Annia's aggressive expression suddenly paled. If Dudian chooses to agree, her father would go on with the marriage. Today, she and her mother planned on deliberately put pressure on the Gray couple so that they would not ask for her hand in marriage.
"How did you know?!"
"You pretty much old me." Dudian said lightly."If you have the option to decline then you can simply reject the marriage with a 'no'. Moreover, you would not have to say so much or even threaten me. Your mother, on the other hand, is a bit tricky though. I think she will be able to get a direct refusal from my adoptive parents."
Annia was shocked. Dudian had repeated the plan she and her mother had come up with almost word for word. For a moment, she felt as if she was completely seen through by this little boy who was still as calm as the moment she met him. However, she did not regret her choice. After a moment of silence, she continued, "If I decline, I am worried that your parents will go to my father."
Dudian shook his head slightly. "No, as long as your refuse this 'marriage', things will pass. Everything would have been very simple, but instead you made it more complex.
"How would you know?" Annia frowned. She was irritated by Dudian's confident tone.
"You overestimated their guts and underestimated their self-awareness," explained Dudian. She was not convinced and did not expect too much, but had to have the patience to try.
Annia frowned, thinking for a bit. "Why do you not just say there is another girl who you like?"
"Are you not a noblewoman? Do you not understand the fact that you can refuse, but I cannot?" said Dudian as he looked directly at her.
Annia looked at him and smiled in realization. "By my refusal, you want them to assume that you were just not good enough for me so that they are not angry with you."
Dudian knew his plan was seen through, but he felt no embarrassment. "Anyway, I have already told you what you should do. I am in no position to decline, so think of the consequences on your own!" Finished speaking, Dudian went towards the entrance without waiting for Annia.
"You...!" Annia only stared at his back. She angrily stamped her feet and followed into the mansion.
"Welcome back, Miss." The black suit servant was relieved when he saw Dudian and Annia appear. His face sported a huge smile.
Annia was indeed of noble birth. After a few steps, her anger was replaced by calmness.
...
...
A carriage bearing the banner of a white flower drove through the commercial area to the residential area. Dudian's family alighted from the carriage and proceeded to their home as soon as the carriage stopped.
Jura looked at her husband's gloomy face. Holding Dudian's hand, she opened the door.
"What a lame excuse!"
"Clearly they despise our identities! Aristocrats... haa.... group of hypocrites!"
At home, Gray vented the anger in hear heart.
"Hush!" Jura said. "You have to whisper; don't let anyone else hear you!"
Gray stifled up, sitting quietly in bitterness. Speaking ill of the aristocracy was a massive crime.
"Dead, go back to your room and rest. You must be tired. I'll call you out for dinner." Jura said to Dudian.
Gray looked at the child. His lips slightly moved, but he did not speak. Although his heart was heavy, with these months together, he knew that Dudian was a good kid that would never day anything impolite. He could only blame himself and his wife for setting their sights too high. Dudian nodded and went up to his room.
...
After four long months, the rainy season had finally ended and revealed the sunny skies.
Gray looked at Dudian who had woken up early. He smiled and said, "Dean, various schools will be starting soon. Would you like to go to school to learn reading and writing?"
Chapter 7: Radiation values
Dudian nodded slightly. Before mentioning school, Gray had expressed his hope that Dudian would inherit his sewing skills and become a good tailor. Dudian had a goal so he directly had refused Gray.
Gray and his wife were not angry. It is a good thing for children to have their own opinions. They were not serfs. So, it is plausible for them to have a child with an assertive personality.
"Unfortunately, the medical field is just too difficult to get started in," Jura said with some regret. Dudian was a clever child, but unfortunately, it was too late to begin studies to become a doctor.
"Well, what do you want to study?" Gray smiled.
Dudian looked up at them and spoke, "The law!"
"Law?" Gray hesitated a bit. "Dean, do you know what sort of career that is?" Jura asked.
"I know it is one of the three major civilian occupations. Lawyers also have more prestige than doctors." Actually, Gray had brought a career table to Dudian. It had information regarding job descriptions and qualifications needed to work in each field. This table had helped Dudian gain a better understanding of possible career paths and their respective benefits.
"I just want to be a bit clear. The law school is the hardest to graduate from. It's even more difficult than studying medicine. You need very flexible thinking and logical ability. Although you are a smart boy, keep in mind the difference between law school's level of difficulty compared to what you had in orphanage. It is very difficult to graduate from law school and become a qualified official."
Dudian looked straight at him insisting, "I want to study law no matter what."
Gray frowned slightly. This was the first time Dudian was so persistent in front of them so he didn't know how to refuse. Ever since Avril house refused the marriage proposal, Gray and Jura had begun to accept Dudian as their 'own' child. Thus, they didn't want to hurt his feelings.
"If the kid wants to study then let him do it. Even if he can't enter the court in the future, being an ordinary lawyer is acceptable too. At least he will be familiar with the law. He won't knowingly break the rules and can lead a peaceful life.
