Chapter 813: Chapter 40 Not Just One Astronomer (w word update, asking for monthly pass~)_3
After all, both parties had spent six or seven years together in Harrison Port, and any assimilation that was going to happen had already taken place.
"It feels like some of the questions this time might be from the Nauman City civil service exam paper."
This was Scottâs evaluation, and it was indeed the case, as Ian nodded and said, "And some were written by Marquis Barton himselfâthose questions really had an edge.
Apart from being a bit naĂŻve politically, to the point of saying âNauman City probably doesnât have that much budget,â âFiery Flame Land is extremely detestable, the most evil country in this world!â and âXia Hui Territory listens to Ian,â Adalbert scored full marks on everything else.
As for Green Tide...
After Green Tide stumbled through and finished the paper, Ian picked it up to take a look.
â Ian was furious!
"...31 points for mathematical statistics, not bad, even quite good for you. Only 25 points for general knowledge, Iâll say you made an effort; after all, you donât need it, and passing is already good enough starting from zero..."
The white-haired young man stood behind Green Tide, who despite being taller as a swordsman, felt a chill down his spine at the gentle tone of Ianâs voice, as the feeling named fear crawled up his spine: "But whatâs with this political inclination?"
"What do you mean Nauman City is deliberately retaliating against the Mountain People for the rebellion two hundred years ago? What have you been learning in history? Two hundred years ago was The Empireâs invasion of South Ridge; talking about the minor unrest over twenty years ago would be more accurate! And this political view is so immature it could compare to Gu Ying!" (Adalbert turned his head away)
"Neither The Empire nor Fiery Flame Land are any good; itâs just a case of a dog biting another dog... Do you even know what youâre writing?"
"Iâm a Whale Song Cliff Person, boss!" Green Tide exclaimed indignantly: "Thatâs what everyone says where Iâm from!"
Ian glared at Green Tide: "Well, remember now, you are an Imperial Person!"
"Got it!" Green Tide nodded solemnly: "Only Fiery Flame Land are the bad dogs!"
"You... sigh. That will have to do."
Ian sighed: "Lastly, the development direction of Xia Hui Territory is definitely not militarism! Relying on the military to protect our territory is useless, and neither military might nor harboring bandits is our direction for development!"
"Understood!" Green Tide responded energetically.
But his performance in the latter part was even worseâonly 10 points for agriculture and mining, a total failure, and as for personal moral inclination... itâs not that Green Tide isnât a good person, but he bluntly wrote âdebt forgivenessâ and âtax exemption,â obviously influenced by his familyâs situation.
Green Tideâs family had paid back a lot of debt in the past years, and he surely hoped that someone would forgive their debts.
"Speaking of which, I remember you have a wife and child, right?"
Ian forcibly suppressed the urge to hang Green Tide up and give him a thrashing, instructing Scott to give Green Tide more quizzes, and after writing one every day for assessment, he inquired: "The territory isnât quite safe yet, but if things become more stable later, do you plan on bringing them over?"
"I would like to, but she might not be willing to come with me."
Green Tide had a laid-back view on the matter: "At least not until I reach the Second Energy Level. Otherwise, it wouldnât be proper."
"Thatâs true."
Ian nodded slightly, Scottâs ingredients for the Magic Potion were cheap, so they were already in transit, and recently, with Green Tide and Adalbertâs help, Scott had been training to cultivate the Primordial Seed in preparation for becoming a Sublimator.
This little episode passed.
Soon, Ian saw another paper marked in red.
He looked at it and paused for a moment.
"Whatâs going on?" Ian seriously picked up the examination papers, frowning tightly as he read, "Who wrote this test? There is not a single error throughout, all knowledge-related questions are full marks... Thatâs one thing,"
"But the political alignment written here aligns perfectly with what I had in mind, which is virtually impossible. They must have guessed my personality and deliberately crafted their answers accordingly... And for personal ethics, they even provided specific solutions, different decisions for different identities and circumstances. Clearly, this comes from someone who has encountered such matters before, even frequently, an experienced expert!"
"A talent, huh?! How could the Xia Hui Territory possess such a talent?!"
Ian was truly astonished this timeâRoland wasnât considered a home-grown talent of the Xia Hui Territory; he was a high-caliber student who was nurtured in the Falling Star Hills, and his knowledge and perception were not related to his hometown.
And this... Farl Fatih... a seventy-six-year-old man, actually possessed such insight and culture?
"I have to meet him." Ianâs frown tightened, he had a premonition that such a canny old character scored so well in his examination precisely because he wanted to meet him.
Half an hour later, Ian met Farl, who was dressed formally and waiting for him in the municipal hallâs conference room.
"You said your former family were Stargazing Sorcerers."
Without any pleasantries or small talk, Ian sat in the principal seat and asked seriously, "Can you prove it?"
"Of course, my lord."
The old man stared at the person in front of himâthe youngest, most handsome, and most accomplished Lord he had ever seenâstanding up with a slight gesture, performing a scholarâs salute: "Ping Cang, Man Sen, Tian Mo, Jiu Guang..."
Ian listened as Farl mentioned a series of words and names that might sound nonsensical to ordinary people, visibly moved.
Because these names were all names of starsâderived from very ancient mythological constellations!
Moreover, these stars were those that had disappeared from Terraâs Starry Sky in recent years, from nearest to farthest!
"No need to continue."
As Farl continued reciting, Ian raised his hand to signal the old man to stop. He said earnestly, "I am completely convinced. To tell you the truth, this is far beyond my level of Astromancy. You are a true Astronomer."
"Now, I only have one question."
Ian raised his hand, lifting his right index finger, looking directly at Farl and asking seriously, "You have served two generations of Lords of Leyan with excellent performance, yet you have never shown your knowledge of Astromancy. Of course, they might have been aware of your background, but they did not pay special attention to it, and you did not showcase it deliberately."
"So why show it to me? What do you intend to do in my territory? With your abilities, you could be of great use even in Nauman City."
"Because I saw you looking up at the stars, my lord. Every night, you would certainly go to the top of the castle, sit on the Armor Suit, and gaze into this dark firmament. Apart from those who love the stars, no one would do such a thing, engage in such a meaningless act."
Farl bowed slightly toward Ian, his tone calm but revealing sincere earnestness, "And itâs not just you who does thisâI just wanted to tell you that, not to deliberately show off my knowledge, which has long been useless."
"As for my purpose... itâs actually very simple."
"I want to be a person of use to you, to have wealth and power, and then to build a Starwatching Tower."
"Thatâs all, my lord. I know itâs useless; previous Lords would never have supported me, so I didnât want to say too much."
"But if itâs you, I think it might be worth a try."
Speaking thus, the old man closed his dark golden eyes, his tone even and with a slight smile, as if talking about a mid-afternoon breeze, "After all..."
"This has been my dream since I was young."