I can't accept this...
Wang Linchi returned home and looked at the Flash Art Soul Kind, his expression filled with resignation. He knew it must have been swapped by someone. He was certain it was the work of some influential figures in the county town, or perhaps even influential figures in the prefecture city. After all, to Wang Linchi, this Soul Kind was worth ten million coins, but for an Awakener, its value was immeasurable.
Assembling a full set of these was no easy task; they were in high demand and short supply. As such, its actual value was even higher. Wang Linchi wasn't greedy. He hadn't planned to sell it privately; instead, he intended to sell it directly to the Court for the minimum price of ten million coins. That way, he wouldn't have any future worries.
But the audacity of the other party was astounding; they had simply taken it. Even if they had come to negotiate, considering their power, he would have sold it for a million coins and considered it a way to foster goodwill. But what did they do? They hadn't even bothered to approach him, simply taking it with utter disregard for him.
In the eyes of those influential figures, they don't have to care about the opinions of a nobody like me at all.
If I do nothing now, I'll probably climb out of my coffin after I die just to slap myself.
Originally, Wang Linchi's plan was to choose the clerical and logistics major at Qinghe Academy. Once assigned a position, he could earn an extra ten coins a month. A Government Office clerk earned fifty coins a month, plus a professional certificate allowance of thirty, an Awakener subsidy of fifty, and other additional benefits totaling twenty. This amounted to a total of one hundred and fifty coins a month. In Great View, ordinary people only earned about twenty coins a month, yet this amount could support an entire family. Thus, the value of Wang Linchi's ten million coins was evident.
I need to switch to a better major. This time, Wang Linchi didn't plan on choosing the clerical major. His gaze fell upon another major at Qinghe Academy: the Soul Resemblance and Soul Kind major.
This was a very unpopular and niche major, with few enrollments; those who did enroll often used it merely as a stepping stone. Because the Secret Realm could produce all sorts of miraculous items—including evolving Soul Kinds and various treasures that could enhance Potential—there was little need for such research. If you wanted something, you could simply obtain it from the Secret Realm.
During their lifetime, Wang Linchi's parents had been researchers: one studied Soul Kinds, the other Soul Resemblances. They left behind some books, research notes, and personal journals. Of course, neither of them was a prodigious researcher. In fact, to this day, while their research hadn't yielded nothing, its results were practically useless.
Wang Linchi's idea was simple: during his five years at the academy, he too would conduct research. If he could discover something to enhance his Potential, perhaps he could advance further, even climb higher, and eventually make the person who swapped his Soul Kind pay the price.
Otherwise, I just can't accept this!
Firstly, with the ability of his Book of Records, he was unable to choose combat or life-skill-related majors. However, compared to these two categories, he did have one advantage: he could choose his own Soul Kind.
Indeed, after entering the academy, every Awakener student would be issued a Soul Kind. Students in combat and life-skill majors would receive Soul Kinds corresponding to their Soul Resemblances and Potential. One could choose not to embed it, but they would have to bear the consequences. After all, combat majors genuinely had to enter the Secret Realm to fight, while life-skill majors had specific quotas. Failure to meet these requirements meant death for the former and punishment for the latter.
As for students in general majors, such as Linchi, their numbers were relatively small, and they were typically assigned to logistics. Thus, receiving a Soul Kind wasn't compulsory; it didn't even matter if one didn't collect it. This wasn't necessarily an advantage, however. Each category had its regulations. Life-skill majors could only select life-skill Soul Kinds, such as those that increased forging success rates or improved control over fire. Combat majors had the most variety, including attack, Defense, healing, and reconnaissance, among others.
Wang Linchi, being in a general major, could only choose from what the other two majors left behind. However, this wasn't always the case.
Under normal circumstances, once Soul Kinds were embedded, they couldn't be removed unless certain treasures from the Secret Realm were used for replacement. However, such treasures were generally unobtainable by ordinary people; only major powers and large Clans possessed them.
The research on Soul Resemblance and Soul Kind was such a niche field precisely because the upper echelons had superior methods. These research areas were only relevant to the middle and lower classes, not something the elite needed to consider. In the Dajing Dynasty, powerful Awakeners wielded terrifying might. It wasn't the lower-class populace that truly maintained the dynasty, but the high-level combatants. The purpose of cultivating Awakeners was, naturally, to develop more elite combatants.
Then let's give it a try. Even if I fail, it's fine. At worst, after graduation, I'll work as a clerk. At least it's a stable job. Losing the thirty-coin subsidy wouldn't matter much.
Wang Linchi did harbor thoughts of resistance, but he hadn't cut off his avenues of retreat.
Qinghe Academy is in the prefecture city; I'll have to rent a house. Wang Linchi checked the money he had on him; there was still over ten thousand coins left. For him, this was a huge sum. This ten thousand was an inheritance, transferred to him along with the house.
The best way is to sell this house and buy a place to settle down in the prefecture city. This was the first thing Wang Linchi thought of.
The only trouble is that I need to transfer my household registration.
His reasons for wanting to move into the prefecture city were twofold. First, the prefecture city was completely different from the county town; he planned to become a "city person." City people had privileges; at least in the academy, he wouldn't be discriminated against as a country bumpkin. This would allow him to occupy a slightly higher social standing.
Since I have to live somewhere, and if I can strive for better resources, why not do it? As long as his household registration was transferred and he had a house in the prefecture city, it would basically be settled.
But it's not impossible; it just needs a bit of time. Wang Linchi's eyes narrowed as he began to plan his next steps. He was worried he wouldn't make it in time for the start of the academy term, as Qinghe Academy was due to start in three days. He needed to register and select his major.
If it doesn't work out, then I'll just spend some money.
A prefecture city household registration, he estimated, would cost about three to five thousand coins to process, but he would need to find a middleman. In fact, this was hardly worth the cost. It was a huge sum that ordinary people could likely never save in their lifetime. Although a monthly wage of thirty coins could theoretically amount to nearly a thousand coins in just over two and a half years, the reality was that most people could barely make ends meet, managing to save about ten coins at most.
By the time they had saved nearly enough, their children would be old enough to marry and start their own families. After this expense, they would have practically nothing left. This was especially true since most households had at least three children; someone like Wang Linchi, an only child, was rare. It was likely because his parents had died young; otherwise, Wang Linchi would surely have had younger siblings.