47 Exam Day - 0

Waking up to a loud noise , Nodus looked out of the window and saw everyone there , including Ivy who came back after spending some times with her distance relative in the city. "Are you guys excited?" Ali and Mimi thought of nothing at first but when it came to the fateful day , they were so nervous that they couldn't even feel their hunger anymore. "Mhmm.. I hope we can pass.." The little Ali felt a little bit sick in the stomach as her chin faced downward. "Don't worry you two , you already my test and it's more than enough to get you into the academy." The teacher rubbed their head with a smile.

"Keeping up for two weeks is a big accomplishment alright , you will be fine.. and here is a gift from me and Nodus." Upon hearing what the teacher said , the two girls cheered up as they both spread their palms open. "Teacher , this is from big brother Nodus?" Mimi was looking at a small golden chip on her palms. "Yes and my gifts are inside of it , including your uniform that you will wear starting from today!" After showing the girls how to use the unit box , they dove inside the big golden box that was 3 times the size of the silver one with a blissful expression and took out their uniforms at the same times.

"Go change quickly , we will have to arrive early today." The two little girls came back from the mansion with their magician robe that Kathrina bought with a good deal. Holding onto their wooden metal wand , the two little girls looked like a genuine apprentice now. Looking through their box once more , the girls found a stitched emblem. "That is the school symbol , when finish the exam today , you can simply just add it onto your magic robes , I already had it made because I know you will pass."

With the boost of morale , the girls became more confident and deep down they knew that they couldn't let the teacher down no matter what. "But teacher.. what about big brother Nodus and Lulu?" Ali was worried that those two wouldn't make in times and suggested that she should wake them up but the teacher simply told them to wait. "While we wait.. May I take a closer look at your unit box?" Ivy who stood beside Kathrina was slightly curious. 'This box is way wider and taller than the one in the shop..did Nodus started selling them?' Holding onto the two gold chip , Ivy could not see any differences other than the color.

"You two are so lucky.." Returning back the chip to the girls who didn't even know the value. "She's right , these are special , you can't find them anywhere yet so keep it on you all the times and never borrow it to anyone understood?" The two girls nodded with a big smile plastered on their face. "Of course teacher! Why would I give something that big brother Nodus gave me to a stranger!" The girls shook their heads in agreement as they put the chip in one of their hidden pocket. "And before we go , here is your expense for the day." Ivy did not want to feel left out and tied a beautiful red leather pouch onto their robe with coins in it. "Wah.. Thank you sister Ivy!" The two girls held onto the young miss and kissed her cheeks. "You two.. so cute!"

"Today is the day..." Nodus overheard a voice when he left his room and turned around the corner. Seeing the parents standing beside infront of their daughter door , he thought that it wouldn't be something good. "Dear , are you up?" The woman voice was heard after she gently knocked on the door. "Yes mom , I woke up a while ago and just got ready!" Lulu who was wearing her white magician robe with a thin cotton belt opened the door and let her parents in. Feeling the odd mood , Lulu stared at her parents who had a sad expression. "Mom.. Dad , what's wrong..?" The dad made the first move and kneeled down on one knee as he held the hands of his daughter. "Little Lulu , I found my ancestor's tomb.. me and your mom-" Before he could even finish , the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I understand.. Please just come back safely .. that is all I ask for , even if it take 10 or 100 years , it doesn't matter as long you two are safe." The mother couldn't hold back her tears anymore as she broke down and joined the family hug. "My daughter is a grown up lady.." The family cried as they knew today was the last day they would be together , for atleast a very long times. After a while , the family calmed down and smiled at each other. "Shall we go? I bet they are getting anxious by now." The dad chuckled as he held his daughter and opened the door.

Seeing the young man leaning against the wall right beside the door , the family gasped in surprise. "Don't worry , I will protect Lulu even If I have to destroy this world." The young man unfolded his arms and walked away toward the hall like a cool person. "Hehehe , hear that , he will fight against the world for you." The dad and mother teased their little daughter who had a bright red apple face. "Mom ! Dad ! You two are so childish hmmp!" The girl released her hands and ran toward Nodus.

