“Grandpa, just trust me this once, please.”
“Maya, donโt be fooled by that brat just because he looks decent. Heโs just a scoundrel trying to trick you.”
“Grandpa!”
The girlโs temper flared instantly.
The old man had spent the whole night listening to his beloved granddaughter praise another boy, and it made him feel even more displeased.
“What do you know? What could that little guy possibly understand?”
“But he taught me many things I didnโt know…”
“Heโs just talking nonsense, taking advantage of your ignorance.”
“But it doesnโt sound like heโs making it up…”
“Maya, youโre still young. Donโt let that brat fool you. Itโs all just sweet talk.”
The old man curled his lips, full of disdain.
***
The next morning, in the spacious room of the History Research Department, a brown-haired girl was slumped over an antique wooden desk, looking exhausted.
“Iโm sorry, Miao Te. No matter how much I tried, Grandpa just wouldnโt believe me.”
Her head was resting on the desk, turning back and forth in frustration.
“That old stubborn foolโ”
“Itโs alright, no worries. Either way, you worked hard.”
As expected, it wasnโt going to be that easy.
Miao Te shrugged. He looked at the girl, who was lying on the desk with her upper body propped up, her chin resting on the table, and her cheeks puffed up in anger, making her face look even rounder.
Seeing her adorable expression, the teenager couldnโt help but chuckle.
“Iโm not even that upset. Why are you so mad?”
“Because, Miao Te, youโre amazing! But Grandpa and the others look down on you just because youโre youngโtheyโre so shallow!”
Maya slapped the table to express her dissatisfaction.
But Miao Te, being the one involved, was calm. After all, his experiences were too bizarre; he was one of a kind in the whole universe. It was only natural that people didnโt trust him.
He smiled at Maya.
“Arenโt you afraid your grandfather is right and Iโm just making things up?”
“In terms of professional knowledge, Iโm far behind my grandfather, but when it comes to judging people, I think my instincts are pretty good. I donโt think youโre lying about the things you sayโฆ How do I put it…”
Maya hesitated before continuing.
“When you talk about those things, itโs like I can see them with my own eyesโฆ That kind of feeling canโt be made up, can it?”
From what she saw in the ancient texts, there was only a rough picture, but when Miao Te spoke, she could almost see the long, narrow coastline through his voice.
The cliffs on both sides, the countless corals of various shapes under the clear sea surface.
Waves crashing against the cliffs.
The sea meets the desert; half is fire, half is water. The golden desert stretches endlessly along the shore, with deep blue sea water embedded like a sapphire in the golden sand. Walking in the desert, the golden sand burns hot, but when you step into the water, the cool, soft sensation surrounds you.
Diving into the depths of the sea, through the clear water, you can see countless colorful fish darting through the gaps in the large coral clusters, like spirits of the sea.
When you surface, you look up to see the soothing azure sky.
Closing her eyes and listening to Miao Teโs voice, it felt like she could see the beautiful ocean, like a dream.
She found herself unwilling to wake from this dream.
“I love hearing you talk about those things, Miao Te, so I believe everything you say is true.”
Maya lay on the table, her head tilted as she looked at Miao Te, her eyes curved in a smile filled with anticipation.
“If only one day I could see the things you describe with my own eyes.”
“If we find a way back to Earth, youโll get to see them.”
“As if itโs that easy…”
At the mention of this, Maya sighed deeply, looking dispirited.
“Itโs been so many years, and no oneโs ever found it. Itโs not like itโs suddenly going to happen.”
“โฆMaybe this time it will.”
Miao Te said with a smile.
He rested his chin on his hand, looking at Maya. But his gaze wasnโt focused on her; it was as if he were looking past her, toward some distant shore.
Step one: survive in this world.
Step two: return to Earth.
He had to go back. He had to return to the planet where his parents were, to the world where he had grown up.
He believed that with his knowledge of Earthโs history, as long as Major General Taylor believed in him and was willing to cooperate, they could find a way back to Earth.
This time, Maya did not argue with him.
