Chapter 12: The Seventh Academy
"Our Seventh Academy basically includes all the majors available within the Star Alliance. Among them, the most productive and best-performing is the Department of Biology. Departments like Logistics and Social Humanities fall under the non-combat categories. If you have plans to join the Border Forces in the future, it's best to enroll in a combat-related major."
"Your StarNet account has already been linked to the academy system. You can check relevant information on the official website, the Ministry of Education site, or the campus forum. For now, your StarNet ID can access public forums, while your campus account allows access to the academy forum. The rest... you'll have to figure out on your own."
Chen Sui nodded and followed her to collect the Seventh Academy's uniform and daily necessities. With guidance through the enrollment procedures, she eventually arrived at the dormitory.
At the foot of the mountain range behind the Seventh Academy, it was currently the warm spring of Yuguang Star. The scenery was lush and green, with the air filled with the scent of plants. Just as the StarNet said:
"The Seventh Academy may lack strength, but it is undeniably beautiful."
Her dormitory was perched above a scenic lake.
Chen Sui noticed that Yuguang Star seemed to have an affinity for constructing buildings suspended above lakes. Wherever there was water, there was always some kind of hovering structure.
Her floating dormitory tower overlooked the lake from a considerable height. From this vantage point, she could even spot the Biology Department's experimental garden on a nearby mountain.
Her room was on the seventh floor—a two-person suite. Someone was already living in the other room.
The shared living area and med bay bore signs of someone who lived neatly. A row of nutrient fluids was lined up on the tea table. The place was clean, orderly, and spotless.
Chen Sui's impression of her roommate was: neat and meticulous.
As soon as she entered the dorm, she registered her student information at the main entrance. Above the metal door marked with her room number, a long, black screen lit up with a white glow.
"Hello, Student Chen Sui. Welcome to the Zhu Jing Residence. I am your intelligent life steward."
Chen Sui stared at the display, which updated with blinking emoticons every second. She paused at the doorway, then replied after closing the door, "Hello."
"It is currently 7:24 PM Yuguang time. Have you had dinner?"
"I've already eaten. Thank you."
She scanned her iris and fingerprint to access her room, finally exhaling once she was inside.
The room was simple: a rest pod, a long table, a wardrobe, and a bathroom.
Because the academy required online coursework, it was also equipped with a connected holographic screen. The window was positioned directly across from the main door.
The intelligent steward's screen flickered above the room's entrance.
"Would you like me to close the window?"
Chen Sui sat in the soft, high-backed chair at the long table. The rest pod resembled a cocoon.
She glanced outside. The night air carried a slight chill and the humidity of the lake mist.
She nodded. "Please, close it."
Connected to the room's appliances, the steward instantly complied. The open glass window slowly shut.
Chen Sui activated the rest pod, unpacked her belongings, and stored her newly acquired uniform in the wardrobe.
The Zhu Jing Residence uniform was primarily black with golden thorn patterns on the sleeves that looked like flames. The hem was embroidered with the Zhu Jing emblem. The uniform also came with a belt unique to the Seventh Academy and a wearable neural accessory.
Chen Sui had seen the same tassel accessory on Cheng Wei before.
As she folded her clothes and prepared to shower, she suddenly turned toward the screen and asked in a quiet voice, "Steward?"
"I'm here."
The voice shifted into a lively tone, like that of a cheerful young girl.
"Do you need anything?"
"I'm going to take a shower."
A stream of garbled characters flickered on the screen, then:
"The optimal shower temperature is 50°C. The dormitory water supply ranges from 30°C to 80°C. Please adjust according to the temperature gauge. The bathroom is not equipped with monitoring access. In case of emergency, press the emergency button, and I will initiate contact with medical, security, and emergency services."
"That's all. Thanks."
Hearing there were no surveillance permissions eased Chen Sui's mind. As she entered the bathroom, she glanced back at the dimming display and murmured, "Pretty smart, huh."
That night, lying in the rest pod, the glow of her neural device reflected on her face. She glanced at the screen and sighed.
The first number on her account balance—2139—reflected in her turquoise eyes like a cruel joke.
"This can't be right..." she muttered, sitting up and doing some quick math.
No matter how she calculated, Chen Sui had to face a hard truth: She was nearly broke.
Looking back, it was thanks to old Mr. Peter's generosity that she had barely managed to scrape together her tuition. She inhaled deeply.
She searched StarNet for a full awakening diagnostic package. The price was so astronomical, even the down payment was intimidating.
She immediately closed the tab.
Taking a moment to calm herself, she murmured, "I need to make some money."
With a determined nod, Chen Sui began browsing job listings on StarNet.
Maybe some stores near the Zhu Jing Residence were hiring part-timers. If she could find a part-time job at a repair shop, that would be perfect.
Chen Sui had full confidence in her repair skills.
But after scouring the job listings and even messaging a few businesses, she was met with the same question: documentation.
She was stunned for a moment. A quick search later, she finally realized—within the Star Alliance, becoming a certified repair technician required an official license.
No one had ever asked her for credentials back on Taluo Star.
Chen Sui pursed her lips. "I've been taking orders for three months without a license…"
She paused her job search and reviewed the interstellar legal codes.
