
Many of these assessment items were quite dangerous, and a number of newcomers or Apprentices died because of them every year.
This was because the academy cultivated Wizards who could handle crises, survive in complex environments, and solve problems, not pure scholars locked away in laboratories.
Thus, the more farsighted newcomers had begun the most primitive form of "resource integration" on their second day at the academy—forming initial alliances based on talent and ability.
This had nothing to do with friendship; it was more of a survival strategy in a harsh environment.
And in this pragmatic matchmaking, a newcomer like Mo Ning, with a Spiritual Strength of only 0.52 and a "low" talent rating, was naturally at the bottom of the social chain.
The probability of condensing the first Spirit Ring was already only about fifty percent. With a Spiritual Strength below 0.6, one was almost universally considered to have a slim hope of advancing.
To most people, choosing such a "potential washout" as a teammate was tantamount to saddling oneself with a heavy burden that could drag the whole team down.
Mo Ning was well aware of this.
He didn’t try to squeeze into any of the forming circles. He simply lowered his head slightly, quickened his pace, and silently moved through the crowd toward the Secluded Path he had taken earlier.
A few gazes briefly swept over him as he moved, but they lingered for only a moment before quickly looking away.
Their Spiritual Talent endowed the newcomers with good memories, and many of them remembered this "weakling’s" face.
Who would be willing to waste precious time on a weakling?
As Mo Ning reached the edge of the plaza, he caught sight of a blue figure in the corner of his eye, surrounded by others like the moon by stars.
It was the number one newcomer—Sitt.
At this moment, Sitt had his arms around two exceptionally beautiful young women, one on each side.
The girl on his left wore a magnificent long dress, her azure eyes shimmering with an innate arrogance—Mo Ning vaguely remembered that she seemed to be a Princess from the Land Kingdom.
The girl on his right was even more beautiful, as delicate as a porcelain doll, and her attire was just as exquisite—she was the daughter of a Count.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Sitt’s left hand was wrapped around the Princess’s shoulder, while his right hand rested "naturally" on the slender waist of the Count’s daughter.
The guy’s fingertips had even strayed to the lower curve of her back, almost touching the starting point of her full figure.
The gesture carried a sense of declaring "sovereignty" and was full of frivolity.
Sitt himself was completely unconcerned. The Count’s daughter in his embrace blushed slightly but didn’t resist or pull away; instead, she pressed her body even closer.
The surrounding gazes, whether envious or fawning, also collectively and tacitly "ignored" this detail.
With beauties in his arms, outstanding talent, and a promising future, Sitt was undoubtedly riding the highest wave of self-satisfaction in his life so far.
The newcomers around them scrambled to talk to Sitt. Even if they had no hope of becoming his teammate, they still wanted to get on his good side.
Because everyone knew that Sitt was the one among this batch of newcomers most likely to become a Wizard.
Mo Ning averted his gaze, passed through the crowd discreetly and quickly, and stepped back onto the path leading to the Mysterious Secret Hall of the Quiet Forest.
As the soles of his Sheepskin Boots crossed the boundary between the plaza and the path, touching the path’s surface formed by intertwined tree roots.
All the clamor, shouts, flattery, and whispers behind him vanished completely in an instant, as if abruptly wiped away by an invisible giant hand.
Only the unique scent of the forest, a mixture of damp earth and fresh, vibrant vegetation, lingered in the air.
’No wonder it’s called the "Secluded Forest"!’ Mo Ning realized. ’"Secluded" isn’t an adjective; it means this area has been enchanted with an absolute sound barrier by Witchcraft.’
Based on his current knowledge, he had a few theories about the source of this "seclusion" power.
「A short while later.」
The path came to an end.
The spacious hall where they had first gathered came into Mo Ning’s view once more.
But the entrance they had used to arrive was gone. In its place was only a lush, dense forest, with no trace that a doorway had ever existed.
And in another corner of the hall, thick green vines, each as thick as a wrist, emerged from the earth and bent into an arched gateway.
Next to the gateway was a wooden chair, and on the chair sat a pointy-eared, green humanoid creature.
It was just over a meter tall, clad in a tight brown leather vest and shorts that exposed its slender limbs.
Its skin was moss-green with dark green patterns, and it was idly swinging one leg crossed over the other.
"A goblin!"
The word immediately popped into Mo Ning’s head.
