Chapter 242: None of Them Are Good
“Let me introduce myself first. My name is Tan Jingyuan. Xiao Yue and I come respectively from the Light Academy and the Celestial Heart Association.”
“Miss Xu, have you heard of these two names?”
As his words fell, Xu Zhi’s face showed confusion. But Qi Yanxin, who was listening at the side, couldn’t suppress the shock on her face.
From Xu Zhi’s expression, Tan Jingyuan confirmed that this young girl had never heard of the great names of the Light Academy or the Celestial Heart Association. He sighed inwardly—looks like he would need to give a brief explanation.
“The place I come from is called the Light Academy. It possesses the most comprehensive supernatural archives currently available, the largest library, and the best supernatural academies and teachers. The top supernaturals of every attribute also have close ties with our academy.”
“Over the years, the Light Academy has cultivated many powerful supernaturals. When it comes to understanding the path of advancement for supernaturals, no one knows it better. I heard that Miss Xu has lost all her memories. In that case, coming to study at the Light Academy would be a very good choice.”
“Furthermore, our academy holds the greatest number of access qualifications to the Lost Lands. Even low-level supernaturals, as long as they are students of our academy, have the opportunity to enter the Lost Lands.”
This was their greatest bargaining chip.
The Lost Lands—every supernatural longed for that place. Even though it was filled with danger and death, no supernatural could resist its allure.
A trace of surprise appeared on Xu Zhi’s face as she asked, “Then what would I need to give in return?”
Tan Jingyuan smiled. “You only need to become an internal student of the Light Academy.”
That simple?
There had to be a catch.
“Internal student… what does that mean?” Xu Zhi asked, looking blank and ignorant.
“The Light Academy is divided into the Inner Court and the Outer Court. The Outer Court is open to all supernaturals seeking education. Even members of other forces are accepted as long as they meet the standards. But the Inner Court belongs exclusively to the Light Academy, and after graduation, students directly enter the academy to work.”
“Simply put, they are direct disciples—our own people.”
“The Inner Court waives all tuition fees, provides free room and board, and grants scholarships and basic resources according to academic performance. After joining, you won’t need to worry about tuition.”
It sounded decent. Not as extravagantly wealthy as the consortium, but at least she wouldn’t need to worry about living expenses.
Still, Xu Zhi caught the key point. “After graduation, directly enter the Light Academy?”
Tan Jingyuan nodded. “Yes. The Inner Court has superior teaching resources and even opportunities to enter the Lost Lands. These privileges are only open to our own people.”
He emphasized “our own people,” and Xu Zhi understood. Once she entered the Inner Court, she would be branded with the mark of the Light Academy. Unlike the consortium’s contract workers, this label likely could never be removed in her lifetime.
Good grief. The consortium at least clearly stated twenty years. The Light Academy was lifetime tenure!
And once she entered this so-called Inner Court, other forces likely wouldn’t be able to interfere. Everything would become an internal matter of the Light Academy.
At first glance, this ship seemed more “gentle” than the consortium’s. But upon closer thought, the undercurrents within were no less turbulent.
“And what about the Celestial Heart Association?”
Seeing that Tan Jingyuan seemed unwilling to elaborate further, Xu Zhi turned her attention to the Celestial Heart Association.
The previously taciturn young girl finally lifted her head and looked at Xu Zhi, her tone calm.
“While the Celestial Heart Association cannot compare to the Light Academy in certain aspects, we are more inclusive. We maintain fairly good relationships with all major forces. The founder of the Celestial Heart Association is currently the one who has advanced the farthest on the path of supernatural development.”
“The Celestial Heart Association can offer you the same treatment he described. Although our teaching resources are somewhat inferior, after graduating from our academy, you may decide for yourself whether to stay or leave. The only difference is that before entering the academy, you must undergo an examination by the Celestial Heart Association.”
As she spoke, the girl’s calm eyes fixed steadily on Xu Zhi, carrying a subtle meaning.
“The Celestial Heart Association possesses the greatest number—and the most powerful—Mind-attribute supernaturals. At the same time, we also accept supernaturals of other attributes. We are particularly skilled at uncovering secrets—especially those of the human body. We have dissected more hidden mysteries than anyone.”
“Your physical condition seems poor, but at the Celestial Heart Association, that is a trivial matter.”
“Your sister is only an ordinary person. But the Celestial Heart Association has mastered the secrets of the human body—including those of supernaturals. As long as you pass the pre-enrollment examination, we can make your sister into a supernatural—with no side effects.”
What a terrifying promise.
Xu Zhi understood. Both the Light Academy and the Celestial Heart Association ran academies that accepted supernaturals from other forces. The Light Academy had an even more centralized Inner Court. Though the Celestial Heart Association lacked that, what it already possessed was enough to make supernaturals flock to it eagerly.
Because of the Celestial Heart Association’s unique position, other forces would not easily provoke it. Of the two forces, one appeared more domineering and the other more gentle—but the gentler one might not truly be gentle at all.
The mere fact that they could elevate an ordinary person into a supernatural without side effects was enough to place the Celestial Heart Association in a special position. Not to mention that it was guarded by the most powerful supernatural currently known.
What a formidable organization.
Listening to the girl’s words, Xu Zhi even wondered whether she would be dissected on the spot if she joined the Celestial Heart Association. Of course, not in a bloody sense—but in another kind of “dissection,” one that would peel apart the secrets she was hiding.
After hearing everything, Xu Zhi fell silent. In her mind, she compared the four forces that had approached her so far.
The first—the force represented by the doctor—was mysterious and cryptic. Even now, she still didn’t know what conditions they were offering or what they expected in exchange.
Yet they were also the only force willing to establish a simple cooperation with her first—offering partial compensation before she had given anything in return. Even if that compensation was cheap in their eyes, it still represented a kind of sincerity.
The second, the Fixed Star Consortium—a twenty-year indenture contract, backed by capitalists. It was easy to imagine the future of exploitation if she joined them. Capitalists would never show mercy. If she failed to demonstrate exploitable value, she would surely be discarded. But if she proved sufficiently useful, perhaps even suspicions about her could be tolerated.
As for the remaining two, the one Xu Zhi felt most repulsed by was the Celestial Heart Association. She had secrets. Choosing them meant gambling that they would not uncover her abnormalities—that was far too risky.
But the Light Academy was no good destination either. Once she chose it, she would be branded with its mark. Equally dangerous.
Xu Zhi sighed inwardly.
She had known it. None of them were good.
“May I consider it?” she asked once again.
Tan Jingyuan nodded. “Of course. But Miss Xu had better make your decision quickly—preferably within eight hours.”
“After that time limit, many things may become difficult to predict.”
Eight hours?
Such a tight deadline. Sure enough, something must have happened.