She stared at the teenager, who seemed to look at her but not at her.
His gaze seemed to pierce through her, focusing on a faraway place.
He propped his chin on his hand, smiling quietly, still with a hint of youthful innocence on his face, but those dark eyes were brighter and more determined than she had ever seen, making it hard to look away.
“Mayaโฆ Maya?”
“Ah?”
Maya, who had been lost in the brightness of those black eyes, was snapped back to reality by Miao Teโs voice. As he leaned closer, she quickly pushed down the brief distraction she had felt.
“Your grandfather seems to be looking for you.”
Miao Te pointed across the room.
Maya turned her head and saw that the elderly professors were not gathered in their usual discussion circle. Instead, each was seated in a massive mechanical chair, with countless metallic wires extending from above, coiling around their bodies. Silver, metal headsets covered their heads, and they sat there, eyes closed, seemingly in a deep, trance-like state.
“Is it time already?”
Maya jumped up. She had been so engrossed in listening to Miao Te that she hadnโt noticed how fast time had flown. No wonder her grandfather was glaring at her from across the room.
“Come here quickly.”
Professor Terry said sternly, glaring at the shameless brat who had stolen his precious granddaughter.
Maya hesitated for a moment but then hurried over. Lately, she had been so nervous about todayโs event that she couldnโt even sleep some nights, but after arguing with her grandfather last night because of Miao Te, she had slept soundly until morning. She was a little tense when she arrived, but after chatting with Miao Te, she completely relaxed.
Thinking of this, she glanced at Miao Te.
“Grandpa, isnโt Miao Te going?”
“What could he possibly understand? Bringing him along would be pointless.”
Professor Terry responded impatiently.
Maya argued back.
“But Miao Te is still one of us. We canโt just leave him here.”
Perhaps Mayaโs argument made sense. Although Professor Terry still seemed displeased, he did not refuse outright.
“Fine, boy, you come along too. Consider it an opportunity to broaden your horizons,” he said. “But Iโm telling you nowโbehave yourself when you get there. Donโt speak, donโt cause trouble, and donโt embarrass me.”
Miao Te still didnโt quite understand where they were going, but Maya pulled him to sit in one of the mechanical chairs.
As soon as he sat down, countless metal wires, like living tentacles, automatically wrapped around him. The sight startled him, and he almost jumped out of the chair, but seeing Professor Terryโs stern face watching him, he forced himself to stay put.
He watched as the metal wires coiled around him, tiny strands of light extending and permeating his skin.
A silver-white metallic headset automatically fitted over his ears, similar to the one used in his previous mental assessment, and then a large glass dome slowly descended, encasing his head.
A strong drowsiness swept over, and he quickly fell asleep.
***
When he woke up, Miao Te opened his eyes and found himself no longer in the History Research Department room. He was now in a vast space of interwoven black-and-white lines.
The ground beneath him was pitch black as if absorbing all the surrounding light.
Above him was an endless cosmic sky, filled with countless tiny, twinkling stars. An asteroid belt, like a river in the starry sky, slowly drifting, with comets occasionally streaking past.
The center was empty, with no one around. Nearly a hundred silver-white oval seats were floating there, separated by translucent light screens. Outside this area, however, was a bustling crowd divided into various sections.
Miao Te looked around in confusion, unsure of where he was.
A hand reached out and tugged at his sleeve. He turned to see the fluffy-haired girl grinning at him.
“Donโt be nervous. I was scared to death my first time here, but after a few more times, you get used to it.”
Maya, mistaking Miao Teโs confusion for nervousness, whispered to comfort him.
“Who are all these peopleโฆ?”
“Theyโre different research factions under various nobles or lords who study ancient Earth civilizations,” Maya whispered. “Every three years, all the factions studying Earthโs ancient civilizations gather for an evaluation.”
She was about to continue when she saw her grandfather, looking displeased, walking toward them.
“Look at your left hand. Everyone who logs in here automatically gets an information bracelet. You can find the general information inside.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Professor Terry dragged her away.