After confirming that Taluo Star, located on the Ninth Ring, did not legally require certification for mech repairs, and that she had committed no violations, she finally relaxed.
Even so, she began seriously considering getting certified.
The registration fee was affordable, and for the sake of long-term development, she signed up before the deadline passed.
Naturally, this made her already poor finances even worse.
The next morning, Chen Sui signed for a box of nutrient fluid she'd bought on StarNet. Without it, she might have faced the embarrassment of going hungry on her second day at school.
As she opened the sealed pack, she glanced at the empty living room and her roommate's closed door. She'd gone to bed early last night and hadn't heard a thing. Now it seemed like her roommate hadn't even returned.
With a mix of curiosity and speculation, she drank the nutrient fluid and prepared to head to the administration office to pick up her military training course materials.
When Chen Sui enrolled, the military training had already ended.
Since it counted for academic credit, the administration had signed her up for a virtual battlefield training program. Her physical fitness would be monitored through machines. The credits would still count, though she would only earn a passing grade.
After receiving her course schedule, it happened to be Sunday, giving her a day to get familiar with the campus.
She explored the school grounds, identifying the different academic buildings, library, cafeteria, sports field, combat arena, virtual training center, and how to apply for real combat practice in the mountains.
By the time she returned to her dorm, it was already evening.
As she opened the door, the first thing she saw was a long trail of flowing white hair.
A girl in the Seventh Academy uniform coat was seated at the tea table in the living room, eyes previously focused on her neural device. Hearing the door, she looked up at Chen Sui.
Chen Sui paused, then offered a friendly nod. "Hello."
The girl had sharp, cold features, with fine black brows laced with frost. She gave a cool glance and replied faintly, "Hello."
As Chen Sui closed the door, the girl rested her chin on her hand, staring at her.
"Is something wrong?" Chen Sui turned around.
"You're a first-year in the Solo Combat Department?"
Chen Sui nodded. "Yes. Are you also in the Solo Combat Department?"
"No," the girl shook her head, her icy tone unchanged. "I'm in the Summoning Department, one year above you."
Chen Sui tilted her head in confusion. "Then how do you know me?"
Gu Jin Xue glanced down at her neural device. "You haven't checked the forum?"
"The day you enrolled, the forum posted about it," she said, tapping a few times. A trace of contempt flickered on her face. "Right on the homepage, too. Ridiculous."
"Instead of speculating here, they should spend more time in the training rooms. Trash just loves to make noise."
Her tone was cold.
Chen Sui didn't fully follow, but she could tell the scorn wasn't directed at her. Calmly, she asked, "They're doubting me?"
"What did I even do?" she blinked.
Originally headed for her room, she changed course, took a nutrient drink, and sat at the tea table. She opened the campus forum for the first time—it required registration.
When Gu Jin Xue saw her scanning her student card, she smirked. The frost on her face melted into a chilling lake.
"Ha, you haven't even looked at it."
Her gaze wandered to Chen Sui's mismatched eyes. Gu Jin Xue had always been fascinated by unusual eyes.
On the Military Academy Forum, Chen Sui was only permitted to post within the Zhu Jing Residence section.
As she entered the homepage, she saw several highlighted posts:
[Interstellar League Concludes – Latest Rankings Released, Military Schools Returning]
[Meeting Point to Welcome Returning Seniors – Gather Here]
[New School Team Roster Announced – Analyst Slot Still Empty?]
[Song Bai Ning's Record Broken by a Star Drifter—Can You Believe It?]
Chen Sui didn't realize that last title was about her.
She scrolled down, noticing the forum was abuzz with league discussions, especially with the new team roster just announced.
"I don't see anything," she muttered, puzzled.
Gu Jin Xue raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
She leaned over, the scent of cold plum blossom wafting in the air. Her long white hair slid off her shoulder, brushing against Chen Sui's face.
"There. That's the one."
She pointed to the thread tied to Song Bai Ning. Upon closer proximity, she realized Chen Sui was about the same height as her. Underneath the coat, though, Chen Sui's figure felt bony, with barely any muscle and slightly sunken cheeks.
Recalling who she was, Gu Jin Xue bit her lip and silently cursed: Those idiots on the forum should rot.
"Just ignore them," she said in a flat tone. "They can't do it themselves, so they sit here raging."
If not for the notification, Chen Sui wouldn't even have known she broke any record. She'd simply noted her pass and gone shopping without checking the details.
Many in the post were demanding a review—an audit involving playback of the training footage.
Chen Sui hadn't used connections, nor had the instructor gone easy on her. She skimmed the thread and exited without a care.
"You're right," she nodded at Gu Jin Xue.
"Let them go review it."
Feeling that she might as well look while she was there, she checked the other hot threads.
When she came to the school team roster, she scrolled through and compared the names.
Then she glanced at Gu Jin Xue, who was sipping nutrient fluid with practiced grace, and nodded with understanding.
"So you weren't here a few days ago because you were at the school team tryouts."
Gu Jin Xue tossed her hair behind her shoulder and gave a proud nod. "Of course."
"New front-line striker," she drawled, barely concealing her pride.
"Impressive," Chen Sui said with genuine praise.
Feeling less guarded now, Gu Jin Xue asked with interest, "What star are you from?"