"In that case, follow me. The written exam terminals are all set up."
Hearing Tendo's words, the owl administrator immediately adjusted its round-rimmed glasses that had slipped to the tip of its beak. Clamping a registration book under its wing, it turned and left.
After all, those who could pass the test given by the raccoon administrator were never to be measured by common sense. It felt no need and was too lazy to verify whether Tendo had truly mastered all the knowledge.
Half an hour later, the owl administrator wheeled in a silver terminal cart, the metal wheels making a soft rumbling sound on the floor.
It raised its wing and placed the registration book on the table.
"Get ready and come over to register. One terminal per person. The assessment consists of a mixed question type of multiple-choice and true/false, with a maximum score of 100 and a passing score of 60. Don't think about cheating; the terminal will upload your answer records in real time."
Tendo was the first to step forward, signing the four characters 'Tendo Simei' in the registration book with sharp, forceful strokes.
As he took the terminal, the cold metal casing pressed against his palm. He lightly tapped the screen, and a blue prompt box saying 'Exam Start' immediately popped up.
With a hint of curiosity, his finger quickly slid across the screen, and one question after another appeared.
'Which of the following types of Star Beast younglings is not prohibited from being privately carried in the New Federation?'
'What is the level of a Fallen Zone that a Star Glory-level Explorer can enter independently?'
Facing these questions, Tendo's finger barely paused.
After all, his photographic memory wasn't just for show. The few minutes he spent flipping through the documents were enough for him to engrave all the clauses into his mind.
The nearby Caroline also quickly got into the zone. Her answering speed was slightly slower, but she approached every question with exceptional focus.
"Submission successful. Score 100."
Soon after, Tendo and Caroline simultaneously chose to submit, and, as expected, passed with a perfect score.
Hearing the terminal's notification sound, the owl administrator adjusted its glasses and said calmly, "You have passed."
As the words fell, the owl administrator took out a velvet box from its pocket. When the box opened, two gray badges lay quietly inside.
Unlike the golden, glittering look they might have imagined, the Explorer badges were made of very ordinary material. Only the star pattern on the front and the words 'Star Glory' etched on the edge were somewhat exquisite.
"Here, these are your Explorer badges."
The owl administrator handed the badges to Tendo and Caroline.
"You are currently at the lowest Star Glory level. After completing 3 D-level Fallen Zone missions, or 1 C-level mission, you can upgrade to the Moon Splendor level."
"As for the Sun Flare level, you don't need to worry about that for the time being."
Tendo took the badge and examined it carefully.
The back of the badge was engraved with a fine serial number, the unique ID code for every Explorer.
He rubbed the number, suddenly looking up at the owl administrator, and curiously asked, "With this badge, I should be able to form my own Explorer team now, right?"
The owl administrator froze, its wings subconsciously retracting.
"Theoretically, yes, but are you sure you want to do that?"
It frowned, its tone turning serious.
"You should know that forming a team requires meeting three conditions: at least 3 members with Explorer qualifications, the completion of 1 team collaboration mission, and the payment of a 5000 Sky Martial Coin registration fee."
"Furthermore, at your current level, you can only accept D-level missions. Although those missions are low-risk, you might encounter sudden Star Beast tides. Rashly forming a team may not be a good thing, and besides—"
Without waiting for the owl administrator to finish, Tendo smiled and interrupted.
"If I recall correctly, besides the normal team formation process, there should be other ways to establish an Explorer team, correct?"
The owl administrator's body instantly stiffened, its motion of adjusting its glasses suspended in mid-air.
It remained silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding: "There is indeed that exception, but the difficulty is even higher than forming one from scratch."
"Because this alternative method is to inherit an existing Explorer team."
"However, such teams are either 'empty shell teams' where all members have retired without heirs, or 'meritorious teams' facing dissolution despite making significant contributions."
"The former requires you to find the original team members for their signed consent. The latter requires passing the review of the Federation's high-ranking officials. Neither type can be completed in a short amount of time."
"What's more, you are not the only one with this idea."
"I guess you would say that. You must already have a suitable 'target,' right?"
Regarding the owl administrator's question, Tendo smiled but did not speak.