Miao Te raised his left arm and saw a glowing ring on his forearm. With a thought, a light screen appeared above the ring. He quickly skimmed through the information and finally understood the situation.
Isnโt this just a rating test?
As he flipped through the descriptions on the screen, he thought.
He was not in the real world but in a virtual environment, where everyone was a simulated avatar projected into this virtual world via projection devices. The purpose of gathering these esteemed experts in ancient Earth civilizations, supported by various factions, was to undergo rank evaluations.
Although scholars of ancient Earth civilizations were highly respected, they were still ranked. The higher the rank, the more respect and admiration they received. An entry-level apprentice, of course, would not attract much attention.
The system had three main tiers: Scholars, Advisors, and Professors. Scholars were still in the learning phase; Advisors possessed enough expertise to be hired by minor nobles and lords and to teach Scholars; Professors were employed by powerful galactic lords.
Each tier was further divided into five levels. For example, Maya was a Level 2 Scholar.
The top two levels within the Professor tier, โS-levelโ and โSS-level,โ were considered national treasures of the empire. Only a dozen or so existed, and the youngest was over 280 years old.
Their status even surpassed that of minor nobles. Even the heads of the great noble families funding their research treated them with utmost respect, for fear that these top-tier Professors might become dissatisfied and leaveโa prospect that would have many begging for them to stay.
So, how does one advance?
Through this triennial evaluation.
However, while evaluations were held every year, only a few managed to advance successfully.
Especially within the Professor tier, it was rare for even a single individual to move up in a hundred years, and those who did usually only advanced from Level 1 to Level 2.
The AI autonomously ran and monitored the evaluations, eliminating any possibility of cheating.
In theory, Earth’s civilization knowledge should have been abundant after so many years of research. However, each faction had its research focus and unique historical materials, resulting in vastly different knowledge bases. Furthermore, factions fiercely guarded their knowledge; when a faction fell in battle, its knowledge often perished, leading to severe knowledge gaps in Earthโs ancient civilizations.
Humanity realized this couldnโt continue, as the entirety of Earthโs civilization risked being lost.
Thus, over a thousand years ago, a coalition was formed, integrating all scholars of Earthโs ancient civilizations into a unified alliance, with the allianceโs AI overseeing evaluations and promotions.
โฆ So isnโt this just like Earthโs grading tests?
Miao Te thought.
The Earth Alliance had already implemented mandatory education worldwide, divided into eight levels. Regardless of age, anyone who passed the assessment at each level could advance. Everyone was required to pass up to Level 5 to graduate, with the option to continue to Level 8 or enter the workforce.
Before he fell ill, he had already reached Level 7โฆ
“Just starting to read the instructions now? As expected from someone under Major General Taylorโs commandโyou must be confident of passing,” a light chuckle came from beside him. Miao Te looked up to see a brown-haired young man, smirking as he glanced at the glowing ring on Miao Teโs wrist.
Noticing Miao Teโs gaze, the young manโs mocking expression deepened.
“Judging by that look, passing the Professor level should be a piece of cake for you.”
Miao Te blinked at the young manโs sarcastic gaze, pondered briefly, and then nodded, smiling innocently.
“Shouldnโt be a problem.”
Upon hearing this, the young man burst into laughter. Initially, he felt some disdain toward Miao Te, but after Miao Teโs response, he found it hardly worth his while.
“Turns out youโre just an idiot.”
He laughed heartily and turned to leave, not bothering to waste any more time.
“Doyle[1], what are you doing here? Youโre not welcome,” Maya snapped as she stepped in front of Miao Te protectively.
“No need to get so worked up, Maya. Just came to say hello.” The brown-haired youth smirked with a hint of scorn.
“This is your fifth evaluation, isnโt it? How about this timeโthink youโll pass?”
“โฆ”
Maya pursed her lips, saying nothing, her eyes tinged with guilt.
In this circle, rank was everything. She and Doyle were about the same age, but after five evaluations, they were worlds apart. She was still stuck as a Level 2 Scholar, while Doyle had reached Level 5 and was likely to advance to Advisor this time.
