Chapter 9: I am a Little Curious_1

"Wizard?" Zheng Qing thought of the young girl from earlier, and winced in discomfort. "I guess I could just about accept a Taoist."

"That includes Chinese Taoists, monks, Confucian scholars, church monks, priests, RB's Onmyoji, ninjas, Indian Brahmins, Egyptian priests, American superhumans and even non-living entities such as the Blood Race, werewolves, evil spirits, and ghosts. They are all classified as wizards, but historical factors led to different names," explained Thomas.

Laughing, Zheng Qing responded, "You mentioned the First University as a wizard university. Does that mean there are middle schools and elementary schools for wizards too?"

"Correct!" Thomas nodded, his serene green eyes filled with sincerity without any hint of humor.

"Do you know about Hogwarts?" Zheng Qing asked with a smile.

"Of course, outstanding graduates of Hogwarts can get exempted from the entrance exam of the Alpha College of the First University," Thomas looked at Zheng Qing with surprise. "You know about this school too? Do you have friends there? If I am not mistaken, a girl mentioned this school's name just now. Hogwarts is a traditional middle-school located in England. I attended middle school in the U.S. titled 'Super Genius.' In actuality, apart from enrolling new students and some international cooperative activities, the First University does not have much contact with these middle schools."

"What's the date today?" Zheng Qing interrupted Thomas's verbose explanation. Glaring at the man across from him with a shiny head, his skepticism was apparent. "It's not April Fools', is it?"

"You don't believe?" Thomas raised his eyebrows.

Zheng Qing hastily responded, "I'm just a bit curious. Not that I don't believe in these... supernatural things..."

Thomas cut him off seriously, "It's not supernatural at all. Isn't it very natural? For a wizard, everything is natural."

"What I meant was," Zheng Qing retorted impatiently, "I never attended a wizard elementary school or middle school... Wouldn't it be obvious if this was only a university and not an elementary school? You're expecting someone who doesn't even know addition and subtraction to prove '1+1'? I'm not Harry Potter!"

"Who's Harry Potter? I've heard his name a few times today." Thomas looked confused but continued seriously, "Also, isn't '1+1' two?"

"Are you an alien?" Zheng Qing asked with wide-eyed surprise.

"To be precise, I indeed have some extraterrestrial lineage," Thomas answered unwillingly yet solemnly, "But I advise you not to ask other students in school this way, it's impolite... If the school rule didn't require the interviewer by default to answer student's queries, I wouldn't bother to entertain such unruly interruptions."

The waiter from the teahouse came over with a pot to refill their water, switching out the plate of dried fruits at the same time.

Zheng Qing picked a peanut, cracked its shell and tossed the nut into his mouth. He munched as he shifted in his seat to find a more comfortable posture. The conversation between the two of them had taken a strange turn. He needed a small break to regroup.

"How did you find me?" he asked Thomas after the waiter left, deflecting to a new topic.

Thomas's raised brows swept over Zheng Qing's head, as though he found the question as ridiculous as Zheng Qing's disheveled hair.

Zheng Qing looked around; with the waiters standing behind the counter, flashing stiff smiles and the sporadic customers engrossed in their teawares, the entire teahouse was rather still.

Picking up his teacup, he took a sip and revised his question, "What I meant was, how did you guys know I was a... wizard?"

Thomas still looked puzzled as though he didn't understand Zheng Qing's question.

"What I meant was, I don't remember applying to the First University," Zheng Qing carefully reframed the question, "And as I've emphasized before, I never attended a wizard's kindergarten, primary or secondary school. I have hundreds of former classmates who can testify that from primary school to high school, I've stuck to this neighbourhood."

"Oh," understanding dawned upon Thomas. He looked at Zheng Qing strangely, "But you do have the ability to cast spells... It's like you've completed elementary and middle school education in an unaccredited institution, once your abilities are up to par, naturally you'll be enrolled in the school. Moreover, you've appeared for the independent enrolment exam organized by the First University," he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Zheng Qing as he smiled contently, "Here are the results of your global wizard matriculation exam, with full marks being 500, you scored 480. Being the second among the newbies, it's an excellent score!"

After saying that, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, nodded at the stunned Zheng Qing, and gave him an encouraging smile.

Images from the night Zheng Qing picked up Poseidon's mother flickered in Zheng Qing's mind.

Before he was rudely woken up in the KTV, he dreamt of running after a black cat, getting led into thick woods, entering a tall building, being forced into an examination hall by a pretty young girl, and participating in a bizarre exam.

"I always thought it was just a dream," Zheng Qing felt like a fool.

"It was indeed an examination in a dream. There's no faster way of gathering all the students than in a dream," Thomas shook his head, "From Alaska to the Himalayas, the candidates are scattered all around the globe, the school doesn't have that many pumpkin carriages to send out to you."

"You guys go out in pumpkin carriages?" Zheng Qing asked, a large grin on his face.

"That's a figure of speech." Thomas took a deep breath, "You can consider it a dry joke."

"Can you introduce this...First University to me?"

"As the name suggests, First University is the highest-ranked university in the wizarding world." Without any refusal, Thomas thought for a moment and then elaborated:

"Students here receive the finest education certified by many great wizards: Sky Script from around the world, spells that incorporate a variety of magic, creation of various magical potions, and deeper understanding of the world's origin, as well as a broader view of our history. It's safe to say that the school incorporates all the world's best knowledge to teach the next generation."

"The history of the school is quite long, but there is still disagreement about the exact founding date."

"First University develops upon the foundation of Jiuyou Academy. Initially, there were only a few specialized colleges like the College of Magic Art, College of Potion, Alchemy Academy, and so on. However, during the evolution of time, three hundred years ago, after years of discussions in the professors' meeting, they combined several of the then outstanding colleges in the wizard community to set up a new First University. Even though the school greatly expanded its influence, internal disputes increased as a result."

"For example, disagreement about the school's founding date. Some insist on counting from the time Jiuyou Academy was established, asserting the school has thousands of years of history. Others argue that the true establishment of the school was three hundred years ago, claiming that there is no basis of comparison between Jiuyou Academy and the present First University."

Thomas shook his head, took a sip of the tea, and showed a dismissive expression.