Because, just as the owl administrator said, Tendo indeed had a 'team' target he intended to acquire in mind.
And this 'team' was none other than the Explorer team named 'Dawn' that Enite had formed back then.
Due to the gradual retirement of its members, this team had been in a 'pending inheritance' state.
Yet, the owner of this team, Enite, was still alive.
This resulted in the 'Dawn' Explorer team retaining a considerable high status within the 'Fallen Zone Exploration and Countermeasure Bureau,' even though it had no members left.
It was one of the few 'Sun Flare-level teams.'
And if Tendo could directly gain the right to use this 'team,' he would not only bypass the cumbersome registration process but also directly receive many benefits reserved for 'Sun Flare-level teams.'
However, because the owner of this team was Enite, no one other than Tendo dared to set their sights on the 'Dawn Team.'
After all, Enite was a living legend in the hearts of many, a truly household name in the New Federation.
If the owl administrator had been aware of Tendo's true thoughts, it would definitely have called him crazy.
This was Enite. Even though he hadn't been active outside for many years.
The prestige he left behind in the New Federation was still unimaginable to ordinary people.
After seriously looking at Tendo for a moment, the owl administrator ultimately refrained from asking further questions.
Everyone had their own ideas. Its role in the Talent Training Base was to provide 'answers' for some people.
But it had no right, and would not, 'interfere' in any meaningful way with the 'decisions' made after receiving the 'answer.'
"Alright, you have obtained what you wanted. The rest is none of my concern."
Perhaps sensing that Tendo was a congenital magnet for trouble.
So, the owl administrator didn't want to have too much contact with him and activated its 'Do Not Disturb' work mode.
Tendo didn't mind this and directly led Caroline outside.
The owl administrator stared at his retreating back for a full half-minute, its eyes behind the round-rimmed glasses filled with complexity.
This batch of cadets was likely to disrupt the peace of the Heavenly Martial Training Base.
It shook its head, no longer thinking about it, and instead bent down to continue organizing the documents in hand.
But just at that moment, the office door was violently shoved open with a bang by a certain individual.
"Old Ye! Do you have any food here? I'm starving after a fight!"
The raccoon administrator burst in, clutching its stomach, its furry paws scrambling over the desk. It immediately spotted the small bear biscuits in the glass jar, grabbed them, and stuffed them into its mouth, crumbs scattering down its chest.
Looking at the raccoon administrator who had barged in, the owl administrator, Xiǎo Yǔ, helplessly adjusted its glasses and pushed the milk on the table toward it.
"I keep telling you not to call me Old Ye. My name is Xiǎo Yǔ."
The raccoon, mouth full of biscuits, nodded indistinctly: "How about it, isn't that Tendo Simei guy simple? His strength is truly top-notch, even more frightening than the first time I met Enite back then."
"You talked to him for so long, what's your impression of him?"
Upon hearing this, the owl administrator, Xiǎo Yǔ, put down the Star Beast Behavior book it was holding.
The book was larger than its body, and the cover was frayed from constant use.
It looked in the direction Tendo had left, its finger unconsciously tapping the desk. It sighed, "There's no question of good or bad impression. Just a guy destined to be extraordinary."
Although the owl administrator's words were very cryptic, the raccoon administrator still heard an unusual meaning in them.
"To be favored by someone like you, that guy must truly have some tricks up his sleeve."
The raccoon finished chewing the last biscuit and wiped its mouth.
"That old man Enite specifically told us to keep a close eye on this batch of cadets, saying that many of them possess extraordinary potential, so we should pay extra attention."
"And the situation is indeed so. Not only that guy named Tendo Simei, but even the cat-girl beside him, and some of the other cadets, all possess astonishing potential."
The raccoon administrator leaned back on the sofa, its tail suddenly drooping.
"But it's a bit strange. Why are so many good talents suddenly popping up in a cluster, without any warning?"
"No warning?"
The owl administrator, Xiǎo Yǔ, suddenly smiled, the light reflecting off its glasses.
"Haven't you smelled a familiar scent on them?"
Hearing this, the raccoon suddenly sat upright, a hint of alertness flashing in its pupils: "Are you talking about Dragoon?"