That was a huge leap. Once Doyle became an Advisor, he would be qualified to teach her, and she would have to bow and greet him respectfully every time they met.
“Donโt you get it, Doyle? Youโre not welcome here.”
A low voice cut in as Professor Terry stepped forward, frowning at Doyle.
He looked at the young man who had once been his cherished student but betrayed him to become someone elseโs disciple more than a decade ago, and his face darkened.
“Leave. Now.”
“Donโt be so serious, Terry.”
A middle-aged man in a dark suit holding a long cane stepped in, chuckling. He was tall, though his face was a bit round.
He smiled, appearing quite amiable.
He glanced at the brown-haired young man and said, “Doyle, come here.”
“Yes, Count Valli.”
Doyle walked over, glancing at the elderly man beside Count Valli, and respectfully called out, “Teacher.”
The white-haired elder, who appeared around the same age as Professor Terry, nodded in satisfaction at his prized pupil.
He cast a disdainful look at Terryโs group.
“You havenโt changed a bit, Terry,” he said snidely, his eyes sweeping over Miao Te with a scornful expression. “Even bringing a kid like this to fill the numbersโarenโt you embarrassed?”
Count Valliโs territory was close to Major General Taylorโs, leading to frequent clashes between the two, and naturally, their relationship was strained. They never missed a chance to undermine each other. However, in every skirmish, Count Valliโs side had never won, making him deeply resentful of Taylor.
The only thing he could boast about was that this senior professor, who had looked down on the rising force of Taylor back then, had chosen the long-established Valli family.
“Enough said, Taylor is just a nouveau riche in the end. Only people of your level would follow him.”
The old professorโs sharp words ignored the livid Professor Terry, lifting his chin proudly as he left with his disciple.
Although Professor Terry was furious, the old professor outranked him, and his disciple was several levels above his granddaughter, leaving him no room to argue. He could only swallow his anger.
As he seethed, the youth who had just been ridiculed spoke up, clueless about the trouble he was inviting.
“The rating testโฆ Iโd like to participate too.”
Watching those peopleโs retreating backs, Miao Te said thoughtfully.
“How much more embarrassment do you want to cause?!”
Professor Terry unleashed all his pent-up anger on the thoughtless teenager.
“Stand back and donโt move!”
The teenager, unfazed by Terryโs outburst, just smiled.
“Weโre already here. Let me give it a shot.”
“Yeah, yeah, Grandpa. Miao Te has his familyโs legacy knowledge; he might just pass the beginner level,” Maya quickly chimed in. “Besides, Iโm a bit nervous now. If Miao Te takes the test with me, Iโll feel more relaxed.”
Perhaps it was her last statement that swayed Professor Terry. He pondered for a moment before reluctantly nodding, his face still grim.
A moment later, the black floor lit up, and a transparent barrier slowly rose from the ground, forming a half-arc that enclosed the nearly hundred floating seats.
The nearly one hundred participants crossed the translucent soundproof barrier, and the world instantly fell silent, blocking out the noise from outside.
With no fixed seats, Miao Te casually chose a seat on the edge and sat down.
As soon as he did, a light screen appeared before him, and the previously semi-transparent barrier turned pitch black, isolating him from those around him. Simultaneously, a light-formed headset covered his ears.
A gentle female voice came from the headset, explaining the test rules.
Miao Te suddenly felt as if he were back on Earth, taking an advanced testโspecifically a language test.
***
An hour later, with a crisp beep, the light screens before everyone automatically shut off.
The black isolation barriers also reverted to their semi-transparent state as soon as the screens disappeared, allowing the participants to see those around them.
Maya was sitting beside Miao Te, and she seemed to be in good spirits.
“How did it go?” Miao Te asked.
“Not bad. I think Iโll advance to Level 3 this time.”
Maya replied happily, but before she could finish her sentence, a cold laugh came from nearby.