Dudian looked at her while silently thinking, "I want to study the law not to comply, but to break it!"
Gray sighed and said, "Alright."
Dudian's heart flushed with relief. He looked at them sounded a bright, "Thank you!"
When he heard Dudian, Gray's face broke into a smile again as he spoke, "If this is your choice then stick to it. If you want to give up sometime in the future, then you are going to come back to learn sewing with me. A textile worker's wage is good enough to at least feed yourself."
Dudian nodded slightly.
...
...
After the rainy season ended, the temperatures also picked up a lot.
Three days before school assessment was a special festival called "Prayer day".
Each household in groups goes to the central neighborhood to Cathedral of V��a.
They pray to 'Father the God' to let them safely pass through the next season and help them to avoid plagues and diseases.
It was a grand ceremony.
Gray and his wife went to pray with Dudian. Dudian also first met the world's leader in faith, Holy Church. There was a bright cathedral built in a residential sub-area. A huge sculpture of the four-winged angel sculpture was built in the middle of the square, with both hands embracing all the believers; full of kindness and harmony.
Three days after the 'prayer day', various schools began their enrollments.
Dudian was led by the Gray couple to law school. They walked for about ten kilometers to reach their destination. Parents and children were bustling in front of the entrance; dressed mostly in simple clothing. Most of them had clear skin color with few others with yellowish skin. There were almost no people with rough skin, which meant that those of lower social statuses didn't even bother to bring their children for the enrollment examination. After all, the law school was a notorious one in Silva, and tuition fees were expensive. Citizens of low status couldn't afford the fees.
"I heard that you not only want to enter the law school, but you want to do so through t
he assessment."
"Yeah, but if it does not go through I'm thinking about Sewing Institute or maybe Geological Institute..."
"I do not know either. The assessment should be quite hard."
Some parents talked quietly.
"Have the Law School's assessment begun yet?"
"It should be similar to our medical school assessment," Jura blinked, bowed to Dudian said, "I remember the test usually asks a few simple things. Our medical college examination was about memory. It should be almost the same here."
Gray drew over and smiled, "It is up to you now. It depends on your own performance. In case you fail there is nothing to worry about as we can go to Sewing Institute for registration."
Dudian mind turned with disdain. He would be more than happy if the examination was a simple memory examination. In the old era, children with an IQ range of 120 to 140 were labeled as geniuses. His daredevil sister had 142 IQ. However, his result from IQ test was 168. He would never forget the day that he was accepted to Harvard University at the tender age of twelve.
The siblings IQ was high because of inherited gene from their parents. Both were internationally renowned scientists. If the disaster didn't break out, they should have gained an international science award with their invention of the "Cold Storage" technology
Now, it was Dudian's turn to enter as the children before him had gone into to assessment room in succession.
"Parents should stay here. Child, go into the assessment room." A middle-aged scholar-like person blocked the Gray couple.
"Dean, good luck!" Jura tried to inspire Dudian. Dudian saw the happiness reflect in her eyes.
In the spacious room, Dudian saw a man and a woman. Two middle-aged examiners dressed in black robes lined with complex gold silk embroidery patterns. They looked simple and gorgeous. They saw Dudian, smiled and said, "Child, come over".
Dudian stepped forward.
"I will ask you a question. You have a frying pan and it can fry only two fish at the same time. To fry one side takes a minute. If I would like to fry three fish, what is the shortest amount of time it would take?" Middle-aged woman smiled.
"Three minutes," said Dudian without thinking.
The question was not difficult, but both examiners got surprised. Even the cleverest children would need some time to think before answering the question. To answer correctly directly without any time to consider... They had quite a positive impression on him.
"You pass child. You are very smart." The right middle-aged man smiled, said. "Take this and go next to the physical examination. If there are no problems in physical examination, you can officially begin your studies in law school. He handed a small note to Dudian which had few words written on it.
"There is a physical examination?" Dudian eyebrows wrinkled as he turned turned and left the room.
"So hard!"
"I answered four minutes and I was told that it was wrong. How come it is not four minutes!? If both sides must be fried, certainly four minutes ah!
"This question... why fish, ah! I do not like to eat fish, and fried fish and the law have nothing in common ah!
"Well, my father is a chef. He could cook three fish in a minute! They did not believe it."
Dudian went out and heard a few children coming out from next rooms. They were dissatisfied with the examination question. His mouth twitched a little. He turned back to wait in front of the Gray couple as if he had not heard their words
"How did it go?" Gray smiled. He heard the words of the children. Although it is not clear what the specific test was, it seems it was not so easy to pass.
Dudian lightly glanced at him and said, "Passed. Now I need go to the physical examination."
Gray smiled, but was discouraged as he wanted Dudian to go to Sewing Institute. Nevertheless, the thought of Dudian being smarter than other children enraptured him.
