The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 76 - 63 Celebration

Chapter 76: Chapter 63 Celebration

This actually couldn’t be blamed on the other students for being too dim-witted; from birth, they were immersed in tales of Fire Holders battling monsters, always chasing after greater strength, while knowledge was merely a tool to better assist in combat.

Playing with numbers was clearly not within their scope of consideration.

Therefore, "Mathematics and Combat Application" was the course with the universally poorest grades in the academy.

And such a crazy swimming pool manager’s question, though simple in essence, was impossible to conceive without a shift in thinking.

When the chief examiner measured Rod against the academy’s average standard, it was naturally off by a mile.

The evaluation soon ended, and although the process was very brief, Rod had prepared for it for more than twenty days.

The real battle had begun long before the smoke of gunpowder had risen.

Victory was inevitable.

Rod receiving this first-class medal was truly a case of getting what he deserved.

Subsequently, in the academy’s grand hall, Dean Theodore, along with the three branch academy heads, Vera, Bag, and Bain, held a formal award ceremony.

Theodore was a very tall old man, but his silver-white beard was so long it surpassed his height and needed to be coiled around his waist; beneath his huge square glasses were a pair of deep blue eyes, profound and filled with wisdom.

Though he looked quite old, he was still vigorous and full of vitality, showing no signs of aging.

He took the medals from a staff member, twelve in total, three for each branch academy, one per term.

"Shines from Apple Town."

His voice was loud as he announced the name, pinning the medal on the recipient.

"Beowood from Barley Village."

"Ryan from Green Grass Town."

"Anna from Mushroom City."

"Lannister from Wood City."

...

"Anna Visita from Wenger Castle."

"Red Bee from Thousand Lake Town."

"Rod from Redstone Village."

"Congratulations to you all!"

The three branch academy heads initiated the applause, and then the entire grand hall erupted with applause like thunder.

Theodore turned around and gently flicked his hand, and ribbons fell like streaming light from the vault of the grand hall, a beautiful shower of flowers cascading in mid-air. In this magnificent and beautiful scene, the eleven award winners all blushed with excitement, looking as if they might leave this world the next moment.

Only Rod remained somewhat calm. Receiving the medal indeed allowed him to breathe a huge sigh of relief, but this was merely the beginning; the real challenges lay ahead.

In the midst of the cheering, he keenly noticed that the ribbons of the flower shower vanished as soon as they reached the ground.

Perhaps it was yet another strange ability.

After the ceremony came the routine speeches.

Dean Theodore stepped onto the podium and took a deep breath.

"Eat!"

He bellowed, and with mysterious motions of his hands in the air, the tables and chairs in the venue began to jump around crazily, quickly assembling into dozens of long tables, with chairs carrying the students to sit on either side of them. Soon, steaming hot meals descended from above, along with cutlery, pots, pans, ladles, and basins, all present and correct.

In an instant, the grand hall transformed into a vast dining hall.

Rod was stunned, having braced himself to stand for two hours; he didn’t expect to be preparing to eat the next moment.

The lively laughter filled the enormous venue, which had become a sea of joy. The older students seemed to have anticipated this, feasting heartily while mocking the new students who were still sitting in daze.

The award presentation table was no different.

Beowood, as burly as a bear, pressed Rod down into a chair and placed an entire bear’s paw on the plate before him, gruffly saying, "Junior, eat up, you’re too scrawny."

Anna from Mushroom City giggled as she sat down with the two other award-winning juniors by her side.

"Don’t be shy, juniors, this is a grand meal hosted by the old immortal, and we only get the chance once a month."

Anna Visita from Wenger Castle was a tall girl with a cool demeanor, her silver-white eyes always carrying a faint chill, but her overly rapid eating betrayed this demeanor when Anna placed a big piece of butter beef in front of her.

Red Bee from Thousand Lake Town, a redhead girl, asked with some uncertainty and wariness, "Is this normal food?"

Rod shared the same doubt but didn’t have the nerve to voice it.

The other nine winners at the round table laughed.

Shines from Apple Town elegantly lifted a piece of cream apple with his fork, the other hand smoothing his impeccable hairstyle, and said solemnly:

"Although I have to answer this question every year, I still tell you sincerely, this is normal food. Dean Theodore, His Excellency, is the most outstanding, most magnificent Spell Talent holder in the history of Royal City. His spellcasting abilities are unpredictable, he can accomplish countless things that you can or cannot imagine."

Red Bee frowned and asked, "So you’re saying it’s made by spells?"

Ryan from Green Grass Town stuffed his mouth with sugary pie, responding vaguely to her, "To be precise, it’s processed by spells, but the raw materials were prepared in advance."

Looking at the steaming, fragrant dishes all over the table, then at the grand hall’s countless long tables stretching beyond view, filled with enough food for tens of thousands of people, Red Bee felt as if something had flown away from her soul.

"Then... what do we need chefs for?"

Laughter erupted again around the round table.

Shines from Apple Town pointed at her with his silver fork, "You’re committing a crime!"