My Cell Prison - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Chapter 43 – Knights’ Academy

Walking up Ares’ Stairway, Han Dong got the sensation of climbing Mt. Olympus, and the reason for that was due to the materials that were used to build said stairs.

Every step on this flight of stairs happened to instill this sort of tiredness in him that made him feel like he was climbing dozens of meters uphill.

Han Dong was completely reliant on the Ghoul arm that he had just obtained for the last half of the climb, forcefully dragging his body up the stairs.

Honestly speaking, Han Dong did not feel that this was too fair.

Trainee Knights who chose the ‘Crusader’ specialization would be in a much better physical condition than others, and so they would most definitely have an easier time climbing these steps.

Clearing the stairway and standing right on the final step, Han Dong had a clear view of the Commoner’s Districts that were built within the outer walls, which included Samuel’s District where he once resided.

It needed to be said that the four Commoner’s Districts were all built in the North, South, East, and West directions.

The Public Security Branch was located on the edge of Samuel District and the Ghana District where Hand Dong and the Black Rose cavalier Fergus Martini had coincidentally helped resolve.

Otherwise, patrolling the Commoner’s Districts would waste too much time.

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Ahead was a white stone building with a round dome, enclosed by a 10 meter high wall that ran all around its perimeter. Han Dong was still unable to see anything inside the Academy, which made entering the building his only option.

The doors were mechanically automated, so when Han Dong got near, the steam flooded the piston, and the gears that worked the copper doors turned, automatically opening outward to reveal the interior that was tastefully decorated with brass as the main material.

Neatly arranged freshmen files were placed in row after row of steam powered metallic bookshelves were mounted upon the walls, neatly lined up with various freshmen files.

And right in the middle of this all was a circular metal desk, with a special staff member seated.

The man was wearing a wide-brim hat and had adorned himself with a large amount of metallic jewelry… Most uniquely was that half of this man’s face had been replaced with metal machinery under the hat.

Han Dong had no idea if the man was of sound mind.

“Please show your Knight card.”

A deep and sonorous voice could be heard coming from the half metal mouth.

In the same time Han Dong handed his card over, he closely observed the metallic profile of the man’s face. He could barely make out a functioning brain in between the gaps of the copper alloy.

“Nicholas Valen. Cleared a 4-star difficulty Novice event, and had chosen the rarely picked specialization of ‘Mysticism’. Passing the subsequent interview and investigation into your life, there did not seem to be any major issues to your background and character. I will now fully activate your card, adding the function of the vault access, Academy pass as well as the bounty permit to your card. Any allowance that you receive during your study, or the monetary reward you earn from bounties would all be recorded in the vault, and you would receive priority treatment when you head to any bank in Holy City to withdraw it. Furthermore, you can freely enter the common area within the Academy, in addition to picking up assignments from inside the Academy, city districts or Churches established within the city that we have been commissioned to assist.”

Han Dong watched as his golden Trainee Knight card got completely activated with a typewriter-like device.

At the same time, the administrator retrieved a special metal edged book from a safe inside the metal table, which similarly had the insignia of two swords crisscrossed with a white horse head on it.

[Knight Handbook: Academy Edition]

“The Knight Handbook states the relevant arrangement for freshmen, please follow the instructions inside and complete the freshman registration process. In addition to this, the relevant school rules are also listed inside the book. Be sure to memorize them all as soon as possible, as violating the Academy rules will result in severe punishment. It should also be noted that everyone will only be given one handbook and it should not be shared with anyone else. If you lose it, you will have to apply for a replacement through the Academy Administrative Office.”

“Understood,” Han Dong flipped through the handbook and looked through the contents conscientiously.

The preface of the book detailed the enrollment process for Trainee Knights:

Please head to the corresponding faculty in accordance with your main specialization class, retrieve the course schedule, and complete the various requirements for the different departments so you can obtain authorization and complete your tutor selection.

Head toward the student dormitories inside the Academy and get assigned to a random room through your Knight card.

“It’s somewhat similar to how a university works… I wonder what the Mysticism Department will be like. From what the Administrator had just mentioned, Mysticism had the least number of Trainee Knights out of all the possible specialization classes.”

He walked out of the domed white building and began making his way down the wide marble footpath. The lush forest that provided plenty of coverage around him and the metal kerosene lamp posts placed every 10 meters all gave him the sense that he was in paradise; breathing in the fresh air here reenergized Han Dong,

Because of how much space the Knights’ Academy took up, there were designated carriage stops at the various important locations within the Academy… It did not take long for Han Dong to get himself on a spacious carriage, free of charge, and was well on his way to the Department of Mysticism.

Han Dong noted how every fork in the road would have signposts, and the five main specialization classes corresponded with the five most important faculties… However, there were also other important and indispensable institutions, such as the Grand Hall of Knights and the Adventurer’s Guild that was in charge of issuing the Bounty assignments throughout the Holy City. Then there was the Marketplace where people could freely trade, buying, and selling goods as they saw fit. Then there were also the various associations for the different technical fields such as the Mechanists’ Association, Alchemists’ Society, Tailors’ Union, Writer’s Circle, and so on.

Han Dong was particularly interested in the Alchemists’ Society as well as some moderate curiosity about the Writer’s Circle as well.

However, there was an iconic building that most universities would have that this Knights’ Academy lacked – A Library.

“Because students are separated into different specializations, the library might have been split up accordingly, so perhaps the books pertaining to the different main faculties are sent to the different departments?”

The horse carriage soon arrived at the college zone that was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Mysticism. The lush greenery that was seen everywhere around the Academy had abruptly changed, and it was a huge difference that Han Dong had not expected to see.

The black and withered trees that were densely packed inside the forest was a stark contrast from the green and verdant public area around the Academy.

There were a lot of crows that were perched upon the dead branches, and Han Dong could make out the cries of some banshee shrieking from deep within the forest. He even spotted some large cobwebs that were between the trees deep within; No one would dare to delve into this forest even though there was no fence that surrounded the place.

There was just the one broad road that penetrated deep into the dark forest that stretched its way in the direction of the main building of the Department of Mysticism.

Of course, there was still a black metallic gate that would verify the identity of people coming if anyone wished to use this road… It was as if anyone who used this main road would not have to subject themselves to ambush from the many monsters and spirits that resided within the forest.

When Han Dong got off the carriage and pulled out his Knight card, a crow that was roosting over by a nearby tree branch flapped its wings and immediately settled itself on the metal gate.

Its black beady eyes stared at the card, as well as Han Dong’s face.

*Cawww*

The metal gate slowly began to open, allowing him passage inside.