"The physical examination is to detect the value of your body's radiation. Dean's skin color is too white so the radiation value is certainly not high. He should pass this one easily." Jura seems to know something about the physical exam so she spoke with confidence.
after the global nuclear explosion, the world was full of nuclear radiation. The silver-gray clouds in the sky were the result of gathering of large number of nuclear radiation debris. That's why there is was long rainy season in this world. An extremely dangerous, and even fatal rainy season, that brought illness and death in its wake.
However, Dudian had come out from the cold storage. He had only been here for a few months, so the body radiation value should not be high.
But he was curious... How these people detect the radiation value?
'What kind of instrument do they use? They haven't even stepped into industrial era, nor do they even know what electricity is?'
At this time, Jura took him to a room next to a 'Physical Examination' sign. There was no line. After all, the people who passed the first assessment were too few. In the room sat a middle-aged woman. She checked the note in Dudian's hand and spoke. "Alright, let's go with the test"
Dudian approached the woman. He looked over but did not see any extraordinary instrument. Only a row of glass tubes similar to thermometers.
Middle-aged women checked the note again to confirm, then from the side picked up a clean glass tube. The sharp end of the tube was position near Dudian pinky finger. She smiled and said, "Child, do not be afraid. It won't hurt."
Dudian did not expect that a glass tube as small as that was used to detect the radiation value.
Soon, Dudian's red blood began to penetrate the glass tube. Dudian noted that the glass tube had scales with a hair-width silky red line.
Middle-aged women checked again to confirm there is no mistakes. She could not help but be stunned at Dudian's result. His skin color was too white, even the same age girls were not so white.
Her eyes revealed a trace of confusion and she spoke to Gray couple with emotion, "The value of such a low radiation level... It's the first time I've seen it. Too incredible! A healthy body such as his would normally only appear in the Commercial District!"
Jura clearly understood the radiometer. Her face was filled shock and then relief. She turned to her 'lost' husband, "This is a radiometer, a special apparatus used to test human radiation value. Dean's radiation value...... is very low. It is comparable with those aristocratic children."
Gray knew the importance of human radiation value, but did not care a bit. But when Jura said 'comparable with those aristocratic children', his pride suddenly went over the horizon. He touched Dudian's hair.
Dudian glanced at the red line on the radiometer, suddenly feeling this line twisting slightly. It seems that it was a living thing!
...
...
In the evening of the day when Dudian registered to law school, In a castle in the commercial district.
A luxury room was covered in diamond mosaics. A shadow-like silhouette in the room was silently looking at the information in front of his desk. "Test results released. There are 27 qualified candidates!"
Chapter 8: Silvia
The person near the desk did not rise. The shadow kneeling on the ground who brought the message, respectfully clenched his chest. In the next moment he disappeared leaving only the white letter on the desk.
The stalwart figure's eyes fell on the white paper. Blade-like dense eyebrows were picked a little. Opening his eyes, he briefly glanced at the new document. Suddenly his eyes were focused on detection value in the bottom corner of the paper.
Staring at this figure, he looked for a while. Later on he got up, put the coat on and opened the door.
In the hall, middle-aged housekeeper looked at the master, surprised: "Master, so late, do you have to go out?
"Ah," said the stalwart figure, "Prepare the carriage."
...
...
"Three hundred years ago, very big scourge came to Earth. Our ancestors fought hard, survived the adversity by strength and
built the gigantic Silvian wall to isolate the disaster and keep it outside the giant wall. The giant wall can not be desecrated by the vile creatures, did you know? "Said a white bearded old man in a solemn voice.
Although his beard was white, in fact he was in his early sixties. But in here it has been regarded as a longevity.
Dudian listened attentively. Three days have passed after the registration. This is his first official class today. This old man did not come up to explain the knowledge of the law. But a brief introduction from some well-known things. It seems that the purpose is only to talk about things which children are familiar with so to consolidate their hearts under the faith. The story of Silva's giant wall is know to almost every child. They have listened their parents talking about it once in a while. Only the orphan's didn't know about the Silva's history.
Other children hearing the story are bored. But due to the first time to seeing this white beard elderly, most of them are afraid and avoiding rash decisions.
Dudian was relished hearing white-bearded man talk. These are the information what he most wanted to know at the moment. Seeing the old man to not go into in-depth explanation he could not but raise his hands to ask a question: "Teacher, can you say what is the natural disaster?"
White beard old man and other children were surprised a moment. Nobody expected Dudian to be so bold. To dare to take the initiative to ask question and moreover so well-known thing. Actually some of them were puzzled and couldn't understand why to ask such a question.
Old man saw Dudian's serious and hopefull look. He did not bear to fight the child's enthusiasm, however a thought passed in his mind "Is this child's parents did not tell him?"
"There are a lot of natural disasters. Volcanic eruptions, flooding, earthquake splitting and so on," he replied with a smile on his lips.
Dudian did not give up and continued to ask: "Just these?"
The old man was silent for a moment but continued nevertheless: "These disasters are terrible. Haven't you listened to your parents talk? The volcanic eruption alone is enough to kill countless people. The dark clouds in the sky are caused by these volcanic eruptions. "
The Dark King Page 4