After catching up to him , her heart was beating even faster as she sneakily glanced at the young man. Oblivious to the young girl emotion beside him , Nodus was still thinking about the future of his mercenaries as he envisioned metallic armored suits flying everywhere to gather energy for his ship. 'Maybe I should build a orbit station to send them in faster.' Before he could even realize it , Nodus was already in front of the mansion with Ali and Mimi holding onto his arms as they thanked him for the gift. "It a gift for passing." The young man words were like a morale support for the two little girls.

"Alright , we are all here! Do we walk there or-" "We take the carriage of course , I always wanted to ride in it." The teacher cut off Naire's suggestion as soon as he arrived. "Carriage?" Ivy was slightly confused by Kathrina excited expression. "Ah right! You don't know , it's actually Nodus who made the carriage" The teacher whispered in her ears and also got her all fired up. "What are we waiting for ? Let's hop into the carriage! Uncle Nair you are driving!" Everyone happily went into the carriage while Naire was pulling out the Breeze horses from the back of the mansion stable. "Why am I uncle and not brother fufufu.." The middle aged man was crying on the inside as he attached the horse to the carriage.

"Amazing! It's like a house!" The young miss was running around the carriage with Mimi and Ali showing her the functions. "You can even cook in here!" In the end , the girls climbed the bed and enjoyed the higher view from the window frame. 'I must buy a carriage like this from Nodus!' Ivy traveled often from cities to kingdoms , hence why she even had her own personal guards to protect her during the trips.

Going through the calm wealthy district , the group saw many people awake and active in the main road that led to the academy. "They must be ready for the ceremony." Naire and Lati nodded as they witnessed this before. When school starts , the vacation students would come back and more importantly , the new batch of students from around the continent would also arrive , making it a big tourist day for the city. "So lively.." Ali never witnessed so many people at once , it was not only crowded by people but also by carriages that were moving slowly because of the traffic.

"This is why we left early." Hearing the voice coming from the back , the girls saw Kathrina who climbed on the ladder. "Come down girls , we have to talk about our plans." Leading the group to the main room , Kathrina began to explain about the grading system. "Thanks to someone , the principal increased the rewards to the top five new students." Usually the rewards were a free set of uniform but now , Langon decided to add a magic crystal for the top 5 and a magic orb for the top 1. The marks will be decided by some teachers who were the judge for this year exam and only a early beginner magician or lower would have the chance to be scored by the judge.

"Teacher.. what is a magical crystal and orb?" Kathrina explained that a crystal and orb posses are used to increase one's cultivation faster. The crystal not only contained mana , but also element , with the right element one could also increase their comprehensive level by absorbing it. "And so.. Magic crystal are from beast while orb are created by nature which makes it even more rare." Hearing about the orb , Nodus curiosity lit up. 'I will order Bu One to get one for me." Looking at the young man , Kathrina felt a sense of guilt. "I am sorry Nodus , if one gets handed everything then..-" Nodus simply nodded with a smile as he understood what she meant. "Don't worry teacher , I will rely on myself."

The teacher knew that Nodus was a genius and she resumed her explanations. "So every foundation magician like you will be at least 16 years old or lower , people like Lulu who already built their foundation will skip grades depending on their mark in the exam." The real benefit of being in grade 2 or higher was freedom , a foundation magician who were in grade 1 could not leave the academy unless it was the weekend so they have to rely on their family for allowance. The entrance exam costed 5 gold and also varies depending on the academy. 5 gold is enough to buy a meal at the inn for a year so everyone was expected to be able feed themselves or to earn it.

"Wahh but sister Ivy gave us.. huh.." Ali pointed at the inside of her pouch as she counted the amount of gold coins she has. "Silly girl , there is 50 gold in there." The two girls once again held Ivy as they expressed their gratitude to her. "Just spend them wisely and take good care of yourself! When you are in the 2nd grade you will have to earn your own money understand?" The girls were nodding as the carriage slowly approached the academy.