Contribution points are the most important thing during your study period at the Six-Ring Tower, and naturally, they have many uses.
The pages of the scroll of light turned.
"Usage of contribution points:"
"First, exchange for courses. Advanced courses, one-on-one guidance, special lecturesâall require consumption of contribution points."
"Second, exchange for knowledge. The marginal Chapters of the Book of Truth, manuscripts of the Six-Ring Tower throughout the ages, unpublished research records from various continentsâall have a price."
"Third, exchange for resources. Casting materials, powerful witchcraft artifacts, potent magic potions, and even blood samples of certain rare creaturesâcan all be exchanged as long as you have enough contribution points."
...
Contribution points have a multitude of uses, allowing you to acquire many special resources from other planes, which are impossible to obtain in ordinary Wizard Organizations.
Because this is the Central Islands, the Six-Ring Tower, also the center of the entire Wizard Plane, one could say it gathers the resources of the entire plane.
The abundance of resources available here is unimaginable to ordinary Wizard Organizations, even a vast empire like the Seville Empire cannot compare to the Central Islands Region.
The pages of the scroll of light turned one last time.
"Important rules:"
"First, the use of contribution points does not affect historical accumulation. The total amount you acquire over three years will always be recorded and will be one of the bases for evaluation upon graduation."
"Second, contribution points are non-transferable, non-exchangeable, and non-inheritable. Whatâs yours is yours."
"Third, all exchanges, all usage, all recordsâare completely transparent. Anyone can, within their permission range, check the source and destination of othersâ contribution points."
Cohen Grey raised his head, those light grey eyes once again sweeping across the room.
"Why transparency?"
He asked and answered himself.
"Because here, nothing is given for free. Every point of contribution you receive must be visible to everyoneâhow you got it, and why you got it."
"Those unsatisfied can earn it themselves."
Duke understood that this was actually to prevent anyone from operating behind closed doors.
After all, those who come here mostly have some sort of background.
If it wasnât transparent, a low-born wizard like him could never compete with wizards like Vera and Leon.
Maintaining transparency of contribution points is also a means to uphold fairness.
The scroll of light gently closed, turning into a strand of pale golden luminescence, hovering by Cohen Greyâs side.
He raised his hand, and the luminescence quietly landed in his palm, like a tamed firefly.
"One last thing."
Cohen Greyâs voice remained hoarse and low, but now carried a certainâlack of gentleness, closer to straightforwardness.
"From the moment you stepped into this hall, your account already has a hundred contribution points."
Someone relaxed their shoulders slightly.
Cohen Greyâs gaze swept over, freezing that momentary relaxation midway.
"Donât be too happy. These hundred points are for you to use over the next three months."
He paused.
"Over the next three months, there are no fixed courses."
"What?"
Someone couldnât help but exclaim softly, then immediately fell silent.
Cohen Grey continued, as if he hadnât heard:
"You will use the hundred contribution points in your possession to exchange for designated basic courses according to your own circumstancesâMeditation Advancement, Elemental Control, Magic Model Analysis, Plane Common Knowledge, and so on. Each course costs between twenty to fifty points. Upon completion and passing the assessment, the contribution points will be fully refunded, plus an additional contribution points reward."
"In three months, there will be an assessment task. This is the only assessment task, apart from the year-end assessment, for which the time will be explicitly informed to you, so please prepare well."
"The details of the task will be announced then, but one thing can be told nowâ"
His voice suddenly dropped an octave, those light grey eyes like two sharpened flints, cutting across every young face.
"The task will carry certain dangers, so please be well-prepared and take care of yourselves."
As his words ended, Cohenâs figure vanished behind the door.
The emanation from the scroll of light followed closely, plunging the hall into temporary darkness, until the domeâs flowing starry sky re-illuminated, casting cold light.
No one spoke, no one moved.
Cohen Greyâs final words, "take care," still echoed in everyoneâs ears like an iron wedge driven into a wooden post.
Finally, the side door opened again.
This time, the person who entered was not Cohen Grey, but a middle-aged witch dressed in the silver-gray uniform of a council-affiliated institution.
Her face was plain, around Level 2 in aura, holding a palm-sized ebony box.
"Everyone, please come forward in order to collect your identity badge."
Her voice wasnât loud but clearly reached every ear.
"From this moment, this is your only identity proof in the Six-Ring Tower. The badges are bound to a soul imprint, non-transferable, non-forgeable, and non-replaceable. Loss of the badge results in immediate disqualification from studying here."
She opened the ebony box.
The box was neatly packed with hundreds of palm-sized badges, all in silvery gray, with the edges outlined by Secret Silver Thread in abstract patterns of the Six-Ring Towerâsix concentric arcs nested within each other, with a tiny star in the innermost circle.
The badgeâs surface glimmered with a faint aura, like the breath of a living creature.
The line began to slowly move forward.
Duke stood towards the back of the middle of the line, waiting quietly.
When it was his turn, the witchâs gaze paused on his face for a moment, confirming the binding of the badge with his soul imprint was correct, before handing it over.