Miao Te turned to see Doyle, the brown-haired young man, sitting not far from them. He raised his chin slightly, sneering at them.
“Just a Scholar.”
He said contemptuously, clearly confident in his chances of advancing to Advisor.
Mayaโs smile faded, and she bit her lip, holding back her frustration.
Doyle glanced at her smugly before shifting his disdainful gaze to Miao Te.
“You had the guts to take the test? So, how does it feel to sit there dumbly for an hour?” he taunted. “No wonder youโre under that nouveau riche. So out of your depth, yet not even afraid to make a fool of yourself.”
“Weโre here anyway, so why not have some fun?” Miao Te laughed.
“After all, Iโm proud to be the nouveau richeโs subordinate.”
“โฆ”
Was this kid shameless, or just plain stupid? Did he not get Doyleโs sarcasm?
Calling himself a proud subordinate of a nouveau riche with that expressionโhe must be brainless.
Doyle wanted to mock Miao Te further, but just then, another beep sounded, drawing everyoneโs attention forward.
The AIโs processing speed was incredibly fast, and less than half an hour after the test ended, the results were out.
At that moment, a giant light screen appeared in the air, visible to everyone.
The participants below stared nervously at the screen, watching the names and pictures of the qualifiers and those advancing.
The highest rank among the participants was Advisor, so the Advisors were listed first, and Doyleโs half-body image and name appeared on the second row.
He looked at his image and nodded with satisfaction.
Mayaโs name also appeared; she had successfully advanced. Although it should have been a moment of joy, she couldnโt feel happy now. She searched through the list of beginner qualifiers but couldnโt find Miao Teโs name.
“Hah, as expected, not everyone can breeze through an evaluation.”
The sneering voice beside her made Mayaโs face darken. She wanted to retort, but Doyle now outranked her, and she couldnโt talk back.
She could only swallow her anger and turned to comfort Miao Te.
But before she could say a word, the enormous floating light screen suddenly flickered, and everyoneโs information disappeared. In its place, a massive blue and white emblem of a blue planet slowly appeared in the air.
As the emblem appeared, the entire virtual arena fell into a stunned silence.
Many people stood up in shock, staring wide-eyed at the giant emblem slowly rotating in the sky, their faces filled with disbelief.
“Someoneโs been promoted to Professor?!”
“SS-level?!”
“Impossibleโthis special emblem hasnโt appeared in over eighty yearsโ”
“No way! Iโve seen the list of participants this time, and the highest rank among them is Advisorโgoing straight from Advisor to Professorโlet alone the highest SS level! No wayโit must be a malfunction with the AI!”
“Donโt be ridiculous; this is a universe-class autonomous AI. It never makes mistakes.”
“Who is it?”
The enormous virtual venue was in an uproar as everyone stared at the center, eagerly awaiting the answer.
The bright blue and white emblem slowly faded, revealing a personโs figure at its center.
The youthful face, still showing a hint of innocence, left everyone staring in shock and disbelief.
To jump from a beginner Scholar straight up fourteen levels to the highest SS-level Professor.
This information stunned a large crowd.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the teenager sat calmly on his floating chair, legs crossed, his dark hair falling over his youthful face.
His hands were clasped together, resting on his knees.
Amid the countless gazes fixed on him, he tilted his head, smiled at the dazed Maya beside him, then turned and looked to the side.
Doyle stared blankly at the youth, who wasnโt even of age, his mind utterly blank.
He watched in a daze as the teenager turned and smiled at him.
“Sorry, I went a bit overboard.”
The teenager said.
***
[1] ๅคๅฐ (duล ฤr): Iโm debating on writing Dole/Dor/Dior(which is farfetched) so I go with the closest and instinct telling me to choose โDoyleโ >.<
Translator’s Note:
Hello dear readers,
If you’ve noticed a change in translation style and wording, it’s because I’ve been experimenting as I learned how to translate. I’ve discovered a new approach Iโm trying to make as close to the original text as possible.
That said, enjoy the read!
***
Translated by NightOwll
***