Alien Knights

Twilight City, "Come Tomorrow" tavern, the day before the official exam.

The atmosphere of the tavern after dark today is completely different from that of the past.

On weekdays, those sailors who talked about nasty jokes, scholars who talked about current affairs, and soldiers who discussed the situation of the war all talked about the same topic—examinations.

"Is it really okay to use the teacher's method of testing students to select officials for the kingdom?" A young man dressed as an apprentice said, putting down the ale in his hand.

A small vendor with a cross hanging on his chest waved a fried shrimp in his hand: "I heard that this exam was organized by the king himself. From issuing the exam papers to reviewing and then interviewing, His Majesty did it all himself."

The appearance of the word "King" made the questioning voice disappear immediately, and the voices in the tavern were also silent for a few seconds.

Someone later said: "Anyway, I think this method is fair. Regardless of identity, at least everyone is given an equal opportunity to compete."

Someone suddenly asked: "Did Your Majesty appoint a candidate in advance, and this exam is just a formality?"

The person who asked the question was immediately called a sieve by everyone.

"Idiot! If His Majesty wants to promote someone, just issue a letter of appointment, why bother!"

"Such a move makes no sense!"

After the angry crowd gradually calmed down, someone asked again: "Who can pass this exam?"

There was a debate on this issue.

The first is the bragging of the scholars: "When it comes to exams, no one can have more say than us. When I was at Taylor College, those students who studied business subjects, whether it was legal knowledge or market management, had gone through countless tests. After all, the final candidate this time must be a senior scholar."

The businessmen immediately expressed their objection: "Scholars can only talk on paper, and they don't know what business is. If you want me to say, His Majesty will definitely choose an experienced businessman in the end."

Arguments like this lasted for a long time, until late at night after the tavern closed, similar conversations could still be vaguely heard on the street.

Early the next morning, the square of the Knights Headquarters was crowded with people. The "First Muxi Kingdom Selection Examination" was hung on the gate of the headquarters, and heavily armed soldiers were responsible for maintaining order.

Candidates of various skin colors and nationalities gathered together, and acquaintances exchanged the gossip they had just received, and everyone waited for the notice of admission.

In addition to them, there are more people who come to watch and hawkers who seize business opportunities.

The sounds of hawking, discussion, and laughter came together, and the aroma of food, the smell of sweat from the crowd, and poor-quality perfume mixed together, turning this serious and orderly exam into a joyful and lively celebration.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the main gate of the Knights Order opened.

The soldiers and nuns, according to the identities and genders of the entrants, conducted a strict screening against the registration form and the resident register. A series of security procedures, such as body searches, X-rays and other actions, are also numerous.

Since the number of applicants far exceeded expectations, the number of examination rooms increased from one to three, and the invigilators also temporarily transferred part of the Knights' combat regiments and scout battalions.

Each referee was issued a wooden plaque with a string of numbers written on it as their respective serial number.

Everyone can easily find their location according to the number and under the guidance of the guide board.

At 9:15, everyone was seated and the entrance to the examination room was closed.

At 9:20, the examiner knights in each examination room began to read the "Examination Room Discipline" written by His Majesty.

People sat in their respective positions, their own square inch of world, and only a set of simple desks and chairs, a pencil and a few pieces of manuscript paper for checking and calculation were left.

Red-letter slogans such as "No whispering, no entrainment of materials, no spying on others" were posted on the walls of the examination room.

Knights in full armor patrolled and monitored the examination room, and occasionally reprimanded a candidate in a low voice.

It was only at this time that the candidates felt the tense and depressing atmosphere for the first time, and some timid people loosened their collars and began to sweat.

Here, wealthy businessmen sit with their own servants, college professors compete with their former students, and people finally understand the meaning of the word "fair" in the examination announcement.

Nine thirty minutes.

Boom boom boom!

The timekeeper in the examination room rang the bronze bell, announcing the official start of the examination.

The test papers with the test questions are distributed to each candidate.

People turned over the paper and looked at it, and suddenly, one after another, the muttering sounded continuously.

The army commander responsible for maintaining order in the examination room shouted loudly: "Don't talk! Concentrate on the questions!"

The voice gradually decreased.

Everyone began to bite the bullet and answer the questions.

The test paper is divided into three parts: 20 multiple-choice questions, each worth 2 points; 10 true or false questions, each worth 2 points; and 2 question-and-answer questions, each worth 20 points.

The strange questions that appeared on the test paper stumped most of the referees.

There is a question like this: "A farmer bought a chicken for 8 Bronze Stars and sold it for 9 Bronze Stars. But he thought it was too cheap, so he bought it back for 10 Bronze Stars, and sold it for 11 Bronze Stars. He asked: How much did this farmer earn in total? 』

In addition, there is such a question: "What kind of tonnage is the most common cargo ship in Muxi Port?" 』

There is even: "Muxi Market now has a row of stalls, a total of 10 stalls. Now 4 of the stalls have been rented out, and there are vacancies on both sides of each rented stall. How many different arrangements are there? 』

The question and answer questions are the following two questions respectively.

1. Assuming that Muxi Port needs to be expanded now, if you were to design the plan, how would you choose the expansion direction and architectural layout?

2. Please write down the three trading commodities that you think have the most price fluctuations in the last month, and analyze the reasons for the fluctuations for one of them.

Seeing these problems, most people's hearts are broken.

Because it completely overturned the impression of the exams in the minds of these medieval residents.

In the academy, the test papers issued by those professors are more limited to books and theories, such tests that focus on practicality and feasibility almost never appear in people's field of vision.

Some people just read the test paper once, without even touching the pen, and gave up the test completely.

Some people scratched their heads and scratched their heads thinking about the answer, and the hair they grabbed was scattered all over the floor, but they still had no clue.

A knight in charge of the exam in the auditorium silently looked at the candidates in front of him. A scholar who used to be eloquent, stared at the test paper with dull eyes, and his hand holding the pencil kept shaking. The former suppressed the smile on the corner of his mouth, and sent a message to his fellow knights in the next room with the "Dragon Bone": "Look at the expressions of these people!" Oh shit! This feels so good! 』

Two hours passed and the exam was over.

Under the "urging" of the soldiers' swords, the examinees reluctantly put down the pens and papers and walked out of the examination room.

Unlike when they entered the market full of confidence and ambition, the vast majority of people sighed and mourned.

The examiner of the knight order asked his subordinates to seal and pack the test papers as soon as possible, and send them to the king's room behind the headquarters.

Todd transformed the living room into a review room early on. He himself was the review chair, and Emerson and several loyal knights acted as review assistants.

The test papers of more than 700 candidates were carried into the room by the soldiers, and they were stacked together like a huge book 30 centimeters high.

Todd divided the work with others according to the plan discussed in advance.

He himself is responsible for marking the subjective questions (questions and answers), and the rest are divided into three groups. The first group is responsible for reviewing multiple-choice questions, the second group is responsible for reviewing true and false questions, and the last group is responsible for counting scores and proofreading results.

After spending two full days, Todd finally completed the review process for the first official examination in Muxi City. The 30 candidates with the best grades were selected and the list was placed on his desk.

There are a few names he is quite familiar with, such as the old acquaintance of the San Sidro Monastery - the "Raglan couple" who were shortlisted with high scores, and the guide of the North Island during the conquest of the Claw tribe - Lev who happened to be ranked 30th.

But the stranger's name ranked first on the list made him have a hard time.

An obvious southern heretic—"Aisha Barbarossa Hayreddin"