Jeming was startled by the conclusion he came to.
"No, that can't be right..."
Jeming instinctively wanted to deny the conclusion he just came to. After all, Nolun Academy conducts recruitment across the entire Plane every five years. Even with strict requirements, each class has thousands of students enrolling.
If only a hundred students from a class survived, how high must the frontline death rate be?!
But this thought hung over his heart like a dark cloud, impossible to dispel.
He glanced at the Combat Element's area where the promotional session had already entered the Q&A phase. A group of confident, returning wizards were successively answering the apprentices' questions or sharing battlefield experiences, creating an exceptionally lively atmosphere.
"...It's almost like a fan meeting."
Muttering to himself, Jeming decisively turned and walked to the other side, where a few weary-looking wizards with a touch of age gathered.
They were dressed in logistics-style standard robes, with crucibles representing Alchemy, flasks for Magic Potion, or Runes for Array Magic embroidered on their chests.
These people looked exceptionally humble, with some of their robes appearing somewhat worn.
Their levels weren't high, most being only First Level Official Wizards, with two even just being Third Level Wizard Apprentices.
Their eyes didn't have the sharp confidence of those Combat Wizards; instead, they exuded a calmness born from life's experiences.
In contrast, the Combat Wizards from the same batch not only had a completely different aura but all had impressive achievements.
From this perspective, the school seemed to have sent these wizards back for comparative propaganda.
Almost at the moment Jeming turned around, several wizards simultaneously focused their gaze on him.
Jeming calmly approached and politely asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, seniors, I am a new apprentice this year, considering which direction to major in. May I ask some questions?"
Hearing Jeming's question, the wizards exchanged glances, a playful look in their eyes.
One Alchemy Wizard spoke first, "A newcomer? Thinking about the Logistics Element, huh... Why not consider a career in the Combat Element? The benefits there are genuinely better than in Logistics."
Even being watched by a group of wizards much more powerful than him, Jeming felt the pressure, even though they weren't intentionally exuding it. Fortunately, years of cultivation had greatly strengthened Jeming's willpower.
He shook his head sincerely, "I have little interest in fighting and killing, and... to be honest, I'm somewhat afraid of those battlefields."
"It's normal to fear the battlefield; you're a newcomer, after all," a Magic Potion Wizard interjected, "But in Logistics... how should I put it, promotion is indeed not as fast as in the Combat Element, and you'll have to obtain resources yourself."
"I want to know why you think we would answer your questions," another wizard interrupted, curiously looking at Jeming.
"Wizards value knowledge in equal exchange; you don't seem to have anything to offer in return for our answers, do you?"
"Because..."
Jeming didn't say it directly, but shifted his gaze to the stage where Combat Element wizards continued interacting with the new apprentices.
The Logistics Element wizards also turned to look in that direction with a mutual understanding and then burst into laughter.
"You're quite right; we've all been assigned the task of cooperating with the academy's propaganda," the Alchemy Wizard said, full of admiration as he looked at Jeming.
"The task does include an obligation to answer new apprentices' questions. However, due to contractual restrictions, each new apprentice only gets one chance to ask, and I can only answer what is already known or forthcoming knowledge that isn't contractually restricted. If your question exceeds these limits, I'm entitled not to answer."
"Now... what do you want to ask?"
Jeming didn't hesitate: "I want to know why there are only ninety-seven returning wizards in the Combat Element aiding the propaganda?"
Upon hearing Jeming's question, the logistics wizards fell silent for a moment.
They stared at Jeming with varying expressions until it made him somewhat uncomfortable when a Mechanical Engineering Wizard couldn't help but laugh, "Hahaha... this kid is much smarter than I was back then!"
One wizard even directly offered Jeming an invitation: "Kid, come to Rune Science; with your intellect, you could become someone great!"
"Shoo, shoo, shoo, aren't you afraid of violating the contract by directly recruiting? And you guys, lower your voices, lest other students hear!" admonished the Alchemy Wizard, waving at the other wizards.
The wizards paid no heed to the Alchemy Wizard's words. One Mechanical Engineering wizard even pointed smugly upward:
"Relax, Wizard Jack, this kid would definitely have seen through the trap of this promotion already. As for those apprentices outside... I've already set up an Illusionary Barrier; those kids outside won't notice what's happening here."
Jeming looked up, startled.
For surrounding himself and these wizards, at some point, a frosted glass-like light curtain had appeared, enveloping everyone.
This must be the Illusionary Barrier the wizard mentioned, but he had been in a state of high alert all this while, yet hadn't noticed when the barrier had been set.
Had the wizard not reminded him, he wouldn't even have noticed the change.
"Don't be too surprised; once you get to the battlefield, you'll gradually learn these things to survive."
Jack noticed Jeming's surprise, but didn't think much of it.
After all, seeing Jeming's attire, he seemed to be a commoner before, so it's normal to be surprised in such situations.
Jack ignored the jests from his friends behind and turned to Jeming, looking quite pleased:
"Didn't expect you to discover the issue from this angle; it did surprise us a bit. Indeed! It's just as you think, or rather, the frontline is even more dangerous than you imagined!"
Speaking to this point, Wizard Jack put away his smile, his expression turning serious: "I can tell you clearly, whether it's the Combat Element or the Logistics Element, what you see here are the only surviving members from our cohort."
"Wha..." Jeming couldn't help but widen his eyes.
He instinctively scanned the area; the returning wizards from the Combat Element were easily located, all on the stage.
While the returning logistics wizards weren't gathered together, they were scattered around this area, and Jeming quickly calculated the exact number:
"One hundred and fifty-three..."
"Our cohort had over five thousand students, with a fifty-to-one ratio between Combat and Logistics students. Now all 153 survivors are here."