It was almost evening, and the sun was slowly setting behind the tall walls of the college. Looking up now, only a small, golden-red portion of it could be seen. Sunlight filtered through the dense tree canopies behind the wall, casting dappled shadows.
A gentle breeze blew, and the tree shadows danced with the swaying branches and leaves, like a group of drunken ghosts.
Zheng Qing wasn't drunk, but he stood in the soft evening glow, his face flushed.
Nicholas's loud exclamation of praise caught him a bit off guard.
The curious gazes of the other freshmen made him even more uneasy.
Zheng Qing awkwardly turned his face away, redirecting his gaze to the spirit screen not far off.
He really disliked being stared at by others.
Therefore, he regretted raising his hand a little.
Nicholas spun his spell book rapidly, his finger pressing against it. Orange-red sparks occasionally burst from between the pages, making popping sounds like beans. He explained with an eager, joyful tone:
"The screen wall actually records the history of Nine Provinces."
"So what you can see is the history you know."
"You can see your own name because you have a sufficient understanding of yourself."
"You can't see others; on one hand, they haven't yet made their mark on this wall, and on the other hand: not everyone can see true history."
"If you want to see other people's names, you can try to recall specific historical events—for example, the 1945 Wizard Alliance Grand Wizard Council."
Zheng Qing remembered the conference Nicholas mentioned; he had just reviewed this part of history a few days ago!
He silently recalled it in his mind.
Tiny, dense characters slowly emerged on the dark green stone wall:
"...July 21, 1945...Wizard Alliance Grand Wizard Council...1536th meeting...approved the 'Wizard Conduct Management Measures'...Ms. Shi Hui, Honorary Chairman of the Great Wizard Conference and Vice-Principal of First University, delivered an important speech at the meeting..."
Much of the content was described in "Modern and Contemporary World History."
But there were also many details that the history book did not reveal.
Zheng Qing greedily absorbed the knowledge on the stone wall, as Nicholas's somewhat high-pitched voice came from behind him:
"This wall is the dream of all Nine Provinces College students!"
"If there's anything in this world that makes everyone yearn for something."
"It must be acceptance!"
"Accept your good."
"Accept your bad."
"Accept your success, your failure."
"Accept your glory and wealth."
"Accept your helpless, stumbling departure."
"Accept your slow aging."
"We are all lonely travelers in time."
"Everyone hopes to be accepted by others."
Zheng Qing turned his head, staring blankly at Nicholas, who had suddenly become emotional.
His sallow skin was somewhat reddened in the setting sun, and his brown eyes trembled violently as his voice grew excited.
Xiao Xiao opened his notebook and quickly wrote with his brush. A small black ink stain from licking the brush was on the corner of his mouth.
"If I have one wish for this world."
"I hope this stone wall can accept my name."
"I hope everyone can see my name on the screen wall!"
Zheng Qing quietly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
What a grand wish!
So brave!
Not everyone dares to shout out their dreams in front of everyone!
Xiao Xiao closed his notebook and clapped his hands vigorously.
The others followed, slowly beginning to applaud.
Nicholas blew his nose; his somewhat old robe appeared to be new in the sunlight, and the worn, shiny cuffs and collar were gilded with a layer of golden-red by the setting sun.
He looked at the freshmen gratefully.
"Pfft."
A soft laugh came from behind.
Zheng Qing turned his head, somewhat annoyed.
A few older female students walked past them, covering their mouths.
Their deep red robes had two black borders.
These were third-year students.
"Alright! Let's continue our tour of the University." Nicholas somewhat flusteredly called out to the freshmen.
A gentle breeze carried the whispers of the older female students.
"He's rambling about his dream in front of the spirit screen again."
"How awkward!"
Low laughter came from not far away.
Nicholas, his face flushed, roughly pulled Xiao Xiao, who was still pondering the screen wall, away.
Zheng Qing could still hear snippets of the girls' conversation.
"Isn't this kind of thing usually given to second and third-year students? How did he get this task?"
"It seems Lei Zhe suggested it to Professor Yao."
"Did you hear what he said just now?"
"'I want to put my name on the screen wall!'"
"Hahahahaha!"
"I think he's already done it; at the very least, he's already become the 'history' of the entire First University!"
From afar, several girls still turned back, pointing and giggling incessantly at the freshmen.
The girls' backs disappeared around a nearby corner.
The journey continued, but Nicholas's spirits were noticeably lower.
Zheng Qing finally remembered.
Thomas had once told him that Nine Provinces College had a famous old student who had been in his first year for two years, named Nicholas.
He quietly glanced at the thin figure in front of him.
In the setting sun, in the evening breeze, Nicholas's back looked desolate and lonely.
Perhaps this was why he longed for others' acceptance.
Those mocking voices were contemptible.
There was nothing worse than hurting someone else's dream.
Zheng Qing desperately wanted to go after him, pat him on the shoulder, and tell Nicholas, "You are truly so brave!"
He doubted whether he would have the courage to repeat a year twice.
He had no doubt that he would not stand in front of others and loudly shout out his dream.
...
After walking a few steps past the spirit screen, a wide-open space appeared before them.
A plaza emerged before everyone's eyes.
It was a green plaza. Tender green lawns filled every open space; as far as the eye could see, there were vast expanses of green.
Some older students sat leisurely on the lawn, reading textbooks.
Around them, various small animals happily chased and played.
Golden-red sunlight draped a warm, rosy glow over this beautiful world.
All the freshmen were captivated by this wonderful scenery.
"I'm going to lie on this grass and read books later," a freshman murmured.
"You'll prefer to lie in bed and read books later," Nicholas looked at him glumly, his voice somewhat dejected: "Provided you still want to read books later."
In the center of the plaza was a rock garden fountain, and at the far end of the plaza behind the rock garden, three large buildings could be seen in the distance, arranged in a horizontal and two vertical pattern, standing in the central position.
"Those three buildings in the distance," Nicholas gestured, introducing them to the freshmen: "The horizontal building is the Main Teaching Building, which will be your main place for classes in the future. To the east of the Main Teaching Building is the Office Building, belonging to the professors and Lecturers. To the west of the Main Teaching Building is the Experiment Building, which houses most of Nine Provinces College's laboratories."
All three buildings were painted red and white, standing quietly at the end of the plaza, solemn and dignified.
"The Main Teaching Building is where most courses are held, but I've never counted how many floors it actually has. The number of floors constantly increases or decreases with daily changes in the curriculum." Nicholas shrugged: "First University is always in constant change; I highly suspect this University is a living thing. Of course, some landmark buildings—like the First Gate, First Hall, and so on—are relatively stable and won't move around."
"The Office Building is very dull, and most people don't like going there."
"The Experiment Building is more complex inside, for example, the underground alchemy rooms, compounding rooms, various testing laboratories in the middle, the Star Observatory on the top floor, etc. Practical courses, including the activity rooms for various student organizations, are all concentrated here." Nicholas raised his index finger, warning: "Unless you are required or invited; otherwise, I do not recommend you enter this building. This may be one of the few high-risk areas in this University that are allowed to exist normally."
"So the University still has some illegal high-risk areas?" Zheng Qing keenly sensed the unstated meaning of this remark and couldn't help but ask curiously.
Nicholas pretended not to hear Zheng Qing's words and led everyone to continue walking forward.