Dragoon This was the name Dr. used in the New Federation.
While this name might not be particularly famous in the New Federation, it was entirely different among the Star Beasts.
The owl administrator, Xiǎo Yǔ, recalled the 'lines of fate' it saw on Tendo and the other Sons of the Stars, and then thought of Dragoon, an outlier completely different from them. It couldn't help but sigh, "Yes, I'm talking about him."
"You know, he was once a Calamity-level Star Beast just like us, and the first lunatic who willingly smashed his own Star Core and defected to the human side after being defeated by Enite."
"A lunatic?"
Recalling what Dragoon had done, the raccoon administrator felt that such an evaluation was reasonable.
Because if it were them, they would never rashly give up everything they had painstakingly gained for the sake of the so-called, vague higher realm.
Thinking of this, the raccoon administrator couldn't help but say, "But the facts prove that he indeed won the gamble, didn't he?"
The raccoon administrator's voice dropped, its paw rubbing the golden bell on its chest, the envy in its words impossible to hide.
"He now has a human identity, his own laboratory, and... the freedom that we can only dream of."
Enite had given them a choice back then: to reshape their Star Cores like Dragoon or wear the seals and serve as administrators.
It chose stability after much hesitation, but seeing Dragoon's current state, it inevitably regretted its initial decision.
But as one of its few 'good friends,' the owl administrator, Xiǎo Yǔ, immediately poured a bucket of cold water on it.
"I hate to say it, but I don't think Nightmare, you could do what that guy Dragoon did."
"And do you remember Bai Ling from thirteen years ago?"
"Bai Ling?"
The raccoon's expression instantly became solemn, and the black mist surrounding it grew cold.
"The one who could seal others' Star Cores and Star Sources, with the ability 'All Things Return to Void'? Didn't they say she died in an accident?"
"Accident?"
The owl administrator, Xiǎo Yǔ, sneered, pulling out a faded document from the drawer and pushing it in front of the raccoon.
"Read it yourself. What happened thirteen years ago wasn't an accident at all; it was a setup by someone."
"Even her meeting with 'Chen Guang' twenty years ago was an intentionally arranged result."
"What?! Who is so bold? Who dares to touch Enite's people!"
The raccoon administrator stood up in shock.
Looking at the shocked raccoon administrator, the owl administrator, Xiǎo Yǔ, gently tapped the document with its wing and said meaningfully, "Nightmare, the human heart is far more complex than ours."
"Bai Ling trusted humans too much, which is why she was calculated by her own people."
"And the reason Dragoon survived is precisely because he understands the wickedness of human nature better than anyone. But what about you?"
The owl administrator looked at the raccoon, its eyes filled with intellectual disdain.
"You throw a tantrum when the cafeteria aunt gives you one less piece of meat. If you ventured out into human society alone, you'd be sold within three days."
Faced with this 'humiliation,' the raccoon administrator blushed, but couldn't refute it at all.
Fortunately, it was only idle talk, so it immediately changed the subject: "So, Old Ye, do you think these guys like Tendo... might also get caught up in this mess?"
"Hard to say."
The owl administrator, Xiǎo Yǔ, said while picking up the book in front of it again, calmly stating, "But Dragoon must have his own plans for sending them here."
"All we can do is follow Enite's instructions and keep a close watch... Don't let Bai Ling's tragedy happen again."
Although the conversation between the raccoon administrator and the owl administrator was not extensive, it provided many viewers from other dimensions with a lot of key information all at once.
Because in addition to the name 'Chen Guang', which instantly sounded suspicious, the time points 'twenty years ago' and 'thirteen years ago' were also very significant.
If they remembered correctly, thirteen years ago was the time when the city Tendo and Chen Kong were in encountered the Beast Tide.
'So, this is the background of Chen Kong and Chen Xing?'
'A mysterious father, and a mother who is possibly a Calamity-level Star Beast. Chen Kong and Chen Xing have a non-simple background.'
'What about Tendo? Tendo's background doesn't feel ordinary either.'
'Who knows? Currently, Tendo's background only has a 'grandmother.' It seems the production team hasn't revealed anything else.'
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