In the square of the apprentice recruitment fair, the crowd was indeed a bit larger compared to decades ago, but it was merely from "extremely sparse" to "slightly sparse."
This cohort barely broke the four hundred mark in terms of new students, which, for a large academy, is still a case of too many monks and too little porridge.
Just like every time over the decades, Jeming sat steadily behind the admissions table of the Alchemy School, holding a heavy tome in his hands.
Seemingly engrossed in reading, his mind had already drifted far away, pondering the details of a certain energy circuit optimization plan.
He no longer harbored any expectations for this event, merely treating it as a routine affair he needed to attend.
However, fate always seems to like playing a little joke inadvertently.
A small figure, slightly timid and hesitating at the same spot for a long time, finally shuffled to the front of his desk.
